Happy Sunday
“Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts: and no one to thank.”
~Christina Georgina Rosetti
Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you all had a great week & are having an even better weekend!
I have to admit, mine has been a bit up & down. :knock
The up part is that I AM HAPPY to be making wonderful progress with my “Dynasties: The Kincaids” story for Harlequin Desire. Yes, it’s true that I still feel as though I’m dreadfully behind. I look at the calendar, look at how much I have done & how much I still have to do, &…well, let’s just say that I keep a paper bag handy for my frequent bouts of hyperventilation. It doesn’t help, either, that page-wise, I’m very nearly finished with the book. Plot-wise, however, I’ve got miles & miles left to go. How it that even possible?! And yet I ask that, knowing this is exactly what happens with every single book. So chances are, I’m right on track. :whistledev
I also have to send out mad I AM HAPPY props to Madame Mommy Dearest, who celebrated her sdhaidfningagehth birthday yesterday. 
I hope she had a great day, even though I failed in my annual duty of taking her out for a lovely all-expenses-paid birthday meal. But as mentioned above, I’m coming up on the tail end of a deadline, with massive panic as my constant companion, & thankfully she’s quite understanding about these things. I gave her a few nice gifts (which she claims to love *g*) & a rain check for a post-deadline outing of her choice. There—have I redeemed myself at least a little bit? :oucher
The down part—which went back up fairly quickly, so nobody panic :smack —happened Friday night. I’d closed up the house around 9pm, when it started to get dark & rainy outside, then went back upstairs to write. Around midnight, though, the power went out & ask I was walking around with a flashlight, I realized I hadn’t been bothered by a cat even once the entire evening. And they always take turns bothering me. Feed me. Love me. Play with me. Make him stop biting me. That sort of thing. So I started searching. One cat—one—greeted me, & the rest were MIA. OMG! How is that even possible? It took me about three rounds of the house & a rapidly increasing panic attack to realize that MY CATS WERE NOT IN THE HOUSE! Which, again, is nigh to impossible. I never let them out; everyone who ever comes to my house hears exactly the same thing: “Don’t let the cats out!”
It took a while for me to figure out what happened, but turns out the back door screen had been pushed out. I suspect one of them lunged against it in excitement when he saw a bird/squirrel/stray cat & it just happened to pull free of its frame, because they don’t normally push or dig to get out. But here’s the worst part: I 
NEVER NOTICED when I closed up the house (not the ripped screen or the fact that 90% of my children had escaped) & actually locked them out. In the dark. In the rain. For three hours.
You cannot even imagine how petrified I was. And remember, it was midnight, in the middle of a thunderstorm, in the middle of a power outage. But I went outside, anyway, in my underwear (yes, it was another bra & undies adventure! :ROFL ), flashlight in hand. As soon as I started calling for them, a few of them came running. Thank You, Jesus! Soaking wet, wondering what the hell was going on. I mean, at first it was an adventure, sure; but then it was just dark & wet & scary & somebody had locked them out of the house. :bloody One of them, though, must have been more frightened than the others, because when I finally spotted little eyes shining in the flashlight beam, he was hiding in the bushes (which I got to wade through…in my bare feet & underwear…& remember, it was pouring down rain, so everything was already soaking wet & getting worse). Then when I managed to coax him out, he ran across the yard & under the shed. Good. Fine. That put him closer to the house & at least I knew he was safe. But he liked it under there; it was dry & cozy & nothing—including me!—could get to him under there. So now picture me in the rain, in my underwear, pitch black except for a not-very-bright flashlight, lying on the ground on my stomach trying to coax my most fraidy-cat kitteh out from under the shed. A shed that sits off the ground about a foot & is surrounded on all sides by three-foot-high tiger lily plants. Sigh.
It took me what felt like forever to lure him close to me. Oh—& shaking the snacky container may have worked with the others, but this cat…he is made of sterner & less blackmailable stuff. :kittylaugh I actually had to crawl about halfway under the shed…through the tiger lilies (poor things may never recover ), through the dirt & God knows what else has been living under there (there’s a reason no one spends time under a ratty old tool shed, you know 
) Finally, though, I was able to reach him, grab him, carry him inside…& never, ever let him out of my sight again.
You know, until the next time disaster strikes. :hide
So on a ginormous scale…
I AM HAPPY I discovered the torn screen when I did.
I AM HAPPY they all—well, almost all—came running back home when I called for them.
I AM HAPPY all of my babies are safe & sound & once again inside where they belong. (To think of all the horrible things that could have happened. 
)
I AM HAPPY it was wet & late instead of dry & shiny when they got out, with very little traffic, otherwise they might have gotten a lot farther than they did &…see “horrible things” notation above. 
)
And I AM HAPPY that almost no matter what else happens in my life today, tomorrow, & for the next little while, I will be able to look back on that very scary experience & remember that something with the potential to be very, very bad turned out just fine, & that as long as my babies are safe, I’ve really got no room to complain. 
All right, I know that was a really long story without much of a punchline other than 
& I thank you for humoring me. So now it’s your turn. Tell us what great, wonderful, whew! moments happened to you this week. And feel free to start with “I AM HAPPY Heidi finally shut up about searching for her cats in her underwear. Again.” :ROFL
And now for the winner of this week’s Free Book Friday giveaway—that unclaimed copy of the Stud Muffins: Luscious, Delectable, Yummy (and Good Muffin Recipes, Too!) cookbook.
:getdown Shannon!!! :getdown
Congratulations, Shannon! :claphat Please contact me with your full name & mailing information, & I’ll get your book out to you as soon as I can!
Comments
17 Comments • Comments Feed
Mary Kirkland says:
Omg Heidi, I’m so glad that your little furr babies are alright. It’s no fun to worry about them when they get out.
I am happy that I have a replacement package coming since when my package was delivered to someone else and when the UPS guy went to let them know they got the wrong package they acted like they had no idea what he was talking about…*Jerk*
I am happy that my apartment manager decided to talk to my neighbor who moved in with no kids and after a week had 4 small snot filled, crying, germ carrying rug rats who loved to run up and down my very quiet courtyard at 5am…every morning…for a week…Turns out he is babysitting to make money..But my manager told him since the kids are bothering the other residents he can no longer babysit unless he does it at the kids home or keeps them quiet.
Don’t get me wrong, I like kids….as long as I don’t have to see them, hear them..ect. lol
I am happy that I was able to publish 2 more articles this month on small animal care.
:getdown
On June 12, 2011 at 9:06 am
Heidi says:
Thanks, Mary. I am so OCD about making sure there’s no way for them to *get* out, too, that anytime this happens, I’m like, BUT HOW?!?!?! It’s happened twice already this summer, too, which is a nonononononono. :angrychick
I am :ROFL at your oh-no-you-ain’t-gonna-babysit-kids-in-my-yard story. So with you on that. Kids are fine…individually, in small doses, & when kept very far away from me. A day care center opening up 3ft from me would *not* go over well at all. :knock
On June 12, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Jessica Lemmon says:
OMG, you must have been half on your way to a nervous breakdown! :crying As a mother of two (very adorable) furbabies, myself, I know that my dogs been the cause of more than a few near-cardiac arrests.
I have happy and *whew* news to share. It actually happened last Sunday. I deal with bad news very pragmatically… at first. I assess calmly, think through my reaction and try not to behave in a way that will have others consoling me… then later, and normally in private, I have a panic attack. :scared
This was the case on Sunday, when my mother and step-dad took their maiden voyage on a motorcycle. They’d ridden before, hither and fro, but this was a real-life, far away, weekender trip with other bikers. I should note that despite the facts she owns Harley apparel, my mother is NOT a born or bred biker. :angelme
I got a phone call from my mom’s phone Sunday afternoon from my step-dad’s cousin claiming, “We’re at the hospital,” I was at first in utter disbelief. I laughed and said, “No you’re not” about three times before it sunk in that YES, they were.
Long story short, bike tire met gravel and rolled my parents, bike and all, about twenty feet. They both have impressive bruises, my step-dad a burn on the leg and my mother a broken collar bone plus two broken ribs. :oucher Her convalescence is being met with disdain. Where I would be relishing time to write and read, she only sees housework that isn’t being done. I am still in shock we’re related. :ROFL
They are recovering and it could have been much worse. Definitely thanking God for that answer in prayer. But I think Mom’s days of straddling the H-D for a ride abroad have reached their end.
*Whew!*
On June 12, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Heidi says:
I know, right?! :scared I’m pretty good in a crisis, so I remained (semi-) calm & went thru the steps of everything that needed to be done to find them. But keep in that mine I am a multi-cat household. And I suddenly couldn’t remember everybody’s names or how many I’d already gotten in vs. how many were still out. I kept counting on my fingers trying to be sure. :kittylaugh Then once they were all in & came back inside… ohmigodohmigodohmigod. That’s when the panic set in. But I am still SO incredibly grateful they were all okay & I got them all back inside fairly quickly. :angelme
Ouch on your mom & step-dad’s bike crash, tho! :oucher That had to give you more than a few panic attacks yourself. And I hear broken collar bones hurt like a mutha. :whip Thank goodness everybody’s okay. This is turning out to be quite the “it started out really bad, but now it’s all right” Happy Sunday, huh? :whichone
On June 12, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Jessica Lemmon says:
Yes, between that and the ribs, Mom says it hurts to breathe. Not good. :spikey
Thank you for the well-wishes, sounds like we both operate well under pressure… and you in your underthings, to boot! :chick
On June 12, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Dorthy says:
Heidi-
Well first, I’m so happy you found your babies. Second, can I use that in a story? I mean seriously, I read that and then had a whole story start (heroine finding her cats are locked out in a rain storm) to end (the HEA). Flash through my head.
This week has been rather relaxed, now “whew” moments to speak of.
One of the funniest things this week did happen yesturday though. Hubby, kids and I were at a small BBQ at a friends and us adults were relaxing in the living room while all 5 children (their 2 and our 3) were out playing.
First child (thier youngest) comes running in the house. “The Ice Cream truck is coming!”
all adults laugh it off and say they don’t have ice cream trucks anymore, sends the child back outside to play, and then continues making camping plans for the summer.
Second Child (our youngest) comes running in, “A truck with ice cream is driving around”.
all adults, no there’s not, just go play and stay out of the street.
Third Child comes in (their oldest) “Mom, Dad, can we go meet the ice cream truck”
What ice cream truck, they don’t have ice cream trucks anymore, go play.
Fourth and Fifth children come running in (our middle child and oldest child). “We need a dollar, can we borrow a dollar?”
What do you need a dollar for?
The ICE CREAM TRUCK.
Oh for the love of…they don’t have ice cream trucks anymore. Room goes quiet and off in the distance we hear a faint bit of music.
The mom’s of the group (me bing one of them) “Do you hear that?” “That sounds like”
Kids in unison “AN ICE CREAM TRUCK!” amid much jumping around.
Husbands of the group, “no way, they haven’t had one of those for years”
Kids go running back outside, adults all rush to the window to peer out and see if there really is an ice cream truck, and low and behold…There is!
Adults go rushing for wallets, kids jump up and down on the porch pointing to the truck.
After we all get our ice cream…from and ice cream truck no less, we head back inside to talk about how long its been since we’ve seen an ice cream truck much less bought ice cream from one.
We did ask the driver when he started, turns out it was only his second day out. Said he remembered how much he loved rushing out once a week to meet the ice cream truck as a child, and wanted his own kids to have that opportunity, and since our little town didn’t have one he was going to do it.
How awesome is that?
On June 12, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Heidi says:
LOL Sorry, no; I’m afraid I’m going to have to retain all rights to bizarre events that actually happen in my life. I’ll probably end up using them in a book one day myself, even tho I’m sure most people will accuse me of making it all up & going totally over the top just for the sake of creative fiction. :ROFL
I love the honest-to-goodness ice cream truck, tho! :bigwow Wish one of those would come around my neighborhood. Also reminds me of a line from this week’s The Soup…they showed a clip from a new TV show & then made fun of the one actor’s drawn-out reaction to something while an ice cream truck drove by in the background. And Joel McHale said, “I would have believe it if it hadn’t been for that ice cream truck driving past at 10 o’clock at night! That’s a murderer!” :ROFL
On June 12, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Pamela Cayne says:
*pshew* Thank goodness the kitties are alright! I was terrified just reading this story, so you must have been absolutely insane! Crazy kitties… :whichone
On June 12, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Heidi says:
I honestly don’t know how this keeps happening. I feel like I’m living in a Hogan’s Heroes episode…I try so hard to be Colonel Klink & they keep finding new ways to escape. :knock
And they learned nothing from their 3hrs outside in a thunderstorm…ever since, they’ve been crying at the doors & windows, thinking they should be allowed out again. To which I say, “NEIN!” :whip
On June 12, 2011 at 11:41 pm
carole says:
Sorry about your cats being missing but you found them after your ordeal1 Well, my son and i found 2 horses on thursday afternoon they were out in the hot sun and went on the property and found no water and the horses looked like they were starved for days. Anyways,the house was empty and no food to be found in the barn, we called the animal sheleter and they came-out and asked if were could keep them for a few days, Kenny called his landlord and said yes, he came with a horsetailer. Anyways, the one horse died friday afternoon.I’m still quite upset, the one my son fell in love with the star in the middle of his forehead is holding its own, his landlord made a corral and told Kenny if he wanted to keep it on the property its ok. He has 3 horses himself and thought since we did a good deed,why not-the shelter gave us food and a vet no charge but if Kenny keeps him his landlord told him he’d help-out with the expenses.For two people that don’t know a thing about horses were learning quick-Kenny has friends who ride and even one who’s a farrier so that helps out alot! Today is alot better, feed Star and he’s eating on his own, I got up early to go see him before church and all is well. Its like having a kid you worry all the time. Keep writing and stop beaating yourself up-you’ll get it done on time and you gave gifts thats better than nothing. Have a good evening!
On June 12, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Heidi says:
OMG, Carole, that is *horrible*. How can anyone be so selfish & cruel? Thank God you & your son rescued them…tho it’s awful that one of the horses died. I’m going to say a prayer tonight that the other makes it & starts to get better by the day.
There’s a special place in Heaven for people who rescue animals, you know, esp. the really needy ones in dire situations like this. :angelme
On June 12, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Laura J. says:
Happy Sunday!!!! I’m so glad you found all the babies!!! I would be so scared.
Congrats Shannon!!
It’s been a pretty good week for me. I got my son graduated and signed up for college in 36 hours of each other and I only broke down a few times. He got in the dorm he wanted and is has an amazing schedule for a first semester freshman.
This past week I found the most gorgeous yarn and it arrived yesterday, I think I’m going to start working on turning it into a scarf tonight.
I’ve got tickets to see Lady Antebellum in August and yesterday I took B’girl to see Shrek the Musical (very good). The best part was when some kid in the audience laughed real hard (and funny) at a funny part and Donkey broke character and had to hold up until he stopped laughing.
And the best thing….I got a new phone!!!! Oh yeah. oh yeah. Happy Dance. Happy Dance. :chick See this is very good because now I have a phone that actually has a battery that stays charged and since it’s an iPhone (which I have wanted since they came out, but I refused to go to the phone company that had them) and I got it synched up to my bluetooth in my car and because I have a usb port I can listen to all my itunes!! Oh, I’m such a happy girl. Been listening to Josh Kelley all day. (If you like Lady Antebellum, you will like Josh. He is the brother of Charles Kelley that is in Lady A. Some songs you might think you are listening to Charles.)
On June 12, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Heidi says:
You have been so busy…& look at all the cool stuff going on. I’da liked to go to Shrek the Musical…Lady A, too, for that matter. :beachball
On June 12, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Hollie says:
That is just terrifying….and I make the Kitteh check whenever anyone leaves the door open…just to make sure that they are in the house!
Im sooo glad that you got them back in!
We have an ice cream truck that goes through here …but unfortunately the drivers all look like they are selling crack and other drugs..verra verra scary!
we also have the mexican guys walking through with those little push carts..while not licensed to do so…they DO sell some very tasty all fruit popscicles!! :whistledev
On June 12, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Heidi says:
Too funny you mention a kitty check, Hollie, cuz I was just thinking that’s exactly what I need—an actual check list. The dry erase kind that can be used over & over. :kittylaugh
On June 12, 2011 at 11:34 pm
Laura J. says:
Oh, and you so have got to include this (or something similar) in a book. We promise not to tell anyone that it’s based on an actual incident. Just imagine….the heroine (based loosely on you) who has a crush on her neighbor (who bears a strong resemblance to Dwayne or Jason and who is “intrigued” by his quirky neighbor) just happens to see the whole thing out his front window.
On June 12, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Heidi says:
Shhhhh. There’s something kind of already in the works along those lines, but it’s still very hush-hush. Let’s just say that all of these bizarre, nail-biting experiences will come in handy one of these days. :devang
On June 12, 2011 at 11:21 pm