Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.

On her way to work,

Amy messages me that Gnocchi is outside.

It is snowing like crazy.

Our biggest storm of the season.

Most schools started late as well as all state offices.

Dutifully, I go right downstairs to rescue poor Gnocchi.

He was on the deck begging and clawing to come in.

Last night, I locked the safety latch on the door,

which we normally don’t do except when we girls are home alone.

(DeRay & Ed flew to Vegas for a few days to cavort with Clare.)

I could not budge the lock.

It’s supposed to pop up when you touch it.

First I put my shoes on so I can push harder.

Still won’t budge.

Frustrating.

I get the butcher knife; I get the hammer.

Then I go to the front door and open it, calling “Here Kitty Kitty Kitty,”

thinking he would see and hear me and leap around to the front door.

I do that three times.

He just cries and claws at the back door.

Finally I remember the door in the dining room.

DeRay had just opened it to bring in the balance table.

It came open easier than usual so I don't plan on it being stuck.

I didn’t have the strength to budge it.

Still I tried it three times.

I was in hopes someone would come plow our driveway

and I would coax him to go get Gnocchi.

I wasn’t sure I could maneuver in the deep snow

to walk clear around the house and pick him up.

After an hour,

I decided I had no alternative but to put on hat, coat, gloves, and boots – 

except I couldn’t find my winter boots so I had to settle for lesser.

I also take my phone in case I fall.

I go out through the garage door,

thinking surely when Gnocchi hears the garage door open,

he will come bounding in.

Nope.

I carefully head out through the relatively deep snow

not knowing what hazards lay buried underneath.

Mercifully, I get to the deck without slipping or falling.

Gnocchi sees me.

I think he is running toward me so I don’t have to climb the steps.

(You know cats are thoughtful like that.)

Nope.

He jumps down and runs under the deck.

I’m not crawling under the deck for him.

He’s on his own.

I get half-way around the house when this black streak leaps past me.

He was waiting at the door in the garage to get in the house.

I’ve had my adventure for the day.

I message Amy that I’ll tell her about Gnocchi when she gets home.

She assumes he’s dead;

I never look at my phone again

so she didn’t know until she got home that all was well.

She went right over and pressed the lever with her finger

and it popped right up.

It must have been frozen.

I put all my tools away.

January 17, 2020