Almost Spring: Soo Bahk Do, and Pets

My wife and #3 daughter were at a Soo Bahk Do clinic most of yesterday: leaving about 6:00 a.m. and getting home late in the evening. The clinic/learning session didn't take that long - but it was in Minnesota's Twin Cities area, which involves about two hours on the road, each way.

I gather that it was quite an active day, mentally and physically. (Soo Bahk Do is sort of like Karate.)

Spring, Minnesota style, is here: it rained last night, and the snow drifts are lower than they were a few days ago. They're also starting to show the dust and dirt that's been hidden inside. This isn't the most 'picture postcard' season here.

Friday night #1 daughter noticed that Eek the mouse died. She'd collected the little critter in her apartment - and made a pet of it. We've no idea how old Eek was. He'd made a daring escape several days earlier, and been recaptured in one of a number of 'live' traps #1 daughter had set up.

Twitches, #1 daughter's cat, on the other hand, is doing fine: and at this moment scampering around the house.

Which isn't all that's happened lately - but that would make a very long post.

Off the Road

#1 daughter is okay. She called us from the ditch of the Interstate, between Osakis and Alexandria. After calling the State Patrol, and getting a wrecker sent her way.

She'd been staying with us over Thanksgiving weekend. The original idea was that she'd go home Sunday evening. A job came her way, designing a flier, so she extended her visit. The job needed a fairly powerful computer: and my son had what she needed.

I was glad to have her company an extra day.

This afternoon, after getting the final revision done & approved, she packed up and set off for Alexandria. That wasn't as daft as it might seem: snow was letting up here, there was no wind to speak of. And the Weather Service has been known to exaggerate - or miscalculate - a storm's severity.

The Interstate was fine - until around Osakis.

She had company - she and the wrecker passed a few other cars that had gone off the road, too.

She's okay: That's the big thing. So is Twitches, the cat she lives with, who was riding with her.

Found: One Affectionate, Rather Hungry, Cat

Update: 3:53 p.m. July 24, 2009

That didn't take long: Those are photos of Max, who was lost three months ago, up in Alexandria. That's 20 miles away, but Max's family lived near the Lake Wobegon Trail's rail line - and so do we. It's not hard to imagine a cat making his way down that trail.

Max will be returning to a household of three dogs and two (now three) cats: and a lot of attention. They'll have quite a lot of catching up to do.

We connected with Max's owners through a poster in Pets Galore, on Nokomis, in Alexandra: a new-since-last-year (I think) pet store.

- - - - -

Here's what this post said, before we contacted Max's owners:

A cat showed up in our yard today: quite obviously someone's pet, and quite unfamiliar to us. He's a neutered male, quite affectionate - and/or realized that we'd provide a meal and attention, if properly approached.

He's in good shape: if he's lost he's either very good at finding food on his own, or hasn't been gone for very long. At this moment, he's sharing the garage with my oldest daughter's rabbit, Giol. Giol has been trying to sniff the cat, through the chicken wire of his enclosure. I'm not sure how the cat's been reacting to Giol.

We're hoping that we can re-connect this fellow with his family. There's someone in Alexandria, who lost a cat that looks a great deal like this one: but that's 20 miles away, a rather long walk for a cat.

If you recognize our foundling, please leave a comment on this post. We'll work out a way of making contact.