Tuesday is trash day, and Harlan arrived a bit early, so I was one wheelbarrow load short in the dumpster. These are the sorts of news items we report on when not much else is happening.
The morning was not a happy one. Marmalade failed to show up for breakfast, which is very unusual. I fretted all day, and was distracted in everything I did, dashing out to the shed to see if he had come home. I even went through the woods looking for orange fur, wondering if he had been grabbed by a coyote or an owl.
I did take some bird pictures, hoping Marmalade might appear to hunt birds, not something I would want, but I really hoped he would show up.
Goldfinch and cardinal in flight 
Purple finch in flight 
Purple finch arriving to join a big group 
A pair of tufted titmouses (or is it titmice?)
I could have labeled this “a titmouse on the left and a titmouse on the right“, to avoid the plural
The horses were happy on a pleasant December day, but still no Marmalade around, and I was regretting, as usual, becoming attached to a semi wild cat.
In the barn , Rosie and Twizzler basked in the sun, but out in the shed, the only cat was lonely black Licorice.
Harry worked in the studio and commiserated with me for my anxiety over a cat that had wandered in here, and could quite easily have wandered away. He probably had not been catnapped, because he is so shy. Nancy, being a cat whisperer and a fan of Marmalade, whom she named, would have been a suspect, but Montana is too far away.
I went out to bring the horses in, and Licorice was waiting for dinner. It made me very sad, to feed her another meal alone. Dinner is canned food, which was Marmalade’s favorite. No sign of him. I puttered around in the shed for a little while, and as I was leaving, the orange truant appeared! I killed the fatted calf (opened another can of food) and took a picture for proof of life to send to Harry and Jane, who had put up with me all day imagining the worst.
He’s baaaack!
Harry and Weedy shared a chair this evening, and Nettie had the whole couch to herself. We were relieved and exhausted.
Nettie is disgusted over such a fuss made about a cat!
Stay safe, stay well, and try not to worry too much (advice to self).
Oh what a relief! I can image you stress and preoccupation. So much so that I skipped ahead to see if he was back at dinner time! Now going back to read the rest of your much anticipated daily blog. Have a great day!
THANK GOODNESS!!!!!!! You know me and lost cats.
Your lost cat was a very stressful story! I am so lucky.
Amen! My heart was pounding as I read your account of the stressful day. Now I am shedding tears of relief. ❤️
I thought of Wedge a lot yesterday. Since he never returned, and since he was the most confident Croucher, I like to imagine he moved into a house somewhere. It’s awful not knowing, and keeping cats inside has the benefits of both knowing their whereabouts (more or less) and reducing bird carnage. Luckily, I do not see evidence of much bird killing here. And, for the most part they all stay close.
I am very pleased to report the prodigal orange cat was waiting for breakfast this morning as usual.