The Tell-Tale Boomerang

Boomerang went missing yesterday. Late in the day I didn't see him anymore, after Mr. Uan and Khiow had left. And he didn't come into the house last night. Strange. During the night, I thought I heard his "jingle bell" on his collar a few times, but it never lasted long. If he is outside, he will usually go jingling around and around the perimeter of the house during the night, until I notice and let him in. But I heard it once or twice and that was it. And then, he did not come for breakfast this morning. So I knew something was up. The last few days there has been a white female cat around, and Boomerang apparently had his eye on her. He chased her up a tree a few days ago, and fell asleep at the bottom of the tree waiting for her to come down. But she was gone. So this afternoon I started thinking that perhaps he had followed her home.

The other strange thing was, the rest of the "regular" cats of ours (Miss Dufus, Dinkey, Stinkey) were in really good moods today. They were so excited, going in and out, playing. They normally are cautious when outside, because they DON'T LIKE BOOMERANG. I started to think they knew something I didn't, which may have been the case.

After my English students left, we needed to make a run to Takuapa to pick up M's computer. So we did that, ran some other errands, and came back home to make dinner. All the time, me still preoccupied with "what happened to Boomerang?" While the potatoes and cabbage were boiling, I walked to our neighbor's house; the one I claim joint ownership with Boomerang. She hadn't seen him, but I could tell she was concerned also. I said, "He comes and eats at our house EVERY DAY." What I didn't say was that he eats sleeps uses the bathroom intimidates and creates havoc at our house EVERY DAY. She said she would look around for him too.

After dinner, we went outside, like we sometimes do, walked around the yard, M pulling a few weeds and me picking up a little trash. I kept looking to the route I would always see Boomerang travelling between her house to ours (to make sure he made it to both places in time for dinner). And I said to M, you know, Boomerang has been coming here or staying here EVERY DAY for at least the last three months (he was doing this before Ok got sick the last time, and that has been three months). So Boomerang must be sick, or restrained somewhere, or somebody took him away. And I walked back towards the house, near our bedroom window. Then I thought I heard a little quiet "miao." And I said to M, who's that? I hear a cat. M said, oh, it is just Miss Dufus, she is in our room and she is crying at you. I said, NO! That is coming from over here! I was standing near one of the outside bathrooms. We use it for storing gas for the mower and some other lawn stuff. And the miaoing kept up. Mike grabbed the little lock that was in place but not locked, and yanked the door open. And there, in the dusky light, stood a BOOMERANG. Who jumped into my arms and rubbed his head up against me, and then looked over at M, who said, "You're welcome!"

So we had a grand re-union. I guess when I heard him jingling last night, He must have walked around in the bathroom and then given up and laid back down. All I could think of for a while after that is some of the frogs we have found, over the years, that got stuck in a window sill somewhere around the house, and could not get out. A perfectly formed, dried out little dead frog. I just kept telling Boomerang, "I sure am glad you aren't a dried up frog!" Thankfully it was a storeroom/toilet room, so he did have access to water. (yuck)

And I am remembering the Edgar Allen Poe story about the man who bricked up a wall in order to hide a body of someone he had killed, and thought that a cat was back there too. (Is that how it was? my memory fades now.)

So this is my tale of the tell-tale Boomerang, and thankfully, this "tail" has a happy ending!

what next.....?

well, next thing we knew we had a kitten. Some neighbors must have thought we were animal lovers or something, and dropped him off. I ignored him for awhile and then couldn't stand it any more. I tried to feed him. By the way, he was almost totally black. Tiny bit of white on his face. Cried like a banshee(sp?). Anyways, he would not eat. Only cry. And followed me around. I finally said, maybe we should take him to the temple! That is what everybody else does! I even thought of paying Khiow to do the dirty work and drop him off. But then she says that you have to sneak and do this. You just don't go in and drop the animal off. It has to be sneaky. Apparently, though everyone does it, you aren't supposed to do it. So what to do. Then, my student/friend Jeep shows up, to bring me a little gift. She loves to bring me little gifts. She is just a gift giving person. And I am told she is rich, so I guess she can afford to. I tell her to stop, but she will say, "when I saw it I thought of you." So...Jeep came by with something, and I told her I had a problem (by the way, she loves cats). I told her about the kitty, and she said what do you want to do??? I said, to tell you the truth, I was thinking of taking him to the temple!! So she wanted to see him, and she picked him up, and petted him (it was all over now, you know) and said all he needed was worm medicine, and to be dropped off at a small hotel/boarding room type place where foreigners would take good care.

And she offered to do this! amen, PTL. So Jeep rode off on her motorcycle with this little kitten. First she put him in a plastic bag, but he was not enthusiastic (we can all imagine!) and I brought out my plastic travelling basket that we used to use for the cats before we got a real pet carrier. and off the little fellow went on his new adventure!

But what! She drove back up in less than half an hour. AGHGHGHHH I thought. But she was just returning the basket. Said she had already fed him the worm medicine and found a place for him and everything....oh, how wonderful to have contacts..

ps....Jeep came by with bananas yesterday....kitty had a little trouble, so she gave him another worm med dose, and I had some antibiotic that I had just mixed up for Little (another story) and I gave her that....off again... hopefully he is better as we speak....

snakes alive

I guess I forgot to mention, Saturday morning we dropped the snake off with the police. They really were not that enthusiastic.

I asked them what they would do with it. They said "release it out in the forest." I hope they were lying......and I hope I don't see my plastic jar at the end of my road......open......you know what I mean?