I remember a frozen February evening,
much like this one tonight,
where the thermometer read below zero
and snow crystals blew
and whistled in the wind.

It was a quiet evening until the phone rang. 
My neighbor called to report
a cat howling on her porch.

I was still hunting for my kitty
who had vanished some months before. 

Hopeful,
I trudged through the crisp piles of snow
that separated our homes,
when I spied the shadow of
a hunched and howling cat. 



I called softly,

"kitty - kitty - kitty".

To my great surprise and delight,
she ran directly into my arms !

I  promptly tucked her in my jacket 
where she 
instantly
went
limp.

Only an occasional shiver let me know she was still alive.

Alas,
In the light of my foyer
I discovered
she was
NOT
my returned beloved.

Still, she was in dire need of safe haven,
infested with fleas,
worms crawling out of her nose and mouth,
and starved beyond emaciation.

Obviously that evening would have been her last.

The local country Veterinarian,
whose expertise saved her life,
recognized her as being one of his patients
and phoned the family that owned her. 

His face dropped as he handed the receiver to me. 

The woman declared,
"We had hoped she was dead ! 
We put her in a cardboard box and
tossed her in the woods several months ago !
If you want that mean vicious miserable biter
that peed and pooped all over my house,
you can
keep her !"

Yes... I did just exactly that !
It cost me several hundred dollars in Vet bills.
Yes...it did !

I renamed this ten year old
"Katie"

to

FATIMA

and she never stopped
purrrrrrrrrrrring
for 
ALL 
the rest of her very happy years with me.

She especially loved whenever I sang to her
and
sat up with pride when I sing-songed:
 
FAH-TEE

MAH-TEE

TOE-MAH-TOW

KAH-TEE

She sat and admired her food bowl for hours
with those lovely green eyes
and I teased her for becoming a little plump.

She patiently and lovingly helped my husband and I
raise a rambunctious puppy.

She meowed with concern whenever she heard a baby cry on TV.

She was super sweet,
incredibly kind,
hysterically funny,
and clean as a whistle...

and
never ever,
never,
NO ,
NOT EVEN ONCE
did she ever display
what she had been accused of.

Fatima was eighteen
the day she had her final visit at the Vet.


Dear  Reader:

I  would  LOVE  to  read
your own animal rescue stories

!!!   YOU  COULD  POST  THEM  HERE  !!! 

and  respond  to 
your  input  and  comments !

Just  CLICK  on 
the  word  "Comments"  on the top right of this page
to  get  started.

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BUTT

YOU  DO  NOT  HAVE  TO  LEAVE  A  REAL  NAME

AND

YOU  DO  NOT  HAVE  TO  FILL  IN  AN   E-MAIL  ADDRESS,

UNLESS  YOU  WANT  TO !

THANK  YOU  !

Minutes before the
"witching hour",
I went upstairs and
quietly got ready for bed.
 
Nigel slept neatly tucked
under the blanket;
his breath soft and deep.

I slipped into my side of the bed
and recited evening prayers
in silence.

 Off In the distance,
something softly jangled.
It stopped and jangled again;
stopped again
and began again.  

I would have dismissed the sound
but it became more frustrated.  

It suddenly dawned on me that
someone was testing keys
in an attempt to unlock the door
two flights below !




At that very moment, 

THE  DOOR  UNLOCKED  and  BANGED  SHUT !!!

HEAVY  FOOTSTEPS  of  a  MAN  BOUNCED  UP  the  FIRST  FLIGHT !

ALARMED  and  TERRIFIED,
I immediately jostled Nigel's arm
and anxiously whispered,

"Nigel, someone's in the house ! Wake up !"

But Nigel was in deep sleep,
obviously not comprehending.

He shook me off  and  shooshed  me with annoyance.

 Everything was completely quiet now.

My ears were perked like a doberman.

For a moment,
I questioned myself about what I had just heard.  

Just then, 

THE  KITCHEN  CABINET  DOORS  BEGAN  TO  SLAM  !

The housebreaker was obviously in a terrible rush,
searching for something
and

CRASHING

each cabinet door
in hasty succession !

The clatter horrified me and my heart palpitated with panic.

Without delay,
the heavy feet 
thumped
up
the remaining set of stairs
and

ENTERED

the bedroom suite
where we lay !!!
 
There had been no time
to hide in the closet
or under the bed.

There was nothing within my reach that could be used as a weapon ! 

I  KNEW  THE  STRANGER  COULD  SEE  US  NOW  ! ! !

I begged God for our safety
and
pretended to sleep.

I lay Frozen with fear,
my heart beating hard with horror.

His now cautious steps
came
closer

and then

a succession of swishing sounds

followed by

a
 
! ! !   SHOCKING  SMASH   ! ! !

as  metal hangers clanged across the oak floor !
 

Everything fell oddly silent again...

but that's when
the very

WORST

happened !


THE  INTRUDER  BENT  HIS  FACE  INCHES  DIRECTLY  OVER  MY  OWN   !

I  CLEARLY  FELT  and  SMELLED  HIS  AWFUL  BREATH  ON  MY  FACE   ! ! ! 


He was checking me out,
watching to see if I would flinch...

I thought my thumping heart would give me away for certain when...

Nigel snapped on his bedside lamp and exclaimed,

" WHAT  THE  HECK  WAS  ALL  THAT  ? "

The breathing sensation instantly vanished.

I bravely  opened my eyes,
uncertain what I would discover.

Nigel and I were alone, sitting upright in bed.

 The  ROOM  was  in  TOTAL  DISARRAY  !

The contents of my  large suitcase were strewn everywhere. 
Tops, slacks, socks, underclothes,
that had been so neatly folded,
were in corners,
hanging on chairs and  on lampshades.

The bags of metal hangers had been
kicked clear across the room;
the contents scattered all over the floor !

Like a couple of eight year olds,
we held hands and nervously

TURNED  ON

EVERY  LIGHT

IN  EVERY  ROOM !

We opened every closet
and
scrutinized the front door. 

The triplex was
void of anyone but us
and
everything else was in complete order !

We tossed my things into the case
and
HURRIED
back to the flat in our pajamas.

The remainder of the evening was spent
wondering and trying to make sense of the event. 

Nigel admitted to waking at the kitchen clatter
and had also been fear frozen. 

We didn't get any sleep that night.

! ! !   HAPPY  HOLLOWEENIES   ! ! !

! ! !   MAY  YOU  ALL  HAVE  SWEET  DREAMIES   ! ! !

As we ate pungent Puttanesca Pasta,
Nigel and I planned the week ahead.

With both of us working
on the Triplex Reorganization Project,
it would be complete in a week,
instead of two. 

This would give us time together
before his Employer returned
with wife and children.  

We went back to the triplex that evening
to settle in til the job was finished.

For the sake of convenience,
we agreed to share the Master Suite
on the top floor
that had an adjoining bath. 
The other rooms had already been
cleaned and made up.


Did I mention that Nigel is a lifelong friend; like a brother to me ?

So, dear reader, don't get any wrong  "ideas"  here.

There  NEVER  has been,

and  NEVER  will  be

any hanky panky between us.


And, so it was that Nigel claimed the left side of the King bed by the window
and I, the right, near the bath and  door.

Several paper sacks of metal hangers still leaned against the foot of the bed.
I placed my suitcase on a bench against the opposite wall  and removed my toiletries.

Nigel used the bath first and reappeared with
blue and white striped Brooks Brothers pajamas

properly buttoned

to the

neck. 

He hobbled into bed, obviously exhausted,
and immediately curled himself into a ball.

He needed to fall asleep undisturbed,
but
I was wired,
excited about my trip
and filled with thoughts of things I wanted to see and do.

I grabbed my book and went down a level to the kitchen.

A cup of tea and a scone,

{ Nigel had baked the day before },

helped

me

unwind.

The scones turned out to be

OUT  OF  THIS  WORLD !

{ Best I ever ett ! }

!!!  THANKS  NIGEL  !!!

for sharing something so out of this world,
with the world !

Out of this World Tea Scones
 
WHAT  YOU'LL  NEED:

2     Cups all purpose flour
2     Tablespoons Sugar
1     Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2  Teaspoon Salt
1/3  Cup dried currants - or - raisins -
        or - chopped dates - or -
        dried cranberries,{ OPTIONAL }
6      Tablespoons UNSALTED BUTTER
        at room temperature,{ A MUST ! }
1      Beaten Egg
1/2   Cup Whole Milk
1      Slightly Beaten Egg for
        brushing on top prior to baking

                                
                                WHAT  TO  DO  WITH  WHAT  YOU'LL  NEED:

                                 1.    Preheat oven to 425.
 
                                 2.    Thoroughly stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  
 
                                 3.    Stir in dried fruit of your choice, if desired.
 
                                 4.    Cut in butter until the mix resembles coarse crumbs.
 
                                 5.    Add One beaten egg and milk stirring just until dough clings together.
 
                                 6.    Knead gently,{ 12 to 15 strokes }, on lightly floured surface.
 
                                 7.    Gather into ball, flatten and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.
 
                                 8.     Use a glass or a round pastry cutter and cut into 12 to 16 scones.
 
                                 9.    Place on ungreased baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between them

                               10.    Brush scones with slightly beaten egg.

                               11.    Bake at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

                                                                       Enjoy warm or at room temp,
                                                                                    as they are...
                                                    or accompany with whipped cream and strawberries,
                                                        jams or anything else that pleases your palate !

                                                           I hope to read your comments about them !
                                                                        Aint they the bestest ever ?

                                                             

                                                                            TO  BE  CONTINUED...

The height of the Fall Foliage in the Catskills this year
will prove to be the long Columbus Day weekend
of October 6th.

  If you haven't already made plans to get away,
you should consider this romantic gem
alongside the meandering Willowemoc River,
just 2 hours northwest of NYC,
managed by Andrea Plunket.

There are six very clean and cozy cottages.
You can look at them by clicking here. 

The Africa Cottage and the China Cottage have large indoor Jacuzzis
certainly suitable for lovebirds.

Imagine yourself unwinding in one of the three outside hot tubs,
sipping a complimentary pre dinner drink while watching the nature around you.

Ahhh ...

ZAGAT was right when they called it,  
"Rustic luxury and the feeling is pure escape".

The makings for a hearty and healthy breakfast,
{ fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee, milk, eggs, bacon, cereal, muffins },
is included in each cottage’s kitchenette,
so you can enjoy it at your own timing.

And there's daily Maid-Service, so you don't have to wash a dish !

You could even schedule a massage in your cottage
to get ready for your return to that concrete jungle.

Best of all, is the fact that your four legged friend is welcome here. 
You can confidently take leisurely walks on forested paths together.

  Have a look at   The Guest House B & B   website
by clicking this link:

http://www.theguesthouse.com/ 

It will show you everything you need to know,
including simple instructions on how to get there.

My best friend was a Tom Cat
named Poochoo
when I was twelve.

Our souls were in tune
with each other and
when our family moved
that summer,  both of us
were a little mixed up
for awhile.








My older sister and I pounced at our freedom the afternoon our Mother released us from moving duties. We had traded one neighborhood in the City for another and were happy to go window shopping in familiar territory.  Our escape lasted one short block when black clouds unexpectedly took over with a thunder clap and a gusher of rain.


GiGi confidently looked at me as if to say, "No problem !", and proudly reached into her handbag to produce an item no one in NYC yet had, a pocket umbrella, which she had received as a special birthday present from a relative overseas.

As she opened it, we heard a man's desperate call to us,
"Girls, Girls !"

Under the stairway canopy of the corner Diner, stood the finest specimen of a man I had ever seen, wearing a cream suit, shiny black shoes and black shirt.
Even Rhett Butler, whom I was secretly in love with, suddenly paled in comparison.
It appeared as if a light was glowing only on him.
As corny as it sounds, I heard a chorus of angels all around him.
Yes, I was a hopeless preteen romantic.

I noticed his impish smile and gentle eyes as he continued,
"Would you share your umbrella with me ?
I'm late for a party and my car is parked just around the corner."

Well, if you're at all familiar with these umbrellas, you'll know they're quite small and fitting three
under one is impossible, unless one of you really is a cat.  Of course, I got bumped into
the drenching rain. After all, it wasn't my umbrella.  No matter, I was content
to walk a few steps behind and continued admiring the view.

The man had been honest about his car's location and thanked us as he unlocked the door and got in.

Now dripping wet from head to toe, my hair in strings around my face and
feet squeaking in soggy shoes, I gleefully chimed,
"Oh, that man was  SO  beautiful !  The  MOST  beautiful man I  EVER  saw ! 
When I grow up, I want to marry a man  EXACTLY  like that one !"

Playing mother, as older sisters sometimes do, and disgusted that our freedom
was to be short lived, GiGi scolded,
" Don't be ridiculous. That man never even noticed you, nor asked you your name !
Just look at you ! You're sopping ! We have to go home now !"

TO  BE  CONTINUED...