Monday, January 5, 2009


Where were you at 2 a.m. this morning? Tucked cozy and warm asleep in your bed? Flagging down the bartender before last call? Thanking Potterman for getting an ATV? You got me. After a mini road trip, he, Mom and I were stuck in the snow halfway up the driveway. We weren't very far from the house and could have walked it- the snow was only 5 or 6 inches deep. But you see, there's this way of thinking that sets in when you live in a town where you buy your beer from a gas station and the restaurants close in winter.

It's the Stockpile Syndrome. So when we drove by the Safeway 50 miles from home, we had to stop. No, the food wasn't the problem. It was the 9 six-packs of tonic water, several bottles of wine, and a case or two of beer. (I'm sure there were some non-drink related beverages, but they just aren't as important. ) As we climbed the last couple thousand feet toward home, it started snowing. And when it's that cold, you can't leave sealed containers of liquid in your car. Well, you can. Go ahead, I dare you. I'm just glad it wasn't a lesson this cali bumpkin had to learn first hand.

Anyway, what does this have to do with the bald eagles that have moved into the neighborhood? I daresay I digressed a bit, that's what. Ah yes, the trip. I didn't see Pheonix when I got home, but I figured he was just out being man of the yard. But when I woke up at 11 he still hadn't come home. A handy snow trait: I can tell if my kitties have come or gone. So I geared up in all my snow armor and took off to find him. Everywhere I walked there was only unblemished snow, not a print in sight.

Just as I was starting to really panic, a bald eagle flew over me, maybe 30- 35 feet up. It was amazing, beautiful, majestic... and big. Really, really big. I walked quicker and kept calling my kitty boy. I was nearing a neighbors weekend cabin when I thought to stop and listen for a second. Nothing. I went on, calling, stopped again. And there was the tiny high pitched meow that incongruously belongs to my big handsome cat. He crawled out from under the cabin, never breaking the ceaseless stream of merr-owwws that he and his sister have mastered.

Whether he was snuggled for the night or hiding from eagles, I don't know, but he appreciated the lift home. And the warm canned food. And my cozy, warm bed where he is sleeping right now. I guess I have to accept that I'm in the wilds now, with coyotes and eagles eyeballing my cats, where four wheel drive isn't just for show, and the beer comes in cans. Luckily I think Pheonix realizes it, too. That's why he switched to tuna juice. And two foot drive; human required.