wrap them in bacon. its the best way to wrap anything

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Mia (our resident Puppycat, in true Puppycat fashion, though never as Puppycattish as the original) had an adventure tonight.

When I got home around 5, I let Byron out for a little run-and-pounce. Since he is primarily motivated by his stomach and had not yet been fed, I was not worried about getting him back in. Unfortunately, I didn't notice Mia sneaking out a few minutes later. When we were ready to leave for dinner about 30 minutes later, Byron came right in. Supper time! Mia, however, was nowhere to be found.

We combed the house and the yard and did our best here-kitty-kitty calls, but no luck. We were about to give up when T., our back neighbor and landlord, called out from the garage where she'd just parked, "I think she's in my back yard!" I raced back...

...and found Mia nose-to-nose with her new friend, Pepe. Yes, that's right, a skunk. A SKUNK. Just think about the possibilities, people. Not good.

Let me tell you, trying to separate a cat and skunk while attempting to startle neither? Not easy. I really don't recommend it. I did succeed to some extent--the skunk ran, Mia gave chase and then changed course and darted the other direction, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The relief lasted exactly long enough to see her dart into an open grate and under T.'s house.

A lot of older houses out here have these raised foundations. The space beneath is just large enough to worm through when doing plumbing or electrical work, but it is really not accessible by humans. Cats, on the other hand, fit just fine. We tried calling and coaxing, but nothing worked. We finally gave up and went out to do our errands and ate. We figured she'd be waiting by the door when we got home.

We were wrong. What she was doing was meowing piteously from behind one of the foundation grates. One of the closed foundation grates. When ND pried it open, though, she panicked and darted back into the blackness. A flashlight revealed her about six feet back under the house, crouching miserably in the dirt and covered in cobwebs. More calling and coaxing and food rattling and toy throwing had no effect. We finally went back inside.

About 15 minutes later, the piteous meows started again. Thankfully? This time they were coming from the back porch.

She is in now and is NOT GOING OUT AGAIN any time soon.

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But she's cute.

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Barney, my cute wee white toy dog, now has his own website. Complete with photograph. Isn't he the cutest wee dog ever?

Today he was wearing a doggy Santa hat. Paul, whose love of Barney is up there with Romeo's feelings for Juliet, Antony's for Cleopatra and Spike's for Drusilla, was utterly enchanted. Although he was quite gutted that he couldn't take Barney home with him tonight, what with Barney planning to travel back to the UK and write a diary that the kids can read.

Man. I am fucking EXHAUSTED.

Love and punctuation to you all.

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wrap them in bacon. its the best way to wrap anything

Mmm, bacon. But I don't want him taking the fish for granite, what with his baited breath or anything.

She is in now and is NOT GOING OUT AGAIN any time soon.

It's for the best really. Or she risks getting confused In The Wild, and Mia's just not got the brains for that...

Barney is darling. Pity about the needing a bath.

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Oh my Beverly, you are wise. I hadn't thought of the danger!egg angle...and after that unfortunate run in with Costco crablegs a coupla months ago (delicious but deadly), I'm all about the avoidance of salmonella. I've saved your recipe in a file titled Eggnog ala Beverly la Buffista. It will hold pride of place in my holiday nums collection.

Meara, I'm so sorry about your friend. I remember the first time I learned of a contemporary's passing. It is sobering, to say the least. Peace to all who knew him.

Fay, I'm in love with Barney dog...but I have to say...the Pig is mighty adorable too. The blog is a charming and, I'm betting, enormously useful educational tool. Go you with the clever-being.

Okay, so it's nearly 3am and I'm not even in the neighborhood of sleep. The mug of "Nighty Night" next to me is mocking my insomnia and Bartleby is making that grandpa groany noise he makes when he wants to complain about me not sleeping when, clearly, all sane beings should be sleeping.

I'm oddly more excited than worried about quitting tomorrow (or later today, eep), but I do have some anxiety about how the boss is going to take the news. There are some pretty compelling reasons why I'm leaving, after all. And his coping skills are high among them.

I'm hoping the universe is telling me I'm doing the right thing. I got a new coaching client today...totally out of the blue...no effort on my part. And, with another who wants to come back in January, that is roughly half what I was making at the law office. 10 or so more of those and I'm going to be doing just fine.

Thanks for the prosperous work ~ma Beverly. It appears to be working!

All other good thoughts at the back of anyone's mind, gratefully and quite humbly accepted.

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Here are some pictures from the XXXmas Party.

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You know how one moment you are fine and the next you really, really aren't? Yeah...

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{{{Cass}}}

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With ND and KT leaving town, my Buffy source will be dried up. Yikes! Just as I'm finishing season 3!

BUT WAIT! My friendly neighborhood Library has them all (except for season 1 of Angel... go fig).

Woot!

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