Birthdays and Caddy Shack

Saturday, April 10th

Before I go any further, I want to thank Jessie and Melanie and all the girls at work for creating this:

http://sevenweekstwodogs.blogspot.com/

I look at it at least once a day and anxiously await each new posting. It makes me feel so much better knowing that my dogs are happy and safe, and this blog is the best gift I've received in a long time. Thank you SO much, girls. You're amazing and I love you all.



Saturday morning, Caroline and I packed up and drove back to Melbourne. We left the dogs with Hillie so that we could take another trip later this week, to stay in some beach houses along the southern coast. Accommodation is free thanks to Chris, who is letting us use his barter card points. We plan to spend a few days exploring the land and taking LOTS of pictures!

The drive back was gray and rainy, but we avoided the swarms of locusts and got home safely around lunch time. Caroline pulled into the driveway and we could see through the backyard-gate, an orange cat sun bathing on the concrete. Mush-ums, Paddy's nemesis, the one who traumatized him when he was a puppy and ultimately made him the cat-hating maniac he is today.

And then we saw the flies.

I'll spare you the gory details, but poor Mush-ums had been dead for 2-3 days. He was the neighbor's cat, and Caroline said he was fairly old and had been showing signs of sickness for some time. I put him in a cardboard box and we tried to work out how to break the news. The neighbor is in the process of moving, and the house was actually open for inspection (by appointment) and mostly empty already. Her car was not out front, but we knocked anyway and got no answer. Another car was in the front bay window, happily tip-toeing back and forth. There was no vet information on his tags, nor cell phone numbers. There was nothing we could do but wait for the owner to return.

Dazed, we wandered over to the other neighbor to collect the mail they'd been holding for Caroline. She invited us in and we told her about the cat, which led to a discussion about the price of houses. The housing market in the city is so vicious that every house is auctioned off and sells for nearly five times what it's worth. It's hard to find a nice home for under one million dollars.

Back at home, we had a lunch of leftover lamb and veggies (still as yummy as the first time!). Caroline had a message on her phone from her mom, who got a call from Chris saying that he had come by Caroline's house to pick up a trailer and had found the dead cat underneath, but didn't have the stomach to do anything with it. Chris has a weak spot for dead animals. ;)

After eating, we headed off to the birthday party. Beck was turning 21 (the drinking age here is 18) and this was also a farewell party since she's flying home to England soon for a vacation. Although we got there nearly an hour late, we were the first guests. Beck was glad to see us and very welcoming. She took us on a tour of her new house that she shares with her long-term boyfriend and his brother, and their Jack Russell Nicky. The house was modest and homey with nice wood floors and a up-to-date kitchen and a cute little back yard great for entertaining. A few more coworkers showed up and we sat in Beck's kitchen to talk and nibble and drink. The girls got caught up with work and although not all of the people she'd invited turned up, it was still a great time. Beck is a very warm and energetic person, but sincere and sensitive. I hope I see her again.

When we left the party, Caroline and I went to Chris's house to pick up his barter card book so that we could find a scenic place to spend a few days. We stayed for a while and looked at pictures of the cabinets he'd just installed for a client, then we made plans for him to come by Caroline's house for hamburgers and to watch Caddy Shack (at his insistence).

After a run through the grocery store, we came home and saw that Mush-um's owner was home. Time to do the deed. We left him at the corner of her house and rang the bell. It was awkward, but I don't think there's really any one way to tell someone you've found their dead cat in your backyard. She seemed to take it fairly well, but was obviously shocked and in disbelief. We showed her the box and made her promise not to look, and told her we'd be home if she needed anything. It was a downer, but at least she won't wonder what happened to him and knows he died (we assume) peacefully. Caroline handled the situation very well. We returned home to make the hamburgers.

There were some hiccups with Chris getting here, but he finally made it and we enjoyed a late dinner (AMAZING hamburgers with all the toppings!!) and watched not only Caddy Shack but also its sequel (well, Chris did. Caroline and I fell asleep). ;) He left at nearly 2 AM and we went straight to bed!