My heart wasn't in the Spartan Sprint

The fluff ball to the left is my cat, Sadie. Marianne and I "adopted" her right after we got back from our honeymoon, ten years ago. So in essence, she was the first addition to our family.

I am NOT a cat person. I am a dog person. I love dogs. We have one - Jesse who is a Brittany. But my wife grew up with cats and I wanted her to have one in the house. When we went to PetsMart to look for a cat we spotted Sadie and her beautiful green eyes. When the sales person took Sadie out of her cage so we could hold her, Sadie took one look at me and literally jumped into my arms.

It's been love ever since.

Sadie acts like a dog. For the most part (99% of the time), she will come when you call her. She is very affectionate; and is not the least bit aloof like other cats. She likes to play; and she usually sleeps with us in our bed somewhere near my side. When she wants to be petted, she'll let you know by reaching out for you with her paw. She loves to be scratched behind her ears and underneath her chin. She doesn't even mind when you stroke her tail, which is big and bushy like a squirrel's.

Tonight, as I tucked the kids into bed, I came to realize that I hadn't seen Sadie since I got home from work. I checked everywhere - her usual haunts and hideouts. I checked under the sinks, under furniture and in closets. I looked for her in the basement and out in the yard under bushes in the event she somehow got out of the house. She was nowhere to be found.

Dejected, I resigned myself to the fact that she probably escaped from the house at some point when the kids had the door open, running inside and out. Sadie is an indoor cat; and was probably gone for good. I couldn't go roaming around the neighborhood looking for her as Marianne is working and I can't leave the kids alone in the house.

The Spartan Sprint beckoned; but I wasn't much in the mood. I made about 8 contacts in all when I started hearing noise outside. It seems that the next town over must be hosting a carnival or something; because at 9:30 a fireworks display started. A few explosions was all it took for Sadie to come out of her hiding place and come running for my lap. One second she was nowhere to be found, the next she was a gray blur heading right for me.

She had been in the house the whole time! I have no idea where she was hiding or why. She must have fallen asleep and didn't hear me as she almost always comes when I call. I'm just happy and relieved that she didn't run away.

There will be other Spartan Sprints; but there's only one Sadie!

73 de Larry W2LJ