Saturday, June 27, 2009

And this is your brain on caffeine…

I'm back! After 1200 miles of driving with two kids across two states and an island, I'm ready for some parental help. It was tough without Scott, and not just because of all the driving. How do single parents do it? There is just no relief, no quiet, no end to the crushing responsibility of feeding, cleaning, and clothing children. Not to mention all the listening. The listening might be the hardest part.

While we were away, my cat of more than 16 years went down for The Big Sleep. I just could not face the fact that it was time so I heaped the entire burden on Scott, who had to take care of it before he left on his trip and before we got back. So after having been traveling for 14 hours, the kids and I arrived home at around 9 at night to an empty house for the first time in a very long while. Being the only driver, I was caffeine loading at every stop and was too wired to sleep. At about midnight when I felt I could finally get in bed, I went to check on the kids and screamed as I saw a cat running from the kitchen to the cat door.

Even though I heard the click of the cat door flap, I still walked the house with my headlamp and two brooms just in case there were any other cats that had decided it was okay to cruise around in our house now that Stimpy was no longer protecting her turf. And what about raccoons, I thought, a pack of raccoons could have been totally nesting in the house while we were gone! And opossums! Adrenaline coursed through my body as images of opossums hanging by their scaly pink tails from my son’s closet rod ran though my mind. The kids were so exhausted that Hank would probably not wake even if feral cats were gnawing at his succulent little fingers nor would Juliet stir if rabid raccoon kits curled up in the soft warm curve of her neck.

In a dark house at midnight, my imagination is more dangerous than an intruder.

Beyond the cat that managed to escape, no other animals were found. I stacked all three of our suitcases in front of the cat door and had to watch both episodes of the New Jersey Housewives reunion show to get my heart rate back to resting.

Scott returns tonight. He has been missed!

11 comments:

Kimberly Derting said...

Welcome back, Christy, we missed you!!! The first thing I thought of when I was reading your post was that the freaky cat from your dad's house had somehow found it's way to you. I'm the worst about letting my imagination run rampant...obviously!

Jennie Englund said...

Welcome home!

Hey, can I borrow those Housewives episodes?

Little Ms J said...

I'm sorry to hear about Stimpy.

I have an overactive imagination as well. I locked myself in the bathroom the other day and had a whisper conversation with my husband from my spot on the floor by the toilet, "You need to come home. Someone is in the house and trying to take me." I thought for sure someone was in the house. Turns out the printer was "realigning."

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

sorry about your cat - kind of wierd pet semetary episode goingin in your house. PUt cat down but another cat shows up? spooky. Sriously - sorry about your pet. I know that is hard. :(

Hardygirl said...

I'm terrified. Don't ever move the stack of suitcases. There was a baby squirrel in my bedroom one time and it just about did me in.

Seriously? The New Jersey Housewives show returned your heart to resting? Really??

sf

Christy Raedeke said...

Yes, sadly, watching women with spackle on their faces and hair that defies gravity fight with each other makes my life seem placid. Gets the blood pressure down to reptile rate...

Debbie Rae said...

I thought you were going to say that it was YOUR cat and Scott didn't have the nerve to put her down while you were gone.

Barbara Slaton DRE#01855977 said...

LOVE those Housewives!!! Except Danielle who has to be the most twisted thing I've ever seen. Caroline is classic :)

How do single Mom's do it? Girlfriends and lots of Meridian Chardonnay...

Katie Anderson said...

So glad you're back :)

BrooklynB said...

Dear Christy Raedeke,

My name is Bridget Hartzler and I am currently a student with the Columbia Publishing Course at Columbia University. My group has created a fake children's book imprint called PassKey Press, featuring books aimed at children ages 0 to 18. Our CEO, Alex Bracken suggested you as a possible author for our pretend YA high-concept series Soul Chasers.

Book synopsis: A riveting retelling of a dark Norse myth set in modern day, Soul Collectors: Blood Red, Course Blue follows the stories of the daughters of the Valkyrie. Four sixteen year-old girls are bound by a pact to recruit the souls of everyday teenage heroes for their master Odin, to fight in the penultimate war of good versus evil. When Kara, a feisty seductress, is joined by her sisters, sweet Eir, loyal Regin, and bad-to-the-bone Rota, boys beware! But as Kara falls in love with her next target, she is forced to question her purpose.

You would never have to write any text, as it is only for our project. We would need to determine what type of pretend advance you should recieve to establish a pretend royalty rate.

Thank you for considering our project and we look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Bridget Hartzler
PassKey Press
cell: (917)-923-4671
bridget.hartzler@gmail.com

Christy Raedeke said...

Hi Bridget - I would love to be your fake author! I'll email you directly and say hi to Alex!