Lost Cat

I’m writing my 600th post on this blog today! I’ve been writing a little less than usual lately – mainly because we’re stationary for an extended period and I haven’t had much to say.

Friday was a blustery day. I used the time indoors to remove the screens from our vents. We have two 12″ Fantastic Fans in roof vents that have screens on the inside. These fans do a great job of pulling fresh air into the coach and circulating it out the roof. Over time, the screens collect dust and need to be cleaned. The screens have eight screws in a plastic ring attaching them to the electric fan. It’s not too difficult to remove them. I cleaned them with 303 Multi-Surface Cleaner and water, using a Brillo bug scrubber to get the stubborn debris off.

At 4pm, we joined Tom and Kris Downey at their place and we drove over to Offshore Tavern and Grill on Morena Boulevard for happy hour. Tom and Donna tried the New English Brewing Pacific Storm Irish Stout while Kris and I settled on Stone IPA. The beers were good!  We ordered appetizer plates – seared tuna, mac and cheese, poke and a 50/50 mix of tater tots and sweet potato fries with cotija cheese. We shared the appetizers and it was enough to call it dinner. We talked and enjoyed each other’s company for a couple of hours. I was so wrapped up in the conversation and food, I neglected to take any pictures.

On Saturday afternoon, I scootered Donna to her sister’s house in Point Loma. Donna’s nephew Connor was in a play and Donna went with her sister Sheila to watch it. I walked a few laps of the park and visited with the guys at the security shack while she was away. After the play, Sheila and Connor came over to visit and see Ozark the cat.

Donna wanted to ride her bike on Sunday morning so I got her bicycle out of the trailer and pumped up the tires. She planned a route along Old Sea World Drive to Quivira Basin and back. While she was out, I watched the Chargers game against Kansas City. It was another heartbreaker with the Chargers only needing a yard to tie the game but not being able to get it done before time expired.

We had a visitor for the afternoon game. Debbie Bednarski came down from Carlsbad. She planned to pick up her husband Bruce at the airport around 3pm. I’ve known Debbie since we were in junior high school. Donna made her famous crab cakes and served them over a bed of herbs and spring lettuces. We had a beer and enjoyed conversation while keeping an eye on the Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay game.

Donna's famous crab cakes

Donna’s famous crab cakes

Whenever we have visitors, Ozark the cat enjoys the attention she receives. She’s gregarious and always approaches people when they come into the coach. This was true when Sheila and Connor were here and she snuggled up to Debbie on the sofa as well. Lately, she spends much of the afternoon curled up on the seat in the front of our living room. I’ve read that cats sleep up to 17 hours per day.

Ozark the cat doing what she does best

Ozark the cat doing what she does best

We had a curious incident with Ozark on Saturday morning. As usual, she was in bed with us when we woke up. We didn’t get out of bed right away. But when we did get up, Ozark had disappeared! Usually she’ll head to her food dish and wait while I clean it and fill it with food. She didn’t come out this time. I figured maybe she was sleeping behind the sofa. After a couple of hours, Donna was getting really worried because this was unusual behavior and maybe Ozark was sick or something.

I got a flashlight and took the cushions off the sofa. Ozark wasn’t under or behind the sofa. I took the lower drawers out of kitchen cabinet to see if she got in there somehow. Nope. I checked the bedroom closet and the small opening in the bedroom slide. No Ozark. Donna was calling her but we didn’t hear any response.

Donna was getting worried – a coach parked a few sites away from us lost a cat recently. They posted signs for their lost cat – it was a stray they picked up in Ohio and traveled west with. I knew Ozark had to be in the coach somewhere. We hadn’t opened the door so it wasn’t possible for her to get outside.

Our bed has two long drawers under it which open at the foot of the bed. Donna pulled open the drawer where she stores our towels and sheets. There was Ozark, nestled in the towels sleeping. It’s a mystery how she got in there. I’m thinking the drawer was left open enough for her to climb in which is something she does whenever a drawer or door is left open. One of us must have closed the drawer without even thinking about it – neither of us recalls closing it. There aren’t any openings in the pedestal the bed sits on where the drawers are located, so there’s no other way for Ozark to get into the drawer. Anyway, she wasn’t lost and we’ll be careful not to leave any drawers open.

Today we have cool weather and warnings for gusty winds and high surf at the beach. The high will be in the lower 60s as it’s been all weekend. The forecast calls for warmer temperatures on Thursday and Friday, then another spell of cool temperatures. The only thing on my agenda today is to clean and refill our hummingbird feeder. We have regular visitors feeding at it and I like watching them.

My hand is much better. I’ve been exercising it with therapy putty and plan to play pickleball tomorrow.

My hand is healing from the surgery

My hand is healing from the surgery

*Just so you know, if you follow one of my links to Amazon and decide to make a purchase, you pay the same price as usual and  I’ll earn a few pennies for the referral. It’ll go into the beer fund. Thanks!

5 thoughts on “Lost Cat

    1. donna@unclutter.com

      Haha! No secret. I got this recipe from Cooking Light years ago.

      Ingredients:

      1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
      2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
      3 tablespoons light mayonnaise (I use real mayo ’cause life is short)
      2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
      3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
      1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
      2 egg whites, lightly beaten
      1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed (I buy it in a refrigerated can – and usually substitute claw meat which is much less expensive)
      1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
      1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
      Cooking spray
      1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup panko. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

      2. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and panko.

      3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.

  1. Deb Spencer

    Hey Mike. Just a little tip on the vent screens. I just attach the brush to my central vac and such the dust off without having to remove the screens. Works like a charm! Glad you are healing up and you found Ozark!

    1. Mike Kuper Post author

      Yeah Deb, that works. But I also find that a build-up forms on the fan blades – I should have mentioned that. I don’t know if it’s a static cling on the plastic fan blades or what, but with screens removed I clean the fan blades.

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