Is winter here and I heat most of the house with wood.  I have cords of
wood left from hurricane Isabel so I bring several wheelbarrow loads of
wood in to fill the woodbox.
 
Yesterday I was bringing in wood from a tree a neighbor took down last
week, the one he was getting taken down for free that cost him $300 to
get the cherry picker fixed, $150 to get it winched out of the muddy
ditch after he broke $130 of rope trying to get it out, $250 damage to
the fence he dropped the fence on and $1,545 damage to the car he dropped
the tree on.  But the labor was free...
 
Anyhow, I had some of the new wood stacked in the back porch and had
taken some pieces inside to burn.  There are two sliding doors to get
outside, I never have both open at the same time and when bringing wood
in I put both ferts in the cage just for safety.  But this time was only
going from the unheated porch to the wood box.
 
Later on I went searching for RePete all over the house but didn't find
him.  I looked at all the hiding places he frequents but no sign.  I also
searched the porch and did not find him.
 
After several searches I came to realize he was not in the house and must
be outside.  But I recalled my moves several times and know for sure I
closed the sliders almost as I opened them on every passage and RePete
was no where to be seen, as he was now!  I went to bed hoping he would
come to the bed in a while, like he usually does, but that didn't happen.
 
Morning came and no RePete.  I searched again, looked out the windows
for that white blob but no sighting.  I went to the porch and heard
this rustling of news papers.  Out from the box of old news papers came
RePete!  That little chit got out onto the porch without my seeing him
and spent the night in the cold unheated space using newspapers as
blankets to keep warm.  Very resourceful to say the least.  He was so
very happy to see me and came running right away.  I was so happy to see
him I only dipped him twice in boiling tar and feathers instead of 3
times.  He was most glad to get back to his cage and get some chow down.
None the worse for wear he survived like a champ.
 
Now I will have to be much more careful knowing RePete has escape artist
capabilities I hadn't seen before.  Also will have to mend my own ways
on being too trusting which could be a disaster for the both of us.
Errors happen, but am glad this was only an easy lesson.
 
Aarrow Ranch Aviation
Rev. J Gordon Bengtson
7302 Hunterbrook Drive, Suite 100
Mechanicsville, Va. 23111
USA
[Posted in FML issue 5131]