Tommy Ticklemouse, though his wound is barely visible in this picture.

An Honorable Mention, an Injured Cat, & GE Finally Pay Up.

Well, it’s been a week of highs and lows. First of all, one of my articles appeared on the front page of our local newspaper, The Grove Sun Daily, and I was delighted.

That very same day, I received a letter from the editor of Writer’s Digest informing me that my short story entitled, Stranger, had been awarded an Honorable Mention in their annual writing contest. And went on to say that I could feel justifiably proud of myself as they had received 19,000 entries. Proud, I was euphoric, it’s the first time I’ve received any sort of recognition for my fiction. I didn’t come down to earth until one of my cats hurt his leg.

To say he hurt his leg is putting it mildly, Tommy had two gashes front and back, so deep I could see the bone. He was rushed to the vet who had to suture his wounds, resulting in a bed and breakfast stay at the surgery for Tommy. The vet said the wounds weren’t the result of a bite, so we assume he must have got his leg caught somewhere. Tommy is sporting his war wounds for all to see as the vet had to shave all the hair off around the top of his leg, but he’s making a good recovery. He’s a tough old boot.

Then things took a turn for the better. After four weeks of phone calls, e-mails and letters, GE finally agreed to cough up the money to repair my range, and then back to worse when they sent me the wrong replacement part. So I still can’t use my oven, and Thanksgiving looms. Mick and I will be on turkey sandwiches at this rate.