addendum

Now its Good News--Good News. The rain is pouring down in torrents, we're sitting in the living room, tired and miserable because Smokey has gone missing. The Husband announces he is going out in the storm to look for her. We haven't seen the kitty since yesterday, which makes us think she slipped out while we were moving boxes and bags into the garage, out to the dumpster and to the truck. I announce I'm going with him, storm or no storm, because I'm miserable at the thought of her outside.

As we're changing into storm gear before stomping out into the weather, we hear a faint 'meow.' I'm looking right AT our other cat, whose mouth never moved, so we know it wasn't him. We rush to the front and back doors, stand outside, me in the back yard and the Husband in the front yard, calling.

Nothing. Silence.

I come back inside while the Husband continues to hunt through the wet underbrush of the front yard's borders, and open my lower drawer to pull out a pair of warm socks Yona had given me---and who is sleepily getting to her feet and stretching, but Smokey. The cat must've thought I'd lost my mind--I grabbed her and held her close and laughed with relief. I carried her up to the front of the house and knocked on the full length window next to the front door. The Husband looked up from his search, did a double take, and rushed back into the house.

Smokey wasn't impressed. She jumped out of my arms and ran to the litter box for a World Record pee.

We worked out that yesterday when we were moving clothes around and getting rid of items, she climbed into the open lower dresser drawer, snuggled among the grey socks and gray flannel nightgown and went to sleep.

She's curling around my feet and purring as I write this. We are sooooo relieved.