That Sam. To look at her in her element at home in Cadrieu, you'd never think that ten years ago this weekend she'd have been traveling around New Orleans in a canoe with Gaynell and her 3 dogs...Stone, Bernard, and Trixie. I've often had a cartoon-like picture of her in my mind, sitting at the point of the canoe with only her big eyes showing above with Gaynell and the rest of the gang lined up behind her. I tease that she's my little hurricane survivor. It's the truth. She had quite a journey, but this is about Sammie Cat and the piano.
Since I wasn't here and Sam was with Gaynell, Sam was one more four-legged child to be concerned about.
Once evacuation had become mandatory for everyone who hadn't already, you were NOT able to take your pets along with you.
At one point, Gaynell told me that Sam was up in the attic at her parents' house with Stone, Bernard, and Trixie. I was worried to say the least, but a day or so later Gaynell called to let me know that Sam was back on Columbus Street upstairs with enough food, water and litter for a month. It just hit me that I used to buy a huge plastic bucket of Deli Cat. I can still see it sitting open on the floor in the middle of the upstairs bedroom at the top of the stairs when we returned.
Only recently, when we were sitting together in my kitchen; did Gaynell describe to me how she floated into my house up to the base of the steps in the canoe, and took Sam upstairs. As you can imagine, that's a pretty surreal visual for me. I'm forever grateful to Gaynell for taking such good care of my Sam.
Herein, I believe lies the mystery story of the cat food crispies found inside the piano. Gaynell made sure that Sam and the rest of the gang eventually went to a shelter set up by the LSU Veterinary School. All that food and litter was still upstairs in the house. I'm guessing that we had rats or mice who had found their way into the house and into the piano. It would have been quite easy for them to walk/float inside and then go higher up to the keyboard and begin storing their goodies where they knew it would be safe. By the looks of it, they were ready for the long haul. Who'd have thought...ten years safe!
Writing today's post not only lets me solve a mystery, but it lets me thank Gaynell and our pack of "hurricanesurvivors" one more time. A huge MEOW from Sam!
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