Mea Idiota

You'd think that I would remember that, if I can't find one of the cats and if I've had the garage open at some point during the day to check the garage in the initial panicked sweep. Last night Jilly didn't come to say good night (or, more accurately, come to demand I pet her before I go to bed), so I started looking for her. She wasn't in any of her favorite sleeping spots. I banged on the upstairs floor, since there are places where the cats can get into the space between upstairs floor and downstairs ceiling, but she still didn't come out. I thought maybe she'd gotten out of the house without me seeing, and wandered outside with a flashlight frantically calling her name. Nothing. Once or twice I'd think I heard a faint 'meow', but then I'd decided I imagined it.

I was convinced that she couldn't possibly be in the garage because I was certain I'd seen her inside the house after I'd shut the garage up again. Now, bear in mind that it was even less likely that she was in the freezer or the refrigerator, and I did look in both of those places. I suspect I was too tired to think clearly. I also suspect that it was Dovienya I'd seen in the house, but only out of the corner of my eye, and that I'd mistaken her for Jilly. So then this morning I woke up, thinking at least somewhat more clearly, and went to check the garage. Yup. There she was. She was probably hungry and thirsty, but otherwise just fine. So now she's happily sleeping in the cat tree.

Meanwhile, I got about four hours of sleep, plus about an hour's nap after I finally found her and could relax. I did not drive to IF for taiji, as I figured there was a greater than 50% chance of my sleep-impairment causing a wreck. When I woke up after the extra hour, it also dawned on me that my car was nearly empty of gas, and I doubt I would have been awake enough to notice it before I left. So if I hadn't caused a wreck, I probably would have run out of gas somewhere in the middle of no where and had to call someone for a ride.