Hi all! It’s me, Foster. Mom and I went on a huge adventure for Christmas! And because I was so well behaved, she said I could do a post about it!
I knew something was up when Mom bought this new cat carrier. I figured, okay, we’re going to the vet, that’s no big deal. I can do that. But after awhile I realized that we had been in the car way longer than it takes to get to the vet!
I started to think maybe we were lost and Mom needed my help. I tried my hardest to get out of the carrier, but only succeeded in making this little hole. But eventually I managed to squeeze out between the zippers to freedom!
Well, it wasn’t actually freedom the way I’d imagined, but at least I could see out and I wasn’t in the carrier anymore! Still it seemed like forever until we stopped, and I found out we were at Grandma’s house!
Panda fell out right away, kissing the ground after the harrowing experience of being with me in the car for an hour and a half.
I myself was no worse for the wear, but Mom said I had a “rug burn” on my nose from trying to get out of the cat carrier. (My nose is really supposed to be brown, not pink.) But it didn’t bother me, so Mom and Grandma figured I was probably all right.
One of the first things I noticed about Grandma’s house was that she had plants just like Mom (used to). I began systematically checking them out and then I noticed something really odd…these plants started disappearing just like the ones at our house!
Finally I found out they were in the other room, where the doors were shut so I couldn’t get in. I don’t know how plants do that stuff, but oh well.
There were several things at Grandma’s that we have at home, so I knew just what to do…
Pay no attention to the panda behind the curtain!
One thing I really liked was going under the bed. It was actually Mom’s bed from when she was growing up, so it made it that much more historical. For some reason, though, Mom didn’t like me to go under there, so whenever I disappeared she would always look under the bed first. It was on one of those occasions that she found….
The Suitcase!
Earlier I had heard Mom asking Grandma about a suitcase of old letters and family pictures she wanted to go through, and Grandma said they were “around here somewhere.” If it hadn’t been for me, who knows if they ever would have found it! I myself thought it looked like something that was dredged up from the Titanic, but Mom was so excited that they brought it immediately into the living room and started looking through it.
Of course, I figured since I had found the suitcase, I should help.
One of the first things they found was this picture. It’s really bigger, but I’m only showing the part that has Great Grandpa George in it. Apparently Grandma’s dad was in World War I, and he was on a ship with a whole bunch of other guys. We’re pretty sure that’s him on the far right, third row up. (Mom helped me crop the picture so it would be easy to point him out.)
Next they found a bunch of letters Mom had never read before. They were written by George to Grandma’s mom, Hilma. They were married in 1927, and these are some pictures of them from back then. Looking at the car behind them in the bottom photo, I was sure glad I didn’t have to ride in one of those all the way to Grandma’s! At least our car is comfortable and air conditioned.
Another thing that I saw that I’ve never seen before was a little kid. The youngest kids I’ve been around have been about five; this one was only two. We were both a little cautious at first, but I guess you could say we made friends.
Well as they say, all good things must come to an end, and after a couple of days I found myself back in the dreaded cat carrier. This did not bode well.
Fortunately, this time she let me out of the carrier before we even left the driveway. So at least I didn’t have to be in the carrier the whole way. Still, even though I wasn’t in the carrier, it was nerve-wracking being in the car that long. 
I tried all different places to sit, so I could see out better. Mom kept pushing me down off the dashboard, saying something about getting a ticket or going to see Jesus before He might be quite ready for us.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we found ourselves going into our own familiar garage. That’s when Mom said it looks like Panda was in travail! Good old Panda, you can always count on him in an emergency.
One of the first things I did was get in my new clothes hamper tunnel and go to sleep. I didn’t know traveling could tire you out that much!
Nana's Whimsical World 