What was lost is now found.

Hi everyone;
We had a minor miracle, here around 10:30 pm on Friday night.
Hobie has been found!
It all started with a phone call at 10:20 pm from a man who lived in a neighborhood across from us and some streets away. He and his wife were out walking, they had seen my sign about Hobie and realized that a cat they had seen that night and the night before looked like Hobie.
He described the cat they saw and it sure sounded like Hobie, but was it really her.
I had to go and find out.
I didn't have much time, as I had to go pick up Christopher from his new job at Chick -fil -a by 11.
A short drive over to the street and I found the house of the caller. I get out and start walking along the side walk and calling Hobie.
No answer.
The man came out (Don Amend) and so I introduced myself and talked to him for a bit. I learned that he and his wife had just seen the cat they called about within the last 15 minutes.
I decided to give it another try and walk back along the sidewalk and towards my car.
A few more calls from me was finally answered by a weak "meow" back from someplace nearby one of the houses.
A few calls from me and a few answering meow cries and a black shadow detached itself from the wall of a house and came towards me and then underneath a truck in the driveway.
It looked and sounded like Hobie, so now I sat down on the driveway and talked to her.
Slowly, tentatively, she came to me and then finally, contact was made with me scratching her had and back and she rubbing against me, purring/meowing.
It was Hobie but good lord was she skinny.
Needing to get her home but not knowing if I could do it by myself I called on Josh and he came over in his car.
More sitting on someones driveway and soon she was up to him and rubbing against him.
Soon Josh had her in his lap and the decision was made for him to get in his car with he holding her while I drove. A short one minute drive and we had her in the house, safe and sound once again.
I then walked back to my car and then over to Chick-Fil-A to get Chris.
Whew; what a night!
Today, (Saturday), Josh took her to a local vets and they checked her out, gave her shots and antibiotics.
Hobie now only weighs 5 pounds and has some scratches on her, but should be good for the long run.We are taking things carefully here with Hobie.
She is still very weak and tired.
I don't think she ate much if anything for the month + 6 days she was gone.
So many things came together to bring her home, I still can't believe it.
To start with; I only put a couple of signs on that street, not really expecting Hobie to be that far in that direction.
The wonderful Amend family, who also have a Beagle, are right next to the telephone pole that has my sign and Hobie ends up practically in their yard.
The call coming to me at the right time and when I was able to react to it in a timely fashion.
My not giving up in calling for her that night and figuring it was a false alarm.
My prayers and the prayers of my family and friends.
All of these circumstances and more, combined to bring Hobie back to that familiar spot in our house.
At 6:20AM this morning, Hobie came into my bedroom and told me it was time to get up and get some breakfest.
Just like she always does.
And life goes on, a little happier now, in Mr. Joes World.
Thanks for reading.
Joe

Vanished....she is not alone

Since Hobie disappeared, I started scanning my local, regional paper for Eastern Baltimore County and was struck by how many pets have gone missing in the past two weeks.
Dogs, Cats and even a grey Parrot, all are listed as lost in the paper.
One dog that was lost, right down the road is a Beagle, with the same disposition as Daisy, "friendly but timid."
Every story you read is heartbreaking and you can read the family grief in the short notices.
"Sorely missed", "Family is heartbroken", "Family is grieving".
This is a sign of what pets have become to us and what pet ownership has evolved into.
It's surely a cold comfort to me to know that I am not alone and I can only hope and pray that all lost pets will find their way home soon.
Thanks for reading;
Mr. Joe

Vanished

I am heartbroken to follow up my last post back in February with the news that one of my silent partners is missing.

Hobie the cat was last seen on June 29th. As usual she was always around Daisy and I, always close by, but always keeping a "cat like" distance from the activities. She came out on the patio with Daisy and I in the evening and most likely in the night. I remember taking Daisy for a walk around 10:00 pm and then, it was bedtime. Normally, I let Daisy out one more time around 11, but I was worn out from work and so we didn't have that last time out on the patio. I can only think that if we did go out that last time, I would have found Hobie out there from the 10pm outing. She loved going out on the patio and along the edge of the lawn. She didn't like being out there with the door closed and not able to get back in, so I can only imagine her dismay when she did try to get back in.

Now Hobie has been left out before in the past ten years (3 or 4 times), but she has always been on the top of the shed or right in the yard waiting to get back in the house. The fact that she has so completely disappeared has me baffled.

I woke up Tuesday morning and almost immediately realized that my regular wake up call was not coming from Hobie. Almost every morning for the past ten years, she has been in my room when I awoke to greet me and the new day. If Daisy wasn't in bed with me, Hobie would be on top of my chest, staring intently into my face. When Daisy is around, then Hobie was along the side of my bed and meowing, so when I got up that Tuesday morning, it was strange not to have Hobie in the room, but not the first time and I fully expected to see her in the living room.

When I didn't see here downstairs, I began looking for her inside and out, and I have continued to search for her every day since.

When a pet is around you every day, you grow to expect it to be there every day, you look at certain spots in the house or the yard and expect to see that pet there doing what it has always done and I have come to realize that this is one of lifes best pleasures and comforts.

I come home from work and Hobie meets me at the door, I sit on the couch and she lays across the back of the couch right behind me, I sit at my computer here and she perches herself on the weight bench or love seat, I sit at the kitchen table to paint some miniatures and she climbs into my lap and drapes her paws over my left arm. This is what I enjoyed on a daily basis, this is what I am missing on a daily basis. I do need to add that Hobies disappearence has also caused much saddness to the boys and their girlfriends, Nicole and Jazmine.

The pleasure and comfort I got from Hobie was also shared by each of them on a daily basis.

Thankfully, I have Daisy with me for the summer. If ever there was a faithful companion, Daisy is it. Even now as I type this post, she is here with me and begging for more attention, and/or a treat. Daisy realizes that Hobie is missing and has helped me looking for Hobie, especially on the first day.

I have posted signs throughout the neighborhood, posted a notice on our community website and regularly check with my Vet and Baltimore County Shelter.

Many of my neighbors have spoken to me about Hobie and have leant me support and understanding. Many of the little kids on my block ask me about Hobie and tell me that keep looking for her. There have been several "false alarms" of Hobie sightings in the area and each one gives me a moment of hope, that she will come back to us in time.

Hope is the only thing I have right now, hope and prayers, that is.

And so, we continue our daily routines, go about living our lives and hope that one day soon, we will look at a certain place in the house and see Hobie in her typical cat pose amongst us again.

And so life goes on in Mr. Joes World.

Joe

My Silent Partners

Hi everyone;
Welcome back to Mr. Joes World.

My bio on the blog states, I'm writing about the most important things in my life.

Two of the most important things in my life are also what I call my silent partners.

They are with me all the time, they keep me company, they entertain me and keep me in shape.

They are there for me through thick and thin.

Their affection and trust in me, is second to none.

What are they?

Who are they?
I'm sure you've guessed by now, it's Hobie the Cat and Daisy the Dog.

A typical pose by Hobie

Typical pose by Daisy.

Hobie came in to our lives Thanksgiving of 1998 or 1999...I'm not exactly sure at this point.

She was a stray that was missed by the SPCA when they rounded up her mother and siblings from an abandoned house, near the boys Maternal Grandmothers. Hobie was just a kitten when she followed the boys Uncle Joe and his dog Julie home, where he lived with the boys grandmother. We all went there for Thanksgiving and it was love all around at first sight and so with that, our family added a new member. I had the privelage of naming her and came up with "Hobie", which is the brandname of a catamaran sailboat I sailed up in New York.

All that was lost on you know who, but the name stuck and I can't see her being called anything else.

To say she has been a good pet is an understatement. Hobie is an indoor cat, but does go out with us in the patio or deck. She is very affectionate to people she knows, very shy to folks she doesn't know. When Nicole or Jasmine come over, or when anyone of us comes home, Hobie is right there to greet you.

Then one day, life threw a monkey wrench in to Hobies life, and for better or worse, she had herself a sister....

Dasiy answers a "roommate wanted" ad.

Ok, actually this was last April at the March for Animals around Druid Hill Park in Baltimore.

Hobie never would of placed an ad if there was any chance that a dog would answer it:-)

So...really how did we get Daisy.

Well in 2004, Christopher was really asking for a dog. Joan agreed, but believe it or not, I was the one against it.

Chris wanted either a Beagle or a Pug.

That year we went to Lake George for our family vacation and when we came back, the hunt for the right dog commenced. Not long afterwards, in fact it was in August of 2004, we came upon an ad for Beagle puppies, only $125.00, private breeder. We found out that Daisy and siblings were born on Marylands Eastern Shore, most dogs were used for hunting. But if they had extra puppies, they would sell them to us "City folk" on the Western Shore. The dogs didn't look in the best condition, but Daisy was the most attentive to us, you could tell that Chris was not about to leave without a puppy. Joan had insisted that we get a girl dog, so it looked like it was meant to be. So in August 2004, Daisy came home with us and Hobie hasn't stopped showing her who was in charge since.

Hobie enjoys the outdoors.

She can also be comfortable anywhere in the house.

Daisy has also been an outstanding pet: she is one of the most loving and calm animals you will ever meet. Always ready for a treat, walk or just to have her belly rubbed, she is very easy to please and maintain.

Daisy is the outdoors type too, especially at her favorite place, The Gunpowder Falls State Park.

But she can always get comfortable on the couch at home too.

Yep; they are quite the pair here at Camp Run-A-Muk.
Daisy is afraid of Hobie, yet fascinated by her.

Hobie is bugged by Daisy, yet....errm...tolerates her...barely.

But they do keep each other company and give all of us a good laugh on a daily basis.

And that's what life is all about here at Camp Run-A-Muk and in Mr. Joes World.

Take care., thanks for reading.

Christmas is the time for giving and it's not just me.

Merry Christmas everyone;

I have always thought of myself as a "do-gooder" or a "Good Deed Doer" and have gone through life with the mantra that if you are a good person and do the right thing, especially where kids, family and animals are involved, good things will happen to you.

It hasn't always worked out that way, but I don't give up hope that no matter how bad things are now, they will get better some day. Of course if personal finance is your weakness, like it is with me, the good things in life will have a harder time finding you.

Last week, really put my mantra, as well as my finances, to the test, but I'm here to say to you all today that it does work and in unexpected ways.

What's the line from the movie Miracle on 34th street...."yes, Elizabeth, there is a Santa Claus"

And the spirit of Santa Claus, lives on in me, as well as many others, some of whom have given me a better Christmas than even I, always the optimist, expected.

"A better Christmas than expected"......I tried and think I succeeded in that with my boys and their girlfriends, this year. I also tried to give a better christmas to the woman, who was out in front of Target last Tuesday, giving out decorated candy canes for a money donation.

As I walked in to the Target at White Marsh, to pick up one video game for Josh, there was a woman out there, asking for donations to help a needy family. To anyone who gave her a dollar, she gave them a candy cane that she decorated with pipe cleaners, small bells and plastic eyes.

When I came back out, I went up to here, with a few bucks in my pocket and asked her directly, what was this for. She answered me back, just as directly, "I'll be honest with you sir, I'm trying to raise money to buy my kids christmas presents". I had already put donations of change or a buck or two in the Salvation Army kettles over the past weeks, I am struggling to get my own kids presents too, but the fact that she was out there and giving something back for your donation was something that I admired, and so I told her that I can appreciate what she is trying to do and put five dollars in her basket and took one candy cane.

So Tuesday 12/23 was my shopping day, as up until then, I didn't have the funds to do any shopping. Thanks to a check from Mom and Dad, I had enough money to get something for each kid as well as groceries to re-stock the pantry.

Things were going well, but as I gassed up my van, I started to get a nagging feeling that I had better check on my checking account. You see, I had just paid two bills on-line and meanwhile, just remembered that there were two "automatic payments" that had not gone through yet and I wasn't sure if they would go through that week or the next.

As you are probably guessing, I got home and looked at my checking account...dangerously low, those two auto deductions went through that day and the bank hadn't posted my last two bill payments.....nuts.

By the next day, my account went in the red and things were looking grim for beyond the Christmas holiday, especially because I have Christopher and Daisy for his entire Christmas vacation. But I knew that I, still had some cash left and would be getting a bit over 200 dollars from my part time job with AIM the upcoming Friday and while that would probably bring my account out of the red, there wouldn't be much left over till my next pay day which will be January 2nd.

I sat down and thought things over and realized that it was now Christmas Eve, there was nothing else that could be done till after Christmas and at least for now, it was time to enjoy the holiday with my family.

Things were dark, my future was uncertain.....but it was Christmas, and hope springs eternal.

Now for a little history lesson about terrible times and the spirit of Christmas.

You didn't think I'd let you get away without a history lesson did you?

It's December 1914, the first year of the First World War, men have been fighting and dying in the thousands and are now, starting to build trenches and face each other across a no-mans land.

Each side, British and French, versus German, vowed to wipe the other out completely.

And yet, on Christmas Eve a miracle happened that would take every General and every Politician, by suprise. Something would happen that would bring light to the darkness.

It was Christmas Eve and men on both sides, all along the Western Front, sat down in their trenches to share a meal and a drink or to sing a song and write to their homes and loved ones.

All along the German lines, small christmas trees with candles, were set up along the tops of trenches, songs like Silent Night, were sung and then answered back by British troops, who perhaps emboldened by the Christmas Trees, made overtures of a temporary truce to the Germans across the way.

One soldier walked out in to No-mans land, another soldier came from the other side and met him halfway. Soon, more came out from the trenches, tobbacco was swapped with chocolate.

Below is a drawing made by an English soldier during the truce.

A little farther down the line, French soldiers, Germany's most implacable foe, walked out into no-mans land and swapped French wine for German Sausage, photos of wives and sweethearts were passed around, German, Scot and French soldiers sat around fires drinking coffee and singing Christmas songs and at midnight, a Scottish Chaplin held Mass for soldiers from all sides, right in the center of no-mans land.

The truce didn't end then either, for with the dawning of Christmas Day, came more fellowship between the men, whom just days before were trying to kill the other. Soccer games took place there in no-mans land, addresses were traded so that men might be able to meet with each other when the war ended. Below is a photo taken on Christmas Day, of German and British soldiers gathered together.

The story of this Christam Truce would grow and survive all those Generals and Politicians who asked for a pushed for the war. It showed that no matter how bad things can be, there should always be hope in the goodness of your fellow man and the magic of the holiday.

Now I don't consider myself to be a religious person, but I've always been struck by one thing in this story....

Each side in the war, said, "God is with us" or "God is on our side", but I think during the 1914 Christmas Truce, god showed that he was on Humanities side.

Now how about a little Christmas magic for me...lol

Christmas day 2008, has us up in Delaware spending the day with my sister Ginas' family.

They live a little over an hour from us, so we spend a part of each holiday together.

Since my birthday was just a few days before, Gina and John gave me a birthday card and enclosed in the card was my age in cash, with a note for me "to spend on yourself".

Now Gina and I have exchanged birthday cards for many years, as both of our birthdays are in December (22nd and 29th), but the last few years, we haven't exchanged gifts. So this was a nice and most welcome suprise.

Christmas night, the boys, their girlfriends Nicole and Jasmine are all back at the house for our family gift giving. All four kids were happy to have some gifts from me to unwrap, even if it was just a gift card to Target or Subway:-).
Josh and Nicole gave me some very nice gifts as well as a Target gift card for $50.00.

Then I opened yet another Christmas card from my Mom and Dad (the 3rd one actually) and there was a $40.00 gift card for Wal-Mart.

Wow...I know knew, that I would have enough to keep the household pantry and laundry room, plus cat and dog food supplied for the next couple of weeks.

To go back a few days to my birthday, on Sunday night, I got a gift card from Chris and Jasmine for Borders Books, this was perfect because there was one book there that I had been wanting to get for a few months now, and with this gift card, I could do it.

The very next day, 12/22, I received as a birthday gift that exact book, from one of my closest friends, Dick Caldwell.

Dick is a wargamer like me and natually, knows what type of book would catch my eye.

Of course, there is always another book, that catches my eye at Borders, so the gift card will still come in handy.

And finally there was an even greater surprise waiting for me in my mail box when I got home from work Saturday evening and that brings us all the way back to the image of Santa's cap and "Merry Christmas" at the top of this long post.

In a simple white envelope, with no return address, except for an Albany, NY post mark, came another bright light of goodness to me.

Inside the envelope was a single sheet of white paper with the image you see on the top and a Merry Christmas just below, there was no signature or anything else to reveal to me, the name or identity of the sender.

Along with that note of Christmas wishes was a Postal Money Order for $100.00.

To you who sent this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

In this economy and with tough times all around, this money order, as well as all the other gifts I have received since last Sunday 12/22 from Friends and Family have been a godsend.

Just as the soliders gained strength and hope during that Christmas Truce of 1914, I have done the same here and now thanks to all of you.

Below is a picture of my boys and Ginas boys, plus the girlfriends of Josh, Jonathan and Christopher. Taken at Gina's house on Christmas Day.

From left to right: Jasmine, Christopher, Nicole, Josh, Matty, Jonathan and Kara.
A great group of kids, and all are key parts of Mr. Joes World.

Thanks;
Joe

Christmas at Camp Run-A-Muk

Well hello everyone and welcome back to Mr. Joes World. Merry Christmas to all of you.

It's been a very tough year for me and the boys and it started off pretty close to the start of the year when I was laid off by GET Marketing on January 29th. The job market is not good, especially for a 50+ year old guy (that's me by the way) and the many, many jobs I did apply for seemed to vanish in thin air. Thankfully I had Unemployment Insurance and even more thankfully, I have a strong family that continually supported me with financial and moral support.

Back in May, I stopped by a local Boating supply retail store, aka West Marine and secured a part time position at $9.00 per hour with them. This job has been a "god send" as it is about a half mile from the house, had a great group of people to work with and allowed me to talk to customers and help customers out with all of their boating needs.

Now some of you may not know this, but I have a good bit of boating experience, having sailed since 1988 and raced on a 35 foot boat from 1994 to 1999.

I do have to say, that I have learned more about boating while working for West Marine, than I ever did out on the water.

I also picked up a part time job with a company called AIM (Alternative and Innovative Marketing) representing the Sony Digital Reader on weekends, starting in October.

This past month, I have been promoted to Assistant Store Manager with West Marine and that also includes a nice raise to $15.00 per hour and more hours.

So between the two jobs and the Bank of Dad and Mom, I've been able to keep the house and keep the pantry from being completely bare over this past year.

My Brothers and sister have been a constant source of support, with my brother Jim sending me money at two key times this year and with out me even asking for it.

That's the strength of family.

Since coming down here in 1993, and especially since I really got into a great group of guys through Miniature Wargaming, I have made very good friends whom have also given me their support and advice during this tough time in my life. Their friendship and camaraderie have carried me through many rough stretches this year.

Now the images you have been looking at are all from my home today, a place I fondly call; Camp Run-A-Muk.

Why am I posting pictures of my tree and decorations?

To show anyone who is interested enough to still be reading that......

I believe, that no matter what comes at me in life, my family, my friends and my pets are better served by me being thankful for what I have and enjoying the season and life in every way possible.

There will not be many gifts this year, but there will be a good feeling in the air at Camp Run-A-Muk and the holidays will be cheerie and bright, as the song goes.

Whether it's having dinner here with the kids, walking Daisy or playing an evening of a miniatures game with my friends, I will be happy.

And I'll do all of the above this week.

So enjoy your holidays with family and friends, be thankful for the simple pleasures in life and remember loved ones and friends, who are no longer here with us, but are still in our hearts.

From the whole gang at Camp Run-A-Muk and our part of Mr. Joes World, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Mr. Joe, Josh, Nicole, Christopher, Jasmine, Hobie and Daisy

My "Book of Days"

A couple of weeks ago, where I work, (West Marine-Boating supply store), we received in our 2009 Calendars and even Christmas cards. Yes, they are pushing the season along.
One of the items we got in was a "Mariners Book of Days". It's kind of like a combination- Day Planner, Almanac and lots of nautical history and trivia information, that us old salts like to read about.
There is something about the term..."Book of Days" that I always liked, kind of sounds biblical and historical at the same time. I imagine a Book of Days, would be a good record of your life, something that would prompt old memories or thoughts of important events in ones life.
Maybe it would be a large leather bound volume, with many parchment like pages, that you could leaf through and have those days of yesteryear come streaming back to you like a rerun.

Or it could be something as pedestrian as in my case, when I received my brand new Baltimore County recycling/trash collection schedule.
One weekday morning, sitting at the kitchen table, with a cup of coffee, before I went in to work, I looked at my old Baltimore County Collection, dating back to the end of 2004. I started looking over the various dates and months and years, remembering certain events that happened in that month or this year. Then it dawned on me.....this was to be my "Book of Days"

There it started in the year 2004; Joan, I and the boys took our first family vacation at Lake George, staying at the Alpine Village resort. A place that we all loved and the boys and I would visit two more times. Later we brought our Beagle, Daisy home as a puppy. In December of 2004, I was told that I would be laid off from my job with Panasonic, a company I had worked for 12 years and loved being a part of.

Later on in the months and days of 2005, I see my last day with Panasonic and my first day with GET Marketing. Here before me were the nights I was a business traveler in New England, Virgina or North Carolina, as well as the nights I was a dad/fan on the football field for Chris and the Overlea Orangemen or at the basketball court for Josh and Eastern Tech Mavericks.

Later in November 2005; Joan tells me she is leaving.

Looking a little further on, into 2006 and I have February-Super Bowl Sunday, Joan moves out completely, yet the boys spend the night with me, so we can watch the Super Bowl and have some of their friends over.

July 2006 and the boys and I spend a week at Lake George, I remember our Horseback riding excursion that year. Where a great trail guide-College student from North Carolina and two horses-Duke and Bucky, won the boys over and showed them that there are new adventures to try in life and going horseback riding is not "Gay" as the boys wondered before it was our turn to mount up and ride.

2006 Thanksgiving; was at Gina's with Dad, Mom, Greg and his family all in attendance.

2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008...the past 4 years of my life were playing themselves out right on these non-parchment looking pages.

I remembered great trips I took for work (yes...work) out to Chicago, or up to Newport, Rhode Island or down to Virginia Beach, or Charleston, SC and even to Puerto Rico.

Welcoming in 2007 was a party here for Christopher and his friends Donny, Tommy and Alex.

I can still recall the layer of confetti and streamers all over my deck.

Josh had his Senior Prom and then graduated from E.T. High School in 2007, I can picture those days and events.
July 2007 was another week spent at Lake George and this time it was a climb up Prospect Mountain, that while it was a killer for me, it was an adventure and a feat, the boys and I accomplished together.

Later on as the year rolls by, I remember....

My first time preparing an entire Thanksgiving dinner for Josh, Chris and Josh's girfriend Nicole came in November 2007.

Christmas dinner was at Gina's for all her family and my family.

Walks with Daisy along the Gunpowder River or the Eastern Regional Park.

Then comes a bad layoff for me in January 2008 and months of frustration searching for work and anxiety for losing everything I owned.

But what also comes is my rescue in the shape of Dad and Mom, plus West Marine.

Oh and don't forget the Unemployment insurance and then another part time job for Sony.

As I put this modern book of days down and finished my coffee, a few things about my life came to light.

I have had a string of events, good and bad, high and low, that would pass for a plot line on a Soap Opera, and.....I sure am consistant in recycling and marking off those weeks.

No matter what happened in my life, that week, month or year...I always made sure the recycling made it out to the curb and I recorded it all here in my "Book of Days"

Many thanks to the Baltimore County Department of Public Works.

And that's how life goes in Mr. Joes World.

Joe