Firemen are such friendly sorts

Today was my first visit to the firestation right around the corner of my house. I wish I had been visiting for a less embarrassing reason but I did my share of groveling today. Let me start at the beginning.

All three kids and the kitty were out in the backyard playing so nicely together. I checked on them periodically and the last time I checked they had all stripped and were playing in the yard completely nude. At least our yard has a high fence around it. Anyway, a few minutes later Connor comes in to bring the bad news that Chicago - the cat - had climbed up one of the trees and he was stuck. Of course he started climbing the tree because Connor put him on it and he naturally just climbed up. So I went out to inspect and sure enough he was high up in the tree and climbing ever higher.

I called my sweet husband at work for some advice and he really had none to give. I thought about calling my brother-in-law who has had to fetch his own cat out of a tree once but I didn't think he had a ladder tall enough for this particular job. My dilemma was that I was going into Nashville tonight to have dinner with Dale and we wouldn't be home until about 9:30 AND he would have to bring home the really long ladder from the church. Well, I called my sister in NY because her husband is a volunteer fireman and I asked if firemen still were in the business of rescuing cats from trees. She said they didn't because it was a volunteer department but mine might. Well, since the fire station is literally around the corner from my house I loaded my kids, now dressed except for Liam who was filthy, into the van. He looked like a truly redneck child in his diaper with dirt smeared all over his body.

Well, the firemen were all very nice and they agreed after some hem hawing to come save my poor cat from certain injury. They brought the big red truck and their tallest ladder and in about 15 minutes Chicago was safe and sound clawing desperately at the fireman's uniform. I've informed Chicago that I will not go grovel at the fire station again even if he is on the uppermost branch in our tallest tree!