Last night I got to run home for a few minutes between loads. As Nancy
and I were standing in front of the house talking, we saw a furtive
shadow moving across the street. We haven't seen the next door
neighbor's new cat, Halloween, since they left on vacation, so we're
hoping they took Halloween with them or boarded him. We also haven't
seen ShortTail Tom for a while, but he frequently disappears for a week
or two at a time.

We looked carefully to see who was lurking across the street, but it
didn't look like either of the regulars. We called the the kitty, but it
just disappeared behind a bush.  Not being able to resist the lure of a
possibly underfed cat, we got the container of feral food out of the
truck and noisily put a dish full down at the edge of the garden. Shy or
scared as this little kitty was, she made a very quick but very stealthy
bee-line for the food dish.

We then saw that we have a new outdoor visitor. This kitty appears to be
full grown, and is tortie-patterned on her back with a white tummy and
paws. I guess being tortie and white might make her technically a
calico, but I think it's more descriptive to call her tortie with white.

She is VERY afraid of people, and wouldn't get closer than about a dozen
feet away. But Nancy's going to keep leaving food out every night, and
talking to the new girl every chance she gets. And if I EVER find a job
that gets me home every night, I'll do my part in trying to get her a
little less afraid of us. We'll also see what we can find out abotu
where she comes from. She might live with some folks nearby.