Curiosity sends cat to France

The above headline in the Oct. 29 Boston Herald gave readers quite a surprise. Pictured was a pretty cat from Wisconsin with the identifying tag at his neck, and this cutline was under the picture of the cat’s owners: “World traveler Emily, a Wisconsin house cat, was found near Nancy, France, after disappearing a month ago. Waiting anxiously for her return are the owners, pictured with their two children.”

Emily’s owners looked for their missing cat first at the local animal shelter. But soon they learned that she had sailed to France.

She has been prowling around a paper warehouse near their home and ended up in a cargo container that went by ship across the Atlantic Ocean and was trucked to Nancy, a city in northeastern France, near the border with Germany.

Employees at a French lamination company found her in the container, checked her tags and called Emily’s veterinarian in Wisconsin.

The vet faxed the cat’s vaccination records to France authorities to help remove her quarantine.

Emily will need a health certificate from France in order to return home, and will have to go through quarantine again upon entering the United States.

Emily’s owner said, “The only thing we can think right now is buying a plane ticket. She already cost us some the first time we got her from the humane society. She’s getting to be an expensive little thing.”

This was an Associated Press article. I hope they give news of Emily’s return.

Hiram Hillclimbers entertained landowners

On Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. the Hiram Hillclimbers held their annual Appreciation Dinner for landowners to show the club’s appreciation for use of trails on landowners’ property. A special guest was Aleta Rioux, president of the Maine Snowmobile Association. There were about 50 present, including club members and their families as well as the landowners and their family members.

Club officers are President Ed Thompson, Vice-President Jim Moulton, Secretary/Treasurer Barbara Thompson and Trailmaster Brian Hartford. Jim Moulton greeted the guests, who then introduced themselves.

It was a happy occasion, with an abundance of food – three big pots of baked beans, both brown and red hot dogs, rolls, cole slaw, biscuits and several casseroles, including creamed macaroni, and shepherd’s pie. The dessert table held a variety of home-made pies.

We were surprised to have a reporter sitting right beside us. Vera Matthews is office manager as well as a reporter for the Sacopee Valley Citizen. Its office is in Cornish. She was surprised, too, that we were in the newspaper business.

RECIPE

This recipe is from Marjorie Standish’s “cooking Down East” 1969; it is her version of Shepherd Pie.

1 pound hamburg

1 No. 2 can of cream corn

4 or 5 medium sized potatoes

Pare and cook potatoes in salted water. Mash and season as for any mashed potatoes. In the meantime, cook hamburg in small amount of fat in frypan until it turns brown. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn cooked hamburg into 1-1/2 qt. Casserole. Spread cream style corn all over the hamburg. Season the corn. Top with mashed potato. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4.