M.O.M.

 It was two years ago on this date that my Mom lost her battle with cancer.    I was in the room with her when she passed away.   I still replay those last moments in my head.    The caretaker was in the room as well and I was helping her clean my Mom up.   

I'm not sure if my Mom was aware what was happening.   She was moaning non-stop and was definitely in another world.    My Mom believed that those who passed before guides those who are passing into the next life.   I like to hope that our ancestors were guiding my Mom and that once she died, she was at peace.   In the movies an older person usually reverts to their younger self and all illness is gone.   I want that for my Mom and all of us.

I have so many memories of my Mom that make me smile when I think of them.   Like I remember one time in my thirties that I took my Mom to the Hamtramck Post Office for her to mail a package to our family back overseas.    She preferred going to the Hamtramck location since at the time there was a large Polish population living there and customer service had more experience dealing with international packages.   So this particular time we were served by this lady that was a bitch and made us get out of line to re-tape our package.    My Mom is the sweetest person so it gave me quite the chuckle when she whispered to me that the lady was a bitch.

There was this other time during one of my numerous road trips to Detroit visiting the old home.   We were in the dining room watching an episode of Undercover Boss.     Trina was also in the room watching as well.    So we get to the portion of the program where the "undercover boss" reveals themselves to the unsuspecting folks that showed them how to do their job.    So as part of the reveal the bosses give various rewards.    This boss gave an award of paying off this workers student loans, an option to train for a better role in the company, and some other items I don't remember.   The lady upon receiving all this started crying and it seemed to come from a genuine place.   Her emotions moved me to start crying as well.   

Upon seeing me crying I remember Mom asking me why I was crying and if I was doing okay.   She asked if I was doing okay financially and if I needed help.   Her questions took me out of the moment and I told her everything was fine.   I told her that I was empathic with the lady and was moved by the gesture but she didn't believe me.   I remembered thinking 'damn, can't I be emphatic to a person's situation without it having to be because of something going on with me'.    But my Mom didn't see it that way and there was no convincing her otherwise.

One of my favorite memories of Mom was one that I shared before in my first blog.   It was the moment that I came out to my parents after my Mom basically forced me out of the closet.   It was a moment that I worried would change our relationship for the worst but wound up being the best thing for us.   I am so happy too that my Mom got to meet Dom for the first time in 2015.    So she along with my Dad did get to see me bring a guy home.

I plan to light a candle in my Mom's honor.    The timing is close to All Soul's Day where we honor all those who have passed before us.   My Mom believed that lighting a candle was a way to guide a spirit and light their way.   I will light it in Memory of Mom.   I love you Mama.

Pushing 50

I'm less than a year away from reaching the half-century mark.    It was a mostly uneventful day spent working with some Pathfinder cohorts on a final project as part of Solutions Week.    We received a business scenario and must design a Salesforce solution to address the business need.     There are 27 different teams working on the scenario and the top 3 teams will be selected to present their solution at a virtual career fair being held November 3rd.    I'm not great at presenting so am hoping our team isn't selected.   

I received birthday candy from Trina and Dom.   The latter also cooked a surf and turf meal for us to enjoy at home.   It was a great day overall.

As I inch closer to 50, I can't help but to reflect on where my life has taken me.   That job I mentioned in my last post did not come to fruition like the others.   So I'm still on the hunt.    It is hard to believe how quickly time is going by.   I don't like thinking about death but with my Mom gone and my Dad in his 90's, I know that one day I too will be meeting my maker.   There was this quote that I read regarding death that "we are all standing in line" whether we like it or not.   We don't know our place in the line but regardless nobody gets out of here alive.

I do like to hope that I do a few more things before I die.   I would definitely like to travel to some more places (COV-ID be damned).   It's always that issue of time, money, and health.    Right now I have the time and I'm relatively healthy but I don't have the money.    Ideally if (lol I can hear Dom say 'when') I get a better paying job, I'll have the money and hopefully good health but I won't have as much time.   Then when I get even older, there'll be a day when I possibly have the money and for sure have the time but my health won't allow it.    It's the sad cycle of life.

That's why I always remind myself to enjoy some little pleasures where I can.   Dom and I spent a great day visiting Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry (which I haven't been to in ages...actually I don't remember if I've ever gone) and then heading to Argyle's Chinatown to enjoy some Dim Sum at a place that I haven't been in years since Sally and I went.     It was an enjoyable day (even with the cold, rainy weather which the rain thankfully waited till we were back home) and I admit I lamented on the meal cost later on but reminded myself it was a great meal and it was a good memory to have.    Dom had never eaten at that particular location and he did enjoy the food.

Even at Amazon I try to focus on the eye candy and interesting items to get me through the day.   I suck on peppermint candy at periodic times through the shift to give me something to look forward to until my breaks and finally freedom.   Oddly enough even the less enjoyable moments eventually have to end.

As cliché as it sounds, it is the little things that are really the big things in life.   Here's to many more little moments.

Back On The Hunt

 So I'm halfway through my training for Tableau.   There were some bumps along the way in doing the training.   There was a change in proctors for the actual certification which meant that the # of questions on the exam was changing as well.   The previous version had 30 questions which included access to Google for researching and testing of building graphs to answer some questions.    The new version has 45 questions w/o access to Google and no graphs.   Those who signed up on the website to take the training prior to August 1st would take the test with the old proctor and those after August 1st would take it with the new one.   Since we signed up after August 1st, we would be taking the new version.

We received a welcome email from Tableau which did give us links to the new proctor that included a free voucher for the exam.   Unfortunately though the other links provided was for the old version of the training.   Also there was a confusion over which version of Tableau to use as they frequently upgrade and there was an upgrade specifically for the new testing.

All the confusion caused stress for myself and a lot of the other students.  Thankfully one of our Salesforce instructors was instrumental in getting things straightened out.   

As for Tableau itself, it's definitely a very robust tool with lots of functionality.   I pray that I can remember enough to successfully pass.    We do get two free attempts.   I'm guessing after the second I'll have to pay for it (though maybe the Pathfinder program may have more vouchers...no clue and hopefully it won't get to that).    The cost though is cheaper than the Comptia cert exams, $100 versus $329 so at least that would be manageable if I had to retest.

So I'm also at the point in the program where I need to resume my job hunt.   That has been a nightmare as I've previously mentioned.    I applied for over 60 positions after successfully completing my cyber security bootcamp and maybe had 5 actual interviews in that time (and that's being generous...I only recall 2).    It is disappointing hearing about the supposed shortage in cybersecurity roles but the tight vice that industry has in bringing new people.   I'm not looking forward to the whole applying and interviewing process.     But I'll have to buck up.   I actually do have an interview tomorrow with a hiring manager at a major company.    We'll see what happens.

Also I'm excited because I'll be visiting my family later this week in Detroit.   The last time I was in Detroit was last Christmas.   It'll be good to see my Dad, Trina, and hopefully Tasha will get a chance to drop by.    She did promise to possibly bring some food.    I plan to visit my Mom as well at her resting space.   I do miss her a lot and she's constantly on my mind.   It is weird though.   Even though I think about her a lot, I haven't cried for her since her funeral.    I suppose I did get some closure and I am comforted by the fact that she's not suffering anymore.   I like to think that she's watching us from above (well except for any private moments...*LOL*).

Also I'll get a chance to see Sally who I haven't seen since she lost her cousin to cancer about a month before my Mom lost her battle.   So it's been almost 2 years.   Sally's Mom who I've become close to over the years as well is turning 80 years young.    Her Mom decided to host a party at one of the area parks.   I'll need to pack a chair for seating.    I was contemplating possibly bringing my Dad with me.   But I don't know the logistics of the park the party will be at and how far parking is from where they'll be at.   Plus my Dad has a hard time walking so I don't want him to have walk very far.    So I may have to table that suggestion.

We're Falling Apart

So I had an unofficial week off my Salesforce training program due to successfully passing the Salesforce Admin exam on my 1st go-round and gaining my 1st Salesforce certification.    Can I give myself a *woop woop*?    I think I just did.   The second half of my training starts this week and I'm officially going to study Tableau which is one of the top data analytic tools out there.    So I'm eagerly looking forward to adding that skill to my experience in addition to ideally obtaining a second cert of Tableau Desktop Specialist.

Dom had another one of his conventions that he wanted me to go with him to that happened to fall on my unofficial off week.    I of course wasn't too keen on going since it's not my bag and it brought on new worries about the house.   I was concerned that if I didn't pass my Salesforce Admin that I would have to focus on studying for that as well.  I also wasn't looking forward to being stuck in a train for almost a whole day and wearing a mask.    

Well obviously I passed the cert so I didn't have that fear pass.   Thankfully the house was still in one piece when we returned from our nearly week long trip to Washington D.C.    I survived being stuck in the train though we both really need to get a COV-ID test this week with all our potential exposures on the train and during the convention.    Hell I've been blowing my nose constantly since I've been back.   Even though we've gotten two shots of the Pfizer drug (which has officially been approved by the FDA), vaccinated folks are still susceptible.   

But one new worry has been becoming obvious.   Unfortunately it's a worry that may not go away anytime soon.   Dom has been slowing down lately.   One of the things that we enjoy doing together is walking.    Dom always prided himself on being able to easily move around and has said that if he ever can't walk again to just shoot him.

So we had to take the Southshore train to downtown to then walk over to Union Station.   We make it downtown fine but then I notice as I'm walking that Dom is lagging farther behind.   Sure he packed the world for this trip but that's never slowed him down before.   It became more apparent as we were making our way down the Pedway that Dom was down for the count.    I was worried that we wouldn't make it to our Amtrak.    We made it with less than five minutes to spare.

It was the same throughout the trip.    Dom's feet have become quite swollen as well.    Also he's been having painful cramps in his hands and feet that debilitate him for seconds at a time.    He suspects it may be dehydration and has been upping his water intake.   Having diabetes is no joke.

I worry about Dom because he's constantly taking anti-inflammation and anti-diarrhea drugs.  It makes me wonder about the long-term effects of them.

I don't know what we can do.   He's not really open to my suggestions (granted I don't know all the answers...I like to think I do...*LOL*.).    Even though we're not officially married I am with Dom for better or worse.   I'm praying we can get through this.

Dom Of A New Day

The last few weeks have been so busy for me especially in relation to my Salesforce class that I haven't had much of a chance to blog.   This latest entry was supposed to be done in early August but now we're almost done with the month by the time it gets posted.    But it's okay.    And I've made great progress in the class, managing to pass my Salesforce Admin exam on my first try on the 18th.   I'm so stoked.  Next step after updating the resume is for me to continue learning towards a second certification in late September/early October.    More details to come.    

Back to the next post...

I'm happy to say that I finally am free of my T-Mobile contract.    I had the worst experience with my T-Mobile phone for the two years I had it.   Usually in time I do complain about a given cellphone but this was the first time I remember complaining about it less than two months after getting it.    I would get delays in sending and receiving texts and don't even try sending GIFs or photos.   It would take dozens of tries before it would go through.    And there was times when the other party said a GIF or photo went through but my phone would say it's still on route.    This would happen even inside my own home.

Also calls would be dropped randomly and sometimes the other party would not hear me at all.   T-Mobile would turn off service at random times even though they were getting their money from me every month.    And it was double trouble if the other party was a T-Mobile customer.    My Dad unfortunately still has them and when we talked, both of us would lose signal at various points in the conversation.

Customer service was a joke as well.   They offered no real help at all since I didn't get their insurance.   They gave me a new SIM card once or twice over the course of my contract since I had read on their message board that some folks that were having connectivity issues were resolved once changing the SIM.  That did nothing for me. 

All I could do was count the days, hours, minutes, and seconds till I could break free.    That day finally came on July 21, 2021.   Verizon happened to have a sale on 5G phones on their site where they give you a monthly credit for the phone if you get their service.    I decided to take advantage of the sale and I got a second phone for Dom.

Dom was one of the last hold outs on getting a smart phone instead being content with a flip phone which they forced him two years ago to upgrade.    We've been wanting to be on the same service for awhile now and he loves Verizon.

Since I've gotten my phone, I've definitely noticed a difference in phone quality.   I can actually make phone calls in the basement without them dropping.   I even was able to talk in the underground train station.   I don't know if I should be afraid of potential cancer risk but as far as the service itself, it is very good.    

I'm also able to text without major delays.   I have seen it lag sometimes but definitely not as bad as it did when I was with T-Mobile.   

Dom still has a lot to learn in regards to using a smart phone.   So far we haven't synched his phone to his car yet.   He also has a funny habit of not wanting to take his phone with me anywhere, rather opting to leave it in his car which defeats the purpose of having a phone.    He definitely has a love/hate thing with phones preferring not to take on his phone for long periods of time (meaning more than 5 minutes).

Yes Dom having a smart phone will be lots of fun...*LOL*.

Tomorrow Robins Will Sing

Tomorrow Robins Will Sing - Stevie Wonder

VERSE 1:

Now where do I start to make the point that I'll be making?

To most efficiently use time that I'll be taking

With the clear understanding that every ticking second is precious to us all

But if you let me bend your ear and listen up you will hear

Not just what I sing, but every word that I am saying

You wake in the morning from a dream with spirts dope hype

Though your real life condition is far from being alright

Your love has wronged you, your money's gone, you lost your home and everything you own

But before you do something major extreme

I've got one simple thing for you to take along with you, as you go on your lonely way

REFRAIN:

Tomorrow robins will sing

Tomorrow robins will sing

It really is no big thing, 'cause tomorrow robins will sing

Tomorrow blue jays will fly

The weather's forecast clear skies

So dry those tears from your eyes, 'cause tomorrow blue jays will fly

VERSE 2:

You borrow a dime to call up a friend that you could rely on

They put the phone down, you hear on the background (tell him I'm not home)

Your face is broken, your throat is choking, you hang up the phone in disbelief

And to make matters worse

You can remember you were the first & only one to come to him when lonely was his everyday

But if what you did came from your heart and not expecting

Then you should not waste one heart beat on any regretting

The saying's older than old yet true for today as when it was made to be told

As you sow so shall you reap

And if you've treated life sweet

Your blessing's been ordained and already on its way

REPEAT REFRAIN

BRIDGE:

Today is the tomorrow you were so worried about

Looking over your yesterday

The clouds are gone and the sun is out

And everything has worked out I'll be okay

REPEAT REFRAIN TWICE

I had this eargasm in my head most of my Sunday while at work.   Actually I have a lot of random thoughts that pop in my head during my workday while trying to break to monotony of packing or picking customer items.  I remember Tomorrow Robins Will Sing when it came out in the mid 90's on Stevie Wonder's Conversation Peace album.   The theme of the song was similar to Bobby McFarren's Don't Worry, Be Happy.    But as positive as Mr. McFarren's song was, I didn't really connect with it like I did with Stevie Wonder's hit.    A random person commented on YouTube that Stevie Wonder couldn't write a bad song if he tried.    That is so true.

Life has definitely thrown its share of lemons my way.    There are times that I feel dismayed by it all.   Thankfully I haven't done anything major extreme in hopes of the problem going away.   Because I know it won't go away.    I have to remind myself to take those lemons and make lemonade where I can.

I hate my job with a passion.   But there are a couple positives.    One is that I'm only working a part-time schedule.    Obviously that sucks in terms of my take home check though thankfully I have the option to volunteer for extra time which I've done in the past.    One of the few colleagues I befriended at the job in fact works the same part-time schedule but volunteers four additional days a week so she's basically full-time.    The benefit of doing that is that the differential pay carries over to any additional days worked.    In fact once you get the part-time schedule, it's really hard to switch back to full-time.   An additional benefit is that if you work 30 hours a week on average, you can still get health insurance.   Unfortunately my average has fallen off since I haven't worked too many extra days so I don't get insurance for now.

Another benefit is all the man candy that works at the job.   Seeing a hot guy or two, even if we don't talk to each other, momentarily lifts the sadness of my day.    In fact there's this one bearish guy that I think is family but I obviously won't ask.   I've run into him and 'his hag' during my walk to my car on break and on one occasion coming back, he had his ass crack and briefs exposed for everyone to see.   I wanted to go up and touch it but obviously that's not socially acceptable...*LOL*.   I mean a guy has to know that his ass is exposed even if there isn't much of a breeze.   I guess he doesn't care.

The other main benefit is I get to what Dom calls, shop on company time.   As I'm scanning items I quickly peruse if it may be something I'm interested in.    And sometimes you'll pick up products with half naked men (like a romance novel or briefs).    I usually keep those in the bin till the last item so I can enjoy staring at it.    I'm a mess.

But I am grateful to have some work even if it's not what I want to be doing forever.    My Salesforce class is 1/4 of the way done and I feel relatively positive about it.   It's gonna get a bit more challenging from here on out but I'm ready for it.   I'm truly praying it'll lead to sunnier skies.   

Yes indeed, tomorrow robins will sing.

Snow Flash

 Dom and I spent last weekend (July 10 - 11) in a small town in Central Indiana visiting his parents and also attending his nephew's wedding reception held in Bloomington, IN at his sister's and her husband's new home in a brand new subdivision.   The home itself is pretty nice with a lot of open floor space.   The party itself was cool and everyone was nice even with the brief political conversation that went south.   Dom's family is predominantly republican and one strongly missed 45 and felt ill will on Biden.   Dom of course argued back as I sat back and tried not to laugh.   But what can you do?

It was nice having a weekend off from Amazon even though I did work two extra Tuesdays to try and make up some of the missed pay since I took Unpaid Time Off.    Speaking of UPT I was so pissed losing two hours of it both Tuesdays due to missing second half of shift by a minute.   Not realizing that I needed to deduct a minute of my vacation time to make the difference, the system instead automatically deducts an hour of unpaid.   I'm really praying a better job comes along.

But back to the story at hand.   The original plan was for Dom to drive both his parents and I to Bloomington.   Unfortunately though his Mom was experiencing leg pain and was suspecting a possible blood clot.    So not wanting to risk anything she opted to stay home.

So the 2 1/2 to 3 hour ride to Bloomington took almost 5 hours due to stopping at McDonald's for breakfast, Walgreens for last minute party favors. and some hole-in-the-wall truck diner for lunch that served the best fried mushrooms.    And then there was food at the party.

Driving back to his parents did take about 3 hours thankfully.    The trip to and from took the whole day which was draining even though Dom did all the driving.

So we left his parents for our own home on Sunday morning.   Dom and I wanted to stop at the Walmart near his parents to get a tower A/C unit like his folks had that blasted.   Then he wanted to meet an old college friend of his that currently is a den Mom for a school in Culver.    Finally we wanted to pick up dinner before getting home.

Everything went as planned.   We didn't find the exact unit but a close enough replica.   Dom and I both enjoyed hanging out with his friend and them catching up on their lives.  Dinner pick-up went ok even with the way overpriced chicken wings I got at Quaker Steak & Lube while he opted for a burrito at El Salto.   

Monday came and I wanted to get a card and a gift card for Tasha's 50th birthday.   (OMG we're getting old...*LOL*).    Dom was having issues with getting his metaformin refilled from the clinic that he goes to.   He was hoping to run to Costco and then the clinic to find out why they haven't responded to refilling his prescription for the last month.

I go out to the garage to get to my car.   I unlock the door and hear something scurrying somewhere inside.   I freak out wondering if it's a mouse or a rat.   I stand silent for a minute and then open the main garage door.  I walk up to my car and just when I'm about to open it, I hear a cry that sounds like a cat.   The only thing is I have no idea where he is.    

There's a bunch of branches and items on the floor near Dom's caravan and I don't want to spook it.    I try to call Dom and message him but he's not responding.   I finally run back to the house to find Dom asleep.   I tell him what's going on and he's a bit unfazed by the situation but I tell him that we need to find the cat.   At the same time I needed to get to the store so I could mail off Tasha's card before the mail pick-up.    

Confirming that the sounds were not coming from my car, I slowly back out and run my errands.   I get back and the cat is still crying.   I rack my brain trying to figure out where it's coming from.   I feel hot and the mosquitos are unfortunately in full force so I go back inside to cool off.    Dom in the meantime is napping totally unfazed...*LOL*.  

I return to the garage and I have the idea to go on Youtube via my horrible T-Mobile MotoG7 phone and play a video of kittens meowing.   I start to play it and then he starts meowing.    Something tells me that the cat is actually a kitten.   I begin to wonder if perhaps he hitchhiked his way back to our home underneath Dom's engine.

I look underneath Dom's caravan and do not see anything underneath.   But the crying persists.   It's a

 

bit frustrating since I can't seem to find the source of the sound.    I begin to think it's all in my head when it dawns on me to open up the hood of the caravan.   It takes me a few minutes to find the lever to push it open.   I finally do and then I get a glimpse of the little fella.   He's sitting snug as a rug inside of the engine crying out still.   I'm in a state of shock.   It's a relief to see him and know I wasn't going crazy.   I try to do everything I can to convince him to come out.   I try to reach for him but the engine is too tight to safely pull him out and he also backs away when I try to get him.

I take a break and go back inside.   I tell Dom about it and he's shocked.   I share my theory about the kitten hitching a ride.   Dom expresses disbelief that he could've been in the engine the whole time we traveled since we made several stops along the way and any hitchhiker would've hopped off as soon as the car stopped.   He believed the cat came in from the narrow opening of our garage doorway.

I go back outside later on to try and convince the kitten to come out.   This is to no avail.   I get frustrated because I unfortunately needed to retire soon.   I also felt like Dom wasn't taking the situation seriously at all.   I finally get Dom to come out to the garage to try his luck.   Unfortunately it didn't work and rather than continue to be bitten by mosquitos, we decide to retire for the night.

I wake up at 3:30 AM Tuesday morning to slowly get myself ready for work.    From the kitchen window I can hear the kitten crying out loud.    He's so loud in fact I wonder if he actually left the garage.   I step outside and since it's dark I use the flashlight from my phone to see if I can spot him.  I didn't see him so I went back inside to eat breakfast, try to relax, and then get ready for my early morning commute.

I get ready to leave and try to make sure that he's nowhere near my car.   After feeling sure that he's not in or near my car, I back it out of the garage.   I go inside to make sure that he's still around and after a minute, he does cry out.   So since he's there I proceed to head to work and send Dom a message letting him know that the kitten is still in the garage.

Dom tries his luck during the day to try and lure him out.    But similar to how he acted around me, he moved deeper into the engine area and kept crying.    Dom wanted to go to Costco but he's afraid to start the car with him inside.   He contemplates walking to the fire station (which is only a few blocks from us) to see if they could help get him out.    He also found out that there's a Humane Society not to far from us.    The rub was that they were closed on Tuesday and wouldn't reopen till tomorrow.

I got off my work shift at 3pm and I tried to see if there was another Humane Society open still.   There was one in Munster but they were only open till 4 and I knew I wouldn't get there in time.    So I started to think about where I could borrow an animal trap to catch him.   Unfortunately Snow (the name I finally gave him) was skittish around us and wouldn't let us touch or lift him without running back under the caravan.

When I got closer to home I first stopped at an Ace Hardware.   I asked if it was possible to rent an animal trap but they said they don't rent them but I could buy one.    A few doors down I saw there was a veterinary clinic.    I took a chance that maybe I could borrow a trap there.   Unfortunately they didn't have any either.   I was getting tired but decided I'd just have to buy a few pet items instead.   I went to Big Lots and purchased a couple cans of cat food, a small pet bed, litter, and a small toy.   I also purchased some catnip at Meijer's.

Before going in the house, I try to get Snow to come out from under the car.   But he doesn't budge.   I decide to place the cat mat along with an open can of cat food and some water.    I also put some cat litter nearby and then retreat inside.   I came out two hours later and I saw that he did eat some of the food and his little paw prints were in the litter box.     But he still doesn't come out.   I decide to call it a day and take back the cat food for the night so other vermin doesn't get in it.

Wednesday morning Dom calls the Humane Society to see if they have people that come over and take pets away.    They mentioned not doing that service but recommended a few animal control folks.   Dom proceeded to leave a message with one service but wasn't sure if they'd call back.    After not hearing back from them, I wonder if perhaps the Humane Society may have traps that we could borrow.    I called them and they said they had one available for a $40 charge which they pay back once you return the trap.    I go get the trap and after looking up some instructions on Youtube (yes you can find anything on Youtube it seems), I set it up just besides the caravan.

Just as I'm getting back in the house to tell Dom about the trap, we get a knock on the door from animal control.   I answer the door and tell the lady that I was able to obtain a trap and already have one set in the garage.   She asks me what I plan to do with Snow once I capture him and I tell her that I'll take him to the humane society.    She is okay with the answer and leaves.

In all honesty I was starting to catch feelings for Snow and wanted to keep him.   Dom wasn't feeling it but said he was willing to have Snow be an outdoor cat.   I wasn't keen on that idea but figured it was better than nothing.    But then Dom changed his mind and said once we catch Snow we should set him free into the neighborhood.   I objected to that idea as well.

It took a couple more hours but I waited patiently in the garage for Snow to come out from under the vehicle.    He kept crying throughout while staying hidden.    He finally slowly came out and I did my best to stay still as one slight move and he would run back under the car.    He walked around the outside of the trap, smelling the canned food I left in the corner.    Finally he made his way into the trap itself.   I hoped that his body weight would be enough to trigger the trap.   It was.

He was momentarily stunned and then began crying some more.   I moved him into another corner of the garage.    Dom and I were hungry for dinner and went out for a bit.   I had left my own car outside overnight but was able to bring it back in safely without having to worry about running over Snow.

I was finally able to send pictures of Snow to Dom's family to confirm identity.   Dom had finally convinced me that there was no way Snow could've been riding inside our engine the entire time.   But Dom's sister confirmed that it was indeed Snow, except she called him Flash because of the small patch of black on top of his head that she thought was shaped like a lightning bolt.    We were shocked.

His sister learned of our plans to take Flash to the Humane Society and immediately was against the idea, suspecting that they would put him to sleep.   She implored us to find someone that would take him.   I tried again to appeal to Dom once more thinking we could keep him in the laundry room.  But Dom pointed out how that wouldn't work in the winter since we kept the basement closed to keep the cold weather out.    He was thinking we'd have to build small trap doors for Flash to get through.   So that was out.

I tried looking at options online for homes for Flash but nothing panned out.   In the end Dom let me know he talked to the family and they agreed to meet at a halfway point to transfer Flash back to his home.   And that's just what we did.   Flash has quite the story to tell his posse once he gets over the trauma.