A Backyard View & Screams in the Night

I love where I live...it's so private and peaceful. We're on a cul-de-sac that backs to 2 blocks of woods. We see all kinds of animals daily and we're treated to nature's beautiful melody 24/7. On the other side of the woods there's all kinds of stores and restaurants. It's perfect for a girl like me. :) Here's some pics looking out my backyard patio door that I took about 20 mins. ago:

It certainly looks private and peaceful, right?

It was. Until last night.

I was lounging in my recliner (about 20 feet directly behind where I was standing when I took these pics) working on my laptop, alone, in the dark, around 2 am this morning. Ahhh...the still of the night. The patio door was wide open, as were all the windows.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I hear these ear-splitting screeches.

I damn near pissed my pants.

After 30 seconds of this terrible sound - vicious snarling combined with soul-searing screams...cries...whimpers for help - dh awoke, came out of the bedroom, and beamed his Maglite out the patio door. We couldn't see anything but we SURE COULD HEAR IT...2 animals fighting and thrashing in the woods maybe 50 feet away. One animal was definitely trying to kill the other.

I couldn't take the sound. I started bawling my eyes out.

Then, my heart stopped.

Kitty.

She hadn't been curled up sleeping on my legs like she usually would be. Where was she?? Had anyone even let her in for the night?? (She loves going outside and does so for hours each day.) I tore through every room of the house in a panic, my heart filling with more fear every second that I couldn't find her. Even if she was sleeping somewhere, she ALWAYS comes when I call her. I checked behind every closed door, and when it was clear she was not in the house or garage, that fear turned into devastation. I was convinced I caused kitty's demise by not making sure she was in for the night. Dh tried consoling me, saying it didn't sound like a cat getting killed. And maybe it was kitty doing the killing, maybe it was a rabbit, and/or maybe she wasn't dead but just hurt a little.

Whatever. I wasn't buying any of it til I saw kitty for myself. I looked around the yard for her for a little bit with no luck (sorry but there was no way I was going up in the woods). Finally I gave up and went to bed. For the next 10 minutes or so we could hear the badly injured animal wailing as it died. I had to close all the windows and turn the tv on because I just couldn't bear to hear it.

This morning I woke up with sadness and dread, wondering how I would tell the kids. Amaya came in my room chattering and I "casually" asked her if she saw kitty today. To my surprise she cheerily replied "Yep I was just petting her in the kitchen." OMG!!!!!!! I ran into the kitchen and sure enough, there was kitty, TOTALLY FINE. I loved on her for a while and checked her over for any injuries before I finally concluded that the screams in the night had nothing to do with her. AMEN!!!!

So, a happy ending to what I thought was going to be an awful story. A predator attacking it's prey - sounds of nature I do NOT want to hear again anytime soon. And you can bet I'll be paranoid about kitty's whereabouts for some time to come. LOL

Here's some of the last pics I took of her in December (yes I need to take new ones). She's such a good kitty. I love her lots (in case you couldn't tell hehe).

(This pic is when she was a baby last summer.)

Anyway..on to other news.......
I bought some actions and other Photoshop goodies that work sweeeeeeet for designing elements. I'm really cranking 'em out this week. You'll get to see the previews when I'm ready to show you hahahahahahaha.

That's all for now :)