ADD | Bad Cat Chris

The other day my Echo device was flashing yellow which means I have a notification. I said “Alexa, what’s my notification?”

She said, “One new notification for Rosemarie. Your package with Google Home has arrived.”

Google Home? That’s weird. I couldn’t imagine my wife ordering Google Home. I was also pretty sure Amazon didn’t sell Google products. Nevertheless, I opened the door to see if there was a package outside.

There was no package but when I opened the door, Frankie ran outside. I went out after him and tried to catch him but he ran and hid under a nearby car. I had no shoes on and decided to go in the house and watch him from the window. He usually gets bored after a while and comes home.

I may have mentioned it before but I have ADD and I am easily distracted. Soon another thought entered my head and I forgot about Frankie. 45 minutes went by and I looked at the clock and noticed it was time to feed the cats and got up to do that. When I didn’t see Frankie I remembered he was still outside and quickly went to the door to see if I could see him.

When I opened it I immediately saw Frankie’s head pop up from under the door as he walked inside, scolding me with his meows the whole time.

I don’t know what went wrong with Alexa that day but perhaps I can use her next time Frankie gets out. “Alexa, remind me Frankie’s outside in ten minutes.”

I did a bad thing yesterday. My wife says I shouldn’t share this story because it makes me look bad but I’m going to share anyway.

I have a memory problem. It’s not what you think. I can remember past events just fine. I haven’t developed dementia just yet, although if I did I probably wouldn’t know it. I have trouble remembering the future. Specifically, I have trouble remembering what I have to do at exactly the time I need to do it.

Some would call that absent-mindedness. Others call it “ADD.” Essentially it means I have trouble keeping a thought in my head. When a new thought enters, the old thought exits. For example, the other day I went out to the shed to grab a bottle of water. When I got out there I realized I needed to put clothes in the dryer. When I finished, I went back in the house without the water. It has been a problem ever since I can remember, and I can remember my forgetfulness just fine. I function pretty well with my problem, mostly because I develop habits, but sometimes I scare myself.

Yesterday morning Rose left to visit her mother. As she drove away she noticed a mobile detailer two doors down and called to ask if I could find out what they would charge to wax her car. I said “sure” and walked out the front door. When I did, Frankie slipped out the door before I could close it. He lingered for a while until I tried to catch him and then he bolted.

This picture is from a different escape.

I decided to get the price from the detailers and then catch Frankie. I spoke with them for a minute and then went home, forgetting that Frankie was outside. Not only did I forget about him, he didn’t enter my mind as being missing until three hours later when I opened the back door to check on laundry and there he was. He gave me a stern meow and then walked inside. Wow!

My wife is going to be gone next week so I’m going to have to be very careful. She told me I can’t use the stove while she is away.