washing the cat in the washing machine

not sure why I just remembered this, but I used stay with my great grand mother on weekends when I was in elementary school.

then she died.

and then,  in jr. high I would often go and stay with my grandmother and her husband, George, on weekends.

George was her second husband, and he'd had a stroke and couldn't walk and was in a wheel chair.   She called him George.  My mom called him George.  So I did too.

He and I would play checkers for hours.  and hours.

Sometimes, I'd spend time with her in the living room listening to old big band sounds on her collection of records.    Or sometimes I spent time with George playing checkers or reading him his True Detective magazines.  Looking back, I just now realized that they didn't really spend time together, so I didn't either.  It was one or the other and me.

My grand mother, Momma Kathy, was a bit absent minded.  or ditsy.

They had an old front style washing machine.   Now front loaders are modern.  But in the 60's top loaders were modern and front loaders were old fashioned.

I remember that George and I were in the den playing checkers, next to the room where the washing machine was.  and we heard her slam the washer door closed, and start it and then she walked off.

A few moments later . . . .he and I looked at each other.   cuz we could hear this screaching,  gurgle, gurgle, eeeeowwww, screaching, gulp, gulp eeeeoowww, gurgle sound.  

And he yelled . . . .Katherine, you've got the damn cat in the washing machine!!!!! and then just went right back to making his next move.  

omg.  she came running in, and stopped it and opened the door, and I swear . .  .

I saw a flying cat for the first time in my life.  that cat came out of that washing machine like a bullet dragging clothes behind it.   dripping wet.   and tried to run off to the back porch room. But he kept falling down, and then get back up again. I guess he must have had at least a 2 or 3 dozen fast rotations in the time it took her to stop the machine.   plus the water pouring in. It must have made him very dizzy.  

this picture is NOT Butch, but I had to find one to remember what he looked like.

I was laughing so hard at the very-dizzy, wet cat, and George, who didn't like Butch the cat, just looked up like it was a perfectly normal occurrence and said "well.  one down.  eight to go." 

this has gotta rank as one of the funniest things I can remember ever seeing.  And for a 12 year old it was the most hilarious.  and it just randomly popped into my head now.

anyway . . I'm just teary eyed from laughing again so hard.   I had to tell someone.c