Safe Again and Home For the Weekend!

I know you're worried about Mr. Bill, so I'll tell you right up front that a daring air rescue was successful today.

I brought my camera to the office, so I could capture photographic forensic evidence, which I hoped would assist in Mr. Bill's recovery. I know it's hard to see because the colors are so similar, but here's a photo of the crime scene and the rubberband that was cut during the toy-napping:

The rubberband is looped around the tree trunk and is partially obscured by the dried floral baby's breath. The kidnapper cut the rubberband and grabbed Mr. Bill, ruthlessly shoving that poor snow baby aside.

Ultimately, Mr. Bill was spotted confined in a metal bucket, surrounded and camoflaged by Christmas floral material.

We quickly discovered that walking away from prison wasn't possible for Mr. Bill, so we arranged to bring in a toy helicopter with a winch to lift Mr. Bill out of the bucket and carry him to safety. Because it was a covert operation involving several agencies and a number of undercover operatives, we were not permitted to photograph the rescue.

And the rescue did not go without incident.

In the end, though, Mr. Bill was sufficiently recovered to join Gran for coffee at Starbucks at the end of the day. I believe she will have a photograph or two on her blog before long.

Mr. Bill will be spending the weekend at my house, where we will try to keep him safe. Here you can see he's settled into the penthouse suite where he's out of reach of the Drooling Dog and the curious cats, Spike and Stitch.

You should also know that the toy thief has not yet been identified and apprehended, so we must remain alert and vigilant.

In a somewhat related bit of news, Saturday Night Live is airing their yearly Christmas show this Saturday night. It should be worth watching. Remember the Alec Baldwin, NPR, and Schweddy Balls bit a few years back? Classic!

If I don't post tomorrow night, it's probably because I've had too much fun visiting friends and am (1) still not home; (2) too tired to write; or (3) had a drink or two too many and can't remember how to turn the computer on. (Don't worry--I'm not the designated driver!)

I hope you have an excellent weekend planned and get most of your pre-Christmas "chores" done too!