Beware of Cat by Vincent Wyckoff

Beware of Cat by Vincent Wyckoff

One sunny day on his postal route, Vincent Wyckoff crosses the path of an elderly gentleman whistling for his lost parakeet. The old man is upset, and Wyckoff moves down the block slowly, looking high and low, hoping to spot the little bird. He reaches the man's house and offers sympathy to his wife, who smiles sadly and says, We haven't had that bird for twenty-five years.

Letter carriers like Wyckoff walk through the same neighborhood each day, observing the lives and routines of its residents. They learn its stories, make connections between people, and, in many ways, become the common thread that connects neighbors to one another. Along Wyckoff's mail route, Native American children teach him about totems. He finds assistance for a reclusive chain-smoking book collector who can't maintain his property. He delivers a much-delayed registered letter mailed from Saigon in 1976. Over the years, Wyckoff sees the neighborhood of blue-collar retirees change as a diverse group of younger people move in and raise their families.

Celebrating the triumphs in everyday life and demonstrating the danger of trusting first impressions, Beware of Cat reveals the inner workings of an ordinary place of extraordinary interest.

A native son of Minneapolis, Vincent Wyckoff dedicated a career to the U.S. Postal Service. His first book, Beware of Cat: and Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier, celebrates the stories of people on his route. Prior to that, he served a tour of duty in the U.S. Army, and attended the University of Minnesota. For a short time he lived on the North Shore of Lake Superior, from which he developed the background for Black Otter Bay, his first work of fiction. Nightwatchers is the sequel. His stories have been published in several local periodicals, as well as the anthology, Home. Wyckoff and his wife, Sybil, live in Minneapolis. They have three children and six grandchildren.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780873515825
ISBN 10	087351582X
Title	Beware of Cat
Author	Vincent Wyckoff
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Minnesota Historical Society Press,U.S.
Year published	2007-03-15
Number of pages	204
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.