Cats!!

It seems to me that these days, cats are not getting their due. I suspect you've been thinking the same. Maybe I'm way off base, correct me if you think so, but dogs seem to rule. Once upon a time folks kept their dogs in the backyard--imagine that! I can't tell you the amount of times I've seen dogs in dresses at the market, and not only in dresses, but strolled in a carriage. There is a vendor at the market who caters to this sort of dog owner, providing them with a myriad of choices in "dog wear." How, exactly has this happened?

Cats, on the other hand, are rarely seen downtown. On occasion, someone will have a cat on a leash, but it's a rare sighting indeed. Do loads of people still have cats? Before Baxter ruled this roost, our only pets were cats. Going way back to our early days of marriage, we had an incredibly smart cat whom we named Bennie, after, yes you're right, Bennie and the Jets. There were others, one of whom got run over by a car. Incredibly, following our wedding, we moved into an apartment on Curry Ford Road, about six miles from Bruce's family home where he lived prior to getting married. Apparently, the cat, whose name we've forgotten, didn't like it on that side of town, making it's way back to the house on Nancy Street. Amazing, right? Bruce reminded me of Jackson, named after Jackson Browne, who died way too young. Most recently, our next door neighbor's cat, Jade, decided she liked our home better than theirs. A gorgeous black long-haired cat, they left her with us when they moved to Colorado. Eventually she had to be put to sleep when a huge abscess on her neck would not heal. Painful as that was, we were heartened to learn she was 15 years old meaning she'd lived a pretty long life.

What pray tell has got me writing about cats you're probably wondering? It's the bike riding! Cats are out lollygagging in full force early in the morning.

I'd nearly forgotten what variety there is in the domestic cat world, but in the last few days I've rediscovered the allure of cats. 

Some just stare, some roll around, and there are some that take off!

Riding around my sister Maureen's neighborhood, I seemed to see them everywhere--

including underneath a big truck. The ultimate cat story in our family is this: When my father collapsed and died of presumably a heart attack, he was alone in the house. Earlier he'd complained to a neighbor he wasn't feeling so well, but declined any help. This same neighbor from across the street went to check on him later, finding him on the floor. The ambulance was summoned. Soon thereafter my mom returned from shopping, and as she drove up the street, was shocked to see the ambulance in front of the house. What she later learned from the neighbor was that when he found Daddy, their cat, whose name escapes me, was curled up next to him. And people say cats are aloof! What do they know??

As I was typing my very first ever post about cats, an email notification came up from Etsy!! A sale. Get this--the buyer goes by "tomkat." My, oh my!!

Purple has been absent from this blog for far too long. It's a strange shade of purple, but here is one from the back yard. For my niece Laura:

So far, the weather this week could not be more different than last with gorgeous blue skies. Hallelujah--you know how those gray skies bother me. What with all the rain I've barely had to water a thing and of course, everything is growing like mad, including my transplanted purple salvia.

The "million hearts" plant on the log from our fallen tree is doing so well, as are the odd varieties of begonia adjacent to the salvia. Every time Jim brings a new and different variety to the market I am sorely tempted, however, I'm running out of room!

Yesterday afternoon I played bridge with the ladies. Not my usual bunch, but Beverly's group--I was a sub. Trying not to feel too intimidated, I screwed up my courage and just did the best I could. Imagine our surprise when the score was tallied and Bev and I won by a mere 10 points! Slowly but surely I'm getting a little better. Not much, but some.

Post office--here I come. I'd nearly given up on ever having a sale again; what a pleasant surprise!