Hot Water Blues

The keeper did not stay in the shower very long this morning. She jumped out pretty quickly. We were surprised, to say the least. " Water's cold, I hope it's not the water heater," she said nervously. And added, "I really don't have time for this!" Well, dear readers, you can guess the end of this. She opened the hatch to the cellar, climbed down the ladder with a flashlight, and sure enough, the water heater was piddling on the cement base. She came up and realized it was almost exactly ten years ago that she had purchased this heater. No warranty left! "Smart machines," we sighed. So then we listened to her conversations with the water heater companies. They would come out today. They gave estimates that made her much more anxious than the vet does. She called her office and said she'd be working at home.

A man named Jupiter finally showed up and took a look. The city has a new code since the old one has been put in. It needs to be tied down for earthquake proofing. There is no place to tie it. They will have to build a place. Then, the water company has added some gauges that make water heaters back up. So we will need more things. Ching ching ching. It is a multi hour project. It will take two men to lower the new heater and remove the old one. Blah blah blah. They will wait till tomorrow to do it. It will take too long today. The keeper will have to work from home in the morning tomorrow too.

So, we have no hot water. Zip. We turned off the circuit breaker and we will now rely on our tea pot and microwave for warm water. But at least we have water. It's just freezing cold. Oh, the things we so easily take for granted! Think of Haiti.

Dunk Me!

The keeper hasn't downloaded the photo for this, but at at one of the churches she visited today, they had three lovely baptisms. One of the three was a little boy with lovely curls wearing a bright orange DUNK ME! basketball T shirt! "What an appropriate, yet a little tacky, warm up garment prior to his watery immersion into life and death and passion and resurrection," the keeper said. She said she will post the photowhen she can figure out how to get it off of her phone. She is a little slow on the technical aspect of things, and we aren't much better.

Catnip and Old Bags

We apologize for the several day absence. The keeper went back to work and left early and came home late. She talked about meetings and workshops. Whatever...we know those words mean one thing: we stay inside and wait for her return. And wait. She did bring us some new catnip with seeds in it, and I have been getting very mellow with it. Alice does not appreciate catnip. She prefers to suck on plastic grocery bags.

Anyway, enough about us. We hear that the eagles are fishing from the trees overlooking the lake, and the keeper takes then as a sign of a good day whenever she sees them. Also, we all stayed up and watched a wonderful movie, The Soloist, taken from the book by the same name. The keeper said the book was better, but since we don't read, we thought the movie was just fine. It's about an LA Times reporter who discovers a street musician who struggles with mental illness, but who is a musical genius. They become friends. It is true.

On a religious note, the keeper was happy to hear that the Pope is pushing priests to have blogs now.


The weather is still springlike and it's hard to believe our cat friends in Arizona and California have to deal with mud and rain and mess.

The Warm Day

We are not sure how this works, but the keeper was finishing up her retreat today, and it was warm and sunny out this morning. We were unusually obnoxious so she let us out for a while. We have this trick down to a science. And because I drank from mud puddles again, we are on the bland organic chicken diet--poached in milk. Aren't we deprived????

I also took advantage of the keeper's openness tonight and I ran out and marked the whole neighborhood to reestablish our neighborhood sovereignity. The keeper was not happy and did not give me a treat when I came in 30 minutes later. It felt so warm, like summer. It is hard to stay in when it feels so balmy. Even the daphne is ready to pop!

The keeper goes back to her regular schedule tomorrow, so we will be locked in again. But we are very happy that her retreat went so well and she looks relaxed.

Discovery: A Nest!

The keeper finally discovered what we have known for a long time. She now sees what we have been watching out the front window for years now. The birds have built a big nest at the top of the tree, and there is more going on there than we can tell you. It's another sign that spring is coming. By the way, the squirrel finished off the bird food today. M-T!!! We don't think there will be any more bird food for a while.

We are still in retreat mode today. The keeper seems to be doing well and coming to some resolution. She seems much more peaceful. She even cooked us organic chicken for dinner. Maybe she could stay on retreat for the rest of her life. But we think she will be done sometime tomorrow. That's what she tells us. She has been like that nest up in the tree for the last few days.

This is Where the Bird Food is Going!

The squirrels are looking unusually well fed this year. Now we know why.

What Month IS This?

It's Rev. Dr. MLK, Jr's birthday observed today and it is 64 degrees on our front porch!

The keeper is letting us take advantage of it, and she even came out to sit in her normal summer sunning spot but came in quickly because the wind picked up. Yes, we are still in the retreat mode here, and we are living like monastery cats. We like it. It's very quiet, and the keeper is here, sitting, not running like a nut around the house. We sit with her and are continuing to be quiet too. We think it was a harder day for her today. She paced. But tonight will be quiet. No tv. Just all of us together.

The Upstart Spring

The keeper is still on retreat. This means she goes out for more walks. And yes, we dutifully waited inside. She pointed out things we already know, having a different cognitive structure than the keeper. We may have an early spring. The daphne odora is getting ready to break open, the bulbs are already sending up crocus shoots. The birds are singing.

It seems she is having a good retreat. She came home from church today astounded by the powerful preaching on the Cana story and Haiti. All she could tell us was, "Do whatever he asks you."

We built a fire and sat in the living room with her all afternoon into the evening. She was so into all of the meditation that she forgot to fix our dinner, so we are eating at a much more fashionable hour and so is she.

Flowers in the Desert

This is retreat time right now, and it is good time. But the keeper was overwhelmed by the blooms that appeared on a cutting she had placed in the mud room, and then happened to notice that the living room cactus was in bloom as well. A good sign. We are trying to be very quiet so she can focus and reflect. So far we have behaved well. No one even threw up! ( If you don't count my episode last night.)

Deluge

We don't know if you can see me very well, but I am making a dash for underneath the deck in the rain. Below, you will see Alice who was much more willing to get her dainty paws wet chasing birds in the rain.

The keeper drove her car all over today in the rain. It smelled like lots of places that we had never been. We are very happy that she is going to be on a retreat for a few days so that she can find some clarity about what she needs to do next with her life. She says it's a big decision. We don't want to move any place. That's our only request. We like our home and we have established our territory here. But we will honor her time to eat, pray, and be. We will not ask her to post our mundane comments. Maybe she will post some of her own.

Tonight she did leave us to go to the Taize service to pray for the people Haiti, living and dead. She came back and told us that she was happy she had gone because she found some peace in the chanting and the singing and the power of a community of beseechers gatherd. She said that she heard the consoling words of the prophet Isaiah 54 in a whole new searing light:

A Song for the People of Haiti

For the mountains may depart, and the hills be shaken,

but my love for you will never leave you and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken. . .

O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled,

I lay your pavements in carnelians, and your foundations in sapphires,

I will make your battlements of rubies,

your gates of carbuncles, and all your walls of precious stones. . . .

In justice shall you be established,

far from the fear of oppression, where destruction cannot come near you.

Isaiah 54

On a more mundane note, below is a photo of Alice chasing the birds.

The Clouds in Seattle are Wailing

Last evening the wind howled and the rains beat the windows. This morning the heavens opened up and rains fell heavy and thick over us. The keeper told us that it seems the heavens wail like this after the death of loved ones. Then she said that perhaps the heavens are wailing for the people of Haiti. The pictures emerging from the disaster are heart rending, news reporters break down in the midst of a story. As the ground started to give way and buildings crumbled, woman was said to ask, " Is this the end of the world?" In many ways, for many Haitians it is. Now, no more water, food, medicine. Is this hell? So much rests on the slender window of time to rescue, carry in supplies.

The keeper came home late tonight because she was at meetings in five different places this afternoon. We think that is a bit much. We had to wait till almost 10 PM for our dinner. This reminds us of her old ministry days. We thought they were over.

Eagles and Weeping for Haiti

Greetings to all on this rainy day, where the gutters overflowed like a waterfall next to our perches at the bedroom window all afternoon. We spent the day inside and watched the water puddle on the gravel and the stones. The ground couldn't absorb it fast enough.

However, the keeper came home after being gone most of the day and told us about the morning (when she should have been home to let us out before it rained). She said it was marvelous. On her way to the office, she spied the eagle in the Kenmore trees hovering over a very mirror like Lake Washington, and the clouds seemed to become huge nests resting in the treetops of the fir trees. The world belonged to the eagles this morning, she said.

But the biggest and saddest news of today that breaks hearts the more we hear is of Haiti--possibly 500,000 deaths, so much ruin, loss, even the powerful are dead or homeless. An archbishop dead, a president without a perch, and the poorest of the poor crushed and wandering. What to do? How to respond? Money? Presence? Prayer? The CRS offered us a prayer which we will publish here-it's the least we can do:

Prayer
God of all creation, as we weep with our family in Haiti, console us.
In this time of crisis, open our eyes to look beyond the disaster
to see Christ in our brothers and sisters in Haiti, as Christ sees us.
Be with us as we stand in solidarity with those living and working in Haiti.
Be with us in our mourning and guide our efforts to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, comfort the grieving and stand for justice.
With your mercy, sustain us at this time as we continue to work for peace and justice.
Amen.

For our Brothers and Sisters in Haiti Affected by the Earthquake
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the Haitian people, that help comes to them quickly and comfort comes to those who hurt.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the lost or buried, that they are found and reunited with their loved ones.
Lord, hear our prayers.
For the relief workers, that they have the tools they need, the courage and the strength to respond fully.
Lord, hear our prayers.
For the families in Haiti and in the United States who are waiting to hear from loved ones, that good news comes to them.
Lord, hear our prayers.
For those whose who have perished, may their souls rest with you, oh Lord, where they will find eternal love.
Amen.

De-Lighting the House

Today, it didn't rain until 1:30. The keeper went outside, and we with her. She started taking down all of the outside lights. This year she had a lot to take down because she couldn't stop buying lights. She says she has to protest the arrival of winter with the light! So, she rolled all the strands on rolled up magazine spools ( a trick her brother taught her), and wrapped up all the extension cords, timers, etc., and tucked it all back in the garage.

In the meantime, I went out hunting mice or rats, and although I was stationed underneath the deck, the keeper thought I had gotten loose in the neighborhood, and even had the mail lady looking for me. I tried to be very casual when I walked out from under the deck. It had only been 90 minutes, and I was hoping to trap one of those little rodents. But no, she lured me in with treats, and I stayed. I would have presented her with a fine dead gift if she had let me stay longer. Sigh. She will never know what she missed!

Once the keeper had locked us both back in the house, she got going with gardening, and started trimming back all of the dead canes that have cropped up in the fall rain. She filled a good part of the yard waste dumpster. She looks so happy out there digging and clipping. She even wore her new red "wellies" as she tromped back and forth in the dirt. She even stayed out and worked in the rain! She's a bit daft sometimes. But we'll keep 'er!

Welcome, Ordinary Time!

Today is the beginning of Ordinary Time! That doesn't mean it is boring, just counted...like from now on, we note which week this, eg..2nd week of ordinary time. So, here we are...In the picture Alice has made herself at home amidst all of the tree decorations and creches which the keeper took down and organized before packing them away. It was a solemn occasion. We played Christmas music--the keeper selected Charpentier, along with others. We always keep the tree lit till the very end. Then everything goes back into little boxes, and we put them into bigger boxes. Finally, it all goes back into the garage and waits for Advent again. Sigh.

On another note, the keeper just finished reading a book called The Help. It's a best seller now, and not without some controversy. The keeper told us that she liked the story, and it all held together beautifully. But, she said what made her feel uncomfortable was that the author is a white woman witting in the voices of black maids, who are describing their lives working for white people. It takes place in the 60's during the years of civil rights fights. But what troubled her was the author's voice. She asked us, as if we would have much to say, if we thought it was all right for a white woman of privilege to speak in the voices of those who have been oppressed.

She thinks it's a thorny question. And she is anxious to look at the commentary.

Now she is reading Ray Bradbury's new book of short stories.

Baptism of the Lord

Apologies for being so tardy. The keeper has been busy running all over. On Sunday she celebrated the baptism of the Lord with two communities, and had a rip roaring time. She spent most of the afternoon with the Young Adults at a house for a postponed Epiphany party. There was no more room in the house for any more guests. They were going to have to open up the deck. Nice problem. but she came back marvelling at the talent and creativity of the group. They had skits, music, games, good conversation, great food, an an Epiphany rosca (the round bread wreath with the babies hidden in the dough). If you get a piece with a baby in it, you are responsible for having the party on Candlemas Day.

She is still being faithful to her exercise and diet regime, and she shakes the house with her tortured calisthenics. She did make us garlic chicken for a late dinner. We did not complain.

Early MLK Day Celebration

Today was a beautiful day. Yesterday's rains blew all the clouds away and cleaned the air, and we woke up to sunshine! However, the keeper went to her office and we stayed in. Sigh. We know that the raccoons and another cat have been in our spaces though. Alice saw them in the night when we were all tucked in. She was at the window.

The keeper came home in the later aft and we hoped we would be going out, but she let us run around from the back to the side door, bribed us back in with treats, switched carrying cases, and left again for the cathedral where she was going to read. She got there early enough to marvel at the unbelievable sky and clouds hanging over the downtown. Then she found out that she really wasn't reading because it was an archdiocesan Mass for MLK, Jr. with the African American/African community. She stayed for the liturgy which went a bit long. But appreciated hearing the Gospel beat again. A young man named James offered a long, but passionate reflection on Rev. Dr. MLK, Jr.'s "Letter from the Birmingham Jail." The AB did a good job of preaching the readings and the life of MLK, Jr. As always, the keeper ran into friends and former parishioners. A good day, ending with a call from her brother to plan a Hawaii vacation.

We watched a very moving ad for the Humane Society on tv. It showed dogs who had been abandoned, cats who had been beaten, another cat who looked so ill which asked the question, " Will I die today?" We suggested that the keeper send all the money she has left over from paying our vet bills to this organization. She was tempted. But declined. We want them to know we appreciate all the work they do to save our friends.

Trip to Palisades

We stayed in today. The keeper is really back to working away from home. The keeper took a trip down to Dash Point to the retreat house for a meeting. As she drove south, Mt. Rainier stood strong in a light curtain of mist. She ended up taking this photo from Federal Way. But she also told us how she saw the bishops of Region XII down there on retreat. They were not at her meeting, but shared the same lunch hour.

She wanted us to know about that she took the express lanes and as she was entering the southern lanes, three pieces of paper stapled together flew up alongside her car. She began to wonder what those pages represented. She had almost an hour to think about this. Had a bully thrown out someone's school essay? Was it a job evaluation that didn't go well? Was it a map to an important meeting? Was it a map to hidden treasure? Was it a medical report? Important documents? Evidence for a trial? a poem? an essay for publication? A "farewell, I can't love you anymore" letter? a suicide note? How did it land on the express lane? Had someone thrown it out intentionally? Did it fly out of a recycling truck, a moving truck? an accident scene? " We will never know," said the keeper, "but the wondering was quite delicious."

Epiphanies

Today is the traditional feast of Epiphany. Stars and gifts and Wise Ones seeking truth and God.

The keeper was off at work all day and we were inside amusing ourselves with our toys and mostly, sleeping and waiting for her to come home. She came home and couldn't stop talking about how much she loves leaving her office in the evening. (Well, duh, we hope so...she should be so excited to get home to us!) Tonight she said that the sky was painted in colors that grew more bright and rich with each passing minute till a final explosion of color at sunset. We do think that the photos are beautiful. She said that she couldn't drive and shoot photos simultaneously. We are grateful.

We got to go out, but it was cold. So we rushed back in to find her doing Jillian's killer routine in front of the tv. She is really into this. We are proud of her perseverance.

One sad note: we found out that the ferret we mentioned several posts ago, Starbright, didn't make it, and died on Sunday. We send our condolences to Starbright's family. It's hard to lose a pet who was such an important part of the family. Rest in heavenly peace, Starbright!

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St. John Neumann Day

Greetings on the Feast of St. John Neumann. Now, you may know as much as the 2 of us know about this man. But this morning the keeper told us that he was an immigrant priest who was sent from Bohemia to Philadelphia. He became a friend to the many immigrant poor there, and died while delivering food to a poor family.

The keeper also told us this morning that if we were going to sit on her lap in the living room, we needed to reflect on today's Gospel from Mark about the feeding of the 5000 men....(note...men, imagine how many more people were there--women, children, pets!) So we sat and listened to her. You can tell she misses preaching sometimes. She said she had visited that purported place, and it was pretty deserted before all the tourists started coming. She wanted us observe how the disciples, who were weary of the crowd ( they thought they were going on a little break--ha!) wanted to send them away to buy food. Then Jesus told them to give them food. All the d's could imagine was that they would have to buy all these people bread. But J asks them to give what they had....She asked us to think about the difference between buying and giving. It is much easier for many to buy things for others...much more difficult to share from our very selves...a la mother pelican. Do we rush out to buy when we are really being asked to give? Now, we don't rush out to buy much since she won't let us drive or have money. However, we think the keeper could reflect on this question for awhile.

Alice went out and sat on the hot tub for a while and watched birds. She loves watching them, and can't figure out why she can't catch them. she doesn't realize that they are dive-bombing her on purpose to tease... Eventually, she quits making that low throaty bird chasing growl, and yawns and comes in.

We also hope that all of our friends, MK and Molly and Sheila and Pat and others had a great wild time watching The Bachelor last night. We didn't see it because we were busy reading about changing the keeper's metabolism so she could be svelte and full of energy. Today we started cleaning out things that slow the metabolism down---processed foods, fake sugar, plastics, etc...Big garbage day coming up!

Mastering our Metabolisms

" It's a real Seattle January," said the keeper as we looked out the window and longed for June. The school buses rolled by in yellow blurs, the fog wrapped the tallest of the trees in the woods, and we could hear the steady splash on the road. " So much better than last year with all that snow," said the keeper. We looked a her a bit disgustedly. She is always thinking of herself. She forgets that last year when we had so much snow, we were free to run outside and leap in it and play till our paws couldn't take any more. Sigh. So, we are relegated to chasing those rabbit fur mice around the floor inside.

But, because it's the beginning of January, we know to expect a new project from the keeper. We have been waiting to find out... in the past it's been a dissertation, a class, house fixing, the gym in the garage....it's always something. OK, we found out about it today. It seems she has been concerned about old age and weight gain. So...we now have a new friend around the house-Jillian--some tv coach, and so the keeper is teaching us all about how to get our metabolism racing. We watched her try to do it tonight with the new video. We tried to do it with her, but she didn't appreciate that. She couldn't finish it all, but Jillian promises great things o those who persevere. And we know that the keeper is a persevering person. So, rock hard abs...here we come. It also means we will be cleaning out our cupboards of toxic " metabolism-slowing" foods and substances. Hopefully she will leave our Greenie treats.

Second Day of MMX

The keeper wasn't going to do any more blogging tonight because again, she is sick of her computer. It dropped a whole data base of info. We are sure that the fact she was talking on the phone and trying to finish up the project was not a factor???!!!! But I have talked her into it by sitting on the computer and telling her that I will help.

A quiet day, she worked, we slept and begged for treats. But we heard about a friend's ferret, Starbright, who isn't doing well. She is an older ferret--4 years old. But when her keepers came back from Orlando, they found her weak and sick. They are nursing her back to health. We think she just missed them all. I know what happened to my brother Lord Downs when the keeper was gone once. He missed her so much that he died. I also think he had a heart attack.

But our love goes out to little Starbright! We hope you rally and get better soon! We are not sure we would like to meet a ferret, but Starbright sounds nice.

The keeper went out late afternoon to delier a symphony ticket to her friend K on QA Hill.

It was beautiful out and it is starting to stay a little lighter later. It was 5 and still not dark!

She also stopped at Trader Joes on QA and it looked like locusts had run through it--care shelves, scattered produce---the delivery truck had been delayed for a day or two. she said she felt she was visiting a second world country. But they still had a lot of Christmas chocolate treats. She didn't buy any. We understand we will be starting a fitness regime very soon. Sigh--wheat grass in our food. Whee! Agh! Hairball time!

Happy MMX!

Happy New Year to one and all! Today the keeper almost slept through the alarm but we made sure that she got out of bed and sure enough, she slipped into the front row as the entrance procession approached the sanctuary! She said she ran into all kinds of dear friends, some of whom even read our blog! Hi there!!!!

The best thing that happened in this new day of new year was that the keeper came home and spent the whole rest of the day and evening with us! She read most of the magazines she has been stacking in the den. We all sat in the living room, sipping coffee ( not us). We helped her stay still by sitting on her lap. She built us a fire, and we listened to beautiful Christmas music. Yes, that's right. It's still Christmas time!

Alice received an email birthday greeting from Dr. Smalley and Northgate Vets. She is 6 now. We got to eat out of our new bowls. Alice had some salmon for her treat tonight. So did I, but don't tell her.

Last Post of 2009

Hi Everyone! The keeper didn't quite get back to our blog yesterday. She refused to do it. She was mad at our computer. We watched her race to finish the newsletter before the New Year. She had worked for the past few days on it. It was 6 pages. But when she went to recheck it to send, two pages had disappeared into ? She never found them. So, at 4 PM last night she reconstructed two pages and finally sent them all out before she got ready to go out for New Year's Eve. But she slammed her computer shut and wouldn't send out our post. And our posting was all about how hard she was working on the newsletter. so there.

She did go out and had a great time at the Cathedral--drinks, dinner, an incredible Handel concert with angels appearing after midnight, and champagne and the dessert with the musicians. A fine night. She seemed to forget about the newsletter troubles. She was much nicer when she got home, and she gave us treats. Of course, it was a new year. MMX.