Wet Paw Day

A dismal day for cats.  Too wet to sit out, too wet to wander without boots.   We slept. The keeper woke us up every once in a while to make sure we hadn't died.  She is pretty amusing sometimes.

A Group with Its Priorities

It was Sunday and the keeper left us again to be with all of her young adults.  She spent time with one group and headed to the other parish to find the other group, and after looking for them at the major event with the Archbishop where hundreds had gathered for the blessing of a new school building, could not find them there.  She finally found them tucked away in a room in another building, oblivious to the event outside, and intent on discussing an article about why Jesus had to suffer.  They were in the midst of a conversation on the call to servant leadership when she walked in.  They barely noticed her.  She continuously says they inspire her.  After, they celebrated Rosa's birthday.

Reunion after 28 years

Well, we ate in again and stared at each other because the keeper rushed off to read at the cathedral and after, met up with one of her old housemates, J, whom she hadn't seen since 1982.   J was bringing her daughter, B, up from California to UBC for an  International exchange year.  B is about the age her mother was when she moved in with the keeper in Tacoma.  The keeper took them to Harborside for dinner. A fine meal and fine conversation.

Go Storm!

We are not a sporty household, but we caught the keeper posting this sign in the front window.  She almost covered up the other little sticker that says, " In case of fire, firefighters, please save my 2 cats." She really likes this team.

Laundry

The other night the keeper was doing laundry and I was sick and tired of being chased by Cecil.  So I tried to hide in the washer till I realized there was water in there. Ick.  Then I tried to hide in the warm dryer, til I found out it would spin me upside down.  I hid under the bed instead.

A Second Chance

These are the petunias which the keeper rescued from the 4 for $1 discard rack at Lowes earlier this summer.  She is so happy she took a chance on them.  They won't stop blooming!

Dinner with the 4 Companeros

Cecil was asking me the other night if the keeper ever stayed home to play with us.  I told him that lately she has been exercising her social abilities and life is one unusually big dinner party.  I told him this would change once the Fall came.  But on Wednesday she headed out with her friends to fete G who was in town visiting with old friends.  He installed her at her first church.  They went to Nell's at Green Lake, and laughed till they cried.  At the end of the long and lovely dinner, their very fine server identified herself as a former member of the keeper's church, and filled her in on the details of the rest of her family. When she returned to us near midnight, she remarked, "What a great night!" We glared at her because we had been stuck inside with canned catfood, not halibut.

              

A Restful Tuesday

It was a restful day for us, but the keeper had to get up very early, way earlier than she usually rises.  We were nervous because we thought this meant that she was leaving us or that we were going on a trip or to the vet.  We sat with saucer eyes on the bed while she rushed around.  She finally told us that she was taking her friend W to the hospital for day surgery.  and she was back by noon.  She told us that if nothing else, seeing the harvest moon hanging over Elliott Bay and the city before it set, was worth the worry.  But she had a lovely morning....watching the city wake up, breakfast a the Rhododendron, Mass at the Cathedral, reading in the sun at the reflection pool at SU. shopping at Elliott Bay for an Authors game and journals, and walking all over the hill.  W's surgery went well, and they were back by lunch.  We spent the the rest of the day lounging in the back yard.  Cecil didn't wander and slept and slept in one of the big chairs.  He's settling in nicely.  We are chasing each other around the house now.  I ate a bug and got sick.  The keeper made me poached chicken.  Thank God, Cecil doesn't like it.  So it's all mine.

Lemmings on Queen Anne

Today the keeper told us to keep bonding and headed off to a retreat with her LEM friends.  It was a beautiful day and they had  time to reflect and walk and the keeper headed to the closest view of water at Kerry Park.  The mountain was out, as was a blimp.  The tourists kept pouring out of the buses, wearing their caps and shorts with their cameras.  The keeper took pictures of folks with the space needle and Mt. Rainier in the background  She also noticed that  often the visitors remembered how they used to play on the hill, and pointed out how things had changed since they were last at Kerry Park. The best part of the retreat for the Lemmings was that they didn't need to lead it.

Whisker City Rocks!

Whisker City, the shelter which kept both Cecil and me alive, is celebrating their 15th birthday this weekend.  They have a bus called Whiskers on Wheels (WOW)  which shows up all over town.  I used to ride the bus hoping for someone to adopt me.  Cecil never did.  But people can get on the bus and meet some of the most wonderful cats.  The bus will be at Lake Forest Park Towne Center this Sunday at the Farmer's Market.  Go visit them and tell them Alice and Cecil sent you.  You can also pick up some wicked organic catnip. If you want to check out their website, go to http://www.whiskercity.com/.

Cecil Meets the Raccoon Kits

Tonight Cecil and I went out to play for a bit with the keeper and we got to see the 4 young raccoons who built a fort on the neighbor's garage roof.  They are smaller then we are.  Their parents are gone.  We know we can't get near them, but we had a staring contest from our respective places. They hung like monkeys from the trees to spy on us.

A Night at the Opera

Act II--From the screen outside

Yesterday afternoon the keeper rushed home from work, put on fancier clothes and headed out to the opera.  We received our dinners at 4 PM, if you can believe it.  I explained to Cecil that sometimes our lives are like this when the keeper's social life picks up.  Well, all the hubbub was over Tristan und Isolde.  When she came home after midnight--it was nearly a five hour production-- we asked her what she thought.  She said she always loves seeing her friend, Charles, the usher for their section, who was recently on TV.  She said their dinner was fair--but salted caramel ice cream was the very best. We asked about the opera, and she rolled her eyes and said that about half way through she was pretty tired of longing and yearning and the sexual, emotional tension.  She wondered if living in a wired instantaneous world has shaped her differently these days.  She liked Act Three the best.  The singers were incredible, as were the orchestra and Asher Fisch.  She was not wild about the set.  She prefers Parsifal, she said. We were happy to see her and receive a post-midnight snack.

At the Open Books Poetry Emporium

The keeper left us inside and headed out to redeem a gift certificate which she received for last year's birthday.  She found a wonderful world awaiting her in a tiny bookshop on 45th Ave. She only brought home two books. And has more credit waiting for her next visit.

Last Vacation Day

The keeper has to return to her office tomorrow, so she wanted us to get the most time we could outside.  We went out, and all was well, until Cecil decided to ditch the leash and visit the neighbors' cat.  After she found him, and after she shared some stern words, he landed inside.  I felt bad for him and went inside to keep him company.  I decided I would play with his leash.  He was not amused. And he just ignored me.

Hot Town

Today was a hot one.  The keeper played farm housewife, and froze 15 pints of blueberries, and washed a lot of big things and hung them out to dry in the hot sun.  She let Cecil and me  play, and so we chased "Da bird" and each other.  I hid in the laundry bowl and Cecil pretended not to notice me. He is a good companion. I hope he likes it here.  He has been here for a week now. The keeper has to go back to her office on Wednesday.  I hope this doesn't mean that we have to stay inside. It's hot in there. Cecil looks like her old cat Piggy who came from El Paso with her.  He was also black and white and Piggy didn't mind the heat either.

Looking for the Meteor Showers

I am liking Cecil.  I was sick last night and he came over and licked my face. The keeper chose well.  I can train him to do my bidding.  No, really, he will be a good companion.  Right now we are both sitting in front of the fan which the keeper bought in June, and thought she would never use.  It helps.

Meanwhile, she is going outside to sit on the deck and make sure she doesn't miss any meteor showers.  We offered to go with her, but she told us that wild animals are waiting for us out there. So, we sit.  In front of the cheesy fan.

Extravagance on the Feast of the Assumption

Today the keeper went to the Cathedral and was quite taken with the celebration of the Assumption. The idea of the feast's scripture readings as extravagant tellings of immeasurable grace and possibility on God's part and the extravagant response of Mary to God was excellent. The kid's choir camp members sang, and it was hot, sunny and festive.  She went back to her former church for an anointing of a dear friend, and of course saw everyone.  But eventually she found her way back to us and let us go out.

Cecil found the catnip garden and after eating several flowers, rolls in it, and then rolls in the gravel and grasses in the side  yard.  Then he eats regular grass.  He is an odd one.  The keeper says that taking him out on  his leash is like walking a horse who wants to graze a lot.  She brought him his own wheat grass plant for indoors.  Now that is extravagant!

Resplendence in Edmonds

Mt. Baker was very resplendent from the Edmonds Pier. So were the fish and the fisherfolk.

Romeo and Harriet

The keeper left us to bond some more when she left to go to her near god daughter's summer theater workshop tragical-comedy musical, Romeo and Harriet.  The talented godchild played a very funny game show host.  This young lady knows how to use her voice and to fill the space. After the matinee performance they all went to Arnies to celebrate her performance.

Lounging

Cecil gets to go outside on a leash now.  It's bright pink.  We sat in the shade together under the big maple tree.  The squirrels put on quite a show for us.

Elliott Bay Bookstore

She had been skeptical about the new location of the bookstore.  But the review is in--It's airy, light, and beautiful, with a great selection of journals.

Bonding Friday

So, the keeper had to go to a meeting at SU.  She told us to be good and bond.  Whatever that is. But we slept, I showed Cecil all the things I could do with the bird toy and the cat tunnel from Ikea.  He was quietly impressed.  Then I tore through the house and let him chase after me. He's going to be ok.  He has a healthy respect for female felines.  The keeper came home and we were sound asleep in our rooms.  She told us about the fountain at SU and how there were rainbows  on the surface of the pool.

Pigmobile Lunch

One of these days the keeper will stop for lunch here.  It is supposed to be incredibly good. There was a long line today. And she had promises to keep.

At SAM

While I was lounging in the back yard and while Cecil was entertaining the vet techs at Northgate Veterinary Hospital, the keeper continued to play tourist.  She has been a member of SAM for awhile. But she is not as faithful as she could be.  She said she was not interested in the Cobain exhibit, but she wanted to see some new works.  She fell in love with a carving called The Shroud.   It looks as though the head is shrouded in cloth, but Dan Webb carved/sculpted the  whole piece out of redwood.  Stunning.  It made up for the Cobain.  The keeper admits she is getting old.

Tourist for a Day

Today was a nutty day at our house.  The housecleaner came early this morning with her baby in tow and so the keeper brought out a travel cage, stuck Cecil in it, and left for the vet.  Cecil stayed the day there and was quite the hit with the vet techs.  He got shots and attention. I thought he was being sent back to Whisker City.  But no, he came home at the end of the day. The baby left, and the house smells a lot cleaner and less dusty now.  But the keeper told me I could spend the day outside and come in and out at my leisure, which I did.  It was nice.  But the keeper went out to pretend she was a tourist in the city today.  She forgot that real tourists were all over the place, though.  She brought home a bag of pinon and mesquite incense from her favorite Tenzing Momo in Pike Place Market. She strolled the market, wanting nothing, but  marvelling at all of the tourists wandering around in flip flops and cut offs, shivering while looking at their maps. But better were all the colors and smells and languages that swirled around.

Lyon Creek Park

Today the keeper left us to "bond" and she headed out to the Burke Gilman Trail. She sometimes gets off the trail because none of the cyclists alert the walkers to their coming, and that is one of the rules, and she has come close to near wipe outs.  But today was quieter and she took a detour to a tiny park, Lyons Creek, next to the LFP Clubhouse.  It is a nature preserve which has been restored by the community with native vegetation and the daylighted creek.  A home and stables used to sit on this beautiful lakefront land. Now a dock out to the lake, a little beach, and picnic areas await the unsuspecting wanderer. She said it was very peaceful other than for the jet skiers replaying the hydroplane races of last weekend.

Blueberries for January

While Cecil and I ignored each other, the keeper ignored us and spent time freezing all those blueberries she bought on Sunday so she can eat them all winter.  She needs a lot more, though.

Adjustments

I am not exactly pleased with this transition in our household.  But I am intrigued by this big, lunky cat named Cecil.  He talks a lot. But he has a lot of patience with me.  And several times today I forgot to hiss and growl when he came near me. So we rubbed noses.  I have maintained a steady look of disappointment whenever the keeper looks at me, though.  I overheard her telling some friends that " the little Lady Alice's nose is out of joint and she has her tail in a knot."  But we played with the bird toy this morning and I could so outjump Cecil. I twirled and cartwheeled just to show him my skill.  He likes to play lying down.  I wonder if he is going to stay.

Meet My Surprise---Cecil!

The keeper pulled into the driveway, and brought out the cat carrier, not mine, but the one which had been Stassi's. I was a little puzzled, but she waved it in front of my window.  I knew it was not for me.  But I heard sounds from it. Then I saw a face. It wasn't Stassi.  But my surprise was this big piebald cat named Cecil who is very gentle and acts like a dog.  His  feet look like they belong to a Clydesdale or a St. Bernard.  He is 10 and his owners gave him up because they were moving.  The shelter said they didn't even cry.

Cecil is already making himself  quite at home here. He tried to sit on my perch and I growled at him.  I have mostly growled at him. He doesn't fight back.  I hiss, he walks away.  I snarl, he lies down.  I stole some of his food.  He stole some of mine.  I smelled his blankets.  He smelled mine.  Now he is walking all through the house rubbing against everything.  He has a little meow that sounds more like a kitten's. This could be an interesting remainder of the summer. Maybe we should have stayed at the beach.  At least here I can go out.  He is going to be an indoor cat, I hear.