We Have Been Adopted

 No, Alice and I know that we have been adopted into a very privileged home. And we are not just saying that to merit even better food.  We know what it's like out there in the real world. We know what it is like to go hungry and to be rejected by humans. Well, it appears that a young cat who is both hungry and homeless has decided to adopt the keeper, and hence, us.  The insult this afternoon was when she gave all the premium food which we refused to eat because it wasn't chicken to the hungry one, who gulped it all down.When she left us for the million errands of a day off, guess who took our spot on the cushions in the side yard? Yup. S/he is still very skittish and runs when the keeper or we come out. So she can't catch s/him.

The keeper made a little bed for him tonight out there with an old towel and a blanket. She did tell us that she    asked two different friends if they wouldn't want to have a pet in their lives.  But they will stay petless.

We don't think cats should have pets, but if we were to keep s/him, we would name s/him Blaze. S/He has a horselike blaze down the front of her/his nose. 

The Lemmings Reunion

The keeper spent all day with us today, but she was focused on preparing two days of teaching next week.
We know better than to bother her when she is doing this.  But she let us go outside, and we met a new friend, a young cat which looks a lot like Cecil.  S/he has been sleeping on our pillows out in the side yard, and using our deck to sun him/herself. We welcome a little brother/sister, but the keeper is being very protective of us...she tells us that the little cat could have diseases. We think s/he is just hungry.

We came back inside when she headed off to West Seattle to hang out with some other ministers.  She came home telling us that she hadn't laughed so hard in awhile. They want to start a reality tv program called Parish! or Chancery! Maybe the BBC would pick it up.

Bidding Farewell

We are pretty adorable, we think. The keeper caught us through the window as she was leaving for Bellevue.  We think this is good evidence that our windows need washing. 

After the Rain

Before the keeper left for the day, we helped her feed the hummingbirds, and pointed out yet again that the squirrel had stolen the whole brick of bird suet.The flowers were all dripping with raindrops.

Thank You, Jesus!

Yesterday Jesus came and saved us from being swallowed alive in our own yard. He mowed and raked and cleaned up the beds.  It looks respectable now. And it will be even more so soon.

Dreaming of Paris

It's gray and cold here. Not worth going outside or even whining about doing that. Alice and the keeper are dreaming of Paris in the springtime.

However, I am reminding them to check the weather there....about the same as here.

We should be content with our lot, say I.

The keeper is working at home today, She is in day ? of writing, writing, writing. She seems more open to distraction than writing.  She has some grant proposals to finish and anullment testimonies to translate and dissertations to correct.  We remind her about how much she loves writing.  She reminds us that she loves to write when she doesn't have to do it. She told us it would be more fun to be in Paris writing. We hear that she might go to Tucson though.

The Evening Walk

She made us stay indoors while she went out walking before sunset tonight.  The neighborhood was strangely devoid of people, but it was very pink.

Third Place Ducks

The ducks have taken over the entrance to Third Place Books.  They even had a special water bowl.
But the keeper told us that people were all stepping gingerly on the doormats.

Happy 99th, Mom!

The keeper's mother would have celebrated her 99th birthday today. She only celebrated 90 on this earth, but because she loved a good celebration, we are convinced that she is whooping it up today across the thin veil.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

                        Today we celebrate H's and T's incredible keepers on their birthday!
                                               May you be at play and not at work!

Moon Alarm!

Tonight as the keeper was getting ready to prepare dinner, she got a post from S who told her to go outside and take a photo of the rising moon.  S lives where you can see the moon more easily.  Our moon has to climb over a hill and over lots of trees.  But about 45 minutes later we saw the fat egg yolk rising up behind the trees, and it was marvelous, and we recalled Stassi. Then we had dinner. Thanks, Suzy!

A Stunningly Sunny Day

Today was a day which shouted, "GO OUTSIDE!" We would have liked to have been more obedient, but we were not allowed. If the keeper had called in WELL, we all could have been outside.  But no, she had to spend the day in appointments and meetings and her car on blocked freeways. However, she did get to have a good visit with her friend, K, who had fallen in her room at St. Joseph Residence. Finally, she got home and we all went outside and it felt wonderful. We even chased the unrepentent squirrel who was trying to steal the hummingbird feeder while we were stuck inside.

Dinner with the Boxing Theologian

Last eve after meetings, the keeper fed us and headed down to her favorite old stomping ground near the arboretum to have dinner with a former parishioner, a brilliant, gifted friend who is never bored. She is a boxer and studies tai chi, and seeks intersections among all traditions and paths. The keeper and friend have an amazing connection which they discovered after a few years of knowing each other in Seattle: their mothers had known each other and worked together in New York and had corresponded til the keeper's mother died. The friend's parents sang at the keeper's parents' wedding. There are no accidents.

Still An Important Question!

Still a question 70 plus years later, "while Seattle's industries [still] grow!"

The Frasier Set

They were quite taken by the Seattle in Cinema exhibit, but felt that Northern Exposure could have rated at least a mention since in one episode Marilyn visited Seattle. And it was filmed in Roslyn and Redmond.  The keeper got to watch them film several times.

Hobo Codes

 The keeper was impressed that the symbol with the cat is hobo code for ...

We were happy to concur!

A MOHAI Day

This morning the keeper left with her friend J for a visit to the new MOHAI. They learned many things, one of which was that the first graduate of the UW was a woman, Clara McCarty!  And that the first public school teacher was a woman who chose not to marry. Alice was very impressed as was the keeper.

Happy Feast of St. George

 Today is the Feast of St. George.  The keeper regaled us with stories of many years long gone by, when a certain friend in Tacoma used to host a St. George party and all the Anglophiles and their friends would gather for royal rounds of drinks and a fine English feast which would go long into the night.

The Winners of the Mango Flan

The mango flan dessert went to the table members who brought it, sitting right behind Table 15.

Cabrini Dinner

Tonight she left us for a dinner which raised funds for Cabrini Ministry. She told us that they toasted the newly engaged, got a case of the 7th grade giggles during one of the several emotional talks, ended up doing much better in the dessert dash than last year. However, they did badly at Heads and Tails.

Cabrini Graduation

Before she came home to us there was a graduation Mass for 52 pastoral care ministers. She told us that it was very bilingual but the majority of the readers and the preacher were hard to understand in either language. Fatigue set in, she said, so she skipped the party to come home to us.  We were pleased.

Back to Work

We waved goodbye early today.  She was way better, and headed downtown to spend most of the day at the chancery. But in the later afternoon she took up her favorite perch in the SU library and graded papers and responded to her email before another meeting occurred.

!Feliz Cumpleanos, Comadre!

Our dear friend NPM was born on this day.  She is someone who keeps the keeper happy and sane and who is always up for an adventure! We all wish she lived on this coast again.  Happy Birthday, Profesora!

A Beautiful Evening in the Neighborhood

The pink seems to keep exploding like fireworks especially as the sun sets over the Bay.  We think it is beautiful! We can't wait for the lavender to start blooming!

Keeping the Keeper

We have to admit that, while we are sorry that the keeper has been feeling poorly, we have been thrilled to have her at home for two whole days. She actually listened to us when when we advised her against meeting a friend to do MOHAI today.  She stayed quiet, wrapped up in her quilts reading and reflecting instead. However, we think she is better.  There's a bit of a bounce in the step again, a renewed urge to send emails, make lists, calls. We think there will be a real meal with organic food for dinner tonight. The remains of the junk diet just may have been relegated to the trash.  But we did notice the Twinkie wrapper was empty.

And thanks for asking about Alice's health.  She 's the one who has really improved---two rounds of antibiotics and allergy shots, lysine, a chicken-free diet and vitamin powder seem to be working! She looks pretty happy in the picture.

Food For Recovery?

We have evidence that she is sick. She snuck out to QFC and returned with food we never see in the house...especially the potato chips, the twinkies, and the animal crackers. She calls this comfort food. In her right mind she would sniff at it, and request a salad. So...here's to comfort and renewed health!

Keeper in Sick Bay

Well, it happened.  Last night it finally dawned on the keeper after talking to a friend that the reason her bones ache and the reason she is freezing and wants to sleep could be that she has a bug. Duh!  There is a bug going around and she has only been with several thousand people and children all week. So she listened to us and cancelled things today.  We get her to ourselves. Yeah. We wish we could read poems to her, though. She is pitiful when she gets sick. A bit of a baby..

Buenas Noches

Tonight the clouds were as pink as the cherry blossoms before the sunset. It was a nice and quiet ending to a very long week, which the keeper said not only stretched her patience, but also her endurance, her kindness, and her capacity for hope.  She said tonight's homily on one of her favorite Gospels included words from one of her favorite poets, about allowing the Risen One to "easter in us, be a dayspring to the dimness of us. . ."  She really liked it and found it very consoling.

Finally, A Break!

Tonight all three of us are home.  This is a great moment.  She brought home takeout from Black Pearl and we all watched Call the Midwife together. We heard about the day--the several hours of teaching in Spanish in Bothell, which turned out well, and the fine liturgy at the cathedral. But she said she was very tired. We think that is true. So we are suggesting that we all call it a night early.

Hail in the Margins

We mentioned that the conference Grace on the Margins was the tonic needed for the keeper.  She was pleased with it all. This afternoon after everyone listened to a powerful presentation by Sr. Helen Prejean, the skies ripped open with a torrent of thunder and hail which covered the ground. But it didn't phase her--it would have yesterday, but in 24 hours she had found inspiration, encouragement, and hope from the 1600 powerful women and small group of collaborative men there. She had visited with friends from every part of her life, including a high school mentor who taught her to preach, had lunch with a college friend, met and listened to some powerful speakers, watched a premiere of a musical, sold her books, and was very pleased with how The Bent Over Woman was presented. Even a little hail and horrible driving conditions could not dampen the spirit. She did not yell at us tonight.  And we hadn't changed!

Grace on the Margins

Alice and I have spent most of the week alone. The keeper left early each day and came home very late.  By Friday she had lost her voice.  She was very tired---tired of listening to the sound of her own voice, tired of driving and running a taxi service; she even was impatient with us. We knew that this was a week to be endured. Then, on Friday she left us for a conference called Grace on the Margins.  She told us that she totally got the margins part, but wasn't feeling the grace at all. Yet she wanted to see her friends dance one of her poems. So she went not so gracefully. We are happy to report that she returned to us much more graceful and peaceful.  This is good because she still has more talking to do tomorrow.

Pink Enchantment

Ms. Molly didn't come out, but the keeper was enchanted by the huge bush of pink flowers near MK's front door. So she admired them instead.

Seeking Ms. Molly

Today after spending most of the day glued  to that computer, she hastily threw our food in our dishes, and waved goodbye. It was Holy Conversation night and she wanted to stop over to see her friend MK and the divine Ms. Molly before she headed to HC. MK was in good spirits, but Ms. Molly was not into sharing  hospitality tonight. She had already burrowed under the beautiful quilt in the guest room, and wasn't coming out. We suggested that next time the keeper bring Cecil with her.  He is yearning to meet Ms. M. Maybe his gentlemanly, suave demeanor will entice her to visit for a spell.

Annunciation Day...Just Call Me Gabe!

Well, we had a rather quiet day here, once the fireworks died down.
I actually announced to the keeper that Alice had upchucked a very large quantity of food on the very  good carpet in the living room, and all over the part that is white.  Alice wasn't particularly thrilled about my announcement, and although the keeper was not thrilled about the huge mess, she was grateful that the stain could be removed before too much damage was done. Alice ignored me for most of the day. I felt a bit bad, but I know where my kitty meals come from, and I want to show my appreciation somehow.  Just call me Gabriel!

The Ubiquity of Divine Mercy

We understand that this was Divine Mercy Sunday, which seems to have taken precedence over the incredible story of Thomas the Doubter and the Risen Christ. The keeper thought that story had enough weight to carry the weekend. The keeper could not avoid the reminders of this new devotion everywhere she went.  Even the cathedral had an event for it and the intercessory prayers kept referring to it.  We reminded her that the Church is a big tent. She sighed.

Spring at the Fountain

 When the keeper got to Bellevue from Carnation, it was still raining. But she stopped at Fr. Phil's fountain anyway.  It was flowing with water and pink cherry blossoms.  She thought it was pretty cool.