First Peony

Late this afternoon we all went outside when the keeper returned from the office.  She wanted to inspect her work from yesterday in the yard and see if all the plantings made it through the rains.  All was well. And we showed her the first peony in blossom.  It was perfect. Then we came inside with the peony and she left us again to be with her HC group for a potluck. She finally returned to us very happy for all that had occurred there. And it meant that we got treats before calling it a night.

News Flash! Baxter Report!

Tonight our keeper received an email from Baxter's new keeper.  Baxter had gone to the vet for his operation and general check up. Well, it seems he has already had the operation! And he isn't de-clawed, someone had cut his claws down to the root. And he isn't a kitten.  They estimated he is 1 and 1/2 years old since he had no baby teeth but only adult teeth! Imagine our surprise!

Some of us just can keep that youthful  look a lot longer than others!

Both keepers agreed that at least they had gotten one or two things right--Baxter is a cat, and a boy...! And if someone ever tried to cut our claws that short, we would run away for good too!

Yard Day

The rains finally stopped and we all went outside this afternoon.  Alice and I napped and kept an eye out for traces of the Interloper (there were none left). The keeper took trowels and gardening gloves and set out to plant dozens and dozens of the plants she had purchased earlier this weekend. She concentrated on the pots and boxes, and filled them with geraniums, poppies, verbena, and other things.  Shasta daisies went out by the driveway.  She planted seeds of perennial flowers. Very busy she was.

But she roused us from our drowsy states to make us sniff the irises.  They have a very delicate perfume that is amazing. And every time she smells it she is taken back long ago to a garden overlooking the river where many irises lined up along the bank. As she took care to savor the fragrance of each flower, she knew summer was drawing nearer with each sweet inhalation.

Memorial Day

"All is well, all shall be well, all manner of things shall be well."

It has been a quieter weekend for us than for the keeper. We are getting used to living without the Interloper/aka Baxter.  We hear he is very happy in his new home. She spent most of yesterday alighting in and out of liturgies, with a brief drive by and salad prep here before heading to a party which she said was fabulous. She brought home a few leftovers.

On this holiday day, she ran around some more, but we slept, and are still sleeping now as she watches a long movie called, "Lincoln."  We thought it had too much talking and not enough action. She seems to like it a lot more than we do. It rained mostly all day---perfect for a very long nap.

Back at Mud Bay

Mud Bay is our pet food store. People get to bring their animals there.  Mostly dogs show up, but the other day as the keeper was buying our provisions, she met her first macaw face to face. He is 18 and travels everywhere with his keeper. We are glad she liked him, but we don't want to meet him.  He is bigger than we are, and eats cat food. And we are just recovering from having to share with the Interloper, so that has been trauma enough.

Bye Bye, Interloper, aka BAXTER!

Guess what? Someone answered our blogpost about a new home for the Interloper! She came to check him out this evening, and brought him toys and a bed, and he warmed up to her pretty fast!
She is the lady who knits the catnip mouse toys that the Bassets' keepers gave us. And she is a librarian.  So he will be a literate cat. So, did this little guy luck out or what?

The keeper really approved of her, and  told us little Interloper just won the lottery. He left us in a soft little cage with a zipper instead of one that looks like a jail cell.  His new keeper is going to keep us posted on his new life. He will be joining an older cat named Mewsette. The new keeper is thinking of naming him Backster---get it? He has a back story and looks quite formal with his Tuxedo and all.

We think we may actually miss him.  He added a bit of diversion to our predictable lives. But what he doesn't know is that on Tuesday he is having a flea bath, shots, and that operation at a Cats Only Veterinary Clinic. Bye Bye Baxter!!! We will miss you.

Things Are Progressing

You would think that all we worry about here at the cottage is the Interloper. To be honest, we know that the keeper isn't too worried about this, but we are. She is too busy with that thing called work and going to dinners.

But to fill you in, guess who "stayed over" last night and will again tonight. She put that high powered flea medicine on him last night and he stayed in his own room. He was very very quiet. This happened because he sat at the back door and howled until she let him back in.  She is such a pushover. But today he went back outside, but is back with us tonight.  He decided to lie down with Cecil who even licked his head.

Scoop:  a friend of the keeper's read our blog and sent her a message that there is a librarian who may be interested in giving him a forever home. Cecil and I are keeping our paws crossed that this works out.

Mirage?

Post Immigration workshop, the keeper let us out. We went to the side yard to gobble up the Interloper's food. He decided to come into the house and eat ours while the keeper wasn't looking. Finally we all met in the kitchen for treats. He's really not so bad, and he is very polite. But he didn't get to stay in.  The keeper told us he has fleas and could have bad diseases, so he still has to sleep outside. Oh, dear, we wonder if he will also want to help with the blog. And he will need a name. Will he get his own bed? Is the keeper losing her sanity?

Immigration 101

We were on our own again tonight. The keeper left us for an immigration information night in Bellevue. Tonight it was in English.  One of the people who came was a young man whom she helped get out of the detention center.  It was a good event although it should have been full.  The one next Tuesday will be in Spanish, and people seem really interested in attending. that one. It will be much fuller. We hear the Senate Bill is done being marked up now.

Still Testing the Interloper

We have to give the Interloper a lot of respect for his persistence. He is beginning to grow on the two of us. We are still stealing his food.  Today the keeper whisked him into Alice's crate, and before he knew it he was at the Seattle Veterinary Hospital to see if they could find a microchip embedded in him since he has been declawed. No microchip.  But the tech did remark that he is a young cat with a kittenish face. Alice and I thought he was gone for good, but ten minutes later, he was back in the side yard again. It's a sad thing not to belong to anyone, we thought.

Kindhearted Lady

The hobos picked a good sign for kind ladies.  Before we gardened she called our vet to see if they had special discounts for stray pets. No way. She called our former shelter, Whisker City, and found out about the Feral/Stray Cat Spay and Neuter Clinic in Lynnwood. We think he will  go for a visit next week, and he will get shots and more for a tiny fee. We are wondering if he will come back with her. We just found out he has been declawed, so he was someone's once. He follows her around like a puppy now.

Alice and I are going to post a sign of our own...Free tuxedo cat to nice home. Shots, neutered, flealess and clawless. A perfect pet (for some other kindhearted lady or man)!

Missing the Likes of Eloi

Today we spent most of the day at home, all of us, including that interloper.  It seems the board retreat which the keeper was supposed to attend was cancelled due to low attendance.  We were thrilled!

We spent a great deal of time outside.  She decided to garden, and later this afternoon after assembling baskets of flowers and piles of weeds, she started wishing that Eloi was still in the US. Eloi is the one who got the yard in shape and who worked nonstop to keep it going. It was therapy for him, because the keeper could never afford a full time gardener, but he had a lot of things to work out, and he needed to keep busy.  

Today, after making such a tiny dent in all the work, and not being able to find Jesus to help, she realized she had pulled a back muscle, and was in pain. Then we caught her fantasizing about moving to a condo without a yard. We tried to tell her that we would not like that at all. We doubt she will do it, and we are hoping Jesus will appear back on the scene this week.  The lawn is high, the weeds have gone amok. It's a jungle! We all like order here.

Last Flower Sale of Pentecost

We saw the car come into the driveway.  We were hopeful.  She rushed in, threw her work related things on the table, grabbed her checkbook and told us she would be back in a flash.  She had to get to the Farmer's Market before it closed.  She got there, and in a flash, she had brought us back beautiful flowers from the fields in Monroe.Then we went out and harassed the interloper. She put a collar on him.  Little does he know that means he will be visiting the vet for some surgery soon!

Pentecost Fountain

The keeper headed to Bellevue after the breathy Pentecost celebration at the Cathedral with 120 flutes and much much more. The Bellevue liturgy was huge but not so dramatic.  However, the presider headed out to the area outside of the front doors to share the Greeting of Peace and folks wondered if he was returning. But he did.  Perhaps he was checking out the fountain bedecked with Pentecostal rhodies!

Eve of Pentecost Conversion

Alice and I are having a bit of a conversion.  We realized with the keeper  last night that the little interloper didn't get to have his dinner, nor a place to sleep. When the keeper went to check on him in the side yard last night, she found 2 huge raccoons in his area...one gobbling up his food, and the other sleeping in his bed. All we could hope was that he had gotten out alive.

He did and this morning he let the keeper pet him some more and even pick him up. Tonight she brought his food out to the front porch where he could eat it.  He came up to her and rolled over and purred and meowed and ate like a starving animal.  Alice and I came out to harass him, but we ended up just letting him be. We felt sorry for him. She will take the food back in the house tonight before the raccoons come out, but she put one of our towels for him to sleep on the bench on the front porch.  We approved. He is growing on us.

Celebrating Brenda!

Later this afternoon the keeper went to Seward Park to celebrate BB's 40th Birthday with BB's family and friends of many years. Her mother even brought a scrapbook  with photos of BB from birth through high school graduation! very insightful! It was a wonderful event, pure BB. It was a potlatch, a giveaway, in which the host gave all of her guests gifts. Dan was not given this baby as a permanent gift, but the baby sure loved Dan!

Candles and More!

Children carried up their baptismal candles to be lit, and brought other new religious objects to be blessed.  The keeper explained that the blessing of religious objects is a very familiar one at Latino liturgies.

The Homilia

Fr. Tom told stories about his friends. Then the children were asked about theirs and about why they value their friends.  Some children had a lot to say. Fr. Tom also spoke to the parents, as well as the godparents.

First Communions

Before Mass started this morning, the church seemed pretty empty.  That's because 140 children, their parents, godparents, and catechists were all in the basement lining up for the procession.

Phillip was the MC today. He, appropriately, was wearing an alb that belonged to another Phil, former pastor of happy and beloved memory. He even learned how to tie the cincture in an elegant way for the big event!

The music started and the procession began.The line could be seen al the way to the parking lot! They sang a lot of verses before everyone was seated.

Then, every spot in the formerly empty church was filled!

Special Attractions

The babies had a great time, as did everyone marveling over them.

 The food was exceptional, with homemade wine, and for dessert, chocolate cake topped with flan!

House Blessings

We didn't spend much time outside today because the keeper did.  We watched the interloper continue to make himself very much at home  in our territory. But did she care? No. She had meetings and lunches to attend.

When the car drove up we were thrilled, but it was only to switch bags, grab a present and a bottle of wine and head out to her office and to a house blessing for MT and P. We wished she would have put the interloper into a sack and taken him as a house blessing gift. But no, he stayed.

The house blessing was for two wonderful people who fell in love with houses from the 1980's because that is when they were born. They were given the Rublev icon as a gift from the presider.

At the conclusion of the blessing, they all blessed the MT and P who are the biggest blessings of all!

A Gratia Plena Day

The keeper rated today very high as far as days go.  It was sunny and warm. Light was everywhere, both physical and spiritual. She loves to visit the Ignatius Chapel when she is on business at SU, and today she watched the red light wrap the wall. She said it was indicative of everything that happened today.

A Good Day

The keeper spent part of the day at the office and the rest at meetings downtown.  But before she did all of that, we had a big moment.  The interloper let her pet his head before she bought him his morning meal.  For those of you just picking us up, the interloper is a cat. We aren't sure what this means for us.  Will the interloper weasel his way into our royal family?  Alice thinks if he gets too friendly the keeper will take him to the vet for an operation.  Cecil thought he should warn him about this consequence of warming up to the keeper.

Hanging Out with Massimo

The keeper came home all happy tonight. She heard a superb presentation by a young theologian, Massimo Faggioli, at the Cathedral tonight. He is as sharp and as charming as can be, she said. She gets to have lunch with him tomorrow, we hear. He struck a very very hopeful note about the state of the Church, and we understand that is a good thing.

A Furry Feeder

Well, while we were grounded from harassing the interloper, we sat at our window seats in the bedroom watching the squirrel suck all of the sugar water out of the hummingbird feeders! We are beginning to believe that our home is being overrun with creatures taking advantage of us and the kindness of the keeper! She doesn't seem to mind, though, and enjoys the interlopers' antics.  Pretty soon she will let birds make nests in her hair. We hope she isn't doing a Grey Gardens on us! This is more of a public service alert for her next of kin.  Don't say we didn't warn you!

Jesus Prunes!

Jesus has been working again at the cottage trimming and pruning the laurel.  He is trimming almost 18 inches off, and he goes around with a little clipper to get stray pieces.  He has one more hedge to trim (to the right), but what a difference! And the lawn already grew 6 inches since he cut it last week!

The Interloper

Well, he is still here. You know who is still feeding him, and giving him a little bed  and shelter in the side yard. He is looking pretty healthy now, with all that fancy food and vitamin powder. I had a bit of a dustup with him this afternoon when the keeper let us out.  He can't hog the little side shelter. It's mine! So I growled and he howled and I chased him out of the yard. Instead of being proud of my guarding skills, the keeper reprimanded me, and told me I, of all felines, should learn the gift of hospitality. Rah!

The keeper caught him sitting forlornly in front of the gate which we never use. She said he was meowing pitifully and licking his face, indicating that he was hungry. Okay, I did eat the food she had left for him.  I didn't like that food in the house, but outside it tasted better! She made us stay inside while she fed him two bowls of food which he gobbled down. Now we have to stay inside all night so he can get his beauty sleep.

Sweet View

Alice insists on perching on the living room chair tops to spy on the interloper who is eating our recycled cat food. Myself, I am happy to gaze on the lovely wisteria and watch the hummingbirds on this day of such wild weather.

Why Stand Looking at the Skies?

Today is Ascension Day, when we remember that the angels told the apostles to focus on what is in front of them.  Today the keeper reported to us that she was able to do just that! It is all here!! It was quite the day! Mother's Day, and lots of ladies in corsages, and families attending church with their mothers.  In Bellevue there were three blessings in one liturgy.

But earlier at the Cathedral she had great conversations with friends she hadn't seen for awhile, the pastor introduced her to a great family, and while that was happening, a young girl pulled on her scarf and re-introduced herself with her mother, former parishioners who had moved to the Cathedral after some hard times. As she was returning to the garage, she looked for George who sells the Real Change newspaper.  He was all out of papers, but he was holding a toaster, a gift from the policemen and policewomen who knew his old one was no longer working! It was the best!  She wants to make sure that everyone knew about this sweet and kind deed.

Mothers' Day Greetingd

Alice and I have a godmother who lives in Boston but who is in Israel right now; somehow she managed to help us send our keeper a Mothers' Day card! We appreciated her fine taste in cards.  Just the one we would have chosen if pets could drive and shop! Happy Mothers' Day to one and all!