Oregon Grape and Primer too

Today it was a gray day. Gray clouds, chill wind, we didn't stay out too long. Impending rain. The keeper's friends, Gabriel and Teo, came over, and scraped her south wall and painted it with primer. They are anxious to come back and do the whole thing in the spring. It already looks better. While they painted, she cleaned and then moved out her summer clothes and brought out the winter ones. In a house this small, everything that isn't being used gets put away. It had a finality too it. No more shorts, no more lounging in the sun for whole afternoons for a while. They say it snowed in the mountains. Yuck. We are creatures of summer. It was chilly enough last night that Alice and I fought over the pillow nest next to the keeper's head last night. I am happy to say I won. I even brought my slobbery toy mouse to bed. The keeper praised my hunting skills.

While we slept this afternoon, she went out walking in the twilight and said it was full of woodsmoke and that sweet mossy fall smell mixed with the smell of rain and exhaust. But she found a beautiful clump of Oregon Grape, with those pretty purple berries. She said she became nostalgic over her memories of playing with the Oregon Grape in the field next door and painting faces with Dustine and Chrissy and MA and Mike. Trouble was, paint was easier to get off than the purple juice of the Oregon Grape. Faces, arms, legs smeared blue and purple, stained for awhile. She said she resisted the urge to try it again this afternoon.

BAD CAT! BAD CAT!

Okay, we believe that Fall is really here. It's pretty, and some of the leaves are changing but it's chillier. Alice doesn't like having her paws touch the cold ground and so she leap frogs over the grass or the wood on the deck or the pebbles in our side yard. Inside seems better these days. can you believe that the keeper is going to try to race fate and rain and is having two sides of her house painted on Monday? She decided she couldn't wait any longer because the snow of last year and the heat of the summer started peeling the stain off the side wall. so her friends Gabriel and Teo are coming Monday to scrape off the damaged paint and put a primer that matches the old paint on. And then in spring they can paint the rest. We think they can get it done. It is such a little house.

The keeper decided this was not a good day for her work. Everything seemed to go sideways which is unusual for her, and she is beginning to question whether or not she should keep using her talents this way. We just hope she will keep putting cat food on our plates. But tonight, she gave us some salmon, and Alice had the nerve to jump up and paw a large chuck off the plate to the floor. There was some yelling. You know, "Bad cat, bad cat..." over and over and over. Meanwhile Alice hid what she knocked off and ate it where the keeper couldn't reach. BAD CAT! She acts this way because she was starved nearly to death at a young age. But she hasn't learned that her days of scarcity are over. I have never known days of scarcity. There was my mother and then the keeper, and for 14 years I have had it pretty darn good. Better than 1/2 the planet, says the keeper. By the way, the neighbors are celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. They know how to throw a dinner party. But the keeper is trying to stick to a diet, so, we are all home together.

October Sun and the Laurel Fort

The sunny autumn feels like some past summers have. When the keeper got home, we all went out and explored the inside of the laurel bushes where all the squirrels have been hanging out. It is like a fort, and the sunlight licks the leaves and makes its way through the branches. We didn't catch any squirrels. While we were exploring within, they were swinging from the tree branches above us.

We also checked out the apple tree, there is a portion of it which is dying and producing some wizened little apples. Not edible but with a rugged, sad beauty.

Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher Day

It's had to believe that Fall is here. The last two days felt a lot like summer. We hope all the fall is like this. We spent the day outside, lounging. The keeper cleaned and waxed the kitchen floor on her hands and knees. We were impressed and decided to leave her alone. Later she came outside to read and plant the remaining bushes and plants. She is also supposed to be trimming the hedge, but we think she is hoping to hire someone else to do it. That might be good, because then it will get done.

Today is the feast day of Mother Mary Rose who founded the SNJMs. The keeper told us of all the great SNJM ladies that have been influential in her life--K, M, J, K, and so many more. They keep the charism alive in ever changing contexts. And to think that the Vatican is investigating all of the sisters in the US. We think that they are barking up the wrong tree. There are so many other ecclesial situations which are in need of investigation these days, but the sisters are not one of them. Mother Marie-Rose, pray for us.

Moth House

The moth has moved in with us and has been sleeping in the light switch in the hallway for a few days now. It doesn't move, but it has made itself quite at home. It is warmer inside than it is out, and it doesn't seem to be causing any damage. We got to go outside for most of the afternoon and the keeper put out the cushions again, so we could lounge in the sun. And lounge we did. The squirrels are very busy chasing each other and lugging loot up and down the trees from the nest they built all summer. The keeper made us come in early and I made quite a fuss. Now I am grateful, because she didn't get back from her meeting till almost 9 PM.

Autumn Fruits

Today was the last day for the Lake Forest Park Farmers' Market. The
keeper wished her farmer friends happy fall and winter, and brought home her final purchases--flowers, organic honey crisp apples, squash, fall strawberries, raspberries, lettuce. Then we found some more treats in our own back yard. Some more tomatoes and some of our apples were ready.

Feast of Saint Francis

Today after all of her commitments the keeper came home, let us out, and cleaned out St. Francis' birdbath bowl for the feast day. That should help all those who try to drink out of it. Yes, and of course, she blessed us on this feast day. She used to take us to her church and we would be part of the animal festivities. But that doesn't happen at all the new places now, and it is fine with us to have a private blessing. We hate our cages.

We were fascinated today by all the spider webs that are hanging in front of the house, there were seed pods captured in the web, and they sparkled like diamond necklaces in the sun light as the wind tossed them all over. It's amazing how strong that silk is.