Nedi's Present

Lovey greatly appreciates "here and now" things - a taste of your food, fresh catnip, treats she watches you pour from a pouch, and being able to be touched and loved upon demand.  She always wants to be in the sunshine, or under a light.  Nedi is a different sort of cat. He is an independent little man, who at times craves attention, but generally wants to be left alone.  He likes to hide under, behind, and inside things.
  We have a cat tree in the living room, which is beside the sliding glass doors, so the cats can look out onto the balcony, and beyond.  In good weather, they go out there and can play, or lounge, as they prefer.  Lovey lies in the full sun, and Nedi lies under the table or the chair.  I have a large window in my bedroom, with my desk, and the old cat tree placed in front of it.  The cat tree is placed where the window can be opened, and fresh air can enter.   There is a small cat tree, that is a large clawing post, at the end of the hall.  Beatrice has three windows in her room - two in her bedroom and one in the walk-in closet.  Both cats sit on the windowsills in Bea's room and watch people, wildlife, and traffic pass by.
   Lovey occasionally wants to get under the bed covers with me - but only if I'm lying on my back, with my legs parted in a v shape; she sleeps between my knees and ankles.  If I shift position in any way, she comes out and lays on my shoulder.  Nedi, maybe twice a year or so, wants to curl up against a part of me, touching only the cover.  He is not a snuggler.  Lovey would be inside my skin, if she could figure a way to be there.
  Nedi, however, loves bags - plastic shopping bags, cloth shopping bags, vinyl bags, clear, colored, ones that stand up by themselves, and one that collapse.  One of his favorite places to hide is in one of the closets, but visitors have a habit of closing that door (it's double-hung, on a track), and we have, on occasion not known that Nedi was imprisoned within.
   We decided to keep the door closed, but to provide Nedi with a "bolt hole" elsewhere.  I found, and purchased, the perfect thing today - it's a medium to large sized heavy cloth basket.  It has a square, wire framed bottom (fully cloth covered and padded) and a round heavy plastic collar at the top (again, fully covered and padded).  We brought it upstairs filled with other items we had purchased while out shopping, and, as soon as it was empty, Nedi jumped inside.  I think he's been out of it twice since we brought it home....   I picked it up by the handles and carried him (and it) over into the corner behind my reading chair.  That's where the little man is, right now.  Lovey has looked at it, sniffed it, and totally ignored it since.

Weekend, Catnip, and a Client

I did some small grocery shopping over the weekend, checked the mail, and sat out on the balcony for several hours each day, and otherwise avoided people, other than Beatrice and a few phone calls I had to take.  Bea was feeling her cabin-fever itch and went out daily to window shop and just wander around different areas of town.  I stayed at home, cuddled with the cats and read and read and read.  It was wonderful for me.
   I did have to laugh about the phone calls, however.  I checked my work calendar for next week (now this week) on Friday, and saw I was scheduled at a house for 5 nights and six days.  I also knew that one of the client's adult children was at home, so I called to ask if my services were still required.  I was told, no, that the daughter would care for the house and critters while the client was away.  On Saturday, the client called and said the daughter was going to Aspen for the weekend, and could I cover caring for the house from Friday afternoon until Monday morning.  I told her, sure, no problem.  Last night, I received another call from the client - could I possibly cover the originally planned 5 nights and 6 days?  The daughter is currently house-sitting for someone else, and thought she could take her new puppy and older dog into another household that already has two large adult dogs and a new puppy in residence.  The daughter's job ends on Friday, when she plans on leaving for Aspen - and, oh, by the way, I'll have the daughter's puppy and dog at the client's home over the weekend....I sometimes feel like such a fool.  But this person is a very good client, and I've worked for her for over 8 years now, so I acquiesced.
   Last night, I opened the catnip jar.  The kits are still slightly high.  I pull out the dried catnip and roll it between my fingers to make very small particles before I place it on the nip rug.  Both Lovey and Nedi eat the catnip, and they both acted as if they were starving.  Then I pulled out one of their fuzzy, rattly toys that had been in the jar for a month.  Nedi was in ecstasy over that gift.  I put two other older toys back into the jar and resealed it.  This morning, all visible traces of catnip have disappeared from the rug, and the toy has been making odd appearances in strange places since I arose.  It seems I made them happy.

June Has Arrived!

The past few days, the weather folks have said today would be bright with sunshine and we'd have a high temperature in the mid- to upper-70s.  Guess what?  Completely cloud covered skies and a high, hopefully, of 62.  That's great for the skiers at A-Basin - but kind of yucky for me.  Bea and I are going down to Denver to have lunch with our friend Carol and her husband.  Really, there is nothing wrong with grey skies, but I just happen to prefer sunshine. - Speaking of sunshine, something happened to me yesterday that has not happened before:  I got motion-sick while sitting on a toilet in a house.  We had a lot of wind yesterday - constant wind - ans sunshine.  The bathroom I used has a skylight in the ceiling.  The leaves caused the branches of a tree to constantly shake, weave, and wave, making dancing shadows all over the walls and floor.  I went into the bathroom feeling great, and came out totally nauseated - by the shadows (not any odors!).  Strange.
   Cloudy begged for attention last night, and I gave it to her.  Shady has come to realize that I am the purveyor of the green goddess, catnip, and he comes to me twice a day for a good high.  Since he rolled off the table where his bed is located on the first day, I now give him his pinch on the floor.  The yard crew should come to mow the lawn today, and Filiberto, the gardener, said he'd also be at the house today.  I arrived home this morning to find the kits waiting for me at the door; they wanted to be loved and fed, in that order.  Both are outside now, checking out the squirrels and local bird families.  They are stupendously wonderful kits!  Sometimes they seem demanding, but they are just expressing their need for love...
  Next Saturday, the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, will be run.  With Orb winning the Derby, and Oxbow winning the Preakness, there won't be a Triple Crown Champion, but at the moment, it appears that both colts will run in the Belmont.  + In other racing news, Frankie Dettori has been reinstated to ride, after a 6-month suspension for cocaine use.  + Former Godolphin trainer Mahmood al Zarooni, who had another 7 horses that he trains test positive for anabolic steroids, has decided not to appeal an 8-year suspension applied by the British Horse Racing Association.  + Today is the annual running of the Epsom Derby in England.  +  Unaccounted For, the 22-year-old stallion, who won the 1994 Jim Dandy and the 1995 Whitney Handicap, has died in Turkey.  He passed away May 29 from progressive ethmoid hematoma, which causes a destructive mass to grow in the nasal passages and sinuses.  He sired quite a few graded stakes winners, and will be missed.