Category Archives: The Kids

Bring me Solo and the Wookie

Larenti resting against the patio wall in a very unladylike position

Larenti rested quietly against the patio wall in what had to be the most entertaining position I had ever seen her in, one immediately reminiscent of Jabba the Hutt.  Her belly looked like a bulb of fatty flesh with her body curled up the way it was.

Larenti resting against the patio wall in a very unladylike position

It tickled me to see her lying there comfortably, not caring for the scene she was making.

And lest you think I simply posted some images strategically timed as she groomed. . .

Larenti sleeping against the patio wall in a very unladylike position

Believe me when I say I tried to explain to her how unladylike her position was.  She didn’t listen.

I don’t know how long she stayed there before moving.  I do know it was long enough for me to feel better.

You see, I came home early from work as I’ve been fighting either a cold or a sinus problem since the weekend.  I napped a bit after arriving home, and then I caught this amusing scene on the patio.

While I’m on the subject of Larenti, the time has come to expedite her capture and rescue.

A very large and very mean tomcat has arrived on the scene in the last 24 hours.  He’s easily her size (she’s a large cat) and is full of viciousness and wrath, demonstrating overnight a mean streak a mile long.

He first appeared around 10:30 last night.  I was trying to sleep through my headache and general misery when I heard a slow moaning, the almost-growl of an angry cat.  I rolled over to see this very cute face looking in the bedroom door.

Good looks aside, however, this feline has one goal in life: to pester and attack any other cat in the vicinity.

What was he growling at?  Vazra.

My Persian friend sat just inside the door grooming before bedtime.  The new interloper found that unacceptable and sat outside voicing a very passionate rage.

I finally got up for a closer look.  Of course the rest of The Kids joined me.  As each one approached, the outside cat’s heated vocalizations grew louder and more outraged.

How dare he!  Having never been seen before, he certainly had his share of gall to show up and make a huge fuss about the inside cats.

When I opened the door, he vanished.  Fine.  Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Only he didn’t vanish.  He found Larenti hiding beneath a nearby car and proceeded to pester her until he could attack.  I had to jump the fence to chase him off.  Wearing nothing but my robe, thank you very much, at best a questionable scene for anyone watching in the darkness.

Was that the end of it?  No.

Around four this morning I heard a great commotion outside.  It was a cat fight.

I rushed out there and found the bitter ol’ fiend had cornered Larenti.  He then jumped on her and a vile tussle ensued.

I feared for her.

I picked up the bowl of water I leave out overnight for her, and I promptly threw its entire contents at him.  And it struck with pinpoint accuracy.

Ever seen a mad cat get madder when doused with a large quantity of water?  It ain’t pretty.

Off he went into the night, a shadowy, ghoulish figure mad as hell and unlikely to forget our interaction.

Which all brings me back to the point of needing to speed up things with Larenti.

As has happened before, if a large male like this makes the area his territory, he’ll chase Larenti away—if not actually harm her.  I can’t let that happen.

It’s impossible for me to be here all the time keeping watch and protecting her.  The only way I can keep this from escalating is to get her off the streets as quickly as possible.

[for the sake of consistency, I’ve named this black-and-white devil Goa’uld; if you’ve ever watched the Stargate television series, you’ll know that’s the name of an arrogant, evil, selfish race of parasites who think themselves gods with ownership rights to the whole universe; that name fits this new monster]

They’re not enough

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

LD recently asked me to participate (secretly) in xocobra’s weekend of spiritual renewal.  Excepting the Christian overtones of the event, I felt both honored and challenged by her request:

[xocobra] is going through a spiritual renewal weekend… There he will receive notes and letters as a surprise. Would each of you consider writing him a note or letter of encouragement or something that would be special to him about what he’s meant to you in your life? It doesn’t need to be lengthy and anything would be great!

Truth be told, I was on call last week and had little time to think about it.  I received her message Tuesday evening when I arrived home from the office.  That night remained busy for me and I set her note aside.

Wednesday evening I found myself with a bit of time, so I returned to the e-mail and considered what I might say.

Let’s be clear: xocobra means a lot to me.  I love him dearly.  Unfortunately, and in retrospect, putting into words the importance of such people is nothing short of impossible.  Nevertheless, I tried.

I (digitally) penned the missive in the few minutes I had available, then I sent it off on its journey.

Yet I couldn’t help but feel my words rang hollow, that the trite and paltry verbiage failed completely to say that which needed to be said.

Forget what we’re told
Before we get too old

A lifetime of family and friends in this human culture of ours has taught me a profound lie offered as significant truth: When you love someone, say so.

Only after this exercise at LD’s behest did I begin to realize words are feeble instruments when it comes to the meaning of people, to the emotional bonds we share.  Saying “I love you” seems to matter, but it really doesn’t when the words are as overused as that once magical expression.

Still, too often we fail to communicate what we feel to those who deserve most to hear it.  Seldom are the moments when we really look at someone who matters and try to make clear how much they mean to us.

What needs to be said most often usually is said all too rarely.  Even more infrequently is it shown.

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I wonder, looking back at life, how many times I’ve let a moment slip away without communicating what mattered most to those who mattered most.  More troubling is how often I failed to let my feelings manifest in something other than words. . .when words simply wouldn’t have been enough.

Whether in a comfortable silence, a kiss or a hug, a gentle touch, or an ordinary moment of togetherness, I wonder how often I’ve let slip by me the most critical seconds in life when what was needed was a demonstration of my love.

And here a day after the ninth anniversary of Henry‘s death, less than two months after the anniversary of Derek’s death, and after I visited family Saturday who reminded me how fragile life is and how easily it can end—and how all too soon it does end, I’m left wondering how I can ever make clear to those who matter precisely how much they mean to me, how important they are, how critical their collective presence is in my life.

I don’t quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They’re not enough

[lyrics from “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol]

It starts with comfort

Larenti quietly slept just outside the patio fence, her belly turned toward the sky in absolute comfort.  She lay dappled with sunlight.

Larenti sleeping on her back with a bit of sun dappling her fur

Then came the stretch.

Larenti lying on her back with her front legs stretched out in front of her

After that, she congealed into a curly ball of fur that epitomized contentment.