Oh! Possum?

Matt went of to a conference this morning, while I happily stayed in bed... until Peanut started hollering.

He was talking to another cat, which I've heard before, but this time it was exceptionally emphatic, and continued longer than usual... so I got up to be sure nothing was wrong.

He was talking through the sliding glass door to a long haired white cat with orange spots (wearing a collar & tag) that I've seen in the neighborhood before. He was saying "You are on my deck and you should leave, because the minute I get outside I'm going to beat you up." The stranger was saying "I don't have to leave, and you can't make me."

Meanwhile Lilith was sitting on the spare bed, looking a bit concerned, but not too put out... and then Cally came into the room and was very upset about the whole thing, so she started growling, etc. She then tried swatting at me. I got out some treats to see if it would calm anyone down to have a snack, but no one was interested in food. (Shocking!)

Just as the stranger started very slowly to back away, an opossum showed up near the Brandeis fence! The stranger decided to go investigate, Peanut looked on with wary interest, and I ran and got my camera once I saw it was heading down the hill.

The possum on it's way to visit the neighbors
(That's ND's witchhazel.)

I almost had a perfect shot of it's face, but the camera's automatic light sensor thought I needed a flash for the second picture. That slowed it down and doesn't work through a window. Drat!

This Fragile Shell

One of my first clients just informed me that she has a brain tumor. I don't know how worried to be yet. She will almost certainly be having surgery to remove it, but I don't know much detail. The good news is that it is an answer to the question of why she's been suffering from eye pain for a long time.

Still, it is another reminder of the ephemeral nature of life.

I've had a few too many reminders of this sort lately.

Last spring, one of my Mother's first cousins died of cancer. I'm still sorry that I didn't go to her funeral, though that would have meant flying across the country.

In early July, Matt's Great Aunt Carolyn died. Loosing her was like loosing a grandparent again (I have none left). The following Monday (July 9), I had to go get her cat (Cally). I hadn't really felt her loss yet, but when I saw the sign on her door "My Cat Cally lives here, do not leave door open" I completely broke down. I sat there crying in her room, surrounded by all the things I'd helped Matt's parents move in for her. Cally was very upset and hid from me, but I took her home.

One week later, one of my clients died of a heart attack at age 54. His wife asked me to feed their cat while she rushed straight from work to the hospital. I got the news that he was dead just after arriving at his house. I had to tell another cat that she'd lost a human...

It was all too much for me... and it didn't stop there...

In the fall, I started this blog because I was trying to figure out how to get a very old friend's e-mail address. I wanted to e-mail her because I read on her blog that she had lost her best friend (who I had also known). I was hoping that since she had a blogger blog, if I did too, maybe Blogger would let me see her address. That was silly and didn't work, but I did find another way to e-mail her.

Why haven't I mentioned all this before? Perhaps because it affected me too deeply. I'm trying to focus on all the things I want to do in life. I love gardening, I love my cats, and I love drumming. I want to change the world.

I can do a lot, but I can't bring any of them back.

Enimies?

I can't believe it! Cally and Lilith are napping in the same room!

Over an hour ago I heard some hissing, but ignored it since I've gotten used to hearing hissing when Cally and Lilith are near each other. After I finished what I was working on, I got up, said hi to Peanut and Matt (they are napping together upstairs), and then started to get ready to practice my cello. I started wondering where Lilith and Cally were, so I looked around...

Cally and Lilith in Cally's Room

There they both were, looking quite at peace in Cally's room. Cally's room is the one with the Comfort Zone/Feliway diffuser, so maybe it's actually working!

Or, maybe it is just that the cats have all been appreciating the nice weather. It was about 60 outside today (incredible!), so we turned off the heat and opened all the windows. Peanut and Lilith both spent some time outside this morning, even though the ground was quite soggy from rain overnight and into the morning. All three of them really appreciated the open windows.

Peanut Enjoys the Fresh Air

Everybody Loves Grass

Peanut

Lilith

Cally

Thanks, Petra!

Lilith's New Bed

No detectable results from the comfort zone for cats yet. Peanut has been enjoying sleeping on the chair in Cally's room, but he did that before we got the pheromone diffuser. Meanwhile, Cally and Lilith are still on edge around each other. The biggest news is that Lilith has found a new place to snooze.

Lilith on today's new bed

Worm Home

The worms' new home arrived yesterday, and I set it up last night. It seems silly spending as much money as I did when I could have made something myself... but life is always a trade-off in this way, and I have several other projects I need to complete now. So I chose the Worm Factory: http://www.cascadewormbin.com/wormfactory.htm

I bought it from All Things Organic: http://www.allthingsorganic.com/Products/worm-factory.asp (They have good customer service.)

I had read elsewhere that the bin was made from recycled plastic, but now I find that only the black version of the bin is recycled. The Terra Cotta version is made from food grade plastic (that's good in other ways). It would have been nice to know before I bought it.

Instead, I have an illustration of the difficulty of trying to be an environmentally conscious consumer. I didn't have all the facts before I made my purchase. I couldn't find the manufacturer's website until I had the item in my possession, so after the fact I have more info about what the product is made out of. Why aren't the retailers highlighting the fact that there is a recycled version?


In cat news, comfort zone for cats (aka the Feliway diffuser) arrived today and we plugged it into a wall socket in Cally's room. This product releases the same pheromone that happy cats release when they rub their cheeks against things. It is supposed to help cats feel safe and comfortable. I will report back later if she seems calmer.

Introducing My Cats (aka the Fluffy Beasties whom I live to serve)

Lilith Lowe:

Peanut Passell: (He's male--for some reason a lot of people assume he's a she. Not that he cares much. He's still the king.)
Cally Goble:
Peanut and Lilith are the true owners of this house. They lived here before Matt and I bought the house from the humans who previously served the cats. We were very happy to move in with the two of them.

Cally Goble lived with Matt's Great-Aunt Carolyn until this past summer when Aunt Carolyn passed away. Cally moved in with us "temporarily" (hmmm none of our friends seem to want to adopt a kitty), but Lilith has been rather annoyed that we let another cat move into her house. Peanut doesn't mind too much except when Cally hisses at him because she is ridiculously nervous. I ascribe her neuroses at least in part to the fact that she was declawed, and now feels defenseless.