Coffee Break

Studying for a language test can be very draining.  Since my husband took my car to drive down south to a family funeral, I figured I had all day to review all my notes and memorize words.  By 2:00 I had avoided doing much work and I was very tired and listless.  A nap seemed in order, but then I looked out the back window and discovered that the dreary morning gray overcast had turned into blue sky in our neighborhood.  The air was still and a light cloud bank hovered over the ocean on the horizon.  I knew a little fresh air and exercise would do me good.  Besides I was craving a fresh cup of coffee from the local bakery.

I grabbed my pedometer and a grocery bag and left the house, turning west at the corner toward the beach.   The air was warm and I didn't need the layers of clothing I had worn, but I kept walking to the promenade.  I decided to lengthen the walk to the grocery store by proceeding to the south and crossing at Pacheco St. to the beach side of the Great Hiway.  The ocean was very calm and a few surfers were riding the waves, but what intrigued me was a flock of birds near the incoming tide.  It looked as though a group of plovers were having a convention.  They were all quietly mingling together in a loose aray by the water's edge.  A man was sitting on a log a few feet away from the birds apparently observing them, and along came another man strolling down the beach.  As he drew closer to the flock, the birds started moving south, a few at a time and then more and more they picked up speed moving the entire flock down the beach a few feet.  Then as the man walked past the group, the birds started moving in the other direction returning to their original position.  It was a like a pack experience-one bird started migrating and the rest followed.

When I reached Noriega, I left the beach and headed up the block, still drooling for a cup of coffee.  As I approached the "Devil's Tooth", I discovered a pleasant surprise--the bakery had a new addition.  It was an outdoor seating arrangement located next to the sidewalk in the street area.  Apparently the city is helping small businesses put in some open-space seating.  Since I had some time before the bakery closed at 4:00 p.m. I decided to do my shopping first at the vegetable market.  The owner of the market was relaxing with family members in the open seating, so I said "hello" and went across the street to buy some green vegetables to go with my kasha vegetable pilaf for dinner.  When I returned to the bakery I ordered a scone and French-pressed coffee which they made fresh for me.  It was very uplifting to sit outdoors in the sun, sipping coffee and watching the school kids drawing with chalk on the sidewalk.  I'll have to do this more often. 

Well, I've procrastinated long enough.  I'd better return to my Lithuanian studies.  I still have a few hours of the day left before my husband returns. 

Charlotte the Spider Kitty

This past year has been a difficult one for me.  Since my mother died on May 4, 2012, it seems like death has appeared all around me and has been on my mind frequently. Friends' family members have died, some of my longest-lived plants succumbed during this damp winter, and then just as I was feeling a little better, my 15-year old kitty cat became ill. She had been losing weight, and then she stopped eating, and became a frightfully bony critter. The vet said it was stomach cancer, so I took her home and cared for her for a month.  The vet gave her some medication (prednisone) which gave her a little energy.  She started eating a lot and even venturing outdoors.  At times she would sit on the fence looking over her territory,  reminding me of the song "Memories" from "Cats."  It was as if she was trying to reconcile her life and knew she didn't have long to live.  Then, last Thursday, she became barely conscious and was having multiple seizures.   I was awake most of the night with her and in the morning, I gathered her frail body up in a towel and took her to the Veterinary Clinic around the corner.  The vet gave her a shot  and she was finally at peace, but it is so sad to lose a companion.

 Here is her story:  In August of 1997, when my son, Joseph, was living at our cabin, a little black and white "Tuxedo" cat came into this world. The mother, Goat, gave birth to five babies on my bed, and then she picked them all up and moved them to a hiding place. They grew rapidly and when the mother got tired of nursing them, it was time to find homes. Four of the kitties were grey striped like their mother, and they all found homes. Only one was black and white, and hadn't been chosen. One day Joseph drove with friends back to S.F. holding the kitten on his lap. When I saw it, I immediately said "for me?" I really wanted the cat. I had already had my eye on it when I saw it at the cabin since it was very independent and was constantly bouncing around nipping its siblings. It seemed very lively and full of energy. I named the 6-week old kitten, Spider, since it was black, fluffy, and climbed everywhere. When the vet told us that "He" was a "she, Bill thought she should be named "Charlotte" after the Disney story of the spider, but her official name stayed "Spider." We ended up calling her "Kitty" and then the name shortened to "Ki-Ki." Spider was a delight as a kitten. She ran all over the furniture and then was able to stand on her hind legs to play with dangly toys. We tried to keep her as an inside cat, but she quickly discovered the backyard and the great outdoors. It didn't take long for her to ask us to open the back door and to jump out the kitchen window to get outside. She became an indoor/outdoor cat--staying outside most of the day and sleeping on my bed at night. She loved to sit on the fence checking out the scene and watching for other cats. She became very competent at hunting, often leaving bird feathers strewn over the back yard, gopher parts left on the stairs, and often dropping her little mice prey on the floor next to my bed. I could hear her scurrying about and chasing something. Then, when her attention wandered, the baby mouse would run under the furniture. My husband became quite adept at catching mice also. I didn't like killing the mice, so one time I swept one out the door--of course, Spider just brought it back the next day. I also found one crawling in back of the kitchen counter, so after donning plastic gloves and holding a paper bag, I quickly picked up the mouse by the tail and deposited the package down the sewer. Even though the mice were a problem, I was proud that my kitty tried to keep our area free of rodents.

 There were many times when we had to go away. At first we tried to take her with us to the cabin, but it didn't work out. Cats are very territorial and she became frightened in different surroundings. When "Goat" was still living at the cabin, poor Spider didn't know who she was and hissed at her. She got scared once and ran up one of the tall pines surrounding the house. I called to her but she wouldn't come down. Even "Goat" climbed the tree to show her how to come down, but to no avail. I thought I would have to call the fire dept, but just in time, my daughter Colleen and Tony arrived and Tony climbed a ladder and rescued the cat. Another time, I brought Spider up there, and she wouldn't go outside. She stayed up in the loft where the temperature was over 100 degrees. When it was time for me to leave, I called to her but she appeared listless, laying on the floor. I touched her and she jumped 10 feet in the air out of fright. I gently picked her up and put her in the cat carrier, telling her she didn't have to come with us again. From then on, we left her at home or boarded her at the vet. She was quite content to stay by herself as long as someone fed her.

As she got older, I realized she wouldn't be around for much longer--kinda like when my mother died. She was actually about the same age as my mom, who was 4 months short of 105. Spider kitty was four months short of 105--15x7. She would have been 15 in August. I tried to pay more attention to her. When she jumped up on my lap when I was playing the piano, I stopped playing and petted her. When she sat on my papers or on my computer, I just left her there. When she jumped on my lap and snuggled up next to me when I slept, I relished her presence. She was a very calming influence. I will miss her, but she taught me many things: to accept people the way they are; to love unconditionally; to be patient; to ask for what you want and don't give up until you get it; if you don't like someone, stay away; if someone bothers you, let them know about it; keep active all your life and eat only when you are hungry. Stop and smell the flowers; Purr when you are happy. I told everyone she was a scardy cat, since she often ran away when strangers entered the house. She especially felt leery of children and dogs, but there were a few of our guests whom she warmed up to: She seemed to like Kevin and David and maybe Joe also. But she really took to Jake, Regina, and Nadia. And of course, she always followed me around. I will miss her.