With Elegance and Ease
In which we focus on our favourite things.
Message from die Katze (Hadley)
Artemis McGonagall Schreiker here, back to tell you more about the struggles in my life and how I overcome them with elegance and ease.
I detest it when cars park in front of my house. They don’t belong there, and obviously the cars are planning something barbarous and criminal. To make matters worse, they do not seem to hear me growling and meowing the cat-war-song-of-death. They ignore me. Obviously they have no clue who I am, or how many other things I’ve (almost) murdered. I’m still working on a solution to that problem.
Another big problem for me is that my humans often want to cuddle me, and rub my tummy, and pick me up and bounce me around, which would be very undignified. VERY undignified. I have a solution, though, and that is… run for it. As fast as possible. And then eat Mommy’s feet. (You think feet-eating is undignified? You know truly nothing, human.)
Now it is time to discuss something very important. Food.
Humans seem to have the idea that they set the dinner time for cats. This is false. When we want dinner, we shall get dinner, period. And in my experience with humans, all a cat needs to do is meow softly and make their eyes big for dinner to be served.
Unfortunately, problems continue even after the food is served. Some humans don’t understand that “White Sauce” or “Lamb” barely count as food. They try making poor kitties digest that stuff. Wicked, wicked people. After all we cats do for them!
Last thing. What is up with the people who try dressing cats up, or equally improper things, such as putting their socks on my head? It’s NOT FUNNY and also your socks really have a strong odour, human child no. 1.
I’m tired now and want to go and take a nap. Tschüss!
“And then my heart with pleasure fills” (Seren)
Not much to report on the adult-front except that I am obsessed with the glorious daffodils springing up all over the place! Maybe it’s because this is the coldest winter I’ve experienced in quite some time, or maybe it’s because the days are getting longer and the sun is showing itself more often, but I can’t help but thrill every time I see those cheerful yellow blooms poking up through the soil.
And they are everywhere! In the park, in planters, pushing up at the edge of the sidewalk… According to a gardening website (DeVroomen), daffodils are “resilient bulbs” that “thrive in a variety of soil types and climates, requiring minimal care once established.” Hmm… maybe my adoration of daffodils is aspirational.
Of course, I can’t resist the opportunity to leave you with Wordsworth’s famous poem – an ode to the splendour of daffodils – and how they make us happy long after they’re gone: “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.”
Thirty-three Weeks (Hadley & Seren)
Hadley is now officially a teenager! Seren is now officially the parent of a teenager! How did this happen? Where are the operating instructions? We are receptive to any suggestions and advice. 🙂
Unfortunately, we have lately been a house of sickness, but not a Krankenhaus, as Hadley helpfully reminds me – just krank. Fingers crossed that everyone’s on the mend by the weekend…
Until next time – Tschüss!
Wow ... what great imagination ... inspiration ... humor ... you have all the bases covered (baseball term). With love 'til the Twelth of Never, GrampScott
And try as they might, the oxalis flowers can't even come near the beauty and awesomeness (is that a word?) of daffodils. And the 'dessert' of your recent post is the dellightful poem.
Hmm, I wonder if Artemis has been secretly texting Van Helsing and Buffy... because they all seem to have the same ideas about strange cars, dinner time, and acceptable forms of food. Buffy is also very no-no when it comes to being picked up, but thankfully Van Helsing at least lets me do that. But if his dinner is 2 minutes late, you WILL hear about NOTHING else. Seren, I love daffodils, too! They are by far my favorite spring flower. When I was driving to the interview at my very first church in NY, my jaw dropped and I audibly gasped as I pulled into their parking lot. In the front of the church was planted a HUGE field of daffodils! I'm talking thousands of them! I could not run out of my car fast enough to go plant my face in them. Apparently someone from the search committee saw me do this, and they told me that's when they decided to hire me. It just goes to show that you must never be afraid to be your weird self. The people who are meant to be in your life will embrace it and celebrate with you. Each year that church planted even more bulbs, and the yellow and white carpet grew. Enjoy them. They are so delicate and precious.