Shaking A Few Things Loose

This week I feel a Big Purge coming on. As I was packing to go to the lake for the weekend, I noticed that there were several things in my closet that I hadn't worn all summer; in fact, I couldn't remember the last time I had worn them. Clearly, it's time for them to go. That made me think about the rolled-up rug in the office closet and the shoes in there that haven't been worn lately either. Time to box and bag things up and call my favourite charity, Vietnam Vets of America, and get them out here for a pickup. (As usual, I'll try to inspire Rick to--cue dread and doom music--go through his things as well, but I don't expect that to amount to anything.)

I'm also feeling the need to Purge a few Thought Nerfuls and Cerebral Clutterbits taking up space in my head, so I'm going to give it a rattle and see what shakes loose.

BOOBS.  As in, mine are because I am Rebelling and refusing to wear a bra for the rest of the summer as of about two weeks ago. Now, to be fair, I am not Copiously Endowed, and because I am an Older Lady, mine are not, shall we say, prone to Being Bouncy. I have spent too much money on trying to find a bra that is even remotely comfortable, and yes, I was even professionally fitted. If I am wearing something sheer, I wear a cami; if I am not, then Shirt Only it is. Chances are extremely good that I continue this for all three remaining seasons and for the rest of my life, especially since I Just Don't Care. 

BOOKS.  I finished--with some disappointment--Parallel Lines by Edward St. Aubyn. Listen, the writing is excellent. I remain entranced and entertained by the character Sebastian, who features in the opening chapter and made me want to read this book. BUT. There were too many characters cluttering up the landscape and they weren't all different enough to make me notice. As a matter of fact, at one point I just sort of skipped lots paragraphs concerning a couple of characters AND IT MADE ZERO DIFFERENCE TO THE PLOT. And the ending made me irritated in that I put up with SO MUCH just to get to...this? Maybe your reading will be vastly different and I truly hope so. Maybe I am just a Huge Pain In The Ass about modern fiction.

However.

I am now reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey. First of all, thank you Julie for reviewing this book over at your place and for providing an excerpt. This book. This book is so achingly beautiful that when I read it, there are times that I simply have to put it down and breathe and recover myself. This morning I took it out on the patio with my coffee; the sound of my little pond waterfall was in the background, and now and then a bird would sing. As I read I would almost be overcome. What an incredible piece of literature. I feel privileged to read it.

PLANTS.  My basil is a green machine. I've made so, so many jars of pesto--in total a little over two quarts so far. I put it in little jars so that it stays fresher longer. Somebunny has gotten into my parsley despite my menacing fake owl and mowed down almost an entire plant. One suspect lounges quite nonchalantly under my swing in the evenings. My catnip got a severe case of powdery mildew, so I cut it all back and took it outside. Neither Piper nor Marlowe care/d a whit about catnip in their old age (I found out), so I was basically growing catnip to give away to the grandcats (Baker and George) anyway. (Side Note:  Jared and Jordan often threaten George that "Nana will come and speak sternly to you" when he misbehaves because they heard me threaten him with that ONE TIME.)

PLEASURES.  It's important to make note of Small Things That Make Us Happy, and here are mine in no particular order:  

1. Coffee

2. The family group chat

3. My porch and patio

4. My little pond and waterfall

5. Blackberries

6. The icemaker

7. Seeing Theo's crib in the office

8. Watching the two little boys across the street and remembering when Jared and Sam were that age

9. My volunteer tomato plant 

10. Piper snoring

I absolutely cannot wait to read what you have to say in Comments about Boobs, Books, Plants, or your life's little Pleasures.

Marlowe

 

Fifteen years ago I adopted these two kittens from our local Friendship Animal Protective League. They were the last two left from a litter of six front porch cats that had been surrendered to the shelter. I couldn't believe that these two were left; I thought they were adorable. I always wanted an orange cat and a grey cat, and Rick, who was under the assumption that we were there to get only one cat, thought he was being my hero when he said, "Don't try to decide. Just get them both."

Which was my plan all along.

Their shelter names were Dusty and Nike. If you look closely at the grey one, you can see the swoosh on her forehead. I renamed them Piper and Marlowe after looking into their eyes and allowing their names to come to me. (I think that's the best way to name all pets.)

I'm telling you this Origin Story because on Monday we had to say goodbye to Marlowe. Her decline was sudden and precipitous. She wasn't in any pain, but she stopped eating and was lethargic and confused. Uncharacteristically, her brother began staying close to her, holding her as she slept. When I took her to the vet, she was bloated, and the doctor said she had severe anemia and lymphoma. Treatment was available, but it would be very taxing and a positive outcome was a longshot. I made the decision to let her go, and it was the right one.

Here she is on the back of my chair. That's my head, bottom left. We match!

Marlowe was a huge cat, first of all. I'm pretty sure there was some Maine Coon in there. She had big, tufty feet and a glorious fluffy tail. One of her vets said she and Piper were the tallest cats she had ever seen. She hated to be brushed, which was unfortunate, because she was prone to mats. Grooming her was my part-time job because she made it a chore.

All of our leather chair backs sag because they were her cat beds.

She was almost like having a dog. She would play fetch with one particular toy, a blue plastic ring. I also taught her several tricks that she'd perform for treats. She would spin around, stand up on her hind legs, give paw, and sit. Piper didn't have to do anything for his treats because, well, Orange Cat. She was also very good about responding to commands such as Come, In, Up, and Down. She really was a very obedient girl. And if the squirrels were mobbing the peanut feeder on the porch and keeping my blue jays away, I could run her out there to scare them away. She was the best.

Monday was a beautiful sunny day. At the vet, Marlowe was calm and quiet in my arms, and I held her by the window so that we could look outside at the trees. I reminded her of all the time she spent out on the front porch with Rick and me and Piper enjoying the breeze and looking out at the neighbourhood and all the lunchtimes she shared with Sam. I told her what a good girl she was and how we loved her. As she slipped away, I felt relieved that she wasn't confused and lost anymore.

 

This is Piper with his Emotional Support Puppy. He loves it. I bought it for him at my funny grocery store for $3.99. (It's actually a dog toy. I had gotten one for Zydrunas because A) of course I did, and B) I think it looks like Zydrunas.) I didn't know how Piper would react to Marlowe being gone, and since he was snuggling her so much near the end, I thought he might like something to cuddle up to. 

So far, Piper has been doing okay. He vocalizes more, he wants me to sit with him a bit while he eats, but otherwise, he is himself. Rick misses Marlowe quite a bit. She liked to sit with him in the recliner. But only if he had jeans on. If he was wearing his pajamas or sweats, it was a no-go. And if he crossed his legs, she let him hear about it. 

I miss her, but I am still overcome with the feeling of gratitude that she is no longer ill and confused. Her condition near the end was heartbreaking for me. I was so at a loss. It was devastating. Now, it's over. I know I gave her a very good life, and she rewarded me many times over. 

When we adopt our pets, they are ours for better or worse, and we love and care for them in sickness and in health...'til death do us part. It's a sacred yet unspoken vow, and they depend upon us entirely. I'm glad I did not fail Marlowe. 

The July Report: Strap In And Let's Do This

this is from YouTube

 July has been all over the place so far. This post will probably reflect that. Hang on tight because I have no real idea what this may turn into. Let's go.

1. Cervical Facet Arthropathy/Syndrome and Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection:  This all has nothing to do with lady parts; rather, it's all about a pain in the neck. It seems that my most recent falls have exacerbated the arthritis in my neck and exposed a nerve. I've been in pain and physically limited for months and months, and it finally got bad enough that I was referred to a pain specialist. Long story short, we tried medicine, and on Monday a cortisone shot into my neck/spine. If that doesn't hold, next is a nerve ablation. After that, it's surgery to insert pins/rods. I'm Trying Very Hard to avoid that last thing, which is huge and scary and, to me, the very last resort. So far, I'm really pleased with the injection. Fingers crossed that it gives me relief for a long time.

2. Herb Garden Stuff:  I've already made a batch of pesto from my basil and parsley and dried some oregano. My oregano is from a plant I put in more than 10 years ago. I've had to seed dill twice now because of this horrendous heat. I have a volunteer tomato plant somehow in there (I haven't planted tomatoes there for decades), and my jalapenos from last year seeded themselves smack dab in the middle of my rosemary. Today I pulled 14 jalapeno plants and put them in huge pots along the drive. I'll be making pesto again this week, provoking much joy from Jared and Sam.

3. Social Commentary Or Just Laziness? You Decide:  Sometimes on my walk I am confronted with sights that cause me to ruminate for a block or two. As a former English/Literature/Creative Writing teacher and student, I cannot help but see Deeper Meanings in most things. Plus, it's a nice break from reacting with Just Plain Annoyance. Consider these two related things that caught my eye today:

Is this a commentary on the way Organized Sports have a chokehold on our kids, forcing them into a world of pressure and competition far too early? Is it trying to tell us that kids should be spending more time outdoors in free play, discovering the wonders of Nature? Is it saying that too much money is spent on professional sports--salaries, arenas, merchandise, and the like--perhaps to the detriment of our natural environment? That we've lost our way as to what's Truly Important? I like to give my neighbours lofty, artsy, and highfalutin intentions rather than admit they're just indifferent about their yards. It allows me to maintain my Zen whilst I walk.

4. Weekends At The Lake:  Theo was ill over Independence Day with new teeth and a virus, so he couldn't join us, but Sam and Emily (aka Samily) and Zydrunas came for the day. We boated and lunched and hung out. Later that night, Rick and I watched three different fireworks displays from our front yard. We had a makeup weekend last weekend with everyone (minus Emily, who had to work, unfortunately), and it was wonderful. Theo is obsessed with Sam, who he calls Guncle. He drove the boat, talked a lot, danced, and got in the water. He had the time of his life, and we all marveled at how much having him around is like having Zydrunas around. Eerily similar, especially on the boat.

5. Books, Etc.:  I've read two books by Jay Winik about the Civil War. I know I've mentioned them in other Comment sections, so I won't talk about them here except to say that they are excellent and captivating. The writing is engaging and excellent. I grew up vacationing in Gettysburg, and I have a bit of an obsession with this period of history as well as President and Mary Lincoln, reading deeply in these areas. Sadly, I just lost my favourite aunt who lived in Gettysburg and who was a very gracious hostess to our family and to me separately. She was also an English teacher, as was her husband. I will miss her much.

I'm now reading--as a palate cleanser--Parallel Lines by Edward St. Aubyn. It is witty, British, acerbic, and smart. Say what you will about Evil Amazon (and there is plenty to), but they let me read the first chapter of books, and this one had me smiling in admiration, recognition (of how one thought leads to another and another), and amusement. I'm only about 45 pages in, and I absolutely love it. I can't wait to read more by this man. If I were sweeter, I'd type out some passages, but honestly, it's time to prep dinner, and I want to get this published. Go read the first few pages. It's so so good.

****

I think this catches us up. I'd like to say that I'll be better at posting more often, but I think we all know how that will turn out. Thank you to those who do post regularly. I wish I knew your secret. Certainly I have time! Perhaps I'll just say I'll Try.