Clowns, Big and Little

Inspirational song: Send In the Clowns (Judy Collins)

What a disappointment. There is no snow falling, the wind is calm, and it's only chilly, not bone-chillingly cold. I can't come up with a good reason that through the entire night, our doorbell only rang three times. Maybe we could have decorated more than we did, but I thought having a jack-o-lantern out and porch light on was still the universal symbol for "Get Candy Here." We bought three bags of the stuff at King Soopers last night, and in three groups, we had a total of about eight trick-or-treaters. I have average-sized girl hands, and I gave out what I thought were handfuls to the first two on my turn at the door. The next group was Mr S-P's turn, and I doubt he was any more stingy than I was. When the last three boys came by, I said to him, "Give them a lot." I heard him put a couple fistfuls of candy in each kid's bag. Yet here I am, getting over my aversion to Reese's peanut butter cups, and finding out that a certain kitten is absolutely sure he would like chocolate too. I thought he just wanted the crinkly paper, but no, I had to fight him off of a fun-sized Crunch bar. He had his claws deep into my fingers while he tasted the chocolate and decided it was his favorite. Yeah, I guess that will mean I eat less of it if I have to avoid letting him near it, since he spends most of his time on my lap.

Assimilation took a step backwards today. The girls must have had a meeting wherein they decided there would be no tolerance for kittens at Smith Park. Everyone hissed and swatted at him today, but he tried bravely not to look dejected. He purred proudly and kept his tiny head high. Alfred was less antagonistic, coming very close to playing with him several times, and watching him with interest, like Harvey was a fully automated, big white mousey toy. We discovered Harvey really does not like to be alone, for any length of time. If he gets shut in the dressing room to have kitten chow by himself, he cries the moment he is finished. If I'm in one room and Mr S-P goes into the garage or leaves on an errand, the most piteous, squeaky wails come from beside the door just closed. I guess that is what comes from being raised for two months in a tiny apartment with your five brothers and sisters, mom, nana dog, human foster, and two old lady cats who really Do Not Want You Around. He doesn't know how to be on his own. That might be why his sister River has taken to Barley so quickly.

I can't decide whether to stay up late tonight, now that the porch light is off, and watch my traditional viewing of the original Halloween I and II, which have been parked on the DVR since last year. I might watch one of them, and hope that I'm enough of a grownup not to have bad dreams, particularly of the seriously creepy clown decoration that one of our neighbors attached to the big tree in his yard. Isn't that how Halloween starts, with Michael Myers dressed up as a clown....?

Giddy

Inspirational song: Christmas in Heaven (Monty Python)

It sure has been fun having Harvey around the house. Sure, I'm starting to get a lot of extra tiny scratches on my hands, and my toes have been bitten more in the last two days than in all of the last four years. I ran out of energy before I got the house cleaned up, so I've had to dig deep in my heart and accept that something I really like is going to be smashed or otherwise destroyed. As long as it's only inanimate objects that are damaged, I'll accept it as part and parcel of adopting a kitten.

The big news today was that the adult cats have made even more progress accepting the tiny beastie. Alfred has played with him repeatedly, even getting caught on camera once while Harvey was crawling in and out of the foam roller (spine adjustment tool). While we were watching the Broncos lose, Rabbit leaned over from where she slept on my lap, to sniff at Harvey against my knee, and she licked his ear. I didn't see her expression when she did it, so it's possible she made stink face and decided he tasted like poop. She didn't growl and the two of them are less than a meter apart right now, so I am calling that a win.

I didn't get enough down time yesterday. I slept a ton, yet today I stayed in bed until nearly 2 pm. I might have spent the entire day here had I not had a prospective tenant want to tour the still-vacant condo. At least I wasn't bored. I woke up early and turned on the news, and ever since I've been watching everyone digest the earth-shaking developments in national scandals. There's little I need to say about it at this point. Let's just say I did have popcorn for brunch.

Kitteny

Inspirational song: The Year of the Cat (Al Stewart)

Is there anyone who can resist the lure of a kitten? On the block where we live, I would have to say no. No one can. Assimilation of the two newest residents on this side of the street is going phenomenally well. I've gotten several pictures texted to me of River snuggled up with Barley on the couch next door. I knew Barley was a great dog, and very interested in getting to know cats, but when I told him he was getting his very own kitten, he must have prepared himself well. Within a day, they were best friends. The humans over there are enjoying River's company as well.

Harvey is still working on winning his place at Smith Park, but he has still done better than I expected. Mr S-P and I are enchanted, and we scoop him up to snuggle every time we see him. The adult cats take turns tolerating him and reminding him where he stands in the hierarchy. No one has tried to hurt him, but the same cats who calmly continued sleeping when he walked up in one hour have growled at him in the next. Considering how well-formed this pride of cats was when he arrived, this is actually rapid progress.

I don't know who determined that today was an International Day of the Cat. I swear I've seen this swirl around social media at least once this year. I figured I needed to get more pictures of Harvey just in case this was really a thing. I didn't expect him to swat my phone until he located some Halloween themed filters. Of course I used one of them on him. I probably should have taken more snapshots, but I was more focused on recovering from yesterday and learning what Harvey's personality is like. More photos will follow, but today they are few.

In the Win Column

Inspirational song: Joy to the World (Three Dog Night)

I honestly thought I couldn't have been happier than I was when I was honestly surprised by my family and friends on my birthday two weeks ago. Turns out the capacity for joy is magnified by a factor of ten when one adds in kittens on top of reunions. This has been a spectacular weekend.

River spent the night with her forever humans last night, and it is safe to say she is there for good. We didn't know how Barley would react, having only seen cats through my back door, and Athena has been known to tell him to get bent on pain of death. Or nose scratching. Really, the nose thing. Once they were allowed to interact, Barley thoroughly licked River's head, and she let him. They've been buddies ever since. We were invited to dinner with the whole family, and I was impressed with how quickly River has taken over the whole family, humans and canine both. We got word this morning that Johnny Rzeznik's family is thrilled with him, blanketing friends with Snapchats of him. His new name is Mowgli, and he is well loved.

I am having a hell of a time typing. Harvey has not been in contact with a laptop before (my daughter's has been out of commission for a long time), and his favorite game appears to be prancing across the keys and touchscreen. I have done everything I can to distract him, to no avail. Maybe he thinks he's actually a Hemingway cat, and he has a story to tell. He's leaping from across the bed onto the computer, no matter how many times I pick it up and hold it out of his reach. The good news is, Athena came onto the bed, and watched him do all this, and didn't make a sound. No growling, no hissing, no threatening moves. She just watched. He took note of her too, but was too busy prancing about and telling me how bored he was while we were next door, having dinner and getting me introduced to Stranger Things.

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all of this, there was a football game. No, I mean There Was A Game! The first three conference games were so bad I couldn't listen to the whole thing. Last week we pulled out a win. Today we remembered how to dominate.

Our check-in time was supposed to be between 6:30-7 am. I was not capable of reaching campus so early. For that matter, I couldn't get out of the house until 7:05. But we got there before the business meeting ended, and made it to the alumni breakfast just fine. I didn't put the piccolo to my mouth until halfway through the parade through campus, when we stopped at another alumni tailgate, and the first few notes, well, let's say they weren't actually notes. By the second quarter, we had made so many first downs and touchdowns that I could play at least one of the fight songs by memory, although I never got the other one. My ability to play Fight peaked right after the first half, and by the end I was so tired, I could only hit a couple of the sustained high notes at the end of it. That's okay. I wasn't there to play. I was there to hang out with old friends and watch the best game of the season. Anytime your team shuts down an attempted comeback with an interception 8 yards deep in the endzone, and runs it back 108 yards for a score, it's a lot of fun to watch. By the end I was so exhausted I couldn't keep up with the band marching in formation up the ramp to the back side of the field house. I lagged back far enough that other non-band people cut in front of me and I just walked back to the music building alone. It was fine. I was too happy to care how tired I was.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to fail to sleep while I little white-turning-flame-point killing machine bounces all over me and my bed with the gold mardi gras beads I brought him from the game. It's going to be a long night.

Showtime

Inspirational song: Karn Evil 9 (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)

I feel like a lot of things I've been waiting for are happening all at once. Pretty sure all of it is every bit as fantastic as I've dreamed. I'm listening to a steady stream of growling that I can hear over the ELP playing on YouTube on another screen on this computer. It just makes me laugh, those grumpy old lady cats who don't want a tiny young buck in the house. Get over it, girls. The head Katzenfrau has decreed that he is part of the family now. I can see him slinking along in the dim light near my liquor cabinet, trying to be unobtrusive so those scary big girls leave him alone. Harvey is exploring and learning his new home, and it's quite wonderful.

I wish you could have heard the voice of my neighbor's girlfriend last night, when we presented River to her. She had basically fallen asleep sitting on the floor, leaning against her boyfriend's knee, wondering why he was determined to stay late waiting for my daughter to arrive. He just told her, well, we've committed this far, let's just stay. So when they arrived, and first they saw Johnny, she was amused by the pretty kitten, but she still wasn't awake yet. Then when River came out, and we set her next to them, she asked, "Which one is this?" That's River. In a small, quiet voice, "Why is she here?" "Because she's yours." Watching her curl in on herself, as she slowly accepted the ball of joy growing inside of her, was one of the highlights of my week. By this afternoon, River was next door, sleeping in the hammock of her scarf, while she tried to work from home. While we were at the Buffalo Stampede in Boulder, my neighbor used his key to go ahead and take River home to his place to stay, letting Barley the dog meet her. In the language of internet cats, Barley baffed River. He accepts her as a member of his clan.

I wasn't sure how Johnny's adoption would go, but I have heard feedback that he is in the perfect home. His new forever human has a large property, but he gets to be an inside kitten with outside privileges. I saw a photo of Johnny in her arms, and there was a look of ecstasy on her face to have her new baby kitten. I have since heard that she and her daughter (the connection who arranged the adoption) have covered Facebook with pictures. He is well received, safe, and soon to be unequivocally loved. I didn't get to spend much time with him, but trust me, that is one handsome boy. I enjoyed every second I got with him.

I'd love to recount the beginnings of alumni band, but honestly, I just walked along at the back with no instrument in my hand, with the two or three other alums I recognized whose hands were also empty. It was loud, and cold, and the air was filled with anticipation and hope. I have no idea how the game will go tomorrow, and I don't feel like guessing. Either way, I'll get to have fun and relive a little of my Glory days. (There's a CU band pun in there, if you know what you're reading.)

Also, this weekend feels like big things are coming. I don't know what yet, but I definitely notice something in the air. It's still nebulous and ill-defined. It's more a hair-standing-on-end, Spidey senses sort of thing. We shall see soon enough if anything big or small comes. For now it feels like a spectacle is about to unfold.

Morning to Night

Inspirational song: Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd)

This is going to have to be fast. After an entire week of being awake until well past midnight crocheting that scarf, I have hit a wall. My brain is sort of buzzing and I'm having quick microsleeps at moments when I really shouldn't. I still have a lot to do over the next two days, so it's already past my bedtime.

This was a HUGE day. I started off driving up to Fort Collins to participate in the quarterly volunteer project. We collected a whole bunch of clothes and personal care items for children from birth to teen years, and we sorted and cataloged what we had to donate to Homeless Gear. Our managing broker filled his big truck with the donations, and he took them to the Murphy Center for us. Although today was sorting day, donations are still trickling in. If you have any interest in providing new or very gently used warm clothes, shoes, or coats for children ages zero to sixteen years old, or diapers or toiletries for babies and toddlers, please get in contact with me.

I got caught up with my rheumatologist this afternoon, and when I told her it has been a busy quarter, I don't think she believed me, until I was describing my third of four other specialists I saw since last summer. The visit went well, and I have no major changes coming from that. The stability is nice. The good relationship with my doctors is even better.

The Rotary costume party was tonight, and although my scarf wasn't completely done, it was close enough for a whole bunch of people who didn't know who Osgood was anyway. One woman said, "Um, I think it has to do with Dr Who?" when she saw the scarf, and the son-in-law of the host knew the reference, although he couldn't come up with the character name. I will keep on it until it's done, and wear it again, possibly as soon as Saturday on Pearl Street.

And the biggest event of a really big day is that Harvey is here! I have no photos yet. We waited until very late for the gang to arrive, and when they did, it was in a carrier that held kittens about six hours too long. I still smell kitten poo, after hugging the babies when they got here. (There are three of them in my house, for the time being. Two will go to their forever homes over the weekend, and Harvey stays here.) Photos will come when I can make my hands function again.

No Time Like Now

Inspirational song: People Get Ready (Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart)

There were not enough hours in this week. I have less than 12 hours to finish triaging what absolutely must be done and what is going to have to go undone. I'm close on a lot of things, and miles away on others. Tomorrow morning I go to the brokerage office in Fort Collins, to participate in our fall quarterly volunteer project. I was supposed to contact my entire sphere group and raise donations for Homeless Gear, who provide outdoor survival equipment for homeless people. We are focusing on clothing and supplies for children from newborns up to children's size 16. We needed diapers, coats, socks, ski pants, and everything you can think of to keep homeless children alive during a Colorado winter. But I delayed sending out the emails with the lists. I was too overwhelmed and couldn't force myself to devote ten minutes to coming up with an email list and solicitation. So my daughter, foster daughter, and I went to Target this afternoon and filled up a shopping cart with as much as we could afford. I have to hope the other brokers had better luck, or more particularly better planning, than I. We are going to sort and prepare it all to take to Homeless Gear in the morning.

It was ridiculously hot today for late October. The highs in northern Colorado were in the low 80s. Things will change overnight. A cold front is supposed to come through and give us rain and maybe snow. I still have tons of flowers blooming up front - and I'm not kidding, there are bunches, not just the mums and other typical autumn flowers. I have roses and ice plant and blanket flowers. Bee balm is spreading far beyond the one spot at the front of the Unless Garden where it was planted. Lavender still looks good, and there are iris bulbs sending up buds right now. I don't think they'll survive the weekend. I probably should have prepared for the change in the weather, but there was no time.

I communicated with my older daughter, asking when she was leaving with the kittens she's bringing. She was waiting to leave until it cooled off a little, so that tiny babies aren't stressed by traveling in the SoCal heat wave. She said, "I don't think they understand that they only have 3 hours left with each other." I wanted to tell her to explain it to them, so they can say goodbye. I'm certainly emotionally ready to see my little Harvey for the first time since the end of August, but my house is nowhere near kitten proofed. Things are gonna break, and there's little I can do about it. Johnny Rzeznik is coming out here to be a barn cat with someone I've never met. I am having angst that he won't be big enough to survive a Colorado winter if he's put out into the barn too soon. He's a SoCal kitten. Is he ready for cold?

And on top of all of this I've been finishing the bookshelves for my other daughter and crocheting until waaaaaaaaaay past midnight every night to make a Dr Who scarf. I have enough pieces now that I can pull off my costume, at least well enough for a Rotary party tomorrow afternoon. As soon as that is over, I have to switch gears and start thinking about Homecoming at CU. I may even go to Mall Crawl in Boulder after that, for a second costume display. Pretty sure I'm not going to sleep until Sunday at the earliest. I am not ready for this level of activity. I'd rather get ready for bed and stay there.

Step Into the Light

Inspirational song: Bitter Suite, IV Misplaced Rendezvous (Marillion)

I didn’t plan to make two separate trips to Boulder today, yet I am glad I did. When the opportunity presented itself to go this morning, before the slanted light was gone, I grabbed my chance. Not five minutes before then, I had been watching the light stream in through the front window, reflecting off of the tiny mirrors covering the plaster disco cat, and thought, I need to set an alarm some morning soon and see what beauties await me in the rural parts of the county. It wasn’t super early when I left, but there was still a feast for my eyes the whole way there and back.

I only got the car stopped a few times to take pictures, first at my favorite pond in the whole county, and then leaning out at random places where we stopped. I think at some point I’ll play with these images digitally, and some of the ones from yesterday, to see what I can make from them. Maybe if someone tags me in the game going around Facebook this month, I’ll try them out in black and white. I think the creepy old house rotting in the county open space would be a good candidate for that.

I intended to make my second trip to town today a planning meeting for something special I have in mind for the blog next month, but that got glossed over. I’m running low on time for how I will block that plan out, so I will have to reschedule and quickly.