Tribute

2006.


A piano tribute to Moby. A very good friend, who tended Moby when we were out of town a few times, and knew Moby in good years. I listened and wept, but then I often do.


Today Dylan and I have been together for 29 years. Half my life. The good half. We still really like each other, a lot.


Watching Ascent of Woman via a link to this amazing article. Which came via Nimble Pundit. A community of knowledge and enlightenment.


And it rains, oh glorious rain.


Warm packing my godsbedamned stye-eye. Rice in a sock.

Magnificat

We took Moby home
Promising our best
Love's responsibilities.

He is at ease now, and we grieve his loss.

We moved here, and found out we could have a cat. One on the Rescue League's website was a black male short-hair named Midnight. We went to see him, and despite not being happy to be picked up, he did not put out his claws. He was not overjoyed to see us, but didn't seem to mind either. We both thought him wonderful. D brought him home a few days later, a very unhappy cat in a box on the Train. He hid a lot. But gradually he came out, and gradually came to find us interesting and kind. We would name him Moby because it just seemed like the right name. Neither of us has a scratch yet. He listens for the ding of the elevator when we are expected.

D is ridiculously sweet about him. Gentle with him. Plays with him. Moby makes him laugh when even I cannot. Moby sleeps on D when he is ill, though he is not a sitting-on-you kind of cat. More like leans-on-you-if-you-are-still. He is a much bigger cat than we realized after we measured him (to his deep annoyance). He is about 12 pounds, about 20" long nose to base of tail. He loves to drag stuff, like a rope he plays with, to the rug, that is now his. He enlivens our home, and warms us. Distracts us when we are moody. Sits most often equidistant from us. Circles us when we come home. He has claimed us, and we have a larger family because of him. One we can take good care of.

Markings

He's feeling better today. Got him out in the garden, and with a few redirects, he wandered all the way around the house, at his insistence. Navigating the back stairs up, and down, ignoring the back door pointedly. Ate grass, horked, seemed to be able to see a bit.

Good days, bad days, good days.

My fingers have always just touched around my wrist. So, medium bone size. Today, the right wrist is this much bigger.






Life leaves its marks upon us.

Unturned

He enjoys the garden, but he also gets lost and anxious, so I scritch him on his back just above his tail, and he finds his courage again. A class from a nearby school walked by, and he accepted their admiration as is his due. A little while after, he couldn't orient, and circled and circled. I picked him up, complaining, and put him in on the sofa. He's there now. This is typical.



These irises are going nuts. Many more to come.



The Turkish Veronica continues it's slow spread.



The Golden Celebration rose covered in buds.



The old pink rose, once sickly, bound up in deadwood and the Hedge, now tall and strong, and soon to bloom.



Now, what does this remind me of?



Another week, and it will look like something else to make us giggle.



Sat in the back, to gaze on the fennel and chives, raspberry. Joined by Mr. Cat Kenny, the TNR cat of last fall, who is sleek and strong, evidently well fed, with places to shelter. Sorry, no photo of him.





California poppies starting.



Can't turn compost. It will wait.

Faucet

I've been worried about Moby. He's been stuck to the heating pad all week, not eating much, slow bowels, looking old and not interested in going outside. Today, he clearly wanted out, ate grass, covered a fair amount of area for him these days, and now sitting close to Eleanor. It's not that cold out, but the wind cuts through, dew point of 29˚F, and he still stayed out a good while. For him, these days. He's ok, for now. We watch, and treasure every day with him.

More basement progress, although I promised no more painting this weekend. The latex is not good for my lungs, as I have a mild allergy. As many in my line of work do. I figure I have four weeks to clear the basement, paint, sort, and empty the Combo. Calling it that now. The spare, back, work, guest, Room. Combination. Combo.



Yeah, kinda like that.



We got our new kitchen faucet, since the old one is leaky and becoming non-functional. The handyman will fit us in when he can, which works for us. He's been good to us, and we can wait. Once we know when, I'll clear the counters and scrape the silicone from around the sink. It's a bit stylish, mostly it just does everything we want, and it's a better, durable, brand. Handyman warned us against the cheaper ones, so we listen. An extra up front cost of less than $100 spread out over 20-30 years... Yeah, getting over poor people habits. We're hardly rich, but we have enough to get more durable stuff that will wind up costing less. I still feel slightly guilty about this.

Looks like this.



We are NOT installing the soap dispenser, that's just silly.

Batches

I had a dream. At work, and something flew by in the sterile core, which became a bird. Sparrow or small dove sized, with a very long and fluffy tail. I knew I had to get it out, and we talked about getting a box perhaps. Then my manager and an anesthesiologist walked through, in deep conversation, manager had a parrot on her arm. Anesthesiologist put her finger out, and the bird stepped on to perch. I thought, Oh, good, she's taking care of it, but they walk on and the bird is still there. So, I put out my finger, and the bird steps onto it. I hold it gently, and with help, get it to an outside door and let it go. It flies off. But then a large bird foot with shackles drops. The bird is far off, but seems to be fine, so I don't know where the foot comes from.

I woke a bit worried.

Only days later did I remember my grandmother's superstition that a bird in the house meant a death. Given that I only knew about this is because birds regularly came in my converted from a bathroom childhood bedroom, and no one died in that house, I never took it seriously.

The U bookstore had a great deal on tech supplies, and Dylan urged me to get a laptop so I could write again. Compared it to his guitars, we need our creative outlets. And he reads here. Spending money on myself makes me very anxious, but I accepted with gratitude. Had a mandatory meeting at work this morning at 0700, bookstore opens at 0730, so he came up with me and read in the waiting areas. He set it up when we got home, and the pent up words are flowing out.

Feeling rusty, awkward, but eager to stretch out. Wanting to write thousands of words in a batch of story.



The sun was streaming in. I put Moby up on the arm of the chair, and he paused, decided this was a Good Thing, and took a bath. Eleanor sat in the window close by.

Pressure 27/100

Vet techs checked Moby's blood pressure, Eleanor wandered away nonchalantly.

He took it rather better, only growling at the end.

Down substantially. We sighed relief. We continue to feed, supplement.

His weight down a bit, too, so we'll be checking.

Taking care of cats. Our purpose in life. It'll do.


Work done, inspections passed, my own shoddy paint job outside.

It'll be good enough to seal for winter, protective coat.

Best I could do for now. Next year, proper painting, hopefully.

Washer Dryer will be moved up Saturday. Platform now placed.

Toilet already proving useful in the expected way. Well. Um.

Pressure 11/100

Blood pressure. Not cataracts or glaucoma. Need to know why.

Visiting vet examined, diagnosed, treated. Gave him meds with meal.

He seemed to feel better immediately. Now stretched out comfortably.

Tech will come back and check his pressure every week,

His vision may return, at least in one eye, soon.




Insulation in progress. Very quiet out there, not too hot.

Will be warm this winter. A pleasant if utilitarian room.

Planning on a chair, so I can read while waiting.

Tomatoes still coming, lots more green on this unassuming plant.

Still very warm, rained enough to make it uncomfortably humid.

Forgive

Ok, so, the other mammal. Cat, yeah, ok, probably.

There I was, minding my own business, up on my tree, when... when... that, THING appeared, inside MY house like it OWNED the place. Honestly, lost my appetite completely, for a long time.

Seriously, terrifying. Would it eat me? Hurt me? Take over? Would they put me back in a shelter, forever? I don't remember a lot of that time, miserable, not sure if I liked you humans anymore.

I learned to hiss, really hiss and spit. Hadn't done that since I was a small kitten. Well, she would come up to sniff, and I tried, I really tried to be friendly. But then she HIT me! I wasn't doing anything! I'd have tried to be friends, but whenever I let her get close, I'm all relaxed and my people are nearby, and BOP! Just like that. Sheesh.

What? yeah, I really like running with her. She's quick! Very good with those mice toys that move by themselves and smell really interesting.* It took a long time, but eventually I figured out that she really is fun to chase around. Even taking turns chasing. Although, when she flips over and stares up at me from the floor, I know I've lost. I'm sure I'll figure out a way to win at wrestling.

And, sure, thanks for reassuring me, even when I couldn't relax and enjoy you guys. I guess I knew underneath you wouldn't really hurt me, but I was so confused. Worse than the day you put me in a bag forever and there was all that roaring and my ears hurt. This was unending misery.

I figure she's mostly harmless, and it doesn't hurt when she bops me. Still don't want to cuddle up with her, that would be weird. But she's ok, I guess. We like watching birds together. Can't say I'm ever bored since she's moved in.

Good to have someone else to test the food first, too. Make sure it's ok.

Lonely? I was only lonely when you humans weren't around... . Ah, that over-licking my fur thing. Um. Maybe I was a little bored. And, well, this is a much bigger territory, I was always willing to share. The next door cat could have moved in, although I think I scared him, nice old guy though. I guess he's got that dog to deal with at his home. Could be worse.

Anyway, I've gotten used to her. I think she's scared, too, so I try to be calm around her. We, we're getting more at ease. You are mostly forgiven.

*Actual mice.

(Moby, on Eleanor, prompted by questions from me.)

Pistachio

Yeah, ok, I get why they call it pistachio cream.







Loves the hugs.

Underneath

Moby so determined to sit on my lap, he climbed over the top of the laptop to be there. When he does decide to sit on a lap, he's not fucking around. Oh, his name, as mentioned in another discussion over at Pete's place. That came up by free associating for a week. When we were in Saudi, D joked that if asked about his middle name, Israel, he would claim the I stood for Ishmael. He also actually read the whole of Moby Dick once, which I found impressive. Cat at that point was still mostly hiding under, under the sofa, under the bathroom cabinet, under the bed, so a presence underneath named Moby felt just right.



D has been cold in this house, and we are trying to not spend a fortune on heating. It's a constant struggle of light through old windows that leak heat, heavy brown shades that insulate and black out, more space than we are accustomed to, forced air, and that he has done so much of the nuts and bolts of the paperless work, mostly online, sitting. He's been very cold, which makes anyone a bit unhappy. We had an electric/oil heater, but had been only using it in the bedroom. The music room has two doorways, only one with a door. On Saturday, we talked this out, and solved it. The heater lives in the music room, and I put this cloth up over the doorway, and D has a cozy haven to be warm in, while we keep the thermostat very low.

Does look very hippie, don't it?



The other doorway opens from the kitchen into the freshly de-dusted dining room. And the only extant lighting fixture we genuinely like as is. The shadows from these lights fascinate Moby, he often attacks them.

Resolutions

January is no time for resolutions or major changes. Always the most difficult semester. Normally, I prefer a good, cold, snowy month about now, to clear the mind, brace the sinews. Given our upheaval, the mild dampness is a relief, if not a joy. This place is not as warm, nor easy to heat, as a tiny apartment. Milder weather is our friend this year, until we can manage better insulation next year.

The most joyous aspect is, as so often, Moby. He's a much happier cat. He chases, and jumps and explores. He sleeps on us at night, sits on laps during the day, and when picked up, he snuggles in and refuses to be put down - purring like mad at every moment. He eats better than we've seen him do in years, especially the last few months - when we began to rather worry. He sleeps sound, and quietly, unlike the increasing snoring at the apartment.

In short, he seems a much happier cat, glad for more space, more stimulation.

My own sinuses are more comfortable.

The plumbers came yesterday, and the hook-ups are all done. Apparently, the latter owners had a washer - but all kludged, and the drain-sewer connection had broken, so the water simply pooled in the clay beneath the concrete. Not too bad at this point, but if we'd left it, there would have been damage to the foundation. Yes, I think House wanted us, certainly needed us. Quite the mess down there, damp rubble, but that's just fine. D cleaned all the mud from the floor today.

Getting locks next week, since the back door can't be opened from outside, and the front is another bit of botch that also turns the wrong way. Hopefully, that will be the end of the larger expenses for a while.

Tomorrow, we shelve the books and sort the rest of the clothes - figure out what exactly we will need to take to the laundromat before the appliances come on Saturday next.

So tired, but underneath, gladness.

Things (Moby)

Me writing this time. The Cat. Moby they call me.

They've brought those papery hard things with the nice edges, so, yeah, I knew that Thing was going to happen again. Now, this is fine by me. Although, I did catch a bird here, did I ever told you I caught a bird? I caught a bird. Anyway. No good places to chase, and no birds at all for a long time.

Looked like they were Going, so, I glued myself near the door, to go Out with them.

"I'm going with you."
Talk, talk, Moby, something, in human of course. "Yes, Moby, always, later."*
"Nope, nope, you're not leaving me."

More blah, Moby, blah. Over and over, until they looked at me and started talking with each other. Lots more time and activity, me holding out by the door. Then, they put me in the bag! Out, but not like I wanted! Then into that Huge Horrible Moving Thing, with all the weird smells, for, like, ever. No matter how many times I ask them if we are there yet, and tell them how much this sucks, they never listen. †

Then they put me in this huge echoey room, it all smells of dogs, and other people, and no sufficient Under, so I stay in my bag, since it's open now. Just like at that place with the nice firm people who stick something up my butt, good humans, but weird. Anyway, I sing out my complaint, and, well, it all still sucks, but I'm in rather good voice. This place is BIG.

All day, I hunker down, in case they want to make me go in another flying, roaring thing that made my ears hurt. My mouth is dry, and I'm so scared. My tail wouldn't go up if some mean human pulled it up. The bed from the Fortress of Solitude appeared, as well as other familiar things that I know are mine appeared. Loud footsteps all over, every time I venture out a little to see how bad it is, but it's slowly smelling better. Food Dude and Other Food Dude reach in and massage me, I'm in the bed under the sheepy thing, and staying there.

Later, a woman who whiffs a bit of dog, but mostly of kindness, reaches out to me, and I can't resist. She gives a good scritch, and I walk around a bit. Maybe this won't be so bad. Another guy, younger than my Dudes, smells of other cat, but also kindness, also adores me properly, but I am still in no mood, and stay put. ¥

Other Food Dude picked me up, and walked with me around the place, terrifying, then puts me back in my bed. I don't remember a bit there, must've slept a while. Then began to find alternate hiding places. Wooden boxes had appeared, and provided pretty good cover. Bunch of times, one of my humans would come in, and not see me at all, even calling out to me. That was fun, then I'd appear, as if from nowhere. I had food, and my litter box, water that tasted funny, a place to hide. I found the Dude's bed, and sat under that for a while, one of them put my wool blanket on the floor under there with me, which was nice.

Time to figure this place out, since whatever threat there was seemed over.

Found my folks on the blue sofa, they invited me up, like I need that, and I Explored there, and around. It's cold and hard here, but there are soft places for a smart cat like me, I found them. Found an interesting Down‡, but then couldn't find a way back Out, and one of my dudes grabbed me and brought me back up. More scary, as the other dude thumped and meowed a bit. I say meowed, more like barked, but I like him, so...

About the best time of day now, and I'm all over this place. It's very cool, with a lot of great corners and very interesting places to poke my nose in. Getting used to the new smells, and most of it is Mine now. I will call it Home, and I will be it's god, and it will be another one of my people.

Today is a much better day. Have to take care of a much bigger territory now, I can do this.




*Translated by Zhoen. Note: tenses in Cat are all over the place.
† We do, but he still keeps telling us. This was a ride of two blocks.
‡ The basement. Really can't have him freely roaming there, and we haven't gotten the cover for it yet. Will do that today, first thing. Got it sort of blocked for the night.
¥ Our agent L showed up, with a roll of toilet paper, since I'd related my theory of the karmic need to leave toilet paper for the next tenant, which the renter did not do. She thought this amazingly funny, and wanted to assure us she would continue to help us as we settled in. Then E from work who helped us move. More about them when it's my turn to post again.

Pouncing

Watching.

He spots the ribbon.


Pounces. Cat wins. Cat always wins. Cat makes the rules of the game, which helps.


Snow and clouds, as seen coming out of work. On Thursday, when I saw how much snow stuck up there, I couldn't help laughing. The hot summer stranglehold is broken. There may yet be mild days, but the season has turned.


Scrubbed in all day, four long cases, and me aching and bruised. Swathed in x-ray gown and thyroid shield, sweating for ten hours. Glad to be home, glad of coolness. Up for several hours during the night. When I returned to bed, Moby jumped up as well, so I gave him a thorough head scritching, and he purred exuberantly, then went back to sleep on D. Snuggled so hard, D felt he was being shoved off the bed. Amazing how ten pounds of cat can have so much force, while snoring.