surprises

Good morning,

How was your concert?  I played some Chesney on youtube and recognized some of his songs.  One I had never heard before really got to me...Don't Blink.  It made me very aware that I am going to be 60 years old on my next birthday.  I knew that, but it really didn't hit me before yesterday.  As I mowed the lawn, I walked round and round in circles and wondered what I should do to celebrate 60 years.  I had a lot of ideas, but none felt like the right idea.

So...I thought that when they grew up and moved out, there were certain situations I would never face again...like a wide-eyed pleading child holding a kitten and asking if "we" can keep it.

Last night some little girls found a small, blue-eyed butterscotch kitten in the parking lot of the hotel where my youngest works. It was scrounging for food.  They tried to get many people to take it. None would.  Boyfriend told my daughter his dad would kill them if they brought another cat into his house - which is where they are living for the summer.  So my daughter decided to bring it to her mama.  It is a little boney, and has eye infections, but otherwise seems healthy.

The girls requested we call it Sarah, but it's a him, so we'll have to think again, maybe.

My cat, who considers me to be her own personal property, is sulking and skulking, then puffing and spitting when the new one looks at her.

I was up a lot last night. I had the kitten and the dog who always sleeps with me in the bed.  The dog, one of Niece's, is wonderful - gentle and intelligent.  By morning they were fine.  But I thought a lot last night. This kitten is quite young, still young enough to trust.  I wondered about us, about our species.  I thought about older cats and dogs without homes who become frightened and feral in order to survive. I wondered how long it takes to understand it is a human's world, and humans can be remarkably uncaring and even cruel.

How old were we when we stopped trusting the world?

What happened to us, to our species, that led to such disregard to life.  Why/How have we forgotten that life is sacred?  Kittens, puppies. trees, honey bees?  Girls, women, poor, homeless?

So, I'm a little tired.  Still waiting for word on today's volunteer schedule.  And I have a tiny kitten sitting on my shoulder watching me type!

Love and hugs from Clare