Journal of a Sabbatical

August 14, 2000

rainy day with cats

Today's Reading: nothing

Today's Starting Pitcher: Pedro Martinez

I was supposed to look at the property next door, which has come on the market recently, first thing this morning with a group of people from the shelter. Overslept. Too bad I woke up at 9:15 - the real estate viewing was at 8:00.

How I got there to wash dishes at 10:00 is a mystery. I looked at the clock. Put on clothing. I think I got all the right pieces in the right places. Didn't even do a drive-thru let alone stop for breakfast or coffee.

Three of the baby raccoons huddled inside their house peering out the opening as if the rain were taking away their fun.

Kendra bought coffee and donuts for the people. Man did I need that coffee. I fed Sandy about a third of my donut. Chris fed him some of her cruller too. Hope he doesn't get a bellyache. Sandy LOVES donuts. The greasier the better. It's just as well I give him a third of mine because they give me a bellyache.

Guiseppe is out of the rabies room. He's such a love. He twines around my legs while I'm washing dishes.

Titan has a sign on his cage about watching for him to pass string. He ate string? Yuck. Leave it to Titan.

The community litter boxes are really dirty. Today is one of those days when it looks and smells like all 45 cats and their 600 closest friends have used only the community boxes. No. wait. A few of the regular boxes are pretty stinky too.

The rain just keeps coming down. If ever there was an August day suitable for a lunch of soup in a bread bowl and dark roast coffee, today is it. I stumble into Fowle's. Today's soup is vegetable potage. Not exactly the potato leek or Hungarian mushroom I was dreaming of. I guess potato leek is a Wednesday thing. This is still Monday.

I bought a Betty's special blend catnip fishy for Wilbur and one for Domino. I thought it might satisfy whatever is driving Wilbur nuts lately. Domino told me a long chatty story when I gave her the catnip fishy, then wrestled it to the ground and rolled over in ecstasy. She was having a really good time with it. As I write this, Wilbur is very quiet and not demanding to sit on my keyboard. I check and he's curled up with the catnip fishy.

The radio announcers are telling me Pedro Martinez is doing something funny with his arm. Not good.