Fidget experienced her first snow yesterday! Born and raised in Houston, that’s not too surprising. This is Arctic’s second snow, so he wasn’t as impressed. He wasn’t distressed either, but far more interested in searching for peanuts the squirrels may have dropped. As for most of the rest of us, it was very exciting to see snow again. We had a great deal during the three years we lived in Colorado, and that– along with four distinct seasons– is something Em and I miss very much. Brad, not so much, but once every few years and the resulting snow day suits him as well.
It wasn’t just Fidget’s first snow day, however. It was also Martin’s.
Who, you may wonder, is Martin? You may be more curious to know when Jack’s new book will be finished, and I’ll get to that as best I can. But first, back to Martin, the most recent addition to our fur family. If I had permission to relay what a difficult year 2024 was for our family, even the most avid cat lover would wonder what on earth I was thinking! A lot of things actually, far too much to recount, but suffice to say Pandy is nearing her 16th birthday, and her kidneys aren’t doing so well. We’re doing everything we can for her, which includes praying for health and long life, but as far as I know God has never granted immortality here on earth to any of His creatures. At some point we will lose her, unless Jesus returns first, and it will be a crushing blow to all of us if He doesn’t. Emily and Pandy have always been tight, and for the past three years Pandy chose to be an upstairs cat. She never even met Fidget! But, things change. Last summer, much to our surprise, Pandy descended the stairs, took stock of the place, and decided to stay. And why not, I guess. Brad treats her like royalty, she and Fidget have Mutual Admiration Society meetings several times a day, and there’s always something going on to keep her amused, so there you are.
Brad was thrilled with this arrangement, but Em was feeling the loss. She said Pandy was like one of those mean girls who says “we’re totally besties!” but as you walk away, says “I never did like her”. I think she was joking, but she also felt snubbed. I’m sure Pandy would be surprised to know it. She chose Em years ago. What else is there to be said? But there are other choices in life to be made, like location. Where to nap, where to hang out. She chose a new floor, not a new house for pity’s sake! Certainly not a new person. And besides, the stairs work both ways.
The way I saw it, there were three people in the family and only two cats, both on the elderly side. Star is clearly mine. Brad and Em both claimed Pandy, and there wasn’t enough of her to go around. For years I’ve dreaded what Pandy’s eventual loss would do to Em, she was only five when Pandy picked her out and she’s been one of the few constants in her life ever since. Even though Em considers her rather traitorous at the moment, it won’t make it much easier when we do lose her. But, another cat might soften the blow of Pandy’s current and future departures. Maybe I was wrong, but I didn’t think so.
And that’s where Martin entered the picture. Born in a pipe yard and rescued as a tiny kitten, he was one of thirty cats Em and I drove to meet. After observing, playing with, and holding a number of them, the choice was down to two. A teeny pale gray striped kitten, and a tiny bushy-haired black kitten. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, and I wished we could bring them both home. But then the cats would outnumber the people, and we’d have to add another person… So, Em held one kitten and I held the other. Then we traded. Still, Em struggled to decide, so I suggested that she imagine walking out with the one she had. Was she looking back in this imaginary scenario, thinking of the one she left behind? Or was she looking ahead, feeling a sense of satisfaction in her choice? If it were up to me… I would’ve chosen based on looks. I can’t help it, I like pretty things. But Em looks deeper, and she saw the way Martin melted into my arms as I held him. He was so content. And so, although it did take a lot of consideration, she chose him. She chose well. I would likely say the same thing if she chose the gray one, but I can’t imagine another kitten managing Arctic so thoroughly. He’s a great dog, but he’s also a law and order fellow. Jumping around, running, playing like kittens do, is behavior Arctic considered unstable and instability must be stopped! Martin was so tiny, and I didn’t believe it would be safe to allow interaction. We were very careful about introducing them, but it turned out that Martin is fearless, and he surprised all of us. Arctic surprised us too, he loves having a little brother. He is so tolerant of Martin’s frenetic kitten behavior, even when that involves being stalked and pounced on. Arctic doesn’t appreciate it when Star and Pandy hiss at Martin, which still happens to some extent, but Arctic’s pretty much learned to let the cats manage cat business, and Martin earns those hisses! He’s an ornery little boy cat, and sometimes that requires that the resident old lady cats keep him in line. Poor Fidget was terrified of him at first, because even at 5 weeks old he’d stalk and leap at her. It hurt her feelings terribly! But they’re doing fine now. Other than Star, who is still protesting mightily, they’re all getting along amazingly. Including Pandy!
So now, on to “Gone in a Flash”. I wasn’t kidding about last year being hard. Each of us went through significant medical issues that dominated my time and energy. Some of us still are. I try to be mindful and respect the privacy of my family when sharing details, so that’s about all I can say. What I will also say, is that I’ve given up on there being no further unforeseen circumstances to sideline my writing. It seemed reasonable at first to think at some point everything would settle down, but it just hasn’t. So, I need to adapt and quit waiting for that. I need to quit waiting for time to write, and just write anyway. That is what I’m endeavoring to do, and it is with some satisfaction that I finish this blog post. I won’t guess as to when, but as long as I have strength to write then “Gone in a Flash” will get done. I expect “113 Psycho Path”, a Mystery Lane novella, will be complete sometime before or after Jack’s book, because I’m working on it as well. It’s about Fox fulfilling a promise he made, and takes place between Will and Gemma buying Eerie Cinema and its grand reopening in “423 Apprehensive Avenue”. So until then… happy reading, and I’m going to get back to writing.