Hump Day

I’m snuggled in my favourite blanket typing on my phone.   I should really make the trip to my computer but I just don’t have it in me.   My daughter emerged from her bed because her face hurts. (You know those random spots they describe at bedtime?). I tried to send her right back to bed but somehow it turned into an hour of laughter with my littlest lady.  She also named this blog for me “Hump Day” which I just told her about this morning as we backed out of the drive way.  “Who is ready for Wednesday?” Would be what I normally say but I said hump day. Which led to a lot of questions. My explanation involved camels and struggling adults looking for a way to mark the halfway point.  Hmmm

I spent my hump day trying to syringe feed my cat.  She has been with me since she was a tiny speck of a kitten.  Fallen from the eves where her mommy would never take her back.  My tiny little smidge with little ring tail.  I took her home in an orange box and a Strawberry Shortcake blanket and introduced her to my recently widowed Tom cat, Gus.  She flew past the bowl of kitten mush I made her and stuck her face into his bowl of fancy feast.  He was appalled, but happy for a fur buddy. They were brother and sister.  Slept with his one leg around her like a comforting arm every time.

Sally has been a picture of health her entire life – the silkiest, shiniest beauty you’d ever see.  Two days ago she stopped eating and drinking.  After the first day I took her in to a new vet where we were given our first visit free!  So $556 later I had her back home all hydrated and waiting for results.  In the meantime I started feeding her with a syringe.  It’s not going well.  She wants nothing to do with it and my legs are proof she wants to cut me. My poor girl.  I watched all the YouTube videos and read all I could and feel confident I know what to do. But then I get there and my cat doesn’t act like the kitty on YouTube.  She has seen the videos.  She’s ready for me.  I’m pretty sure she had her jaw wired shut in the night.  Anyway I’ll keep trying.  I mean it’s Sally. She prepared me for Motherhood. She was the one who introduced me to the reality of love not always looking or behaving how you wish it will.  Sometimes your biggest love will pull away. Won’t let you cuddle.  Won’t eat what you prepare.  But oneday sit a little longer.  Oneday cuddle up and not dash away.  She taught me patience and willingness to give more just because of love. Before her I didn’t know a love where I had provided a constant flow of giving with mostly nothing in return.  She had this skittish flighty behaviour.  She wasn’t sure that I would still love her from day to day.  She learned as a tiny baby that your strongest bond could turn their back and she felt I would too.  Somewhere around age 9/10 she warmed up.  That’s a long time isn’t it?  Now I can hardly imagine a day without her coming to me whirring and purring and finding my feet …asking to go out. And then wanting to come in but no staying out …but maybe I’ll come in. No out.  Ok in.  Treats?  Uh yes yes. Or no.  Ya for sure this time are you resting ok for sure now. 🙂

Funny that a pet can prepare you for the most important job in your life.  Or is it? Clearly animals are the most pure form of heart and soul.  They calm us when nothing can.  They tune into every feeling and every physical pain. They have no words but the expression in a swishing tail or a paw print across the face wake up call speaks volumes. We get to know them and we stitch their shadows with ours until we can’t tell where we end and they begin.  They consume our darkness. It’s quite a bit of magic.

Anyway tomorrow is my beautiful momma’s birthday.  So we made a cake.  Max cracked the eggs and Maddy decorated.  To be real it’s like the last thing you will find on Pinterest.  Even in the fail department.  I had a vision to do a pretty layered thing that turned into a falling apart bunch of crumb now slathered and barely erect with pink icing.   Of course the egg and decorating part are perfection but my part was like a blindfolded elephant in a bakery giving it a whirl.  Well let’s set the scene shall we?  The vet finally called me back just as I set the broiler to brown my delicious weiner pizza.  I set it and walked away talking kit kat. I returned when I smelled the stench of burnt cheese.  Fine, supper is burnt.  Experience proves I’ll live through this. With me at the end of my happy for today i was settling in with Sally on my lap about to feed her again when I hear Maddy scream “he’s got the cake!”  I look up to see Max racing towards me with the cake leaning sideways on the glass platter …noooooo. I caught it?!  I did!  It didn’t fall.  Holy f balls that could have been a disaster!  He wanted me to sing Happy Birthday!  Oddly enough in the commotion Sally ducked outta there.  And oddly enough I didn’t feel like singing Happy Birthday.  We will do that tomorrow.  Tomorrow is no longer a hump and today will be nothing more than a bumpy memory in the road to who knows where.