For the past few days, I’ve been fighting my first cold since April. It’s on its way out, thanks to much rest and tea and soup. Gone are the days when I can push through an epic virus and keep working, it seems. A great deal of my time has been spent flat on the couch, without oomph enough to do anything beyond checking social media. And thank goodness for all of you there, and all of your posts! You’ve kept me smiling for days when bright spots were few. Blogs and Twitter and Tumblr are a way we can all entertain and educate each other for cheap- as an entertainer, I can appreciate the simplicity of this, despite my occasionally frustrating love-hate relationship with social media. Thank you all for giving me lots to look at and think about when my energy’s too sapped by viruses and sneezing to get out and do things!
In spite of the epic snot battle, I have gotten plenty of good work done on the next record this week. I’ve only got two mixes left that need a first complete draft, and the rest of the songs are well on their way to being ready to send to my mastering engineer. I’m still hopeful that I can post a digital release on my listening page before Christmas!
The shopping cart system here on my main website has apparently been mysteriously losing orders for months. We’re working to fix the problem now. If you’re hoping to get a physical copy of something of mine before Yule is over, go ahead and order through my web store here, but make sure to use Paypal if you can. I get a direct email every time a Paypal payment goes through, so I’ll be watching closely for messages.
Part of my lack of energy today is due to the fact that our house was under siege at dawn. I heard some minor catlike disturbance going on downstairs before sunrise, so I tiptoed downstairs to investigate. Sure enough, we had an intruder. He was a very sweet, seemingly well-mannered fuzzy intruder, but an intruder nonetheless. My cat Pooshka was on guard against the threat: a young, un-neutered bobtailed male kitty, with short fur and a coloring that I think cat breeders would call cream tabby (pale silvery fawn or red, with subtle white stripes).
This little man’s been coming around for about a week now, not for the first time. He was also singing his own song outside my recording space last night, putting studio kitty extraordinaire Pooshka on high alert. Ryan and I are not prepared to take on a third feline, and our two cats aren’t sure about it, either. The problem, of course, is that he’s darling, very affectionate, intelligent, and adept at finding the soft spots of cat people. This is a cat who’s been around cat people, I’m certain, otherwise he wouldn’t already know how to flop over in front of me, insinuate his way onto my lap with no invitation, or (he actually did this) LEAP FROM THE GROUND into my arms while I’m standing in the yard. This last leads me to believe that he’s also pretty healthy and strong.
Unfortunately, this morning, since he’d come in without asking, I had to squirt him with water and dump him outside. Thankfully, apart from this, our interactions thus far have been positive.
Since my house is pretty far out in the country, I worry that he won’t run fast enough for the county’s dog population not to cause him problems at some point. The dogs on our property know better, but everyone out here has dogs. Not all of them have good manners where smaller things that can be chased are concerned. It’s clear to me that this cat is somebody’s baby, but with our neighbors so far flung, it’s anyone’s guess as to whose baby. Most country cats are smart enough to head home when they get hungry. This little guy is in good health, and not malnourished or skittish, so I’m sure he’s eating. It’s also clear that he’s not run afoul of anyone who’s cruel to animals. He’s bold as brass and sudden moves don’t faze him. He could be making the rounds, getting all sorts of treats from all sorts of homes out on our set of gravel roads. It could be that he’s just a super affectionate ramblin’ guy. (Cue fanart cartoon of Steve Martin as an adorable banjo picking cat.)
I believe strongly in the ethics of doing right by strays when possible. If he continues to visit, I am going to take him into town to the vet, pay to have him neutered and given his shots, and bring him home. He can decide from there. He has no collar, no chip, and an excellent temperament. I may yet resist giving him a name and his own food dish, but at least he’d be fixed and vaccinated.
And if he decides after all of that that our territory is his, we’ll see.
In the blue light of dawn I praised Pooshka (with treats) for guarding us against intruders. This afternoon, he is the picture of vigilance. 😉
……Not.
