quiet (very)

gull

Here I sit, with my first cup of coffee in my favourite cream coloured Starbuck's mug. It's 5am and all the windows in this old brick house are wide open, it's warm and quiet and absolutely still. The gentle steady hum of crickets are the only sounds we hear this early morning. I let Bleet out first thing. I turn the outside light on for him, tell him to be careful and out he goes to roam with the raccoons - the beginning of our daily morning routine. Then I turn my attention to the near famished kittens. Gussie, ever elusive, handsome and oh so sleek tabby cat, is most friendly early in the morning - because he is starving ... he is weak from hunger and neglect and might surely collapse at any moment. Hurry. Much mad bumping and rubbing and purring until I can get the can of cat food open. I would guess that almost 8 times out of 10, when I put a few spoonfuls of Florentine Duck or Crab & Shrimp Medley down into his dish, he takes a sniff and looks up at me with disdain as if to say You're kidding ? I'm not eating that. He is terribly fussy and then there's Oliver, he's not fussy at all. He's just happy. Happy all the time Oliver. Happy another day is beginning, always enthusiastic and game for anything. He's just plain sweet, in fact, he is without a doubt - the sweetest cat I've ever known. I pour my coffee and back up the stairs I go to sit and type by the glow of my beautiful 24" monitor.

I'm in the midst of a mad three day draw-paint-scan-meet that great arrow card design deadline of Monday Sept. 15th. No chores, no yard and garden work, only long walks with Miss D and her young beau Baby Duke, breaks to make pots of orange pekoe tea and restorative phone chats with best friend MLou. The rest of the time I'm happily ensconced at the teak topped desk in a creative flurry and I'm very satisfied (three words rarely heard together I'm + very + satisfied) with my progress thus far. I am going to make this deadline. Hallelujah ! Submitting card designs to this company has been on my list of goals for oh ... 6 or 7 years now.

Thank you all, once again, for all of your loving thoughts and hugs, and the strength and comfort that you've sent our way. It means so much to me and I'm so grateful that you all got to know our Queen, our Miss Lulu Belle. May she be roaming around in kitten heaven finding some new recruits to boss around and lord over. This house feels very empty without her huge and loving (to me anyway - I don't think the rest of Les Chats would concur. Wink) personality. I certainly miss you Squawkamolé, my Lulu Belle ... it's gonna take awhile to get used to this home without you in it.