Toonces and Phoebe

The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.

Every Fear and Many Unexpected Joys Have Come True

Their food makes me gag, Phoebe's fur is all over my navy-blue sweat-pants and they found a mouse last night in the basement while we watched a horrific movie on Lifetime TV about a gang of evil cheerleaders.

My blood-pressure is on the low, rather than high, side, but I know they are relaxing me far beyond what I could have imagined. Printing out my final paper of the semester, while waiting, I petted Phoebe, the more gregarious of the two sisters so far. Typically, I'm impatient, waiting for the printout, and this time, I didn't even notice how long it took -- except when it was done, and then it seemed quick compared to pre-cat printings.

I'm enjoying taking cat-petting breaks. Time seems to become immaterial (easy to say on a weekend; I wonder if the effect will be the same during the week) when I'm petting Phoebe. Toonces hasn't yet allowed me to pet her. She's skittish and scared of Pat and me still.

Mothering Phoebe

Yesterday morning, Pat was still asleep and I went down to check on the cats. Phoebe's green, elastic collar seemed to have come off...until I looked more closely. It had gone down to her waist. Not having grown up with pets, I was afraid to help her, but still, I tried. No scratching or biting. Acquiescence while I pulled one limb and paw out of the collar.

This was too easy. I expected to be wounded for my efforts. I looked at her questioningly. She looked at me expectantly. I went ahead with the other limb and paw, with her full cooperation. At that moment, I was a mother and loved being one.