Getting up close and personal to waterfalls makes my heart beat fast and my knees feel weak. The cool spray, though refreshing, causes my brain to say, "You're too close, too close, move back!" But today, with a calmly beating heart, I stood on strong, straight legs and watched in amazement as fresh water cascaded from above. Clear as glass in some places and opaque and foamy in others, it plunged to the ground as spray rose up. I wanted to leaned with outstretched arms and feel is power strike my fingertips, but fear overcame desire. Falling out my bedroom window into a muddy flowerbed wouldn't have been life threatening, but it certainly would have been disastrously messy. I'll just watch for now.
I needn't watch for long. The deluge of rain overflowing the gutters slowed to drips in a matter of minutes, then quite altogether. The gutters were once again able to control the flow; and the shrubs below the eaves rejoiced in their nice drink of water. The sun now shines and the temperature rises, but more Days-of-Noah rain are on their way. Aaaah, Fall has arrived with the wonderful smell of rain.
That is my descriptive writing for this morning.
As I wrote that last sentence, I reached for my cup of hot coffee with hazelnut creamer and took a sip (almost burned my tongue, I did.) I love an occasional cup of coffee, especially in the rain.
Where was Her Blackness in this downpour? Her Blackness=feral cat=mother-to-be. That's right. The once-skinny, pretty, black kitty with a huge appetite is pregnant. At least that is what it looked liked to me a few days ago. Since I didn't want to accept my observations as reality, I asked myself, "What do I know about cats anyway? She probably just ate a mouse...or two...or more"
Well, Sunday evening came around and so did my daughter-in-law. I had been waiting for her to come pick apples. I watched her work for awhile. A yellow plastic bag sat on the ground. She wore bright blue tennis shoes, dark sweat pants, and a red, hooded rain-jacket. With her arms held high, she reached for the yellow apples (I have no idea what kind they are) with a blue-tined rake. I loved the colors.
She heard me open the door and started talking before she saw me. "I saw your kitty and gave her a little food. Hope that was okay. She seemed really hungry, and friendly. Looks like she is pregnant."
Thanks daughter-in-law. That is just what I didn't want to hear.
So now I have a dilemma. She sleeps under my house (Her Blackness, not my daughter-in-law) and that isn't where I want a litter of kittens residing. (The occasional raccoon and possum that come around at night won't mix well with cat and kittens.) I know she sleeps under my house because she starts talking to me as soon as she hears my footsteps in the morning. Her muffled little meows greet me from below as I walk around the kitchen above. When I finally open the front door while holding her food dish and call out, "Here kitty, kitty." she comes around the corner of the house within seconds, jumps onto the porch,and stands on her hind legs hoping her head will reach my fingers. She loves being petted. "Dang." I think she is growing on me.
What to do? What to do?
Help, Lord. Now that Her Blackness trusts me, gets some nourishment from my hand, and loves being loved, I can't cast her away because she is pregnant. Some people might say, "She is only a cat, Jan." I know that, but she is also one of your creatures that I have allowed into my life. What, what, what is the right thing to do? Do I let her in (she will come, at least she did this morning ) or let nature take its course? And then, Lord, there is always the possibility she is your provision for the long, dark, winter days ahead? I just don't know. Please send me a text with further instructions. My number is...Oh, silly me, you know what it is. Amen
I guess I sort of asked for this when Her Blackness and I first started talking in the blackberry patch.
Jan
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