Paya

Good Morning Lovelies! I completely forgot about blogging yesterday (my mistake), because my every thought has been consumed by a four-legged senior "queen" cat task master! Finally I have a reason to get up early and to stay on task throughout the day, which let me tell you has been particularly difficult during Quarantine, and the prevailing attitude seems to be a devastated "nothing matters anymore." With the arrival of Papaya everything feels a little bit more important, and I simply cannot sleep late or spend as many idle hours on my computer anymore. My little alarm clock snaps me out of it with her meow! And she LOVES to meow. The moment we met in person for the first time, when the shelter owners brought her to me, Papaya would not STOP meowing! I've gotten mostly used to it though, as one does with everything. We've all gotten used to life under this interminable Quarantine against our will after all. I know I certainly didn't want to "get used" to throwing a mask on my face before I headed out, topping off my outfit with a "pharmeceutical" flair, so to speak. And I didn't want to get used to attending "concerts" online through Livestream, or going to church that way, or keeping 6-feet away from people my first instinct is to throw my arms around. But these things happen. We carry on because we have to. And now by the grace of God I also have a furry alarm clock to make the days go by faster--finally. For a while there it seemed like every day was 48 hours long; just a continuous stretch of pointless. Now, the only thing I can talk about is my new cat. She's a senior. An old lady. A grand dame:) And for the moment she prefers isolation in my bathroom. But when she's ready, she can follow me out after a visit, and start to explore her new home a bit more. I don't want to rush her or overwhelm her--she is very set in her ways after all. And really the home is so tiny that any "meow" sounds like it's right behind me, and I don't mind coming in to see to her needs. Indeed, it's nice to have someone's needs to focus on other than my own. Before Quarantine I could move freely from volunteering to art opening to library talk about the plight of another marginalized group--it was a lot easier to expand my "circle of concern" if you will to far beyond myself. Since rarely leaving my home, that has all but disappeared. It's one of the things I've had to grudgingly accept as my reality now. Even though I tell myself "nothing lasts forever" and "this too shall pass" and "don't let it get you down." Of course I've been lonely with only my own concerns to fill my mind. Now there's somebody else to think about! I have a reason to get up early and blog, before my day really kicks off! And today is fortunately not like regular days either, as I have actual plans for later while this community lurches back toward "normal." Plans! That means of course I'll be leaving Papaya for a little while, for the first time. But she's a tough old girl; she can handle it! For the most part, I bet she won't even notice--just snuggle up in her cozy crate and take a "snap" as I call her little naps. Because as much as I don't mind getting up early and as much as I enjoy visiting with her--I don't answer every "meow".