Smoky Summary

Crazy Cats
"Oh, excuse me," I said when I opened the door and found ShowCat out of his carrier in the bathtub. He was exploring the bathroom and though I needed to use it, I decided to wait a moment before entering. But when I opened the door again, he remained between the toilet and trash can, so I moved in the small room and closed the door behind me.

"Hi," I said warily. "I'll hurry and then you can have your room back. I apologize for the intrusion." All the while hoping he did not attack my naked-for-the-moment bottom half, I hurried from the room as soon as possible, feeling a bit silly.

"Oh, hello ShowCat," Friend said when she and H returned from the lobby. She also stepped back and closed the door in front of her, allowing him time to return to the tub.

"He won't go," I offered helpfully. "He stayed out while I was in there too - he just glares from outside his carrier rather than through the little window in the side." ShowCat is very regal - a bit superior and aware of his beauty.

"The door swung shut," H offered when she checked on him. "He couldn't get back in his carrier."

"He's probably very relieved you finally went in," I replied. "He kept getting stupid humans who wouldn't help him out."

Pretty Park
"I want to go home!" I insisted to Friend. She ignored my petulant demands while I obediently (if unhappily) went toward the road through the mountains that she wanted. We eventually found the correct winding road and turned off the air. Rolling down the windows, we were able to hear the rush of water over rocks and watch the play of light as it slipped through the leaves on the trees and sparkled off the surface of the river.

"The rule," I informed Friend (who'd not had any coffee after I hustled her into the car as soon as humanly possible this morning), "is that you have to tell me if you want to stop. Otherwise, we go. So we can get home." But we stopped frequently - even my strong urge to return to the puppy at home quieted by the natural beauty. We drove up and down hills and around many corners. We moved over a couple of bridges and I marveled at the mountains in the distance and the river that hugged the edges of the road.

We exited the park to head back toward home and hit traffic. Lanes upon lanes of stopped cars. Somehow the light glaring off the painted automobiles was much less soothing than when it sparkled on the gurgling water. I finally took a side road and we ended up a bit better off.

"One of us wasn't going to live through it if I had to wait at the light much longer," I said, clipping my words in pure frustration. "I was either going to have a stroke and die because we could have made it out of the touristy area before it was late enough for all these people to be out if you hadn't made me go to the park or I was going to kill you and dump your body in this awful, busy place!"

We did, quite happily, make it out alive and well. But it was a rough trip home - both of us tired and she wishing we'd spent more time in the park and I desperately wanted to be home. But it was very pretty. And I didn't whine the whole time.

More creatures? Really?
“There are ants,” H noted yesterday evening as she put giant kittens back in their tent. I wrinkled my nose, unappeased when she said they were tiny ants. I do not enjoy bugs.

I did not particularly enjoy shopping either, but I wanted a dress and perhaps some pants for my new job. I found 3 tops instead of more pants, but I was pleased with an adorable dress I picked up. I love the empire waist trend! Friend and I found bras – more exciting for her than me because of the scarcity of her size – but I did find socks with frogs and monkeys on them.

“Sleepy time,” I announced after we’d stopped by the show and hauled a stack of H’s grading back to the room. Friend carefully selected questions I could check and assign points and I moved along with a blue gel pen, doing as I was told. I finished and caught her in the middle of grading a more difficult question, so I was able to surround myself with pillows in the middle of a bed I wasn’t currently sharing and napped.

“Hello, sleeping humans,” H said as she entered the room (before she found ants). So I shuffled over to the bag containing the clothes I packed and tugged some on before driving to dinner. We returned home to hold kittens, who, as it turns out, are not so enamored of strangers. It broke my heart for one of them to stare at me with large, worried eyes. Then she bolted and we had to capture the poor dear. Friend returned her to H, but fetched the other giant kitten. She visibly trembled while held in Friend's arms and I sadly told H I was sorry the kittens hated me.

Then I later told Friend to stop moving the sheet because I kept thinking the ants were coming to attack my toes.

Road Trip Recap
"I thought the amusement park was fun - most of the time," I reviewed when Friend and I were finally close to my house. Chienne was ecstatic to see us, but did fine on her own. I bet she and I both worried, but we made it through unscathed. "Then the cat show was...interesting. And we did well with shopping. And though we should have come straight home this morning, the park was pretty."

The only problem with me - for it was a nice few days - is I feel like I should be resting and packing and preparing for the new job. I do start 2 weeks from tomorrow. But I have to head out of town yet again on Tuesday, this time to spend a few days with Carrie. I'll work on my mood before then, I promise.