Life as I see it : Cats, cars, warm socks – life is good
I have inherited two cats from my children. Braxton, a large creamy white male cat, was given to my daughter about six years ago. He was such a delight as a little kitten. We would sit and laugh, watching him play with an empty box. He’d jump in and out of it as if was the best toy ever. He loved playing hide and seek with my husband. He would run downstairs and peek around the corner to see if Dad was looking at him. Dad would see him and duck out of sight. Braxton would scamper up the steps and run into a bedroom. They would do this over and over again.
Braxton also enjoyed swinging from my curtains. He’d jump up and grab the curtains with his front claws and pump his bottom legs until he was swinging back and forth. I didn’t appreciate my curtains being used this way, but he was a funny cat, and we called him “Mr. Personality.” He gave so much enjoyment to our family, I haven’t minded him being here still.
Videl is a very mild-mannered female cat that was given to my son about four years ago. A friend and my son’s teacher provided this cat. She comes from a farm in the Spokane Valley. It was love at first sight, and my son has doted over Videl ever since.
When our daughter left to pursue her dreams, she told Braxton she could not take him with her but she would return for him when she was able. That was nearly five years ago.
Recently our son moved out to try life on his own, also. That was a couple of months ago, and he told Videl a similar story. “I love you, but I can’t take you with me. I’ll be back for you when I have a place where you can live.”
When my children come back home to visit, they pet and cuddle these cats and say things like: ” Oh Sweetie, I can hardly wait until you can come and live with me.” Then these caring adults leave, and the cats are left with “Grandma and Grandpa” again. The cats still love it when their master or mistress comes home. They still lap up the cuddling and the promises and they pout when they get left behind – again.
I was thinking how like my car these two silly cats are. The car sits around waiting for me to feed and clean it and pamper it with all its needs. Thankfully it is functional and it doesn’t pout.
It’s a small gray Ford with four black wheels, a tan interior and in every way possible, it is actually very unremarkable. But it is steady and sturdy, and I drive it around town during whatever weather the Northwest is currently experiencing. I pamper the car by parking it in my garage and on sunny days I take it out for a ride and roll down its windows and let the fresh breezes flow though.
A week ago I took my nonpampered (not!) cats out for a ride. No I didn’t roll down the windows – it’s still pretty cold here – but I did warm up the car first. We drove down to Hayden Lake and watched the gray-blue waves with their small whitecaps lap against the small white-gray pebbles of the shoreline. The cats didn’t say much. They just stared out the windows. I got a cramp in my foot and I untied my right tennis shoe and noticed that I had a hole in my cotton sock. Last week I had seen the most wonderful warm socks at Costco, so the cats and I made a detour on our way home to stop there.
The place was packed, but soon I was standing in front of the socks. Three cashmere socks for $69.99, a pack of white cotton socks for $9.99 or a three-pack of thick warm polyester and spandex socks in bright pink, green or muted stripes were my choices. I fingered the colorful thick socks and knew immediately they were the ones for me. I didn’t even check the price. Quickly passing the tempting boxes of chocolates, nuts and chewy goodies, I made my way to the counter.
In the car I untied my shoes again and slipped on my new thick warm socks. It was the pink pair. The cats sat on the front seat watching me, saying nothing. I grinned at them and retied my tennis shoes. I knew I would spend another couple of dollars at the vacuum center of our local car wash, getting their spreading epidemic of car hairs removed from my car, but I would do so with warm feet.