This morning, I experienced a rather rude wakeup call. In fact, to be honest there were two, but first things first.
It was brought to my attention that, although I am the only permanent human resident in my household, I am not the queen of my castle! As the back of my shirt was plucked repeatedly until I finally understood that I was being instructed to change positions because someone needed cuddling, and was very specific about how I was laying in order for him to get full benefit of both of my hands, I realized that, in many ways, I dance to the whims of my furry roommates. This one, in particular, has become incredibly demanding lately! But he is certainly not alone in letting his requirements be known.
Mr. Toby doesn’t make a lot of noise, but with feet the size of a small Labrador, and close to 20 pounds to throw around, he makes his point rather effectively. He loves laps and cuddles and rough skritches. What he hates is being ignored.
I’ve noticed that the dynamics have changed dramatically since we lost Scooby, and also since Snowball went home. Munchkin, who used to spend a lot of time snuggling with Scooby, to the point that we often referred to him as her spouse, is now turning to me for comfort and attention. Unlike Toby, she’s anything but silent about it! Ignoring her is about as likely as ignoring a screaming toddler. Even as a small kitten, she kept all three boys in line. I’m apparently one of her charges now.
For almost her entire life, Munchkin was bonded to Scooby, yet when he died suddenly, I didn’t notice her mourning. I can only assume that she knew he was ill for a long time, and had made her peace. But in the last month, she has become increasingly vocal about getting her share of my attention, and spends a lot more time following me from room to room. Even now, she’s curled up on the other chair in my office.
She is, however, first and foremost, a little Princess. She has her own special feeding ritual in the morning, and woe be to him who tries to close a door. She will take all 7 pounds of her little grey self and body slam the door! More than one guest has been subjected to her wicked ways! She also takes full advantage of the fact that, most nights, I wake up two or three times. As soon as I do, she’s telling me, loudly and proudly, that she is completely neglected and requires attention immediately to soothe her and compensate her for such rude treatment.
Thankfully, Dylan and Patches are somewhat less demanding, but are more the “ok, you’re there, I’ll just snuggle beside you and purr, and even use your fingers to scratch my own cheek” kind of mindset. Though one of Dylan’s favorite pastimes is to curl up on my desk while I’m working…and clean it off for me. We’ve had discussions about this for a long time, and I fear I’ve lost this one too!
I did promise you a second wakeup call, and before I ramble much further, I’d best be getting to it.
Last night, I was awakened by a loud squawking sound and a light flickering on and off. It happened once and I thought it was my imagination, but as it happened repeatedly until the sun came up, I finally realized that I seem to have acquired another roommate in the form of a ghost! He doesn’t seem to be angry or in any way malicious. He just seemed to want to get my attention and let me know he’s here. He’s taken up residence in my guest room, which used to be Heather’s office, and before that, Jenni’s room. Why he picked that room is a mystery, but as he seems to be settling in fairly peacefully, I guess we’ll just coexist. The cats don’t even seem bothered by him, which is a good thing. Maybe it’s someone they know?
At this point, I seem to have been relegated to the position of staff and caretaker, but with all the love I get for my troubles, I can’t really complain. If all of the studies being done are accurate, I’m also healthier and less stressed for their presence in my life. A pretty good tradeoff, if you ask me!
My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful to have gotten some long-standing items off of my To Do list today.
2. I am grateful for the peace and harmony in my household.
3. I am grateful for friends who know I’m not just here for when everything is fun and good.
4. I am grateful for peace, love, harmony, health, joy and abundance: available to everyone, just for the asking.
5. I am grateful for my routines. Some are still on hold while others are up and running again.
Love and light.
