Cat in My Lap

It's late at night. I'm sitting at my computer, and the only one awake. All at once, a streak of yellow fur lands on my lap. It feels like a scene from a Steven King novel.

It was Jagger, my daughter's large-sized elusive cat. He has ignored me since I arrived at my daughter's house a couple of weeks ago. That is with one exception. When it's time for him to eat - and no other family member is around - he rubs up against my legs. I get the message. But as soon as I put his plate on the floor, he's back to ignoring me again.

Except on this night. Jagger the pouncer, turns on his motor. Loudly! My adrenaline is only beginning to diminish when I snapped this selfie of the contented tabby draped across my legs.

I smile and go back to typing. He rolls over on his back, and paws at my elbow while I'm typing. He's still purring. I think this is a sign of friendship. He's accepting me as part of the family. We're buddies. Right? Wrong.

 I forgot how different cats are from dogs. I'm more of a dog person.

Jagger sits up. I want to be friends and wonder if he's interested in what I'm doing. Silly thought.

In a fraction of a serene second he's off my lap, and leaping into a paper bag.

 “Hey! What are you doing?” I ask peering into the bag. I thought we were friends. He only looks at me with big cat eyes and dares me to  pry him out of his containment. I decide to leave him alone.

Alfred North Whitehead said, If a dog jumps into your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer.

I'm beginning to believe it.

Book Review

Give me a satisfying story, with characters I can relate to, throw in some tension, and keep the story line reasonably logical. I love a good story. Make it amusing, and give me surprising situations with a clever resolve at the end, and I'll hurry to buy the book. Absolutely. If it's on an e-reader, and cheaper, I'll buy that. Hey, I'm a bargain hunter.

This book, Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill, (Published 2007 by WW Norton & Company) will make you forget your own life until you put the book down. It's a powerful story that stays with you. I borrowed the book from my neighbor. Actually, she put it in my hands and said I had to read it. So I did.

However, I knew the subject, and wasn't sure I wanted to immerse myself in the evil of slavery. The slavery in the US during the seventeen hundreds.

But the author's writing, and the connection with the main characters, helped me through the brutal parts without diminishing cruelness.

I highly recommend this book. You will get lost in this story. It is gripping, and deeply inspiring.

Winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. "Wonderfully written...populated by vivid characters and rendered in fascinating detail."―Nancy Kline, New York Times Book Review

The synopsis: Stolen from her village in Africa as a child, a young girl, Aminata Diallo walks with other captured people for a month, to the ocean and a slave ship. She endures the crossing on the Atlantic, and arrives in Georgia, sold at auction to a plantation owner. Later she is resold and moved to South Carolina, but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War. In New york City, she works for the British, as a scribe, recording the names of blacks who have served the King. Those who served and could prove their allegiance to England, were told they could live free in Nova Scotia. Find out what happens, and enjoy the build to a brilliant ending.

This historical novel, with beautiful phrases, and characters you will love or love to hate, will capture your heart and mind. I have forgotten many of the stories I've read. This one is unforgettable. I applaud the author, Lawrence Hill, and thank my neighbor.

Two Fathers

Music moves us. We like lyrics we can relate to, and heavy rhythms that sink into our bodies, and make us move.

But every so often, a song comes along that has such a deep-seated, universal message, that it drills through our composure. Can a song challenge our choices?

What if a song was about two fathers. One who loved unconditionally, and the other who didn't. The role of a father in a child's life is beyond debate. If you don't think so, just ask any adult whose father left when they were a child. The pain never really heals. Children usually believe that they caused their father to leave, that they are worthless, and love is conditional.

Here is a song that makes us reconsider our personal values, and perhaps change the course of our lives.

“Piece by Piece” by Kelly Clarkston. If you haven't seen this episode of American Idol,

 do yourself a favor, grab a tissue and watch it. It will stir you to your core.

A Valentine Story

My husband, Ken and I were traveling home by car. It was a long uneventful trip. I was searching the internet from my phone. An idea spun around in my mind.

“Honey, would you like to travel? You know, other parts of Europe, Asia, places in South America… (we'd just come back from Europe two months earlier.)

“We've been doing that for years.”

“...Or get a puppy?”

“No puppy! If we get a dog, let's get one that's house broken, and past that puppy chewing, and yapping stage.”

I immediately called the animal shelter close to our home.

“Any small dogs?” I asked the woman who answered the phone.

“Yes, we have a Lhasa Apso.”

“We can be there in three hours to see it. Can you tell me anything about the dog?”

“Wait a minute. Hold on.”

“I think we can get this dog.” I told my husband. “Right now, I'm on hold.”

“Oh, I'm sorry.” The woman from the shelter was back. “Someone just decided to take it.”

Disappointment.

But then I remembered my niece's dog, Sasha. So cute and well-behaved. I checked with area breeders, and by the time we arrived home from our trip, we were proud owners of a mini schnauzer puppy, Max.

The next day, we drove to see the puppy and his canine parents. We weren't disappointed. However, there was one puppy left in the litter that didn't have a home. The breeder, picked him up and laid him in my lap.

“No. I'm sorry. We just can't have two.” It broke my heart.

Now we have adopted both Max Cooper into our family. Happy Valentine's!

Humor at a Writer's Expense