Goodbye Paula

Saturday morning was one to remember: Sheba let me sleep to 5:00 am! I haven’t been able to do that since she came into the family — and the house is clean and dry!

I’ve got this “wake up in high gear” thing down now. I have to get dressed really fast to get out with Her Highness and to get wood. I go from sound sleep to the outdoors in seconds. Then I feed the menagerie and light up the fire and the day is underway…

And today’s first task is taking Paula to the seaplane. Then I’m back to being on my own.

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The cats have a water dish by their food. They don’t use it. They only like to use Sheba’s water bowl in the kitchen (or any available toilet) so Sheba won’t use hers. She will only drink out of one on the porch and that has turned out to be a good thing because she’s taught herself to whine by the door to get at it.

And now she knows how to whine to get out and if I am attentive, she will whine to go out to go to the bathroom. The key thing is being attentive on my part.

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I’d like to work on the fence today but I’m not sure if the weather will co-operate. One thing I will most certainly do is go into the studio just to experience the joy of seeing it and imagining it being furnished and warm and working inside it.

Yesterday I had a talk with Darrell about the table I want: It’s going to be hip high like a dining room table but at one end it’s going to have a second level where I can work standing up. He may build it while we wait for the tiles to arrive. That’s the next big thing. They go on the floor, over the hearth and up the wall behind the stove.

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Paula and I went for a walk in the woods in Friday morning with Sheba. We met a couple of bicyclists who were very friendly and told us about other trails nearby. Then we went to Jay’s to check out the tree he’s giving me. It’s beautiful — really beautiful. Then we went to The Surf for lunch and it was closed, so we went to The Fireside and it was closed too. So then we went to The Kitchen and … wait for it … it was closed as well but there was a sign on the door saying it would open at noon so we waited.

We had a lovely lunch and came home to meet Jay who arrived with the tree. It’s now drying in the shed. And Darrell moved all the studio furnishings from my entrance hall to the shed.

The TV for the studio arrived but the reading lamp I want for Christmas reading got delivered to the wrong people.

My hammock arrived. I know, I know. It’s early, but in a log cabin you can put it up inside. I love hammocks.

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When Jay and Robin come for dinner — in fact, whenever I cook or bake — the cats will have to be locked in the bedroom. They get into everything including the kitchen sink. It’s absolutely impossible to work — I mean impossible! They climb into pots and want to put their paws into anything liquid. Butter? Yes please! Meat? Yum! Dirty dishes. Yessss! They are relentless too. Put one down, she or he is right back. Ethel is even right beside me when I do the dishes. She loves when the tap is running just like she loves falling urine. Go figure.

I cannot be angry. I respect their curiosity and so admire their gentleness; I love them too much to be angry.  Were a psychopath, I’d get a dozen white mice and let them loose in the house while I was cooking so they’d have something not only to eat, but fresh kill.

But I’m a pussy. And to be honest I may do some kitchen mixing and preparation in the studio where I can work in peace.