Tuesday's World According to ShadowBaby

Ever since I hung those paper-honeycomb pumpkins from the ceilings (for the Halloween party this weekend) my baby cat (ShadowBaby) has been trying his best to figure out just what they are. This morning, I found him on the floor in the breakfast room-- he was on his back, four feet up towards the ceiling, right under the spinning pumpkin as if he was ready to catch it should it fall. It was spinning because the air-conditioning was coming out of the vent-- wonderful, unexpected surprise to see them twirling in the air. I guess ShadowBaby thinks so, too.

One morning, I found him on top of the refrigerator, just staring at the paper pumpkin hanging from the ceiling in the kitchen. I got him down from there quickly, and he hasn't been up there since. I had this picture in my mind of ShadowBaby jumping from the top of the fridge to the top of the paper pumpkin. Which wouldn't hold him, of course, so both cat and pumpkin would go crashing to the tiled floor. I'd imagine the honeycomb-pumpkin would make for somewhat of a cushion, but I doubt ShadowBaby would be holding onto it as he fell.

The other two cats haven't been all that interested in the Halloween decorations. AngelBoy happened to be underneath the one that's hanging in the kitchen as it started to twirl one night when the air-conditioner clicked on. The crinkling noise from the honeycomb-paper startled him and he ran out of the kitchen, into the dining room, and hid underneath the table. He peeked out from underneath one of the chairs to see what was up there. He wasn't impressed, and he hasn't walked under that pumpkin since. I don't think Rusty has even noticed the decorations-- the only thing in his line of vision is his food bowl, and if something can't be eaten, then he tends not to waste time with it.

ShadowBaby is the most loving, friendly and curious of our three cats. Rusty (oldest cat) is downright cowardly; AngelBoy (middle cat) is cautious and prissy. But ShadowBaby, right from day one in this house, has been the imp. He's the cat who is in the middle of everything and must try to help with whatever I do. Whether it be snapping the ends from the green beans or wrapping holiday gifts, he is right there, underfoot or near my right arm. And at night, he starts out sleeping by my feet and ends up on my pillow every morning. Such a sweet cat... without a doubt, the sweetest cat we've had. And the easiest one-- he will adapt to anything-- doesn't care about the color of his food dish (AngelBoy) or the location of the litter box (Rusty).

When Halloween is over and the pumpkins come down, I will start decorating for Christmas. I sort of breeze through Thanksgiving, without decorating at all for that holiday. We go to our friends A & D for turkey-day. And A has everything already decorated for Thanksgiving. I decorate for Halloween, she decorates for Thanksgiving, and we both go all out for Christmas. Both of us are having Open House Christmas parties this year... on different weekends.

I always start the Christmas decorating in November because I have so many things to put out. There is a little table-top tree for each room... from 12"-high trees that sit in vintage sugar bowls (which I decorated myself) to a 4-ft-high aluminum tree that we found in an antique shop a few summers ago. I was going to re-sell that aluminum tree and make some money on it, but when I got it home and put it together, I just couldn't part with it. That tree came with the vintage color-light-wheel, which I didn't want, so I sold just that and made enough to cover the cost of the tree and then some.

So... right after Halloween, as the pumpkins come down and get stored in the closet, the little trees will be taken out of the storage closet and set around the house. And, as it happens every year, Gracie (the dog) follows me from room to room watching where I put each tree; Rusty doesn't notice the holiday decorations at all; AngelBoy will take a nap under the table-top tree that goes in our bedroom every year (that tree is trimmed with tiny fans and shoes and purses and AngelBoy just loves it). As for ShadowBaby, he will follow me every step of the way, from the storage closet to the spot where each decoration is placed. He will inspect every tree, sniff the ornaments with his tiny nose, touch one or two very lightly with his paw. As if to say "There! That needed to be moved over just half an inch!"

When the big tree in the living room goes up (the day after Thanksgiving) then Gracie and AngelBoy and ShadowBaby will go into that room and walk towards the tree, which always reaches the highest point of the cathedral-ceiling in there. And like clock-work, we will see their three faces looking at every inch of that tree, beginning with the bottom-most branch and scanning upwards till their eyes get to the tippy-top. Gracie will lie down next to the tree, AngelBoy will go underneath it, and ShadowBaby will be walking around the tree, using his paw to adjust the bottom branches till they look just right. And Rusty? He will most likely be sound asleep next to his food dish. Some things, regardless of the season, just never change.

Anyway... no piano lesson today. I had to cancel it because the bathroom guys will be here with the new marble enclosure for the shower. Finally, finally... this will all be done.