Patience

That's what AngelBoy teaches me...... patience. Anyone with a cat knows that their personalities (purr-sonalities?) are set in stone from day one. Just like people, I guess. They are what they are, and that's just it.

Each of our cats has taught me lessons. ShadowBaby has shown me so many times over the years that there's always time to pet a kitty, no matter how busy we may be. And if you don't bend down to his level and rub his kitty-belly, then he's going to climb up on your lap and higher up to your neck if he has to, just to make the kitty-belly easier for you to reach. Little Mickey Kitty has taught me to smile... no matter what happens, just smile, because what's the alternative? That little cat, with the kitten-sized body, constantly does something to make you smile. He's is truly the happiest of cats.

And AngelBoy... my blue-eyed Birman who is too beautiful for words, too prissy for his own good, and just too everything.... he has taught me patience. Which is going some, because I think I always have had a good degree of patience. But this cat.... he has taken my tolerance level to the highest degree.

I had intended to keep the cats and our dog in our bedroom/bathroom suite for tonight's party, so we could use the screen-porch for extra table set-ups and chairs. Yesterday, I gave it a trial-run, keeping all three cats in the bedroom for the afternoon. I was busy getting the living room and breakfast room set up with tables and chairs, so I wasn't paying too much attention to the cats. Which doesn't wrinkle the whiskers of ShadowBaby and Mickey Kitty-- they just slept most of the afternoon. Not so with AngelBoy..... when I went back and forth into the bedroom yesterday afternoon, there he was-- meowing for me, practically begging me to pet him or pay attention to him, and giving me his best little how-can-you-resist-these-blue-eyes-of-mine kitty face.

But I did resist, and just kept telling him I was busy with tablecloths and centerpieces. And in and out I went, without so much as a little tiny pet underneath his chin. Well, how dare I?

When I was all done with the tables, back I went into the bedroom to settle up with AngelBoy. Too late. Too blessed late. My blue-eyed kitty-demon picked a corner of the carpeting (near my side of the bed, of course) and left me a tinkling little gift.

When he saw that I noticed what I did, he sat up straight with his fluffy tail curled around his front paws and gave me the blue-eyed stare that I know so well. It's his look that says Well, if you would pay attention to me when I need you to pay attention to me, that would never have happened.

I cleaned up the carpet. Scrubbed it and disinfected it and sprayed it, all the while under the careful blue-eyed supervision of AngelBoy. Was he thinking that I missed a spot?

When I was done, I put all three cats back into the screen-porch, and that's where they are now, and where they will stay for the party. Just as well, I guess..... the temperature is over 80 degrees and no one is going to want to sit out there in the humidity we will have tonight. We will make do with all the tables and chairs that are in the house and not even think about the screen-porch, which is what we usually do for our parties anyway. Gracie and the cats will be on the screen-porch and they will watch everyone inside the house as if we're on display. And, as always, AngelBoy will be the one who gets closest to the windows of the breakfast room so he can stare at our friends until one or two of them say Well isn't he just the most precious darling cat?

Give unto me a blessed break.

I've got just about everything ready for tonight...... I baked cakes yesterday, and I just finished frosting them a little while ago. As soon as the dishwasher cycle has ended, I will empty that out and then get myself ready and dressed for tonight. The tiny last-minute things can be done after that. I plan to be all done by 3:30, and then I will sit down and polish my nails. That will be the very last thing to do.... and while they dry, I can read a chapter or two of "The Pillars of The Earth." I will be sad when this story comes to an end. The characters have become as real as my neighbors.

I expect early arrivals at 5:00 or so....... it always happens that someone comes early. We never know who to expect before party-time. Used to be that Frankie always came early, so she could sit and chat with us before everyone got here. I expect that Gary will remind me of that around 5:15 or so...... he always thinks of Frankie on party nights.