Cats, books, ducks, dogs.....

There is just one cat in this house tonight..... Mickey Kitty. Both Gatsby and Sweet Pea are outside, along with the stray cat who's been hanging around (Lady Ga-Ga) and JS's cat (Pumpkin Kitty) who left her yard when the workmen came to re-construct her porch. (Poor Pumpkin Kitty doesn't like noise, and he doesn't like strangers.) This is the first time I've let Sweet Pea stay outside at night since we found him two years ago... but he earned it-- by peeing outside the box. (Shades of AngelBoy.)

I think Sweet Pea started doing that because Lady Ga-Ga and Pumpkin Kitty were outside and he was inside. I think he wanted to be part of that outside-cat world, and after cleaning up a few puddles during the past week, I was only too happy to oblige. Not really happy, because I don't like to keep them outside at night with heaven-only-knows what else is out there, but I don't want to keep cleaning up messes outside their litter box that should have been inside the box in the first place. (Didn't I learn that lesson well with AngelBoy?) And Gatsby..... I put him outside just so Sweet Pea will have an ally against the two other cats. Besides that, Gatsby eats less when he's outside.... and that cat is getting as big as a truck these days.

When I opened the back door this morning to let Sweet Pea out, he ran out as if he'd just been released from prison after a stint on Death Row. Off he went to explore.... but before he left the porch, I made sure he knew where the dish of food was out there on the table. Sweet Pea learns quickly, and he spent the day munching on the dry cat food from time to time..... and tonight, there's enough food for Gatsby and Sweet Pea, along with the two "visitors."

I hate, hate, hate that Sweet Pea is outside, but he gave me no choice. I'm not going through the AngelBoy thing again, especially with a cat that's been with us for just two years. Mickey Kitty seems quite content to be the only cat in the house now. He hasn't cried by the door, but he has watched from the window as the 'outside cats' have come and gone on the porch all day long.

The ducks in the pond have come back...... there were half a dozen of them yesterday, and two this morning. Along with the ducks swimming in the pond, two of the neighbor's dogs were swimming and playing like puppies in our pond yesterday. They were having so much fun (and not bothering the ducks) that I stood there with the binoculars and just watched them. I can't be upset with the dogs... they're just being dogs. I wish the neighbor would keep his dogs inside his own property, but that's not going to happen. His goats and cows get out from time to time also, and even his horse has found its way down the hill. There's no reason to have a gate enclosing your livestock if you're not going to keep the gate closed.... but that's been going on with this neighbor for years.

Books....... the workers have started to turn our third floor into a library. They came yesterday morning with a truck filled with wood and sheet-rock, nails and hammers and a radio tuned to a Mexican music station. They're working hard, they're clean and quiet, and the music isn't ear-splitting. Lunch for them is at twelve..... they sit on the floor of our side porch even though I've told them to make themselves at home with the tables and chairs out there. They seem to like the floor.... they take off their shoes, stretch out their legs, eat their lunch, rest up against the side of the house and take a nap. Within the hour, they're back up on the third floor and the hammer and the nails and the music continues until five o'clock.

I'm currently reading "My Reading Life," by Pat Conroy. I found the book in the thrift shop (where I find such wonderful books each week for a dollar or less). I haven't read one of Conroy's books since "The Great Santini" and "The Lords of Discipline." Those two books were page-turners, to say the least..... and I found a copy of "Santini" on Half.com so I can re-read that one. "My Reading Life" also talks about one of his first books, "The Water is Wide," and I also ordered a copy of that. Not until I discovered Conroy's "My Reading Life" did I realize that his books are based on his own life history. Well, shame on me.... I should have known that when I read "Santini" the first time....... most great novels are usually more or less autobiographical.

"Write about what you know and you will always write well." I had an English teacher in high school, Mr. St. Hill, who used to tell us that all the time. When I graduated, Mr. St. Hill wrote in my book....... "To L, the great short story writer."

Do blog entries qualify as short stories?