crabbiness undone

I slept late today, after shutting off my alarm that was still set for 6:00 am.
I was dreading opening my bedroom door.
Felix, my cat was meowing up a storm on the other side.

When I used up the yogurt, cereal and banana yesterday, I also used the last of the canned cat food.
And I didn't have enough time to pick any more up yesterday.
I had plenty of dry food, so the cat would not starve.

I grew up on a farm, where the animals for the most part did not come in the house.
Checkers, my childhood cat, also had a few other names. I first called her 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', but the first time I stood on the back step yelling "Chitty Chitty," Mom strongly suggested a name change.
Checkers was an 'elevator kitten.'
I used to ride with Dad on the tractor (JD 4020/no cab/4 miles, for those of you keeping score) to the grain elevator in town.
I loved watching the guys take the grain sample and stood over their shoulders as they determined the moisture content.
We kids picked up ears of corn in the field and I would drag the burlap sacks full of them in to sell.
I was a very shy kid, but felt very comfortable at the elevator.
When the resident cat gave birth I was promised a kitten and could not wait to take her home.
A few months later, after the harvest was done the manager of the elevator ran off--with lots of money owed to farmers.
Dad was soon calling the Checkers 'The $10,000 cat.'
I spent a lot of time that winter protecting Checkers from Dad's boot.

Felix, who is named for one of my cousins, was a stray neighborhood cat.
How he came to me is a whole 'nother blog. I got him fixed and the appropriate shots.
I have an amazing back yard with a dozen mature trees.
Felix is king of the yard and has made friends with several neighbors.
He follows the sunshine and warm spots on porches for naps.
He is pretty independent. He mostly goes to the bathroom outdoors and I have a straw nest for him in the garage.
As you can tell, I'm a pretty tough-love cat mom.
I did not mean to start feeding him canned food, but a sample came in the bag of cat food (the first one is always free!) and I mixed it in with the dry and now Felix will not eat straight dry food.

I was thinking I'd have to run out and by cat food when I remembered I had a few cans hidden away, in the box of emergency stuff.

I was able to spend a leisurely morning and I finished one of the band pieces.

Today was the Broad Ripple Gazette open house. I write a column for the twice-a-month paper (click on the music Web site link to read the column). The paper is very folksy and newsy. It is the perfect fit for me. My column is called "Buzzing Around Town." I'll try post the caricature of me that accompanies the column--it is my head on a bee body. I love writing the column, but then feel all blushy and weird when people say they read it.

The open house was at the local American Legion. I love how all Legions are the same, yet different. I love looking at all of the photos and talking to the veterans. I met a great guy, a WW ll vet who was saved by his helmet. He was in a foxhole and shot on the top of his head. The bullet went through the top of the helmet went down the lining and lodged in his leg.

Local restaurants provided food, the other columnists were there and the Indiana Dulcimer Society performed.
There is no office for the Gazette, so I have not met everyone. We are a motley crew. I'm typically not the most normal person in the room, but in this case...
The woman who writes a 'Backyard Birds' column was there with her dog. She has her column done through October and was suggesting that I work ahead also. I commented that I review music and need to work closer to the deadline. She again suggested that I work ahead, "It is less stressful." I told her that I could certainly be more organized but that I could not write about the music until I saw the show. She told me that I did not understand how easy I would be for me to write ahead.
I guess I don't. I wonder if she knows my mom.
It was fun to meet people who read my column, I tried not to giggle too much.

After the open house, I went to the happiest place on earth--Target.
I've got enough cat food for a month and stocked up on diet Pepsi.
Woo Hoo. Today was a new day.