Sunday, June 19, 2005 at 06:34 PM
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Spike
Spike, The Great Chipmunk Hunter
/Our neighbors own Spike, one of the prettiest cats I've ever seen. Spike is the neighborhood cat, always up in everyone else's business, hanging out on our various porches throughout the day, and trying to sneak into all of our homes when our arms are full of groceries and we open the front door.
When Mom was visiting, we came home to find Spike on our side porch, facing away from us. "Spike!" I called. I turned to Mom. "Spike thinks he's this great hunter but he never catches anything."
The words "...never catches anything" were still hanging in the air when Spike turned to face us with a mouth full of live chipmunk.
Mom screamed (she can't stand to see an animal hurt) and then yelled, "It's still alive, get him, get him!" Blair and I took off after Spike who, ignoring our calls, beat a hasty retreat across the street and disappeared into the bushes.
I looked at Mom and Blair. "Fine, so he catches things. I was wrong." Mom was quiet as she walked in the house.
Later that day I looked out our back kitchen window and saw the little chipmunks mate, sitting by the hole where they live in our yard, looking for its little friend. I felt so sorry for him.
And I wanted to warn him to go back inside his little hole and be safe.
Because somewhere out in our yard lurks Spike, the newly crowned Great Chipmunk Hunter.
When Mom was visiting, we came home to find Spike on our side porch, facing away from us. "Spike!" I called. I turned to Mom. "Spike thinks he's this great hunter but he never catches anything."
The words "...never catches anything" were still hanging in the air when Spike turned to face us with a mouth full of live chipmunk.
Mom screamed (she can't stand to see an animal hurt) and then yelled, "It's still alive, get him, get him!" Blair and I took off after Spike who, ignoring our calls, beat a hasty retreat across the street and disappeared into the bushes.
I looked at Mom and Blair. "Fine, so he catches things. I was wrong." Mom was quiet as she walked in the house.
Later that day I looked out our back kitchen window and saw the little chipmunks mate, sitting by the hole where they live in our yard, looking for its little friend. I felt so sorry for him.
And I wanted to warn him to go back inside his little hole and be safe.
Because somewhere out in our yard lurks Spike, the newly crowned Great Chipmunk Hunter.
Cover
/Still can't decide on the cover art for the book. My illustrator, Linda Santell, is working on "new eyes" for the cat that graces the current cover. My instructions to her are "Less happy, more sneaky, but not mean or evil looking." What a joy I must be to work with as a client.
I'm wondering how many times I'm allowed to go back to my cover designer and say, "Could you change just one more thing....?"
I'm feeling good about the dual websites. My friend Rachel told me yesterday that according to all her reading, it's better to have more and separate websites as it's more likely people will find you.
I checked my stats for my personal website and found out last year that just under 2000 people from almost 50 countries visited the site. Isn't that wild that I can get a breakdown by country on who saw my site when? Big Brother is really watching.
I'm wondering how many times I'm allowed to go back to my cover designer and say, "Could you change just one more thing....?"
I'm feeling good about the dual websites. My friend Rachel told me yesterday that according to all her reading, it's better to have more and separate websites as it's more likely people will find you.
I checked my stats for my personal website and found out last year that just under 2000 people from almost 50 countries visited the site. Isn't that wild that I can get a breakdown by country on who saw my site when? Big Brother is really watching.
Ghost Cat
/We have a ghost cat. I've suspected this for years but Mom's visit confirmed it.
I did not tell Mom we have a ghost cat because she startles at the sound of a faucet dripping so why invite trouble? Plus, it really never occurred to me. My ghost cat(s) show up at irregular intervals and it had been awhile since I'd felt them.
After Mom's first night here she got up and said, "I had the strangest dream. Both your cats were sleeping on me--one on my arm by my head and the other on my stomach. They were so heavy and I kept trying to move but I couldn't. It was like I was trapped under them."
"Are you sure it felt like cats on top of you?" I asked.
"Oh yes," she answered. "I thought it was your cats except I know they never come near people."
True. Our cats do not take kindly to anyone outside my husband and myself.
I would have thought it was just a dream except I've had the same experience. I have felt a cat leap onto my bed at night. You know how you feel the mattress shake and compress a bit as your cat walks on it? I felt that. It's been so real that I've sat up in bed and leaned down to pet whichever cat of mine was on the bed, only to find no one there.
I've woken up in the night to feel a cat sleeping across my legs. I try to roll over slowly so as not to wake my cat and I can feel the weight of the cat shift on my legs as I turn. Then I'll lean down to pet kitty fur and again--nothing there.
I've never actually seen a ghost cat. But I am constantly catching glimpses of what I think are our cats rounding a corner or racing out of the room, only to walk upstairs and discover both cats zonked out on the windowseat, sound asleep.
One more thing. At night, our kitten Olivia sleeps on an ottoman in our room until we turn out the light. For the past 2 nights she's climbed on the ottoman, sniffed a bit, and then something startles her enough that she leaps into the air, her four legs dangling down as she goes straight up. What scares her? There's no bugs, nothing unusual.
Except perhaps a ghost cat curled up asleep.
I did not tell Mom we have a ghost cat because she startles at the sound of a faucet dripping so why invite trouble? Plus, it really never occurred to me. My ghost cat(s) show up at irregular intervals and it had been awhile since I'd felt them.
After Mom's first night here she got up and said, "I had the strangest dream. Both your cats were sleeping on me--one on my arm by my head and the other on my stomach. They were so heavy and I kept trying to move but I couldn't. It was like I was trapped under them."
"Are you sure it felt like cats on top of you?" I asked.
"Oh yes," she answered. "I thought it was your cats except I know they never come near people."
True. Our cats do not take kindly to anyone outside my husband and myself.
I would have thought it was just a dream except I've had the same experience. I have felt a cat leap onto my bed at night. You know how you feel the mattress shake and compress a bit as your cat walks on it? I felt that. It's been so real that I've sat up in bed and leaned down to pet whichever cat of mine was on the bed, only to find no one there.
I've woken up in the night to feel a cat sleeping across my legs. I try to roll over slowly so as not to wake my cat and I can feel the weight of the cat shift on my legs as I turn. Then I'll lean down to pet kitty fur and again--nothing there.
I've never actually seen a ghost cat. But I am constantly catching glimpses of what I think are our cats rounding a corner or racing out of the room, only to walk upstairs and discover both cats zonked out on the windowseat, sound asleep.
One more thing. At night, our kitten Olivia sleeps on an ottoman in our room until we turn out the light. For the past 2 nights she's climbed on the ottoman, sniffed a bit, and then something startles her enough that she leaps into the air, her four legs dangling down as she goes straight up. What scares her? There's no bugs, nothing unusual.
Except perhaps a ghost cat curled up asleep.
