Simon the Senior Citizen

And so dawns another day in the far Northland – at least Simon, the senior citizen thought I should be aware that the sun was coming up. Just one morning I’d like very much NOT to observe that fact, but then I guess cats are creatures of habit, and let’s certainly NOT break the routine here.

Somewhere around 5 a.m. I started feeling this paw touching my cheek – tap, tap, tap. No response from the human. Once again, tap, tap, tap. This time the response was a human hand that tried to SLAP that furry paw to get it to stop. Oh, darn – missed. Thirty seconds later – once more – only this time with just ONE claw out, prick, prick, prick on the cheek. By this time consciousness is starting to come to the surface in the human brain and I realized I might just as well get up and feed him or I would get no peace. I know, I know – all I’m doing is reinforcing his habit, but I’ve TRIED in the past to out wait him and have failed. This cat has the most patience I have ever seen and he can thoroughly out wait me in that category. So I got up, stumbled out to the kitchen, put canned cat food in a dish and watched him gorge himself. He has a self-feeder full of dry cat food, but heaven forbid he eat THAT in the morning!!

By this time I was awake enough to rationalize that I might as well start Ole’s coffee pot so he’d have something to stimulate his brain waiting for him when he got up. By the time I got that all organized and going, Simon had cleaned his plate and was sitting in the middle of the kitchen with an extremely pleased expression on his face, licking his paws and washing his face. Then he glanced up toward the patio door.

I could just hear his brain formulating cat ideas within. There sat Herkie (the white cat who was ostracized from the house days ago), waiting by the door, wanting to get in of course. Herkie has discovered that he actually can go back to Lovely Daughter’s house, his original home, where he can eat, sleep and be merry if that’s what cats do. So he’s certainly not starving and has a nice warm bed to occupy if he wants. But for some reason he seems to prefer my house, sitting there trying to make me feel guilty about not letting him in – but guess what – that ain’t happenin’ anymore, Dude!! So Simon is making trips back and forth between the patio door and me, begging me to take his buddy back and let him in. Nope – Simon – sorry. I’m not wiping cat spray off my walls anymore!!!

Now when Simon was a younger fella (he’s about 15 or 16 now) he was kind of a social butterfly. He’d be roaming around outside and quite often would bring a stray cat home with him; they’d perch by the patio door and beg to come in. He was always like a little boy bringing home a stray puppy. Of course, that’s how Simon arrived here also. He was a stray that lived in our pole barn for an entire summer but wouldn’t come near us. Then one night, late in the summer, he must have reached the pinnacle of loneliness or something, because he came up to the house and started crying pitifully. I took him in and he’s been a resident ever since. So I guess he figures if I took him in, I’ll take in his buddies too. Kind of like the hobos used to do – spread the word or leave marks on the fence post that “this lady is a soft touch.”

BTW, some day I’ll have to repeat some of the stories my mother used to tell me about how the hobos had her mark when she was a young woman on the farm. (Makes note on list of things to write about in the future.)

Anyway, back on track here. Having a senior citizen cat in the house brings on its own issues. Simon is getting to the point where he can’t jump anymore, which means he can’t make it up onto our bed at night. When he was still living at Lovely Daughter’s house she tipped a clothesbasket upside down for him and he used it like a step. I put a small 2-step stool by the side of the bed and that seemed to do the trick until one night I tripped over it in the dark and stubbed my toe REALLY hard – OUCH!! Then for some reason Simon quit using the stool and took to climbing up the side of the bed just like he would be climbing a tree. We have one of those really high beds and he can get a good grip in the sheets. Maybe he’s dreaming of days gone by when he’d be outside climbing trees or something.

Then there are days when he sits in the middle of the floor and you can just tell by his eyes that he’s off in LaLa Land somewhere. Wherever it is, he certainly looks like he’s enjoying himself. His eyes are glazed over, his whiskers are twitching, sometimes his paws knead in and out like he’s a young kitten – and this is when he’s AWAKE. Imagine what goes through his mind when he’s sleeping!! Or maybe it’s too much kitty LSD!!

I hope when I get to that point in my life (which isn’t far, believe me) that my thoughts will be as pleasant as his seem to be! LaLa Land – here I come!!

PLAN FOR THE DAY: (Do I actually have one?) I’ve been trying to work my way through the house cleaning carpets and other heavy cleaning. That’s on the days when it’s raining outside – which seems to be most days lately. I’m making progress – have one room left upstairs and then have to hit the basement. Then on the nice days I’m trying to keep up with the weeds outside. Believe me with all the rain we’ve had the weeds are getting WAY ahead of me. In addition to that I’ve ripped out one flower bed (12x15), found homes for all the plants and if it ever dries up enough, we’ll cover the entire thing with pavers and make a fire pit in the center.

So now what do I do today? Well, it rained again this morning about 6 a.m., so it’s muddy – again – but now the sun is shining and the wind is blowing gale force. But then that’s normal for this part of the country. At least the wind keeps the bugs out of your ears and from flying up your nose. Guess I’ll have to draw straws as to which direction I go today.

Must get busy – must keep nose to the grindstone – must get up from the computer - - -