A Moral Dilemma

A MORAL DILEMMA

First, let me set the stage for you:

I have gophers in my backyard. I have given them names even though I hate them.

Dede is cleaning out the garage and it is my belief that she is throwing away

some of my most treasured Cat Toys.

To distract me, she has insisted that I watch Cat TV. (To watch Cat TV means to stare out a window instead of at the Real TV where I watch Toddlers and Tiaras, Little Miss Perfect and Repo Man. For some reason known only to herself, Dede believes that I don't know the difference. I don't know what to do with her when she is set in some weird belief or other. But I digress.)

To soothe her, I DID sit and stare at Cat TV and what I saw was amazing!

I saw Mitt digging at one of the gopher mounds. He dug and dug for over an hour.

When the mound was level, he stuck his paw down in the hole and quickly drew it back!

Fred, the gopher, must have bitten him because he ran away.

(Of course, it could have been Alexis, Fred's Lover. I don't really know.)

Anyway, I would love to get rid of the gophers. They are ruining my lawn.

So. I spoke to the man who owns my house and we decided that he would come

and put poison in the holes.

Big Problem.

It is poisonous to Cats!

I told him to go ahead and get Fred and Alexis and the rest!

I can stay out of the backyard since I am what is termed "a House Cat".

Then I had a Horrible Thought!

What if Spike should ingest some of the pellets?

I would feel awful.

I would even feel awful if it dispatched Mitt.

(Oh, we've had our differences and I wish he'd stay in his own yard and I don't like his

Politics one bit. I think he's a Fascist. I'm not sure what that is but I heard it on Real TV

and it sounded mean, so I thought I'd use it. But I digress.)

I can't have the blood of my fellow Cats on my Paws.

(I wouldn't mind killing Basement Cat, if he really exists, a fact that I am now not so sure of.

However, if he DOES exist, I want him Dead. But I digress.)

What to do? Why am I faced with such difficult decisions?

I will let you know who survives and who goes with Basement Cat to the Basement.

Meanwhile, Love from Me. Mab.



MITT

MITT

I've told you about the three Cats that regularly show up in our backyard.

The black one, Basement Cat, could be a fig newton of my imagination.

Dede has never seen him, which leads me to believe he might not be real.

I certainly hope not. He scares the chicken gravy out of me.

He doesn't walk. He slinks.

He is so black that he is blue and his eyes are red.
I really don't care to discuss him further.
The other two Cats are a different matter.

The first Cat is Mittens (at least that's what I call him

because he has two very elegant white front paws,

but I call him "Mitt" for short). He is very handsome.

He looks a lot like me. In fact, we could be brother and sister.

He lives in a big house down the street.

It has a big yard and I think it has a pool in the backyard.
There are two new cars in his driveway.
I suspect he has never wanted for any Cat toys or Cat treats ever in his life.

He is very well groomed and well fed

and looks a bit spoiled to me.

The other Cat, Spike, on the other hand, lives in the opposite direction.

He is not very handsome and looks as though he has been shaved.

He is brownish in color and has sprigs of fur on his head and body.

He is thin and always looks hungry.
I haven't seen his house, but I suspect it doesn't look anything like Mitt's.

Whenever Mitt and Spike meet in my backyard, Mitt wants to fight.

He calls Spike bad names in language only the three of us can understand.

(I find that most people don't speak Cat --  a terrible gap in their education.

It would make things so much simpler for all of us if they would learn it.
I speak English very well, so you would think Dede would learn to speak Cat.
I can onl think that she is just lazy. But I digress.)
Because I am fluent in Cat, I understand Mitt and his bad manners.
He calls names, tells lies and thinks he owns the neighborhood.


Before I realized what Mitt was doing, I didn't like Spike
and wanted to fight him myself.
Now I feel sorry for Spike and would help him if I could.
Dede suggested that we put out food for Spike.
(I said to her, "Are you out of your tiny little mind? Mitt will just come
and eat it and Spike won't get any! You must be crazy!" But I digress)
Perhaps  my friend, Hank, who is running for Senate, could help Spike.
Maybe Spike could run for Senate, too.
If Mitt runs for Senate, I will work to defeat him.
Liars and cheats should not be elected to anything.
Perhaps there's something I can do.
I'll think about it and let you know what I decide.

Love from Me. Mab.

HI FROM ME. MAB.

"IF I WERE KING OF THE FOREST"

COURAGE

The Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" was seeking

courage.

How very silly! I am much smaller than that Lion and

I am very brave. My dearest wish is to tangle with the

Three Cats that traverse my backyard!

I would show Mitt, Spike and Basement Cat a thing or three!

(But I digress.)

Dede and I have been discussing courage ever since we read

the blog of my GodCat, The Rev. Deborah Dunn.

She wrote very eloquently about three people that are very

courageous. It's title is "Recovery", but I think it is really about their bravery in facing something that will change their lives forever.

I asked Dede if she has courage and she said it was

"the whistling past the graveyard" kind.

She says it is a pretend courage, but that she has never had

to display courage for anything that has happened to her

because she has led such a blah life. Many others that she cares about have faced all sorts of things and have shown great

courage.

She says that the hardest kind of pretend courage to display is

the kind you must show when someone you love is in trouble.

Dede says that she can't remember a time in her life when she

hasn't been responsible for the care of someone. She says

maybe when she was at university, but that was a very short time. Before that, she had two brothers that she took care of  and then she got married and there was John and soon there was Deborah, my GodCat, and then John Andrew and then Bill and, of course, many Cats.

Dede says that when you have a family so many things happen and some of them are very sad and you have to pretend to be very brave even when your insides feel like Rice Krispies. Sometimes the Rice Krispies get soggy from tears and sometimes they keep snap, crackle and popping long after what made them appear is gone. She says that those are

the worst kind.

Dede says she admires courage more than any other trait and that is why she is so inspired by Deborah's choices for her "profiles in courage."

Bishop J. Jon Bruno, Valerie Ward, Simon Cunningham --

names to remember and to admire.

Dede wishes she could be like them.

Because I am fearless, maybe I can help her.

Meanwhile, as Dan Rather used to say,

"COURAGE!!"

Love from Me. Mab.

LOVE FROM ME. MAB.

ONE ANSWER

ADOPT-A-FAMILY

Dede and I have thought and thought

about those among us who don't have enough to eat

or clothes to wear.

We think that we have one answer and maybe

we'll come up with another later.

Our idea is this:

since I am adopted, and it has worked out very well

for both Dede and me,

we think that we could adopt a family.

We don't mean they should live with us,

but we could help them with food and clothes

Once a week, we could go to the store and

buy things like cereal and milk and fruit

and especially things that children would like.

We think it would be nice to pick out tee shirts and jeans

for them to wear.

These things don't cost a lot and we have so much and

we need to share our good things

that The Creator has given us.

We know that lots of churches do this

and that's wonderful,

but they shouldn't have to do it all.

We have a family in mind to adopt.

Do you? Will you?

Adoption is a good thing.

Just look at me and Dede.

We'll let you know how our next adoption turns out.

Until then,

Love from Me. Mab.

I Don't Understand

SPEAKING UP

 Try as she might, Dede can't explain some things to me.

It's not that I'm not trying to understand, it's just that it's hard and sad.

Maybe you know the answer.

We live in a wonderful country and it is filled with very nice people.

They seem to want to help everyone and make things better for them.

When I look around at the people I know,

that is their reason for being.

Dede adopted me to come and be with her and we have everything we need.

We have good food and a nice place to live. I have all the chicken gravy

that any Cat could ever want.

 Dede and I have talked about all of this

and sometimes we feel guilty because the Creator has given us so much

and others so little, but I know it's not the Creator's fault

that people are hungry and have no place to go.

Dede has explained to me that there ARE people who could make things

nicer for everyone. They are called the Congress.

Dede says the people of our country elected them to do a good job

and to make sure that we are all taken care of

and that no children will be hungry or sad or have no home.

So why are they doing all they can to keep people from having just

a bit of what THEY have?

That's why that song "Sons Of" makes me so sad.

I know it talks about war and young people dying,

but there are young people dying here, too.

It's just a different kind of war, but a war all the same.

Will we win the war? Will the people who can help us win it

do their part?

Dede is writing letters to the people in charge and I will write one, too.

I will urge them to help our people, especially the children.

Dede says they are ALL our children. They belong to all of us.

Will you write a letter and tell the people in charge to help them?

We are all they have left.

Dede says that this will be our mantra:

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak up and judge fairly;

defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV, 1984)

Will you speak up with Dede and Me?

Love from Me. Mab.

OUR CHILDREN

All day on Memorial Day, Dede hummed or sang the words to "Sons Of".

I thought it was beautiful. (Well, not exactly the way Dede sang it,

but the tune and the words are beautiful, and Dede played it

for me on a CD she has.)

She explained to me that it is an anti-war song and I can tell by the words

that she is right.

I might as well be very truthful with you. I don't believe in war.

The problem is this:

there is a war going on right now in this country or at least there should be.

There should be a war on poverty.

Dede and John and I eat very well. So do most of the people we know,

but there are so many people in this country who don't eat well.

Many of them don't eat at all and many of them are children.

Dede says that our government is reducing the food stamp program

and that will make it hard for people to get food.

Why is this? I don't understand. Why would anyone make it hard to feed people?

The stores are full of it. I've seen the ads that Dede gets in the mail.

Why would anyone deny food to anyone, especially to children?

This is very troubling to me, but it is especially troubling to Dede.

She said something to me that I don't quite understand, but

I will think about it and know I will find its meaning.

She says that she thinks that ALL children are HER children.

She says that the children belong to ALL of us and

if we are to have a great future, we must ALL take care of them.

She says that if we don't consider each child as our own,

our country will no longer be great.

The music and poetry that is the heart of our country will die along with

the children.

I will think more about this and write more about it and I will try

to do something to help.

I like knowing that ALL of the children belong to ALL of us.

What can we do? I will think about it.

Love from Me. Mab.

SONS OF
(Fils de)

On Memorial Day, Dede posted a video of this wonderful song by Judy Collins.

The lyrics are by Jacques Brel. I want to write these lyrics so you

can read them and then I will comment on what they mean to me.

SONS OF
by
Jacques Brel

Sons of the thief, sons of the saint, who is the child with no complaint?

Sons of the great, sons unknown, all are children like your own.

The same sweet smile, the same sad tears,

The ones at night, the nightmare fears,
Sons of the great or sons unknown, all were children like your own.
So long ago, long, long ago.

Sons of tycoons or sons of the farms, all of the children run from your arms,
Through fields of gold, through fields of ruin,
All of the children vanish too soon,
In towering waves, in walls of flesh,
Among dying birds trembling with death.
Sons of tycoons or sons of the farms
All of the children run from your arms.
So long ago, long, long ago.

Sons of your sons, sons passing by, children are lost in lullabies.
Sons of true love or sons of regret, all of the sons you can never forget.
Some built the roads, some wrote the poems,
Some went to war, some never came home.
Sons of your sons or sons passing by, children are lost in lullabies.

(Next I will comment on what these great lyrics mean to me.)

To Quote or Not To Quote

DEDE'S ADVICE

Dede says that if I'm going to write a Blog, I should have

some sort of mantra or saying that guides my thoughts.

For once, I think she's right.

She said that maybe I should write down quotes that I like and use those as a guide.

So I did.

I wrote:

"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."

Edmund Burke, 1729-1797

Then I wrote a few by Winston Churchill:

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something,

sometime in your life."

"Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.""

"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. Ignorance may deride it.

But, in the end, there it is."

Frankly, I like all of them. So I have decided that from time-to-time,

I will use each of them.

I said that I would write about politics and the arts and just about

anything that interests me and one of those things is

civility or the lack thereof.

And I hate to be blunt, but another thing that troubles me is

lies. I HATE LIES AND LIARS!!

(and there's a lot of that going around these days!)

I'm not sure I will have any answers, but I will have lots of questions

and I invite you to ask questions of your own and offer suggestions.

Stay tuned.

Love from Me. Mab.

What's Next?

    Now that you know about me and about Dede and some of our adventures, I will use my Blog to comment on things that interest me. I am the Community Organizer for the Hank For Senate campaign. I love politics and the arts, books and poetry and I watch TV with Dede. I like gardening and I have a beautiful patio where I grow nice succulents and plants.

   I would love to hear from you, especially about your interests. I hope you enjoy my Blog. I'm having a wonderful time writing it. Love from Me. Mab.

THE CANCER SCARE (IV)

                                                     THE RADIATION PALACE

    The Team, as they called themselves, prescribed eight weeks of radiation. This meant five days a week for eight weeks -- forty treatments. Before that we were  to see the Surgeon, the Oncologist and the Primary Physician several more times.

Then we were sent to have a cat scan. Next we wer injected with some strange-looking ink like they use in tatoo parlors. The affected area was surrounded with these little pin pricks. (Dede said they hurt.) Then, they blew up a strange substance around Dede's body. She would always lie on that to receive her radiation treatments. That day, we met Dede's Radiation Oncologist, a wonderful lady. We also met the Technicians who would be on Dede's Radiation Team and then back to see the Surgeon. Radiation was scheduled and away we went.

My GodCat drove Dede to all her appointments. Sometimes Puppy drove the car. (He's really very good and didn't dent any of the cars he drove. He drives a little fast, but he's careful. He doesn't like to be told to slow down and bares his teeth at people who say that, but he's a lot of fun and very smart. He was also very helpful as Assistant Spiritual Guide. He has a lot to learn, but  he's okay. But I digress.)

And then, radiation was over and Dede took the Staff a chocolate cake, a beautiful butterfly and she rang the bell that told everyone within hearing distance that she had completed her radiation. She was presented with a beautiful certificate and it was over.

There are siill many appointments and tests and she must take pills everyday, but we are very happy to be here. When we say our Prayers at night and in the morning, we thank God, The Creator and Ceiling Cat for keeping Basement Cat where he belongs -- in the Basement! Love from Me. Mab.

THE CANCER SCARE (III)

    Our first stop was an appointment with the Primary Care Physician. Next, we had a mammogram and then we went home and waited. Very soon a letter arrived telling us that we must immediately come back to see the Primary Care Physician who told us what we already knew -- Dede had cancer. A biopsy and an ultrasound were ordered and performed. There was also a DEXA and an X-ray.  Next we met with the Surgeon and the Primary Care Physician again. Lab work was done. (Dede, who was always afraid of needles became quite blase about this and I was happy about that. I hate it when people faint all over the place!) Soon there was an MRI, and not the kind of MRI that most people have. This one was flat on her stomach for an hour with her arms above her head. She was told not to breathe deeply. (Dede told me later that it was the worst of all the things she had to do.)

Next, we returned to the Primary Care Physician, who sent us back for more lab work and to speak with the Surgeon. He informed us that we would have pre-op on a Tuesday and the surgery would happen on Friday at 10 a.m. After we saw the Surgeon, we went to see our Oncologist. All of these people were very supportive and wonderful and that helped us a lot. And so the big day arrived. Surgery was supposed to begin at 10 a.m. and before that there were X-rays and another ultrasound and finally, we were in an operating room and we don't remember anything after that, until we woke up and saw Deborah and Sarah. And then, we came home.

I am happy to report that Dede came through in fine style and with never any pain. Everyone says that Dede was very lucky. Luck had nothing to do with it. My Rules had worked and I feel very modest when I say, I am probably the Best Spiritual Guide on the Planet. Dede continued to improve, but there was still eight weeks of radiation. (continued)

THE CANCER SCARE (II)

    Dede and I had many long talks during which I stressed her dependence upon me and the Rules I would give her.
   The following are a few of those rules:
(1) Courage above all things followed by a well-defined sense of humor.
(2) Pay attention to all instructions and follow them to the letter. Do not question. Do not second guess. Do not whine or complain.
(3) Choose a group of trusted persons who will pray, support and believe in a good outcome. These people should be friends and should have been through a bad time in their life, but have come through it and were better and stronger. (She chose what we called her "Spiritual Sisters": Cheryl, Carol, Cindy, Jean, Virginia, Donna and Melodie. These women were strong, humorous, supportive and always there for Dede and for me. They played a very important part in our success.)
(4) I knew that our family would be instrumental in our eventual victory. My GodCat was the Leader of this group. She was there every minute. Dede would not be here but for her devotion. My friend, Michael, was very important in this process. He helped in many, many ways and Sarah, our Godgranddaughter, was a mainstay. My good friends, Bill and Sharron, called every day and I was able to report our progress. All were wonderful and helped in my job as Spiritual Guide more than I can say.
(5) I advised Dede that the two of us would write on her Facebook every day. We would be funny and encouraging to others who might be traveling the same road.

Then the real job began. The medical report follows. (continued)

The Life Of A Spiritual Guide

    THE CANCER SCARE (I)

     I am certain that when I was chosen to take care of Dede, my GodCat saw something in me that spoke to her own Priesthood. There is an area of recognition among those who are serving in churches and those of us who do our work in a more secluded and private area.

    I was born to be a Spiritual Guide and I believe that The Creator and Ceiling Cat sent me on a Special Mission. They know all, see all and, because they are responsible for all of us, they are very careful in their matchmaking process. I was destined to be with Dede during a very trying and dangerous time in her life. I will explain.

    One morning Dede told me that she had found a "lump". She said that she believed that it might be cancer and that we would have to take care of it. I immediately went into "attack mode". I sat with her and outlined what she must do. The only leeway I allowed her was that she could wait until after Christmas to begin the attack. Our whole family would be together then and we didn't want to make anyone worried or sad during that festive time. After Christmas, I sat Dede down and outlined our next steps. I told her that the only thing that I required of her was that she retain her good humor and that under no circumstances should she ever display fear. I extracted these promises from her. I told her that I would take care of the rest. Next, I will write about my Plan for Dede's Path To Recovery. (It is not patented. Anyone can use it. It is best if you have a Cat to be your Spiritual Guide, but I guess doggies would work in a pinch. I suppose I should research this. But I digress.) (continued)

My Spiritual Beliefs 3

MY SPIRITUAL BELIEFS  3

I have told you about my own beliefs and my Bible and

The Creator and Ceiling Cat and Basement Cat.

I hope that you are properly impressed.

I have been an EpiscoCat for my whole life and my Mommy was one before me.

I come from a long line of Church Cats stretching back to Henry VIII and beyond.

Dede has been using Ancestry.com for a long time and her ancestry goes back a long, long way.

She, too, is of the Anglican persuasion and this is the kind of prayer she says when we pray

our go to sleep and wake up prayers:

PRAYER TO ST. FRANCIS FOR OUR PETS

Good St. Francis, you loved all of God's creatures.

To you they were your brothers and sisters.

Help us to follow you example

of treating every living thing with kindness.

St. Francis, Patron Saint of animals, watch over my pet and

keep my companion safe and healthy.

God bless Mab and our friendship.

Amen.

Isn't that lovely? We hope that you and your pet companion pray together.

Later, I will write about how I acted as Dede's Spiritual Guide during her recent illness.

Love and blessings from Me. Mab.

My Spiritual Beliefs 2

MY SPIRITUAL BELIEFS 2

Okay. I spoke to Dede about what we were talking about. She seemed not to

understand the question, which is usual for Dede, so we'll just call the

Backyard Cat a Minion.

The Good News about this whole thing is that The Creator sent us

Ceiling Cat!

Ceiling Cat embodies everything that is good and fine and ethical.

We should all want to emulate Ceiling Cat.

When I read in my Cat Bible. (Yes, I have a Bible. Dede bought it for me.

It is written in a foreign language so that not everyone can read and understand it.

Just highly intelligent people like me.)

There are chapters like "Teh Ten Big Roolz" and

"Moses and Teh Scari Burnin' Bush"

and lots of other exciting stories.

This is the Book I live by.

Dede and I pray every night and then we go to bed and sleep.

When we wake up, we do it again.

We are happy and grateful and now I will write the poem that Dede prays each night.

(It's not in a foreign language, so any dumb bunny can read it.)

(continued)

My Spiritual Beliefs

My Spiritual Beliefs

I am very spiritual. Ask anyone. I know that I often sound contentious

and even a bit intimidating, but those who truly know me

know that I am a soft-hearted, kindly, sweet

Cat.

(Okay. I wished for the instant demise of the guy next door and

I would love to see the Cat, who often inhabits my backyard,

meet the Animal Control man -- the one with the net and the pole.

And maybe I laugh when one of those stupid birds {who obviously think they

are members in good standing of the Angry Birds} hits the window behind which I am sitting and slides gracefully to the ground.)

I still am a really good Cat and I have a strong belief system.

By now, I am certain you have discerned that The Creator

sent Ceiling Cat to be our Guide and Helper.

He didn't exactly like the idea that Basement Cat came along, too.

I am afraid of Basement Cat. He is black, but it isn't that lovely black color

that many Cats wear.

It is a black that glows in the dark and makes his eyes, which are an

awful shade of red, seem even more evil.

He is the epitome of all that Cats dread and avoid at all costs.

The reason he is here at all is that there was a War at the Rainbow Bridge

and he was cast out into space and finally landed in a dank, dark

basement.

In this terrible basement, he entertains his minions and they try to

enlist others to do his evil bidding. (In fact, now I think of it, that awful

Cat in the backyard could be a minion. I'll have to tell Dede what I think.)

(continued)

The New House

THE NEW HOUSE

I had never seen Dede so happy as she was on the day we moved.

To be away from the noise and threats was a great relief to both of us.

It had reached the point that when the people next door had friends in, they, too, would yell ugly things at us.

(I never told Dede, but I even found the remains of half-smoked

cigarettes that had been thrown over our patio wall.

Some of them looked suspiciously like pot,

but we had been warned that they took drugs and smoked pot

so it was not surprising.)

Before we found our great new house,

I begged Dede to go back to New Braunfels,

but she said that we were not moving again.

I'm so happy we didn't go back.

The house she found is wonderful!

The patio that would become my new 'playhouse' was enclosed

by the house and a stone wall, but opened to the back yard.

Dede asked the agent if it would be okay if she enclosed the patio, and since he is not only the agent, but also owns the house,

he agreed and so it was done.

It is a charming place, with a beautiful tile table and chairs, and

lots of plants and succulents and hanging baskets.

The house is large and has a lovely living room/dining room

combination and Dede has recently bought a beautiful white table

and chairs for the dining area. You can look out the double doors to

 the outside. Many of the floors are stone and John has a huge room

and private bathroom large enough to roll his wheelchair around.

Even though I had prayed to The Creator to have Basement Cat

destroy the man next door, He wisely allowed Ceiling Cat

to take care of it and so we are very happy here and I don't feel that

I have blood on my paws.

(For those of you who do not know about Ceiling Cat and

Basement Cat, I will explain in another blog.)

More later. Love from Me. Mab.

The Awful, Evil, Very Bad Man 3

THE AWFUL, EVIL, VERY BAD MAN 3

Dede and I determined that we would hold out for the next six months,

until we could break the lease, or at least until the lease ran out.

We guessed that the reason the leasing agent was so hesitant about

our breaking the lease was that he was afraid the fame of the

Awful, Evil, Very Bad Man next door had spread,

and he might not be able to rent the apartment.

As it was, we found out that the lease did not end until May 31, and so

we had to pay that and a cleaning fee. So he got away with a lot of money

from us. He should have been happy. We hope the new tenants next door to

the Awful, Evil, Very Bad Man are happy or maybe deaf.

During the time we had left, Dede searched the Internet for possible

new places to live and, sure enough, in May, she found what looked to be

a wonderful house. She mentioned it to Michael and he sat down at the

computer and wrote an email to the agent for that house

and we came and looked and here we are.

WE ARE SO HAPPY HERE!

It is beautiful and quiet and just a lovely place with a nice yard and I will write

more about it in my next chapter.

THE AWFUL, EVIL, VERY BAD MAN (CONTINUED)

A very gruff Voice yelled, "If you don't stop slamming that ____ door,

I'm going to come over there and beat your ___  ____  ___!"

Dede said, "I'm sorry."

The Voice said, "Yeah, you're always sorry."

Dede, thinking it was her neighbor, said, "Is that you, Jay?"

The Voice said, "I'm the owner of this ____ place, and if you don't shut up,

I'm coming over there and beat the ____ out of you!"

Female voices in the house began to call Dede awful names.

Dede said to the Voices, "Happy Thanksgiving!",

scooped me up and we ran in the house.

Dede began to cry. I was worried because I had never seen her cry before.

As a matter of fact, I had only seen crying on TV and didn't much like it.

Then, there was a knock at the door and it was some people from down the way.

Dede told me later that they were the ones who had been standing in the driveway.

Dede opened the door and a man said, "We heard all that. Would you like us to

call the police?"

Dede said that she didn't want that for fear of starting more trouble.

(She told me later that she was afraid the Voice was drunk and might have a gun.)

They went away after first saying that we should call them if we needed them.

They were very kind, but when they left, Dede cried again.

Then the family came over for dinner and Dede told them what happened.

Later, we talked again to the leasing agent and once again he advised us against

breaking the lease. (I didn't know what would happen if you broke a lease, but I had seen Dede

break things and they shattered. I would have been happy to do that if only we could get away

from the Bad Man and the awful Voice and bad words. (continued)

CHAPTER FOUR

THE AWFUL, EVIL, VERY BAD MAN

Dede and I were very happy in our new apartment.

We were so busy getting settled that we didn't notice

how noisy it was next door.

The apartment had a common wall on the

dining room side and there were

sliding glass doors that led to

a small patio and then to the garage.

Dede had promised to make me a

garden spot where I could go and sun myself

and get fresh air.

She made a pretty little patio spot

with flowers and plants and I loved my 'playhouse'.

As time went on, the noise got louder and would

often go on until two or three in the morning.

We were happy that John's room was on the

opposite side of the apartment, so he was

not disturbed.

Dede's room was also quite isolated from the noise,

but trying to hear the TV in

the living room/dining room area could be a problem.

Knocks on the wall brought no response

except an increase in the noise.

A talk with the leasing agent brought little help.

A conversation with the president of the

owner's association brought the comment,

"We've had lots of complaints about him before.

Would you like me to speak to him?"

Dede said she would like that.

The noise increased.

Dede asked the leasing agent about breaking her lease.

He was not only less than enthusiastic, he

advised against it. He said how much it would cost

to break the lease.

We were appalled.

And so we gritted our teeth and put up with it

until that fateful Thanksgiving Day two years ago.

The door to the patio was open and,

suddenly,

smoke began to fill our apartment.

Because we were afraid our apartment or

the one next door

was on fire,

Dede ran out through the garage to see and,

in doing so, slammed the door to the garage.

There were people in the alley, all of them

looking at the smoke.

It was coming from the patio next door and

someone said, "I'll bet they're grilling, but

that's sure a lot of smoke. Maybe it's not a grill."

Because Dede and I are afraid of fire and know that

we must get John out of the house,

Dede ran back to our patio and yelled across,

"Is everyone okay over there?"

(to be continued)

Surviving New Braunfels

CHAPTER FOUR

SURVIVING NEW BRAUNFELS

Because we are very adaptable, Dede and I decided that we were going to like New Braunfels and be very happy there. We were proud that we had been asked to come and take care of Dede's Mommy. She seemed truly happy to see us, and while she didn't like Cats, I usually stayed at home while Dede went to take care of her. (It is hard for me to understand people who do not like Cats, but then, I'm not crazy about goggies either. There are also people I'm not overly fond of, so I suppose it all evens out.)

And then, we were in for a huge surprise.

Dede's Mommy called us and, with great excitement, told us that Dede's youngest brother was  coming back from Thailand to visit. Dede was very pleased because she had not seen him for some years.

Time moved on and it became evident that he was not just "visiting". He planned to stay and so Dede's Mommy told us that we could go back to California.

This was impossible at the time as we had spent all our funds coming to Texas, and we were now quite happy where we were. Dede had bought a three wheel bicycle which she road every day. She wanted me to come with her and ride in the basket, but I have an innate fear of anything with wheels. She would go each morning and drive by the apartments of her friends and pick up their mail on her way to the big apartment mail box.

These were old ladies and gentlemen who could not go to the mailbox on their own.

(I find it comical to talk about "old people" because Dede was in her 70's at the time and no spring chicken. I wonder what it's like not to have nine lives as I have. However, I might have used up one in that storm drain when drowning seemed possible. I must research that. But I digress.)

Time again moved on and Dede's Mommy had to have an emergency operation. She came through that very well, but seemed to begin to grow weaker each day, until finally, she moved on to whatever it is that humans call The Rainbow Bridge.

My GodCat and Dede's Godgranddaughter were there when Dede's Mommy left and they began to talk to us about moving back to California. We were not quite ready and, as I have said, were very happy were we were. John was doing well and we hated to keep moving him.

Soon, though we did come back to California and Deborah had found us a very nice apartment and we were thrilled with its location and its comfort. That is, until The Very Bad Man appeared. That was scary and terrible and I will write more about this part of my life soon.

CHAPTER THREE

The New Braunfels Saga

 Before I moved to my new apartment in

New Braunfels,

I decided to research the person who would be my roommate.

As soon as I moved in, I noticed pictures of

other Cats on the wall.

One was a beautiful butterscotch-colored Male

and

one was a lovely black and white Female.

I soon learned that the Male was named Bubba and

the Female was named Emma.

I found that they had moved with Dede from her home in

Lake Jackson, Texas to South Pasadena, California.

She had moved there to live with her family --

my GodCat Deborah and her husband, Michael

and their two children, Simon and Sarah.

I learned that they were happy there, but Dede's Mommy

asked that they come back to Texas to care for her.

So Dede packed up John (more about him later),

Emma and Bubba and returned to Texas.

New Braunfels was hot and dry and  they missed

California.

After they had been there for awhile, Bubba,

the handsome Male Kitty, became ill.

He told Dede that he would have to leave her,

but not to worry as he was going to

The Rainbow Bridge

to wait for her.

Emma missed Bubba as only a Sister can miss her Brother.

Dede was very sad.

Soon after that, Emma joined Bubba at

The Rainbow Bridge

and Dede was desolate and said she would never again

have a Kitty.

That is when Deborah and Sarah came and said,

"Don't be stupid. Of course you'll get another Kitty."

And that is when the adventure at the Adoption Day began.

And here I am doing my best to save Dede from herself.

(Dede often speaks about Emma and how wonderful

she was.

Frankly, I am sick of hearing about her -- so much so

that I have begun calling her "the sainted Emma".

She can't have been that great and I always want to say,

"Oh, puleeeze, give me a large break!"

But I digress.)

Aside from the fact that we got to see all of the

San Antonio Spurs games

and watch lots of Texas football,

New Braunfels was pretty boring.

Of course there was the excitement of the snake in the house.

Dede had bought a new recliner

and

a snake got in the house and crawled up in the recliner,

I can only assume it meant to recline.

Dede was so freaked out that she sold the recliner

to the people next door.

I told her that she should have charged them extra for the snake!

I was glad she sold it because I hated the color anyway.

Then Dede's  Mommy got sick and I will tell you

about that in the next thrilling chapter.

(I realize you can hardly contain your excitement!)

 



Chapter Two My Name

CHAPTER TWO

MY NAME

Perhaps it would be well, before I tell of my adventures

in New Braunfels,

to explain my name, Mab.

(A number of people have asked me to explain the origins of my name.

It is lovely to have such interest expressed in my personal life.)

As soon as we arrived at my new apartment called

the Augusta,

there began an intense conversation as to what

a proper name for me would be.

While I explored the amenities of the apartment and

checked out my new litter box which was

certainly cleaner and more commodious than the one at the store,

the conversation continued.

Many names were suggested until, finally,

my GodCat, Deborah, said it should be something Celtic.

(Since I am a Maine Coon Cat, I am not certain why this should be,

but I did not engage in the conversation.

I suppose I could have told them that I already have a name.

My Mommy, who was a great fan of Russian novels,

named me Anna after Tolstoy's tragic heroine in

"Anna Karenina".

Her own name as Anastasia. She was beautiful and cultured

and from a very good family. I never knew my Father.

I think his name was Gus and I believe he was

an actor in a traveling tent show.

But I digress.)

Other names chosen for my brothers and sisters were

Sylphide (Mommy also loved Russian ballet. One of her favorites

was "The Nutcracker". She preferred the Moiseyev version.

I, on the other hand, prefer several American versions and

the one performed by the group from Covent Garden in London.

I especially like the one that has costumes by

Maurice Sendak, who has recently left us to go

"Where The Wild Things Are."

But I digress.)

One sister was named Sylphide, as I have said, and another named

Alexandra (called Sasha)

and my brothers were named

Leonide, Vronsky and Igor (after the Russian opera,

"Prince Igor".)

The name I was finally given is Mabina. I am often called

Queen Mabina. She was a Celtic Queen.

My name also echoes that wonderful speech in

"Romeo and Juliet".

Mercutio speaks of Mab, a Fairy Queen, and

he describes her beauty and elegance.

I personally like that one best.

One final remark: I have often read T.S. Eliot's poem,

"The Naming Of Cats".

His book about Cats was a childhood favorite of mine.

I, therefore, know that Cats can have more than one name.

So. Whether it is Anna, Queen Mabina or Mab,

I will answer (unless Dede persists in calling me

"Tweety", which I can only assume is a perversion

of the word "sweetie". I loathe it, but please

don't tell her.

It seems to make her so happy.

She is easily pleased and such a simple person.)

Next, I will write of my days in New Braunfels.

My Life

My Life

Chapter One

I Am Born

(Because of the great interest in my life and activities, I promised to write of my early life and how I came to be the Cat I am today. And so, borrowing from Charles Dickens, I use the sentence, "I am born." {Dede says I have to always give credit to other people's work which seems, to me, rather useless as I would have used the sentence anyway. But I digress.}

I was born in a storm drain in Austin, Texas, during a particularly terrible week of storms, rain and thunder. Because I can be a rather pessimistic Cat, I believed that we would all drown, but my Mommy was a very intelligent Cat and she took us, one by one, to a spot in the drain where the water was not so deep. (Dragging me and my five brothers and sisters must have been quite difficult, but she was a determined Cat. I am proud to say that I have inherited that trait!).

Because there were so many of us, we were able to create quite a terrible cacophony (look it up! I will likely use many long and difficult words with which the ordinary person is not familiar. It will be to your advantage to keep some sort of word check close at hand when you read my writings. But I digress.)

After some hours of yowling, a kindly motorist stopped and put us all in a cardboard box and took us to her house. She was a very nice lady and had quite a supply of things that Cats like to eat. My Mommy was very grateful and offered to stay with her forever. She told the lady that we must all be kept together and the lady looked a bit taken aback, but said nothing. The next morning, after a substantial breakfast of Mother's milk and tuna, the kindly lady loaded all of us into a dry cardboard box and took us to a store where there were may other animals. They made terrible noises and I believe this is where I got my aversion to goggies. (You must learn that "doggies" are nice and I admit I have known a few. Not many. A few. But the rest of them are "goggies".)

Every month at the store, they held what were called "Adoption Days". People came and stared at us and at the other animals. (This was quite disconcerting, so I learned to stare back. This is where I developed my intense look which can be rather off putting, but keeps at bay people I don't want to know. They are legion. But I digress.) Then one day, at one of the Adoption events, I had had just about enough of the stares and comments and so I went to sleep in the litter box that had been provided in the cage by the Management.

My brothers and sisters continued to pander to the crowds (they looked like something out of "A Chorus Line" -- "choose me, choose me" -- not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just not for me. If you want to be friends, fine. If not, meh! But again I digress.) Suddenly, the cage door opened and this person picked me up. She put me on her shoulder and I feigned sleep. I knew that if I cuddled and acted sweet like a real Cat, I would not have to return to that awful cage. I was correct! She said, "This is the one!" I opened one eye and saw this nice, albeit, easily manipulated person and two other souls. One was Sarah, my Godgranddaughter and Dede. Dede paid money, bought food and we went to Dede's apartment in New Braunfels, Texas.

In Chapter Two, I will recount my life in New Braunfels and my ride to California where Dede now lives with me. Thank you for your patience. Dede says I write too much, but I know of the great interest in my life, so Dede can go take a flying leap.

Love from Me. Mab.

Talk To The Paw

Yes, it's Mab Here!

My friend, mentor and GodCat, The Reverend Deborah Dunn,

has helped me create a blog.

She has created her own blog and tells me that I can write anything that I want to say.

(I don't think she understands what she has done

 and probably trusts that I will not say things that are hurtful or mean or not properly researched.

 I will leave that to the people on Fox News.)

Later I will tell you the story of my life.

 It is exciting and dramatic.

 You will be very impressed that I have survived the many trials I have endured.

Much of what I have to say must needs be kept just between those who read my words and myself. Dede, who is my companion, does not always approve of what I write

 and my opinions are not always pleasing to her.

 However, I reserve the right to believe as I choose.

I hope that as we become better acquainted,

you will feel free to write your own opinions,

ideas, thoughts and dreams.

Love from Me. Mab.