Cat Lady in the Canyon

Reflections

Posted on May 5, 2024 by CatLadyintheCanyon

“For who knows how my love grows?
And who knows where the time goes?”

Lyrics from “Who Knows Where the Time Goes”
By Sandy Denny, sung by Eva Cassidy

I’m sipping my morning coffee in the cozy chair with Samantha at my feet wanting to play. It’s 6:00 a.m. and after another night of restless sleep, I only have the energy to toss a couple balls across the floor. She bats them around with a few whacks of the paw then takes off around the sofa, into the bedroom, then wizzes over to the cozy chair in a blur of orange fur. I want her energy.

As I listen to Joni Mitchell Radio on Pandora, Eva Cassidy is singing the hauntingly beautiful song, “Who Knows Where Time Goes” and I think, seriously, where does it go? One minute I’m sipping coffee and the next it’s happy hour. And how did May get here so quickly? Although it still feels like winter. I suspect the earth’s rotation has increased. The days just blur into one another.

I listen to the lyrics with Samantha softly meowing, taunting me to play. Besides evoking the contemplation of time, the song conjures reflection on my relationship with Samantha. For who knows how my love grows? It has grown over time that flies. One moment, I’m worried about Samantha’s high anxiety and if we’ll ever bond, and three years later, which happened in a flash, Samantha is confident, happy, at peace and has bonded with me. My heart swells as I look at her and smile. I toss another ball. Excitedly, she chases after it. I hope this moment lasts forever.

Enjoy some pics of my latest happenings…

My reading of Two Cats, a Mermaid and the Disappearing Moon at Laguna Art Museum

My gift basket silent auction donation for the Rotary Club’s Grapes for Grads fundraiser!

Samantha was the star of a promotional video for the reading, although I wasn’t able to upload the video, but here’s a snapshot! You can check it out at on Instagram, my April 26th post @catladynthecyn.

Hugs from Cat Lady and Samantha Jo!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Author, cat lady, cats, human feline bond, Laguna Beach, Music, time | 6 Comments

How the Cat Saved the Cottage

Posted on March 3, 2024 by CatLadyintheCanyon

Living with my cat in a 101-year-old cottage by the sea is like something from a fairy tale. Sometimes I miss my spacious condo in the canyon that I shared with many of my feline family members, but for the past almost six years, this tiny vintage abode has been, and still is, enchanting.

But some days, the wear and tear of its parts can dispel the magic. Thank goodness for Samantha Jo’s enchanting power of discernment.

Samantha typically spends her evenings sitting on the large bedroom window sill spying on the neighbors or playing our games of “tickle-tickle you’re a pickle” and “tag-you’re-it” after which she dozes off in my plush executive office chair.

A few weeks ago, Samantha spent several evenings going back and forth between the the toilet enclave of the bathroom, which faces the water heater closet, and the kitchen cupboards located opposite the water heater closet. Samantha would sit and stare at the door of the water heater closet then after a spell she’d go into the kitchen and paw at the baseboard underneath the cupboards.

Her back is to the cupboards under which the water leaked.

I thought she was chasing bugs—that is until a week after this behavior a slight musty odor started wafting from the toilet area, and about the same time I noticed the paint on a wall beam close to the baseboard by the water heater closet was bubbled. I touched it to feel dampness. Oh no… what was leaking? I opened the closet door but nothing seemed amiss, yet the musty smell was stronger and the water heater was making dripping sounds. During this investigation, Samantha was crouched by the kitchen cupboard baseboard again. I knelt down beside her and felt the hardwood floor underneath the cupboard. The narrow space where the floor met the baseboard was damp the length of the cupboard. I suspected a water heater leak.

Plumber’s Assistant

The plumber came out the next day to replace the old water heater that developed a leak. I didn’t see origin of the leak the day before, but by the time Randy the plumber arrived, the leak had become obvious as it percolated from a pipe at the top of the water heater. Randy said that if the leak went on much longer, the water damage would have been really bad and the situation would have been dangerous. If only I’d taken heed to Samantha’s obsessions with the water heater closet door and kitchen cupboard sooner.

Note to self: when a cat changes their routine, something’s up.

Within a couple days of the water heater replacement, I managed to dry out the waterlogged areas with a space heater and mini-sized dehumidifiers, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Enchantment ensues once again. Samantha is back to spying on the neighbors and chasing me around, whacking my ankles—a feline version of tag-you’re-it!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cat, cat lady, Cottage, Feline Behavior, Laguna Beach, old home, plumber | 15 Comments

Cats in Cars Cruising Coast Highway

Posted on January 14, 2024 by CatLadyintheCanyon

What happened to the end of 2023? Time just slipped away from me between my extremely busy “day job”, holiday festivities and taking time to get enough rest. Sometimes cat naps are in order, or a good read and a cuppa tea. I hope everyone had a joyful holiday season.

Speaking of good reads, since the release of Two Cats, a Mermaid and the Disappearing Moon, it occurred to me that some of you may not know the main characters, Topper and Lexington, and if you do remember them, it might be fun to reminisce. I’m sharing a story I wrote years ago (which I’ve updated a bit) that showcases their mischievous personalities. Enjoy!

***

Upon returning home from a roadtrip back in 2015, while I was unloading the car Topper snuck in and settled on the floorboard of the driver’s seat.

“Come on, Topper,” I motioned for him to get out. He just looked at me with a deadpan stare and folded his front legs under his chest. He was either settling in or being defiant—which were probably one and the same. I let him hang out in the car.

Twenty minutes later I went to collect the cat from the Kia and found him cozied-up on the floorboard of the back seat. It reminded me of the time I caught both cats red-pawed as they were scheming to take the car for a spin around the neighborhood, those stinkers.

Cats Tyring to Steel Car 099 When I used to walk Topper and Lexington around the cul-de-sac of my neighborhood they insisted on stopping and sniffing a hubcap or the bumper of each car they encountered. It’s the roses that you are supposed to stop and smell I’d tell them.

Since when did cats have a thing for cars? It’s probably a good thing they couldn’t reach my car keys and the gas pedal as surely they would figure out the whole driving thing. I would have had to resort to public transportation while they would be off cruisin’ down Coast Highway. I could just see it: Topper behind the wheel, Lexington with his head out the sunroof, whiskers blowing back in the wind and Bobcat with his paws on the dashboard, eagerly peering out the windshield and repeatedly asking, “Are we there yet?!”

Bobcat sitting on the sunroof.

I wonder where “there” would be? Main Beach would be a good start. Lexington would scream from the back seat, “TOPPER—STOP THE CAR! LOOK! Who knew we live 4.5 miles away from the biggest litter box ever?”

Curious to see just how big this outdoor litter box is they would keep driving south, getting glimpses of the sand at each stop light.

“Wow, check out that whale! Maybe we should go there!” Topper would say as traffic would stop them in front of the Wyland Gallery. Not being able to find parking, they would keep on cruising until finding themselves approaching a restaurant that would make their fur stand on end. “Geez, it’s bad enough they roam the canyon, but now they have a restaurant?” Topper would say while flooring it past the Coyote Grill.

My cats weren’t the only felines with a fetish for cars. Sometime after Topper and Lexington “helped” me unload my car that day, I attended a kiln glass art workshop facilitated by Laguna Beach artist Maggie Spencer. After the workshop, I sat outside of Maggie’s Laguna Canyon studio and sipped wine and chatted with Maggie and her friend Sian about the local music scene. Maggie’s cat with calico markings and an exceptionally fluffy tail strolled by and made herself comfortable on Sian’s leather purse. Conversation segued into talking about our cats. Maggie declared, “Whenever I open my car door, Punkin jumps in the car!” I imagined Punkin getting all comfy on the seat, ready for a joyride…maybe to that giant litter box down the street. I hope that Maggie kept an eye on her car keys.