“First of the fall
And then she goes back
Bye, bye, bye, bye there
Them summer days
Those summer days”

Lyrics from “Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly Stone
Sung by Sly and the Family Stone

Clouds rolled in at sunset creating a moody mid-September sky, giving us a sneak-peak of autumn. I watched Mother Nature’s magic from the bedroom through the French doors that I just closed. Samantha and I were in for the night; well, almost. The French door to the catio was wide open, showcasing my newly refurbished garden. Samantha sashayed out to the catio where I had spent most of the day sweeping, de-leafing, hosing, re-potting plants and organizing their arrangements on the side of the house that wraps around to the entry, dubbed the “catio.” Its ivy-accented lattice and wood slat fence enclosure makes for a safe and cozy outdoor space for Samantha Jo. I poured a glass of wine then sat on the pavers next to my girl. She rolled on her back inviting me to play “tickle-tickle” as we awaited John’s (Papa John to Samantha) arrival from his band’s gig at a local party. Samantha’s eye injury finally healed, with only a hint of scar tissue remaining. I love seeing her sassy and happy again.

With fall in the air, summer already feels like a distant memory. One memory I’m sure Samantha has blocked is our 4^th of July catastrophe. Since Samantha came into my life in April 2021, 4^th of July holidays have been fraught with anxiety. With one firework show two blocks from the cottage and another one mile down the road, no amount of gabapentin or calming spray has been able to quell Samantha’s fear response to the bombastic noise, nor the raucous sounds from inebriated tourists parked up and down the street exiting the neighborhood. I couldn’t allow her suffer through another 4th. John and I had a brilliant idea: we booked a room at a pet-friendly hotel away from firework shows. We would have a peaceful evening of sipping wine, playing Yahtzee, and listening to music—not the sound of simulated bombs, and Samantha would be batting around her favorite mousey toys and lounging on the bed. Or not…

As we entered the suite, the smells of urine and something chemical assaulted our senses. Apparently a pet had peed and the smell could not be eradicated. The hallway outside our room was as busy as Pacific Coast Highway on a summer day with guests coming and going, slamming doors and loudly conversing. Our plan to order room service dinner delivery was nixed when we learned the hotel restaurant was closed. And the “lovely” patio suite was on the periphery of an emergency vehicle road and the patio was a small slab of concrete.

John went to a near-by grocery store to grab sandwiches for dinner and he picked up a lavender aromatic spray to snuff out the putrid smells. I eagerly took off the wrapper, put my finger to the spray pump, and instead of lavender scented spray wafting into the air, it dribbled down my arm. A broken nozzle? Seriously? At this point, we burst out in hysteric laughter. Although, Samantha didn’t see the humor. She anxiously paced the room while sniffing the carpet, periodically stopping to growl at the door. She managed to unwind after the people-traffic died down, but was still on high alert every time someone walked by the room. Samantha couldn’t fully relax, and neither could we, so we packed our bags and got the hell outta there, arriving back at the cottage after the crowds were gone and the fireworks were over. Samantha hopped onto the bed and settled in for the night as though the Hotel Hell incident never happened.

We hope you all had a great summer!

Enjoy the pictorial of some summertime highlights.

We spent many nights at the Sawdust Festival… I could almost live in this playhouse built by Habitat for Humanity, which was up for auction.

We enjoyed music–Samantha and I listening to records…John singing and strumming folk rock classics at a private party…

An off-the-hook Shawn Jones Big Band concert at Bluebird Park…

Cat-themed picks for my radio show with DJ John Ford on KXFM 104.7. Tune in to the AM Radio show (Americana music and more), Sundays from 3:00 to 5:00 104.7 on your dial if you’re in the Laguna Beach area or listen live at kxfmradio.org.  DJ PK (that’s me) co-hosts every second Sunday.

Reading compelling essays in The Sun

Cat lady in a cave! We attended a block party in a neighborhood that has its very own cave, and spent more time in the cave than groovin’ with the party guests.