A Cat Indiana Jones

    My cat, Callie decided to go on an adventure this afternoon.  Is it some innate conspiracy within a cat's mind that drives it to curiosity? 

 Or is it just with my cat.   We had just come home from lessons that morning and everything was perfect.   The perfect mess on the coffee table and the perfect mess of computer cords next to the window.  My husband sat there moseying online and getting the latest update from our circle of friends on Twitter. Just a typical Saturday afternoon.  

A few minutes later the sound of cupboards slamming and nudging of tile caught my attention. Callie.   If it's not one thing, it's another.  So I hurry to the kitchen and she's not there.   Callie had jumped from the kitchen counter to the fridge and climbed into our ceiling.   We live in a loft apartment connected to another loft apartment and there's an opening behind the ceiling tiles into our neighbor's kitchen. Chris assured me that she would be alright, that she would come out when she wanted.  That was before both of us heard the ruckus next door. Apparently Callie had climbed through the open braces in between the apartments and fell through our neighbor's ceiling. She cried and cried and we couldn't get to her.   

Now I love this cat.  She's sort of been my baby ever since we adopted her last December.   AND I COULDN"T DO ANYtHING. It's a horrible feeling to fear and wonder about the welfare of your loved ones. I know Callie's just a cat but she's our cat and that makes all the difference in the world.   Our neighbor's not home, she hasn't been all afternoon.  I'm grateful the dog is locked up and I pray to God she is alive and well.   The dog didn't bark when Callie fell through the ceiling so I ask myself if she is even alive.   The fear is an unfounded one, but honestly I don't know what I would do if she were.  What if our neighbor washed dishes before she left and left knives in the sink, oh gosh, I hope she's okay.   She's stopped crying, she doesn't even meow. I hope she's alright. If she is, I hope she has sense enough not to use the bathroom without a litter box or break anything or make a mess and when we get her back she's going to get the biggest lesson ever or maybe just lots of loving.   I miss her. The house is so empty without her. We've been waiting for hours for our neighbor to return home.   She couldn't have gone far her dog is still there and he needs to get out too. I find myself jumping to look out the window every time a car drives by.   So far I've cut out construction paper shapes for preschool at church tomorrow and watched CSI and sat in silence.  Chris assures me that she's okay but how does he know?  I think I heard her meow a little while ago. 

After waiting 4 hours or so our neighbor shows up and we meet her at the door with our wild tale.   Imagine coming home to that! After much searching we find her cowering in my neighbor's box spring mattress.   All's well that ends well.  Of course being a cat she's perfectly fine.  It's kind of nice though. She's been really attached to us ever since that happened!

:D

Pita Day 2

I made Pita Bread the other night.   My next agenda is to figure out how to cut the opening in it without tearing the bread to peices................

Passion. Love

I'm baking bread.

I love baking bread.  Not from the betty crocker box, but starting with the flour.  I make it from scratch.  Nothing can replace the fine grainy feel between  my creases or the stickiness that plasters itself inside my fingers.   The warm wafts of rising yeast beneath my hands energizes my soul. The smell reminds of the one time that I had walked through a beer brewery.  The smell of fermented yeast lingered strongly in my nasal cavity. It's strength broke me.  I passed the walk without breath and was relieved when my lungs coughed up the last of the brewery. I didn't know that years later my kitchen would have the same smell.   It's not strong, not like the brewery smelled.  But it's definitely there; that splendid delicious smell. 

Mother made bread making sound long and tedious. Above all it was painful.   I believed her until a day of boredom met my own curiosity. It became just the opposite.  The mixing and kneading became signs of nurtured love. I watched with learned patience as cornflakes of dough molded together to form the perfect consistency. Gently and firmly my wrist would raise and fall as I pushed  the heel of my hand into the growing elasticity. It became pure splendidness as the stickiness fell away to smoothness. 

Dough is unlike play dough.   As a young girl play dough was the activity I only got to play outside of my home.  I could spend hours molding it's smoothness into little figurines and shapes of my imagination. I was careful. Any sudden jerk would tear the play dough pieces.   Dough wasn't like that. It was one mass, completely one, inside and out.  Dough is one like my husband and I are one and like the trinity is one.   I marvel at its material and think, "There is nothing else like this." The recipe called for ten minutes of kneading but I made it into fifteen minutes.   No matter.   Now we wait.   Half hour after half hour I take turns letting the bread rise and then knead then rise and knead. I've discovered this to be a delicate process.  There can not be too much of one step or else the bread won't bake right. 

I wonder if God had made us the same way.  Really, he makes us that way.   We are born, we grow, we learn, we grow and so on and so on.    The bread will be done in just a few minutes.  For us it takes a lifetime.  A lifetime?   Is a lifetime possibly enough?   Could we ever stop learning and growing?   I imagine that we never do.  I imagine that the process of discovering is an unending wonder for us.   Is it possible for our great creator to do the same?   He is the beginning of all things; does he wonder? I can't find answer to that question.  Maybe he finds it hard to wonder at things like stars and changing seasons, just because he orchestrates every movement.   Does he wonder at us;  The one being on earth that holds free will from day to day? I am blessed and pleased at the actions and thoughts of the people in my life.  Perhaps God is the same.   It's nice to think that we make him smile and even laugh. 

So it's been awhile and what has started out a way to begin my freelancing career has turned into a major flop.    It's funny how certain things just happen.   Like I just happen to get writer's block once I decide that I want to write for a living.  I write in my journal and that's about it.   Honestly, it's really easy to write in a journal that you know is for your eyes only.   But writing for an audience? What part of my life would someone want to know about or what part of my life would I feel comfortable sharing with the whole of God's earth.    

Yeah, that's not going very well. 

But drawing is. Can't say much for painting. I drew this great picture of a silhouette playing the upright bass.  I was proud of it, you could really feel the movement in the picture, it's great.    

I'm not writing and i'm not drawing much... my life consists mainly of preschool, and piano lessons.  I love to teach children, absolutely.  It's the best thing in the world. I've got a theory book to write for my students....it's so hard to write instructional books, especially on things that seem so obvious to the seasoned musician.   

Yesterday Chris and I went to Montgomery.  He's on his 2 wk vacation and that was our mini vacation.   It was so much fun, seriously, I don't remember the last time we had this much fun.   We didn't plan anything besides where we were going and how much to spend.   It was great.  We ice skated for the first time and I discovered that I have  muscles in my feet that really really ache!   We shopped in randomn funny stores and our favorites and we ate a cookie while watching the zambooni clean the ice!   The rest of the day was spent walking at east chase mall and exploring the local craft store. We watched a movie in the Rave ( Yes, Man--I wouldn't recommend it) and had dinner at a gas station.  All the while we freezed!   Both of us bought extra sweaters to keep us warm! It was so much fun!  

From now on, all vacation are to be planned as little as possible!!!