The above pic is Miss M. I think we’re going to get along just fine.

C1 has been on the calendar for quite a while. I’m hoping you have some of the same type of friends I have. I explained in H1 about friends of friends… in this case, I met L in a previous life because her husband had been a good friend of my brother for as long as I could remember – not that I knew any of them (except for my brother, I knew my brother!) and we met accidentally on the street and those six degrees of separation became two degrees. L and I liked each other right away but our lives were different enough and busy enough that we connected only occasionally. Then she arrived in the city I had moved and we get together when we can for lunch.

Are you confused yet?

Anyways, L emailed me one day to say her new neighbour was looking for a cat-sitter for 5 weeks.  Timing seemed ideal (not expecting that closing on last house would be so short!) so Sure!

And here I am! Five weeks in a lovely little condo with a furry feline who rules the roost!

I arrived this afternoon, bringing my coffee making equipment (yup, I’m a coffee snob!) and my own bedding (cat-slave request) and my whole great computer set-up.

Perhaps that’s a good segue into a reality check. Right now, my computer space requirements are greater than usual because I recently bought a new laptop and the transfer and cleaning up of files will be a major project.

First night here: there’s a Noodle Box and a wine store in the ‘hood so all is good so far!

Stay tuned!

Addenda!!

What do they say? Never count your chickens before they’re hatched?

My first evening was lovely. Good dinner, glass of wine, cat out surveillancing the ‘hood. The cat in, time for bed.

I woke in the wee hours to a repetitive ratttle.  I turned on my sleep meditation and dozed off. The rattle persisted and it was close enough that I knew it would drive me crazy. Wandered about in the dark, trying to echo locate. In the bedroom, there’s an outside door to a tiny courtyard and I finally realized the cat was waiting outside the door rattling the little bobble it had been taught to rattle when it wanted in.

I was confused. How much wine had I drank last night?

Whatever. Cat in, back to bed, and sleep.

Next, a high-pitched, again repetitive, beep beep beep like a far-away smoke alarm battery was dying. Crikey! What in this house could that be? Wandered about, again my echo-locator on high alert. Finally opened that little courtyard door… yup, it was outside, who knows where, nothing I could do about it.

Whatever. Back to bed, and sleep.

OMG! what now? more strange noises, I couldn’t even figure out what these ones were. Wandered about again, only to spot the cat outside the door AGAIN, doing variations on a theme on that rattle-thing. This time I knew it was the cat being an escape artist, not me being neglectful.  WTH? Finally realized a window behind a blind was open, left that way by either the cat-slave (the full-time one, not me) or the housekeeper. Closed that tight!

Finally back to bed, hopeful I could avoid any more interruptions. HA! Cat-slave had been up early for a flight yesterday, alarm set at 5:20 AM. Music came blasting at me. New clock, I pushed the first thing I could find, then turned on the light, found my glasses, and not finding an OFF button, turned the volume down. Great idea, except in my half-awake state I had moved one button to Alarm and hit the snooze button. Ten minutes later the beep, beep, beep was loud and clear inches from my head. I wasn’t going to be beaten by a clock so I got up, lights and glasses, and found the OFF button. Aaah.

Now you’re probably hoping I’m going to get some sleep before the sun comes up. Me too. However, I do like my early mornings, my mug of coffee and my colouring app. MY alarm went off at 6! This time I knew how to turn it off and managed to doze for another 45 minutes.

As I write this, I’m up and showered, a lovely mug of coffee in my stomach. Cat, however, is fast asleep, refuses to go out for a pee before I leave for an appointment. Sixteen hours in, at least I’m schooled on who calls the shots around here.

What a difference a week makes…

I think I introduced you to Miss M above? I’ve changed her name to “Slasher“!