Scamp

Scamp has been with us since June of 1993. We were living in Venice at the time and a neighbor found him under her house. He was a scrawny, dirty, flea ridden little thing.

We learned that he was about 8 months old and was in need of some TLC. That first year was quite an adventure for both him and us. There was no Advantage for Cats - just a drop on the neck keeps fleas away for a month - he was subjected to quite a few flea baths and fleas had taken up residence in our apartment. I bought flea bombs and, dismayed, learned that I had to vacuum daily to keep the little buggers away. The flea baths had to be done by a professional as I still have some small scars from the time I attempted to put him in water....

He was undernourished, having foraged on the streets for quite a bit. One night while I was preparing chicken for dinner I turned my back on the counter while putting the chicken on the stove. Scamp jumped up and snagged the absorbent inner packing material and ate the whole thing! In a panic I called the vet. Will it expand in his gut? Will we have a cat emergency before morning? The vet told us to get some vaseline into his mouth and it would facilitate passage of the material. Fortunately the vet was correct and all those rumors of nasty salmonella proved unfounded as he didn't get sick from the uncooked chicken drippings. Well, maybe cats aren't as sensitive as we are....

We were living in an apartment at the time and pets weren't allowed so we trained him to stay inside. That was when I discovered the wonders of the spray bottle. Spray bottle filled with water in hand I would go outside the door. When I opened the door there he was, ready to explore the great outdoors. Imagine the look of dismay and disgust on his face when he was met with a spray of WATER. Well, it took about 5 repeats before he completely ignored the open door.

In February 1994 we moved from Venice into our home in Camarillo. Scamp's only trips had been to the vet so he wasn't fond of his carrier or the car. After all our belongings were on their way I put him in the car and began the hour drive to the house. At first he yowled and yowled and yowled. It seemed that no amount of talking was going to get him to be quiet but then, quite suddenly, he stopped. I drove for a while wondering what had happened but grateful for the quiet. Then slowly I became alarmed. I pulled off the road to check. Was he dead from the stress? Was he catatonic? I found him huddled in the farthest corner of his carrier, shaking in terror. No amount of reassurance was going to get him calmed down so we hit the road again. Finally we pulled into the driveway of our new place. One of the bathrooms was to be his home until all the furniture had been unloaded and the movers had gone. I put a big sign on the door "Do Not Open This Door".

All went well. The unloading took much longer than I thought it should but then we had a lot of stuff! We waved goodbye to the movers and went to get Scamp. HORRORS! The door was wide open and no matter how much I called, Scamp didn't come running. OK let me tell you, the last thing you need on moving day is a lost pet! I wandered the neighborhood calling his name and knocking on doors. One woman looked at me as if I was from Mars. Why make such a fuss about a cat? It'll find it's way home in a bit.

Exhausted, I went back home, hoping that she was right. After all he had survived the city streets so he had "street smarts". We made the bed, got some take-out for dinner and crashed. As we were drifting off to sleep we heard a strange noise. Wasn't coming from the garage or the living room or the kitchen but the bathroom. By now it was quiet in the neighborhood and we heard the mewling of a far-off cat! But only in the bathroom. Seemed to be coming from behind the sink so I opened the cabinet and called Scamp. He had crawled up behind the bathroom sink into the wall! To this day I don't know how he managed to get himself into that tiny space. Exhausted, we all slept well that night.

I could go on but you know by now that he was well named and has provided me with endless stories. Until his age slowed him down he was the supreme critic and household supervisor. Nothing happened without his presence. He insisted on participating in every task except vacuuming. Now that he is a bit older he has trained his new companion Jenny to take over most of the supervision but on days when the sun is out and his joints don't hurt he still accompanies me on my daily chore trail.

Olden Days

Well, the Thanksgiving cooking marathon is finished! Love those leftovers - wouldn't have to cook for a couple more days....

While peeling potatoes I was thinking about the first house that I remember living in. I was around 5yrs old when we moved to Lacombe. The war had ended, Dad was newly out of the Air Force and had started a business selling and repairing radios and appliances. The house he rented for us was tiny by today's standards. It was wood framed and two stories. The living room, dining room and kitchen were downstairs and the 2 bedrooms were upstairs. Where were the bathrooms? Well there was a one-holer outside in the back yard.

We did have running water in the house - a pump by the kitchen sink. Yes a pump just like you used to see at the more primitive camp sites. The sink drained into a bucket under the sink that had to be emptied regularly or the floor got washed with, well you get the picture. There was a big black stove in the kitchen. I think it used coal but for sure we used wood kindling as I remember a chopping block and hatchet outside in the back. Put the kindling in the stove, get the fire started then put in the coal. Not a fun chore in the middle of winter in subzero temps. There was a big reservoir on one side of the stove and that was where we got our hot water. It got filled up after the fire was started. I seem to remember that Mom would get up in the middle of the coldest winter nights to check that the fire hadn't gone out as that stove provided heat for the house.

Since we didn't have a bathroom, we washed up in the kitchen. Faces and hands at the sink and baths every Saturday night in a washtub on the kitchen floor. This washtub was pretty darned big as I could sit comfortably in it. Mom would put the washtub on the stove and put some water in it. When the water was warm enough the tub was put on the floor and my sisters and I were summoned to the kitchen for a top to toe scrubbing. It always felt really good to be that clean and our faces shone in church the next morning.

Speaking of washtubs, that was exactly what it was used for - doing the wash. Imagine having to take all the dirty clothes and wash them essentially on top of the stove. The tub would be put on the stove and filled with water. When the water boiled the whites went in. The water was brought back to a boil and the clothes were stirred up until Mom felt that they had enough. I think that stains were tackled first on the washboard in the sink. After the whites were removed the darker clothes went in for their boil. The water wasn't changed, just boiled. After a rinse in the sink, the clothes were hung outside on the clothesline. Now this was no problem in the middle of summer but in winter the sheets were almost frozen by the time the clothes pins were in place. And talk about cold fingers!!! Why bother you ask? Well the humidity was pretty darned low when it wasn't snowing so some of the moisture was evaporated. Of course if the clothes weren't dry by nightfall, lines were put up in the kitchen and the clothes were hung there to dry. I seem to remember dodging diapers for a few years. Must have been after Sylvia was born.

Wow! I will no longer complain about having to do laundry and you now understand why central heating and TWO bathrooms seem like such luxuries to me.

As a kid, however, there were benefits to this arrangement. Where did the "slops" and dirty water go? In the summer they went into the garden in the back yard. That garden provided us with a bounty of fresh vegetables in the summer and the excess was canned or "put up" for the following winter. In winter that garden was transformed! It became my personal skating rink. Of course it was a bit bumpy and potato peels stuck out of it here and there, but that was the place that my love of skating was born. Imagine just walking out your back door to skate! Purest luxury.

Rain

It is raining!! Finally we are getting rain again. It has been coming down in rushes making streams in the street. This is the kind of rain that I love. It cleans the air, the trees, the bushes, the sidewalks. After a rain all the colors are brighter and optimism fills the air. OK so that's a bit romantic but after months without a really good downpour I really appreciate a good rainstorm.

Why California Cat Lady? Well, clearly I live in California and Don teases me that if we get any more cats I'll be a true "Cat Lady". You know the kind. She sits in a rocker all day surrounded by her pride of cats. Don believes that it takes feeding and cleaning up after five cats to achieve true cat lady status but I'm claiming it with only three. Of course I don't sit in a rocker all day and my cats will only sit in my lap occasionally but still, they are fun and lively and brighten up our home.

Thanksgiving Preparations

Wow! I just got back from the local supermarket and I'd say that people are certainly in the store. As to whether they are spending money, the carts weren't exactly bulging with food. With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I got out my menu, reviewed the recipes, checked the pantry, made my list, and got out there shopping.

Going gluten-free a few years ago has complicated our preparations. Gone the heat'n serve rolls. Gone the packaged stuffing. Gone the bakery pies. Gone the days of quick and easy preparation.

Tomorrow I'm going to make the zucchini muffins that replace bread in my stuffing. I've got to roast pecans and squash for "pumpkin" pie. Since all the sweet sugar pumpkins were sold out at the local pumpkin patch, I'm going to try to make the squash taste a bit like pumpkin. After all, adding just a bit of honey to sweeten it up may just be all it needs....

The nearby produce stand didn't have any brussels sprouts and when we asked about them, the woman at the register said that they wouldn't be ready until December at the earliest. Then and there we changed the tradition that had us eating those delectable cabbages at Thanksgiving and relegated them to Christmas. Perhaps the little plants that Don transplanted last week will be ready to harvest then. We bought lovely beets to replace the brussels so will have added more color to our feast as well as a different veggie. Just another change. I found myself wondering as I passed the displays of canned green beans for green bean casserole, what must it be like to have exactly the same meal year after year. Since it is usually just Don and I, our holiday meals are pretty much whatever we want with just a nod to tradition.

Seasons

Yesterday I was watering the small pot of strawberries in the backyard when I noticed that the rose bush was putting on buds! Since it is almost the end of November I thought that the summer plants were quite finished and ready for their winter rest. Wrong! Our apple tree is still heavy with fruit, the grass is still growing, and the nectarine tree still houses a flock of tiny birds in it's leafy branches.

When I first lived here I was caught by surprise by the passage of time. I grew up in Alberta where the seasons had unmistakable markers. Spring was heralded by the purple crocuses pushing their heads above the snow. Summer was, mostly, no snow and hot. Fall came all too early with colorful displays of red and yellow leaves and winter was foreshadowed by the snow that almost always arrived on Halloween.

Now I'm more accustomed to a quieter change of seasons. Of course in winter we sometimes host a Santa Ana wind that brings temps into the 90s just when we have packed all our hot weather clothes away. Summers we enjoy those low clouds that shield the sun and keep the temperatures in the 60s. Spring and fall have nights cool enough for a good night's sleep and the sun warms us during the day. The very best times of the year.