Day 253

Molly waiting impatiently for Lily's food. (note the posture, every muscle tensed, the ears forward and ready, and how her legs have slid further and further away from her body :-))

You just have to laugh sometimes, even when you are crying on the other side of the laughter.  Lily the ancient cat is definitely on her way out now, I really believe this.  She didn't eat at all yesterday and couldn't seem to drink, she kept us all awake at times through the night with her yowling, and this morning in pity I gave her the water from a tin of tuna, which she suddenly lapped down like crazy!  I filled the tin again and again and then squeezed out the water into her saucer, and she kept lapping happily, and when I left for school she was lying ensconced on the carpet looking fine! 

The boys phoned me to tell me that when they got home they gave her chicken which she wolfed down, and that she had eaten all her food as well!  But still, she is skin and bone and big avocado eyes, and I fully expect her imminent demise.  But I laugh at Molly, and I laughed at Lily who whacked me with her paw when I was getting her bowl to clean and fill with food this evening.  She thought I was bringing the food and lifted her paw to tap my hand in an irritated way when I picked up the bowl instead of putting it down!

I felt rather useless this afternoon as an authority figure, with three crazy hormone-raging teenaged girls who got into that giggling nutty mood together, feeding each other's frenzy, until my art room rang with their mad laughter.  I suppose I should have been angry with them, and got them all to sit at separate tables, but I usually see their side too, it was quarter to five on a Friday afternoon and at their age I would most likely have felt exactly the same, and it is such fun to laugh like that with your friends, all together, the happiest you'll ever be, probably.  They were not being belligerent at all with me, in fact they kind of treated me as a fellow conspirator, which role I had to keep on rejecting.  They just couldn't seem to help themselves, and the situation was compounded by the presence of two older boys, the only other students in the room. 

This is the little blue couch which Markie gave us 5 years ago.  It is old now and the large seat cushion kind of gradually leaves its place against the back of the couch, sliding forward uncomfortably for the people sitting on it.

But, as a place to read, for just one person, with your back against the big pillow on the right, the soft orange blanket to put over your legs if you get chilled, it is the best nest in the world!  Your body sinks down in in a very delicious way, and you waft away into the world of your book, just like that!  If occasionally you look up distractedly, your gaze floats over birds flitting to and fro around the feeder, or vaguely notices afternoon light reddening the tall pines.