There is nothing more mundane than the tea kettle! At least that’s my opinion. But I love it all the same, mundane though it may be. I use it each and every day, in fact, several times a day, for my favorite cup(s) of green tea. I also drink regular tea but sometimes it’s too strong for me and it upsets my stomach.
I used to drink coffee and tea but the coffee was too much for my delicate belly, so that went the way of all things I couldn’t have. Thank goodness there are so many kinds of green tea. There’s decaf which sometimes I have in the evening, and there’s green tea with white tea, which is so smooth and I think that is my favorite of all.
But through it all the trusty tea kettle is there with its whistle to call me from wherever I am in the house to make my cup of tea. What would we do without all the mundane things we use on a constant basis?
In response to the prompt from The Daily Post to write an article on sleep, dreams, etc.
I used to have a problem getting to sleep. I would read for a while because I like to read especially right before falling asleep. Falling asleep seems to denote an activity like falling, whatever that means and what that means about sleeping. Because we are usually lying down when we sleep either in bed or on the couch and sometimes on comfy chairs.
I would start out in bed with a book and sometimes with a few cookies and a glass of warm milk. Then after about an hour or so, I would start to drift off into sleep. I usually wake about three a.m. for a pee break, then either fall right back to sleep or toss and turn for a while and finally go to sleep for the night.
Then there were nights that nothing would work and I just could not get to sleep after my rituals of the book reading and the cookies and milk. I would turn out the lights and lay there and then toss and turn for about an hour, then get up and go to the couch again with the book. I’d read for a while and try to sleep again. But sometimes even that didn’t work and I would get the book out again and read some more. In the morning I would be exhausted from either no sleep at all or a few hours in between reading. I read more books during that period. At least I was getting something done, I thought.
Then there was the cat factor. Usually my two cats were good, going to their respective places on the bed and not bothering me. In fact, they were a comfort to me mostly but sometimes when I was just falling into a nice sleep, I would feel a paw on my face or in my hair. Of course I woke right up and was not happy. Fortunately, that did not happen too often but usually when there was a full moon, I could count on being awakened by one or both cats.
The last few years as my age advances, I seem to have no trouble getting to sleep at night even though I sometimes take a nap in the late afternoon. I actually look forward to going to bed, reading for about an hour, again with the cookies and milk and drifting off to sleep.
Even more so, I look forward to the afternoon naps. I actually savor the thought of lying down on the couch with the present book I am reading, which incidentally is mostly a murder mystery and sleeping like a baby with my cat Lady, lying either on top of me or somewhere in the immediate vicinity. Whichever is more comfortable for her of course.
Merlin and Lady started getting along soon after that. Although Merlin never quite got over that Lady could sit on my lap with him and also get petted. He had this look when he saw me petting her that said it all. She, of course, was oblivious to his glares and would climb over him to get a better position on my lap.
On the other hand, Lady would cuddle up with Merlin when he was lying on the couch or chair and he seemed to like it. He would groom her and even clean her ears which she loved. And she would do the same for him. So they became good buddies over the years. I really loved their antics with each other.
Then a few years ago Merlin developed a Thyroid disease. I had to put him on a special diet and take away the dental treats he loved but he got used to the diet even though I knew he wasn’t crazy about it.
He would wait outside the door when I was giving Lady her dental treats and then when she came out, he would rush in and lick the empty dish. I really felt bad about that, but the vet said nothing except the food she recommended. And it did help him stay healthy for a time.
When he was drinking water, Lady would come and insert herself between him and the water bowl and start drinking. He would always sit back and let her do it. When she was finished, he would continue drinking.
Merlin was always very nice to Lady but sometimes he would get a wild hair and chase her around the house. Then she would give a cry and I would reprimand Merlin of course. But I think she loved the chasing and playing even though he would get a little boisterous at times. It was all a game to them.
We all had a great time together until recently when Merlin got very sick and was refusing to eat or drink. After several trips to the vet, I knew he didn’t have much time left and it all happened so suddenly that it was a shock to me. I tried to make him as comfortable as possible and I was glad I was with him when he died. I will always remember the good times we had together and I still have Lady to play with and spoil and to enjoy our time together, however long that may be.
Merlin was a small kitten with the biggest ears and I was wondering if he would grow into those ears. Sure enough, he did just that. He quickly became a good-sized cat and tipped the scales at fifteen pounds. His fur was dark gray with almost a blue tinge and felt like velvet when I petted him. Which was a lot, as he loved being petted. But only by me. He sometimes allowed family members to pet him. And he let them know it was ok to do so by head butting their hand. They were always happy to reciprocate but after a few pets, he warned them that was enough. He would give them a little love bite.
He was my cat through and through and no one elses, except he let a few people in occasionally. He was very sociable and was always at the door to greet people when they came to visit. Just don’t pet him, that was reserved for special people.
We had a few hairy moments when I had to rush him to the emergency hospital because he had ingested some plastic wrapping and string from a Christmas present. And after all they did for him at the hospital, he passed it in his stool about a week later. Of course I was frantic for a while.
He always came to the door when I was leaving and he would try to peek through the crack in the door. And when I got home, he was usually lying on the rug I had just inside the door. I did kind of train him as a dog I guess because he would sit and lay down for me and come when I called him. And I swear he knew what I was saying most of the time, except when he didn’t want to know. One of the vets I took him to remarked, “He thinks he is a dog.”
When Merlin was three, we acquired another cat, who was also three years old. I renamed her Lady. They were calling her “Gator” which I didn’t think fit her at all. She was so tiny with a big bushy tail and short legs with big paws. So Lady it was.
Actually, Lady was Merlin’s sister. They were from the same litter and Lady’s owner had gotten very sick and couldn’t keep her. My friend, who had the mother cat took Gator at that time but she needed to find a home for her again. At that time I was thinking Merlin might like a playmate. I was working at the time and although it was part-time, I was away a lot and he seemed lonely. So I said yes to taking Lady on a trial basis. If Merlin didn’t like her, she was out the door.
Well Merlin did not know what to make of Lady when she first came to live with us. And Lady for being a small, dainty cat was a pretty in your face kitty. She tried to take over my lap as hers and crawl over Merlin to get a place of honor. Well he really didn’t like her and her antics all that much but he would just give her dirty looks. I separated them for a few weeks at first until they got used to each other and finally I just put them together and let the chips fall.
There are several things I treasure, some more than others so it is hard to pick out just one to write about. The number one treasure for me is of course my cat, Merlin, who passed away on this past March 13. We had been together for fifteen years. He was the apple of my eye and he kept me happy and amused most of the time with his antics. And of course, I spoiled him rotten. I picked him out of a litter and I had the pick of the litter, as the person who had the mother cat was a friend. It was the first time I had a cat of my own and at my age I was wondering if it would work out. I wasn’t as spry as I used to be and I had been a ‘dog’ person’ before that.
But now that I was older and living alone, I thought that a cat may be the ideal pet for me. A few friends thought I would love having a cat, saying that a cat would be no trouble. You don’t have to walk them or scoop up their poop, I was told and they clean themselves and they love to be petted and sit on your lap. Even sleep on the bed if you want them to.
So when a friend’s cat had kittens, she asked me if I was interested and she said that I could have the pick of the litter. Enter Merlin! He seemed to be so darn easygoing and of course cute as a kitten. Well he was a holy terror when I got him home. Knocking over everything that wasn’t nailed down, including a lamp and vase, smashing the vase. It just happened to be in his way as he leaped from chair to table and all around the house. Good thing he was so darn cute.
To be continued.
This is going to be a longread, so I am breaking it up into two or three pieces.Thanks for reading and for any feedback you would like to contribute.
MARION G. 