A new friend for the journey

 See that bicycle? With a basket to hold a water bottle and snack, and a little shelf to strap one's books and ride out into the countryside? I want to be there, that countryside, looking out over the meadow. Don't you? To spend the day lollygagging, reading and munching the hours away.

But I'm not. I'm here. The photo was taken somewhere in the Netherlands, but I'm in my sweet little house in northern Idaho - that's where my journey is right now. Likely you're somewhere ordinary as well, doing the routine things that make up your day. 

Actually, I'm here. At the keyboard, where I haven't been for a good five months. Completely unplanned break from my blog. My word of the year for 2021 was 'Listen', and I was just telling my daughter yesterday that third time's a charm. I've chosen 'Listen' twice before, but this year I have not only been able to remember my word all the way into October, I am actually doing some of it. Not perfectly, but better. And somehow that didn't translate into writing here. 

But now feels right to come back and share again. 

Today's 'journey' has a lunch meeting, painting kitchen cabinets, putting together menus and a grocery list, working out this afternoon, piano practice, a bit of math lessons and some reading of old books. I've been up to a few things while I've been away and want to share them later, but for today, in this little space of time I have, I want to share my big thing. The one thing that I changed in my life that has made a difference. I listened to my heart and told Cub Sweetheart I needed a pet again. 

So we bought a cat. 

We've had a lot of cats over the years. Some showed up and we started feeding them, and you know how that goes. 

This time, we actually contacted a breeder of ragdolls, and chose a kitten, then waited two months until we were in Idaho so we could pick her up. When I told Cub Sweetheart what she would cost he was truly stunned. How could a cat cost that much? Cats usually cost about $50 from the shelter, or at least that has been our experience over the past 40 years. 

But we were told these cats were different - they're known as the puppy cat, love everyone, always calm, snuggly, their color takes several years to come in and they eventually get somewhat enormous. 

As soon as I saw the first photo of her, knew she was to be mine, I was obsessed. I may have started her own Instagram account.  My kids asked me how I could love a pet I hadn't even seen yet, but that's just silly. 

Love is a choice, a decision, not a feeling. I decided I would love her fiercely because she was going to be with us for a very long time and we were going to be the best of friends. 

We retrieved all 4.6 lbs of her from the breeder and brought her home, where she hid under the furniture for the first three days. 

We quickly found out little people were less scary than grown ones, and we now schedule play dates for them. Our two granddaughters, ages 7 and 9, are her third and fourth favorite people on the planet. 

She's now 7 months sold, and about twice as big as when we brought her home five months ago. Her fur feels like a rabbit, and she's the floppyiest (not sure that's a word but nothing else describes it) thing you've ever seen. Talk to her, even look at her for long and she just falls over belly up to wait for a snuggle or scratch. 

She comes when we call her, retrieves toys, spends about half the day somewhere in the basement taking an afternoon nap. The rest of the time she wants to be with us. 

Sort of like a dog, except she never needs to be walked or trained or housebroken. 

Charlotte (named after the book with the pig and spider) is an ordinary miracle, and has begun to heal that hole that was in my heart after rehoming our Shih Tzu two years ago. She cost a pretty penny, but I calculated it out to be about 1/10 the cost of a daily mocha latte, so there's that. She makes us laugh every single day, and that's priceless. She makes our home a nicer place to be. 

It's awfully nice to have her along for the journey with us. 

Back soon :-)