Loki and the girl next door.

Loki is an attention whore, as I've mentioned before. A couple of years ago, a family rented the house next door. They had a 4-year-old little girl "A" who is so very cute. Lee-Roy didn't like kids. Loki apparently does. She's home in the afternoons when we aren't, playing in her front yard. Loki started watching her with great curiosity. A is friendly and we chat from time to time. One of the times, Loki came up and hissed at her. I told him to be nice. It turns out she was afraid of cats because "when she was little" she got scratched by one. I explained about Loki's lack of claws and how gentle he was. He was feeling snuggly then feisty with me and I saw a bit of yearning on her face. I showed her how he liked to be petted but she was too afraid to try. Over time, he started rubbing up against her. I told her just to put her hand on his head and let him pet himself on it. She was afraid.

I got home from work one day and Loki wanted me to play with him. I was following him around and A was on her porch with her dad. She wanted to chat so I stopped. Loki got to the gate and wanted me to follow him, so he impatiently yowed at me. I told him I didn't want to go into the back yard. He yowed again. I said, "No, I want to visit." He grumble yowed and came back over.

A was amazed. She asked, "Did you understand what he said?" Her dad got an amused smile on his face. I found out later he used to be a zoo keeper so he knows animals.

I almost said yes because I pretty much did, but I didn't want this child to get the wrong idea about cat language so I said, "Not really, but I know what he wants." We had a long conversation about the body language of cats. She wanted to know why he hissed at her. I told her it meant he was afraid and to stop doing whatever she was doing right away. It turned out she was calling him by clapping like she did her grandfather's dog. I explained to her that we clap when they're being bad so he thought she was saying he was bad.

Then one day, she told me Loki was over playing with her babysitter. Next thing I knew A was gingerly petting him and dragging a broken bungee cord around for him to chase. Then one of her spangly hair elastics showed up in our yard. The next thing I knew, she'd call him and he'd run to her. He started chasing her and grabbing her. This week, she said he scratched her arm with his tooth. I told her to let him know he was being too rough by saying "No!" and not playing with him for a while. She said he came to her screen door the other day and stood up against it yowing for her to come out and play.

She then told me some long involved stories about him and Cactus playing with her in her back yard at night. Cactus? Ha! Not likely. I knew they were stories at that point but I played along. A six-year-old is entitled to a good imagination. While we were talking, I took my shoes and socks off because my feet were hot and I'd just gotten home. The first thing I do when I get home is to get barefoot. Loki dragged one of my shoes away by the shoelace. We both thought that was funny.

The next day, one of her outgrown shoes appeared in our yard. She gave it to Loki with her mother's permission.

She's excited now. Her parents are looking for a house to buy. When they buy one and move away, her mom says they can get a white kitty. Her mom had a favorite white kitty when A was born.

Another convert! Yes! I hope it takes them some time to find a house. I really like having them there.

What's your favorite childhood poem?

In fifth grade, we had to memorize a poem. The teacher said it had to be at least four lines long. I got out my trusty book of poetry for children and found one that touched my soul. It was a bit longer than the requirement but I didn't care. It was perfect for me. It reminded me of the quiet mornings when we camped at Pismo beach and I rose with the sun while all the other campers still slept. It's still a favorite of mine.

A Summer Morning

I saw dawn creep across the sky,
And all the gulls go flying by.
I saw the sea put on its dress
Of blue mid-summer loveliness,
And heard the trees begin to stir,
Green arms of pine and juniper.
I heard the wind call out and say:
“Get up, my dear, it is to-day!”

- Rachel Field.


Then I found out we had to memorize more poems of preferably longer lengths. No other poem spoke to me like this until I started writing my own.

Heh, it's my birthday. I'm so very tempted to skip work and go to the beach. Nah. We need the money.