The bright side of not getting Earl Grey is that if it didn't work out, if I were really allergic to him, then it would be even WORSE to have to take him back than not getting him at all. THAT would truly spell THE END. This is my one particle of consolation in the whole unfortunate deal.

Sunday, March 14, at 5:00 Nathan Laube is giving an organ dedication concert at St. John's Church, 906 S. Orleans Ave., Tampa. Free. 813-259-1570. The organ has been refurbished. I have blogged about young Mr. Laube, he is simply sensational. If your soul is longing for some high-brow cultural stimulation and a performance you won't forget, this is your big chance. I probably can't make it because of my sinus condition (topped with a migraine, lovely). MOST unfortunate. This whole week has turned out to be MOST unfortunate. Just happened to read about this concert in the paper tonight, so I'm passing it along and hoping someone springs for it.

KEM, One Big Unfortunate Mess

Hi. You know how I've said I have all these scraps on my desk and I've jotted notes on the scraps for future reference? Well, the future is now. I want to transfer the collection to one typed sheet. These notes are supposedly very good seed thoughts for blog ideas.

So, will someone please tell me what the following meant at one time:

Mike is oatmeal kid -- oatmeal wants the floor -- Michigan

Oatmeal wants the floor?!#$%*&!? It slays me how at the moment I am all excited with such fun and a few months down the road it all looks like monkey chatter. I've got to start writing things as they happen. I remember a funny dream I had about my mother-in-law and a jello mold I was trying to show off. I woke up laughing. Now I look at my notes and it doesn't seem so funny. Well, maybe in the morning when I clean up this mess, the funny will come back.

The jots I can read, which my writing and/or shorthand aren't allowing many, are making no sense, and, furthermore, don't even pose as anything familiar . . . at all. Oh, I already said that. I wonder since AOL says any and all lost email can be retrieved if they could take it a step further and retrieve and decipher my blog bits, even though they've never hit the screen yet.

I'm still a pretty sick puppy and obviously am struggling here, so signing away. Need to stick 10 cups of egg custard in the fridge. Wanted to use up the milk.

KEM

This afternoon Jazzi and I were going stir crazy, so we decided to go to the pet store and get kitten Earl Grey. I have to confess, I've had a lot of apprehension about whether it was the right thing to do. Even as much as I love Earl Grey, there are many other considerations, like sinus health and training a kitty and adjustments all the way around.

So, I pray, Lord, if you want me to have Earl Grey, then please let him still be there. Jazzi and I walk directly to the cat cage and my eyes do a quick scan. I definitely don't see Earl Grey in his usual spot . . . or anywhere . . . just all the other cats. Then I glance at the bulletin board attached to the cage where photos of all the kitties are posted and the picture of Earl Grey is missing. The cute picture with Earl posing on a blue plastic round thingy, not sure what it was, but it reminded me of DTD'S blue soft plastic tubby when she was a baby, she had her baths in it. Earl was perched right in the middle of it, the darling little precious. In other words, Earl Grey is gone. Gone.

A chunk of my heart dropped off on the floor. I'll always remember loving little Earl Grey. If I hadn't been sick, I'm pretty sure I would have gotten him right away. I picture the fur ball walking around our house checking into everything and curled up in my lap purring. Or making Jazzi play. Or hiding in Mike's briefcase. But someone else has him now, maybe someone who needed him more than I did.

Funny how our brief acquaintance could mean this much to me. But it does, and that's the way life turns out sometimes -- someone or something graces you for a flicker of a moment, but it's unforgettable. I've learned a lesson, if you love someone, you need to act now because he who hesitates may be left in a pool of tears. I didn't act on instinct, even with a lot of encouragement. Still, I believe God could have waited for me, so I have to accept the loss. Strange to say, but I feel almost like you do when a pet dies or you have to give it away. Grief-full.

And you know something? There were plenty of 2 year old cats still waiting to be adopted. Jazzi and I visited three other pet shops, just to see. Kittens like Earl Grey go fast, but these other equally worthy and long-suffering cats are left behind. Wow, I'm having a hard time with this, maybe because I've had only one hour of sleep in the last 31 hours. I was happy to find out that some kind and big-hearted folk do adopt the older animals. All these cats are so willing, eager, to love us. It's a crying shame they have to wait what must seem forever. You can see it in their eyes, the sadness, the rejection, like they have a crushed spirit. Oh, pass the hankies, someone.

Good-bye Earl Grey, I hope you remember me,
KEM

Oh boy, have a wretched sinus infection. Please pray for me, thank you.

Quickly then, a lot of cat stuff is being thrown in my face all of a sudden. Did I tell you? Saw in Parade Magazine where this kitty lives in a nursing home and knows instinctively to go sit by someone who is about to die. And kitty stays right there by the bedside until the person is gone. Wonderful kitty. Then Miss Orcas sends me pictures her son has taken and one just so happens to be of their kitty, just a gorgeous kitty picture, orange tabby all curled up and staring straight into the camera lens.

Meanwhile, when I'm cutting out coupons, lots of kitty koupons, like save $3 on The World's Best Kitty Litter. Oh, and in today's animal pictures sent in by readers of their pets, which happens on Wednesdays, I was kinda looking for a pic of cat and dog together. At first I missed it, but, aha!, there it was, a great big doggie with a little cat sitting on it's head. That's why at first I didn't see it, wasn't exactly looking for cat perched on dog's head. Well, the caption says, Cat appears to be sitting on dog's head. It surely did appear that way, in fact, I haven't figured out what other way it may appear. But get a load of this, the cat's name is Jazzy. Give me a break.

Oh, and it seems I saw something today on AOL about cats, now, what was it? My short term memory is being crowded out by sinus grief. Well, Oops! on that one. Anyway, it's Kitty Kapers for KEM, too bad she can't have sweet precious grey kitty. I was all ready to go get Earl Grey and then the truck ran over me.

INSERT KEM EDIT: Okay, so I went to AOL and was determined to find what I saw today. And I found it! At least, that has to be it, it was the only thing about cats posted on Wednesday. I kinda went archive-y. Pardon me, but I'm always very proud of myself when I do something technical. I clicked around and was rewarded with a today's guest blog that showed you how to make Catnip Mouse. It was a very cute project and at the end she showed a picture of one of her cats, which was, you guessed it, the spittin' image of Earl Grey, I kid you not -- I would never do such a thing. And 14 people had posted comments about how great this craft project was and three in a row said, Gorgeous cat, and another said, Beautiful cat, and another said, Our cats could be twins. Goodness, KEM could have said that, except blogger's kitty was grown. And except she doesn't have Earl Grey yet.

Well, you know how it is, interesting things on AOL and who has time to read it all and I think I thought I would go back to that Catnip story (or at least remember what it was about so I could mention it in my list of kitty material onslaught) and then forgot, then they posted new junk. So, I'm very proud, as stated, for uncovering it. And even better, I saw stuff in my poking that says you can retrieve lost emails and pictures, even from years ago. Now, THAT makes me deliriously happy. When I first started writing emails, I didn't save them and I let some stories get away that I shouldn't have. Even when dear Patricia told me to save everything. I take a while to catch on. Well, I'm sure you have to buy the software, but it would be worth it. And I'm sure it would take me MONTHS to find the stuff I was looking for, but that would be so worth it, too. So glad today was not a total loss.

Dear Lord, please let me sleep tonight. THANK YOU! Wishing all of us health and happiness and a heart for God. I mixed up that order a bit, but you know what I mean.

Oh, and no more walks until pollen clears, just can't do it. Even Jazzi has lost interest, mainly because it's a little warmer, and also I took her out just before sunset and she balks because she knows her daddy is coming home soon. Well, maybe that's the mainly part. Also, Mike and his son went out for dinner since I couldn't fix any and they brought home strawberry shortcake for lil' ol' me, which I love, from Bonefish Grill. That was so sweet that Mike thought of this, since they are usually out of it, the few times I've been there. So of course I ate it and now I have the sugar blues. NO MORE SUGAR, feeds the mucus. I feel like my head's going to pop off.

Mike is going to California. Maybe I should get Earl Grey while Mike's gone and see how it goes. I can't believe I'm even saying this, I can't stand one more affliction on my sinuses.

Earl Grey, WHY did you come into my life?,
KEM

Oak pollen season is upon us. This is never good. So, when I had a sore throat in the night due to drip, I attributed it to oak pollen and not Earl Grey. I am all mixed up. Last week I thought Monday was Tuesday, Tuesday was Wednesday, and so forth all week long. Today, however, I was speaking with someone who had to correct me that today was Tuesday when I was thoroughly convinced it was Monday. Just the opposite problem of last week. What's up with this?

I had kitty kat on the brain today, it was very difficult and I am so worn out with it that I shall just let CDW do the talking for me tonight. Oh, and my sister texted today that after she read my kitty blog, allergies be hanged and go get the kitty. I'm really on the verge, what have I got to lose (besides my life)?

CDW, please:

KEM Dearest,
I was getting so excited about your dear little kitty and reading how Jazzi and kitty were getting along at the Meet and Greet. And I LOVE the name Earl...and REALLY love the name Earl Grey...and would call him that too...the whole name...and perhaps sometimes refer to him as Mr. Grey as he matures. Then I was greatly disappointed to know the ol' allergies were flaring. Does something like Claritin (sp?) clear that sort of thing up? Oh, I don't want to talk you into something that might disrupt KEM's life in the worst way...I was just thinking selfishly...just imagining the stories that would abound from life with Earl Grey and lil' Jazzi.
It's going to be spectacularly gorgeous day today...gotta get a move on and make the most of it!

Clean Kitty with no dander LOVE,
CDW

I have to admit, with CDW singing the praises of the name Earl Grey, I am feeling especially clever. Normally, I choose names like Kitty or Hammy (for a hamster) or Muffin, all names common and worn into the ground. I might just have to have that cat because the name Earl Grey is IT!, what else now could he possibly be named? (Mike said Pearl is out for a boy.) Can't let anyone else have him and give him a name like Smokey. Too ordinary, and this kitten is FAR from ordinary. I thought I was so original with the name Jazzi, until I quickly learned every third dog in the universe is named Jazzy. At least mine is with an "i".

Oh man, what if I go to pet store tomorrow and he's taken?!?!?

Kitty Kat KEM of Earl Grey Fame

Today I found a kitty I HAD to have. Only I can't have it. I took Jinny, the lady I help, to the pet food store, she needed Laxatone for her kitty Bylow. There is a huge cage in there filled with stray cats. There was a new small solid gray kitten in there, yes, there was. "There" is a very good word. I walked into the cage and picked up that little boy kitten. It was love at first sight and even more love at first touch. I held him close and he nuzzled. I petted him and he purred. I put him down and he wanted back up. I loved him and he loved me back. We gave Eskimo kisses. Jinny was crazy, You must have him. She herself would not come into the cage because then she would have to have him, too.

After some time, I extracted myself from the kitty because, after all, I did need to get Jinny to the grocery store. By the time we got to the store she was so adamant I must have that cat that she could hardly pull herself together to shop, even grabbed any old box of hair color, who cares. She wanted us to fly right back to the pet store and plunk down the dough for the cat. We made a plan, she would keep the cat while we went out of town from time to time, it would be fun for her and fun for Bylow, we hoped.

So, I called Mike from the grocery store parking lot. I said, I want something. He said, What?, a new house? I said, Don't be silly, I want a kitten (like to throw Mike those curve balls, keep him on his toes). OH, NO!, he groaned loudly. Then he said, Jazzi might not like that. I said, How do you know? So, he said to think long and hard about it. Fair 'nuff.

In the grocery I texted my sister, Should I get a kitty? NO!, you will be allergic. I said, No, I don't think so. She then said, I love kitties (even though she is allergic herself).

Then we took the groceries home and, as always, I went to fuss over Bylow, who is one gorgeous small cat, a Burmese. She looks exactly like a mink coat with big yellow eyes. But my chest was feeling heavy and my right nostril (the troubled one) was stuffing up. Even Jinny had to agree I sounded stuffy. Rats.

Well, I went home to sort things out over a tuna fish sandwich. Called Mike up again and first words, Do we have a cat now? No, not yet. He did say I could go ahead and get it if I wanted to. There's progress. Then I scooped up Jazzi and said, Let's go! The pet food store is Jazzi's favorite place. As soon as we hit the parking lot she knows where she is and goes berzerk. She does dances and twirls on her hind legs so they'll give her new and yummy treats, multiple treats.

But first we went directly to the gray kitty for Meet and Greet. I held Jazzi to the screen and the worker lady held the kitten up and kitty hunched back and hissed and even growled. Jazzi just looked. Then I tied Jazzi up by the cage door and I walked in and held Earl. That's right, I just now named it. It came to me. Earl Grey tea popped in my head, made me think of it, the grey kitty, purrfect, except I don't like the name Earl, I think I'll add a P and name him Pearl. That should work for a neutered kitten. There are black pearls, so why not a grey one. Now I really have to have it because once you find the purrfect name, you are goner than gone, doner than done and all that.

So by now, as Pearl and I are cuddling, Pearl becomes very curious about Jazzi and is giving her a thorough once over, very calmly, I might add. In fact, Jinny had noted how calm and gentle this kitten is, and she should know, having had cats galore and very knowledgeable, too. Well, a customer comes up and sees me transfixed with Pearl and says, You must have it, it is darling. Do you have a cat?, she asks? No, I say. Well, you must have it to make your home complete, and look how calm it is (you know, KEM, the balm of Gilead). Then another woman came up, Oh, isn't that kitty darling? Yes, I'm in love, of course. Meanwhile, Jazz and Pearl are totally used to each other by now. Besides, I've seen pictures readers send into the newspaper and it shows their cats and dogs lying down together like lambs and lions. It works.

Next step is to ask, What do I need to get started with a kitten? Boy, you need a small fortune, is what you need. So Jazz and I wander the store for an hour and pick out what we like. But I have that nagging suspicion I should sleep on it, I mean, this is a whole new ballgame, haven't had a cat in a loooooong time. But kittens were always my and my sister's first love, stories on that another blogging day. Love, love, love. LOVE.

So then we finally came home, even though I was tempted to go to other pet stores and see how not-so-cute were other kitties compared to Pearl. I mean, Pearl is Pearl, what was I thinking? So I went home to take a nap, as this is exhausting work, work that got me out of the real work that needs doing at home. Countdown to mother-in-law visit notwithstanding.

Problema. My chest was even heavier and my head even sicker after being in there for so long this second time. I think it was all the other large cats in the cage, too much dander at once. I really don't know what to do, typing out this story is making me crazy to go buy Pearl, he is only $50. But how can I risk sinus health? Why did this happen today, I certainly wasn't looking for it, it fell into my lap in the line of duty. Oh, rats.

CDW says, KEM Dear...you know how dangerous it is to see kitty and touch kitty and make eye contact. You are never going to get kitty out of your head now. Lauren's roommate just got a kitten after Christmas. Lauren was dreading it...but has ended up loving that little darling. She will call me and the little kitty is curled up next to her just as sweet as can be. She loves being able to love on it and have really no other responsibilities. Alicia (the roommate) feeds it and cleans up after it...not a bad deal. :) Let me know how this little story turns out. :)

Well, truer words were never typed by mortal man...rather, CDW. Love and more love, who wouldn't want a calm sweet kitty? And responsibility, too. I have a lot going on, do I need one more thing? Hardly, "one" more thing, too. And moo-lah. Nah, I can't do it. Sad, sorry day, is what today turned out to be. Pet store did say kitty could be returned if Jazzi hates it and/or I die of allergic reaction. But how does Mike return a kitty that's wormed its way into his heart? It's Mike's problem then, you know, I'll be expired. Oh dear, I should get it and only the most necessary accessories, like a litter pan at the dollar store. Then if I really am allergic to Pearl and it's not all the other cats that made me crazy, we can take her back -- that sounds so carnal and sad, try her on for size and see if she fits. Except it's a he. But if I'm not allergic to Pearl, then, oh, happy day.

Okay, enough is enough. I think I was allergic to Bylow when I first started helping Jinny, but I got over it, you get adjusted.

I wear the hat Christa made me when I walk the neighborhood and everyone can see me coming now. I wear it at home, too. It's wonderful and covers my red and gray (there we go, gray again) hair. Mike calls me The Kat in the Hat.

One track mind leading straight to Pearl Grey Calm Kitty,
KEM (the Kat wants a Kat, oh, can you tell, in the worst uncalm way)

Tip: When you are having company (like your parents) and you only have so much time to clean and the kitchen counters, that all the world can see, are a disheveled piley mess, throw the nearest bath towel over the mess. It a big, albeit interesting, improvement. Plus, it keeps the bacon grease from further smearing the cookies sheets and things. We had Pioneer Woman pancakes, they weren't as good this time, they turned out twice as thick as the first (last) time I made them. I used up my baking powder and had to get the next can to finish the measurement (3 whopping Tablespoons). Too bad the next can in the pantry was not a new can, but an opened and expired can. Too bad I didn't find that out until I'd dumped the old powder in with the new. Would that make them twice as thick? Old powder? Also, I forgot to put both eggs in the batter (?!?!?!?) and had to add the second egg after the fact.

I have to go to beddy-bye. Lasted the day w/out a nap, little sleep in the night and going great guns all day long. Today in church I accompanied my friend who plays oboe, we played during Communion. Our song was long, so I was shocked to look up when we were finished and see not even half the congregation had been served Communion. Normally, our songs are timed just right for our small church. Then the pastor announced that whoever set up Communion forgot to pour grape juice in the little cups . . . well, there was grape juice in the top tray only and all the ones stacked below were empty. Hmmm. But, when finally everything was figured out (some of us didn't get Communion) and the service ended, Oboe and I were told that we made people cry. We aim to please. Almost anything written by Craig Courtney is so beautiful you can hardly stand it. Anyway, much better feeling than last Sunday when I sat on the piano bench like a stooge and lost my mind.

Looking up old friends and schoolmates on Facebook is turning out to be a lot of fun. Especially when it compels you to go get your old yearbooks down off the top closet shelf and dust them off. Then you start reading (and inhaling mildew) what people wrote. I think I will share a couple of choice entries tomorrow.

Buh-bye,
KEM