Monday, August 07, 2006

And a saucer of milk please

Boy, nothing disrupts the writing routine (heck, routine in general) so quickly as a new kitten. Now mind you, I'm not in the market for another cat. I have plenty already, but on Friday, that didn't stop Grady from walking up and demanding a new home. And life has been topsy-turvy ever since. Because, of course, I took him in. What, I'm supposed to let an adorable kitten run loose in the neighborhood? With off-leash dogs and cars and raccoons and all else that would think a kitten is just a bite of lunch?

But I already have cats and dogs, so the weekend was spent acclimitizing everybody and breaking up minor spats. Elanor, the youngest of my indoor cats, warmed up first. She can't watch Grady playing soccer without wanting to get in on the game. Kit tolerates Grady, but with much hissing and swatting. Rosie, who is Elanor's mother, and was abandoned with her kittens in my backyard, is the most stand-offish. Brinja, my old dog, has renewed her resident household position as cat-defender, and has been trying to protect Grady from my younger dog's rough attempts to play. Maxie, thinks the new kitten is just grand, a perfect toy I brought home, just for him to stomp on and bowl over. Sigh.

And so, writing ground to a complete stop on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday, things started settling out, and when the whole gang crashed out for a siesta, I took advantage of the quiet to get 1000 words done. It was something anyway. Made me feel the weekend wasn't entirely a loss. I read a lot on Saturday, cuz it was easier to pick up and put down a book through the animal madness, then it was to attempt to stay grooved into writing.

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