Month: July 2005

I’m going to a big BBQ this afternoon. It’s in honor of the 35th anniversary of The Millerton Pathfinders Group, one of the local AA clubs. Imagine that, 35 years of holding meetings and helping people try to get sober? Amazing. I was only 5 years old when they first began. There are supposed to be quite a lot of people coming, and a live band. I heard the number ’75’ being batted around, so that’s a big BBQ. I’m bringing an Asian broccoli salad that I made yesterday. It came out OK. It has julienned carrots, red peppers, and the yellow part of summer squash, julienned as well. The dressing is made of fresh ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sweet chile-garlic sauce, and canola oil. I pureed that all in the blender and added a little water for consistency and some salt at the end. I cut up all the broccoli into florettes and blanched them off in boiling water, then shocked them in ice water to stop them from cooking. Then I mixed the whole shebang together and left it in the fridge overnight. I just checked it out and the veggies are still crunchy. All I need to do is pick a whole lot of basil, chiffonade the leaves (cut in thin strips), and mix that in as well. I’ll do that last minute. It should be a nice alternative to the potato/macaroni/ jello salad fare that seems to dominate the buffet at these kinds of gigs.

My mother is doing much better today. Her grief was considerably less this morning and she seems to be able to speak about inviting another cat into our lives. We talked about how all pets are special and that none of them can ever be replaced. She also agreed that Miss Kitty would want us to have another cat in our lives. You can imagine the sigh of relief at these motions towards healing. When I brought up the practical side of the issue (mice) she said “Oh yes, they’ll be moving in the house in a couple of months.”. So true. This place will be overrun with the little squeakers if we don’t do something soon. I predict that all will be well in 2 weeks and we will once again be charmed and comforted by the antics of another feline companion.

On the subject of time, where is the summer going? Soon the leaves will turn and the morning air will turn crisp. The earth will begin its tilt and the light will have that particular shade of gold that can only mean fall. I once believed that I wanted to live in a climate where it was always 80* and sunny. However, through trial and error, I have discovered that I am a temperate person and need a temperate climate. 4 seasons suit me just fine. Each season seems to eventually become tiresome, as familiarity breeds contempt. But just when you think you can’t stand it anymore, here comes the change to whatever is next. For me, fall is a lovely time of year. The fall harvest is one of my favorites, and the smell in the air puts a twinkle in my eye. It is still summer, however, and I will take it. Hazy, hot, and humid, with promises of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and all the summer garden stuff. These are the ‘salad days’, literally. Moving slowly and enjoying the heat, storing up energy like lizards, keeping memories of sunny afternoons like stores of nuts in a tree–this is the stuff that gets me through the winter, which we all know is just around the corner.

Time to pick that basil…

Johnnyboy

Today I woke up feeling not so bad, considering yesterdays tragedy and pain. I had made some plans to get some things done, so I followed through with them. There is nothing like being alive to take your mind off the past. I was able to have my car fixed (a new headlight), I made a huge Asian broccoli salad for an AA BBQ tomorrow, and I drove to Hudson for a couple odds and ends. The trip to shop turned out unsuccessful in some ways, but I did pick up some flowers for my mother. She is in deep mourning over the loss of Miss Kitty, and I share her grief, but in a different fashion. I talk about it with people.

Last night at the meeting I spoke to a few people about how I felt, the death, etc…I was given loads of sympathy and advice. It just felt so much better to get out so many of the feelings and have the response be signified by yet another fellowship of souls. Once again I find that I am not alone.

One woman talked to me about her ‘rescue cats’–cats that she has rescued from the ASPCA and other places. It occurred to me that we had rescued Miss Kitty on that cold, December evening 4 years ago. I feel that we now have an obligation to rescue another lonesome cat. This is what Miss Kitty would have wanted. She was a hopeful cat, and preferred not to feel sad or depressed. She would not want our house lacking in feline influence. She would want us to find another to take her place.

We can never ‘replace’ Miss Kitty. We can only remember the joys of the past and find new joys in the present, building a future with those moments. A new cat will be just that: original and unique, with its own humors and habits that we will quickly grow to love, and someday remember with deep fondness.

So goes life, if you let it.

Johnnyboy