Seeking Solace

I was going to try to write an entry yesterday, but I just didn't have it in me. The Viking was at work, I had the day off at home with Orion, Faust, and Cosette, and I was as lonely as I think I've ever been. There was no little calico trying to crawl into my lap while I typed.

Poor Faust and Orion are having a tough time with it, too. They still don't like each other, but they seem to have called a truce and are sticking as close to me as they can. Sunday night Faust walked all through the house calling, hoping, I guess, that Artie would pop out from under a piece of furniture somewhere.

I do want to thank folk for the nice notes that have been in the guestbook and inbox. They've helped make up for the 'it's just a cat' attitude that's hit me from some people at work.

Well, if by 'just a cat' they mean 'one of God's creatures who was curious and intelligent and loving,' I can take that. But they don't -- someone even suggested that we were crazy to have made the decision to try the surgery in the first place. 'A lot of money,' she said. 'A hard decision.'

It wasn't a hard decision. It wasn't a decision at all, and I would gladly have spent three times what it cost if it would have saved my kitten. It makes me angry, too, that these people with their WWJD? stickers are so utterly callous. I am about as far lapsed as a Catholic can be, but while I seem to recall there's something in the list of acts of mercy about comforting the sorrowful, I don't remember anything about telling the sorrowful their grief is misplaced.

Sorry. I didn't mean to go off on a rant. This has been a lousy week. The only thing that's making the Viking and me feel better is planning the garden for Artie.

The Viking isn't much for ornamental plantings, but he is insistent on two points about this one. One is that there should be a rose bush and the other is that there should be a statue of her namesake goddess. 'She would like a rose bush,' he said, 'and it should be a purple one.' He holds that purple was Artemis' favourite colour, and though science says cats don't see in colour, for whatever reason she did seem to prefer pink and purple toys.

After some time in the books we settled on Angel Face for the rose. The Viking likes the name and the colour. (As a side note, EveryRose.com is really useful rose reference site). For the statue, he likes the little Diana from Sacred Source because she has a dog with her.

Over this weekend we're going to put some time and effort into the hardscape elements, especially a bluestone border which the Viking wants to mortar in (that may not happen this weekend; it will depend on the weather) and then I will take dimensions and sit down with graph paper and lay out plants. In addition to the rose, I think some artemisia would be appropriate (probably 'Powis Castle' since I know I can get that locally). Catnip, of course. I have seed for that. Sunflowers and Cynoglossum (annual forget-me-not) can help fill in while some of the perennials get established.

verso - recto