sherri's sense of tumor blog

I haven’t mentioned it here but a striped orange wild cat has adopted us. We have a friend who says only a cat who comes to you is the type of cat to have. This small one, named Sunshine, has a way to go yet. She started her relationship with us by cowering under the back porch to escape the loud machine noises the last time the town cleared the streets. I have never seen a cat fly over a chain link in just that way – she simply flew and didn’t touch down.

For the first few days, I wasn’t sure she was still under there. She quivered alone in the freezing cold, not making a sound. On the third day, I think it was, she was tempted out for a bite of food. She was not tamed by a long shot. I used the blood she drew (when I didn’t remove my hands quickly enough) to do my sugar readings. What a little spitfire! She would crouch at the back of the entrance to her den peering up, trying to make sense of the faces she saw. She has one of the most lovely kitty faces I have ever seen.

It has taken nearly two months for her to trust us. She makes me laugh by the way she studies things to make sure she understands the rules. She made friends with ShaSha through the glass on the back door. Almost friends, anyway. She made friends with Ewok the dog by chasing her around the yard. She came in the house to perch on the door mat but no further until she determined she was going to survive.

Three days ago, while it was still warm and mild outside, she moved in. Lock, Stock and Barrel, here she is. She has become part of our fur kids family and doesn`t make any effort to go back outside. The other strays of the neighbourhood still wander by looking for a handout, but we don`t put food outside anymore. I might put water out there though, after watching how Sunshine drank her fresh water before she ate her food. Everyone needs fresh water seems to be the lesson. Wish our wild girl Sophie who insists on living in the garage and demands to be carried to her bed each night would come live inside. I wonder how many years she has been with us.

This was a good week, especially if I ignore challenges. Let`s hope I can continue to do that.

A S.E. wind usually means a tremendous change in the weather. That is what is happening today and it makes me tingle as I wonder what comes next. If someone had told me in 1995 that change was an exciting thing, I wonder if I would have believed them. Some of my favorite things survived the changes. The best is my husband John.  My critters continue to follow and to join the family. More on them later. Some of them are quite bossy, and none of them are cows.

Many abilities that I was proud of left immediately. In the beginning, I was unable to tell the difference between numbers and letters. John immediately bought me some baby books to help me relearn to read. The confusion continued to verious degrees – still acts up sometimes. In our small town Co-Op store, the manager offered me a position as a demo person, working with various departments. I have been progressing with this for the last six years. Having started at 3 hours per week if I was lucky, I am now working 9 hours a week split up into three separate days. I am grateful for this position, for the opportunity to meet so many people who are in need of a smile and a kind word. Those things I can provide.

Another ability quick to leave was the ability to work in my own home without direction. Housework immediately became next to impossible. One of the humorous parts of this was trying to find someone who would sit and point at what comes next in my imaginary housework. I think most thought me to be making a joke. I wasn’t joking and my ability to catch up with my idea of what a house should look like is only recently beginning to re-emerge. It began as the plan was shown to me in a dream. Once I dreamed it, it became very clear to me. I am not fast, mind you. At least, I have a small direction to point myself in – I was surprised to learn that housework is called that because it IS – work, that is. I am sure I will get better at it.

The writing which came to me so simply since childhood has been very challenging. I make no promises as to spelling or smooth transition in subject matter. If there are any places where I miss my way, a little nudge will help me to regain my footing. I think this is all for tonight. I hope this will continue to steer itself along. I do have much to learn in this program, and I will be happy to understand everything more clearly. Til next time….