Sally Cookie is on my mind…
I escaped to California again this year, but due to Sally’s unfortunate condition, her reputation had preceded her and no one wanted her as a houseguest.
Sally has had a miraculous cure due to the diagnosis of her illness: allergy to gluten and my application of the remedy: gluten-free raw meat with vegetables and minerals. But it’s hard to explain to people when you are going to share their space that your wonderful cat no longer has the condition that would make her the spoiler of their environment.
Sally had to stay home. I approached everyone I could think of looking for a companion who would stay in my, I think, pretty interesting space with all the amenities, including Tivo, an in-apartment washer/drier, a copy machine that makes 11X17 copies, great art and a netflix membership. No takers.
Finally the gods smiled and a neighbor, who lives a block away agreed to come in twice a day to feed and medicate Sally... did I mention Sally’s diabetes? My friend’s household is rather crowded with relatives and pets and she welcomed visiting a home that contained only one quite small cat.
I will be home soon. Will Sally recognize me? Will she prefer her surrogate mother to me? I am prepared to take second place, but I hope she will run downstairs to greet me.
March l:
Got here at 7:30 a.m. to be told that the plane was not departing until 3:00. No reason. Later we were told that the plane needed a part and that it was being sent from Dallas. Which had weather. I tried various standby flights, but no luck. I decided to buy a one day pass at the Admirals Club for $50 which includes free wifi, cookies, and certified kosher snacks. They have nice bathrooms. Finally at 1:40 I decided to sit at the gate in case they just decided to takeoff without telling anyone. I called Sally’s surrogate mother and she will step in and keep Sally company for another evening. I have éclairs in my suitcase. My suitcase is in Chicago.
Got here at 7:30 a.m. to be told that the plane was not departing until 3:00. No reason. Later we were told that the plane needed a part and that it was being sent from Dallas. Which had weather. I tried various standby flights, but no luck. I decided to buy a one day pass at the Admirals Club for $50 which includes free wifi, cookies, and certified kosher snacks. They have nice bathrooms. Finally at 1:40 I decided to sit at the gate in case they just decided to takeoff without telling anyone. I called Sally’s surrogate mother and she will step in and keep Sally company for another evening. I have éclairs in my suitcase. My suitcase is in Chicago.
The suspense continues, will Sally recognize me? Will she acknowledge me?
March 2:
I think she recognized me. She was friendly, but then I remembered that’s why I named her Sally Cookie. She’s so friendly and sweet, I felt she needed an endearing last name.
Sally is very very old and she has had a history of near death experiences. She resembles a cat put together from very old parts. Like that old Mel Gibson movie where everything is assembled from rusty leftovers.
Previous emergency interventions have left her with bald patches, (shaved areas for blood tests and medicinal patches) which have never grown back. This is particularly disturbing on her legs, which make them look too thin to hold her up.
She’s as friendly and loving as ever, and she leapt onto the bed to sleep with me with the grace of a gazelle. I’d been looking at the Sky Mall catalog on the plane with a view to buying her a ramp to get onto the bed, but it’s totally unnecessary.
