Oh, Poppy!

Today's drive to school behind the plow on my road.

I'm not going to spend much time on the weather. It's a bore at this point and only going to get worse. But next week is vacation week! And in Vermont, we get extra days because of Town Meeting Day on the first Tuesday of March. Ten calendar days free! But I have earned it. It has been very difficult since the holidays. I've had two bad colds, my car almost fell apart. Literally. But the men at school drove it carefully to be fixed in town. For $1,200, I think you can get anything fixed; and fixed well. Wheel bearing, brakes, and stabilization bar all broke at once. Every single engine light went off within two miles of school. But all of that is over. Spring may come. The crows are showing up sporadically from the village where they spend the winter. I heard either sparrows or swallows yesterday. Because of the many problems I have had, I have not been too chipper. But I'm digging out of the hole and coming back slowly. 👌

This post is about Poppy. Oh, Poppy. She is a character. And that character is blooming. She is spending as much time with me as possible getting scratches. She sleeps on the left side at night (Nelly and Lucy have always been my right side). I have two hands busy scratching necks as we all fall asleep every night. 

But wait! She gets cuter!

There are downsides, though. She seems to enjoy sleeping on my wireless charger, as you can see. Will it affect the charger? We shall see.

She has learned that she can drag out towels and construct nest-type beds out of them on the floor.

We know how she loves to knock over plants. She also loves to eat my once-luxurious clover plants that are no longer luxurious. 

She also loves to bring her cellar-dirtied feet to the bathroom sink. And if I have left water in a cup, she can play in it and decorate the entire bathroom.

I love that kitty. She has been a great match. Have I told you how she is a silent purr-er? You can never hear her purr unless you put your ear to her chest. Well, I did hear the purr once. But just the once. But now I know she does purr. Before I thought she never did. Now I know she purrs more than most cats I have known. She is very quiet and unassuming cat. She is quite the character.

💕

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A Major Announcement

My little funny face.

When I adopted Betsy she was three years old and had lived with the same people her entire life. I re-named her Betsy. Betsy never learned to respond to her new name. There was a broken bridge between us that I couldn't find a way to mend. She is sweet, playful and responsive; but there has always been a distance that I didn't understand. She knows the routines of the house and races me up to bed every night but never stayed. 

I have always cracked up with her funny faces that change literally from second to second.
These two photos were actually one second apart. 

Four nights ago I spent some time with Betsy and, messing with her, called her Poppy — her first given name — and 

BOOM! 

She became alert, gave me eye contact, relaxed and opened up. I continued to talk to her with that name, and everything has changed. She takes no guff from Nell anymore (who can be a bully occasionally) and even inspects Lucy for smells from the outside and for doggie dirt on her face; just like Nell does. She comes to me when I call her by name; and comes quickly!

I have a new cat living with me.

When she came to bed that night, she slept closer to me and stayed longer. She now stays the night. She reaches for my hand for rubs and pets. She purrs more. She has chirped at me!

I swear that she felt invisible before and now feels seen. Can this even be true? Have any of you had this experience?

So Betsy is now officially Poppy. Again. 

Feline Friday at
Comedy Plus

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