I found the bathtub drain cover on the bedroom rug this morning, and the sweet little ceramic bowl from my morning yoga/meditation altar under the bed. I’ve had to delay my morning coffee and give up morning journal writing at my kitchen table. My desk is not my own, neither is my bed, the couch, or that same kitchen table where I used to write first thing in the morning.
Orlando has come to live with me.
Every writer needs her familiar, I know this to be true. Whether it’s a dog as many of my friends/colleagues believe (Jill, Betsy, Frank, Steve, Kristen and dozens more), or a kitty as Midge, Rick, Stacy, June, and many more writers know.)
Rumi
I haven’t had a live-in furry companion since I lost sweet little Rumi more than six years ago.
But now Orlando.
Orlando and writing: I find I’m having to change my morning routine which has been, for nearly six years: get the coffee, light the candle, open the journal (write write write—there, that’s off my mind), open the notebook or open the computer and write write write. Then yoga then breakfast then “day job.”
Now, it’s an early wake up call—paw to mouth, paw to hair, paw to ear, and a chorus of kitten-sized mews that sound lion-sized to my still dream-fogged ears. Careful not to trip over kitty on way to bathroom where he leaps into the tub (hence the drain cover on the bedroom rug). Then kitchen where, before anything else, we open the can of kitty food. (Note: don’t get the hard-packed loaf kind, especially the trout; get the gravy kind, especially the tuna.) OK. Now we can brew the coffee.
But we can’t sit at the table. We can’t write in the journal. We must stand in the living room, cup of coffee in one hand and the other holding that little laser toy thingy, its red dot sliding up and down the hardwood floor while kitty galump galumps after it, back and forth, back and forth during entire the first cup of coffee. Finally, kitty in rest position, we can get the second cup, get the journal and the pen and sit in the chair in the corner and use the lap desk while we write notes about how much FUN it is to have a kitten.
As for the writing-writing—that is, writing the notebook draft of the memoir that has been a morning practice since mid-2016, well, we’re finding other ways. A writer must always find other ways. This is what our familiars teach us.
Do you have a furry critter living with you? More than one? How does that fit in with your writing? All suggestions are welcome.
Many thanks for your offering here Judy; it’s good to catch up with you….
All sort of irritants and distractions emerge when I start writing but there is one source of encouragement that I’m grateful for and that’s from our cat, Troubles. I won’t go into the origin of this name – as this should be self-evident – but her ‘dedication’ to my writing practice is nevertheless palpable. She regularly jumps up onto my desk and brushes her neck, lovingly, against the corner of the upright screen on my laptop. I think she senses when I’m writing well – when the words are flowing unimpeded across the screen which obviously delights me and apparently her.
Thanks for stopping by, Michael. I always appreciate hearing from you. Your cat doesn’t need further introduction, the name alone says it all. I’m looking forward to the day Orlando matures and does that neck-brushing thing rather than tromping across my keyboard, or if I’m attempting to write by hand in the chair in the corner (I’ve given up the kitchen table…and the candle!), he chews on the corner of my notebook, my hand, or my pen while plopping his six-pound body across my lap-desk. But, bless him, he does make me laugh and I know we could all do more of that. My best to Troubles.
I love that you got a kitty. Baby animals are so cute but can be a challenge. I’ve had the following destroyed by puppies: pens, pencils, address books, shoes (always just one of several pairs), couch cushions and cell phones. However it’s always worth it in the end because of all the love we receive. And as you know Lucy first came to me in my writing and then appeared before my eyes in real life. She’s a real character and I mean that in both ways!
Thanks for sharing the joy of having a new baby critter in the house, Jill. This morning Orlando had me laughing out loud, getting a little “scoldy” when he tried to get my attention while I was on the phone by clawing the couch (he only does that when he wants my attention), and cuddling for some lovely meditative purry moments. Right now he’s whacking my pen around on the floor under my desk. Who knows if Orlando will show up in a story like Lucy did. We writers never know these things.
I have a kitty who looks just like Orlando! Her name is Happy and she has stolen the comfiest seat in my home office. She is purring and looking at me right now LOL. She is 10. I’ve had lots of kitties and this breed (Mine is a rescue kitty but I guess I just mean skinny gray cats) is SO lovable! They are slinky and fun and love to hang out. My Happy insists on coming into my office, no matter what and stealing my chair! Enjoy your new fur baby!
Hi Kandace,
Thanks for introducing me to Happy! What a great name for a kitty. Just saying it must bring on a little happiness. Like Happy, Orlando’s coat is so sleek and beautiful, especially when he finds his afternoon nap spot in the west window as the sun lowers and makes his coat just glow. Give Happy a little kitty scritch behind the ears from me.
Dear Judy,
I enjoyed reading your post. You are very kind to let Orlando take over your table. Animals have a way of establishing their own routines and we seem to fall in line with them as much as they fall in line with our routines (which are frequently broken). I have a Cockatiel and a mini-poodle. Lemonhead and Elvis tend to wake me up in the mornings by tweeting and licking my face, respectively. It’s lovely to hear the happy tweet of a bird daily and to watch the joy of a dog rolling in the grass in the backyard. This activity usually keeps me from feeling too sorry for myself. I haven’t written anything for a long time and can hardly call myself a writer, but I still enjoy reading the “Poem a Day” which comes to my e-mail and all of your posts.
Hi Arlene, always so good to meet you here. Anything I can do to help you pick up your pen again?
Frustrating tho it is to have to change routines, in the end it probably is good for me. Don’t want to get to comfortable. Please give my best to Lemonhead and Elvis (love those names!)
Hi Arlene,
Thanks for writing and for introducing me to Lemonhead (love that name!) and Elvis. I like what you said about the morning wake up keeping you from feeling too sorry for yourself. One of the reason we love our critters is because of the way they make us smile and show us how important it is to tweet the morning up and roll in the grass. Orlando gives me a few good laughs every day. Now as soon as we can get him to know that “ouch!” means, hey claws in, critter.
I hope you find your way back to the pen and page, Arlene, especially if it brings you joy.
Ah. yes. When Tashi has felt neglected long enough. She barks and stamps until I have her jump through a hoop (literally) twice, roll over, shake, and find me when I hide and then call her. Sometimes this satisfies for the rest of the day. Sometimes it must be repeated.
Hey Barb,
Yeah, what is it about that repetition? They’re training us, as another person commented. Love your Tashi stories.
I used to write upstairs in the spare bedroom. But Harvey (a tuxedo cat who took up residence nearly 4 years ago) kept coming up to see how I was getting on and insist i went downstairs with him. After going down and up the stairs three more times, I’d perhaps be allowed to get some writing done. Life has become easier since I abandoned my ‘study’ and moved my laptop downstairs. Now I write at the dining table and simply (!) shunt everything out of the way so we can eat. Harvey is fond of trampling across the keyboard to attract attention (it works every time!) but is otherwise a trouble-free companion. Indeed, he has a walk-on part (or should that be a sleeping role) in my crime novel, The Shame of Innocence. But don’t tell him or it’ll go to his head.
Hey Nikki,
Love that Harvey, the tuxedo kitty has made his way into your crime novel! Boy, those critters just keep getting involved in more and more parts of our lives. I suppose Harvey now has taken over that upstairs spare bedroom, made it his own, probably has parties there while you’re out.
Thanks for the wonderful report on living with Harvey.
I can see that Orlando has done a very efficient — and rapid — job of training you! Give up, cats almost always win. But they are adorable (Orlando is gorgeous!) and they make your heart bigger. Sometimes they even give you topics for blogs! xoxo
Hi Margot, thanks for reminding me…I’m the one being trained here. I do miss sitting at my morning table, but I suppose standing with a cup of coffee in one hand and that infernal red dot toy in the other is teaching me some kind of patience? He does make me laugh though, and that’s something my morning journaling seldom does. Please remind me if I write about this darling little critter too often.
Nope. Not a cat/dog person. Only NoteBook and my intuition which told me to look at your blog and here you just posted a new entry. Sounds like having a cat is like having a little kid (or three) demanding attention and treats.
Maybe teach Orlando to hold the pages open since he sits on the desk anyway…?
Good idea, Linda, but since you’re not a cat (or dog) person, you don’t understand that one doesn’t “teach” a cat; one acquiesces.