Here’s our feeding station at work during a visit from Lady:
A kitten showed up while Lady was there. Here she is, waiting her turn patiently (or perhaps out of a healthy sense of self-preservation).
(For more animal goodness, check out this week’s Friday Ark at The Modulator, and for more kitty goodness, check out this week’s Carnival of the Cats, coming up on Sunday.)
Tonight I rode back to town with a friend of mine who is a professional singer. Unfortunately I was too tired to take full advantage of the opportunity to sing with her during the entire trip (she’s excellent and it’s tremendous fun), but we managed to sing a few songs together before I conked out from exhaustion in the back seat of her car.
One of the songs we sang was “Oh, Sinner Man,” a song I have loved since childhood. (If you ever get a chance, listen to Leon Bibb’s recording of it. It will blow you away.)
After we finished the song, I mentioned to my friend that its lyrics cause me a bit of dissonance, and I don’t mean musically. If I were to perform it in public, I could see myself giving a disclaimer first: This next song is a powerful one, and one of my favorites. But before I sing it, I want to make it clear that I don’t agree with the theology behind it at all.
Why is that? Well, the song takes place at the final judgement at the End of Days. A frightened soul turns to heaven and earth for refuge and finally appeals to God, who rejects him, saying, “Oh, sinner man, you shoulda been a-prayin’.” At the end of the song, the Devil gleefully ushers the poor soul into Hell with the words “Sinner man, step right in.”
I realize that the song reflects a particular time and place in history, and in its own way is a message to human beings to mend their ways before it’s too late. Yet what is “too late”? Is there really such a thing? My friend and I agreed that the message of “Oh, Sinner Man” is pretty much the opposite of the Jewish attitude toward our relationship to God. Jewish tradition teaches that every human being of every faith always has the chance to draw closer to the Creator. God never turns us away when we seek sincerely to amend our lives and connect with the Divine, no matter how badly we may have messed up in the past.
On Yom Kippur—and on every day of the year—God holds the door wide open for each and every one of us and says, “Step right in.”
Gemar hatima tova.
Hillel lives near a building downtown where there are lots of journalists. As you may imagine, it can get to be a pretty high-pressure environment at times. So how does a normally laid-back cat such as Hillel deal with the stress?
Well, as best he can, but sometimes it drives him to drink.
(Check out this week’s Friday Ark at The Modulator. This week’s Carnival of the Cats will be at Ginasrantings).
Today, on my way to work, I passed the scene of what looked like a minor car accident. No people were there when I passed by; all I saw was the damaged vehicle, a white Volkswagen Golf.
It had apparently struck a wall at the side of the road. Its right front fender was heavily damaged and its right front tire was flat. The front doors were open and the passenger compartment looked undamaged, though two deflated airbags dangled from the steering wheel and the glove compartment, respectively. It looked like anyone who had been in the car might have been lucky enough to walk away from the crash, and I hope and pray that was the case.
The sight—which was scary enough by itself—brought back an awful memory of one of my most frightening experiences, which took place on this very day, according to the Hebrew calendar, more than a decade ago. I was crossing a narrow street in my neighborhood when a motorcycle came down the hill to my right. I was already in the middle of the street when I heard the approaching motor and I froze, not knowing in which direction to run and thinking: Well, I guess this is it. The rider swerved to avoid me, but the corner of the metal box at the rear of his motorcycle hit my upper arm and sent me flying. The rider also fell off his motorcycle but was only scratched, thank God. My arm was pretty bruised but other than that I was fine. Both of us were very lucky.
It was the day after Rosh ha-Shana, the day after we begin asking God to inscribe our names in the Book of Life.
But the really creepy thing was that the night before, Israel Radio had broadcast a program on road safety during which various announcers read out the names of all the people who had been killed on Israel’s roads the previous year.
In time, the municipality redesigned that pedestrian crossing. I guess I wasn’t the only pedestrian who’d had a problem there.
To return to the present, it looks like someone else may have had a narrow escape the day after the New Year.
On each of the ten days between Rosh ha-Shana and Yom Kippur—what Jews call the Days of Awe—we add the following supplication to our regular prayers, which we recite three times a day:
Remember us for life, O King who delights in life, and inscribe us in the Book of Life—for Your sake, O God of life.
Amen. May it be so.
The cover of my old lambswool comforter is torn beyond repair. I have a bunch of cotton fabric scraps with floral patterns in dark blue, light blue, turquoise, peach, burgundy and white. And the Jerusalem nights are starting to get chilly. So I've decided: it’s time I learned quilting.
Does anyone know where I can download good instructions for a beginner? I have a fair amount of sewing experience (doing simple things), an old but serviceable sewing machine and a lot of motivation: I really like the thought of sleeping under the work of my own hands.
I’m interested in downloadable (and preferably free) geometric patterns that really catch the eye, or patterns that feature cats. The patterns should call for the use of existing fabric scraps rather than the purchase of new fabric.
If you know of any good sites, please leave links in the comments. Thanks!
I keep this journal mainly as my own little corner of quiet, a tiny haven for myself and anyone else who may be interested in sharing the small details of my life in Jerusalem. (The large details come under the category of Things I Do Not Blog About, and as for news and current events, there are already plenty of people throughout the blogosphere who cover them wonderfully well. Also, since I translate news for a living, I need a refuge from it once in a while.) I write about my opinions on various topics when I feel like it, but in general this journal is supposed to be a calm place, my own little virtual sanctuary from the madness of the world.
Nevertheless, sometimes I come across an item that pushes my buttons and I feel I have to write about it—such as this post from Right Thoughts about a ten-year-old Siamese cat in New Haven, Connecticut, who needs a home urgently (via Laurence Simon):
Here’s her story: She’s a ten year-old very healthy, VERY friendly Siamese, she’s mostly dark chocolate with darker points and pale blue eyes ... she’s fat and happy. Her previous owner brought her to my vet to be euthanized. Why? Because the new poodles the woman got don’t like her. She’s had the cat for ten years. TEN YEARS. And she wanted this perfectly healthy animal put down because she didn’t want to be bothered having to keep them separate all the time.
My vet said no way. They’re keeping her and looking for a home. If I didn’t already have five cats, she’d be with me now. She’s so sweet I can’t stand it. Just a big fluffy sweetheart of a cat. And she’s beautiful in person, my crappy phone pic did not do her justice. She’s had all her bloodwork done, shots, she’s fixed ... she’s as ready to go as any cat could be.
If you are within driving distance of New Haven, CT and you’d like to meet her ... let me know via email, stark23x at gmail dot com and I’ll get you the contact info. If you have a blog ... help me out by linking to this post.
[Rant ON]
What on earth was this woman thinking of? To have a pet of ten years put down because it doesn’t get along with the new pets in the house?! There are so many ways to solve this problem, including finding the cat a new home. And all the effort this woman was willing to make for her companion of ten years was to take her to the vet to be killed?!
For Heaven’s sake, people, pets are not toys! They are not some kind of live robot, to be kept as long as they amuse their owners and discarded the moment they become inconvenient. (Can you tell that attitude really gets on my nerves?) They are living creatures who can feel love, loss and abandonment just as we do. My mother used to compare having our dog to raising a child, and even though I’m not a parent myself at this time, I think she made an excellent point. When we take animals into our homes we make them dependent on us for food, medical care, companionship and love. That is a huge responsibility and in most cases a long-term commitment. Of course, unexpected problems can crop up from time to time, but if you’re not willing to take it on to the end, don’t do it!
By way of contrast: my friend, Her Ladyship’s human companion, just took in a new kitten, a rescue from her workplace. Her Ladyship, whom my friend originally got as a companion for her older cat, is now nine years old and my friend, with the help and advice of her veterinarian, is doing her best to make sure that both cats will get to know each other at the proper time and in the healthiest possible way. From what I can see it’s not all that big a deal. Why couldn’t this woman do the same?
I hope that the sweet Siamese cat finds a home soon. A warm, loving, intelligent, responsible, committed home.
[Rant OFF]
(Deep breath ...)
People may wonder why an Israeli blogger is linking to a post about a cat in New Haven. Well, it’s not because of any sentimental attachment to the television in my childhood room in upstate New York, which was able to get faint reception from Channel 8, WTNH, for years. It’s because of my belief that there is no distance in the blogosphere. For all I know, this post may reach someone near New Haven who can help, or who knows someone else who can.
Now I think I’ll go visit Her Ladyship to balance the kitty karma ... and bring down my blood pressure.
When I saw the Lady in Red last week, she was limping a bit on her right hind leg. I visited her again today, and I’m happy to report that all appears to be well.
So we had a little celebration, the Lady and I.
Someone looks pleased ...
Clean kitty!
Washing her face ...
Two boys came over while I was petting the Lady in Red, and one of them made friends with her. That’s his hand in the picture.
I always like it when the Lady gets another fan.
(Check out the Friday Ark at The Modulator. This week’s Carnival of the Cats will be at Music and Cats.)
I’ve never cared much for seafood. When my family went to fish restaurants during my childhood, I would scan the menu anxiously, searching for a “Landlubber Special” section and sighing with relief when I found it.
I guess that my lack of enthusiasm for seafood made the transition a bit easier when I started keeping kosher nearly twenty years ago. But as with all things, there’s another side to the story.
Some years ago I mentioned to a friend of mine that because of a salmon allergy, I don’t eat lox, that most basic of Jewish foods. With a shocked gasp, her voice hushed with trepidation, my friend asked me:
“Do you believe in one God?”
(Yes, she was kidding.)
This week’s Carnival of the Cats is up at Meryl’s—hosted by the Incredible Hulk.
Oooh, simply smashing!
Her Ladyship has a new housemate—a black-and-white kitten my friend rescued. The two cats haven’t met yet. My friend is keeping them apart for another week in order to give Missy (her name on this blog) a chance to get used to her new surroundings. I’ll post pictures when I get some.
If my friend agrees, I think I’ll bring Missy a paper bag to play in and some catnip. I’ll give the same to Her Ladyship, too, to avoid sibling rivalry. (Well, there will probably be a fair amount of that anyway, but at least I won’t be responsible for more of it.)
In other news, I visited the Lady in Red today and noticed that she’s favoring her right hind leg. I didn’t see or feel any sign of injury, so I don’t know what happened. She can still move around fairly well and even jump, but she was definitely moving more slowly and carefully than I’ve ever seen her do. I hear that things like this can heal on their own, but I think it’s time to send a message to the local cat welfare group’s e-mail list to ask for advice and possibly help in getting the Lady in Red to a vet.
The Lady in Red is a special cat who has given joy to a lot of people in the most dignified way, and she’s not so young anymore. She deserves all the help we can give her.
I do hope she’s all right.
Looks like Laurence Simon made it OK through Rita’s visit. Thank goodness.
Now if that tree will just behave itself ...
Here’s Hillel from this morning, in a noble pose:
I came home to find Her Ladyship in a less than dignified position:
She played flippy-kitty and swished her tail:
Then she took a snooze:
I think I found the culprit. Here are the first home-grown seeds from Catnip Row.
Oh, dear. Am I corrupting Her Ladyship?
(Check out this week’s Friday Ark at The Modulator. This week’s Carnival of the Cats is at Tig and Gracie’s—oops, I mean Meryl Yourish’s. Yay!)
Last night Laurence Simon gave us a rundown on what a Cat-5 looks like.
This morning I woke up to the news that Rita is now a Category 5 hurricane.
I think I’d rather deal with Piper in a bad mood.
Prayers for the safety of everyone in Rita’s path—human, feline, canine and everything else.
And so politely, too: Judy at Adloyada on a warm-hearted story at the BBC website.
Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Laurence Simon and his cats are having some fun, but Nardo may need rescuing by the time the day is over.
So, is anyone up for a sea mission? It’s dangerous—we may end up encountering a fearsome gray shark—but who wouldn’t risk that to rescue the beautiful Nardo?
