The forecast today called for 25%
chance of rain with thunderstorms in the afternoon. I always read the forecast
to The Girl when I wake her in the morning – it’s to encourage her to get out
of bed. Mostly it works. She’s smallish and can’t quite reach me when she takes a wild swing in my direction without
sitting up first. In order to shut me up, she is forced to get up first. Sad,
but true.
That’s not the point of my story,
however. Just because The Girl gave in and got up doesn’t mean Jingles was
convinced. She had a lovely warm spot snuggled at the foot of The Girl’s bed –
a nest between a stuffed octopus, turtle, and manta ray (more commonly called a
“sea flap-flap”). The Girl has a plush nautical theme going on, she sleeps with
a blue whale. Again, beside the point.
I pet Jingles and gave her the
hourly forecast, earning a glancing blow from my daughter as she stomped around
her room gathering her clothes. The upshot was: I had to convince the cat to go
outside this morning to kitty it up before it rained this afternoon. Yes, kitty is now a verb.
Oddly, it took some work to
convince that cat to go outside. “Now or never” doesn’t usually work, but it
did this time and she went off, gallivanting around the neighborhood, trying to
lose her collar again. Two hours later, it started raining. Earlier than
forecasted, but not hard. She wouldn’t come in. Jingles sat on the walk up to
our door, staring at me as I now tried to convince her she’d had enough kittying and it was time to come in.
Then she ran off. Little brat.
Harder rain and the crack of
thunder proved more convincing than I was and Jingles finally came in, tracking
little muddy kitty-prints on my tile entry. Brat. I do have solace in the knowledge
the downpour is temporary. The rain will cease and she will be at my door again
demanding to go out. I will point to those muddy paw prints and laugh evilly as
I refuse to open the door. Because I’m a trite, little person who punishes the
cat for doing what she does. Then The Girl will let her out as soon as my back
is turned.
It’s nice to be able to take
comfort in the predictable things in life.
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