gwynnega

I've been spending the evening working on the Jo book. Chapter 18 is getting close to done. Also I've been reading The Third Child by Marge Piercy. I'm a big fan of all her 1970s-80s novels, but her later novels left me so cold, I didn't bother with the last couple. Turns out that this one (so far, anyway) is a return to form of sorts: a juicy political novel about the college-age daughter of a Republican senator and his ambitious wife.

The weather's cooled off again in LA, with rain last night. I want snow!

Today is the one-year anniversary of the death of the Garage Kitty. I still miss her a lot, and think about her most days, especially when I'm in the garage.

The Garage Kitty has passed away. Her appetite had waned recently, but I'd thought she would bounce back as she had in the past, and she'd seemed otherwise fine. It was only on Wednesday night that I knew she was in trouble, and her decline was swift after that. I'm glad she didn't suffer long. I will miss her terribly. It's pretty amazing that she was never hit by a car or picked off by a wild animal from the hillside. She lived quite a long life for an outdoor cat.





I'm not sure how old the Garage Kitty was. I moved into the apartment building nearly fourteen years ago, and she may already have been here then. She was originally a housecat belonging to a tenant who then abandoned her. I'm not sure what happened to turn her feral. If she had wanted back into the building and if she'd not been averse to being touched, any number of tenants would have adopted her--but whenever I opened the door to the building, she just looked at me like, "What?" Once she set up residence in the garage and the surrounding hillside, she lived life on her own terms. I knew her for years before I started feeding her. I'd shoo her off my car in the morning, though it was clear she thought all the cars in the garage really belonged to her. Then one day, a little over two years ago, she started meowing at me for food, and I joined the small group of tenants who fed her. One by one, they moved away, until it was just me taking care of her.

Although she refused to be touched, she was otherwise sociable. She had a whole repertoire of meows, and she was often talkative. I know she trusted me as much as it was possible for her to trust a human. Taking care of her has been one of the high points of my life.

My vacation week is flying by. I've been noveling (and poeming), reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, watching wonderful Ryan's Hope (1975) reruns on SOAPnet, feeding the Garage Kitty (she's been a bit finicky lately--I think the cold weather has intermittently interfered with her ability to smell food), etc. Yesterday I saw the Eva Hesse paintings exhibit at the Hammer, which I was glad to get to before it closes.

Last night HBO showed the 1976 remake of Dark Victory, starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Anthony Hopkins--a TV movie I adored as a pre-teen and which I wish were on DVD (or even on YouTube). I think it may have been the first thing I ever saw Hopkins in (or was it Magic?), though I was of course already a massive Montgomery fan.

Today I went to Whole Foods to get caviar and other goodies for my traditional new-year's-eve-with-DVDs celebration. I haven't decided yet what I'm gonna watch, though...

While the rest of the country is having a snowpocalypse, we in LA are having a mini-summer. The Garage Kitty is pleased, and I can't say I'm not. Today I braved the mall, which was not fun (especially driving in and out of the parking lot), but my holiday shopping is now pretty much done. Hooray.

Last night I watched a documentary on the late John Cazale, who appeared in only five films, but what five films: the first two Godfather movies, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon (possibly my favorite movie ever), and The Deer Hunter (which my dad co-wrote). My dad would've loved this documentary. I hadn't realized Cazale and Meryl Streep were a couple, and I couldn't remember whether Cazale had come to the Academy Awards the year The Deer Hunter won awards--but no, he died of lung cancer before the movie was released. I remember seeing young Meryl Streep in the ladies' room at the Oscars, but I had no idea of everything she'd just been through. Anyway, the documentary is wonderful.

A Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. In a bit I'll be driving to my mom's, where we'll have turkey and all the trimmings.

The Garage Kitty is apparently not celebrating Thanksgiving--she's barely eaten since yesterday, and I'm worried. I think it must have to do with the unusually cold weather we've been having. Possibly the cold has interfered with her ability to smell food. She has been drinking water, and she seems otherwise fine, happily lounging in the sun.

I've been watching the L&O marathon and this morning's Ryan's Hope eps, and now will do a bit of noveling...

Last night when I got home from work...

Gwynnega: Kitty? Kitty? Where are you?

Garage Kitty: ...

Gwynnega: Well, I'll leave you some food anyway.
[leaves food]

Action Tabby: [streaks through the garage]

Gwynnega: Oh, for god's sake. Not you again!

Action Tabby: [leaps onto wall and runs across it, "Mission Impossible" theme playing]
[stops and looks down at Gwynnega]

Gwynnega: Just keep going, cat.

Action Tabby: Hmm, maybe I can take her.

Gwynnega: Move along!

Action Tabby: [jumps out of sight, leaving garage]

Gwynnega: Kitty! The bad cat is gone! You can come out now!

Garage Kitty: ...

Gwynnega: Okay, I'll come back later.


Half an hour later...


Gwynnega: Hmm, still no sign of the Garage Kitty.
[looks up]

Clueless White Cat: [loiters on balcony]

Gwynnega: You have got to be kidding me!

Clueless White Cat: Where did Action Tabby go?

Gwynnega: Sheesh.


Later that evening...


Clueless White Cat: [is gone]

Fancy Feast: [is also gone]

Garage Kitty: [still hiding]

Gwynnega: Well, I hope it was the Garage Kitty who ate the food.


This morning...


Garage Kitty: Here I am! Those awful cats are gone! FeedmefeedmeFEEDME!

We're having a heatwavy day, but it's supposed to cool down again starting tomorrow. I've lounged around reading Amanda Cross's No Word From Winifred, and after I finished that, I walked in the heat to Trader Joe's. The Garage Kitty has mostly made herself scarce today, doubtless hiding from the hot sun, but she made a brief appearance to eat some Fancy Feast. After I consume Thai food, there will be noveling and more reading...

Los Angeles is finally having summer weather, and I'm not thrilled. After all the June/July gloom, I feel quite disgruntled about actual August weather in August! The Garage Kitty seems to be handling it well, however.

Today I spent some quality time lazing around reading Georgette Heyer (Frederica). Also I watched the Stephen Frears' film of Cheri, which is gorgeous, though it mainly made me want to reread the book. (I've been longing to do a Colette binge reading/rereading.)

Yesterday I finished listening to the text-to-audio files of the Jo book, and this evening I finished writing up notes of What Works and What Really Doesn't. For some reason knowing that I will be hacking large swaths of text from the book fills me with glee. I've also been making notes for the new ending of the book (something else that fills me with glee, because I'd really missed Jo and Martin). Next up: brainstorming/outlining/etc. to figure out some solutions to other issues with the novel.

And tomorrow will be Henna Day!

Today I got to meet skogkatt! We had brunch at Coffee Table, and then she got to meet the Garage Kitty. The kitty skedaddled when Julia tried to take her picture, but later on she managed to sneak a photo.

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In Ryan's Hope news, this evening I watched an old Law & Order ep (from 1993) that featured both Michael Levin (Jack Fenelli) and Tovah Feldshuh (Martha McKee #1), but, sadly, not in the same scene.

***

I had a three day weekend, but it sure has zoomed by.