Another nine days, and it's still July. I think it's been July for about 27 years now.
To pick up where I left off. When we were getting ready to leave the coffee shop, Jen mentioned that she had picked a bucket of figs and wanted to make jam, but her mother's kitchen isn't really set up for that sort of thing, and she wanted to make it in her own kitchen. Her currently estranged partner was going to out of town that weekend, so she was going to go do it then. Then she said "the last time I went into the house, I had a panic attack. I just wish I could have some company, someone to sit with me." Well, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to picking up clues, but I'm not completely deaf. So I went over to make jam (and other friend showed up too). It was actually rather companionable, all of us cutting up figs and chatting. Jen held herself together until the jam was finished and we had lunch (I took the materials to make a fig/prosciutto/goat cheese pizza). Then she just lost it for awhile, and we let her talk it out. I could see myself in her - feeling the intense fear and confusion, wondering how you're going to make it alone when you've had a partner for your entire adult life (she was 17 when they got together).
The next evening (Monday) I was sitting on the couch, with RedBug (who has been very clingy since we lost Stumbles). We were holding hands, because that's a thing.
I felt a lump on his leg.
I was able to get an appointment for Tuesday afternoon. I felt conflicted - there was going to be a noontime lecture of historic clothing at Mission San Luis - where I was their clothier about 20 years ago. But that would mean going into town twice. I finally decided to go anyway, rather than pace and worry. It was interesting (also interesting to note that they still have the same problem I did 20 years ago, in that there is little information on Spanish clothing for the time period of the Mission (around 1700). Plenty before 1650 and after 1720 but in between is still nada.
I will confess that part of me was thinking about volunteering to help out in sewing the clothing. But I knew that might just be the cabin fever talking. I decided to leave it to the fates. After the lecture, I went to chat with the speaker for a bit, mentioning my history, and asked if it was possible to see how the sewing room was set up now (nope - the person wasn't there). This would have been the opportunity for the guy to reach out to me to see if I was interested in volunteering. Or at least get my information. That didn't happen - fates decreed that I don't need to be doing that.
In the afternoon I took Bug in - and of course a major thunderstorm came in, rending the road almost invisible and my little car being buffeted by wind gusts. The visit was inconclusive - at least the Xray showed that there's no bone involvement. He's been on antibiotics this week just in case it was an infection but there's been no change, so we'll probably schedule surgery this week to remove and biopsy it. I keep hoping that it's something benign - but I've lost seven cats in six years so I can't help but feel paranoid.
The pill time is admittedly a little funny. I feed him in the bathroom because the other cats pick on him. And it makes it easy to catch him for his pill. He doesn't fight me - but when he realizes that it's pill time he goes and sticks in head in a corner. I guess he thinks that if he can't see me, I can't see him.
Thursday was the library book club meeting. It's a little like high school - the librarian reads suggested questions about the book and we sort of give answers. But it's a pleasant enough gathering. Afterwards there was a educational animal program- geared towards kids, of course, but if there are animals involved I'm going to sit in. The baby lemur was adorable, of course, but for me the highlight was the melanistic (black phase) pine snake. I had never heard of one, and it was a seriously beautiful snake.
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