Etobicoke Catnap

I wrote about the Air France Fire that took place the day I was trying to fly to Calgary, where e I am now, but I wanted to show you the wonderful day I spent relaxing with some new friends and some very new Old Friends.

My sister, Melba Toasty, and my Mom, drove me and my hundred and forty pounds of baggage to Etobicoke, which is close to Pearson Airport. Vivyan and Dorian met us. I first contacted Vivyan in 2000 and we have been Internet twins ever since.

Vivyan is an avid gardener and she dug up some plants for Mel and Squiddy to take back with them to Waterloo.

Later on, Donna came over to join us for dinner. Donna has had a more exciting life than most of us would want. Just after she divorced her husband, he was shot by terrorists in South America. We hit it off like old friends, right from the start and had a wonderful talk.

Vivyan and Donna connected this way too and they have been great friends to each other through their recent struggles.

Dorian is a very unassuming man who brings a great calm to Vivyan's exuberance and helps keep things balanced in their lives. He is an artist who works with canvas and computer imagery. I find the more I get to know Dorian, the more I want to know. He is a kind, gentle Soul with tremendous insight into life. This picture exemplifies what I'm talking about but really, I think he was just resting like I was, after eating so much of the great food that Vivyan prepared for us. She's a wonderful cook and a great hostess.

That evening after we could eat no more, we talked and watched the 7 kittens at play. These are a couple of the loners from a local pet store. Vivyan wanted to help the kittens get used to people so they can be ready for their new homes.

Vivyan's sister even joined us for dinner. It was a day of Cats and Catnaps and great food. And especially great conversation.

CatScan

I'm learning to see life more like a Cat.

This is the classic cartoon. I thought of it one day when Mom's Seal point; Harry; climbed up above this computer for a nap.

You know the old saying: "It's a dog's life"? Well I think it's the cat's turn to have a look.

This is what we all see each morning as we look out my basement bedroom window. The other day when it got really hot, the roses burst into bloom all at once.

I just got off the phone with a very dear friend of mine and as we were talking about how tenuous life is, Mom's cat; Max; climbed up on her Antique table and snuggled himself between her beautiful plates and a picture frame. This is one of his favorite places to relax. If he kicked one foot out the wrong way, he would make history. But he never does. He helps me remember to enjoy the beauty
around me without fear.

Tomorrow I head out West to Vancouver and then to Calgary to visit my family and friends. I'll share my experiences with you as I go.

Mom's Cats...Really!

Mom got two Himalayan cats from the Humane Society on Monday, as she explains in her blog. The only problem is, she has trouble finding them. Okay Squiddy. I know where they are.

The blond guy likes to live in my portable closet. But if it's any consolation Mom, he sleeps on the T-shirt you brought me back from England.

I'm sure it's not my room he goes for; it's your shirt...really!

And as for the Seal point, he may be snoring on my bed each night but that doesn't mean he likes it. Look at that tension in his paws. He misses you. I'm sure of it.

Now here's where Mom and I would like your help. Squiddy is still deciding what to call them. I want to call this one Wookie, because he reminds me of Chewy from Star wars.

And mom is partial to calling this guy 'Marmaduke', which I shorten to 'Dukie'. What do you think? Wookie and Dukie? We're open to suggestions.

Rubies, Lambs and Burgers

I have been transported from the Thailand to Canada. This gives me a wonderful opportunity to see my native country with fresh eyes. I spent my first day becoming acclimatized. I left Bangkok where the temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. The weather report includes the phrase: "feels like 117 degrees F". The temperature today in Waterloo is 10 degrees C. Very nice.

On my first day back I visited my sister's family. They have a cat. Her name is Ruby. Ruby is very old. Melba Toasty told me that the other day Ruby stuck out her tongue and forgot to reel it back in. Mel says that a cat's tongue is very very long and that once you've seen one hanging out, you never want to see it again. So in this picture, she's doing well.

This is 'Lamb'. She is petting 'Peacock'. Do you see what I mean?
Melbah wrote in her Blog on March 26th (3,26), that her daughter trained her fish to come to her finger so that she could pet it. I had to see this for myself. Amazing but true!

This is my room mate in Waterloo. She is also my Mom. Pat, alias 'Squiddy', took me out for my inaugural burger. She even documented the event in her Blog: 'Point Taken' After being away from Western food for the last three months I have to admit the burger was delicious, but as my friends in Thailand would say, it was 'too beek'.

Tonight In Chiang Mai

When we left our heroes, Steve was battling the forces of adventure as he put his 'Day in The Life' post to bed. As we were finishing up, John suggested we go to a 'jam' bar,

this is Warren, Aey (The owner of the The Hug Bar), and John.

Heinrich Makes his own saxophones out of bamboo and they really put out a strong clean sound. I was very impressed. The atmosphere that last night made me want to come back to Chiang Mai, now that I know where the ex patriots hang out.

This was our piano player for the night, with John.

This little guy had quite a hit to his neck but he was seeming to heal very well since the bandage was removed He was the guardian to the Internet Cafe while I was there. I had a Tabby cat named Baju so seeing another Tabby here, made me feel sentimental.

Here's the lane I spent most of my time in, here in Chiang Mai. I had my breakfast here every day.

And this is the Guest House I stayed at (no towel, no toilet paper, no bottled water; just nice people.)