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Cats on a wire

More high drama this weekend! This time, I mean that literally. Upwards of 15 feet high. on Saturday, Lucy, our blind calico, wandered out to the far, skinny end of a branch, the same branch upon which our fickle, traitor of a chicken is pictured in the very annals of this blog, a slanted koa adjacent to the lanai. Despite her disability, she insists on climbing it, usually en-route to the roof, where she curls up under the eves and naps. This time, however, she decided to explore the tree. The thin, whipping branch could barely hold her. Mr. Sox saw her there, instinctively knew she was vulnerable and scrambled up the tree to get in her face. He can be evil that way. When he got there, he took a swipe at her. She held fast, but he lost his footing and fell, catching himself at the last second. The old guy clung by his toenails, all four of them, upside down, holding tight with all four feet. Abner, our skinny, fit Colorado tabby, watched all this from a safe distance. There is no love lost between Abby and Mr. Sox. So when Abby saw his not-so-svelt nemesis dangling belly-up, he could not resist. The typically mellow but occasionally ornery Abby scampered up the tree to do some tormenting of his own. This put angry, posturing boys between Lucy and the fatter part of the branch. Somehow, Mr. Sox managed to right himself. He growled at Abner, who hissed back, while poor Lucy bounced in the wind. I grabbed a long pole. First, I nudged Abner, since he was closest to the trunk. Next came a gentle prod of Mr. Sox. Once the two bad boys were clear, a few shakes of the treat bag brought Lucy down.

Hoppsy had another tiny seizure Saturday, too. Between the two events, Ron's blood pressure was through the roof. He does worry about the kids.

This morning, the Volcano Farmers' Market was a mellow affair, not crowded as usual, with no line at the coffee urns and plenty of good pickin's left for the purchasin'. It was unclear whether this was because it's Easter, or because of the deluge. I met a man named George Barton who makes cool furniture out of waiawi, or strawberry guava, an invasive tree the government wants to eradicate with a beetle. Then, I trekked over to the KMC, where the draw of their Easter Buffet forced me to alternative parking and the smell of bacon wafting out from the cafeteria -- even more than the rain -- inspired me to rush indoors. Yes, it was raining. It's been raining for days. Torrential rain. Softer rain. Persistent rain. Rain, rain, rain.

Happy Easter, everyone!

A hui hou. Aloha!


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