Skip to main content

Drama, trauma and I'm the kitties mama

High drama at the winery.  I ran into a coworker today who told me the other tasting room employee placed on temporary layoff (besides me) was given the permanent heave ho over the weekend.  She wasn't taking the layoff well and despite numerous attempts to convince her it was temporary and in no way a reflection on her performance, she freaked.  Initially, she seemed to understand the circumstances.  As time went on, her discontent erupted into loud and inappropriate comments  - sometimes in front of customers - taking her frustration out on a fellow employee, a manager, the world.  Wow.  She's young and I suspect she's never been through tough times before.  Personally, my layoff was not the least bit unsettling since I volunteered.  Others need the work.  I don't.  I've got writing and other stuff to do and will not starve or miss a mortgage payment if I don't work for a couple of months.  Lucky me.

I had lunch Saturday with two good friends from California on Saturday.  Andy and Flora were on island and on vacation, so I met them in Waimea for a lovely chat over some so-so barbecue.  The coleslaw was good, but it was the company that made my day.  

My beloved Crawford has taken a turn for the worse this past couple of weeks.  She suffered two seizures last week.  That's tough to watch.  Fine since then, but she often looks sad to me, defeated.  So we've started giving her extra treats. Tonight, scrambled eggs and grated cheese mixed in with her kibble.  Hamburger, steak, chicken, fish.  She loves fish.  So Saturday night she gobbled several chunks of Alaskan cod.  The next few weeks, she'll get lots of extras.  We're watching her closely.  Selfishly, I'd like to keep her around forever.  She's my girl.  But her quality of life is more important than my wish to snuggle with her every day.  Yesterday, we enjoyed a couple of hours out in the grass, sniffing whatever blew our way via fresh trade winds.  That perked her up a bit.

Meanwhile, the babies are ever entertaining and growing fast.  I wish I could keep them small forever.  I know every parent says that....

A hui hou.  Aloha.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Born and bred

The creature stared at me, wide-eyed through the florescent glare, Saran Wrap stretched tight across its broad back. Alone in the seafood cooler, he was the only one of his kind, there among the farmed, color-added Atlantic salmon and mud-flavored tilapia, perched on a blue foam tray, legs tucked 'round him like a comfy kitten. He didn't blink. He was dead, red, cooked and chilled, ready to eat. Such a find is rare in the City Market fish department in Gunnison, Colorado. What if nobody takes him home? I thought. This beautiful animal will have died needlessly, ripped from his home, family and friends (Dory, Nemo, Crush and Gill?) only to be tossed in the trash when his expiration date came and went. I lifted him for closer inspection, checked that date, felt the heft of him, scanned his surface for cracks and blemishes. The creature was perfect. I lowered him back into the cooler, nodded farewell, turned to walk away, took one step, and stopped. Shoppers strolled past, stud...
4 comments
Read more

Mom

This is my beautiful mom. She died last Sunday. For those who knew her, my heart breaks with you. For those who did not, here's an introduction to the best confidante, role model and mother a girl could hope for in life. This is the obituary I'd planned to submit to the local paper, but have opted instead to publish here. Obituary: Beverly Todd Bev -- my mom -- was a longtime caregiver, advocate, and dear friend to countless elderly in South Salem. Hers was a kind and generous spirit. She devoted much of her life to the welfare of others, giving wholly of herself and doing so always with great affection and humor. She was born Beverly Marie Steinberger in Silverton, July 23, 1938, the first child and only daughter of Art and Marie Steinberger. Her brothers called her Bevvy Buns, a nickname she grew fond of and wore proudly within the family circle as an adult. Bev attended St. Paul’s Elementary School in Silverton, Silverton High School and Marylhurst Co...
2 comments
Read more

General goofiness

I was driving home from an abbreviated shift at work last night when I turned on the radio and heard Bob Dylan singing Everybody Must Get Stoned .  I was reminded of a placard I once saw at a Dairy Queen in Colorado that read, Everybody Must Get Coned .  So it occurred to me, there navigating through the misty darkness, that with a slight modification, this could be a great slogan for a number if different businesses.  Here's my list. Telecommunications company: Everybody must get phoned . Cutlery shop and knife sharpening services: Everybody must get honed . Credit Union: Everybody must get loaned . Brothel: Everybody must get moaned. Winery: Everybody must get Rhoned . Fitness Center: Everybody must get toned . Local planning commission: Everybody must get zoned . Bio-research company: Everybody must get cloned. Doggy daycare: Everybody must get boned. Manufacturer of modern, unmanned spy planes: Everybody must get droned . Reader of corny mottoes and slogans listed on a chees...
2 comments
Read more