All Tomorrow's Flowers

 

 

 
            It had been a strange winter and early spring. When it should have been snowing, it didn’t. Or not much. Long days went by when there was no snow in the Great Forest. Oh, it was cold alright, but the clouds hanging heavy in the sky withheld the expected snow.
            One morning that spring when Ramona woke and put her feet on the stone floor of the cave home she could tell that something was different. The light, just a tiny line of light, around the big wooden door was dead white. Finally. She knew that the weather had changed overnight at last.
            She stretched and looked around the dim interior where her family slept. Ralph was flat on his back, snoring. Cherry and Blue made one indistinguishable mass under her quilt. Bob and Berry slept on their ledge, face to face, like stone carvings. She thought of Twigg and Leely and the new one.
            Then Ramona padded silently to the door and passed outside.
            Flakes of snow like goose feathers swirled down filling the air of the Home Clearing. They fell too thickly to allow her to see much further than a small area where she stood. Glancing at the fire circle, she saw a small, thin column of smoke passed upward through the falling snow. She wouldn’t need a lighter or kindling. Her fire was alive, just really small.
            It was almost silent, but if she listened, she could hear a kind of whisper, the sound heavy falling snow makes. She heard the wind high in the tops of the firs moving their branches just a little. It wasn’t a blizzard, just a snow storm.
            Cold doesn’t bother Ramona, but she set to work building up her fire. She found the remaining live coals and fed them some small dry twigs. Then she knocked the snow off some larger pieces that Ralph had stacked near to the fire for her. It didn’t take long to have quite a large fire burning. She began considering breakfast. There were no fish waiting in her bucket. She had some raw venison, but that would take too long. She was out of eggs. Thaga’s hens were on their winter slow down. So, it would be oatmeal and raisins. She had those in the cave.
            When she went back inside for supplies and her big pot, Ralph was awake.
            “It’s snowing, Baby,” she whispered.
            “Oh, good!” he whispered in answer.
            They went outside together. She made the pot of oatmeal with raisins then went in to wake Cherry and Blue and get bowls, spoons and butter. Bob and Berry slept on. They would hunt up some breakfast for themselves later. Neither cared for porridge.
            “Oh! It’s snowing,” said Cherry. She was getting to be a bigger girl, but she could still float when she wanted to. She rose up through the cold air, looking to the sky, allowing the feathery flakes to light on her face.
            The four of them, including Blue, had their oatmeal porridge and then Ramona made coffee for herself and Ralph. Cherry and Blue had some warm mint tea in Ooog’s clay mugs.
            “What shall we do today?” Ramona asked in formal Saslingua, because she wanted to make sure that Cherry could speak the old language.
            “I would like to go visit Thaga,” said Cherry, very correctly.
            “We can do that, Cherry, if you like,” Ramona said, smiling at the child still overhead tasting the snow falling in her face.
            Ralph said he would take the cats and his big leather backpack, made by Ooog for him that one Gifting season, and do a bit of hunting and wood gathering. It’s a daily chore for Ralph, king or not! Wood and food, every day.
            The dirty dishes went into the five gallon bucket, for later washing at the river. Ramona and Cherry went back into the cave and brushed their hair with a nice brush, from the same Gifting day, and then they were ready to go see Thaga.
            Naturally, Maeve appeared just as they were ready to leave. Given the choice of going with the hunters or the visitors, she chose to go with Ramona and Cherry. The white snowflakes on her black feathers looked very fine, and she knew it too!
            It wasn’t a long walk. The snow was piling up. It was up over Ramona’s ankles, almost to her midcalf. Cherry didn’t walk through it; she drifted along beside her mother. Maeve couldn’t fly that slowly, so she just sat on Ramona’s shoulder.
            Everything looked so different from the days before. The path was white and smooth. The early buds and leaves each had a tiny cap of snow. The snow sat up on top of the deep grass, so it would have been a little hard for a human to push his way through. But Ramona had no trouble with it. She trudged right through. They had a good time with it.
            It was the only cabin out there, and Ramona knew that, as did Cherry and Maeve, but it seemed a little changed somehow. Maybe, it was hard to say. The garden and outside areas looked a little bit like something was missing, but maybe it was just that the snow was covering some things.
            However, there was a thread of white smoke rising from the chimney, and there was a light on. They could see it, deep in the room that the window opened on. So, Thaga and Ooog had to be home. The snow continued to fall thickly, obscuring the view. That had to be why the house seemed a little changed.
            Ramona brought her child and her friend Maeve to the porch, stomped the snow off of her lower legs and feet and knocked on the door. They waited for a couple of minutes there in front of Thaga’s door.
            At last the door opened. A rush of warm air greeted the callers.
            “Hello?” said the young woman in the doorway. “May I help you somehow?”
            She was short, like Thaga. She wore her hair up like Thaga. She wore a print dress that was ankle length with a handknit sweater in blue wool over it. She was so much like Thaga. Her blue eyes held nothing but questions. She smiled tentatively, and said, “Please come in!”
            “Thank you,” said Ramona, a bit weakly, and they trooped on into the kitchen of the cabin, where a young man in leather pants, with long dark hair, was eating breakfast at a wooden table much smaller than the one Ramona remembered.
            “We were looking for Thaga and Ooog,” said Ramona. Cherry stood at her knee and Maeve watched solemnly from her shoulder perch.
            “Why, of course, we are Thaga and Ooog,” said the young woman. “You have most certainly come to the right house. We built this place not so many years ago. No one else has ever lived here, my dear,” she told Ramona.
            Maeve whispered under her breath in amazement.
            “Sit down at my table please. What did you say your name was? It’s cold out there. Maybe we should have a little nibble and figure this out!” said Thaga.
            They got seated around the table. Ramona introduced herself, her child and her bird.
            The young man, with a grin, said, “I’m Ooog for sure! The only one around here!”
            Thaga served gingerbread cookies and tea with sugar. They all just took a moment and looked at each other.
            “You are very much like Thaga and Ooog, whom I have known for many years,” said Ramona, “but so very much younger! I don’t understand!”
            Thaga looked thoughtful for a moment or two, without answering. Ooog sat there, having a few more cookies and smiling.
            “You know what I think, Ramona, Cherry, and Maeve?” said Thaga. “I think that you just came early! I don’t know how you did it. But, I believe we will be good friends, and that I will come to love you very much. I can see that much. That’s the only thing I can imagine has happened. Some talk about a wrinkle in time!
            “Next time you come to visit, I believe we will know each other as we always did!” said Thaga. “Please, always come again!”
            “We will. We will always come again, Thaga,” said Ramona, but there were tears in her eyes because it was so strange. “We will go home now. Thank you both for your kindness!”
            Cherry went to Thaga and hugged her, as she always had. Then there were some tears in Thaga’s eyes. She held the child for a long moment.
            So, Ramona took her leave, with Cherry and Maeve, and they began to walk home through the heavy falling snow. It was even deeper now, almost up to Ramona’s knees. As she walked she noticed that some early blossoms also had dainty caps of snow.
            “Evermore..” muttered Maeve, as if to herself.

🌸🤍🌸

A Few Observations From The Road Today

 

 

            Since I ran out of story writing time on Suzday, I thought maybe I’d just do a short report on driving my kid back to Seattle. It’s always a bit revelatory. Every trip is different.
            It was a good day for driving. A nice gray day. It wasn’t raining. Just even cool light. I don’t care for driving southward into the low winter sun.
            I headed south on Evergreen which becomes old 99 when you get south of Everett. It used to be the highway. The north/south route. I actually remember before they built I-5. When first completed, it was never crowded. It was so easy to get around the area quickly. Not so now.
            After some fish and no chips at Mikie’s in town the first characteristic thing we came upon was a protest at the intersection by Aurora Village, a shopping mall. People holding this year’s model of protest signs crowded all four corners of the intersection. Most were against ICE picking up illegal gate crashers. Many carried No Kings signage. I’m never quite sure what that one means. I suppose they imagine this president wants to be king, for there were also many Traitor Trump signs.
            The people seemed very pleased with themselves. Many were photographing each other. There were tall important looking men, no doubt personages of some nature. Goodness knows. I don’t.
            These people looked well-off, all white. Classic libs. My thought was that they wouldn’t have to live with the results of what they want done. No, it would be the average lower class members who would have to live with the increase in crime and all the other results of illegal migration. But I’m sure that’s considered acceptable for the class of people standing at the intersection.
            Seattle proper, the city, seemed quiet. You don’t see many goofballs on the street in cool gray weather. They seem to come out when the sun shines.
            However, on 35^th NE, I think it is, I notice that the RVs and cars sitting along the road were back, the ones selling drugs openly on the street. Every once in a while the city moves them out, but they were back. Some of these RVs process stolen goods too. Quite a scene.
            Navigator lives in a nice Jewish neighborhood a few miles east of the U, so it seems pretty safe for a downtown neighborhood. Her bus connections are perfect. Bus stops right at the door of her building and the hospital where she works.
            Heading back north, I drove over  to the freeway to just make the trip quickly. No traffic to speak of. As I got out of town, I noticed that the foothills of the Cascade were half occluded by cloud, probably I was looking at snow falling. Mt. Baker, which is usually visible from the freeway was completely hidden, but the slopes of the foothills were patched with great swathes of snow. I was pleased to see it, as we need the mountains to be deep in snow.
            Even here, the clouds are low and look snowy in that white, opaque way.
            So, I had opportunity to compare the folly of mankind to the patient existence of the mountains and the snow coming in its season.
            It was an easy trip. The old Element ran like a good little old machine. I was thankful.

🚗

Purrfect Composure™

 

The two glamorous young fellows.

««⁜»»

          Suzy and I were having a little conversation at the old salvaged DOD desk yesterday. She has more room to move up there since the recent updating of that landscape. We had been listening to some surf music, Swaying Palms, by the Aqua Velvets. Suzy often requested surf music. She said it was practically like taking a quick vacation to sunny beaches and palm trees.

            I asked her what it was like to be a plain little cat with such glamour young fellows around stealing all the oxygen in the room.
            She said, “Oh, that’s a human thing. We cats don’t put much stake in personal appearance. All cats are not grey in our minds, we do note the differences, but we don’t consider one cat better than another because of the pattern or color of our fur coats.
            “On the other hand, we all, unless something has gone terribly wrong, feel quite glamorous.”
            “How does that work?” I said.
            “Well, look at those kittens. They don’t care that they have fancy spotted coats. They just feel like kittens. What is important to them is to be loved and treated well. Mrrrp? Is it not so?” she said.
            “I believe you, and that seems quite fair,” I said.
            “That’s all we older cats ask too,” she said.
            “Well, you know, Suzy, I think the same could be said for anyone, anyone with good sense. We people often get caught up in desires for more than that. Accomplishments and possessions. It’s exhausting in the long run. Sometimes I think you cats have this figured out,” I told her. She seemed pleased, if the purring I heard was any indication.
            We sat together and listened to the music for a few minutes.
            “Say, Suz, did you know that today is Suzday? How about that?” I asked her.
            “You know what I’m going to say, right?” she said.
            “That all days are about the same to you?” I said.
            “Pretty much, but I’m still tickled that you guys named a day of the week after me!” she laughed. “Toots is proud of her day too!”
            “What would you like to do on your day?” I asked her.
            “Some more surf music would suit me fine,” she said. “How about Twilight of The Hepcats, on Guitar Noir? I don’t know what hepcats are, but they must be cool!” she said.
            “Right! That was their total deal!” I said. “They were very cool, Miss Suzy!”
            So, we listened to the song together. Then she went off to catch up on her napping on the back of the sofa.

😺

Cold Or Not, Clouds Are Just Local Phenomena

 

Above it all the sun is shining every day!

💌

Wilco Robotronics Inc.

     Part 2

            I wasn’t used to being around that much salt water. It smelled different here. Back in Watertown the dry warm breeze blew over miles of wheat. It has a scent. The wind  here was dank, moist, and cool. I thought of this air as supporting moss, ferns, and forests. All exotic to me.
            It was good to be up and walking around. Right down the block on the same side of the street there was an old bakery. Mike’s. I entered cautiously. Curious. There were three booths and the usual display case of pastries and cakes and cookies, and some loaves of bread. There was an espresso machine.
            A middle aged lady with a twinkly smile, in a white apron sold me a 16oz latte, and a cherry Danish. I took a seat, and tried to sense the vibe in this town.
            Well, time would tell, and speaking of time, I figured it was time to go find Bob Davis, HR guy at Wilco for final negotiations. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would end up living here in this town on the bay, listening to gulls scream, and smelling Port Gardner Bay.
            The doors to Wilco were department store doors. Double and heavy.
            Inside, a six foot tall tabby cat wearing a pinafore welcomed me. “Bob is waiting for you upstairs. Follow me.” Her tail hung out of the back of her pink striped pinafore as she walked before me. Visions of the animated toys in Blade Runner danced in my head.
            “This floor is our display room. It gives prospective customers a look at what is possible,” said she. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mars, my name is Felicia.”
            “Nice to meet you, Felicia. Charmed!” I answered her.
            I glanced around the display floor. A seven foot Sasquatch smiled amiably, behind a computer monitor, working at a desk. He waved and said his name was Lance. “Hi, Lance!” I called out, “Hey, good ta meet ya!” It was too. My mind was being slowly blown. Seeing these creatures in person was a whole bunch different from watching them on video.
            Hello Kitty ran a vacuum over the carpet. Dizzying. ‘Is there really a market for this?’ I wondered. “Excuse the noise,” said the kitty.
            “No problem,” I said.
            How did Felicia know my friends call me Mars? I didn’t ask her. But, I hadn’t told her either.
            They hadn’t redecorated the old store. It was dark, full of wood, rather cute.
            Felicia ushered me into an elevator, followed behind, and pushed the number 2 on the control panel. I noted that there were two more floors above that. The second floor was hushed. It didn’t look like the second floor in an old department store. This was upscale, in modern business style. As I followed Felicia down the hall, small lights located every ten or so feet apart on the right side wall lit up with a green glow. I guessed that meant we were expected.
            At the end of the hall, facing the elevator, was an office door. No sign disfigured it. No window gave any hint of the room’s interior.
            “He’s here, Bob,” Felicia said as she opened the door.
            I stepped inside the room. There was a big desk facing the door, and behind that desk sat Captain James T. Kirk.
            “Come on in, Mars,” said the captain. “I’m Bob Davis. Let’s talk!”
            His smile seemed genuine enough.
            My head was spinning. I’d seen the old TV show and somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear the theme music playing.
            I was ready to boldly go where no man had gone before, more or less.
            But I had some serious reservations.

A Truly Soggy Day

 

 
            Midspring in the Great Forest can be a misty watery time that stretches out for what seems like weeks. The clouds come down among the tops of the firs and hang around there, dripping or just pouring the water that runs downhill into the rivers. All the forest and lowlands depend on this water, but it can seem pretty grey after a while.
            Forest People are pretty weather proof, it’s true. But even they start looking to the sky after a while wondering when the light will come back.
            Ramona threw a few more sticks on her almost eternal fire, stood and wiped the smokey rain out of her eyes. Even that soul of patience, herself, sighed. Cherry sat near the fire. Next to her feet, Blue slept with her white fur full of raindrops which gathered and ran to the ground. Steamy smoke rose up through the dropping rain, creating a ragged column in the air. The light was low and diffuse.
            Even Ralph seemed a little quiet. Coming into the Home Clearing from the direction of the Silver River, he carried a gunny sack half full of gullible trout. Water ran down his coat from the top of  his head clear down his beard, off his belly, and down to his feet.
            “Mona,” he said, “There isn’t a whole lot of difference between being in the river and being outside of the river.”
            He gave her the bag of fish, and she dumped them, wriggling, into her five gallon bucket half full of river water to keep them alive for a while.
            “I’m thinking of that little stove Ooog, and you put into the Alder Tree House, Baby. I wonder about cooking inside on a stove sometimes,” said Ramona.
            Ralph wiped his eyes and shook water off of his head, and grinned. Water flew off all directions.
            “Oh, you do, do you?” he said. “Would you like a garden and a skirt too?”
            “We’ve been through both of those ideas already,” she said, “haven’t we?” The memories made her smile a little.
            Into this bucolic but soggy scene, a familiar voice called out from high overhead. Maeve drifted down out of the mist silently on wide black wings. She looked kind of like a harbinger of doom, but she wasn’t. She just really liked to make a dramatic entrance.
            She landed right beside Cherry and wrapped the child in one of her long black wings.
            “Is it spring yet?” said Maeve.
            “Yes,” said Cherry, “because the days are getting longer.”
            Even Maeve sat dripping. The rain ran off of her shiny black feathers and dropped around her on the log.
            “Let’s all just go inside and be dry for a while,” said Ramona. “Maybe the storm will blow over if we’re not keeping an eye on it. You know how the wind is about things.”
            “I do know,” said Maeve, with a sharp look in her black eyes.
            “I know too,” said Ralph.
            So, everybody went inside the clever green door. Ramona lit a candle, courtesy of Thaga, and everybody found a seat.
            One of the three singing stones was still in the cave where Ralph had put it. It was usually quiet, but today it was murmuring a little.
            “Maybe I should go get the other two?” said Ralph.
            “Alright, if you think so,” said Ramona.
            “Evermore,” said Maeve from the headboard of the bed, because she just couldn’t help  herself.
            “I wonder what will  happen,” said Cherry with wide eyes, looking at her father.
            So, Ralph went out into the rain storm again and fetched the other two singing stones. They were already ringing when he came back through the door. He set them down on the floor.
Ramona, Cherry, Maeve, and Blue watched as he put the first one with the other two. He arranged them into a nice triangle, but not very far apart.
            Once more the stones sang, but not so fiercely as before.
            “The song is about the sun,” said Cherry. “I can hear it! It says that the sun is shining!”
            “How can that be?” said Ramona.
            “Maybe we should just go look,” suggested Maeve.
            “I hear the wind!” said Ralph.
            Blue could hear it too, but didn’t say anything.
            Ralph went out first, followed by his Ramona. Then Cherry and Blue. Maeve hopped out last of all.
            Outside the wind was sweeping away the last tags and ends of cloud. The sky was at least half blue, a blue that looked like it was as deep as Heaven. The sun was up there burning away for all to see. It almost hurt to look around; the light was so bright!
            Water dripped off of every branch. But there was steam too, rising up from the ground. It rose and drifted away to windward as if in apology for making a fuss.
            Birds called, as they do after a storm.
            Berry and Bob came back from romping in the meadow near the Alder Tree House. They were soaking wet, but there small white petals on them too. They had been too busy playing to get any hunting done. So they had only their secret grins and themselves to show for their morning.
            “Where have you been?” Ramona said to Berry.
            “Oh, running about! Talking to bees! The bees have come out of their little Twigg House!” said Berry. “They are looking for flowers!”
            “Beulah told us a secret,” said Bob.
            “Who is Beulah?” said Ramona. “Is it a secret to tell or to not tell?”
            “A bee! One of those B’s. She’s too young to remember Twigg, but she’s heard the story and Bernadette, the Mother Queen of B’s told her!” giggled Berry.
            “Every B in the Twigg House knows!” said Bob.
            “And so do I,” said Ramona. But she was smiling at the bros and the sun shone down on it all!

🌷🌞🌷

The B.Y.C. Day Report

 💟

            Suzy had a few quiet moments to herself to contact her good friend, Toots. It had been a long day. Suzy has some important responsibilities, as you can imagine, and she has been a very busy girl lately.

          “Toots, are you there, Honey?” she Purrjected™. She was getting better at this. No need for a gazing surface, unless of course, she needed to actually see Toots, and the other way around.
            “Yeah, Suzy dear, I’m listening!” she sent back immediately.
            “I just needed to speak to someone who isn’t a kitten, or a Fluffbag!” said Suzy. “Though I must admit that he has been doing some heavy lifting around here too!”
            “Mrrrrh! Sounds interesting,” said Toots. Suzy could hear Toots’ light laughter in the background.
            “So, Suzy, how have you been helping the kittens?” said Toots.
            “I watch. Mostly. I make sure they don’t strangle themselves on some rope, or string, or bag with loop handles! Fortunately, they take very long naps, so I can rest up a bit in between bouts. It makes me dizzy. I never had any children of my own, you know?” said Suzy.
            “Well, neither did I,” said Toots.
            “Uh oh, here comes Sweetie!” said Suzy from the top of the piano. “Hey, kid, say hi to Toots!”
            “What? Yeahyeahyeah….! Hi! Who’s Toots?” said Sweetie. He was confused because he didn’t see anyone to say hi to. “Where is she?”
            “In Texas. Don’t ask, just shut your eyes and listen,” said Suzy. So, Sweetie stopped and closed his eyes, like a good boy. He seemed to be listening to something. He squinted with effort.
            “She said I should always mind you and Mr. Baby. Is that his name?” said Sweetie. “I didn’t know he had a name.”
            “Of course he has a name. A weird name, I will admit. You have a name too,” said Suzy.
            “I do?” said Sweetie. “What is it?”
            “You know that word they keep saying to you? Sweetie? That’s your name,” said Suzy, rolling her eyes a little.
            “What’s a name?” said Sweetie, getting back to basics.
            “It’s a special word that is you and means you. For one thing, so we all know who we’re talking about. Nobody asked me. They named you, well, she named you. She has a strong predilection for naming. She called me Suzy, and now I’m stuck with it. If she had asked me I would have said Inexorable. Better name!” said Suzy. She smiled for a moment.
            About then Toots spoke up, “Where’s the other one?”
            “Sleeping in his chair, Toots Ma’am. He sleeps a lot,” said Sweetie. “I have to wake him up sometimes! I lick him! And I bite him, until he chases me, then we chase that big tail around and around!” enthused Sweetie.
            “Well, go wake him up, Sweetie. I want him to meet Toots too.”
            Sweetie headed for the living room where the chair sat and where Booker was sleeping peacefully, not bothering anyone.
            Soon rapid pawsteps could be heard heading for the back porch. Booker then Sweetie hit a big piece of brown paper they had been messing with earlier and both slid into the glass doors!
            “Tell him what his name is, Miss Suzy!” said Sweetie, all excited to be the bringer of knowledge to his bro.
            “My name is Booker,” said Booker calmly. “Booker is my name because I told her that my name was Booker the very first time she listened to me.” He sat quietly; tail wrapped neatly around his feet.
            “I could hear you and Miss Toots talking while I was still out in his chair. Hello, Ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Booker. “I’m a student of philosophy, Miss Toots. What is your main area of interest?”
            “Recording. I watch and record,” said Toots in amazement.
            Booker laughed, kindly, and said, “Are you an angel, Ma’am? I have heard of recording angels.”
            “I don’t know. I don’t think so. But then, would I know?” said Toots. “I only claim to be a very Cautious™ little grey tabby.”
            “We just don’t know everything,” said Suzy. “But I bet someday we will!”
            “You’re probably right, Miss Suzy,” said Booker, the student of philosophy, as he peeled off to chase Mr. Baby’s big provocative tail with his brother. There was a lot of scampering noise, and protesting Brrrts! From Mr. Baby.

"Brrrrrt!"

            “You see what I mean, Toots?” said Suzy. “Quite dizzying!”
            “Quite, indeed,” said Toots. “Well, you have your paws full, My Dear! May it all go smoothly. We must Purr™ for them. What fine fellows they are! You must be very proud of them!”
            “Well, yes. I wasn’t sure at first. But they are growing on me. I think they will be a credit to all the world of cats,” Suzy said, rather proudly, after all.

😸😻

💛