TILT - stillness and observation

Apologies for my weeklong absence. I've been sick since Sunday and trying to relax. Joe has been awesome, getting E ready for school in the mornings and taking her in for me, plus doing dishes and making lunch and dinner for us. He's been really helpful, which is nice because usually when I'm sick I have to just march on and do everything for myself anyway. I feel special!

I've been spending lots of time on the couch and in bed, resting. TV kind of sucks now, and aside from regular night time shows we watch together we usually just watch movies or kids programs. So I've spent a fair amount of time in silence or listening to music. I do laundry here and there, but mostly I'm just resting.

I've noticed lots more in the stillness of the week. It's strange how when you're busy with chores, bills, or just every day stuff how seldom we take the time to pause, breathe, and be still. And with that, sometimes when I pause there is still chaos…thoughts of things that need doing, people who need calling, and so on.

As I type now I can hear Sable giving herself a cat bath and purring. She was really frustrated and sat herself next to me to get even with Miss Marvel.

I'm able to witness their interactions more organically now. Usually when Joe and Eleana are home we don't notice the drama leading up to the hisses and the barking. But in the stillness of the day I saw the two of them, kitty and doggy, argue without using any words.

Sable loves the sunshine patches on the floor during the day. She falls asleep in them every day, one on the stairs and one in the living room. When she wakes up she eats and then goes back to her sunshine patch to nap some more. She found a really nice patch in the family room today, and planted herself at the tip of it just before Miss Marvel came trotting along. Miss Marvel plopped down right in the middle of the sunshine as if to say, "Hey, doggies love sunshine too," and Sable did not like that. Undoubtedly Sable was preparing to venture into the patch fully and found it offensive that the dog took her spot before she could act. I had to take photos of the two of them in the sunshine…their expressions were so priceless.

Sable eventually figured the dog wasn't moving, so to spite her she came with me to the couch and has been sitting here with me since. To heck with the dog and her sunshine hogginess.

So the thing I love today is being able to witness these little interactions, the moments the two furbabies have with each other before they try killing each other.