My Mom’s Calico Cat has lived with us at Dreamcatcher Ranch for the past seven years. I believe Callie must be at least twelve or thirteen years old, but my Mom assures me that this pet is still “just a kitten”. She’s a scrappy little outside cat who has always been good at catching her own bird supper. Callie used to perch on the second floor window sill of our house which is very close to a wonderful tree. For a long time I thought she was lovin’ the shade, but she was just waiting for a juicy morsel to fly by or land next to her in the tree. It’s been some time since I’ve seen her on the ledge. Lately she’s been much more likely to sit like a statue in the grass, probably hoping something would happen by. I think she must be getting a bit too old to perch up high.
Yet, it seems she hasn’t lost her touch. She left tale tell (of is it tail tell?) bird feathers at the front door a couple of days ago as if to say “I’m not too old for this yet!” Today I watched her exercise the ultimate in cat problem solving. She again perched on a window sill. This time, however, it was just outside my studio on the first floor. She waited and waited until finally I heard a “whop” on the window. and then a “thud”. As often occurs here, a bird flew right into the window and whacked itself on the head. Callie grabbed that dazed bird in her mouth and pranced off to eat her fill. I know what they say about old dogs and tricks, but I do believe that this old cat has learned a new trick or two. She reminded me that even as we age, with a bit of problem solving we can still do the things we enjoy.
The same day the Calico cat taught me a lesson, I did a jewelry show at Mother’s nursing home. I am always well entertained when I do these, but this day was special. For example, one of the Alzheimer’s patients was in the living room as I set up. It wasn’t long before she located someone to unhook her oxygen and push her near my display. She rolled her chair directly under the middle of my tables and for the better part of two hours she sat intently looking at the jewelry. She fixated on two necklaces in particular and surely must have ask at least forty times how much each of them cost. By about an hour into this, I didn’t even need to reply because other people in the room would yell out “it’s twenty dollars” or “it’s thirty dollars”. I got so tickled I had to turn away. Once I looked up and she was wearing one of my copper rings. When she and I tried to remove it, we couldn’t get it over her knuckles. Every time I tried to pull, she hollered. Finally, I had to get a nurse to remove it. I thought I had it out of reach, but within ten minutes it was on that finger again!
I worked with another nursing home resident as she selected several items. She has shopped with me before and buys things for her daughter. Although she picked out a more expensive bracelet, we managed to negotiated a price she could handle for all the pieces she wanted. During this negotiation I was bent over her wheel chair with my face close to hers. As she started to retrieve her money from her purse, her legs began to shake which is not unusual for her condition. I quickly told her about a little boy in my class who often had the shakes and showed her that I liked to put my hand right on top of his head. I did that for her and she immediately quit shaking. We just looked at each other in disbelief and didn’t tell a sole what had happened. Believe me, I’m no healer, but the patient and I were both happy.
Finally, another resident rolled into the room and said “are you the one?” I replied that I guessed I must be. So she went back to her room and brought me her broken necklace for repair. Since “I’m the one” I’d probably better get it fixed for her before I go back to the home.
The question you might query is about what these episodes have to do with anything. It may be a big stretch, but they all say to me that we mustn’t give up what we like just because we grow older. An old cat can still adapt and catch a bird. Women can enjoy and manage to purchase jewelry and you can find someone to help you if you just look for “the one”. I’m actually relieved to know all these things as my years march on. I plan to keep doing what I like to do, look at pretty things and believe that “the one” is just around the corner ready to help me if I need it.