The nature of things: Bird-dogging the cat at the cottage
I have never had a yearning to be a mother, but I have always loved caring for a cat, and I have written about the various felines I have owned been servant to over the years. Today, I offer a snapshot of what it’s like being at the cottage with our cat. It’s written from two perspectives, a technique I often use in the writing classes I co-teach to switch up the point of view as a way to gain a deeper understanding of a scene or situation. The setting is the same; the voice is different. Bird-dogging the cat Patience. Space. Suspended time. Thoughts and reflection. Sometimes boredom. But always love and concern for the cat, and amusement at Holly, our cat. Her antics. Priorities. Proclivities. For long stretches, nothing but nothing but sitting and watching. And waiting. The both of us. Then. She pounces. Comes up with...nothing. Another day, that same pounce in a different spot produces a catch. My four-legged creature triumphs over that other four-legged creature. So it goe...