Of Cats and Wild Geese

Sleep. That illusive, unsatisfying ritual that I resist and then cannot enjoy due to circumstances beyond my control. 

Staying up late? Oh, that is excusable. The evening hours are my time to unwind from my day and to me it is more precious to me than sleep. 

Usually. 

This week though? I am in the midst of two of the busiest weeks of the year, and a bit of sound rest is needed for my stamina and, frankly, my sanity.

Despite this exhaustion of mind and body, however, when I retire for the evening I find it difficult to relax. My brain refuses to stop racing around in 58’240 directions and solving the worlds problems but getting distracted before reaching any solution. My muscles won’t relax, and suddenly I can hear every sound of the fridge, the clock, the train going by, any peeps from the neighbors...it’s overwhelming! 

Fast forward from this struggle to approximately 5.25 hours later. At some point I did, in fact, manage to drift off into the land of troubled dreams and restless slumber. But now a new sound penetrates my consciousness and makes complete and blissful oblivion impossible to recapture. 

Bootsy, my adorable little cat who has passive aggression down to a fine art form, is suddenly invaded by her inner opera singer and begins to sing odes of great depth, sadness, and volume, as she laments the loss of her pompom or the development in her litter box.

Who knows what possesses her. 

To be fair, this was taken mid-yawn on a placid afternoon.
But I am not above taking things out of context. 

I try to ignore it. 

Next I hear her racing from one end of the living room to the other, making more noise than a self-respecting feline ever should. 

Apparently she found her pompom. 

Things quiet for a moment, and just as I drift off what do I hear? 

Geese! 

Ah yes, right outside my window is a slough. A rather unlovely name for what is normally a lovely little pond and excellent view as far as apartments go. 

However, as I now recall from last Spring, when the geese return they have way too much noisy fun in the early morning hours, chortling and fussing and honking. Between the gosling breeding ground outside and the maniac cat inside, it’s no wonder I have deep shadows under my eyes and a headache-defying need for coffee in the morning! 

I’m happy Spring is here. 

I love the warmer weather. 

The slough is beautiful. 

During daylight hours I can appreciate geese. 

Heck, I absolutely love my cat despite (or maybe because of) her weird neediness. 

I just would also dearly love a peaceful nights rest, free from the whirling of my own brain and the distracting sounds of wild and domestic animal life. 

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this - you haven't." ~Thomas Edison