Day Fifty Five

Dash

As a kid, I often thought it would be wonderful to live with a monkey. I imagined cuddling it and dressing it in doll clothes. I'm sure my father considered it. My mother would have never let that happen. The closest I came was a stuffed chimpanzee with soft, bendable hands that my little sister eventually appropriated and named "Brenda."  

My little sister and Brenda got into a lot of adventures and trouble. Like when four year old sis and her monkey drove the family car down a hill and into the neighbor's front yard. They missed a tree by inches. When my mother noticed the big red Dodge was missing, and she couldn't find my sister, she panicked. Sis and Brenda were eventually found; hiding in her closet. When questioned, my sister threw Brenda under the bus. She said Brenda had been the one behind the wheel.

Eventually I had children and thoughts of a monkey faded away. I mean, human kids are so adorable and they don't generally bite or throw their poop at you. At least mine didn't. Whenever one of my kids asked if they could have a monkey, the mom in me now knew that there were hundreds of dangers in living with one, including horrible diseases. That wasn't gonna happen. If I had known about Abyssinian cats, we could have satisfied the desire for several creatures, monkey included, in one small package. I am learning that Abys are part cat, part ferret and definitely part monkey.

Dash has been here about thirty six hours now and he has already enchanted everyone. Eli stopped hissing at him and just watches him the way one would stare at a fish tank. Chance and Finn also love to be near him. The poor baby is terrified of Jack and Rooney, and clings to me (which I just hate - wink, wink) so that will take some time. Fancy. Well, Fancy seems to be taking this in stride. He doesn't really have a reaction to him. I make sure he gets lots of hugs, but he seems to be okay with this new arrival. I am a firm believer in preparing kids (human and furry or feathered ones) for a new addition to the family by telling them what is going to happen and that it will not take away any of your love for them. So far, so good.

I have never in my life seen anything like an Aby kitten, though. When I walk into his room, he runs over to me and jumps into my arms! He rolls himself over for a cuddle. When he's had enough of that, he twirls around then launches himself through the air! Yesterday, he "helped" me make the bed. By help I mean, not. I couldn't keep up with him! He's like a cartoon character. I should have named him "Flash." He loves his toys - with a gusto! And, he has two speeds - asleep and turbo charged!

Now this may sound like a lot for a decrepit old lady to handle, but he is the lowest maintenance guy in the house - so far. He is always ready to play, but if I have stuff to do, like sleep, he is okay with that, too. In his case, high energy doesn't also mean high stress. It's the opposite. His energy is very positive. Think Hummingbird.

Well, so far, so good. I think Dash will be providing me with inspiration for quite awhile. I'm just sayin'...