Thursday, July 2, 2015: 2:35 AM. I can’t sleep. It’s been a little warm and unusually humid lately. Mixed in rain, which is OK because we really need the water. Crickets are chirping. Do crickets actually chirp? Whatever you call it, the crickets are doing it. It sounds wonderful.
It’s been 11-months to the day since I last saw you. I can’t get over that. Everyone is feeling the stress of this right now. One bright spot are Clayton and Tatum. Sam, you are going to love these two. I’m so happy they are here. They are inseparable, which is amazing to watch. Going on 3-months old, they have easily doubled in size from the day they came home. They remind me of Littleman a lot: the energy, the playfulness, the ability to cheer people up.
So, I’m sitting on the couch, staring out into the night. On a clear day I can see 50-miles (80.5 km) down the coast. Because of the weather, I can’t get past 10-miles (16.1 km). That’s OK. It’s an amazing view regardless. Mother Nature can change the picture anytime she wants, it doesn’t matter. I’m using my cell phone to write this post and the light from the phone makes it unnecessary to turn on the lights. For some reason, not having the lights on seems appropriate. A few minutes goes by and here comes Tatum. He plops down right and my feet, purring away as he scratches his back on the carpet. How can I say no to that? You can’t. It’s impossible. An instant smile came to my face and of course I felt obligated to rub his belly. Even at such a young age, cats can detect sadness…which is what makes them such amazing animals. It’s 3:00 AM now and he has not left my side. Littleman used to do this all the time. Tatum’s brother, Clayton, is the same way. For now, this was Tatum’s moment. Thank you Tatum.
