Birdie

Getting ready for bed I heard a cry from outside my window.  An injured sea bird perhaps or maybe a baby had fallen from one of the nests that permeate that side of the roof near the big gnarly tree. A slow perimeter sweep by full moon light, in my pajamas and nothing caught my eye. But then I heard it again, and closer. I could have sworn I saw a blob on the ground move and quickly snatched my phone for the flashlight. The light revealed rocks and more rocks. I walked around anyway, maybe it hopped near the oyster plants. Nada. But at the dead end corner of the side yard just as I was about to call it a night, I saw a texture that didn't belong...fuzzy. 

A wee tail on a wee bootie squished up between the sapphire paneling and the seldom used kayak. I reached down to pick it up, fully prepared to be bit or see fuzzy lightning sprint out of my reach or running speed. But instead it purred. I held it to my chest and it purred and purred and purred. If I lifted it off my chest, it screamed like that injured sea bird. 

Rescued Feral Kitten

It started sucking on my fingers and kneading my chest, my face, my arms. It was still a baby and I only had food for enormous dogs. A friend left some heavy whipping cream in the fridge and I tried warming it with some water. I had a syringe and slowly gave it an oz or 2 and it purred and purred then fell asleep. I wrapped it up in my Costco sarong and tried to fall asleep holding it. This was touch and go. It was too scared to leave me so I didn't feel like it'd jump out of bed but every time it stopped purring and fell asleep, I'd wake up worried it'd died and wake it up to check. This happened over and over throughout the night. "Are you still alive little one??" It snuggled into the crook of my arm, and reached it paws up to my chin purring and fell back to sleep. 

Baby Bunny Kitten

Morning came and I gave it a warm bath as I started thinking about fleas, mites, pinkeye, feline aids...all the things I didn't think about when I slept with a strange cat the night before and let it snuggle my face. The water ran red, even after a few rinses. I didn't see any injures except for a cut on the lip. Afterbirth? Did the mother get hit by a car? 

Kneady Kitten

All clean, I took the sleeping baby to Petco. "Can someone help me with a little kitten" I said as I came through the doors. A young woman quickly took me down isles, grabbing things and explaining them as she walked, "You can get it formula then start to transition it to solids...Are you gonna keep it..cause if you are not sure don't feed it wet food, it all get spoiled.." and brought it all to the register. I refrained from telling her I'd probably feed it salmon and other real food as dry pet food it total shit. The cashier wanted to see and pet the kitten even after telling me she was "very allergic". "So am I", I said "I'm taking one for the team". The swollen face, itchy eyes and throat is not the best waking up experience and yet I keep kissing that fuzzy head. 

It's just too cute. 

We dropped by my parents house to borrow their pet carrier and show off the cuteness. Weighed it on the kitchen scale, 14.9oz. It met Ari, the feral kitten I raised during the pandemic. He was courteous but the look on his face after the hellos was "But that isn't staying here, right?" My family stopped me before leaving to pray for the kitten. For health, for being a possible Marlow buddy and for me taking care of it. Amen!

Full Belly of kitten formula. 

Flea combed and bathed again to rid the teeny one of fleas. Olive oiled the ears to suffocate the mites and I had one happy baby. Purring and falling asleep as I did it. No more itching. Internet research on Kitten sexing...by the way I'm not a fan of that term or entering it into an internet search. But I'm pretty positive it's a baby girl. I was calling it Little Bird after thinking it was a bird. "Birdie' for short. It's proper name is now "Little Bird Polu" Hawaiian for blue, where I found her calling for me. 

The $3 kitty fishing pole from the grocery store was worth it tenfold. She played the whole time it took me to make dinner. 

Kitty Fishing Pole

Can the biggest dog and the littliest cat be buddies?!?! Stay tuned... When I tell Marlow that's his kitten, he gets a big smile on his face and wags his tail.

Marlow's Kitten

P.S. This is the second (and shortened )version of this blogpost..just as I finished it this morning, Birdie jumped on the keyboard and deleted the whole post. 

But you sure are super cute. 

Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the gentle, the kind hearted, the sweet spirited, for they will inherit the earth. 

The Nest

The Nest ~

Home near the water and in the trees

Hear the birds and taste the seas

Bring moss and twigs and flowers

We'll be weaving and twisting for hours

Search out the world for green materials

Coastal edges, Mountain ledges, and ethereals 

Finally, it is done, it is finished, but only almost complete 

Soon A round one, then a new one, a teeny tiny tweet

A tiny Finch nest I came across today while pruning the Ixora. Barely big enough to hold one chicken egg. I was most impressed by the Moss. It's a dry coastal climate here. That’s a special order item, mountain trip for daddy bird or Amazon delivery. There's an array of Finches in close vicinity, some smaller than the hibiscus flowers or as big as the flying cockroaches. Some dandy in tuxedos, some flower lovers in yellow, or green or red. Most with a Hawaiian name beginning with "A". 

Finch Nest Hanging in Ixora

Orange and Pink Ixora 

Matthew 13:32

and of all the seeds, the mustard seed is the smallest, but when it has grown it is the largest of the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air find shelter in its Branches." 

Perfect Timing

The urge to be enveloped by the ocean depths was unusually strong in the late afternoon. As if I simply had to be in the water. It was a peaceful Sunday morning and for the first time in weeks the construction noise next door was on hiatus. I'd been writing on the lanai and watching the ocean, the surging fairly consistent and not the glassy stillness I'd been jumping into as of late. And yet I couldn't shake the longing to jump in. I walked down and stood on the edge of the rock face and watched, waiting for a lull, a settling. But the timing was too close together so I choose to wait longer on the shore, a little cove of sand with a shallow pool of salt water. Wearing my swim shirt I laid on my stomach thinking about my last dream.

My right shoulder became suddenly hot and I turned over to splash cool water on it. My legs now barely under water on the sand and I noticed something sparkle, then another and another. Star shapes were moving across the sand, perfect mini north stars. I looked above me half expecting to see someone on the rocks with faceted crystals or holding a pair of thick glasses. But it was only blue sky, the sun and a few puffy clouds. The sun was doing this but what was it shining through? Then I noticed a tiny piece of sea foam floating on the water above the star. It was shining through the tiny bubbles. Just then, a larger wave came rolling over the rocks, filling the tiny beach with agitated sea water. When the sand settled, even more stars covered the sand, slowly moving across my legs and feet. As I looked closer, each star enclosed a rainbow and each one unique in size. "Perfect timing" I thought. 

And all the specific timing of things that had to happen in that moment to create this beautifully unique experience for me. A bright sunny day, the placement of the sun in the sky, the timing of the tide, the agitation of the wave, the angle of the light...me turning to cool my hot shoulder. Earlier there was no water in this area, the tide was lower. Minutes later the stars were gone, the sun had moved. Rainbows remind me of promises awaiting fulfillment. Dreams and heart desires. There were so many today, so many coming to reassure me, projecting on my physical body and dancing all around me. "You're only waiting on the timing, when it all falls into alignment...be still and notice the awe."

Psalm 65:7-8 

Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples, So they who dwell at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs 

You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

Genesis 22:17 Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore...

This Beautiful Storm

Storms bring about the most beautiful skies and seas. The highs and the lows.

 The sea glass waters fold over into pure white as they pummel the coastline. The sun and moon pull them, the invisible wind pushes them. And in the stillness they are still. 

The vigorous shaking of the sea and all that floats within it creates it's own sudsy edge.

                   The pink clouds unveiled amongst the darkest with small strokes of hope. 

The sky watches the humpback whales below and mimics their breaching. 

The ocean water isn't blue and yet blue is what our eyes see. Or rather all the colors we don't see. When the sun shines down all the colors of the rainbow unto the ocean, all the colors are absorbed except blue and green, giving our eyes turquoise. The depth of the ocean as well as  what the foundation is gives us the shade of blue green. Isn't that marvelous!