A Motherly Moment

 I had a very serious moment the other day. A moment that made my heart jump a beat. A moment that I bet all you mothers out there fear.  That moment when you realize your loved one, your pride and joy, is in trouble. That moment when you want nothing more than to protect the one you love.  

Let me start at the beginning. 

This is Porkchop.

He is my pride, and most days, joy.  We got him when he was just a wee lad of a kitty. Skin and bones. Skittish as all get out. He's still just as skittish, but as you can see, not all skin and bones. And just so you know, this picture does not do him justice. He is half asleep and not amused with me at the moment.  Add the camera, and he has at least an extra pound on him.

He is the neediest, whiniest, most demanding, snooty cat you will ever meet. He gets my feet when I'm getting into bed. He wakes me up at 4:30 every morning for breakfast.  He is constantly trying to eat my plants. He only drinks from the bathroom faucet, and not Jake's, because my faucet is better. What a bum. But I must admit, that I love him. A lot. Probably more than he really requires. Probably more than is humanly necessary. Or normal.

Now that you know about Porkchop, these are my plants.

Can you see the sunflower in the middle of my cucumbers?

Somewhere around the middle of winter, I started growing these plants. I was in desperate need of something living. I started them from seeds. I made sure that they had enough water, but not too much.  I made sure that the sun shined on them as often as possible. When they got too big, I lovingly and painstakingly transplanted them into these pots.

Can you see all the snow in the background. Does Mother Nature know that May is less than ten days away?

And my peas are out of control!  

Everyday, many times a day, I check on my plants. Many more times than I look in on Porkchop. When the sun is shining, I make sure that all of the plants get lots of sun. I rotate them so they don't grow all leany.  I gave my peas some poles to climb (I don't have trellis).  I put them in the living room window during the day for maximum sun, and in the evening, I put them in the back room for protection. When it's time to go outside, I'll bring them in so they don't get frosted. I've put so much energy into them.  I love them more than it's probably normal to love plants. My other pride, and always joy.

Now the thing about Porkchop.  He likes to sleep under blankets. Every night we cover him with "his" blanket. A Sponge Bob blanket we got for Christmas many moons ago. It's his. And he knows it. 

Every day, usually mid morning, he starts whining. He'll meow and pace and walk around the house. He'll start to get just a little hyper, running amok all over the house.  And then he'll crash and sleep for six hours. Oh, the life.

 

So, I'll cover him with a blanket. 

He's not too terribly picky about it during the day.

He usually likes the one wherever you happen to be sitting at the time. 

Well, one day, and here's where the heart breaking moment comes in, he had been sleeping for roughly twenty seven hours.  I was working around the house cleaning, dusting, etc.  Each time I walked by the couch, I could see his lumpy form under the blanket, this is when his name changes from Porkchop, to The Sausage, because he looks like a sausage under the blanket.

On this one particular pass by the couch, the lumps were different. There was no sausage under the blanket, and he is no where to be seen. I quickly calculate in my head how long it had been since I'd last seen him.  Quickly I realize that it had been at least ten minutes. How long had he been up? Was it just  a couple of minutes? Was it ten whole minutes?? 

It didn't matter how long it had been. The only thing that mattered was that HE WAS GONE!  My heart started beating quickly.  My adrenaline was in high gear. Instantly, I knew what he was doing and where he was. And my heart sank to the floor.

MY PLANTS!!

Remember when I mentioned before that he liked to eat my plants?

I ran from the living room to the front room where I had my pots. The entire time, about .4 seconds, I wondered what I might find when I got there...

 I found him hanging over the edge of the pot. Face in the dirt, inhaling my little Pansies!  My pour Pansies! Oh, my precious little babies! As I rush toward the villainous kitty, you would think he would run away. After all, I am screaming and crying and spasming about. You think that would freak him out. But no, he eats faster! And the closer I get, the faster he gets!

MY PANSIES!!!

Oh, kitty! You better be a quick runner!  I start spraying him with the water bottle. I spray and spray and spray. It took a second for him to realize he was getting wet. I chased him into the hallway, through the kitchen, through the living room, down the hallway, into the bedroom and finally under the bed, spraying the entire time.  I'm guessing he was pretty wet.  I was sprayin' pretty quick, too. 

Back to the front room to assess the damage. 

 

 

 Can you what he has done?!? 

Can you see the leafless stems? 

Can you see the flat plants?
Can you see the kitty foot prints?

I didn't know what to do. What could I do? Bandage them back up? Prop them up with Popsicle sticks?

The only thing I can do is put them in the sun. Water them. Love them. Pray for them. Pray that they will recover from this great tragedy that has been thrust upon them. 

Will you, too?