The same cannot be said for the cat that we saw at the beginning of the week. Although still April, the water was warm enough to brave on Monday, despite the temperature dropping slightly. My wetsuit was probably not even needed, but I thought it best to be precautionary. Having not worn it for several months, I had become less fluent with its application, and asked for help to zip up the back. Samantha reminded me that the zip has a cord attached, which is primarily to enable the easy closure and unlocking after the event! Of course! I also forgot that once the zip is pulled to the top, the Velcro tabs must be fastened across the top at the back. In I jumped and as I did so, the water flowed through the suit from the top, and I did not float across from side to side, as much as paddle. Although the suit itself does not prevent the water from seeping through, it does allow for the process to take place gradually. It also protects from a sudden onslaught of cold water penetrating the skin, although, as I mentioned, the temperature was not as unpleasant as last week!
"You swimming?" came the question, as I rushed back to my house on Monday, soaking wet and a little chilly. I smiled and said that I was, indeed, until the weekend, at least, when it looked like a cold front may blow in! I wondered at my speech. "A cold front blowing in", is not something that was in my vocabulary two decades ago. "It's going to get colder", or "the weather is going to turn". All in all, the general consensus is that the mad Englishwoman is in the pool, so we can get the bathing suits out of mothballs! Not quite famous, but known! I doubt they went home and said, "Is she a celebrity?"
I had remembered all the rules the following day, and dressed accordingly. As we reached the gate, we saw Raul parked in the middle of the road. He was watching something going across the path. It could have been anything from our perspective, but as we got closer, it looked like a cat. "Have you seen it?" he asked. "We have now", I said, not meaning to sound sarcastic. It looked like a cat, walked like a cat, meowed like a cat, but there was something odd about it. It was well fed, and well groomed, and obviously not feral, but it looked a little strange. I remembered an old neighbour having a cat that was part tiger, (a very small part, and although she was adamant it was legal and a recognised hybrid, I did not want to be too close,) but this did not conform to the same protoype features. It was very tame. It followed Samantha around the pool, as she walked and did not swim, and when she picked up the pace, so did the cat. When she changed directions, so did the cat. After a while, our neighbour who lives next to the pool, drove up and parked his car. He walked to his condo, and the cat ran and jumped up the side of the rocks, into his patio area. "Daddy's home!" we thought. However, the door closed and the cat was left outside. It came back down to the pool. I finished my swim, walked back to my house, and the cat followed. It brushed up against my legs, and then chased Samantha up the steps to my front door. Perhaps, I thought, it is time to send some messages!
All my neighbours that own cats, and for whom I have contact numbers, were sent a message. "Do you have your cat/cats, or are you missing it/one?" I asked. All came back with the a similar answer, amounting to, "Mine is/are accounted for".
A little later in the day, I received a text from my neighbour whom I thought would be the most likely to know what to do. She asked if it was a grey cat. I sent her a picture. "Oh wow, that is a Siamese cat. They should not be wandering around. Someone must be missing it!" That was the thing that was odd about it! I am not used to seeing Siamese cats so well fed! The unique features were not as obvious as it was, basically, huge! "Are you on 'neighborhood'?" she asked. "What is 'neighborhood'?" I responded. She explained it was an 'app' that is used to keep neighbours informed of certain things. Like a neighbourhood watch, perhaps? In fact, that is exactly what it is. She said she used to be on 'it', but was not any longer. I left the situation in her capable hands! Within a short period of time, she told me that another neighbour had taken the cat and put it in her patio, a message had been posted, and all was well. If it was not claimed soon, a 'foster parent' had been arranged. I was amazed at the efficiency and the willingness of the neighbourhood to care for this creature.
It appeared that the owner saw the message on 'neighborhood', and came to claim the cat a short while after the message was posted, but the person from our complex, who put up the post, did not relay the news until the following day. As I chatted to Raul, another neighbour walked along the road. "Did they find the owner?' she asked. I was unsure at the time, and Raul did not know. I was thanked for sending the original message, and felt quite humbled that a simple text or few had been seen as a great feat! For my part, I did not want a 'stray' to befall tragedy if it was not in fact a stray. Obviously, that does not mean that I am okay with 'strays' befalling tragedy, (tragedy being in the form of coyotes,) but nature has her own rules! I didn't want a neighbour's cat to be victim of 'Wile E'. Once at work, I received a text, from one neighbour, and an email from another, to inform me of the claiming of the cat! One was not happy. The owner had, apparently, made the comment that the cat 'wanders off' all the time. It would not be so bad, but it had 'wandered' across a very busy road. Obviously, I am not a feline, so I know not how it would negotiate the sequence of traffic that travels at high speed on the road upon where our two communities sit. I tried crossing once, and once was enough! However, the fact of the matter was that the cat was home, safe and sound, and its 'wanderings' albeit not accepted as appropriate by some, was now not our responsibility. The 'network' had worked well! I was impressed!
"Excuse me", I shouted to an office neighbour as I got out of my car. He turned and waved, then turned back again. I am aware that he is slightly hard of hearing, and shouted again. "Your petrol cap is open", I said, as I was getting my bag out. He looked at me, more than a little confused. "My what?" he asked. I repeated the sentence. I then realised I was not talking 'American', and had to change tactics. "Your gas cap. It's not closed". Strangely enough, this must have computed to something totally different, as he looked down to the front of his trousers and then back to me. I pointed to his car. "Oh, the gas cap", he said, and pushed the cover to close it. I apologised for my language and he laughed, then thanked me profusely. I cannot imagine what he heard once I had corrected my speech!
Shortly before noon, on Wednesday, I received an email. "The cat is back!" My neighbour also commented on how amazed she was that it managed to cross over the busy main road again. "It appears to want to use up all its nine lives at once!" I responded!
It is always the same, this time of year, or perhaps at the beginning of the season. I experience a 'tired' phase. Although I have taken a walk at sometime during the day, for years, at the beginning of the 'swim' season, I feel quite worn out! My body reacts to the excess of exercise it receives, despite the few minutes fewer spent in the water, than on my feet. Swimming does involve more work, although less pressure. I am informed more calories are burned, yet less is felt. However, my body was screaming by the latter part of the week. I had fallen asleep on Wednesday evening, despite being hostess to three guests. Although they noted I was quiet, not one of them caught me dozing off several times. It was not that the company was boring, I just could not stay awake. That being said, when I finally went to bed, I slept for half an hour and then was awake for most of the night. This was reflected during the following morning, most demonstratively! Although my housework routine is mundane, it is repetitive. This time, the burden of repetitive behaviour took its toll in a different way. I lacked the muscle memory! I do not remember exactly why I did not complete all my chores, but I must have been interrupted by something. I came home in the evening, and found my vacuum in the living room, not put away, not even unplugged. It was most unlike me. I had wondered at my behaviour whilst emerging from the pool. Normally, as I step out, I loosen the bottom of the wet suit to let excess water out. This morning I loosened them whilst still up to my knees in the pool! I realised the ridiculousness of the action immediately, and laughed. I did not laugh quite so hard when I realised I had failed to complete the cleaning! As I swam in the evening, I felt somewhat refreshed, but exhausted. It was not until Friday morning that I put two and two together and remembered previous 'seasons'.
I won three prizes on Friday. Actually, I only saw two, and the third did not arrive in my inbox until it was too late! The rugby match that was to be held at the Circuit of the Americas was on Saturday night, and I would have loved to have gone. However, after our last experience, I knew that Dana would be disappointed. "Do you want to go?" he asked, and I knew he would accompany me if I had said yes, but it seemed unfair. His experience had been to sit in the stands, and then go on to the pitch to meet the players, one side being the team from the second oldest rugby team in the world! The tickets were for a game, and it would be a regular event. The teams would leave the field and the people leave the stands. Interesting enough, I was able to transfer them (not the norm with prizes) and Grant said that he thought his son would enjoy the experience. I let him complete the form! I also won a voucher for a company called 'Imperfect foods' of which I was familiar as I had encountered them at SXSW a few years ago. It was a good day!
The cold 'front' that was threatened, finally arrived on Friday. By the time we arrived home it was verging on a definitely 'chilly'. It occurred to me that I may have to send out some more messages, letting everyone know that taking their bathing suits out of moth balls may be slightly premature! It would not be swimming for another week, at least! Overnight temperatures were going to drop below sixty and perhaps below fifty, and mad as I may be, I have a modicum of sanity left that prevents me from not seeing the difference between being brave, and being stupid! I had not quite put my walking gear back into hibernation!
Jeans, boots, hat and jacket were required for Saturday! "You walking?" came the question. I could see that a message would not be needed to be sent. "The mad celebrity Englishwoman aint going swimming no more!" Double negatives are not adhered to in this part of my world, and no one would question the sentence! "It's a tad on the chilly side", I said, knowing that this would cause a smile. "It's darn near freezing!" was the reply! I suppose 52 degrees is considered a Texas freeze. Memories are short when it comes to weather!
Dana and I enjoyed a lovely dinner, and Grant sent me a message to say that he and his son had a blast, but wanted to ask me some questions on what 'went on'. I was delighted.
Sunday morning was quite normal. I did the 'rounds', emptied the pool filters, walked, etc., etc. I found an email for a 'meet and greet' that took place on Saturday, and sent my profuse apologies, as it arrived late, and I was unable to attend, being that it was in the past! It was a shame, but I was sure someone else would have benefited!
It is still a little chilly, but I think I might brave a 'sit down and read'. I doubt I will get wet as it would be too cold to 'dry'. However, who knows, I am the famous mad Englishwoman celebrity who defies logic and nature! Or am I? Perhaps all will be revealed, or not, in ........... another story!
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