Arcadio is on the mend, hobbling around but able to walk fairly well, run a bit, and to jump up and down off things. With a good part of his body shaved he has been feeling the cold at night and has managed several times to tuck himself into our bed covers, all by himself – very uncharacteristic behavior that we would usually not permit but that we find ourselves tolerating due to his invalid state.
Thanks to all of you who have sent messages to cheer us and Arcadio up. Especially endearing was the note from our friend Denise in Connecticut who has known Arcadio since he was a kitten:
“I think of you many times each day and hope that you are all recovering from the terrible trauma. In our neighborhood recently a three-year old kitty disappeared and was missing for at least a week. One of the three children with whom "Theo" makes his home was devastated and all our neighbors were upset and searching. Then, a day or so ago, there he was, home again. Who knows where he'd been and what he'd done while he was away!
“A few years ago, each night I heard a cat crying near the lobster business next door. I tried to find him, even going out to sit quietly by the stacks of lobster traps during the night. Every time I approached the area or spoke he went silent and motionless. Finally, one morning when one of the lobster men came to work I asked him to help me find the cat. The traps are too heavy for me to move and they're piled up neatly several rows deep and long. But, we did find him and released him. He flew across the fields toward his home - ungrateful little beast he was.
“We become deeply attached to the wonderful creatures we call cats, don't we?”
And I quote Francesco’s reply to Denise as a way of catching the rest of you up on his take of the latest around La Placette Haute these days:
“Cara Denise,
“Your nice note brightens even more our fabulous Indian summer. Work and a few worries keep us busy in this remote part of the world. Words and thoughts from friends are a true blessing.
“Arcadio is recovering with predictable feline speed and expects to lead his usual lifestyle. Letting him out at five a.m. may cause some anxiety, especially if he’s nowhere to be seen until nine. The forest is crawling with wildlife and he’s in no position to defend himself or run for his life with his present impediment.
“We planted our rose bushes and border species well ahead of La Sainte Catherine (November 25) which is the traditional safe date for planting. Hopefully the extraordinarily dry and warm weather will not threaten our plans. I enjoy enormously the idea of having a garden of my own and spend long hours basking in the sun while weeding a border.
“We’ve finished reading The Greater Journey and much enjoyed it. I’m uncharacteristically trailing with Zola’s L’Assommoir (I’m too tired when I go to bed and have no time for my afternoon siesta). We’ll start shortly Edmund de Waal’s The Hare with Amber Eyes, a book that both my mother and my friend Shirley Caracciolo have enthusiastically recommended.”
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
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