I took Mom out to Banff today to see the fall colours. Well, at least the colours that are there, already. It’s hard judging when Banff will be in autumn glory, as what we see in Calgary isn’t necessarily what’s in Banff. Last year, we were a week too late; this year, easily two weeks too early.
We did a circuit, I took her up Norquay to see the Banff overlook. We drove the 1A all the way back for something different. We saw some deer.
The real story, though, was at home. We have a kitten.
We got Hodgins a few months ago, and at the time, I had argued hard for two cats – siblings – so they wouldn’t be lonely when we weren’t in the house, something I’d seen in Asia, especially in her later years. But concerns of allergies (both Alex and Monkey are allergic to cats) settled at one.
Allergies not having come to pass led us to meeting a set of kittens out in the Northeast (and nearly out of the city), who were an absolute delight. I had my favourite, but let Alex and Choo Choo decide which one was preferred – a little grey boy with a white chin. Monkey didn’t come because she had a cold and didn’t want to spread it, though we did Facetime her for inclusion.
Today, they went to pick up Banner. (The name, incidentally, is Monkey’s choice, as Choo Choo got to name Hodgins. “Banner” is Bruce Banner, aka The Incredible Hulk. Yes, our family runs on popular culture.)
Banner is now locked in Alex’s office/craft room/guest bedroom, as we don’t yet know how Hodgins will behave. Hodgins has been an absolutely wonderful boy – he doesn’t scratch furniture, he doesn’t revenge pee, he doesn’t do anything “bad” – but he seems still like a loner. All the videos say we need to take our time with them.
Hodgins sits outside the door, though. He knows something is in there. He’s more curious than upset, I think. No hissing, anyway.
Banner, for the record, is adorable. I haven’t had a kitten (he’s 4 months old) since I was about 3 or 4, myself, so I have zero memory of anything small. (And even then, I think Sylvester was larger.) Banner has little daggers for claws and needles for teeth, but he’s not using them, unless he’s trying to crawl up your pants leg. I’m hoping to turn him into a shoulder cat.
Two cats. This is a first for me. I really have no idea how this is gonna go…
