I spend the first hour after church kind of channel surfing and getting a bite to eat. Tony notes my appearance back in the apartment and goes back to sleep. When I get food ready, he puts in an appearance to make sure it isn't something he wants some of. I try to involve him in some play with a shoelace and with dead mouse thing. Nah, he'd rather sleep.

I log on to check email and he insists on laying between me and the keyboard to get skritches. I try typing a reply to something and he insists he *must* be held on my shoulder while I type as no other position will make His Royal Highness happy.

Email checked and I decide I will go in to the sewing table. I haven't finished a few projects and it would be nice to get them done. All of a sudden, I have instant cat on hyper mode.

Tony: Oooh. Where did that tape measure come from? How did I miss that lying there for the last six weeks? I find that irresistible to play with while you use it. Oh this is fun.

Bridget: Tony!!! Leave that alone. I don't need your help, why don't you get on the floor and play with fabric scraps. Here, let me help you to the floor to play with something else. Oh hello. Let me show you to the floor because I am using this right now.

Bridget tosses Tony to floor across room and Tony thinks it wise to find something else to play with for a few moments. Bridget finishes measuring out button holes and turns on the sewing machine.

Tony: Whatcha doin'? Huh? Oh, I love you and want to be right in your lap. Well, okay, I'll settle for on the table. I love you and want to be right near whatever you are doing but I won't interfere. I promise. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Tony settles down to sleep with his back to the back of the sewing machine. True to his word, he doesn't bother the sewing process.

Tony: Hey!!! What's that?!? How did you get that piece off the sewing machine? I want to see. What is it? Hey, you put it away to fast for me to see it. Hey. What's that piece you are putting on now? Can I see? Can I play with it.

Tony helps Bridget change the feet on the sewing machine.

Bridget sews on buttons and Tony sleeps at the back of the sewing machine quite nicely.

Bridget finishes those projects and decides to cut out a new one. That means cleaning off the cutting table. Tony insists on *helping*. There is the problem of putting away the suitcase that was on top from the last trip to Texas. He must make sure it is empty before he can approve of it being put away. Of course, with him in it, it doesn't exactly qualify as empty so it can't be put away - right?

Then there are the various pieces of scrap material that are laying around. Each of those must be seen to and grabbed at before they can be removed and put somewhere to clear the cutting table. The phone cord especially must be checked out. He had forgotten that was up there. And that one inch key chain circle thingy - now that is something he somehow missed and must now makeup time for. We play with the key chain circle thingy for about 15 minutes. I get bored of the game he gets more into it. I give him the damn thing. He gets bored pretty soon too. It obviously wasn't the key chain circle thingy it was seeing how long he could get me to act like an idiot with it.

Everything I touch from that point is a toy. It must be played with and seen and supervised. I take a break from all of it AND from him and come sit in the living room. I figure I will give him a while to get all played out. He follows me into the living room and promptly finds a soft place and goes to sleep. I think cool, I can go in and cut out a pattern. Psych. He wasn't really sleeping, he was just getting ready for the next go round.

I am never going to get this night gown made!!!

Copyright © Bridget Baker
July 9, 2001