Daytona

Along with teaching, I'm a part-time professional musician. This afternoon, I decided to take out my violin and play some pieces that I hadn't looked at since college.

Normally when I practice, Daytona isn't phased by it. If anything, she's fascinated with the long stick moving back and forth. Tonight was another story. She started getting very vocal at me and standing on her tiptoes with front paws on my leg. Then she'd leave the room, only to return and repeat the process. I couldn't figure out any pattern to this behavior (volume, high pitches, etc...), so I just kept right on playing.

Suddenly I found myself with an armful of cat. Instead of climbing up my clothes like the days of her youth, she leaped into my bow arm and started nosing the instrument itself. I was barely able to set the violin and bow down without dropping her or anything else. Meanwhile, she continued to sit in my arms and play with the ceiling fan switch before hopping to the floor and going her merry way.

I honestly didn't think I sounded that bad. Go figure.

Copyright © Karen Hooper
August 27, 2000