Focusing on love

A thing of beauty.
Isn't that lovely?
In my garden, this morning.

The world seems pretty stressful at the moment. I'm a news junky (daughter of a newspaper photographer), but I feel myself turning away from the news at the moment and focusing on small, near, good things, people, cats.

So.
It's a holiday weekend in Japan. Sea Day? A 3-day holiday in early summer. I should be out there - kayaking or hiking. But I'm here, at home. Looking after an injured cat. Again.

This happened to Popo, and we don't know why. A simple trip to the vets to check out a limp and a slightly swollen back foot turned into our latest cat crisis as the vet found a broken bone in the foot and a cut about 1 cm from Popo's anus. Yes. That too.

He had an operation to put a pin in the leg and came home again with a cast on his leg, all wrapped up in protective padding. And we are in full-nursing mode with rearranged furniture, rearranged work/sleep/toilet/eat schedules and one of us always on hand to make sure he doesn't jump on and off things.

Hell of a few days here. This is Day 3 and we are in holding mode.

Popo himself is fine. eating and loving all the attention. Even taking easily to walking outside on a harness and lead. So well,  he tried to chase a bird at 3 am - me in pursuit on the end of the lead in my nightdress in the garden...

So. Cat nursing on a public holiday.

Okaasan? She is as usual. Going for her daily walks pretty well.　Construction has started on the land across the street, so it's been noisy. But she has endured. Had a bath. Had her toe nails cut by dear darling daughter-in-law-not. Had a hair wash from dear son. Food. A bit of chat.

Dear Son decided NOT to tell his mother that the doctor thinks she has a heart problem. And I agree. Nothing would be served by more checks, medicines, treatments, worry. She is 85 years old and gets up and down off the carpet very well. She goes for a walk for one or two hours every day. She climbs stairs. We will leave her to enjoy all of that.

Next month is her birthday. She is doing well.

Other news?

Amid the unfolding cat crises I got my concert tickets for September in Tokyo: Queen and Adam Lambert. It seems real once I see the tickets. Online auctions are going crazy with ticket prices, I am so glad my friends and I got ours in the first round of pre-sales.

Holiday in America in September - I applied for my US electronic visa. A strange, stressed time to visit America. I've been 4? times before and so many wonderful American friends, I can't believe the painful things that are happening there now. I hope a week with good friends in beautiful Oregon will be a peaceful holiday.

TV work audition - recently I auditioned for work on an NHK World TV program. I didn't get the main job, but the friend I introduced DID get it. It's broadcast tonight, and then available online. Here is the program website. Meanwhile I had a Skype interview with the producer, to maybe contribute ideas or onscreen comments in a future show. I love Hokkaido and happy to do anything to share its charms :-)

And that's it. Focusing on my cat at the moment. If Okaasan goes for a walk later today I may go in and clean her room. Or, I may just cuddle my poor little furball and wonder who or what injured him.