Lately I spend so much of my time reading and filing away rejection letters that when something like this happens the first thing I do is check to make sure that it isn't a scam or a cruel joke. And folks, this award is for real! It is also one of several surprises I received on Friday, an unusually auspicious day for some reason.
In the late morning, I got a dead rat, delivered fresh to my doorstep by my faithful, hard-working cat. In the post, were two nice letters, one from Action Aid and the other from Locks of Love, thanking me for my recent efforts on their behalf. Two hours later, a freshly-killed vole, again from my cat, then a very supportive and encouraging rejection e-mail, followed by a long stretch of nothing, and then this wonderful Rising Blogger award. No sooner had I received that than I heard my cat's hunting call again, and lo and behold, she'd brought me a nice juicy mouse.
I feel so loved.
20 comments:
You should. You are. (Loved, that is.) You deserve the award, and so much more, O Fine Writer!
So sorry for the LONG silence! Finally, parents have been shipped back home (alive, but it was a close thing...) and Fearless Husband deployed this morning. I should have a couple of weeks of catching up before I start travelling again...I owe you a long letter! Sooooooonn...
Nice very nice. Mice, voles, and awards. You get all the best gifts.
Which made you happier; the award or the tasty treats? At least you didn't wake up one morning to find one of those dead gifts thoughtfully tucked into bed with you! Believe me I wouldn't make that up.
Congratulations! BTW I loved that particular post.
Well I hope you managed to make a decent soup out of them...
Carolie -- Thank you for your kind support, and I am so glad to have you back in the blogosphere, still in one piece after weathering a parental visit! What I'd really like, of course, is to meet you on your blog sometime soon. I think a long, entertaining post about your parents' visit is in order, though I'm not sure if my father would have forgiven me if I'd described HIS visit to Japan...
Carole -- Don't forget the rat! The rat was the biggest and a bit of a shock: I wasn't aware there were any of them around. But you're right: I really am blessed.
Laura -- I have to say that the award was the nicest surprise. The others made me shout, but not with delight. I have had cats serve me breakfast in bed, as it were, but this one, for some reason, chooses the front porch or the hallway, always one of two particular spots. I should be glad for small favors.
Thank you for your kind words about my post. Your writing is great, and you should tell someone, but you probably won't, so I will instead:
LAURA'S BLOG IS FANTASTIC! GO AND READ IT -- IT'S HILARIOUS!
Kim -- I've got a recipe for boiled oppossum, but I am not anxious to try it as it starts off with the introduction "The oppossum is a fatty animal with a peculiar flavor." But believe it or not, I cannot find a recipe for rodents, so I just wipe away my tears (they are all so cute, so neatly whiskered and perfectly formed) and throw them into the hedge.
Your cat seems very keen to feed you, those rodents are hardly eaten! If only there was a way of teaching it to rustle up a casserole.
A three-rodent day! Will you still remember the little people?
GB -- She does seem hell-bent on feeding me up. If only I could teach her how to make tea and fetch me chocolate chip cookies!
Katie -- Oh, absolutely. But if she ever brings home a rabbit, you guys are on your own.
Ugh--the things cats do to show their love!
Congrats on the award! If I say that I didn't know there were awards for blogs, will I releavl my stupidity? Probably. So instead I'll say I totally KNEW about that award. Absolutely. Heh.
Isn't it interesting how our furry feline friends find ways within their kitty culture to honor us.
We Hominids have come up with the more sophisticated concept of awards to honor each other's accomplishments.
I am working my way back through reading your archive. I am no expert but I do recognize a good story, well told, when I see it.
I agree with your kitty, recognition of you and your work are well deserved.
Bad day for rodents at your house. Good day for blog awards! :) Great job!
Congratulations! I think your stars must have been aligned just riiight. (^3~)/~~
Wow. Your cat leaves them intact? I had an old cat who would ONLY leave the snout. I'd walk out and find one snout left on the step. Or sometimes it'd be the guts.
Congrats on the awards! And thanks for commenting on my Maxine Hong Kingston post!
Angela -- Thank you. I only just found out about this award myself, but in this tough old ego-battering world of writing, I'm game for any pats on the back that come my way.
Robert -- I appreciate you reading my old posts!
S i g h. I'll take awards over dead critters any day. Today I was gifted with a very dead baby bird (it really is heart- breaking sometimes), a headless mouse, and a six-inch patch of carpet to clean. There are times I really wonder why I have a cat.
Susan -- Every day around here is a bad day for rodents. Sadly, awards don't make you immune from rejections. I got three today, all for small things and two rather complimentary, but they still got me down.
Kappa -- I'm trying to figure out those symbols. Kanji? Or is it one of those clever things people do with punctuation to make smiling faces? Put me out of my misery and tell me!
Kanani -- She left these particular ones intact. Most of the time she devours them right down to the tail, leaving only a little round thing which I guess must be the stomach. It makes for a horrible, though compelling, spectacle. There is a stained spot in the hallway where she butchers her prey. I've given up trying to get rid of the stain.
I love Maxine Hong Kingston's books. You're lucky that she's from your hometown...
Blogger ate my post :-(
Maybe I should ask the cats to deliver it. Our cats left us part of a snake on the front porch. My husband and I kept tossing it in the bushes, but it kept reappearing on the front porch---a little shorter each time. Gotta love them felines.
And congratulations to you on your well-deserved award.
Congrats on the award!!! That was a terrific post, and I'm glad it got recognized.
But ew to the mice!!!!
Debra -- I laughed out loud at the thought of your gradually shortening, reappearing snake! Our cats in Japan occasionally captured baby snakes, but they seldom ate them. (But then, how would I know, eh?)
Chris -- You are sweet to praise this.
I feel awful about the mice. When they're still alive, they're no happier to see me than I am to see them. When they're dead, I feel more like crying than I do like screaming, but I generally do a bit of both.
Congratulations. You are so loved!
Well done, Mary!
Just popping in but I'll be back to read your latest when i have the time to give it the attention your writing deserves. (I have a cake in the oven - kids and the hubby's birthday today - all 3!)
Anti-wife -- Thank you. Just wish I could share some of the rodents...
Sam -- My God, three on one day! How in the world did you manage that? Tell me you don't have to bake three cakes!
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