OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

A day of monstruosity and international feline drama. When shopping online, I planned for everything but the cycles of the moon. In all this chaos, I was surprised to wake up feeling totally monstrual (thank goodness, the symptoms were immediately recognisable for what they were and could not be confused with COVID-19). The tampon count in the house revealed an imminent emergency, but luckily a friend who lives nearby got in touch just then, asking whether there was anything I needed because she was going shopping. Last time when I was in quarantine, she saved me with cat food. This time, with tampons. I did have all the painkillers needed in the house already. And they were needed. I spent most of the day in a state of utter laziness and painkiller fogginess and just read and watched TV. Salieri, bless her, spent a lot of that time purring healing into my cramping belly.

I finished the latest Ballard/Bosch thriller, The Dark Hours. Loved it. Michael Connelly is continuing with the magic. The wait for the next one begins, very happily.

Less happily, on Skype with Mom and Krystian, I heard the sad news that Mozart’s sister, Myszka, who lives with Mom, is also going blind. Five years later than her brother, but it is happening. It is a great shock for Mom, but I could assure her that Mozart has dealt with his missing eyesight in the most remarkable way and continues a rich, completely independent life. I am certain the same will apply to his sister. The transition will be tough on her and Mom, but I know from my own experience with Mozart that they will be okay. It just takes time.

In the evening, some of my energy returned and I did some house cleaning, but then, after dinner, I fell asleep on the couch in front of the TV.

By the time I woke up again and moved to the bedroom, I did notice that Salieri wasn’t on the bed, but I thought that she went to her other favourite spot for her sleep. Without checking, though, I just set out a plate of her food for the night and threw myself into the arms of Morpheus. This morning, she still wasn’t here and her food was completely untouched. A search of the house revealed that she wasn’t in any of her usual spots. No amount of calling in the garden brought her back. I went into panic mode, because Salieri has only ever once left the property on her own: many years ago, when she accidently ate snail poison the gardener at the time carelessly spread in the garden – she was poisoned, completely disoriented, and I found her foaming at the mouth and hiding under a neighbour’s car.

Quarantine or not, I got dressed and went out to search for her. I found her in the corner of the garden of the property two up the road from ours, looking completely lost. The moment she saw me, she just ran to me. We had to do some acrobatics to get her out over the gate, but she was so glad to see me that she allowed me to do whatever was needed to get her out. I took her home and the purring hasn’t stopped since. She had lots of water and some food, and is now sleeping on my lap as I type. What a relief that I found her. I have no idea how and why she got out, but I hope it never, ever happens again. My poor baby. Her poor cat mother!

The adrenaline has now left my body. I need more coffee. No more drama, please!

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local. Get vaccinated, please.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD