Cave canem

* I was given a rare ould shog walking the Dog with my father yesterday when she surprised a cat in the bushes and --- giving the poor feline the time to hiss and scratch only once --- fell upon it. I mean she was crazy for attacking this poor cat (which had a collar and was obviously someone's pet). At one point she had the cat down and apparently in her jaws. I was screaming commands loudly, trying to get a hold of her bodily and get her under control. The cat was scratching and spitting as best it could, I guess. I finally managed to stop Dog and grab her collar. The cat, apparently unhurt, careened up the nearest tree and stayed there about fifteen feet off the grass, meowling with its hair still up. My father and I both tried our best to ascertain whether the cat was injured; although it was hard to tell from its vantage point, it seemed scared but physically fine. We were both shaken horribly. I had thought her such a gentle beast. It's like finding out that your son has beaten some girl in a bar over a trifle. You still love the idiot, but wonder whether jail isn't the best place for him.

I honestly hope and pray the cat is fine --- I have owned and loved cats, indeed our family had one killed by a neighborhood dog, its cats ripped open in our own backyard, many years ago --- but didn't know what to do, so left the cat in the tree, hoping it would come down. I never thought Dog would actually attack an animal as large as a cat; while it's true that she and the Ex's cat never got along, she's so submissive and loving with people and other dogs.

And then today, Dog ran down a squirrel and killed it. What rough beast!

* I haven't been posting about my life, instead falling back on writing sentences for various lesser-known French words, because this week I haven't gone out at all. I've been reading and watching movies and going to bed early. That does a body good for a week or two.

* I haven't talked to Spooky in a couple of days. The last time, she called me and started making small talk. I interrupted her and said we had to get a few things straight. I started asking her questions about things I thought she'd been dishonest about, and as always, she had quick, ready (perhaps too quick and ready?) answers. But when I started wondering aloud exactly how ill she really was, she hung up on me. I texted her that I still care about her and want her to be happy, but that I couldn't talk to her until I felt secure about various matters.

The Madding Angel is vehemently opposed to me reconciling with Spooky in any way.

* I bought Reason To Believe, the three-disc Rod Stewart anthology from his Mercury days. There's a lot of classic cuts to be heard there, but it amazes me how muted and fuzzy the audio is at times. You'd think that a guy who brought nothing to the table but his scratchy vocals (and man, did he pinch more than a few arrangements) would, you know, have the vocals more prominent in the mix.