crafty cat familiar

Tonight while I was dragging the recycling bin up to the street, I noticed two things -- 1) the full moon (v. lovely with a rainbow around it and everything, which probably means trouble for some sailor out there*), and 2) helpful Busby the cat. He thinks running out just far enough ahead of me so he has room (and time) to throw his body down on the pavement to trick me into petting him is of paramount importance. It works about 50% of the time, which is why he keeps doing it, I guess.

Busby LOVES to do crafts! Since it's october and the moon is full and he's a cat, it made me consider that perhaps he's my crafty familiar. Of course I'm not a witch, (although my sister and I were denounced as witches by a crazy woman** in Enterprise, Oregon earlier this year. I can't believe I didn't mention it before!!), and a quick google reveals that familiars are supposed to be helpful, which would be a REALLY GENEROUS assessment of Busby's craft aptitude. He sure does enjoy it though, and I wouldn't trade his unhelpful helpfulness for some actually helpful yarn winding imp. This picture is from a week ago or so when I was working on sewing little patches on a vintage quilt I've been mending. He loves hand sewing best of all, with the thread moving all the time and the needle flashing. (In addition to chasing thread, I think he likes the cheap thrill of potential needle danger.) Tonight I was going through a bunch of ancient yarn because I have become obsessed with the idea of making a babette blanket. Busby was literally in the middle of it all, slapping and chewing at yarn while I tried to untangle it. There is nothing to do but laugh!

The babette blanket looks so beautiful in the picture because it's made out of lovely new soft merino wool. The one I attempt will be an insane hodge podge of undetermined fibers with added cat spit (I will wash it!), but I can't help but think that making it my way will be pretty fun and fulfill my desire to use what I have, so I'm not too worried. Who knows when I'll get to it though -- I'm in a project adding mode, where my new project is finding future projects rather than actually working on anything.

In other news, I know it's probably because my knowledge of economics is sketchy at best, but isn't it bizarre that the entire global economy seems to hinge on something as intangible as the mood of traders on the floor? I keep thinking of Minority Report with those whatdoyoucallthems that were soaking in a big vat of amniotic goo, and they had to be kept calm all the time so they could keep doing their magic voodoo. I keep hearing about "soothing the market" and it just sounds like science fiction, or maybe a nature program where the traders are spooked and have scattered across the veldt and Henry Paulson is trying to calm them back to their usual grazing patterns by emptying huge bags of money from a helicopter.


*it's interesting to me that I'm always hedging my bets against these little things that I find beautiful (geese, moons, etc.), like I feel the need to be "balanced" and give equal time. I think it's from a basic desire not to offend, or to be sensitive that what's good for me might be bad for someone else. It's coming from a good place (I think), but it makes me ask the question: why am I so quick to step on my own pleasure? So next time I'll try the "it's good" without qualifying that it's good for ME and see if I feel terrible or not. There's got to be a middle way.

** not a euphemism! She was shouting anti-witch scripture across the street at us from a bench in front of a building (which I presume was full of crazy people. Or maybe witchsmeller pursuivants.)