Coffee Before Kitties

Jesus, enter into my thoughts before I do...

4:57 am. Wednesday, June 11, 2025

I wake up around 3:30 each morning to the screaming of a 19 year old cat. He's hungry, or, his very old ass thinks he's hungry. I ignore it till at least 4:00 and just when I fear he's going to make Sami, I get out of bed.

I make him wait for food while I make coffee. I look at him and say: "Coffee before kitties, Phinney." I say it every morning. By now, the two other mongrel beggars have shown up. The dog doesn't even lift his head...lying like a a bear skin rug that sighs at any noise that disturbs his slumber.

I slam a glass of water, take whatever coffee is brewed, no need to wait for the full pot, and I head out to the garage. You can smoke in the garage.

The same thing happens most mornings. On my way to the garage, I walk out the crooked sliding door and I'm struck squarely by silence and darkness. Nobody is awake in the whole town. I look upward toward the only light available, the magnificent heavenly sky sparkling. It’s like it was made with me in mind.

"Oh God, look what you have made!"

"Good Morning, Jesus- I pray that you enter my thoughts before I do."

The first quote is automatic. It's almost as if stargazing in the silent morning naturally evokes the thought. Like kicking your foot when the hammer hits your knee. Like when your friend shows you a bruise and before you can think, you poke the bruise and ask him if it hurts.

The second thought...Hello Christ...enter my thoughts...I have trained myself to say these little prayers. It took me a long time to be present enough each morning to remember. I am not sure why I am telling you these things. I am compelled for some reason unknown to my conscious self. Something makes me keep telling you.

I spend the next couple hours in random thought and free-flow coffee drinking. It takes a lot of coffee to try to avoid the world. Almost as much as when I had to engage folks everyday. Most of this time is spent in mom's chair-a broken wingback that I have used in all of my studios. At 6:15 I make fresh coffee for Sami, get her breakfast ready and pack her bento for the day. This time is the best 15-30 minutes is all I get with her on weekdays before she's overrun by her hospital job. The bento box is a thing of beauty...and so is she.