We washed the cat on Saturday night. Zanzibar has been itchy lately, with a bad case of dandruff marring his sleek black fur and a twitchy response to petting. Poor kitty! So I bought some Oatmeal Aloe cat shampoo and Tim and I held him down and washed him.

This is the cat who, when he was a kitten, would let us rub ointment on his eyeball, who sat without having to be held while we doused him in sulfur. But he's an adult now, and I was afraid his good behavior would have fled.

I didn't need to worry. While he had to be held, he didn't try to scratch us, and he only tried to get out of the tub a couple of times, and then it was a half-hearted attempt. This kitty *trusts* us, and he cried with the scariest half-human-sounding miaows while he sat relatively still and let us suds him up. Marzi, the longhair we deemed too difficult and not in need of such a bath, stood outside the bathroom door and mewed in at Zanzi during the bath. "Are you ok in there? Oh gods, what are they doing to you?!" After we rinsed Zanzi, I held him wrapped in a towel and fed him treats while he purred. I let him run damp around the house after that (it was a very warm weekend) and Marzi followed him everywhere he went with wide eyes. It was very cute, and he was much less itchy after his ordeal, even if the dandruff was back 24 hours later. Ah well.

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Sunday we went for a walk in the park. On the way, we nearly got sideswiped by a car pulling into the right-turn lane (from the straight lane) in front of us. It was only Tim's quick reflexes, driving us almost up on the curb, that saved us. I commented that the driver was a moron for not checking, especially since there was a cop car right behind her. We laughed our butts off when we saw that cop pull her over, lights flashing. Karma, man! It was great to see a bad driver get smacked for once. So often they get away with it around here!

The walk was lovely, through a wooded path beside a WPA created creek bed. It was good just to sit and soak in the green expanse with my eyes, to feel the heat of the sun alternate with the ice-cool air coming off the creek and lurking in the shadowy spots. Good for the soul.

Elsewhere in the park the pool was open, and we were cursing ourselves for not thinking to bring swimsuits. Next weekend, perhaps. It's a nice big park, with lots of various things to do. And, even though we saw one mom helping her 3-year-old pee against a tree, there are convienent bathrooms, which means we can hang out there a nice long time.

I dunno what was up with the mom and the kid. If I'm being generous, she thought he'd pee his pants if they walked to the bathrooms, but really. That's just teaching bad behavior.

I spent the evening cooking -- banana bread and a squash/ corn pasta dish. Both were sweet and delicious, if I do say so myself. I'm trying sooo hard to get into cooking again, and it helps mightily when the results are so tasty!

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Oh, and happy Beltane everyone!