There’s a new show called “Connecting.” It’s about friends that are a family, who visit virtually in a variety of ways, and it’s set during now, or at least the extremely recent past. The pandemic, social distancing, excessive togetherness, and extreme aloneness are all addressed.
So is online shopping.
There was a whole thing about vegan macaroni and cheese that had me laughing out loud.
Then, I looked at our ramen stock, and my husband noticed our dearth of prawn crackers. Uh, oh.
In our house, ramen is a big thing. We prefer certain flavors of a particular Korean brand, and we only occasionally try something different if we have plenty of what we know we like for the next round. Prawn crackers are worse. Our favorite brand is from the Philippines, and that brand isn’t as broadly available as others.
As COVID-19 numbers are on an upward trajectory and epidemiologists are sounding sirens here based on what’s happening in Europe, we tried to strategize about shopping at a different store than usual. Another point of contact.
Heart palpitations.
Solution: look the items up online.
Results! Relief! Our life imitating a TV show! Ridiculous, hysterical laughter!
Through it all, our smallest furbie was nestled against my back, oblivious and content. The others were equally oblivious and, hopefully, content, wherever they were. None were bothered by my strange laughter or unusual behavior.
Human frenzy and absurdity seldom seem to affect cats; their own is another matter.
Take Boom, for example. He is a frisky goofball, who would climb up the wrong side of a ladder to help me visit Pepita.
She didn’t appreciate his assist.
Cat things happened, they sorted it out, and both were just fine with me, just not with each other at that time.
Then there’s Shifty. Is it odd for a toothless cat to gum away at dry kibble? Shifty wonders how anything a cat does could be considered “odd.”
Olive, brave guardian of the lobby. Cotton, daring rider of strollers and ruler of the universe. Lester, lord of lackadaisical lucidness. They lounge, the pounce, they play, just as depicted on my mug of cats from artists’ masterpieces.
Each cat beautifully reflects back reminders of how we represent them in art.
Each cat is a visual delicacy to tempt the eye.
Luckily for us, they’re easier to find than Korean ramen, and they are so very much more than 2-dimensional paint on canvas.
Love that mug – and the description of each cat – aren’t they something!
Oh, and have you tried that chilled Asian Ramen Noodle salad? Coleslaw mix, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, crushed ramen etc. very delicious!