Parsley & Poof

Parsley and my mother both like ice cream! He went to Japan with me every summer

Our family has welcomed a new member into our home recently; a cat named Poof. At the beginning of this past July, Parsley, our dog (and practically our third child) passed away at 13 years old; Poof arrived at our house in the wake of his passing. Poof is a cat that my daughter raised and lived with during her time in Tennessee, and because she could not have her in her college dorm, we agreed to look after her for the time being. I’m sure Sakura’s proposal also came from a place of knowing I was mourning the loss of Parsley.

Poof is the first cat I have ever cared for and lived with. Compared to a dog, Poof doesn’t react much to anything at all, she doesn’t express when she’s happy or sad, and I wonder if it is simply because she still is not used to me, or if that is simply how cats are; and i wonder to the point that my husband and I watched an entire documentary about cats. But sometimes I feel like Poof, who so often seems to be dozing off or staring at something far away that I cannot see, might be noticing more than any of us suspect. For me, my home is flooded with memories of Parsley; there are photos on our wall of him sleeping at the edge of the dining table or on the countertop, the corner of the bed still sometimes smells faintly of him, and the tears that seem to sometimes come from nowhere - all reminders of his inescapable presence in our lives. And Poof sometimes seems to look at me and say “I didn’t come here as his replacement, you know.” I don’t think she’s wrong. Maybe the souls of humans and animals are not so different after all.

It is already autumn. After a long break from At Our Table, I will be resuming my sales. Bread baked with freshly milled organic flour will be available on a weekly basis as usual. I will also be selling English muffins, and last year’s favorite, organic peach jam. Lastly, I will also be making apple crisp topped with nuts, oats, and coconut with maple flavor, which gives it the taste of autumn. This dessert also happens to be vegan and gluten free. I look forward to getting to see you all again after this time off.

プーフという名前の猫との生活が始まりました。７月初めに１３年間子供のように育てた犬のパセリがお星様になりその子に代わって我が家に来たのがこの猫ちゃん。桜がテネシーで育てた子で、ニューヨークのアパートには連れて行けないから一時的に預かって、とお願いされて引き受けたことが始まり。私が寂しがっているのでは、と心配して桜が思い付いたことなのでしょう。どちらにしても、私にとっては初めての猫との共同生活。犬に比べると話し掛けてもあまり反応もないし、嬉しそうな表情も見せないし、これは私に慣れていないからなのか、猫独特のものなのか？夫のラッセルと一緒に猫のドキュメンタリーまで見たぐらいに、わからないことだらけです。でも、そっぽを向いているプーフは結構なんでもわかっているのかもしれない、と時々思うことがあります。台所とダイニングテーブルに飾っているパセリの写真、私の時々流す涙、ベッドにほのかに残るパセリの香り。「私はパセリの代わりに来たんじゃないのよ」っていう彼女なりの主張なのかもしれません。もっとしっかり彼女の顔を見てあげないと、ですね。人間も動物もみんな心は同じなのかもしれません。

あっという間に秋の気配。しばらくお休みしていたセールを再開します。天然酵母のパンは

いつものように、自家製粉したオーガニックの粉を使って焼き上げます。イングリッシマフィンとアップルクリスプ、去年好評だったオーガニックピーチジャムも販売します。皆さんに久しぶりにお会いできるのを楽しみにしています。