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May. 7th, 2006
It's light blue
May. 7th, 2006 05:52 pmI bought it three years ago. It was during a rather dizzying and frightening part of my life. Me and the cats had moved into a tiny room in a house in the Adam's Point neighborhood of Oakland, above Lake Merrit. My friends who had provided us several months refuge had moved back east and now I was truly on my own, still unemployed, returning to school, and living in a strange place with total strangers. My rent for this tiny one-bedroom was $400.00 a month. Even on unemployment I could afford that. I moved in May 4th. My unemployment was set to run out in September. What I would do then, I had no idea.
The East Bay has its own micro climates. I'd forgotten that. It'd been almost 10 years since I lived there. The first night in that cramped little room I huddled under layers of sheets clothes, towels and my silk kimono. I was freezing! The cats piled on top of that and we all huddled to keep warm on a twin bed. It was far more chilly at night in Oakland that I was prepared for. I owned only two sets of twin sheets, inherited from a friend, and no blankets or comforters. My big stuff that I'd had, I'd given to my friends along with my big comfy queen sized bed. They needed a new one. I had no way to store mine or carry it with me.
The next day I went to sears and grabbed whatever was in the sale bin. It was a drab olive green quilt with sham, and a light blue velour blanket. I think I spent $20.00 on each of them. I still have them both too!
That scary re-beginning turned out well for me and in the three years that have followed, the blanket has kept me and the cats cozy. It has kept us feeling safe and somewhat anchored as we rebuilt our lives.
This morning I must have gotten warm and tossed off the comforter, exposing the blanket. I woke to the sound of an motorboat on my chest. Frankie had climbed up and was purring ecstatically as she slowly kneaded the velour and rubbed her face on the material. She curled up there on my chest, on the soft blanket and went contently to sleep. I stayed in bed and dozed an extra hour because I didn't want to disturb her or me either.
She's not the only one who loves that blanket.
The East Bay has its own micro climates. I'd forgotten that. It'd been almost 10 years since I lived there. The first night in that cramped little room I huddled under layers of sheets clothes, towels and my silk kimono. I was freezing! The cats piled on top of that and we all huddled to keep warm on a twin bed. It was far more chilly at night in Oakland that I was prepared for. I owned only two sets of twin sheets, inherited from a friend, and no blankets or comforters. My big stuff that I'd had, I'd given to my friends along with my big comfy queen sized bed. They needed a new one. I had no way to store mine or carry it with me.
The next day I went to sears and grabbed whatever was in the sale bin. It was a drab olive green quilt with sham, and a light blue velour blanket. I think I spent $20.00 on each of them. I still have them both too!
That scary re-beginning turned out well for me and in the three years that have followed, the blanket has kept me and the cats cozy. It has kept us feeling safe and somewhat anchored as we rebuilt our lives.
This morning I must have gotten warm and tossed off the comforter, exposing the blanket. I woke to the sound of an motorboat on my chest. Frankie had climbed up and was purring ecstatically as she slowly kneaded the velour and rubbed her face on the material. She curled up there on my chest, on the soft blanket and went contently to sleep. I stayed in bed and dozed an extra hour because I didn't want to disturb her or me either.
She's not the only one who loves that blanket.
