Dolce's Story Chair: A Bridge Constructed Part II

Dad: Dolce! Are you ready for the rest of your story?
Dolce: Yes Dad. But could you speak really slowly.
Dad: Why do I have to speak really slowly?
Dolce: Because you have to go away once you are done telling me this story.
Dad: And if I talk really slowly?
Dolce: You won't go away as soon.
Dad: Dolce, Dolce, Dolce.
Dolce: Dad, Dad, Dad.
Dad: You tell Mom, Magoo, Bella, and baci that I'm going to start the last part of the story now.
Dolce: Okay.
Dad: And let Mom know that she has to give a certain Tabby from Singapore some tummy skritches.
Dolce: Won't Magoo get jealous?
Dad: Magoo will just have to learn to share when he's at you Story Chair.
Dolce: If he doesn't learn to share, can I make some Kibble money takes side bets?
Dad: No. let your furriends know I am about to start the story.
Dolce: EVFURRBODY! DAD'S STARTING THE LAST PART OF THE STORY! SO COME ON OVER!
Dad: Dolce, you are incorrigible.
Dolce: That means cute right?
Dad: Sure.

Dulcinea walked the edge of the Boundary between Heaven and Earth. She could now see the countless animals that were waiting for their human friends to cross over into Heaven. Her heart trembled at the faint cries and lonely wails she heard.

Antonius was right. She had to find a way to bridge the Boundary between Heaven and Earth for these lost animal souls. The meadow he had shown her was exactly what she wanted for those lost souls; a place for them to rest and to play and wait for their beloved Humans to join them in Heaven. She had tried to create the meadow on this side of the Boundary, but the flowers and the grass faded away as soon as she turned her attention away from them. In Heaven, Dulcinea could create whatever she wished but it would only last as long as she concentrated on it. As soon as she thought of something else, her previous constructions would disappear.

Dulcinea went back to the meadow that Antonius had shown her. She sat amongst the flowers and the grasses and the plants. She breathed the earthly perfume of the mint plants and the summer flowers. This was want she need to recreate. But this was God’s creation, as an Angel she would never be able to match this. At best it would be a poor mockery of the original. Dulcinea was crestfallen. One of her feathers dropped from her wing as her melancholy took its toll on her spirit. It slowly drifted to the ground and came to rest on a small patch of grass.

Dulcinea watched as a windblown seed from a dandelion plant landed on her fallen feather. She tried to pick up the dandelion seed but it passed through her hand once again. Frustrated, Dulcinea picked up her feather that had fallen to the ground. She suddenly drew in a surprised breath. There on her discarded feather lay the dandelion seed.

“I cannot touch you.” Dulcinea realized. “But my feathers, once fallen can.”

Dulcinea reached towards her right wing and pulled another feather out. She used this second feather as a tiny broom and she swept some dirt onto her first feather’s shimmering white surface. The dirt did not pass through. Dulcinea’s heart beamed as she discovered how to bring the essence of the meadow back to the Boundary.

Dulcinea swept as much dirt onto the feather as it seemed to be able to hold. She flew back to Heaven as quickly as she dared, for fear of the dirt blowing off her discarded feather.

Dulcinea stood at the hazy edge of the Boundary and looked hopefully at the dirt that laid on top of her wing feather. She closed her eyes and gave praise to God as she deposited the dirt on the feather onto the firmament of Heaven at her feet. The firmament swirled like smoke as the dirt from Earth struck it. Dulcinea looked down where the dirt had landed. It passed right through the swirling haze.

“It is gone.” Dulcinea observed, as her heart sank.

Dulcinea flew back to the meadow with her two feathers clutched tightly in her hands. She swept more dirt from the Meadow onto their surface and carried them back to Heaven. She looked at the two feathers with the faint traces of Earth on them. Simply dropping the Earthly matter onto the Heavenly firmament did not work, Dulcinea thought.

She reached down and laid the two feathers side by side onto the Firmament. This time the dirt did not disappear through the heavenly ground. Instead the dirt deepened and thickened and a small patch of flowers and grass sprang up. Dulcinea did not have to recreate what God had created on Earth, she simply had to give it some angelic support.

Dulcinea flew back to the meadow. She reached back and pulled two feathers from her wings and swept more Earthly matter onto them. She took them back to Heaven and laid them next to the other two feathers. Once again the dirt deepened and thickened and more flowers and grass sprang up on the tiny space. Dulcinea rejoiced at the sight of the small patch of flowers and grass. Already, several creatures at the Boundary had begun to show up, drawn by the scent of the Earth they had left behind.

Dulcinea began making trips from Heaven to Earth and back again. Each time carrying two of her feather covered in Earthy matter from the meadow. She soon had a small plot that was covered with plants and flowers and grass. It was also covered with animals that were waiting for their human masters.

Dulcinea looked at the small plot of ground she had made and the numbers of animals that mulled at the edge trying to find a spot where they could rest. She looked at her wings. She had not realized but both were thin and bloody. In her zeal to create this spot, she had pulled feathers faster than she was able to replace them. If she kept this pace, she would not have any feathers left in her wings, and once that happened, she would no longer be able to move about Heaven as an Angel. Dulcinea dropped her chin to her chest and softly cried at her failure.

Antonius saw his sister as she stood at sobbed at the edge of her tiny meadow. He hestitated but a moment as the recently winged kittens within his robed struggle to be free. Antonius smiled and took his charges to their new heavenly home. Once his work was done he returned to his sister’s side.

“Dulcinea.” Antonius said sharply. “Why have you stopped? I see that you have found a way to bring the Earthly meadow to Heaven, but it is far too small for all the creatures that need it.”

“I cannot do any more, Antonius.” Dulcinea motioned towards her tattered wings. “To do even this much is more than I can handle. I will have to wait until my wings grow back. Then I will start again.”

“Then what will you do with all this?” Antonius motioned towards the immense pile of angelic feathers.

Dulcinea looked up a saw an immense pile of angelic wing feathers. She had been so lost in her grief at failing at her True Purpose she had not seen the pile grow.

“How?” Dulcinea asked.

Before Antoinius could answer, Dulcinea watched as four Guardian Angels flew past. As they passed the great pile of feathers, they each tore a handful of their own feathers from their wings and cast them onto the pile. Dulcinea smiled as she saw a group of Cherubim also pull several of their tine feathers and add them to the pile.

“I told the Angelic Host of your True Purpose.” Antonius said. “And of the lack of wing feathers you had. Your brothers and sisters have chosen to help fulfill your True Purpose.”

Antonius reached towards his wings and was about to add his own feathers to the pile. Dulcinea reached over and stopped him.

“Your feathers have another purpose.” Dulcinea stated with a smile. “As you have provided a heavenly path to the Unwanted and Lost Ones, I will provide the path for Those Who Wait.”

Dulcinea took each and every feather in the great pile and used them to produce an earthly Meadow that stretched as far as the human eye could see across Heaven. It was a piece of Earth supported on the wings of Angels. Dulcinea looked at the meadow and the countless creatures that now moved freely in the flowers and grass. Some limped, some moved very slowly. Dulcinea knew her True Purpose had one more price.

Dulcinea took the last two feathers that she had brought from Earth and held them in front of her. Two tears fell from her eyes and landed on the feathers. The dirt began to shimmer with a multitude of colours. Dulcinea set one feather down. Unlike before, this feather did not immediately become part of the meadow. Dulcinea took the other feather a small distance away. She set it down on the firmament of Heaven. She looked at the vast meadow she had built with the help of the Angelic Host.

She felt a twinge of sorrow as she knew she would never set foot on it again. Dulcinea reached back and pulled her left wing from her back. She gasped with pain and fell to her knees. She reached back and pulled her right wing from her back. Dulcinea took her two wings and stretched them out. She laid them so that they touched the two shimmering feathers.

As the angelic wings touched the feathers, they began to arch and harden. They took on the appearance of stone. This was not earthly stone for it shimmered with the colours of the rainbow due to Dulcinea’s tears.

“Fear not Beloved Ones.” Dulcinea spoke softly to the animals playing in the vast meadow. “On the wings of angels, you shall wait without pain or discomfort for your beloved human friends. And on the wings of an angel you shall cross together into Heaven, for this is your Rainbow Bridge.”

Dolce's Story Chair: A Bridge Constructed - Part 1

Dolce: Dad!
Dad: Yes Dolce?
Dolce: Mom says that you are going away again.
Dad: Just for a little bit.
Dolce: Well, Baci and I decided that we don't want you to go.
Dad: Do you like your food and your toys?
Dolce: Yes.
Dad: Well I have to go and find a means to pay for all that.
Dolce: So you go away so that you can give us stuff.
Dad: In a manner of speaking, yes.
Dolce: So if I asked for less stuff, you would have to go away less?
Dad: Dolce, Dolce, Dolce.
Dolce: Dad, Dad, Dad.
Dad: How about we sit here in your Story Chair and I tell you another story?
Dolce: Is is more of Scooter McTabby?
Dad: I'm still working on that one. How about a story about a very famous bridge?
Dolce: Sounds kind of lame, Dad.
Dad: How about you listen to the story before you criticize it?
Dolce: I'm a cat. I criticize everything first, then decide if I like it.
Dad: You let your furriends know that we are here at your Story Chair and I will tell you a story about a very important bridge.
Dolce: Okay. EVERYBODY! MY DAD'S TELLING ANOTHER STORY! SO COME OVER TO MY STORY CHAIR!
Dad: Did you have to yell like that?
Dolce: I gots furriends all over the world. If you wants them to come over, I am going to have to yell. BACI! DAD'S TELLING A STORY!
Dad: I know that Baci is not across the world so why did you yell that time?
Dolce: Cause it's fun.

Dulcinea watched as her angelic brother, Antonius, carried a silently sleeping kabble of kittens in his robe away from the center of heaven. She watched as he took them from the birthing grounds of all the kitten souls that God had created to the dark horizon that separated Heaven from Earth. She shook her head at his self appointed task. It will bring him nothing but sorrow and pain, Dulcinea thought. Dulcinea sighed.

It had been many eons since the Great Cast Out. Things had changed on Earth. Humans now ranged across it's fertile breadth, and it was off limits to any Angel that did not have a True Purpose on its firmament. Antonius was one of those Angels who had found a True Purpose; he had chosen to take all of the kittens that were to be born from Heaven to their Earthly mothers. Dulcinea felt a most unangelic emotion, jealously, at Antonius' apparent joy at taking each kitten to Earth. Dulcinea had not yet found a True Purpose to allow her to travel between Heaven and Earth.

She was shaken from her self pity as a group of stern and fierce looking angels moved past her and half-flew, half-ran to the dark horizon. These were Guardian Angels. Another True Purpose that Dulcinea did not feel calling to her.

Dulcinea flew to the nearest edge of the dark horizon that separated Heaven from Earth. This was as far as she could go towards Earth without her own True Purpose. She watched many chosen Angels cross the boundary. She even saw Antonius cross more times than any other. He is going to wear himself out, Dulcinea thought.

As she pondered what true Purpose would let her cross the boundary between Heaven and Earth, Dulcinea thought she heard a small cry coming from the threshold of the boundary. She turned her ears towards the faint sound. It was low and soft; almost pleading in its nature. Dulcinea knew she had to find the source of that sound.

The boundary between Heaven and Earth flickered slightly and lightened to a hazy blue to her angelic eyes. There in the smokey haze was a older Ginger Tom who was favouring his right foreleg. He tried to move towards Dulcinea but something was preventing his passage. Dulcinea reached down and laid her hand apon the cat's head. She was rewarded with a deep throbbing purr and and enthusiastic stretch towards her palm. Dulcinea noticed Antonius returning from Earth.

"Antonius." Dulcinea called to her brother. "There is one of your charges here."

Antonius flew to his sister's side and regarded the old Ginger Tom.

"I remember you." Antonius smiled. "You were given to the little Calico who lived in the Inn."

"How did he get here?" Dulcinea asked.

"I do not know." Antonius replied. "Maybe he followed me when I brought back some of his unwanted brothers and sisters."

"You only bring back the unwanted ones?" Dulcinea asked increduously. "I thought you took all the kittens to Earth and brought back all the lost souls."

Antonius shook his head. "I do take all the kittens to Earth, but I only bring back those who have been forsaken by Mankind."

"What about those who have not been forsaken by humans?" Dulcinea asked.

"They wait to enter Heaven with those who loved them." Antonius responded.

"Where?" Dulcinea asked as she motioned towards the Dark Horizon. "Where do these creatures wait? In this hopeless darkness?"

"I am sorry, Dearest Dulcinea." Antonius responded. "That is not given to me to know. I wish I could help you fathom this riddle, but I have much to do."

Dulcinea looked at the smokey blue haze, the dark horizon and the Ginger Tom that seemed content to lay at her feet and play with the hem of her robe. This was not acceptable, she thought. This Ginger Tom found me by accident; How many others are roaming the boundary and waiting for their humans to join them in Heaven.

Dulcinea reached down and scratched the Ginger Tom beneath his chin. "How long have you walked this Darkening Road, beloved friend?"

The Ginger Tom simply rolled onto his back and continued to play with her hem. Dulcinea's wings straightened and fluffed as her True Purpose dawned on her. She bent down and petted the Ginger Tom once more. Dulcine assured him that she would be back. She flew to the center of Heaven with a request burning within her angelic heart.

Dulcinea sat at the edge of the boundary and played with the Ginger Tom. She had been given her True Purpose, but she did not know how to do it or what was required to fufill it. Several other animals had shown up as she sat and played with the Ginger Tom; a rabbit, a horse, a bird and several rambunctious dogs. It was obivious that there were far more creatures caught in the boundary between Heaven and Earth.

There was a sudden brightening in the dark horizon and a single human appeared at the threshold of Heaven and Earth. Ginger Tom's ears perked up and the pain in his foreleg disappeared as he raced towards the human. The human picked up Ginger Tom and nuzzled him lovingly. Dulcinea felt another pang of jealousy, for as much as Ginger Tom purred and cuddled with her, this was the being that he waited for to take him away from the Boundary and into Heaven. A voice behind Dulcinea starled her.

"I thought he would keep him." Antonius mused. "I saw the potential within him the moment the kittens were born. I'm surprised he didn't keep them all."

"Antonius." Dulcinea turned."How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to watch you play with every creature that dares to leave the darkness of the Boundary." Antonius held out his hand. "Come with me."

Antonius took Dulcinea across the Boundary to Earth. He knew what she asked of God and what his response was and he could see that she now had a True Purpose. He took her to one of his favourite spots on Earth, a vast meadow filled with flowers and grass.

"This is Earth?" Dulcinea asked.

"This is one part of Earth." Antonius responded. "It is one of my favourites."

"Why did you bring me here?"

"You asked God to let you help those creatures waiting for their humans." Antonius replied. " I wanted to show you a small part of Earth to maybe help you with your True Purpose."

"Yes." Dulcinea thought out loud. "This what the creatures waiting at the Boundary of Heaven need."

Dulcinea reached down and tried to grab a handful of the dirt and flowering plants. The soil and plants passed through her angelic fingers. Dulcinea tried again to picked up some of this earthly matter.

"You cannot touch it, Dulcinea." Antonius stated sensing his sister's frustration. "You and I are not of this plane."

"But this is what I need to bring back." Dulcinea pleaded excitedly. "This is what all those creatures need to feel at ease and at peace until their humans come to Heaven."

"I do not know how to help you." Antonius replied. "It is up to you to find a way to bridge this Earthly world with ours."


To be continued...

Dolce teaches Baci about Spring (A Wordless Wednesday Adventure)

Baci's Mancat Monday

I wanted to post with Magoo for Mancat Monday, but Magoo didn't want to share his post because he said only mouse-killing mancats were allowed to be part of his post.

Well. screw you Magoo. Hey! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it. This mancat post is only for us tree climing mancats. We're into adventure and and stuff and don't need to kill something to be a mancat.
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Magoo couldn't climb a tree if he wanted to, because his butt is too big.
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Pee Ess: I am hiding from Magoo. He heard what I said about him and he said something about introducing me to the dearly departed mouse.

Magoo's Mancat Monday

It finally feels like spring has chased away the winter blahs. Believe or not we still had pockets of snow up to two weeks ago. The four cats have been yelling at us to let them outside and enjoy the warm spring weather. Baci has finally discovered what Spring means and he heartily agrees with Dolce that it is a very wonderful thing; but that is for a another post.

Today my Soldier is truly a Mancat. We got the lawn aerated and dethatched and moved and cleaned up from all the snow mould and dead grass from the winter. We had noticed that this year due to the heavy snowfall which left a deep layer of insulating snow, we had an unwanted mouse-type visitor. Not really mouse-type, more like actual mouse.

We had a suspicion that the intruder was hiding under a small storage shed. I took it apon myself to show Magoo that he had not kept all of the intruders out of the yard. By the way, my Wife does not like discussing this, it makes her sick to her stomache that her baby boy actually dispatched another creature to the great beyond.

A couple of paw twacks and a precise placement of his mighty fangs, and Mr. Mouse was given his wings and sent on heavenly way. To be fair this is the first mouse I have ever seen Magoo relieve of his earthly burden. (I can't use the word kill because it upsets the wife, so shhh about the illingkay of the ousemay.)

So I give you our triumphant Mouse-Dispatcher, Magoo, fresh from his behavioral enrichment.

Mr. DeMille, Is It time For My Close Up?

You have seen the power of Zoom, now behold the splendor that is Macro.

Our Prime Minister has recently returned to me that portion of my Income Taxes that he was not entitled too. I decied that I needed one more lense to complete my new camera package; a 100mm F2.8 Macro lens. At 11 inches, it can reproduce life-size images or really neat stuff. I have taken some pictures of the flowers that my wife got after her surgery, some rocks outside, some stupid household items, and of course pictures of the cats.

In Monday's post, Beau Beau & Angie said... "Had to post again -- Baci looks so so stunning in that shot and has the look of an old soul. Do you think so?"

I don't think he has an old soul, but he does have a deep intelligense within his eyes that is far greater than his eight months of life. This lead me to look through some of the 1,000 pictures I have taken of the cats since I got the new camera. Did I ever tell you much I enjoy digital cameras?

The following two pictures are pretty close to life size. I can't be completely sure because neither Bella nor Dolce were very cooperative when I tried to hold their heads up next to the computer monitor.

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Bella's eyes don't so much imply an old soul, but a deeply caring and loving one. She has the biggest eyes of all of the cats. They make her seem like a kitten still.

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Dolce's eyes say Trouble, with a capital "T".

Everyone stated how terrifying Magoo looked as he patrolled his backyard. I wanted everyone to also see why we love him so much. When he is asleep. Magoo is a great big purring teddy bear.
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Note his tongue partially sticking out.


Pee Ess: I have no picture of Baci's eyes closeup because he always scrunches his face up when I get too close with the camera.

Mancat Mondays

Here is our littlest mancat, Baci, as he hides in the undergrowth awaiting the best time tp pounce on his unsuspecting sister, Dolce.
Click to biggify.And see his baby blues.
His colouring was great camouflage in the winter, but now the snow is gone, he kinda sticks out like a sore thumb. His sister Bella, on the other hand, disappears into the colour of the cedar bark chips we have in the flower/plant beds.


I have mentioned that Magoo is our Soldier. He fiercely protects his backyard from any and all unwanted interlopers. You ask me how, since he looks like a great big teddy bear of a cat. Well, the following picture should suffice as an explanation why most other cats and his Grandma are scared poopless of him.

I give you the the notorious Canadian Snow Leopard displaying his anger at his territory being invaded:

A New part of the Book of Genesis is Found

A coworker sent this to me.

Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me."

And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal.

And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and he wagged his tail.

And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, "No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him.

And Adam was comforted.

And God was pleased.

And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well."

And God said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam.

And Cat would not obey Adam.

And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the supreme being.

And Adam learned humility.

And God was pleased.

And Adam was greatly improved.

And Dog was happy.

And the cat didn't give a damn one way or the other.