Cat's Purrs and a Woman's Heart

I couldn't sleep last night. This is not rare these days as I seem to sleep
in spurts and fits.
When my husband is off on business trips Aslan takes the opportunity to
sleep with me. And there is something soothing I've noticed about his
purring. It's very loud. OH WAIT. Maybe that is why I have trouble sleeping.
He's on my head! After I move him a bit, he continues purring. But everytime
I move he thinks that is an invitation to be petted. So I do. I'm a softie
like that.

Now if he tries that with Duane (and I think he did ONCE) he goes flying
and this is not so very fun as he is somewhat overweight and certainly has
no wings. Duane is a HARD sleeper and never truely wakes up but the cat
goes flying anyway.

I know he never really wakes up.

He can't really be awake though he says he can't stand to have the cat
in bed with us.

I've thought about this. Last night. When I couldn't sleep and the cat was
purring.

Two days after we brought Matthew, our oldest son, home from the hospital
he said to me, "Wow, he's already sleeping through the night. That's great!".
He doesn't know really how close to death he came that day.
Matthew weighed 9 lbs 7 ozs and was a fine healthy son but he wanted to eat
every 2 hours (this continued until he left home - hey, he may STILL eat every
2 hours but that is no longer my problem!). So every two hours I would go feed
him. Duane never once heard him cry. Now since this was the ONLY time he cried
I really didn't mind so very much - he was never sick and was an easy child.
But I was determined the next night that it was the husband's turn to get up
and at least get the baby and bring him to me to feed. So when I heard him
cry I pushed until he fell out of bed. A bit dazed he asked "What" and I said
"go get the baby" and he stumbled off - right into the open closet. At which
point I gave up.

Now his mother lives with us and I know it's not just him. She also can sleep
through anything (not that we have any babies around any longer).
Tornados. We live in Tornado Alley in Alabama.
And sometimes they come at night. I hear them of course. They are rather hard
to ignore. When it's just the three of us here I lay awake and ponder what to
do. I'm awake you see but they are happily dreaming. And blissfully unaware
that hail is pounding the house, the wind is howling and tree limbs are falling.
I don't think I'm physically able to drag both of them to the basement so I've
decided to just stay with them. OR maybe one day you'll read of a woman found
with her cat in the basement but no sign of the missing husband and mother in law
in the latest storm.

So now you know what I did last night.