Noah's Lantern, On Your Hand

Yes, this is a bit late, but Remmy and I had a "day". He has an appointment at the (usually very punctual and fast) vet's for his distemper booster, and we arrived a few minutes early to find a rather busy waiting room. Unperturbed, we checked in and took a seat. I figured that, per usual, this wouldn't take long. Rem did his usual, "I'm at the vet and I don't like it!" round of thin, plaintive meows and that was about it.

For a while.

After about 20 minutes, he (understandably) started to get a little restless in his kitty carrier. He didn't go nuts or anything, Remmy being a gentleman, but he kept turning around and around and pushing his face against my hand (I stick it in there to pat him and keep him calm). Still, he stayed pretty quiet except for some quiet remarks he made to me along the lines of "Meeeeeeeeew?" and "miaawwwwwww..."

Finally, finally we were led into one of the examining rooms - an hour after our appointment was supposed to have begun. I let Remmy out of his carrier to stretch his legs, and...wow. Franken-kitty. He hissed, huffed, growled, meowed more loudly than the obnoxious Honda motorcycle we hear every so often, and was generally unhappy and very un-Remmy like. Those who've met His Highness know he is more like a puppy than a cat - he's very sweet, cuddly, quiet, and cute. And gentlemanly. But he was suddenly full-on evil, angry, monster cat.

I was embarassed, but also very concerned for Rem because this just wasn't his normal behaviour. We were even seeing his favourite vet, the man Rem actually snuggled up to last time (told you he's a peach). Then again, I know how I feel after being stuck in a cramped plane seat for an hour, and that has to be comparable to being stuck in a kitty carrier at the vet for the same amount of time.

After his shot - yes, that made his day so much better - we went out and waited 10 minutes to settle our bill, pick up his prescription food, and at last go home. Rem was a little ticked when we got home (thank God it's only a three-minute drive!), but after a glass (yes, a glass) of fresh water and some brushing, he calmed down. Poor little guy. He's happily curled up beside me now, but it was not a fun visit.

(I'm not angry about it, because it was so unusual for the vet to be that...disorganized, or whatever was going on today. Is it a full moon?)

Anyhow, that meant I was an hour and a half late getting to the farmer's market and dinner and all of that. So I'm late tonight. :)




Now, I haven't ever seen Biblical support for the legend that Noah used a lantern of garnet to help him see into the murk, but it did make a good title, didn't it? Garnets - usually a rich red - have been affectionately regarded by mankind since at least the days of ancient Egypt; the Greeks and Romans were big fans as well. It was the Greeks who first used garnet in signet rings, and while Noah may not have used a garnet lantern, the stone is one of twelve birthstones bedecking the high priest Aaron's breastplate, based on instructions Moses received from God Himself (garnet represents the tribe of Judah).

Throughout history, garnet has been used as a talisman and thought to have healing powers. Travellers carried it not only as protection, but thought it had the powers to light up the night (as it turns out, garnets have a very high refractive index).

Garnets do come in other colours - green, orange, pinks, purple and other hues. Still, thanks to tradition, red is the colour we think of when we hear about garnet.

This pretty flower ring from MademoiselleM features garnets in the starring role - five garnet drops have been linked together by sterling silver wire into a flower shape, and then topped with a flat Biwa pearl. All of it is set upon a ring shank also made of sterling wire - three wires wrapped together. It's very pretty, especially with the pearl there to brighten things up.

The flower itself is a little bit more than an inch wide, and the ring is just $18. MademoiselleM offers a few other pretty rings as well as really lovely jewelry, like this fabulously fun bracelet. The ladies at Mademoiselle M will do custom work or tweak items to meet size or even colour needs.

Happy shopping! I think Remmy gets a special dinner treat tonight. ;)