A Message from the Universe

I find dimes instead of pennies on the sidewalk, and the Universe sends me tuxedo cats instead of faded calicoes or rangy, wounded black toms. I've long been pondering the significance of both.

It's kind of unnerving to continually find dimes. By this time it's beyond coincidental. When I was sweeping our new porch, what did I find by the corner post in the dirt? A dime, of course. It's rarely a penny, never a nickel. It feels like the Universe is trying to tell me something. A quarter would be too ostentatious; a dime is definitely a message. But what?

Same thing with the tuxedoes. My friend Brenda would love to have a tuxedo cat, but apparently she attracts tortoiseshells and toms with bucket heads. I feel blessed to be sent graceful black and white shorthairs dressed for a formal affair. But why me?

Our latest addition -- the tiny snickerdoodle in the photo -- was a spooky little blessing. Scooter, the larger of the two, had been moping and needy because he was lonely. Teddy, the infamous Elusive Teddy Boots, the first tuxedo, can't be bothered with mere cats even if they do look like him, so Scooter needed a friend. The idea of which I mentioned aloud and the next morning, I found Mitten sleeping on the porch pillow.

The two are now fast friends, despite the difference in their sizes. In fact, I looked out today and saw Mitten draped over Scooter's body sound asleep. They have rousing wrestling matches, the latest of which resulted in a ripped paper sack and a very loud thumping that I can't quite figure out.

I heard it said that the Universe sends you the cats you need. Teddy, at the furthest end of the cat neediness scale, was wonderful company this winter while Dave was in the hospital. Scooter has such a sweet, trusting nature -- once he decided he could trust me, he was all in. And Mitten is such a comic. I'd forgotten how enraptured kittens are of the world -- how endlessly fascinating are pebbles, bugs, and shadows.

Maybe the cats and the dimes are connected. Maybe the Universe just wants to keep reminding me that I'm richer than I realize.

Or maybe the dimes are just to pay for the cat food.