Mar 26 2008
WW: Plaid Tidings I Bring
Archive for the 'Daily G's' Category
Mar 08 2008
Wine Chat and a Cat
I talked with SisterDear3 tonight for well over an hour, one of our frequent Wine Chats. At the end of our conversation, as I was hanging up, I realized that Gandalf was in my lap. I was stroking him and he was purring. When did he get in my lap? I have no recollection of him jumping up and no idea how long he’d been there.
I’m a 53 year old woman who smokes, and I’m a bit on the “fluffy” side. I have ”text book” blood pressure and enjoy good health. I attribute this to 3 things:
- I love Red Wine!
- I love my cats (and my dogs that came before)
-
I have no children (through no fault of my own, that’s for another post)
I had a comment on my cat’s blog the other day that basically stated that she was in awe of people who had such lovable cats. I can’t explain why her cats are afraid of strangers and visitors. I only know that my cats are exposed to lots of people and lots of love. I don’t think it’s all that complicated. I don’t do anything special, I just love my cats.
I must admit that I was a bit concerned when my parents moved in with us 2 years ago. They haven’t been around cats all that much. After a brief period of getting to know each other I watched as my cats won over both of my parents. Yeah, they’re totally cat lovers now!
My parents Blood Pressure medication? Their doctor cut it down to 3/4 of what they use to take BC (before cats). Am I giving medical advice? No, not at all. This is just my own personal observation. Many articles and studies have been done touting the beneficial influence of pets. I won’t even try to go there.
Oh, my parents have also taken to having a glass of wine or two after dinner.
Yeah, that’s a good thing, too.
Mar 07 2008
Finally Friday: Tag
It’s funny how dogs and cats know the inside of folks better than other folks do, isn’t it?
Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna, 1912
I’ve had pets all of my adult life and I believe that quotation to be completely accurate. It’s absolutely amazing how intuitive a dog is, and a cat. It’s really is as though they can smell fear and sense mistrust.
For the last 4 years I been owned by 2 amazing cats. Prior to then I have always had sweet, lovable dogs; 2 sets of Pekingese and 2 lovable Shepherd mixes. I have never had one you could remotely call a guard dog. If someone had ever broken in my home they may well have been licked to death.
I did, however, have a neighbor at my office in Florida who had the most gorgeous Yellow Lab named Tag. Tag’s Dad started bringing him to work with him when Tag was just a small bouncing puppy. Tag always sat in the front passenger seat. He was so funny. He was playful, lovable and energetic. And Tag was incredibly smart. I don’t mean just tricks and obedience smart, which he was, but people smart.
Tag was also the most intelligent dog I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He could sense whether or not he liked a person before they got within 20 feet of him. Since I spent so much time with Tag (5 or 6 days a week) until he died, Tag treated me as part of his pack and he was very protective of me. I had truck deliveries once or twice a week. More often than not, the truck drivers came and went without incident, quite unremarkable. Every now and then one would come and suddenly Tag would show an instant protective posture. He would come stand next to me, or partially in front of me with the hair on his back up and would let out a low growl with his mouth open just enough to show teeth. Tag knew something I did not. If the driver made a move towards me, Tag increased his warning ever so slightly.
I learned to trust Tag’s instincts and started paying more attention to which drivers he had this reaction to. There was usually good reason. Loving Tag has made me want to get a Lab. After I moved to Georgia I got 2 beautiful Black Lab puppies. There was just one problem; my cats wouldn’t let me keep them.
| 1. Gandalf & Grayson |
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Feb 26 2008
Happy OY EH Day
I love Gatherings. I love to gather together all the people I love into one place, at the same time. Any excuse that I can get everyone to rally behind will do!
So often we often hear the phrase “Small World”. Well I certainly don’t think so, at least not in the ways that really matter. Just try and plan a Gathering! We’re scattered up and down the east coast. Schedules make it nearly impossible to gather: work, social, school, sports, dance… Busy, Busy, Busy we are!
The SisterDears and I are trying to plan our first annual “Once a Year, Everyone’s Here” Day for next July when my parents and I travel back to New England. The logistics are quite challenging! We want everyone from all 4 generations to gather. I’d also like as many cousins to show up as would like with their families. We want a new Family Photograph. Perhaps a Burgers & Hot Dogs family picnic. It will be magnificent if we can pull it off!
Happy OY, EH Day! I hope the holiday that I insisted upon will become every family’s favorite! So go ahead, start planning yours! Best Wishes for 100% turnout. Please let me know when you post about it! I’ll certainly be posting about ours! 
Thank Goodness, my boys’ schedule always permits plenty of time for me!
P.S. - I so want the necklace in the banner that the ImageChef made for me!
If you like my idea of 100% Family Reunion Participation Vote here!
Are you still here? Leave me some Comment Love & get outa here. Go start Planning your first OY EH Day!
Jan 27 2008
Creature Comforts
Creature Comforts - cats have this one nailed down, don’t they?
Well, yesterday the humans in the Yellow House gave the cats a run for their catnip.
MotherDear made a fabulous Roast Chicken dinner, with all the fixings. We had some friends over for supper who brought a 3-layer German Chocolate Cake for dessert. We sat by a magnificent crackling fire, built by Dad. As if more ambiance were needed, we also enjoyed a nice glass of wine with a sax CD softly playing in the background.
It was a day full of Creature Comforts! A perfect way to spend a cold, rainy day.
Jan 24 2008
Thursday Thirteen #2 - 13 Things My Cats Nap On
2nd Edition
13 Things My Cats Nap On
- The throw at the end of my bed. If there’s a blanket, throw, quilt, etc. at the end of the bed, that’s where they will be. There’s sometimes not room enough for me on the bed. It’s not widely known, but cats get bigified while sleeping.
- Spare Bedroom bed, same thing as above except that there’s an entire extra king size quilt at the end of the bed. It’s intended for guests should they need an extra blanket. The cats are most appreciative.
- My desk, while I’m using it. They also block my monitor at every available opportunity.
- The couch. On the remote. And not at the end of the couch. No, no, no. It must be in the middle so nobody will think of disturbing them.
- The piano. The bench if someone takes out sheet music.
- The patio chairs, in the shade. Oh, as long as you’re going inside, would you mind bringing them back a nice cool glass of water?
- Window sills are a favorite spot. They will lay on them for hours watching the world go by. If you happen to forget to open the blinds, they will remind you.
- The coffee table. It’s especially enticing to them if I happen to want to light my candles.
- In the bushes out front. I’m not sure they’re actually sleeping there. It may be that they’re just hiding on their intended prey.
- On top of my freezer in the garage, which also serves as a handy bridge to the garage door tracks.
- Any open drawer. Just turn your back for a second to grab some clean clothes out of the laundry basket. Even if they were outside when you turned to grab the clothes, they’ll be in the drawer once your hands are full of clothes.
- The laundry basket. It lives in my closet and whenever they see the closet door open, they jump into the laundry basket.
- In my lap. This is one of
my excusesthe main reasons some of my chores remain undone. I am the Lap Lady, and I am on duty 24/7 at the pleasure of my cats.
Gandalf & Grayson: We did our own Thursday Thirteen, come see! =^..^=
thursday thirteen
The very best job I could ever imagine is one that would pay me to think… and the currency would be wine!
