Probably one of the hardest tricks to teach any animal is “stay.” With cats it is nearly an impossible command to teach because they are independent and stubborn. To stay means to wait for something. When Goldie was young, he finally figured out that if he waited patiently, when I finished with my cereal, I…
Blog
Letting Go
Sometimes more is not better. At one point in time I had four part-time jobs. I had a steady job that I worked 4 days a week, plus another job working in a friend’s shop on Saturdays and some afternoons after my regular job. Then, I also taught English at an online university on…
What do you see?
Sometimes I like to make a game of cooking something with just what’s left in the pantry. Sometimes it is for fun, sometimes it is because I’m too lazy to go to the store, and sometimes it is purely from necessity. Trying to find an appetizing meal out of random ingredients can put your creativity…
An Old Song
I was asked to sing the special music for my church’s Facebook live service this week, which actually makes me more nervous than singing in front of people. So, I was running song titles through my head trying to figure out what to sing. I wanted something that would speak peace to the hearts of…
Joy in the Morning
Young Man walked across me slowly and intentionally, making sure each paw poked my ribs or elbow with precise accuracy. He was fulfilling his self-imposed job of waking me up; however, his internal alarm clock was an hour or two off, so I tried to ignore him. He is not one to be ignored and…
A Time Such as This
It was Friday after Goldie, my Maine Coon of 13 years, had to be put down because of a brain tumor. My other cat, Meep, seemed to feel as out of sorts as I did. Our constant companion was gone. What were we supposed to do now? I decided that both of us needed a…
Stand and Face the Storm
April 27, 2011 started off with a bang as straight-line winds blew through my area, downing trees and power lines. I thought the worst was over as I gingerly traversed a number of problem areas on my way to work, but it was only the beginning. I was already back home and watching the nightly…
Marathon Mentality
It usually happens at least a few times a week if not a few times a day. Meep will suddenly jump off the couch and burst into a run, tearing through the house at breakneck speeds. She often takes laps through the house, or sometimes it is suicide run in a straight line. Sometimes the…
Persistence of a Cat
Meep is persistent when she wants something. That’s a polite way of saying she’s pushy. For example, she has a thing about having to share my food whenever I’m eating. I’ve read that some breeds of cats have this tendency, so it may be genetic. However, it is also quite aggravating at times and often…
Choose Ye This Day
The sound echoed through the Sunday morning hush of the neighborhood. I was getting ready for church when the insistent scream stopped my hand in mid-brush. Goldie, my Maine Coon cat, turned his head toward the side of the house nearest the main road. His ears were turned forward at high alert. When I opened…