“Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose.”
Garrison Keillor (1942)
My cat reminds me about little things–how they are the important things.
Miss Bea is totally pleased with herself and her entire body while playing with a small plastic spring. She rolls this way and that and stretches to her full length to reach under the refrigerator to capture another hidden toy. If she doesn’t retrieve the toy, or convince me to get it–she gives up and moves on. Hmm, lesson there!
Although Beatrice (her full name) has been fed regularly since I adopted her, she always leaves a portion of food in her bowl. We should all save a little for a rainy day, right?
Bea is not afraid to ask for affection or anything else she wants. When she climbs onto my lap, I know right away that she needs “purred.” She is persistent until she achieves her goal. If a book is in my hand, she will forcefully try to replace the book with her head.
As adults, we don’t ask for what we want, but expect our loved ones and friends to know when we need help. Perhaps a cat can teach us something in this instance also. I’m not only thinking of physical needs but even material things. If your husband always buys “useful” gifts, why not tell your him that you would really love a special item you’ve admired?
A cat also lets you know when he/she is angry or hurt. Now I don’t suggest scratching or biting your friends when they hurt your feelings. But wouldn’t it clear the air to tell a person that what was said or done was unkind or hurtful?
To be clear, I’m not saying I have learned all these lessons–I’m working on them.
Just a few fun thoughts for today. Have a purrrfect day.
“For me, decluttering and downsizing has caused shifts in my thinking and my habits. I don’t have to declutter; I choose to declutter.” Lisa Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.
As to my downsizing, I started before it was truly needed. I moved to a small house after my husband died to be close to at least one of my kids. I went through an agonizing (at times) series of decisions to sell the house, land, excavating and farm equipment and many antiques and possessions that it took 40 years to collect. That move was not the end, however and a couple moves later, I am in a small apartment that feels cozy. I have to declutter at times, for in such a small space, a few items lying around look like a small tornado swept through.
I gave up a yard, a garden, perfect branches for bird feeders and acres to walk. But downsizing also opened up more time for the slowing down that is needed, and happens whether you’re ready or not. I live in a building with a multitude of older people from 55 years old and beyond. I would have been very lonely in my home in the country by now and probably unable to keep the fields cared for and the grass mowed. I miss the horses we had, but I miss them as enormous pets with enormous appetites and involving a lot of care.
Things change and you must change with them. if you don’’t, you will stay on the elliptical motion of day to day chores that go on and on, and become more and more difficult.
The downsizing has been down shifting. At a slower pace, I’m excited by the report that two ducks were spotted out front by our fish pond. I dash out to take a picture. I once had a very large pond and barely noticed the ducks in my busy years of working and raising a family. I watch for hummingbirds to return and study the fields to spot a new bird. I have dozens of pictures of the beautiful sunsets I see from my living room.
So life is very different these day—but it is still beautiful. Be kind to yourself, and to your neighbors. Upsize your living as you downsize your life.
A new couple in our neighborhood. Next plan—see where they have a nest!
I thought a lot about Valentine’s Day when I got up this morning. Mostly about grade school valentine boxes that were placed in the front of the room for all our valentines. At some later class we made our own. I didn’t like that because there it sat on your desk–waiting for someone to drop in a valentine–in front of everyone. It was sad for some who received only a few.
I always took vs enough for my whole class as my mother advised. It was agonizing to find just the right ones for some of my class–not too mushy–funny if possible for the boys.
As a teenager I hoped for a heart-shaped box of candy–a special sign of love. When I did receive one, I hid it from my mother for fear of her objections. I was not allowed to date yet.
Over the years, V Day meant different things at different times. My husband and I had little money to spare–but he never forgot–he often stopped on the way home from work at a local drugstore and found his valentine for me. A couple times, he wrote his own, and I’m happy to have saved them. I received flowers on my 10th anniversary and once on V Day when I was out of town working. Memories I will always cherish.
In our later years I was encouraged to buy what pleased me. “If you want flowers, we’ll get them.” But I’ll never forget the love in those handwritten lines.
There is so much hype over this day. I wonder how many people are sad, grieving, or heavy-hearted today. I wish all the love in the world to reach each of them. Turn the day around and give love to others. Maybe you should call your friend, your family member, that person at church who always seems alone. It may mean a lot to one person and there is much joy in the giving of joy.
It seems like it’s time to rework my identity again.
I have become a great grandmother! A little boy named Henry
Has enriched my life immeasurably. He arrived several weeks early,
which kept the whole family in hopeful prayer for weeks.
He is home, thriving and of course–adorable.
And in other areas: Big News for this GGMa.
My other news is about my new author hat. I will wear it proudly after toying with a story for several years, starting and stopping, finding and losing a couple of illustrators, and finally seeing my book in print. The image above is from Amazon where you can purchase this children’s book. It is based on a true story of my former neighbor, Gloria, a young girl, and two cats.
So happy to join you all here on my blog again. For those few who actually like rhymes:
Willow, Willow, where art thou Willow? (My cat, remember?)
Are you hiding under the bed? Or perched on a kitchen chair?
There's no doubt you're here still,
For your hair is everywhere.
You play mean tricks on me,
In the middle of the night.
From tangling in the venetian blinds-
To turning on the light.
The light is a touch lamp on the dresser,
So it's easy for Willow to manage,
And I was sound asleep,
Which worked to her advantage.
As I jerked awake and swung my arms about,
She seemed to find this funny,
So she jumped on my neck and pinned me down,
My mood was far from sunny!
I can't stay mad though because,
With her wide-eyed stare, she's adorable.
She is so pretty and amusing,
Though I find her behavior deplorable.
I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1,2 (KJV)
I fell in love with that Psalm while traveling out west for the first time with my family. The mountains were so grand and the vast open spaces called to me. As we got out of our camper to stretch our legs, I twirled around on a hillside like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music.
Since that day, I have been able to capture a little of that free, light feeling by visualizing those mountains. Today, the smaller mountains I can see also have that effect on my mood. The view from my window, hills snow-covered and bathed in sunlight, fills me with a sense of peace and the never-ending presence of God. I think about how the hills aren’t going anywhere and neither is the Lord.
My cat, Willow, has discovered her little bit of sunshine on a pillow on my bed. Just as her help must come from me, mine must come from God. The help comes from the hills because God made the hills. If we could see beyond each hill, we would see more clearly, and to the source of help.
In the other gardens, And all up the vale, From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail! Pleasant summer over And all the summer flowers, The red fire blazes, The grey smoke towers. Sing a song of seasons! Something bright in all! Flowers in the summer, Fires in the Fall
By Robert Louis Stevenson
I see that autumn is fickle,
It can’t make up its mind.
With fog and cold wet mornings,
By noon the sun’s warm and kind.
That is why fall is fickle.
I got up this morning with a definite plan,
But the rain came down and soaked the land.
Instead of a fall festival with apples and cider,
I thought I’d stay home and sit in a glider.
But by noon, the sun shone brightly through the mist,
So I called my friend and said, “This day is not to be missed,
“Fall is upon us and soon we will shiver,
Let’s go and enjoy what fall can deliver.”
A sunflower field in our area was stunning,
With all the bright faces turned upward for sunning.
The words belong to a popular song written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross for the 1955 musical Damn Yankees. I often felt my furry friend was aptly named. I moved to a new area a couple years after my husband died. New neighborhood–new pet seemed like a great idea.I had lost my lovable Chocolate Lab the year before.,My four granddaughters who lived closest to me helped me choose a pup. They and then I fell in love with Pug puppies we saw on the internet. We picked up a chubby ten-week-old Pug that became my constant companion. Lola was perfect for me. She was funny and loving and loyal. I got used to her being wherever I was in the house and later in an apartment. She comforted me with her snuggles when I left an unhappy situation and she kept me busy and occupied when I was lonesome during the early days of the COVID pandemic. Lately, typical of older pets, Lola spent more time sleeping, only occasionally moved to play with her toys. But she never lost her love of people. Extremely social, she would drag me toward people I didn’t know outside my building with her tail wagging, and seemingly saying “Hey, I’m here! I’d like to get to know you.” She could be annoying with her television habit. She would react and bark at any animals on the TV. Once she aged to around 11, Lola became deaf so trying to quiet her during her TV watching was difficult. I took her to the Emergency Vet Hospital on Sunday because she was having difficulty breathing and her abdomen seemed distended. She fell over in the dog yard and could walk only a few steps and would lay down, completely spent. She ate and drank normally even then. In the hospital, the ultrasound showed a tumor which seemed to be in her spleen. There was to be a further scan of some sort the next morning and possible surgery if the growth was confined to the spleen. At thirteen, she had been strong, but I knew I would have a difficult decision to make. At three a.m. she ate chicken and the staff said she seemed more comfortable, but at the next check–she was gone. Lola was a stubborn girl. I think she heard talk of surgery and thought, “Nope, not doin’that” She died on her own terms and took away my problem of deciding her fate. For that I have to be thankful.
I am so sad and nothing looks normal in my home. Without her toys, her dish, her bed. All who have ever lost a pet know what I’m talking about. I thank God for the 13 years and 3 months of her life which blessed me every day. Rest in peace dear Lola.
Connie's Comments and Verse 