Three Little Kittens

We have a feral cat that my mom has been feeding and my husband has named Cat Scan. Just a few days ago, she had her second litter of three little kittens. Cat Scan's kitten from the litter she had a few months ago looks just like her. Although we haven't come up with a name for her/him, she/he is feral now just like her/his mama. I do like the actor Will Ferrell, so maybe Will Feral would do. Anyway, back to the 3 little kittens....I don't want to become the cat lady, so I will begin to wean these three and find good homes for them. For now they are Moe, Curly and Larry. We have a bit of a role reversal here because my mother wants to keep the calico one. Mom already has Milo and he is a huge white and tan cat. I come from a family of cat lovers. My dad, my mother and brother would have preferred to give me away than to part with the family cats we had. Somehow, I don't have the affection for cats that my parents and brother had. I'm allergic to them. As long as I don't touch them, I am OK. There was one cat I got attached to several years ago. My husband brought it home and we named her Dixie. She was a Manx which meant she was tailless and had little to no feeling in her hind quarters. So her first and only litter of kittens had to be delivered C-Section to save her life. She had such a horrible odor that she could have been the poster cat for the "Smelly Cat" song that Phoebe sang about on Friends. Due to her odor, we could not keep her in the house. She was the sweetest and I mean THE SWEETEST cat ever! In a couple of weeks after I have taken these three little kittens to the vet to be checked over and after they are litter trained, I will attempt to give these babies to loving homes. Anybody, anybody?

A trip down Memory Lane

This past weekend, I went to my high school reunion. The weather did not cooperate. What was supposed to be a gorgeous weekend was changed when the remnants of Hurricane Bill roared through our area. Then the traffic built up thanks to the rain and a major league football game. Who would want to go to a football game in weather like we had? I know, season holders, maybe would go, but there will be other games people. I decided that if I got to the reunion that was fine and if I didn't, then that was OK too. I could just relax in my luxury hotel room. So as not to keep you in suspense, I did eventually get there. I wasn't trying to be fashionably late,but when you add terrible conditions plus lots of cars plus a football game, it just equals late. So, give me a T for tardy to my reunion. All of my high school teachers are either dead or way up in years and didn't come to mark my lack of punctuality in some book.My graduating class was close to 500, and there were a little under 100 of us there. Most of my closest friends were in my homeroom. We were in the same homeroom for all 4 years. I did get to see one of those close friends and talk to one on the phone as she could not come to the reunion, but her husband from the class before ours came as he was in the area on a business trip. It was fun to see old, I mean mature people that I didn't recognize without looking at their name tags. For some reason, I still feel like I am 18, so I don't know who that lady is in my mirror every morning. I try not to look at her. I would say there were a few of my high school friends who have aged very well. Enough said! The music from my high school days is by far the best music ever! My children's generation would agree with me. I enjoyed listening to those oldies and watching as others danced to the music.
As I sat and reminisced about the good ole days, I thought how happy I am that I am not still in high school. Aside from the obvious that a person my age would have had to be held back over and over again, I don't miss the following: Lockers that don't open, studying for tests, being called on in class when not paying attention, looking cool,and eating lunch in a crowded cafeteria in 20 minutes. So, now that my trip down Memory Lane is over, I am happy that I went and glad to be where I am today. Thank you, God, for leading me every step of the way!

Little Children/Young Adults

On Saturday when I went to the Y to run, a lady called out to me from about 50 feet away in the Y parking lot. I thought she was just another of the many who want to see my Smart car and ask questions about it. When I went to the Y that morning, I hadn't showered as I knew I would be a wet washrag in 30 minutes so what's the point of showering before running. Needless to say, I was hoping not to see anyone I knew due to my unfashionable workout attire and my bedhead hairdo. I often will see some of the young moms I know from MOPS, but they are use to seeing drenched,messy me. But this time, the question was,"What is your last name?" When I told her, she came over and said pointing to the gorgeous 22 year old next to her, "You were her kindergarten teacher." Well, let me tell you, this young adult was a far cry from the 5 year old I taught many moons ago. When I asked her what grade she was in, she replied that she had just graduated from college and was headed toward grad. school in January. Where did the years go?! Then yesterday at church, Mrs. Pastor told me they had met a young lady I had taught in kindergarten the other day when we were signing up two of their children for middle school. When I described what she looked like in kindergarten, I was informed that she is a beautiful brunette (she had blondish hair when she was 5). All summer long, I have had the pleasure of seeing yet another of my young students who has worked at the Y camp. She always runs over to give me a hug and a big smile. She will be a junior in college this fall. Yes,cute little kindergarteners grow up into lovely/handsome young adults. This coming Friday, I will see one of my students who used to be a playful five-year-old and is now married and the manager of a local eatery. He still remembers those happy days of kindergarten and his teacher. Thank you Lord for dear children who have grown up and continue to seek Your Face. Their smiles and hugs sent my way are an added bonus.

A Special Bond

There is a song by Paul Simon called "Father and Daughter". If you want to see the video of it, just go to YouTube and search for Paul Simon Father and Daughter song. There is a special bond between a father and his daughter. I think it is even stronger than between a father and son. This same special bond oftentimes exists between a mother and her son. When I was a little girl, there was a print on my bedroom wall of a St. Bernard standing guard over a little girl. Since my mother is not a packrat like me, that print is long gone, but the image is still with me. In the song, "Father and Daughter", one line says "I'm gonna stand guard like a postcard of a golden retriever and never leave till I leave you with a sweet dream in your head." I had this special bond with my dad and my daughters have this with their dad. Our Heavenly Father,or Abba,is standing guard over each of His daughters (and sons). The chorus in the song says, "I'm gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow, gonna paint a sign so you'll always know as long as one and one is two, there could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you." If you can relate to Rhymin' Simon's words, then thank your Heavenly Father for His love for you. If your dad, papa ,daddy or whatever you call him is still around, then thank him too. Who knows, even if your eathly father is now in heaven, give a shout out to him and he (I believe) will hear you.

Buggies

On my recent trip to Lancaster, PA, I tried to get a picture of a buggy. The Amish do not want to have their pictures taken and I respect that. In my quest to just get a buggy picture, I found that this is harder to do than I thought. I saw several, but by the time I got my camera out, the buggy was out of sight. Those Amish horses know how to trot!! Anyway, I did get the back/side of the buggy (not the horse) and that is the best I could do. All I can say is the slower pace lifestyle of the Amish is cool, but their buggies are keeping up with the traffic~whoa, horsey!