Sophie's Story

     I text my Dad nearly every day. Over the years we have developed our own words for different things. One of them is Domestic Chore Day. That is what we call any day that is spent doing household chores like laundry or cleaning.     One of the downsides of working a lot of hours is that my few days off tend to be domestic chore days. Today is one of those days. What I'd like to do is go out and shop for a new pair of running/walking shoes and maybe grab a pumpkin steamer. Then go home and read or knit.    That isn't how today is going to go. It's not a real good idea to shop on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Since I spent yesterday ordering new contact lenses and picking out a pair of glasses, I'm doing laundry today. C was kind enough to take care of two days worth of dishes. The only dishes I had to wash were the bowls I used making pumpkin bread.     I don't mind washing dishes or doing laundry. In fact I enjoy doing both th...

     The turkey breast is in the crockpot. I have a nice selection of music playing on the stereo. I've finished the washing the dishes (for now). C is doing a bit of house cleaning before he starts preparing the dressing I made from the cornbread I made this morning. Scamp has been tended to and is lying on the chaise. I've sent and received many holiday greetings via text. I have a cup of tea and it is time to write.    Usually, I write about all the things that I'm grateful for. In fact, I post a list of them on Facebook. What is bothering me is that it is a list of things. Items. Suff. I am grateful for the many things that make my life easier and more beautiful, but gratitude should be more than counting our things and being happy about how much and what we have.     What are some non-material things for which I am grateful?    A few, well more than a few years ago, my friend Carol's husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. T...

        C took me out to dinner after work. We got to the restaurant and it was decorated in red and green. Pictures of Santa and elves were all over the place. This isn't the first time I have noticed this. In my own store, Christmas decorations are slowly being hung. Evergreen wreaths and pine boughs in small pots are being offered for sale. There's a tree made of cases of soda inside the store, one of the first things to see when you come in.    Something is missing.    At this time of year there used to be pictures of turkeys, horns of plenty, and pilgrim hats, Now I can understand that some of this may have been deemed offensive, but I can't for the life of me figure out why a holiday that is important enough to warrant decorations and a day off (for many people) is being totally ignored and slowly erased.    Can someone explain to me why we are neglecting the one day that we have to celebrate gratitude? A holiday that is marked not...

     Hi ! This is Skamp!     Mom had had a hard week so I am giving her the day off from writing.      I have really good humans. They take good care of me. I get groomed every morning. I get to have yogurt and some baby food every morning. I'm not sure if the baby food is considered a treat since Sophie hides medicine in it. I guess the yogurt isn't a treat either since it is healthy, but healthy things can be treats, can't they?    A few years ago I asked for a tree in a pot. At Christmas the humans bring a big tree into the house and decorate it. I like to lie under it and chew on it. I like to drink the water that it sits in. The humans put things on it for me to bat around if I wish to exercise.  I wanted a tree in the house all year around since I don't go outside too much. Also the trees outside are too big.    I'm happy to say that the humans have brought a small tree into the house. It doesn't look like a tree. It...

     The week didn't start well. While changing a light over the stove, C saw a flash. The clock on the microwave was gone and the inside light didn't come on when the door was opened. C checked all the things he could check. It seemed our trusty microwave had bit the dust. When I looked inside the microwave, I saw a sticker that said it had been manufactured in 2000. Twenty-one years is a good run for any appliance. Time to replace.    The challenge is that it is a brand that is no longer made. C would have to try to figure out the closest thing to what we have and arrange for its purchase and installation. I worried that it might be wired in. That would complicate matters, we would need and electrician to install the microwave. I told C that he should do whatever he thought was best.    I was having a stressful time at work. I am the main immunizer at work. We had many appointments for vaccines from people who had to be vaccinated in order to comply ...

      My friend, Ellen, is fascinated with deer. One of her happy places is Fort Snelling State Park. She and her husband, Mac, like to walk in the park and look for deer. Her favourite deer is a piebald deer. Piebald is a deer that has white patches of fur. It's a rare condition, but there is one in the park.    Another happy place is an animal farm and petting zoo about an hour away from here. Last week she asked if C and I would like to go there with them. After a communication glitch, we found ourselves in the car on the way to the farm.    C and I enjoyed the drive out there. We arrived at the farm and went into a brown building to pay our admission. We could also buy a bag of carrots or grains to feed the animals we were visiting. Ellen and Mac were there and had purchased two bags of carrots. We bought one bag and then set out.    As we left the building we were "greeted" by a pair of small sheep. Anyone who thinks that animals are stu...