Sophie's Story

   Yesterday was Willow's first visit to the vet. I was a little nervous about how it would go. For the past 20 plus years I have had to deal with cats that hated going to the vet. One of them to the point that we needed to give him drugs to calm him down so he could be handled.    The first hurdle to taking a cat to the vet is to get them into their carrier. That was not a problem. Fortunately Willow does not hide under furniture much so it was no challenge to pick her up and put her into the carrier with a few toys.    We put the carrier into the back seat of the car and pulled out of the driveway. Willow started to mew and cry. She's not very big so she's not very loud. C and I talked to her and reassured her as we drove. Fortunately the vet office is not far away.    The vet clinic changed it's drop off policy since we were there last. Up until now we needed to call the clinic and let them know we had arrived. They would take information by ph...

     C and I had been talking about replacing the carpet downstairs for several years.  I was never a fan of carpet anywhere in a house. Also years of soiling by Scamp and other issues had left the carpet with a nasty smell that could never be completely eliminated. We finally decided that this would be a good time to get it done. Once cleaned up and organized it would make a great family room. Our basement is dug a bit deeper than normal so it is nice and cool during the summer. In the winter an electric heater shaped like a wood stove keeps the room very comfortable.    What first peaked our interest in replacing the carpet was an ad from a flooring company that kept appearing in the email. The company offered 50% off new flooring and installation. C met with them and he discovered something. In the small print toward the bottom of the ad was a disclaimer. Offer not available in Minnesota or Tennessee. We got a quote for them anyway. C went to work findin...

   One of the things C and I enjoyed every July for several years was the Mideast festival sponsored by a nearby church.  There would be music, demonstrations of ethnic dances, and of course food. There was a market where clothing, jewelry and other small items were sold. They also had a bake sale with flat bread, Faranee bread (not sure why but I like it a lot), all kinds of pastries and homemade jams and jellies.    There was also information about the Antiochian Orthodox church that hosts the festival. They held tour of the sanctuary where they hold their worship services. Someone would explain the worship practices they have and the reasons why they do things that way.     Then Covid hit. The festival was no longer held although for the last two years they would have an online bake sale and would sell food for people to pick up and eat at home. C and I missed it, especially the food. It wouldn't be the same eating it in our home.    ...

             Sometimes things happen pretty quickly. You don't always get the option of a contemplation before you have to make a big decision. When that happens you make the best choice you can and then deal with the results.    C and I had something like that happen late last week. Over the weekend we had been asked to kittensit. We had a wonderful time with Wren who kept us entertained. We loved having her visit. It was going to be very hard waiting until the fall to adopt cats.    Last Thursday, Nena came back from her trip and picked up Wren. C and I were sad to see her go.     Then it happened. Nena sent C a message on Friday asking if we would like to take Wren. C and I were both floored. This was not something we had expected. I wondered if Nena had misunderstood a message I had sent. She told me that she had a three year old cat. I responded that if the two cats didn't get along we would take Wren. My intenti...

        Wren arrived a bit after 10 o'clock this morning, two hours after I was expecting her.  I had been looking forward to meeting ever since her human reached out to me. Nena was going on a trip to northern Minnesota and needed some one to care for her six week old kitten. She had planned to pick Wren up from her foster parent after the Independence Day holiday, but it didn't work out. Someone she called looking for help suggested that she contact me.    I was happy to help. Actually I was downright gleeful. The chance to have a kitten in the house, even for a little while was very appealing to me. C and I spent the weekend in anticipation of our feline guest.    Monday morning I studied my Scriptures and did my workout on a strict time schedule. Nena would be bringing Wren early in the morning and I wanted to me ready for her. Turned out that Nena was running a little late.     Nena finally came bringing Wren in a small ca...