A cat isn't fussy — just so long as you remember he likes his milk in the shallow, rose-patterned saucer and his fish on the blue plate. From which he will take it, and eat it off the floor. — Arthur Bridges

Jonesie and Kaci, in perfect harmony

I took Sheila for a walk the other night.  We live on a cul de sac, so we go down to the street below and then walk to the end of it, which ends in a cul de sac.  The walk is just long enough to get her out of the house and gives both of us some fresh air.

When we walk past the house where Bob, the cat, used to live, I always think of him.  He was usually outside and he would run down the driveway and greet us.  Most of the time he ran along with us.  As we walked along the sidewalk, he would scamper through the yards, sometimes up a tree and back down.  He wore a collar with just a tag which had his “owners’” phone number.  No name.  But, the tag jingled when he ran.

I found out last year that Bob had died.  He came home sick and they thought he ate a poisoned rat.  I assume they took him to the vet, but I don’t know that.  Anyway, Bob died.  I only found out he was gone months later when I saw a man in the driveway and asked about Bob.  They had called him "Cat".  I knew Bob hadn't been out at night to take walks with us for some time.  But, I was hoping that nothing had happened to him.

When Bob was here for a week after he was neutered.

Anyway, when Sheila and I got to Bob’s old house, I heard the familiar jingle of a collar.  I stopped and looked around.  It was dark, but I could see a cat in the driveway.  It was running around near the car.  I called “kitty, kitty”.  He came down to the sidewalk and if I’d been alone, he probably would have come to me.  He looked like a tabby.  I couldn’t get over how much he acted like Bob, only he didn’t follow us down the street like Bob would have done. 

When we came back by, I looked for the little cat, but he wasn’t there.  I could only hope that he was inside the house or the garage for the night.  But, like Bob, I’m sure this cat’s “owners” do not keep him in the house.

I walked Sheila again last night, but there was no sign of the cat.  I’m sure he will be out there again sometime.

I first started letting Kiki have the run of the small cat patio.  I blocked the cat door so no other cat could go out there.  She usually stayed out for awhile and when she decided to take her nap, she went back into her 4x4' kennel and settled on her cat tree bed.  At that point I just closed her kennel.

Kiki in her kennel, with the door open

Then I decided to try letting her into the house.  This was only after Jezibel and Lexi were in the yard.  Jason, Jonesie and Kaci are usually in the garage or in the yard too.  So far she has done pretty well, even managing to maneuver around Sheila.  Sheila is so used to cats, that she doesn’t really pay much attention to another one.  But, I’m keeping an eye on the situation. 

The first time Kiki came in the house, I followed her around with my water spray bottle, just to make sure there were no angry encounters.  Rhody is in awe of Kiki.  He follows her around.  She doesn’t seem to mind being admired.  She does turn and meow at him, but it’s more like “why are you following me?” than “leave me alone!”

Rhody, "Don't I look innocent enough???" (not!)

Yesterday Jason was in while Kiki was running around the house.  He was not trying to attack her, but he was curious about her.  It made her nervous to have Jason following her around.  I was watching, but it happened so fast, I couldn’t do anything. 

Kiki slapped Jason across the side of his head.  He ran off shaking his head.  I immediately got Kiki back into her kennel.  When I finally caught up with Jason, I saw that he had a scratch on his right ear and was bleeding from it. 

I took a cotton pad and soaked it with peroxide and cleaned the scratch on Jason’s ear.  After it stopped bleeding, I applied some Neosporin:-:Pain.  When I checked on Jason later, he was no worse for the wear.

But, we are really going to be careful that Kiki does not attack any of our cats again.  Our cats are all declawed in the front paws.

Dash and Cody, now five months old

We’re still hoping that we can find homes for Kiki and her kittens, Dash and Cody.  But, in the meantime, I think it’s important to have them fit into a family of other cats and a dog.  At least they have a chance to be normal. 

I’m sure that since Jezibel and her daughters, Lexi and Ellie, have always hated each other, as well as any other cat,  there’s no chance that they will accept Kiki.  They have already been exposed to Dash and Cody and have learned to tolerate them.  But, they were not given a choice.  Since Kiki is older, she will not be tolerated. 

Lexi

Jezibel

We don’t need any upsets, so it’s better to just keep them apart.  Besides, this is Jezibel and her daughters’ home.  It’s Kiki’s too, but she is the one who will have to make concessions.

The other day we received a little note from Cynthia, the lady who adopted “Spicey” (aka Dot).  She said that Spicey was growing bigger.  Her and Cynnamin are getting along fine.  Cynnamin treats Spicey like her baby–grooming her ears, etc.  Spicey says, “I’m not afraid of you”.  She finally let Cynthia rub her back!  We were invited to come by and see them anytime.  Now that we have her address, we will call her and go see how our little Dottie turned out.  I’m sure it will be like looking at our Dash.  They are identical except for the little light gray dash on Dash’s head.  I’m sure Spicey is pure white.  Her little dot was all but gone when Cynthia took her home.  I’m glad it’s working out.

Mr. Creme is still doing fine.  His legs are weak, but he goes out every day and he can still get into the patio chair, where he sleeps.  He’s eating well.

Debbie with her beloved, Mr. Creme

Debby still loves Mr. Creme.  I don’t know why, but ever since she came here almost three years ago, she has wanted to be near Mr. Cream.  When we were keeping her in the 4x4' kennel before we started letting her have the full run of garage, she would always rub against the cage when MC walked by.  He has always ignored her.  He never grooms her and I don’t think she grooms him.  But, she sleeps next to him in his chair or if there’s not enough room, she will find a place to sleep as close as she can to him.  It’s really sweet to see that Mr. Creme is loved so much by this little feral black cat.

Jason has hitched his little wagon to Mr. Creme, but he has ulterior motives.  Unlike Debbie, who really wants to be close to MC and asks nothing in return, Jason has associated MC’s insulin injections with getting a treat.  Since he usually sleeps in the garage at night, he is there when I go out to give he and Mr. Creme breakfast.  Then when I return to give MC his insulin, Jason comes over and watches me prepare the syringe.

Jason with his "sugar daddy", Mr. Creme, enjoying some outdoor time together

Mr. Creme also associates his injection with a treat.  Usually Mr. Creme will go to the little scratching platform and lie down.  I tell him it’s just like me when I go to the chiropractor.  The doctor tells me “OK, face down” on the torture rack.  After I pet and talk to MC, I give him his shot and then two “Good Life” treats.  Of course, Jason is also there and he gets two treats as well.

Sometimes Jason acts like he thinks he should get an injection too.  I have to tell him that those are not treats.  I hope to never have to give insulin to him or any of the others, for that matter.

More later..........

“I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days.”--Bill Dana

We’ve been having rain for the past couple of days.  It’s a cold, winter storm going through.  The 50-ish temps are as wintry as we get or want. 

Tuesday morning at about 3:30, we were awakened by pounding rain on the roof.  Actually I think it was rain mixed with hail.  It was as hard a rain as we’ve had in a long time.  We both got up to check to make sure it was rain we were hearing. 

I went to the cat patio to check on Kiki and Lexi.  Kiki was curled up in her cat tree as usual.  Lexi was not.  She had gone down to the next level and was covered in a blanket.  She gets scared when it rains on the aluminum roof.  But, she was all right.  I’m sure that Kiki has weathered worse.  After all, she was living in a woodpile when we found her.

Last Saturday was the Padres’ Fan Fest at Petco Park.  The admission was free for everyone.  We have season tickets this year, and since we have only sat in our seats one time, when we bought the season, we wanted to go so we could sit in our seats again.

We got there about 10:00am and everyone was allowed to go out on the ball field.  There were some ball players there to sign autographs at scheduled times.  We’re not autograph hounds, so we just walked around a little.  Charlie wanted to go into the bullpen, but we didn’t see that it was open.

Then we decided to go up to our seats.  All the levels were all blocked off and no one was being allowed up.  They said it was a “construction site”.  We were disappointed, because that was really the only reason we wanted to be there. 

We left the ballpark at 10:50am, glad that the whole thing had been free.  Oh, we did have to pay $7 for less than an hour parking.

I came across this when I was looking for something to do this weekend:

    ‘ACRO-CATS’ ROLL IN FOR AN ALL-FELINE SHOW, PLUS ONE GUEST CHICKEN

There are cat people, there are weird cat people, and then there’s Samantha Martin.

She takes the whole cat-lady thing to a completely different level, thanks to her traveling feline show, “Samantha Martin and the Amazing Acro-Cats,” in which cats ride skateboards, push carts and walk on tightropes.

Though Martin has been performing with her talented cats since 2005, Thursday marks her first visit to San Diego. She shared what it’s like to travel across the country in her 33-foot “Catmobile” RV as well as the secrets to keeping cats happy on stage.
The Amazing Acro-Cats

Q: Tell us about your show.

A: The cats are all rescues and strays, and they perform acrobatic feats — they jump through hoops, roll barrels, ring bells. There’s also an all-cat band called the Rock-Cats that play piano, drum, guitar and cowbell. There’s a special guest chicken that plays the cymbal and tambourine.

Q: Who trained them?

A: I did. I used clicker training, which is positive reinforcement-based. They get tasty rewards, fresh salmon, chicken and tuna, for following directions.

Q: Why do you love cats so much?

A: I love their attitude and their independence. They constantly surprise me, because one day a cat can decide to rearrange the show and I have to work around it. I’m learning that cats don’t like people wearing Mardi Gras beads or animal costumes and no balloons anywhere.

Q: How many cats do you have?

A: There are 13 permanent members of the cast. I have some at home in Chicago that don’t like to travel, but they appear in commercials. So I have 20 cats total.

Q: How do you travel with so many animals?

A: I have a 33-foot RV with cats painted on the side called the Catmobile, and the top compartment is “Kitty City” because it has all their beds and litter boxes up there, and it’s quite a party. The cat band used to travel together, too, but now they sleep in individual condos. Their egos got in the way.

Q: What do you do about the cat smell?

A: Burn a lot of incense.”  (I bet).

The only one we don't have is the Siamese

It might be fun to see someone who can make their cats work for a living and bring home the "people" food for a change.

More later...........

Jon Arbuckle: What am I gonna do with you? Garfield: Love me, feed me, never leave me. -Quotes from the movie Garfield (2004)

The kittens, Dash and Cody, are working out well with the new arrangement of spending the night in their room.  Every night around 8:30 pm I call a play time.  They’re starting to expect it now.  The group usually consists of Dash, Cody and Rhody.  Sometimes, if Jonesie and Kaci are around, they join in.

I get out my little flashlight that has a red laser-like beam.  I stand at the bottom of the stairs and shine the beam on the floor while they chase it one way towards the kitchen and then the other way towards the bedroom.  I shine it up the steps and then back down.  All the kitties run up and back down, trying to catch the red dot.  I’m careful not to lead them into a chair or a wall, because they are so focused on that dot.

In 10 minutes or so, I start going upstairs with the light.  It leads them into their room, which is just at the top of the stairs.  Rhody runs into the room with Dash and Cody.  I close the door and play with them for a few more minutes, running them around the room, up on the bed and back down.  Then I put Rhody out of the room.

Their favorite bedtime game

The first night I tricked them into going into their room, they tried to come back out.  I had put Rhody out already. He doesn’t like to give up a toy, so he was outside the door waiting to run back in when I came out.  Of course, I had to pick him up and push him back out of the room.  The kittens were also trying to come out by then.  I managed to keep them in and I enticed them with a spoonful each of their favorite wet food. 

Now, I think they know the routine and are ready for bed when it’s time.  They are usually all played out.  The little spoonful of food is a treat at this time of night and fills their little tummies for a good night’s sleep.

Last night after I put them to bed, I was in my bathroom getting ready for bed.  I had the door closed, but then suddenly I heard a noise like it was coming from the TV or radio.  I opened the door to see if Charlie had come into the bedroom and turned on the TV.  He hadn’t.  He was reading in the front room.  The noise was coming from upstairs.

I went up to the kittens’ room.  They were both in the cat tree, but it looked like they had just gotten there.  Sure enough, they had turned on the radio.  It was a very loud news report. 

I have an old Bose radio in the room.  The buttons are on top, so if they walk on it, they can not only turn it on and off, but also change stations and adjust the volume.  I took away their radio privileges by unplugging the radio.

Mornings, I bring the kittens their breakfast and make them stay in the room until they have finished eating and use the litter box.  After about 15 minutes, we can hear them meowing, wanting out.  They are allowed out and have access to the house all day.

This has been working well because Dash and Cody are hell on wheels when they are unleashed into the house at night.  When we’re asleep, they can think up things to do that none of our other cats have ever come up with.  It eases my mind and I sleep better knowing that the little angels are confined to one area for a few hours.

Cody in one of her favorite places..."grandpa's" chair behind the computer

I’ve walked into the living room too many times and found them on the fireplace mantle, carefully walking through the pictures or figurines.  I have some pretty purple silk flowers that I’ve had forever.  They used to be in good condition, but Cody has pulled them out of their vase so many times and she has pulled some of the petals off.  I think the novelty has worn out now that they are ruined.  

Dash is getting better as far as getting on the counters.  She used to be up there every time I came into the kitchen.  It’s been awhile since I’ve caught her up there.  As I was approaching the kitchen, I could hear the thump of her jumping to the floor.  Haven’t heard that lately though.

Dash checking out the birds in the front yard

I’m sure I don’t see it all though, so I keep a spray bottle of Clorox Clean-up to spray on the counters when we are using them.

But, they do what healthy, happy kittens do.  They’re playful, curious, and can’t wait to use up the first of their nine lives.

Mr. Creme eating his curds and whey....the square marks the spot to inject.  The vet shaved it to get us started.

Mr. Creme had his fructosamine test Tuesday.  We got the results back from the vet yesterday.  He is doing better.  His glucose numbers are down in the 500's.  They were in the 700's when he was first diagnosed in December.  They need to be down in the 300-400 level.  We were told by the vet to raise the insulin injections in the evenings from two to three units.  So, starting last night, he’s getting six units a day.  Dr. thinks he may be stabilizing.  He’ll go back in three weeks for another test.

We love Mr. Creme.  He’s always been one of the sweetest cats we have.  He loves attention and wants to be where we are.  I just wish he could be in the house with us more.  He still wants to spray and that’s not going to change I’m afraid.  But, I spend quite a bit of time with him in the garage and when he’s in the back yard.  His back legs are still weak and poor thing, he has to stop for a minute while walking from the back door through the house to the garage.

My "sugar baby"

We asked the vet about his legs and she seems to think that it’s arthritis and not the diabetes or insulin causing it.  But, he wasn’t like that before he started insulin.  He did not have a leg problem like Toby and Ellie have.  I have read about other diabetic cats on insulin, and they have the weak legs.  Also, years ago when Rowdy had diabetes, his legs got so weak toward the end, he couldn’t get all the way into the litter box.  So, I don’t know if Mr. Creme will get worse.  I hope not.  He’s always been such a big, handsome, and proud cat.

Jason loves being in the garage with Mr. Creme

Debby is Mr. Creme's biggest fan and garage buddy

Kiki has been spending her time in the 4x4' kennel on the cat patio.  At least once a day I let her out of the kennel so she can run around the patio and stretch and snoop a little.  I close the glass doors though and block the cat door.  That is to keep our cats from going out there with her.  She does accept Cody and Dash, but none of the others.

Kiki

Yesterday I was out there changing their water bowls.  I forgot and left the door open.  I noticed it was open and Kiki was in the house.  She was walking towards the stairs and so far hadn’t tangled with anyone.  We managed to get her back out onto the patio with no mishaps. 

But, one day last week I forgot to block the cat door.  Rhody went through it and was attacked by Kiki.  I didn’t see what happened, but I heard it.  Rhody came flying through the cat door.  When I went out to the patio, there were a couple of wads of soft gray Rhody fur on the floor.  He was fine though.

That’s one reason we have to find a home for Kiki which does not have other cats, and definitely, no dogs.

I went to Petsmart today to pick up some things.  As I was parking, there was a commercial about a plumbing company on the radio.  I was in the store for about an hour.  When I got back in my car and the radio came on, that same plumbing commercial was on again.  It was as if time stood still....just saying...

More later............

“When I played in the sandbox, the cat kept covering me up.” – Rodney Dangerfield

Me and Rowdy, in PA, '90 - '93

Mr. Creme continues to do well on insulin.  We try to keep his feeding times and insulin injections near the same time each day.  I have been giving his injections without help, although when I notice that Mr. Creme is not in a good mood, I ask Charlie to come and help to soothe him.  He’s fine, he eats and is alert, but like all of us, he gets up on the wrong side of his bed sometimes. 

When he had his last fructosamine test, he had gained a few ounces.  I’m scheduling another test for next week.  I hope his glucose level has dropped to a good level.  I’m still concerned about his back legs though.  He kind of walks with his back arched.  He’s still able to get in a chair on the patio, where he sleeps part of the day and he does get around pretty good.  I know that as long as a cat grooms himself, he is feeling okay.  Mr. Creme does keep himself nice.  He seems content to be in a chair on the patio. 

I check on him regularly and he always has access to his food and water.  The only good thing about his condition is that he no longer can go into the front yard.  But, it’s sad too, that now this once big, strong, cat, walks around with such uncertainty.  When you know a cat when he was a kitten and watch him move through his young prime, the meaning of “getting old, sucks” comes to mind.

Toby and Mr. Creme at 8 weeks old - always together

We’ve watched several of our cats get old and sick.  But, at 11 years old, cats should still be running and jumping and doing what cats like to do.  When a disease like lymphoma or diabetes takes over, it does usually cut the life short or at least inhibits what was normal.

Grady at one month old  (forever young)

We never will know what caused Grady's sudden death just before his 10th birthday.  It was quite a blow to lose him in February of 2010 and then lose later that year Taz in October. 

It was very hard to see Taz become the very thin, unstable cat that he became before he died of cancer.  I was looking at some pictures of him in his last few days.  That is when I really saw how sick he was and how bad he must have been feeling.  His clear, beautiful, green eyes had splotches.  It was like someone took a spoon and stirred up the color in the iris.  It distorted the color and the sparkle was gone.  I'm sure the chemo was part of the side effect.   

I keep his picture near my desk and in other rooms to remind me of him when he was happy and healthy and I think that’s how he is now, wherever he is.  That's the way I picture him in my mind anyway.  Better to remember the good, happy times with him and remember how lucky we were to have him for almost 12 years.

Chelsi, Taz (forefront), Calvin and Rowdy

I also think of Chelsi, Rowdy and Calvin.  We knew them all of their lives and we were able to enjoy them as youngsters.  That's how I like to think of them now.


Kiki and her kittens are still with us.  Charlie and I were joking the other day.  I said, “When “Dash” goes to her new home, we’ll have to tell them that they can’t change her name because she’s been “Dash” for 15 years!”  Charlie said, “Well, they might want to change her name to “Sloth”.

Dash and Cody still call us “grandpa” and grandmama”.  Of course, we talk for them.  They say, “We can out-run grandpa and grandmama!”  They are hard to catch, but we manage to trick them sometimes. 

Cody will come up and sit and sometimes even lay down on a lap.  Not surprisingly, she prefers Charlie’s lap.  But, she will let me pet her.

Dash is very independent and is always waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Cody takes her orders from Dash.

Last night we decided we would put them in their room upstairs to sleep.  We didn’t know what to expect when we went up to feed them this morning.  They were at the door and very glad to see us.  It was like they thought we had abandoned them.  They were so excited that they wouldn’t sit to eat.  Finally when Dash settled and started eating, Cody decided it was okay.  We let them out when they were through.

We’ve found that it makes things easier to separate the kittens at mealtime because our more “civilized” cats will not come to eat.  They are so polite when they eat.  The kittens are still growing and are always hungry.  They have no manners and go from dish to dish.  Usually I feed them on the cat patio and close the door so they can’t come in.  I have to block the cat door because they’ve figured out how to use it. 

Rhody is 9 months old now, 13 pounds, and although he has slowed in his eating, he still is a kitten and we haven’t been able to teach him that when he finishes his food, he can’t go to the next bowl and push Jason or Jonesie away from their food.  We probably need to start feeding him away from the others too.  Maybe I’ll try putting him on the patio with the kittens when I feed them tonight.

Lexi at one month old

Lexi is doing fine on her thyroid medicine.  Her weight has stabilized.  She’s not eating all the time and doesn’t seem to be overly drinking water.  She knows the routine.  In the morning she goes to the door to go out.  I swab her meds in her right ear and open the door.  When she comes in at night, I swab her left ear and she goes to the cat patio and gets in her bed.  I just hope she continues to live the rest of her life normally.

Ellie at one month old

Ellie seems to need her asthma meds more than usual.  Sometimes it’s the weather, but she was in the yard a little while yesterday, so the grasses could have irritated her. 

She’s in the house almost all of the time.  Only once in awhile she will come downstairs and go to the door to go out.  I usually will let her out, especially on nice, warm days like we’ve been having.  She doesn’t do much, just walk around sniffing and may eat some grass.  But, then she comes to the door and back in.  If I try to pet her, she runs ahead of me and back upstairs to her room and sanctuary. 

She has the weak leg condition that Toby had, so it’s hard to watch her climb the stairs and wobble from side to side.  She does make it okay though.  I think she’s walked like this for so long, she doesn’t realize she has a problem.  We don’t think she is in pain.

I’m still going to the chiropractor with my back problem. I have what is called Piriformis Syndrome.  It affects the piriformis muscle and the sciatic nerve.                           

The medical jargon:

“The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in your body. Five sets of paired nerve roots combine to create it, and it's about the diameter of a finger. The sciatic nerve starts in your low back, which is called your lumbar spine. The nerve roots are at the L4 and L5 vertebrae (the 'L' means lumbar, and the numbers indicate the level of the vertebra—where it is in your back). The sciatic nerve also travels through your pelvic region (sacrum).

In most people, the sciatic nerve runs under the piriformis muscle, which moves your thigh side to side. From there, the sciatic nerve descends through the buttocks and the back of the thighs. Behind your knee, smaller nerves branch out from the sciatic nerve and travel down to your feet.

Your sciatic nerve is part of a complex structure: your body's nervous system. That system is responsible for transmitting pain and sensation to other parts of your body. So, when something presses on a nerve, you'll feel it, and it won't feel good. With sciatica, something in your low back—a herniated disc, for example—compresses the sciatic nerve, which then transmits pain down your legs.

The piriformis is a muscle which runs from your sacrum (mid-line base of spine) to the outer hip bone (trochanter).

The muscles in and around the gluteal region help with three areas

1.rotation of the hip and leg;
2.balance while one foot is off the ground; and
3.stability for the pelvic region.”

Apparently my piriformis muscle is pressuring the sciatic nerve.  Funny how you don’t care what the names of your muscle and nerves are until they start causing you so much pain that you have to learn about them.

Anyway, I’m getting better with the treatments my chiropractor gives me every two weeks.  I also decided to try acupuncture yesterday for the first time.  It’s not something I thought of doing on my own though.

I have a friend who volunteers as a receptionist at an acupuncture clinic once a week.  For her volunteer time, she gets free treatments with the acupuncturist. 
I can’t say it was painful, in fact, it was very relaxing.  Even though my pain is on my left side, she inserted needles to my right hand, arm, leg and foot.  Then one needle on my left arm and foot and one in my forehead.
                   
I relaxed in a recliner with a blanket over my feet for about an hour.  I have to say it was relaxing at first, but then I started getting antsy because I don’t like to lie on my back for long periods.  A half hour would probably be better for me.

There are two opening for volunteer receptionists and I’m considering one of them.  I would get my treatments free (if I decide it’s helping me).  I do know that it’s not hurting my condition.

More later............



Do not regret growing older.  It is a privilege denied to many.  ~Author Unknown

Yet for better or worse we love things that bear the marks of grime, soot, and weather, and we love the colors and the sheen that call to mind the past that made them. - Junichiro Tanizaki

I went through my closet last week and decided to get rid of some clothes that I have not worn or been able to wear in years.  I’ve held onto dresses and other clothes because I still liked them, even though I couldn’t wear them and never would. 

One particular dress was my very favorite.  It must have shrunk while it was hanging in my closet.  I used to take it out and hold it up to me and remember how much I loved wearing it.  The material was still bright and colorful.  Each time I took it out to put in the “give away” box, I couldn’t part with it, so I hung it back in the closet until next time.

I remember one time several years ago, I was telling a friend at work about a big leather recliner we had that we really didn’t have room for.  We liked the chair and it was comfortable.  It had sentimental value for me.  I sat in the chair many times with a cat in my lap.  The chair had scratches from the cats jumping on and off of it.  The leather wasn’t torn though.  It was a good, well made chair.  It rocked, swivelled and reclined easily. 

We finally moved the chair upstairs and put it in my computer room.  It was there for awhile.  I sat in it sometimes, but more than once, I complained that it was in my way.

So my friend, Teresa, said, “Can’t you just take a picture of the chair and sell it or give it away?”  I really hadn’t thought of that.  She said that she and her husband lived in a small house and they didn’t keep anything they didn’t use. 

I tend to hang on to more than I need.  There’s just been so many times I have gotten rid of things and then the next week or so, I needed it or could have used it. 

We decided one day to sell the recliner.  I put an ad on Craig’s List and it sold right away.  I was surprised by the lack of attachment I felt when the lady came to pick it up and it was gone. 

I do have pictures of it though. 

Not long after we moved here we, or probably, I, wanted leather furniture for the livingroom.  I still don’t know why.  We went to several places, looking for the right sofa.  Finally, we went to The Leather Factory.  We picked out a sectional sofa, the color and type of leather, and also ordered a matching recliner.

It took a few weeks to have it made.  In the meantime, I got busy and advertised our old furniture in the PennySaver, which was still in very good condition.  Back in 1995, we didn’t use Craig’s List.

The furniture sold very quick.  We used patio chairs in the living room until our new leather furniture came.

Calvin and Rowdy miss their couch

It was beautiful.  Cream colored, soft, leather.  It quickly turned into unhappiness though.  It was cold to sit on.  Blankets and covers just slid off. 

Then we started noticing scratches.  Our two cats at the time, Rowdy and Calvin, didn’t have front claws, but they had back claws.  Of course, when they jumped up on the couch, they would scratch the cushions.  I started trying to cover the couch, but nothing would stay on it.

I think we had the couch less than six months when we decided that leather was not going to work for us.  I called the man at The Leather Factory and he said he could come out and repair the scratches.  Of course, it was not free, but I wanted the scratches gone.  There were just a few to repair.

We planned on selling our new, beautiful leather sofa.  By that time, neither one of us was really attached to it.  It had to go.

When the scratches were repaired, we immediately moved the couch to the garage so it would not have any more damage.

I advertised it in PennySaver.  A nice couple with two kids came by and loved it.  They bought it and it was gone.  I don’t remember shedding a tear.  But, we kept the recliner.  It was comfortable and we did use it.

That weekend we went sofa shopping again.  This time we planned on being more practical.  We went to Krause’s Sofa Factory, picked out a sectional style, the fabric and pattern, and ordered it.

For two or three weeks, we used the patio chairs in the living room again.  The first one to the recliner, got it.

Finally the new sofa was delivered.  It was so much more comfortable than the leather one.  We didn’t have to worry about the cats scratching it. 

Rowdy and Chelsi, relaxing on our new couch

Calvin (recliner next to couch)

That sofa is still with us.  It has been moved three times, two of which were cross-country Navy moves.  The fabric and cushions have held up since 1994.  We still like the colors and I can’t tell you how many people and cats have sat on that couch.

When I wake up at 2:00 in the morning and can’t go back to sleep, I go to the couch with my blanket and watch TV.  I go right back to sleep.

So when I was pulling clothes from my closet and deciding to say goodbye to them, I came across the pretty red and green dress.  I thought of what my friend had said about taking a picture of it and letting it go.

This time, when I held it up to me and saw myself extending more than an inch on either side of the waist, I knew it was time to give someone else a chance to wear the dress.

I took a picture of it, folded it and put it in a nice box with another one of my favorite dresses.  The clothes were going to be picked up the next day. 

The next morning, I woke up early and the first thing that popped into my mind was, “Oh no!  I can’t give that dress away!  I probably took the tags off and no one will know how to clean it.  It has to be dry cleaned.  If they wash it, it will be ruined!”

So, when I got up later, I went to the garage and found the dress.  When I checked for the label, it was there.  I hadn’t removed it.  “Rayon.  Dry clean only.”  It was safe to let it go.

"The Dress"

More later.............