Go figure...

"Even if cat's could talk... they wouldn't."

At this time of year when there's so much going on - shopping, eating, going to the gym, avoiding the gym, Christmas songs, decorating, watching the weather for the first major snow-fall of the year - tell me why it is that I'm at a loss for words??

Happy Holiday Season!

Just a little holiday goofy-ness to put you into the spirit of the season!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!! May you all count your blessings and remember that no matter what problems you may have, there are those in the world who have less than us. Therefore, we should be grateful for our health, family and friends. Because in the end, money doesn't matter, fame, fortune and success can't be taken with you, and material things are just that - material. What counts is appreciating those in your life (both animal and human) that support you and love you and are part of who you are.

So to my family and friends (and all the furry ones in my life too)....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I love you all!

Good Girl!!!

Last night was Luna's yearly visit to the vet. I usually anticipate visits to the vet much like people anticipate a swarm of locust or the plague.

I waited at home as long as I possibly could to avoid a wait at the vet (which doesn't help her disposition). When I walked in with her in her little bag, she began hissing at the realization that EVERY SINGLE DOG IN NJ WAS AT THE VET IN THE WAITING ROOM. She was in enemy territory as far as she was concerned. And while the dogs were all friendly and wanted to meet her, she wanted no part of them...

After what seemed like forever in the waiting room, we were finally called in. I reminded the vet of her past "temper" and told him that she has calmed down in the past year, but he should still be careful.

Wouldn't you know it?? He took her right out of the bag and STILL kept his skin in-tact. There was the occasional growl to remind him know who's boss (Luna, of course), but she was SUCH a good girl and I was such a proud mommy! She got all her shots, got weighed (she's a whopping 16.6 pounds - such a cute LITTLE girl!), and he was even able to examine her teeth and ears and listen to her heartbeat. Something he could NEVER do before!!

YES, my change in marital status has DEFINITELY been good for her too!!

The visit was over lickety-split and we were on our way. By the time we got home, she was starting to get a little groggy from all the shots and then I had to give her some flea goo on the back of her shoulders. So she just isn't her usual diva self today or last night for that matter.
When all was said and done, she climbed into her towel shelf and groomed herself to get the "vet cooties" off her (see pic)... She gave me the occasional cat kiss (slow blinking of her eyes) and went to sleep. She spent the night there - I guess she was happy and safe there...

I just can't gush enough about how proud I am of my little fuzzy girl!! And yes - she definitely got treats last night because she left the vet in tact!! GOOD GIRL! :)

Tradition?

This week, Thanksgiving will make its annual return along with heralding the beginning of the holiday season. This is a time of year filled with tradition. Turkey dinners, stuffing, eating too much, fishing (for some of you), football (for others), Christmas trees, shopping at 4am (even I wouldn't do that), caroling, decorating, holiday songs up the wazoo... Tradition. It holds us fast and its something we look forward to each year.

But what happens when acts are considered "tradition" that really should be stopped? What happens when something is masked as tradition in order to justify what really is a barbaric act?

Its no secret that I'm an animal activist. Heck, I've been called a tree-hugger, PETA Person, you name it. And quite honestly, I wear any and all of those titles proudly.

Today at lunch, I settled in for my usual Yahoo! reading while I ate and was horrified to see that Japanese boat fleets have taken off to hunt for humpback whales (and other protected whales) in the name of "science" when really they are sold as food and medicine (a practice that is BANNED by the International Whaling Commission). They justify their actions as "tradition". They claim that their smaller fishing villages have hunted whales for hundreds of years in order to sustain their people. Perhaps this is true. And perhaps killing a small number of whales LOCALLY off their shores could be considered the same act as other types of fishing in general.... However, how can they justify traveling thousands of miles from Japan to the humpback whale breeding grounds off of Antarctica to kill HUNDREDS of whales? Were they traveling there hundreds of years ago? I think not. And they justify this in the name of science. They need to travel and kill these magnificent animals in order to study their reproductive systems and feeding patterns. HUH? That makes about as much sense as needing to chew gum in order to solve an algebra problem! (Its called animal testing people, and its SO yesterday and outdated)

I by no means am intolerant of other cultures' traditions. I believe our planet is what it is (good and bad) because of other peoples' practices. I think we should strive to embrace each other's traditions and beliefs. If we did, I think there would be a lot less strife in the world.

HOWEVER

I also think that as the dominant species on this planet, we need to become enlightened enough to be able to protect this planet and all of its inhabitants. I think we need to become stewards of the planet and begin to take responsibility for our actions. It is foolish and ignorant to kill these whales. It is. Period. There is no need for traveling to Antarctica to hunt them down. There is no need to harpoon these whales, chase them for hours while they're wounded, and then drag their half-alive carcasses out of the water and on to a ship where they can die a slow painful death. It is a barbaric form of hunting (another act which I am extremely opposed to)! I hope Greenpeace can stop their hunt (or at the very least, hinder it) and continue to educate the people of this world.

It is a shame that horrific acts like this continue to survive in the name of tradition. Tradition is what is supporting this whale hunt. Traditional medicine is what is supporting the poaching of tigers and other now endangered animals in China and other countries in that region. Tradition is what supports the fur trade around the world where animals are skinned sometimes ALIVE - all because mom/grandma/great grandma/whomever had a fur coat, so its tradition and fashionable. Tradition is what has supported the CLUBBING (yes, clubbing, as in using bats and sticks) of baby seals in Canada. "Traditions" like these are systematic of a species that is going to lead to the demise of this planet. Sometimes traditions should be broken and NOT upheld.

So in this season so richly steeped in tradition, while you decorate your Christmas tree and light your Hanukah candles, please keep in mind that not all traditions should be celebrated. Sometimes its better to take a step back and ask if its not better to break some traditions.

And for those of you who always bring up my eating of meat/wearing of leather, yes, you're right. I do eat meat. But I'm trying to eat less meat. And the meat I do eat, I try to ensure (if at all possible) that it is from a source that is responsible (ie, organic, cage free, etc). And yes, I do wear leather, but I'm making a conscious effort to buy less leather and more synthetic leathers/suedes. Just because someone eats meat doesn't mean that they aren't trying to change their spots. And keep in mind that it isn't all or nothing. If you justify atrocities by saying that its ok because you eat meat (for example) then you're just acting as a facilitator for said atrocities!

Gnaw on that for a while!

Ode to my past (and present) furry friends...

I just read a very nice article about giving thanks for the cats (and dogs - for those of you dog people) in your life... It was a sweet ode to the cats this woman had been owned by (because any cat person knows who really owns whom) throughout her married life. I teared up a few times as I read it, because not only were her sentiments sweet, but it made me think of my own past furry companions as well as my sweet Luna...

My family's first cat was Mishka - which means "cat" in Russian. Mishka was an orange tabby cat who would play hide-and-seek with my father (or so the stories go, since I was just a baby when we had her). From the way my father tells it, you'd get the idea that Mishka was really a human in furry attire! I really have no recollection, since I was so young, of what ever happened to Mishka. In my young mind and memories, she was just there, and then she wasn't.

After Mishka, Spook came to live with us. Spook was a black cat that originally belonged to close family friends. One thing led to another, and Spook came to live with us when they could no longer keep her. Spook was a cool cat, but she crossed over the Rainbow Bridge shortly after the Chinese food place opened behind our house. I was still young at the time, so I thought nothing of it, but other adults in my life made the innuendo...and when I grew up, I finally realized what they meant. I'd like to think that Spook just went off on her catty way and lived a long happy life outside rather than think of her as my appetizer from dinner that night. Let's just leave it at that!

Tiger came next... Tiger was a tiger looking cat. Good cat, but unfortunately, I don't remember a whole lot about him either since I was so young. I do know he and my mother had a very strong bond.... I guess I'm going to have to ask about Tiger a little more - he was a cool cat from what little I do remember.

Next came Codie. Codie was our mutt. Good mutt - but a little crazy. Actually, in hind-sight, I'd be willing to venture that she was just hyper. Since I was in middle school, I really didn't know any different...I was hyper myself, so what's to say she wasn't normal (to me, at least)? Codie was a good dog. One of my favorite memories of her was when my brother was a baby, sitting in his high chair eating yogurt, and she'd eat it out of his mouth (he was a willing accomplice). Gross? Perhaps, but a fond memory nonetheless...

After Codie met an untimely end thanks to a UPS truck (yeah, that's what Brown did for us!), Goblin came along. She was a scroungy kitten that came staggering up our driveway one day. My mother thought she was going to fall over any second, and we gave her tuna to hold her over. From then on, she was part of our family. The vet said that she had a spinal birth defect that would never allow her to walk properly (hence the staggering) and she might not last long... But over 18 years later, she was still kicking, and we, unfortunately had to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge in December 2005.

Goblin was never really my cat. Yes, my brother and I promised profusely that we'd care for her if only our parents let her stay. That lasted all of 10 minutes. But, even though we sometimes played rough with her, we still loved her and to this day, I do miss her. She was a good cat....even if she was as old as dirt when her time came! She hung in there long after anyone could've guessed she would've.

Post Codie but during Goblin's reign came Brandy. Brandy was my little "Pooperoni" as I called her. She was a good little beagle. My father had her trained to follow his commands (a trait that still impresses my high school friends to this day). I'll never forget the day that she dumbfounded us all. She knew that when my father told her to "go sit down", she was to go to the kitchen and sit in her bed. Well, one summer afternoon, my mother, brother and I were playing a game in the living room during an especially bad thunderstorm. Brandy didn't have much of a liking for storms - she was downright chicken to be honest. Well, she kept coming in the living room for attention, but we didn't want my father to come home and find her there, so we finally told her to "go sit down". Wouldn't you know it? She went in the kitchen and brought her bed back into the living room with her, and sat down. We just stared in amazement! GOOD GIRL!! After that, we didn't have the heart to send her back to the kitchen, so she rode out the storm with us...

Brandy was my friend, but she was my brother's dog (even though, just like Goblin, my mother took care of her). Her passing hit my brother especially hard. It hit ME hard too - harder than I thought it would. She got sick (and old - 14 years old if I remember correctly), and the time finally came to take her to the vet for the last time... I'll never forget the entire family crowded in that small office to say goodbye. I held her face and petted her while my brother hugged her and we all cried. It was peaceful but heart breaking. Even my father - the one who always claimed he didn't love her - gave her a kiss on the nose. He loved her. We all did.

In October 2004, Luna came into my life. She was my first pet. Mine. Well, actually, I was her first human, and she was the world to me. Luna had a rough childhood (thanks to, well, we won't go there) which in turn made her misunderstood by other people. But the past year has given her the time she needed to heal and she has helped me through a rough time. Even while we were both in our "past life" (that's what I call the past 9 years before last September), she was always there for me. When times are bad and when I've felt most alone in this world, she's always been there for me nudging me or rubbing on me almost as if to tell me everything will be ok. She's my world and I can't imagine being without her.

We've spoken, and she understands that she's never crossing the Rainbow Bridge. She's ok with that - she understands, honest! :)

The animals that have come in and out of my life have all made an impact on me... They've contributed to who I am and I'm thankful for it every day. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of Brandy and Goblin especially...I miss them the most. But then I look at my Luna and I'm thankful for having her and realize how lucky I truly am - no matter what.

Really? A cat??

You've got to check this out!



If only my sweet Luna liked water this much!! When bath time comes, well, let's just not talk about it.... Put it this way, her last bath was last winter, and my scars are only just now starting to fade!! :)

Ever feel like this...?

I have to admit, now that I'm all 'grown up', I really enjoy writing.

I never was much of a writer in school. A talker, yes. Writing? Not so much my friend. I dreaded those hundred + word essays they'd make us write. And forget writing an entire report! That was relegated to the night before, as late at night as possible (and that was BEFORE computers, so talk about writer's cramp). Hated it. And I don't think it was a case of not knowing what to say, but knowing that I wanted to say something and not being able to get it out before said writer's cramp reared its ugly head (or hand).

And now, at 32 years old, when I finally have come to appreciate writing my thoughts down (thank you techology gods), it seems that my thoughts are getting all bottle-necked. Lucky me.

I mean, I always have something I want to say. And when I'm not saying it, I'm thinking it. The thoughts are always flying around my head. Its just that, when its time for them to come out - whether its speaking or writing - they all get jumbled up. Almost like a proverbial bottle-neck.

Frustrates the heck out of me...

That's why, now that I have my computer, I love writing so much. It allows me to type and just think in a random stream of thought. And when it appears that none of it is making any sense (other than to myself), I can always reach for my trusty DELETE button. Man, I love DELETE!

Anyhoo - I guess what I'm getting at, in an extremely round about way is that, well, you know what? Maybe there really isn't much of a point to this... I guess it was just another one of those situations where something was flying around my head and it just spilled out. And while there's a lot more up there, well, this is what came out.

Take it for what it is.

(and quit sitting there scratching your head with that deer-caught-in-headlights look on your face!)

Fie!

Fie on Halloween candy! FIE!!

I'm making an earnest attempt at "regularly" going to the gym. And while I don't really want to talk about it (thus possibly jinxing it), I am trying!

But this ever so delicious and scrumptious Halloween candy is making it difficult. Yes, I could just throw it away. But its soooo good. And quite honestly, I don't want to waste food (or the money that was spent on it).

So I have a dilemma.

Continue to keep it around and eat it or just toss it. What to do? What to do?

How about Option C: I'll just eat it all. Now.

(I mean, it IS for the better - less temptation to have staring @ me, right?)