Some Much Needed Comic Relief

Needing a break from my own writing (I am now thoroughly consumed with my NaNoWriMo novel), and a good chuckle too, I decided to pull this one out. It always makes me laugh. I hope you enjoy it too! I did not write this, I just like to share it. Oh, and by the way, I’m now at nearly 28,000 NaNo words!

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Excerpts From A Cat’s Diary

DAY 752 ~ My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.

DAY 761 ~ Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed.

DAY 762 ~ Slept all day so that I could annoy my captors with sleep depriving, incessant pleas for food at ungodly hours of the night.

DAY 765 ~ Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little kitty I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan......

DAY 768 ~ I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid? My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.

DAY 771 ~ There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call "beer." More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 ~ I am convinced the other captives of this household are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The Bird on the other hand has got to be an informant. He has mastered their frightful tongue (something akin to mole speak) and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait, it is only a matter of time.

~ Author Unknown

NaNoWriMo and Heartbreak Update

For those of you who are interested in my NaNoWriMo progress, I have an update for you. I “re-discovered” NaNoWriMo and signed up on October 29th. It began on November 1st, so that didn’t leave me a lot of time to create, much less outline a plot. I did what I could do though. First, I thought up the title, then I created my book cover, and finally a brief synopsis. I had all of this accomplished by October 31st. I still have no outline, but I’m sort of winging it and filling that in as I go.

The basic plan was to do some writing on the weekend, but not a ton, because for me that is family time. But I knew Jeff goes to bed early, so I could do some fast writing between when he goes to bed and when I do. Ahh, best laid plans… They sound so good theoretically, but in reality, they don’t always work out the way intended.

Saturday night I got some writing done – about 700 words. It took awhile to get going and really find my storyline. That was ok for me though, because you only have to average 1667 words per day to make it to the goal of 50,000 in 30 days. I knew I could make up the deficit easily enough.

Then Sunday came. Many of you probably already know that while we were all getting ready for church, I discovered my beloved cat Prissy had died during the night. I was, and still am, devastated by this awful discovery. Sunday wasn’t a day for writing, or for church going either, but a day for crying and talking and remembering. I felt a sorrow that was overwhelming.

Since I’ve always had pets, I’ve also always had losses. And it hurts. I’ve never taken the death of a pet well. They have always been like children to me. It was just three months ago that we lost our beloved Ashley (our dog) and I still wasn’t completely healed from that. But there was a big difference between the two losses.

Ashley was really old, and had been in failing health for two years. We made sure she wasn’t suffering, but kept her with us and comfortable for as long as possible. We always made sure to love on her and we had time to prepare. The hurt was enormous, but we got to say goodbye in a better way. We knew the day was coming and expected it. We spent her last hours with her, and took her to the vet when it was time and stayed with her until she was gone. We loved on her, petted her, hugged her and she wasn’t alone when she died.

For Prissy it was different. I was preparing to take her to the vet for a senior screen – just to see how she was doing as she started aging. She appeared to be doing well. I was concerned about her weight, but not overly. I had no idea I would lose her so soon. Now I live with regret. Our last moments together were not spent in love. I was working on the computer, trying to get my story going. Prissy came up to my chair, like she would do periodically, and began meowing – loudly, because she wanted some attention. She wanted to be petted and loved on. But I was trying to focus on my story, so my response was not to simply drop my one hand and pet her as I worked. No, unfortunately, my response was a harsh, “Prissy stop! Go away!” And she did. I went to bed soon after and didn’t see her again until I found her, dead, in the morning.

Oh, how I wish I could take that back. I loved her so much, but in the final moments of her life I didn’t give her the loving she wanted. Now, I believe she knew that I loved her regardless, but it’s not the same. I wish I could have said goodbye to her in a much better way. I wish she hadn’t been alone when she died. I think she just died in her sleep, but still I wish I could have known. No, it wouldn’t have changed the final result, but it would have definitely changed my tone and attitude with her. She was never a bother, but that was the way I treated her the last time I saw her alive. And I’m so, so sorry for that.

Needless to say, the loss of my Prissy really took the wind out of my sails for writing for NaNoWriMo. With much effort, I began again yesterday. It was hard to focus because I miss her so much. And it certainly doesn’t help that she died in the office, laying just to the right of where I sit at the desk and type. I’m trying to get it together though, because I realize life does go on. I still cry, my heart still hurts and the grief is still very real, however, I do believe I will see her again in heaven.

In the meantime, my MC (main character) now has a cat. It’s just one way I can honor my Prissy as I work through this time of grief. I’ll be giving you more NaNoWriMo updates periodically. Thank you to everyone who has expressed interest in my progress, and to everyone who has offered kind words of comfort for my loss. Blessings!

NaNoWriMo Info:
~ Title: A Little Rain Must Fall
~ Book Cover: See Right Sidebar toward the top.
~ Word Count: 4202
~ Synopsis: Morgan Reynolds feels all alone in the world. Young, pregnant and unmarried, she finds herself in an impossible situation. With little hope for the future of the baby she’s carrying, there’s only one solution she can think of. When one mistake leads to an even bigger mistake she wonders, will she ever find the love she wants and the redemption she needs?

A Heavy Heart, Again

Once again I come to my computer with a heavy heart. Today I said goodbye to another precious friend and fur-baby. My beloved cat Prissy died sometime while we were sleeping. (Needless to say, we did not go to church.) She was thirteen years old, and I’d had her for eleven years.

I’ve written of Prissy before. How she adopted me at PetSmart. If you’d like to read about that experience you can click here. She’d been abused before and was a very skittish cat. But we were a good fit. She needed to get acquainted in her way and in her time and I understood that. In my opinion, her beauty was beyond compare. She was a long-haired calico and the colors on her coat were stunning. She was a large kitty – about as round as she was tall.

She was a birthday gift to myself when I was a single gal living alone. Shadow followed within weeks after and it was the three of us for a few years. When Jeff and I got married, we became a blended family with us, my two cats and his dog Ashley. (Some of you may remember Ashley died just three months ago – if you’d like to read about that, you can click here.) And for two years it was just the five of us. Then along came two more cats – Salem and Mazzie. All of the family basically got along with a few tiff’s here and there. There was never any doubt though, that I was Prissy’s and she was mine.

Prissy remained rather aloof throughout the years. She kept her distance from the other animals, with the rare exception of Shadow, who had always attempted to get close to her. Once in awhile she’d get playful with him or they would sleep close together, but that was the exception rather than the rule. It has only been in recent years that she has even willingly come close to Jeff, allowing him to pet her. Prissy was never much of a cuddler, but once in awhile, on her terms, she would be a lap cat to me.

A fond memory I have of her, is her desire to groom me. Periodically while I slept, she’d get up by my head and start trying to clean me – till she got too much hair, that is. I know a lot of people would think, eew gross, but not me. I understood she was showing me love in the way that she could. Her own hair was a problem for her too. It was really long and thick, but because she was so fat, she wasn’t able to properly clean herself and if let go too long, it would become matted. So, I did what any loving cat-mom would do – I got her shaved down every eight months or so. She hated, hated, hated that process, but when it was done she was sooo happy, because then she could actually feel me petting her. When it was long and thick, she just didn’t get much out of petting because it didn’t feel like much to her. So after a shave-down (and a few hours of pouting would pass), she would practically stalk me to have me pet her!

Eleven years is a long time to love someone so much. She’s been with me in good times and bad. She brought me much comfort at times when I really needed it. She has given me much laughter and smiles, and now tears.

As I mentioned when we lost Ashley, I’m one of those Christians who believe that our beloved pets will be waiting for us in Heaven. I just don’t think a loving God would give us the capacity to love this much if death was just the end. I believe God loves the animals too and that Heaven will be full of them. My heart hurts so very badly right now, but I believe I will see my Prissy again in Heaven. When we lost Ashley, we bought a memorial stone to put in our yard. It says, “If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again.” That is truly how I feel.

The pain of hurt is acute right now, but the joy of love is even stronger, because I know that in time the pain will lesson, but the love never will. I have many wonderful memories of my Prissy and they bring me comfort and make me smile. She was a wonderful pet, fur-baby, friend and companion for eleven years and I will always hold her in my heart. I know the grieving has just begun and it will lessen in time. For now though, I’ll cling to the memories, look at the pictures and know she is in a better place right now, waiting for me. Thank you for reading this and taking the time to get to know my Prissy just a little bit.

Comfort and Support ~ Thankful Thursday

Well, here it is again - Thankful Thursday! Isn’t it nice to know that even during the storms of life, there is still plenty to be thankful about? I’d like to offer a special thank you to Iris at her blog, Sting My Heart for hosting this wonderful Meme. If you would like to participate or just read from more thankful hearts, pop on over to Thankful Thursday and join us.

As many of you know, this has been a particularly difficult week. Last week my topic for Thankful Thursday was our furry family, and specifically our beloved 15 year old dog, Ashley. At the time, I knew she had taken a turn for the worse and we would have to say goodbye soon. What I didn’t know, was that it would be a mere hours later. In the midst of such heartbreak, I still have much to be thankful for. This week my focus is on comfort and support. I am thankful for:


~ Those who’ve offered me words of comfort for my broken heart.

~ The wonderful memories of many years with an amazing, one of a kind furbaby.

~ The Lord, who has given me comfort and peace, just like He always does.

~ The joy that the relationship brought every day.

~ The time we had, even though it’s never enough.

~ The prayers that were said for us by others who really understood what we were going through.

~ Those who’ve willingly shared our sorrow.

~ The kindness shown by the vet office, who truly tried to make the process easier for all of us, and who hugged us and even cried with us.

~ And even the pain, because the depth of the pain that was felt is in direct proportion to the love, friendship and companionship that was shared between Ashley and us.

And Life Goes On

As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been a bit silent lately – which is to say I haven’t been writing much. Certainly those of you who know me personally realize that silent is not my style, whether grieving or not. :) But I’m back now and wanted to touch base and give a bit of an update.

Saying goodbye to our beloved dog, Ashley, was very difficult. She really was a GREAT dog, friend, companion and (as a friend would say) furbaby. As to be expected, the first few days were difficult. There were things like washing and putting away her food bowl and looking for her first thing in the morning to let her out, that were especially difficult. It would be a moment of absent-mindedness and then it would all come back like a wave crashing down. Now we don’t look for her as much, but we will never stop missing her. The tears seem to have stopped, but the love remains.

While it may seem silly to some, I went to PetSmart and bought a Memorial Stone to place in the back yard. It is intended not only for Ashley, but will serve as a memorial for our other lost furbabies in the future. It’s a simple stone, like a cement stepping stone, with the verse “If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to heaven and bring you back again”. That describes perfectly how we feel and while we know it isn’t possible to do, the very thought of it does bring us comfort.

I know many people don’t understand this kind of love and grief for an animal, and that’s ok. God made us all different, so the things that matter the most to us are different too. But the pain is real, just like the love is real. And I know this love too, is from God. We are really looking forward to the day that we are reunited in heaven, believing completely that she is there, waiting for us. Even the great Billy Graham alluded to that once, when he said, “I believe God will provide whatever it takes to make us happy in heaven, and I believe our pets will be there for our pleasure.”

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who understood what we were going through and took the time to offer us comfort. Jeff and I both received many wonderful, beautiful words of support and we took great comfort in them. It warmed our hearts to realize how many people have had, loved and lost their own furbabies. Thank you all for the amazing comments, poems and images that you left us, and for the many prayers that were said for us. We really, truly appreciate them and they helped more than I can say. God bless you all!

A Heavy Heart

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this latest blog post. Jeff and I had to have our beloved dog Ashley put down yesterday. For those who know me (us), you know this has caused us excruciating pain. We've always loved our pets like they were 4-legged, furry children. Our hearts are truly broken right now. In my Thankful Thursday post yesterday, I mentioned Ashley, knowing her time was coming soon. What I did not know was that it would be only a few hours later.

I'm so grateful for the time I had with her. She was an amazing dog, full of love and playfulness and life. The vet was amazed she made it 15 years and was as healthy as she was. We miss her deeply and I just can't keep the tears from falling. I know time will ease the pain, but right now the pain is searing. That said, I wouldn't change it, because I know the depth of the pain that I feel right now is in direct relation to the love that was shared. And I wouldn't give that up for anything. I believe she is in heaven now, waiting for us, ball in mouth and tail waving.

Jeff wrote a beautiful tribute to Ashley on his GodLinked blog. If you would like to read what he wrote, just click on A Tribute to Ashley. I know the grieving has just begun and we have a way to go. If you've ever had a pet you've loved this much, you'll undestand. If you haven't, and you don't understand, there's no way to explain it. Thank you for reading this, and if you have a beloved pet (or more than one) be sure to give them lots of hugs and don't forget the treats too!

Our Furry Family ~ Thankful Thursday

I’m so excited that Thankful Thursday is here again! I have so much to be thankful for, and I am pleased to be able to record and share it. I hope you enjoy it. If you would like to participate or just read from more thankful hearts, pop on over to Thankful Thursday and join us.

This week I’d like to focus my thankfulness on the other members of our family. There are people who exist, who believe that pets are just animals that you take care of. We are not those people. We have a total of 5 pets, 4 cats and 1 dog, and we think of them as family. We love our furry family members very much and are grateful for their presence in our lives. I am thankful for:

~ The love and joy we get daily from them daily.

~ The way they make us laugh.

~ The companionship they offer.

~The way they warm the bed in the winter.

~ Their hunting prowess – most bugs don’t last long w/ the cats.

~ The protection – until recently because she’s now old, Ashley, the dog, has been very protective of us and our home.

~ The groomer who keeps Prissy shaved down (because she’s too fat to clean herself and gets matted).

~ The compassion they show when we are sick or sad.

~ The different and distinct personalities they all have.

~ The blessing of each one in our lives.

In addition to all of the above, I’d like to offer a very special thank you to our 15 year old Ashley. She has been a wonderful friend and companion. The last 2 years have been hard on her, and though her body is giving way to age, it’s easy to see the young and vibrant dog within. Her days are numbered and for that we are very sad. But we are so, so grateful for the time we’ve had with her. Some people don’t believe pets go to heaven. I don’t believe that, and never will. So we are preparing to mourn her passing and believe she’ll soon be playing ball again, and will be running and jumping and having a great time, without the pain and stiffness she feels now.

Thank you God, for all of our wonderful pets, that we love so much. And today, thank you especially for Ashley.

A Kitty Tale

I've already mentioned that I do other writing besides my blog here at Blogger. One of the places that I write is at FaithWriters. I love participating in the Weekly Challenges because it's fun and really gives me a chance to grow and develop my writing skills. I thought it would be fun to publish one here. Recently, I particpated in a Challenge in which the topic was about 'The Family Pet'. Having 5 furry family members, I had to decide which to write about. I chose my eldest cat, Prissy. She is a beautiful, long-haired Calico, is 12 years old, quite large and still pretty timid. Here is her story.

"I Was Adopted at PetSmart"

I was adopted at PetSmart. It’s true. My 29th birthday gift to myself was a cat. But I thought I would be the one doing the choosing. How wrong I was.

I have always loved animals, especially cats. At this point in my life, I was living by myself for the first time in quite awhile and I couldn’t wait to get a cat. My apartment didn’t have any furniture, but I was going to have a cat – I had my priorities in order, after all, I didn’t mind sitting on the floor! So off I went, with my friend Julie in tow.

As far as I was concerned, there were really only two things that I was set against in the type of cat I would adopt. The first thing was a kitten. I didn’t want a kitten because as cute as they are, I knew from personal experience that they are excessively rambunctious and have a slight tendency toward terrorism! The second thing I knew I didn’t want was a longhaired cat. Now, there’s nothing wrong with longhaired cats, per se, but I have enough of my own hair to deal with!

Armed with those two requirements, I set about the task of choosing the lucky cat that was to go home with me. I say lucky because I know that I’m easily trained. The Adoption Center had many different cats of wonderful variety. There were some cats that I paid attention to and some that I didn’t even give a second glance at because they weren’t within the confines of my requirements.

It was Julie who noticed it. Noticed ‘her’ actually. She started watching one cat in particular, that oddly enough, was watching and responding to me! She drew my attention to a very beautiful longhaired calico cat that was quite pudgy. I patiently explained my requirements again to Julie, like one would to a child. She responded by telling me that this cat that doesn’t fit my requirements, was watching me and would walk back and forth in her cage, trying to follow me, and that in addition, she would put out her paw, as if trying to touch me. I hadn’t even noticed!

Naturally, this drew me to the cat, which immediately ran up to me to be attended to. I backed off and Julie approached and the cat quickly withdrew to the back of the cage. That was it, I couldn’t resist and I was now taking home this beautiful, fat, longhaired calico cat. I began the adoption process and while being interviewed was asked what would I do if I got a boyfriend (I had disclosed that I was single) that was allergic or didn’t like cats. My response to this was simply that it had been my experience that the cats tended to last longer than the boyfriends. I was immediately approved.

With a happy heart, I went home with my new cat all prepared for the hours of petting and cuddle time we’d share. I went into my apartment, let her out and set up her food, water and litter box areas and decided on a name. Prissy disappeared immediately and I knew it was normal for a cat to take a bit of time to get used to a new home, so I wasn’t worried about it. Where could a cat hide in an apartment without furniture, you ask. That’s easy. In the darkened spare room, at the back of the closet. Finally, after a couple of days she started to come out a bit.

I knew she’d been abused before I got her. I guess she knew I’d be patient with her. Ten years later, I still have Prissy and love her to pieces. Since then three other cats (two with longhair), one dog, a husband and now a baby have followed. She’s never gotten over her timidity, and has only recently started really trusting Jeff. I’ve never forgotten that day, when I was adopted by a cat, that was everything I never knew I always wanted – my Prissy.


(C) 2008 Tracy Keck