Sunday AM: blog-surfing, COFFEE and rcty!!

*hugs* No need to say anymore Sandra Rose, I understand... and your Penny will be waiting for you when you get to Heaven.

My Casper protects me too. Someone who came to the house in the summer and he didn't mind at that point has come here three times in the past couple of weeks, and it upsets me inside each time, but I don't say anything because it is a visitor of my son's who he takes straight down the stairs to the rec-room. Each of the three last times this person has come here, Casper barks non-stop and his hackles are up from the back of his neck all the way down to the base of his tail, and he won't stop barking no matter what Matthew says to him. I have to call him to my side and calm him down before he will stop. I'm sure it's because he knows that I am upset.

My heart will break when it's Casper's time to leave me! :o(

Gem

They know, Mirjam... they just know, who they are meant to be with.. and that's why they choose us. :o)

The dog I grew up with (Rex) had belonged to an older brother of my brothers friend... everytime he would get loose, he would come to our home and sit on our porch. Finally after this happened four times, my brother told the older boy/man that the next time Rex ran away and came to our house, we were keeping him. Tony said "Go ahead, he is a useless dog anyway and won't obey me!" Sure enough, a couple of days later Rex was on our porch in the morning. He stayed with us for 15 years and became a very dear friend to me as I was growing up... and he never ran away from our home.

Gemini

Rusty, You very welcome for the link. I find the sentiment very comforting. So sorry about your Pammy. I know you still miss her, even though Dusty is with you now.

In 1981, I became Mama Cat to two 4-week old kittens whose mother was hit by a car. They were Sammy(Samantha) and Duchess. Sammy lived to be about 10, and she had a sudden heart attack at the veterinarian's office in early 1991 when we took her in to be checked for a tract infection that didn't clear up after one dose of antibiotics. Then we got Queenie around Memorial Day 1991 to keep Duchess company. Duchess went to join Sammy in 1999, which left Queenie alone until March of 2000, when we found a black Burmese under the house we bought, who came in and was named Fonzi, and last year we brought in a medium long haired kitten now named Little Bit. Since he tends to be very playful, I'm hoping he'll get along with the new kitty, Hidey, after a short while.

Duchess was a "mama cat" to both Sammy and Duchess, and a "nursey cat" to my boyfriend; when his sugar went off kilter, she'd set up a ruckus to get his to wake up or eat or take his insulin. I have visions of her with her sister cat, and now with Queenie, and we all just know she was the one who pushed Fonzi under the house when we moved here, so he'd have a good home and we'd get a nice cat. I know they are all still looking in on us, and sending their purrs our way.

Sorry to be so long-winded. Can't tell my cats are my little darlings or anything, can you? ;-)

-- Carey in MA

Carey, what a great cat Duchess must have been - to alert your bf to the sugar - that is amazing.

I was strictly a cat person until my ds brought home a puppy, and I really think that poor dog thought he was a cat - we had three cats at that time. I'm in an apt. now and we can only have one pet, and I think I'm better off with a dog bc it gets me outside (whether I want to be there or not LOL) and walking and exercising, but if I could, I'd like to have a couple of cats too - you can't just have one cat.

I printed out "The Rainbow Bridge" - thanks once again.

Rusty in CT, USA and Dusty the Dog

Yes, Rusty, she was quite a cat. When BF first entered our lives, her sister Sammy sort of claimed him as her person, since she had been very fond of my ex-husband and missed him, but Duchess' attitude was more laid back, sort of like she figured that as long as she had me, he could stay. The day he had his first heart attack, I was in the kitchen slicing up chicken for the tomato sauce he had simmering, and BOTH cats were sitting with him, one on either side, and even when he started feeling icky and was pushing them both away, they kept coming back until he yelled for me and we realized what was going on and got him to the hospital.

Another night, after I'd come home from work and fed her, then went out and came back, she hopped up in his lap and meow'd at me, then came to my lap and meow'd at him, then back to his lap and meow'd again and headed for the kitchen. We figured she might be hungry again, but after we put down food in her bowl, she just looked up at the corner of the kitchen table and yelled at us. Then it struck us: we forgot to give him his evening insulin shot and she was looking right where he usually stood. We figured that was because of the time and because it was a daily routine. However, we never did figure out how she knew to wake him up when his sugar dropped in his sleep. Since she was usually a quiet cat, his description of this little

6-pound cat standing on his chest screaming in his face to wake him up was really something. He always felt like she saved his life, and he still misses her. He's hoping this new little kitten will become his kitty (though he certainly doesn't expect another nursey cat!).

My family had a couple of German Shepherds when I was young, and though I'm not really fond of little dogs in general, it really depends on their individual personalities. Until a couple of years ago, I worked very long hours, and it wasn't really fair to a dog to be stuck inside so long and get no exercise, so cats are purr-fect for me. And I agree: you can't have just one cat, unless you're around all day to keep it company. Even then, two are better than one. Never thought I'd have three until the yellow kitty last year, who kept climbing up into the frame of cars as they pulled into the driveway next door. I was so afraid he was going to get run over or taken far away and lost that when he just wouldn't stay in the neighbor's basement, on a wet day I hauled him inside, then asked the neighbor if I could keep him. (Luckily, he said yes.)

-- Carey in MA (pats and tummy rubs to Dusty....)

Sorry for your loss, Carey, but pleased to know that you are giving a new home to another kitty.

Higs, Kather>> Good m-oo-rrr-nin' ya'll!

Thanks for leaving this, Christine, as I didn't see Noreen's original post. Woo hoo, Noreen! Way to go, Don!!!

Higs, Kather> Good evening Noreen, it's teatime here, but I just had to say I'm so

I am, but not totally caught up yet. In fact, I just posted another Woohoo for Don. The memory is the second thing to go. I forget what goes first.

Higs, Kather> Katherine!

Elasticity? Gravity takes it's place... right? LOL

Gem

- Don't know why I'm laughing, that's not even remotely funny! ;o)

Noreen ,,, Good reading about DON`s first Remission anniversary may he have MANY MORE .. Carey i read here you lost a loved cat , but have a new one ,, sorry for the one you mourn ,, congrats on the new ,, It a clear Sunday morning here, the sun , this time of year raises at the left side of the house next yard away.. We had a very RAINY weekend, [ Finnaly], thus we stayed in home , read a lot , knitted a lot , this time i worked on finnishing a striped shrug, A present for a friend who is mooving house, and stopped knitting herself years ago.

This clear day looks COLD , thus i can wear my new sweater when going out to do my erands,, I like Launching New sweaters. Well GOOD SUNDAY ALL ... mirjam

But oh so true Love & higs (drooping gracefully) Christine

Yes, it is. Funny AND pathetic.

Higs, Katherine

LOL Well at least you're drooping gracefully instead of "everything just dropping suddenly" like I've heard other people saying. ;o)

Gem

LOL *nods* Yep, definitely pathetic! ;o)

Gem

Oh no, it's all taking it's time and depressing me on the way down. But then I suppose I've always said I'd grow old disgracefully, so I'd better stop worrying about it and just enjoy each day Love & higs Christine (currently disappearing under a huge pile of wrapping paper!)

LOL Not laughing at your drooping comment, but rather at the idea of you disappearing under a huge pile of wrapping paper! ;o)

Gem

That is a truly serious situation given that I've also got to finish putting the fluffy edging on a curly whirly scarf for DD2 who may be home tomorrow, so it's got to be finished and wrapped! HELP Love & higs Christine (who doesn't look as if she'll be going to bed too soon tonight)

What i dropped or lost doesn`t interest me , i am now here , i smile now , enjoy now , work for now and later ,,,, we all become as beautiful as we think we are ,,,, age suits me much better than skinny teenager times mirjam