A reminder about what really matters. Even if you’ve seen this video before, it won’t hurt to see it again. It will definitely put a lump in your throat. Enjoy.
Embracing the Here and Meow – How a Cat on a Toilet Lid Can Cause Happiness
Somebody said, “Dogs have masters, cats have staff.”
Being a staff member for two cats, I will testify to the veracity of the statement. Our 12-year-old cat, K.C. (um, short for “kitty cat”), has abruptly made a significant behavioral switch, leaving me in the position of having to adjust to this alteration – as I seem powerless in my attempts to convince her to revert to old behaviors. It appears that the bedroom where she has spent many years sleeping, purring – and shedding – is no longer acceptable to wile away the hours. Rather, she has commandeered our bathroom.
In addition to the fact that she has no need for such facilities, I find it puzzling, as tile and porcelain seem to be rather uncomfortable furnishings (especially compared with the warmth and comfort of a carpeted bedroom).
Yet, undeterred by my urgings to return to a softer habitat, she has taken over, napping in the tub or sleeping on the toilet lid. At first I was unnerved in the wee, dark, quiet hours of the night should I happen to sleepishly stagger into the bathroom and be greeted unexpectedly by a low, rumbling, noisy purr. Now, I have learned to simply lift her from the toilet seat, place her on the edge of the tub, take care of business, return her to the lid, pat her goodnight, and totter unsteadily back to bed.
To be honest, our cat has always had a thing for sleeping on toilet seats. Once, when our neighbors threw a party in their garden, K.C. was found napping inside one of their event toilets that had been hired especially for their party. Fortunately, everyone saw the funny side.
That is not all though. Shaving has become virtually impossible as she jumps onto the vanity and sticks her face in mine. We have developed a dance: I place her on the floor, shave as quickly as possible before she leaps back, replace her on floor, shave, floor, shave, repeat as necessary.
As with most change, I do eventually adjust.
Family Vacation to Hawaii
OK, it’s not really about motivation, but it’s just fun. I wanted to share.
Family History at the Holidays
At four years old, in 1930, with a mop of brown curly hair, bright hazel eyes, and light skin, Ruth Pinsker waited with her family on the side of a slickened Detroit avenue for a cable car they would never ride. Her family was comprised of Zlate and Shmuel “Sam” Pinsker; two immigrants who had recently migrated to the U.S. from Russia; as well as her younger sisters, Mildred; two years old, and the newborn Eleanor; still swaddled in her mother’s arms.
An attorney, driving while heavily under the influence, careened out of control down the boulevard toward Zlate and the kids. Although Sam would have been spared, he instead shoved them out of harm’s way, taking the full broadside in exchange and killed upon impact. Zlate was dragged under the auto’s wheels, breaking several bones. The children — short of emotional trauma — remained untouched.
How Thanksgiving Traditions Began
The most common Thanksgiving holiday traditions are:
- Giving Thanks
- Thanksgiving Day Parade
- Football
- Breaking the wishbone
- Turkey and Trimming
I am unclear how the genealogy section of About.com determined this; yet intuitively it appears correct. Ever curious (and always looking for content for my column), I wondered how these came to be; so I did some research. I share.
According to historians, the Pilgrims never observed an annual Thanksgiving banquet in autumn. In the year 1621, they did celebrate a feast following their first harvest, but this ceremony was never repeated. (Oddly, most devoutly religious pilgrims of that time did observe a day of thanksgiving, but they did so by fasting.) George Washington was the first president to declare the holiday, in 1789.