Tag: Cat

Monday Monday

~ Denise ~ 3 Comments

Mondays are a busy day around here.

After the usual morning cat dance, I get up to prepare some sort of soup or meal that Craig takes downtown to feed the hungry souls that gather at Finley Park for OSS.

Last Christmas, Craig presented me with a gift certificate for some watercolor classes to rekindle my painting that I have not done since the late 70’s (I know, but I’m serious).  The classes proved to be a refreshing drink to my creative soul, and for the meantime I have continued to take them.  However, the class time starts before I could get back from downtown, so that is one draw back.

While I miss seeing the folks downtown, I am still able to continue to prepare the food, and so we are able to serve and be part of this blessing together.

There are over 200 people coming to the park now, which has greatly increased from when we originally started.  Craig says there has been an increase in the women that are coming through the line.

Since OSS has started, some of the friends we’ve meet have been blessed by homes,  jobs, marriages, and children.  Dawn & Ernie are employed and have housing.  Chuck is in permanent housing.  Levi is married and has a child.  (Chuck, and Levi will often come to the park to visit or assist, a sort of pay-it-forward).

Yes, there has been some that have been imprisoned or returned to prison.  Some have disappeared.  We have known some that have been attacked, and at least one that has died.

Today was an especially rainy day.  Everyone was pretty wet today.  The rain doesn’t care if you have a roof over your head or something to eat.  People can care though.

Regardless of rain or shine (& even the occasional southern snow) every Monday this is our routine right now.

And we are blessed for it.

Monday Monday don’t go away.

The “Will” Dance

~ Denise ~ 3 Comments

Almost every morning begins the dance of “will”.

“Will” I get a few more moments of sleep, wake up on my own, stretch; or “will” the cats (usually Fudge, the male) commence “wake up routine”?

Even though the cats are technically our son’s Alex’s, they find themselves on our bed at night.  (Probably because they have annoyed Alex and he has either shut his door or does better at ignoring them.)

Fudge approaches the dance floor by pawing at the covers, beginning at my feet and then generally moving upwards.  During colder weather, this isn’t too much of a problem as the covers are thicker, but when the blanket is lighter, I catch a claw sometimes, and oww!

Pansy, always the lady,  waltzes around my head and daintily lays down and purrs.  This prompts Fudge to see what is going on, and then both cats commence dancing back and forth across my pillow.  They will sashay back and forth, perhaps laying down, (plopping might be a better term for Fudge) until he determines it really is “time to get up”.

He then will proceed to poke at my face with a paw.  When he first started doing it he  jabbed at me and there were times when it was like little punches.  Now he is gentler, but the message is still the same.  “Hey, look at me, hey, hey, here, here, let’s go.”

If I push him away, he might go away for awhile, however he has been known to go under the covers to nibble on body parts.  (Let’s just say he’s chomped on my butt a time or two.)

Alex says “He doesn’t do that to me, he has you trained, he knows once he gets you up then you will feed them.”

True.

Usually however, all that happens around my normal wake-up time, and my body is telling me it is time to get up anyway.

So, the “will” dance is really how “will” I choose to greet my mornings?

Annoyed with the little minxes, or scratch their heads and enjoy their purrs?

I choose to enjoy the purring and their affection.

They are really cute after all.

Purrrfect Pamperer

~ Denise ~ Leave a comment

Out of the two kittens that came into the house, there is a difference when it comes to getting ready in the morning….

Pansy, the female, likes to hinder me help me when I’m putting on my makeup.  I guess she figures I’m blind as a bat without my glasses and she better help me select what I need.

It also doesn’t seem to matter where I lay my glasses down, she will always try to pick them up.  I have to hide them when I go to bed at night.  Silly kitty.  🙂

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Gracie & Big Kitty a.k.a. Captain Greybeard Lesson

~ Denise ~ 4 Comments

I was over at Rebecca & Keith’s house the other day watching Bella while they did a little blueberry picking.

The family has acquired three kittens (Boots, Scar Face & Chip), and this was the first time I saw them.  We were talking about the kittens, and then Keith warned me not to be surprised if the big grey cat jumped up outside at the window.

Now, I remembered “Big Kitty“.

I first got a good look at Big Kitty (or who I have since learned is called Captain Greybeard) one day before Keith & Rebecca went on their trip out west.

Now, I had been hearing about Big Kitty (sorry Captain, I like Big Kitty better) being this feral cat that was living out back, hid on the other side of the chain link fence and wouldn’t let anyone near it.

Gracie wanted to be it’s friend.

Well, on that particular day, I actually got a good look at Big Kitty.  Gracie was at the fence petting him!  So needless to say, after all that I had been hearing about the cat I was surprised!

Rebecca told me that Gracie was the only one that the cat would let near it.  I watched Gracie run over to the fence, call the cat, the cat would come over, let her pet him through the fence, she would run off again and he would either sit there and watch her, or disappear into the bushes.

Now, I will say I saw Remy wander over once or twice, but being a typical boy, he didn’t approach the fence in quite a “gentle manner” (let’s just say a foot was involved), and Big Kitty didn’t stay around when he approached.

While the family was away for a few weeks, they found upon their return, Big Kitty waiting for them on the front porch, and I believe he has decided to adopt the family as his.  He is quite comfortable coming in and out of their house.

So imagine my surprise when Big Kitty who a few weeks ago, who wouldn’t even approach people, came in the house, rubbed against each of the children present and then what really surprised me walked over and rubbed up against my leg and proceeded to let me pet him!

He then proceeded to lay down on the floor and play a little bit and groom himself.  A cat quite at home.

While Bella was napping,  and kittens were napping and playing, I watched Big Kitty laying on the floor and thought about the first time I saw him.

I thought back to that picture in my mind of Gracie’s little fingers reaching through the chain link fence.

Reaching out.  Showing love.

She just kept trying with Big Kitty to win his heart…to win his trust.

Big Kitty was trying to do it on his own.  He didn’t trust her.  He didn’t trust her love.

The Holy Spirit spoke to me and asked….isn’t that really how we are with God?

We try to do it on our own all the time.  We don’t trust Him.  We don’t trust His love.

But look what happens when we trust.  Look how our lives change.  Look how our family gets bigger!  Look how our life gets better!

Accepting that love, receiving that love, doesn’t mean we won’t have trouble.  It doesn’t mean we won’t screw up.  But we can be assured of God’s love.

I suspect Big Kitty will, (if he has not already) make a mess or two in the house.  He’ll screw up.  I also suspect others in the house will get a little upset with him at times.

But, I suspect just like God’s love is always there for us,  Gracie will still love him.