Thank God For My Pets

Author: siggy

Thank God for my pets.  Somehow I believe it is no accident my second wife also loves animals.  I never had pets growing up.  I love all of my pets.  All eight cats and all four dogs.  It is a menagerie.  And it is true I can’t go on vacation so easily but that is a small price to pay.

There is Tilla one of the pups we kept of our golden retriever (we kept two) who is a paradox extremely aggressive but timid at the same time.  For example, if you throw four scraps to our four dogs, he usually will get three if you don’t stop him.

He actually let my daughter pet him the last time she was over (that was a first).  He still runs in the other direction when my son approaches him.  And he is good with pets.

Coco is the other pup of Sweetie and extremely affectionate although she can be pretty insistent when she wants to go out.  She will sit at our feet front legs crossed sometimes–a real lady.  She gets along with everyone.

My eight cats are all different (the one unfixed female, now fixed) had two litters–one and three.  Pumpkin the only surviving cat from the first litter is one quiet, laid back cat who seems to get along with all the other seven.

The other three from the second litter of Jasmine’s are Cheyenne, China, and other whose name temporarily escapes me.  Both Cheyenne and China are long haired.  The mother is shorted (???) haired, small and dainty but able to take well care of herself.

Cheyenne is one beautiful although somewhat wild cat.  He usually does not let me pet him.  If I get too close, he gives me the eye as if to ask me “how dare you approach me?”

China is one exotically black and white colored cat who is one cool character.  He is extremely laid back and nothing seems to faze him.  I always have trouble remembering the sexes of our cats.

Cool Hand Luke a black female cat I brought into this marriage who hangs out in our bedroom and is appropriately named.  I have another completely black cat “Slinky”.

It is hard to tell the two apart although if you pet them you can tell the difference immediately.  “Slinky” is somewhat timid and extremely affectionate.

Tiger is the third cat from the second litter of Jasmine also appropriately named who sorts (???) blends in with every one.

Buttons is the other tiger looking cat who decided to adopt our family.  He showed up at our doorsteps and my wife started feeding him and when he got his shots, she let him come in.

He knew a good thing when he came in:  he did not go out for months again.  He is the newest member of our menagerie.  He does, at times, terrorize the other cats.

He also terrorized the vet and her staff during his exam:  It took them ten minutes to catch him in the exam room when he squirmed out of the grasp of the vet and three people were chasing him around the room (the vet called for backup).

He scratched the hell out of the vet in the process.  He is still a (???) somewhat wild although he has calmed somewhat after he got fixed.  That pretty much takes care of our cats.

Pax, the father of the pups, is the only pet of ours not mentioned by name.  He is the biggest and oldest dog close to an hundred pounds, an Rottweiler mix.

He suffered from bad ear infections and only at the vet where they put a muzzle on him would he allow anyone to go near to clean them.  It took me awhile before I lost my fear of him.  The veterinary helper called him a “baby.”  He is one dog I never want to get out he is one scary looking dog.

There is also Sweetie our golden retriever who is aptly named.  She will stand there forever letting you pet her.  She is one happy-go-lucky dog who always likes to have something in her mouth.  She was traumatized by her original owner who would lock her up for hours.  That is how we got her and that is the last of our menagerie.

Our Postmaster, Sonya, lends an ear to everyone in our small town of less than a thousand.  Everyone has to get their mail or buy stamps.

She hears every body’s stories.  She knows who is ill, most people by their first name and even where they live.

She is the local “psychiatrist” although she does not dispense too much advice or any pills.  When someone is dying, she hears about it from the nearby relative.

Sonya lives nearby and given enough time she meets just about every resident unless you are a hermit and never leave your house.  Every person need stamps or eventually has to weigh a package.

The post office is the focal point of this town.  There is the local diner where all the old fogies congregate every morning and share the latest gossip.  The diner (and our supermarket) are only a distant second place to meet locals.

Sonya has the pulse of our small town.  There is very little she does not know about its residents.  She is usually very discreet about the gossip she hears every day.

The postmaster of our small town knows almost everything about almost every body.  She just has to know when to shut up.  Sometimes that is hard for her to do but most of the time she does a good job.  Everyone knows Sonya.

Love and hate is always mixed.  You can love your mate and also hate her at the same time.  To be ambivalent toward your mate can be normal.  Somehow you have to suspend those feelings and accept they both can exist at the same time.

Usually you are attracted to your other for she/or he has something you lack.  The cliche is if both of you are the same, one of you is unnecessary.  There is a lot of truth to that.

The whole is often better than the two parts.  You were drawn to your partner because she/he had something you lacked.  And visa versa.  Your partner can bring out the best in you and sometime the worst in you.  You just have to ride it out.

No one has the power to enrage you as your partner.  The person who is the closest to you who knows more about you than any one else–all your weaknesses and all your strengths.

Love and hate can be present at the same time.  Just accept that.  Don’t be surprised when those two feelings are elicited at the same time.  You do not have to react to both of them.  Accept the ambivalence.

(1)  My wife whose support makes it all worthwhile

(2)  The extension of our fence so now all four dogs can run wild within it and we don’t have to worry about them getting out

(3)  The seventh Christmas we are spending together

(4)  The purchase of a “new” used vehicle

(5)  another year

(6)  my illness if you can call it that has given me a keener sense of the time bestowed to me

(7)  my two sisters who are always there when I need them

(8)  The four books Marilyn sent to me

(9)  all my friends

(10)  The safety of my trip to Boston during a difficult time:  I know angels were watching me during my ride to Boston and back.

(11)  I finally made it to “Walden Pond”

(12)  All my animals particularly my four dogs who never ask for anything and just love you unconditionally

(13)  For providing for all our needs

(14)  All the people who take care of us:  from Bob our mechanic to our dentist and all our doctors.  They just serve us.

(15)  My wife, the editor, lover and friend

(16)  John, you know who you are

(17)  The heat in our house

(18)  My web site and “Siggy’s Blurbs”

(19)  Sara’s support, you know who you are, also

(20)  My two, Emma and Saul

(21)  for everything I have forgotten to be grateful for

(22)  Pastor Pete and his flock

(23)  only “You” who without I can not do any thing

I am convinced the only reason marriage exists is to teach us how to love better.  Each person is sinful (and very imperfect).  And selfish.  Living with another forces us to examine our own foibles.

Some marriages are a better fit than another.  It does not matter.  At some point, there is going to be conflict.  And how successfully you work it out determines the success of your marriage.

Each person is selfish and conflict draws this out.  The vows say for better or worse, in sickness or health.  Commitment is always the key.  Do you ride out the rough moments?  Every marriage will have difficult times.

Your partner sees all your sides given enough time.  The good points of yours as well as your bad side.  Nothing is hidden.

Only love can transcend them.  That is why I say the institution of marriage was created for only one reason–to teach us how to love better.

Your rough points given enough time in a marriage becomes smoothed over.  Love is always the key.  And commitment makes it work.

No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try you are still going to displease your “other”.  Be aware you are going to fail.  Breakdowns in communication between couples, even to the best of us, happen all the time.

Do not get overly frustrated when that happens and make the best of it.  I keep quoting my doctor who responded to my comment, “My wife is driving me crazy.” by saying, ‘Don’t all wives do that?  Join the club!’

Scott Peck in one of his books states, ‘People get married for the friction.’  There is no other common institution like marriage to change us.

Each person is selfish.  Living with another forces you out of your comfort zone and makes you examine your behavior in a way you would not have to if you were living alone.

I have a friend who once told me, ‘Marriage is work.’  I laughed at him at the time.  I did not believe him.  I was single at the time.  I am no longer laughing at him.  He was right.

I am still tickled every time I glance at the Norfolk Pine we brought in when it became too cold outside.  It is completely green and growing in the new spot my wife placed it in.

I did not expect it to last the winter.  Last year we bought it for our Christmas tree and placed it next to our large living room window.  It did not do too well and lost quite a few branches and needles, becoming quite straggly.  When it warmed up, we placed it outside.

This year we placed it in a different spot inside.  I did not expect it to last through the winter.  To my surprise the tree is doing fine.  Every time I look at it now I become happy.  Such a small thing but it gives me pleasure.

My wife is truly my serendipity.  God gave me my present wife.  I was not looking for another.  My first marriage had broken up.  She came along when I least expected it.

There is so many reasons I can give why she is a blessing but I will only quickly state a few.  She encourages my writing and is also a fine editor.  She also makes me laugh.  She is not perfect but close.

I could not imagine a life without her.  We both love music and grew up in the same time frame so both of us love a lot of the same music.  All that is a gift.

She certainly is a “better fit” than my first wife.  Most of the time we like each other and laugh a lot together.  I consider her “serendipity”.  I did nothing to deserve her.  This is our seventh Christmas together.  She truly is a blessing.

And may I never forget that when there is any tension or conflict between us.  When I told my doctor my wife was driving me “crazy”, he said “Don’t all wives do that?!”

Sometimes our families know us too well (and don’t).  I am just referring now to the family I grew up–particularly my two sisters and my parents (though both dead).

Why is it your immediate family dismisses your gifts?  You have to get validation from the outside?

I remember the last conversation I had with my Dad.  He was much more impressed with the million his future son-in-law made selling his company than anything I did.

It is true I was not successful in making money (or amassing a fortune) but I spent a lifetime writing and none of that mattered.  Only Money.

My two sisters also take my gifts for granted.  Maybe, that is why we have to make friends—people who are not blood.  They choose to be our friend.

They are attracted to us by who we are although it is still disappointing to me that I never was truly appreciated by the family I grew up with.

I love looking out my kitchen window.  We had a snowstorm yesterday and already the roads have been plowed.  It is not the same as being in the middle of the storm.

Every thing outside my back window is white and unspoiled looking.  There is no evidence of humans there.  I keep expecting to see a cottontail or two playing in the snow.

Even if I don’t, I love peering out into the snow covered trees and bushes and ground.  The landscape appears wild.  It is an illusion but even so I love it still every time I glance out that window.

I can’t compare myself to anyone.  I have to till the soil that is mine.  God has given me certain gifts.  And has wired me a certain way.  And all I can do is follow that tiny voice only I can hear.

It does me no good to even consider if I will have any kind of legacy.  That is not up to me.  Every person created is different.  There have been billions of people on this earth and each is is unique–a snowflake.

No one can really tell me what to do, what is most important to me, what drives me.  Certainly life is full of others who are too quick to tell you this.

Your conscience is really your ultimate guide.  Your time here is finite and all you can do is unravel the path set out for you, which only you know.  I have to till the soil that is only mine.

Some people’s destiny is grand and others are on a smaller scale –most people for that matter.  You have to accept the place given to you.  We are all part of a whole.  And ripples go forth into the universe when you are following the path only set for you.

We have a “rescue” tree for a Christmas tree.  You heard of others adopting a “rescue” animal, well we rescued part of this large branch that an ice storm ripped down from our large white pine tree.

It is kind of funny looking but I am sure we will never forget this Christmas tree.  It droops in one direction despite any efforts of us to right it.  It will temporarily live in our house near the window during the holidays.

The large branch was laying on the ground outside kind of forlorn looking.  Tomorrow my wife will brighten it up with lights.  We gave it another chance.