Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

A pet’s love is nothing you can earn.  Sure, you can feed it and give it water.  Nevertheless they have their own ways and proclivities.  I don’t know why Cheyenne, one of my cats, usually goes in the opposite direction when I approach him but he does.  Each animal has their own personality and likes and dislikes.  Tilla, one of my black dogs, and I have a special relationship.  When he wants a hug, he puts his paws and chest on me when I am sitting–all eighty pounds of him.

Some of my seven cats ignore me.  Buttons is one.  He is about as wild as you can be and still be an indoor cat.  He is also another that goes the opposite direction when I approach him.  Catching him to take to the vet is near impossible.  He is a tiger looking cat and we have two of them.  The other appropriately called Tiger will let me pet him.  Cool hand Luke is the last animal I brought into this marriage and he is the closest cat I have to being mine.  He usually sleeps on our bed.  The other three dogs we have are all different.

Pax loves bread and is a thief.  Don’t leave your bagel unattended.  Coco will appear at your lap if you are eating anything crunchy and demand her share.  Sweetie does have a lovable nature.  And she is a golden retriever.  She will insist on you giving you her (???) attention.  She is almost needy and probably gets lost in the mix of dogs.  If she was the only dog, she would get more attention but she is not.  I have not even talked about all the cats.  We have five others–all unique.  China is an exotically black and white colored cat, who is one laid back cat.  Her mom Jasmine is a diminutive, demure cat who holds her own with all the other cats.  There is nothing you can do to earn their love.  Sure you feed them.  They either like you or don’t.

Tags: bagel, Buttons, can't earn love, cats, Cheyenne, China, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dog hug, dog loves bread, dogs, four dogs, golden retriever, indoor cat, Jasmine, love, Pax, pets, seven cats, Sweetie, Tiger, tiger cat, Tilla, vet, wild cat
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Just give it away.  There are so many things in our house that neither of us have even handled the last year.  The things are just sitting there.  Maybe, there is someone out there who can use the item.  Maybe, I will start a “clutter” journal.  So many times we discussed things we wanted to go through, discard or give away and I forget the agreements we made regarding those items we discussed.  Maybe if we wrote them down I can refer to the journal which can act as a contract between my wife and I.  We will see.  I will run that by my wife.

Tags: clutter, clutter journal, discard, give away, give it away, maybe someone can use them, my wife, so many things
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We don’t need extras of this and that.  We don’t need backup printers or computers so old they run on dos.  And that is old.  We can rely that God will provide for our needs.  And when we need it.  I am tired of this clutter.  And things we just don’t need.  I keep coming back to what will happen when we both go.  Most of the stuff will just be trashed that we held on so dearly. I still remember how hard and time consuming it was to go through my wife’s deceased Mom’s stuff.  We don’t have to stock pile.  It is just not necessary.

Tags: clutter, don't have to stock pile, God, God will provide for our needs, rely on God, stuff, things we don't need, tired of clutter, we don't need extras, what will happen when we go
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The biggest discovery today was the African violet I was paying no attention to:  my wife was taking care of it.  It was near the kitchen window and it was growing robustly.  I looked really carefully and discovered it had buds.  I usually kill them.  I can’t wait to tell my wife and also discover what color the blooms become.  Now I can watch it and see the flowers unfold.

Tags: African violet, blooms, discovery today, flowers, flowers unfold, my wife, plant had buds
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I was depressed about the clutter in this house.  There were too many books, VCRs and LPs and I did not know where to start.  I know we have made some headway but not enough.  I can’t just get rid of stuff:  I have to run it by my “other”.  I really do not know where to start.  I was down to begin with and when I look around at the clutter I just got more depressed.  The house is out of control.  I don’t know where to start or do this mutually.  I need someone to come in and aid us in this process.  We have had one room we call a junk room.  We want it to be a guest room but it feels like it will never be cleared.  I step in it and I just shake my head.  I just don’t know what to do any longer.

Tags: clutter, depressed about clutter, depression, don't know what to do, don't know where to start, get rid of stuff, guest room, house is out of control, junk room, LP's, my wife, too many books, VCRs
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It is easy to take technology for granted.  Our modem went out.  And all of a sudden I could not go online, check my mail.  It was going to be a few days before I receive a new modem from Century Link.  And I was feeling something was missing and I could not wait until i received the replacement modem.  I took it for granted, that I could go online every day.  Fifty years ago there was no Internet or even an affordable home computer.  And I don’t have one of those fancy cell phones that are really computers.  I never forgot my sister balking to go into an area if there was no cell phone reception.  The world is really connected.  And it makes no difference. Wars are going on all over the world.  Communication has not really improved.

Tags: cell phones, communication, computer modem, home computer, internet, my sister, online, technology, war, world is connected
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The dog I encountered near my house loose was a spitting image of my golden retriever.  I thought that somehow Sweetie had gotten out.  I was trying desperately to unlock my passenger door so she could hop in.  I was not successful.  The dog briefly headed toward me and then disappeared.  I told my wife about the discovery.  Well, Sweetie was in the house.  I almost brought home a strange dog.  We both laughed.  I had other encounters on the way home that night.  I had to brake a little.  A baby opossum scurried frantically across the road right in front of me and when I got home I flushed a cottontail in my driveway.

Tags: baby opossum, cottontail, dogs, golden retriever, my wife, pets, rabbit, Sweetie, wildlife
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He was smiling and bubbling over.  He was a man I met in the aisle of the local supermarket.  I noticed he had a false leg but that did not deter him.  We had a brief conversation and I left him with a “God bless!”  And before that I told him he had a choice to feel sorry for himself or make the best of it.  I no longer remember my exact words.  I later saw him near the checkout counter.  Then I realized he had two artificial legs.  His smile never left him.  He brightened up my day.

Tags: brightened up my day, feel sorry for himself, God bless!, his smile never left him, make the best of it, man with false leg, supermarket
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“Tilla”, my favorite dog when he wants a hug put his front paws and chest on me when I am sitting.  He is a lean, black athletic dog who must be pushing at least eighty pounds.  He also joins me on my bed often within my reach.  My other two black animals also join me–Coco, a long haired dog at the foot of the bed (Tilla’s sister) and “Cool Hand Luke”, my cat, who sometimes arches his back nearby for a hug.  All three animals are black, a curious fact.  They know my routine and are often waiting for me in my bedroom where I go to retire.  Tilla sometimes will be waiting for me expectantly head alert.  This is a routine we have.

Tags: big dogs, cats, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dog hug, dogs, pets, Tilla
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Spring is a day away although it feels like it had arrived early.  By now the daffodils are blooming everywhere.  The crocus are done.  Forsythia are also blooming.  The deciduous trees all have buds.  I have already dug out my shorts.  There were some days that warranted them.  For a few weeks now it has been in the sixties and seventies.  I have even wore my tee shirts although not every day was warm enough to do that.  In a few weeks I will put out hummingbird nectar.  I am shooting for April 1 to do that although I usually do not see them until the end of April.  With the warmer weather maybe they will come sooner.  We will see.

Tags: April, bird feeding, birds, crocus, daffodils, deciduous trees have buds, flowers, forsythia, hummingbird nectar, hummingbirds, shorts, spring, tee shirts, warm weather
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“Big Woof” lumbered out of the door barking every step of the way heading for the fence.  God knows what he is barking at.  He likes to hear his own voice.  “Tilla” his grown up kid loves to tease him.  “Tilla” might have a bone in his mouth and run along side “Big Woof” as if to say, “Look what I have and you can not have it.”  He does know when to back off but loves “pushing” him to the limit. “Big Woof” a Rottweiler mix, is demanding.  At night if he has to go out, he does his business quickly and is back at the front door right away demanding you let him in.  And not one second later.  I used to like to get a rise out of him and pull his tail and he would look at me as if to ask, “Why are you doing that?”  I love teasing him.  He does have his particular corner of the fence where he loves to bark at people who pass by.  If they are walking a dog, that is even more exciting.

Tags: "Big Woof", barking, dog bone, dogs, God, pets, rottweiler mix, Tilla
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Every thing is always about balance.  Some thing goes wrong between your wife and you.  So then you correct the problem.  There is nothing wrong about problems.  It indicates something between both of you needs to change.  Or you need to make some kind of adjustment.  Life is full of adjustments (and problems).  The only people who never have to change are under the ground.  It is a natural process.  And it happens all the time.  Problems are what makes our life interesting.  And the ongoing changes (and adjustments) they necessitate.  Life is always about seeking equilibrium.  One way this way.  And one way the other direction.  A constant seesaw.  Of course some people are in the middle most of the time.  And they do not get ruffled easily.  Most, though, are not that lucky.

Tags: constant seesaw, God, life is balance, life is full of adjustments, make an adjustment, natural process, not ruffled easily, ongoing changes, problems, seeking equilibrium, your wife
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