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

I don’t want more things to come into my house, that is cluttered enough; although we have made much progress.  I am as responsible as my wife for more things coming into my house.  There is always another book or another piece of music to purchase.  When both of us go, someone will have a massive job to clear the house.  I mentioned this to my wife and she did not seem concerned about this.  We have made much progress in decluttering our house.  It seems a losing battle.  I really have to determine (in our will) what truly is important.  To me it is my journals and poems.  I don’t know what things my wife wants to bequeath if anything.  Right now we have a menagerie (seven cats and four dogs) but they are starting to get up in age, particularly, the cats, where the youngest one is nine years old.  I am sure my wife would want them to go to a good home if any animals were left when both of us are gone.  You never know how much time you have.  And death may come suddenly.  You never know.

Tags: books, cats, clear the house, cluttered house, death and things, dogs, four dogs, journals, music, my wife, our inheritance, pets, poems, seven cats, Where would the pets go if both of us die?, you never know
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Coco, Tilla and Cool Hand Luke have their nightly routines.  The first two are two of my dogs (I have four) and the third is one of my cats (I have seven).  Coco, when she is ready to retire for the evening, lies down on the far side of my bed.  In fact, once in awhile she even jumps on my bed after I have gone to sleep.

Her brother, Tilla, last night joined me in my office (or “man cave” as some people would put it) and while I was watching TV came in the room and nudged shut the door and laid patiently there waiting for me to retire.  As soon as I was finished watching TV and left my Lazy Boy chair he immediately jumped on it.  His bed time is nine (but not mine) and if I am not on the chair he will take it.  More than once he wouldn’t budge.  I had to sit on him before he reluctantly left so I could watch TV.

Cool Hand Luke’s favorite spot is in the same room.  The black cat (interesting enough the two dogs mentioned are also completely black) will sit on some books perched on top of a book case to the left of my Lazy Boy chair and by the window.  She is often found there.  That is a new spot for her.  For a long time she used to lie curled at night at the head of the bed to the left of me.

She does not get along too well with some of the other cats.  For a number of months other cats were often lying together on my bed especially Jasmine, a dainty female, with some or all of her four kids she had in two litters.  Sometimes Buttons, a tiger colored cat (we have two), will lie on our bed too; although he often hides under the bed.  He sometimes terrorizes Cool Hand Luke.  Of late, the cats have not been spending the night on the bed so Cool Hand Luke has returned occasionally to her old spot.

The other pets’ routines at night I have not noticed or they do not have the same ones every night.  The other cats are great at disappearing.  My wife who sleeps on the other Lazy Boy chair in the living room says the cats are quite noisy at night.  I would not know.  I sleep solidly.

Tags: bed, bed time, book case, Buttons, cats, cats noisy at night, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dogs, four dogs, Jasmine, man cave, my wife, pets, pets nightly routines, seven cats, sleep, sleep solidly, tiger cat, Tilla, watching TV
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Of the eight cats I have “Cool Hand Luke” is the only one who comes to me.  She also sleeps nearby.  I brought her into the family when I married my wife over nine years ago.  Some of the other cats tolerate me and others even go into the opposite direction when I approach them so I appreciate her. (Yes, she is a female.)  “Cool Hand Luke” is completely black as were the dog and other cat I brought into the marriage–now both dead.  You never really own a cat.  In fact, they own you.  The dog I owned “Daisy” was really special to me.  It was the first dog I raised from a pup and also the first dog I trained although she was an adult when I did that.  When I was in the living room, she never took her eyes off of me and was one mighty stubborn dog.  Now I have a special relationship with “Tilla” one of my four dogs.  I never thought anyone would replace Daisy but he has.

Tags: black cat, cats, cats own you, Cool Hand Luke, Daisy, dogs, eight cats, first dog I trained, four dogs, pets, Tilla
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Every morning I look out the bathroom window and see that empty robin’s nest.  She built it and sat on in it for several days.  There are probably eggs in it.  Cats sometimes sit in that window.  And that might have scared her off.  She had no way of knowing the cat six feet away from her could not reach her through the screen.  I just feel sad.  Every morning.  She has been gone over a week and I know she is not returning.  I just feel sad about the whole thing and wish I could do something but there isn’t anything I can do–just stare out the window and look at the empty nest.

Tags: bird eggs, bird left her nest, bird-watching, birds, cats, empty robin's nest, pets, robin, robin's nest, sad
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Sometimes your animals don’t like you.  Cheyenne a beautiful grey and white long haired cat simply does not like me.  Almost every time I approach him he stiffens as if to say, “Don’t you dare touch me.” and runs in the opposite direction.  I don’t quite understand it.  We have seven cats and he is the only one (minus Buttons who is about as wild as can be and still be a house cat) who does that.  I try repeatedly to pet him.  It is almost always the same result:  he runs away from me.  He wants nothing to do with me.  Cheyenne does not like me.

Tags: Buttons, cat doesn't like me, cats, Cheyenne, house cat, long haired cat, pets, seven cats
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The easy chair now belongs to the cats.  They love sitting in it.  Sometimes there are three or four cats on it so we did not throw it away.  The springs on it were gone and it no longer was comfortable to sit on.  It is usually the same cats who sit on it so now the chair is theirs.

Tags: cats, easy chair belongs to the cats, pets
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It was a quick moment. Through the corner of my eyes I saw through the screen door a large bird hop on the top of the portion of our fence on the far end perpendicular to our entrance.  I did not get a good look at it.  It could have been a robin.  At the very same moment China our exotically black and white colored cat was looking directly at it very intently from our house.  Then the bird disappeared and he lost interest immediately and walked away.  It was just a small moment but I was glad I actually noticed it.  That is all life is:  many small moments and often you blink and they are gone.

Tags: birds, cats, China, life is many small moments, pets, robin
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Everything is by grace.  Today is a good day to count my blessings.  I am not in dialysis.  My kidney function has stabilized (the last three years).  It is not good but it is livable.  My wife loves me.  And my two sisters and my brother-in-law (and a friend) sent me birthday cards (and one check).  There is so much to be grateful of–two well running cars and a roof over my shoulders.  There is no pressing financial needs.  And I am surrounded by animals I love (in fact, there are eleven in this house).  I love watching the birds out my window.  And now I am waiting for the first hummingbird to find the nectar I just put out.  My life is not perfect but it is good.  I am aware God does not owe anything.  Everything is by grace.  And He owns everything.

Tags: animals I love, be grateful, bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, birthday cards, birthday check, cats, count my blessings, dogs, everything-is-by-grace, God, God does not owe anything, God owns everything, grade, house, hummingbird, kidney function stable, my birthday, my brother-in-law, my friend, my life, my sisters, my wife, nectar, not in dialysis, pets, two cars
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Last night Cool Hand Luke, my black cat came up to me in bed, arched her back to greet me in bed and got stroked and then settled down in the corner of the bed catercorner to me.  She is one of the three black animals who join me in my bedroom every night.

The other two are dogs:  Coco unusually sleeps to one side of the bed and sometimes Tilla is at the base of the bed unless my wife did not join me right away.  Then he will sleep on the bed to the left of me within reach of me.  This is their routine every night.  Sometimes there are more animals in my room.

Buttons, one of my cats hides under the bed and sometimes in the middle of the night there will be a scuffle between Buttons and Cool Hand Luke.  The two don’t like each other.  Other animals sometimes join us, too like Sweetie and Pax our other dogs.  It is hard sometimes not to step on a dog if you have to leave the room to use the john in the middle of the time (???).

And if there is a thunderstorm during the night all you can hear is the panting of the dogs and sometimes two or three jump on the bed.  I know it is a king sized bed but all our dogs are midsized and crowd us when that happens not to say anything about keeping us awake with their loud panting.  They simply are scared of the thunder and usually have to be kicked out of the room so we can sleep.  Thankfully thunderstorms only happen occasionally in the middle of the night.

Tags: big dogs, Buttons, cat sleeps in bed, cats, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dogs, dogs afraid of thunder, dogs panting, dogs sleep in bed, four dogs, my wife, Pax, pets, Sweetie, thunderstorm, Tilla
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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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“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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I was surrounded by my three black animals, again, in bed.  Cool Hand Luke, my cat was somewhere on my bed, sometimes, arching her back nearby for my touch.  Then there were my two dogs:  Tilla was in his spot, to the left of me, on the bed usually within reach.  Coco, the other female, unassuming, most of time lay at the foot of the bed.  Although, yesterday, when I called her she jumped on the bed and lay close to me, so close I had to nudge her away a little bit:  I could not get enough of my blanket over me.  She then jumped off and lay at her usual spot.  At some point the animals move after I have fallen asleep.  This morning after Tilla heard me stir he jumped on the bed to greet me and half asleep I petted him and then he jumped off the bed, again.  Sometimes there are more creatures in my bedroom but these mentioned are the “regulars”.

Tags: animals, bed, bedroom, blanket, cats, cats sleep on bed, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dogs, dogs sleep on bed, fall asleep, foot of the bed, half asleep, pets, petted, Tilla
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