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

“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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“Cool Hand Luke”, my black cat I owned before even I married my wife.  Nothing seems to faze her, thus the name.  She is the only animal left from that period, nine years ago.  She is one of the few cats who will cozy up to me.  She is affectionate.  She has some idiosyncrasies:  she likes to go through doors.  Open one, she will dash through and seconds later she might run back in.  She also likes to knock down things in her way.  Sometimes she will be on the window ledge and knock down everything in front of her.  She does not get along too well with all the other cats (we have seven) although she can be aggressive.  If you put out new cat food she is usually the first cat to hop on the counter.  Oddly enough the other two animals I brought into this marriage were both black.  I miss both of them, especially Daisy, the first dog I ever raised from a pup and also trained.  When we were in the same room, her eyes never left me.  She was my dog.

Tags: affectionate, cat food, cat likes to go through doors, cats, Cool Hand Luke, Daisy, dogs, idiosyncracsies, marriage, my dog, pets
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Most nights I am greeted by my three black pets when I go to bed.  There is “Coco” my female “pup” who usually is at the foot of my bed.  Then there is “Tilla” another “pup”, who sometimes lies on the left side of my bed and other times is on the the bed.

Sometimes in the middle of the night I find him curled right next to me.  I call these two dogs “pups” but they are full grown now.  There is my black cat “Cool Hand Luke” who is never too far from me sometimes snuggling right next to me.

This is their routine.  And they know mine.  My cat has been with me almost ten years even before Lynelle and I married.

I have other pets (two more dogs and six more cats) but these three are special and when they are not in my bedroom when I go to bed I miss them.  I always leave the door ajar so if they want to leave, they can.  They have spirits of their own.

Tags: cat sleeps on bed, cats, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dog sleeps on bed, dogs, four dogs, pets, seven cats, Tilla
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“Cool Hand Luke” is sitting on the corner of our bed.  He can usually be found in that room.  He is the last survivor of the animals I brought into this marriage.  The other two, oddly enough all black like she, are now dead.  The cat must be at least nine years old.

She does have some peculiarities:  not only does she hang out in our bedroom she also likes going through doors.  Open one she will dash out and seconds later if we open the same door she will quickly scoot back in.

She is kind of a loner:  she does not hang out with any of the other six cats although she is the most aggressive.  If we put out cat food, she is the first one at the dish.  I usually go to bed first and she often is near me snuggling up to me arching her back asking to be petted.

She is one laid back cat and I don’t remember who named her “Cool Hand Luke” although the name suit (???) her perfectly.  She is my cat although you really never own a cat.  They own you.

Her presence on my bed when I go to sleep is a comfort to me.  She is a special pet to me.  I don’t pay as much attention to the other six.

Tags: cat food, cat sleeps in bed, cats, cats own you, Cool Hand Luke, pets, seven cats
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My world is interconnected.  There are so many people I owe thanks to.  And I am sure I will leave somebody out.  A thanks to my primary doctor who takes goood care of me.

A thank you to our retired electrician who did some work in our house this year.  My wife still loves that lamp you installed over the sink.  And we have three new electric radiators and two new thermostats.  There is nothing like heat in the winter.

Thanks, to Bob, who willingly answers my questions about “ailing” cars.  Thank God I have not needed you too much this year and our 2006 SUV is behaving well.

Thank God to all my listeners at the Open Mikes.  Their comments encouraged me and kept me writing.

A thanks to Mike whose comments in his letter to me I have picked up occasionally when my spirit dropped.  I am sorry your best friend died unexpectedly.

There is Sonya, our postmaster, who always asks how I am doing, everytime I drop by our post office.

A thanks to the team of doctors that takes care of me–my nephrologist, etc.  There are so many people I appreciate.

A thanks to the small church I go to–its pastor Pete and the many people I have become friendly with from there.

I know I have left out people.  My sisters who had an hand in making my trip to San Francisco by train a reality and who both support me and care about me.

Philhaven, a thanks to for helping get me past a rough patch.  You all know who you are.

And all my pets, particular my dogs:  Pax who always comes to me when he wants something.  And Tilla whose tail never refuses to wag when he see me.  And Coco is a real sweetheart.  And don’t let me forget Sweetie, who is just that a sweetie.

And that is just the dogs.  Thanks Cool Hand Luke, the last pet still alive from my Duncannon days, a black cat, who often keeps me company on the bed.

And most of all my wife who is always there and gives me a reason to get up each morning.

Tags: car repair man, cats, church, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, doctors, dogs, electrician, friends' letter, give thanks, God, my sisters, my wife, open mikes, outpatient, pastor, Pax, pets, poetry, postmaster, reading poetry aloud, Sweetie, thank God, Tilla, writing
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Cool Hand Luke is the only pet I brought into this marriage still alive. (August will be eight years I have been married.)  There was “Slinky” and “Daisy”, a cat and dog respectively now both dead.  Curiously all three animals are completely black.

Daisy was the first dog I raised from a pup and trained.  I really missed her when she died over two years ago.  Her eyes when I was in the same room never left me.  Slinky was a sweet though timid cat who died recently from cancer.

Cool Hand Luke is appropriately named.  She is one cool character, supremely confident and affectionate who lives in our bedroom.  She always keeps me company when I go to bed.

She loves to go through doors.  If I open our garage door (or any other door for that matter), she darts through the door even if I have it open only for seconds.  She is the only cat with that trait if you want to call it that.  She must be going on nine.

I have seven cats and four dogs and each has their own personality but Cool Hand Luke has a special place in my heart.  She is one cool character.

Tags: affectionate cat, black cat, cat loves doors, cats, Cool Hand Luke, Daisy, dogs, each pet has their own personality, four dogs, pets, seven cats, Slinky, timid cat
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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.

Tags: Add new tag, big dog, Buttons, cats, Cheyenne, China, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dogs, ear infection, eight cats, four dogs, God, golden retriever, happy-go-lucky dog, Jasmine, menagerie, my daughter, my son, my wife, Pax, pets, Pumpkin, quiet laid back cat, rottweiler mix, Slinky, Sweetie, thank God, Tiger, Tilla, veterinarian
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