New Kid in Town

After six months, Miss Holly has decided her new home is a-okay.

The Cat That Climbed the Christmas Tree

Every year Christmas brings a sense of wonder, anticipation and excitement to children of all ages and species. There is nothing like kitten curiosity when they discover Christmas decorations for the first time. Charley was kind enough last night to allow me to chronicle her experiences below.

Let me just check this out a little bit!

I just can't help myself!

Yes, the tree branches can hold more than five pounds of feline.
Was there any doubt?

Oops...what have I gotten myself into?!?!

Yum!

Scaling to new heights! This would be Mount Santa Claus.

Feline excitement was running so high that even an innocent
bystander (aka this photographer) had to observe
at her own risk.

For some, the Magic of Christmas may not be so new, but all it takes is a little peer pressure to succumb to their inner elf kitty.

Looks more like inner jungle cat. This can't feel or taste good,
but he still does it every year.

Then there are the old pros who are totally unimpressed with all the Christmas fuss. They purr-fer simple shoe boxes.

I love everything about the Christmas tree so much.
You made this spot just for me, right?

Ahhh, Christmas exploration really wears a girl out!


Maybe she will finally stay off my dining room table now.

Each morning I breathe a sigh of relief when I walk downstairs and see the Christmas tree still standing.

Old Friends

Tragedy almost struck in the Williams household last week. Sweet, sweet Molly, my quiet and constant companion for almost 15 years, became deathly ill on Thursday.

Just as with Ginger in the past, I had my moment(s) of panic when the vet explained the meaning of her test results over the phone. My mind went instantly to the thought of not having her around every day. My Molly -- the furry alarm clock that pulls the sheets down from over my head and tries to entice me out of bed to feed her in the mornings -- not here anymore? Admittedly, the tears flowed.

I can only imagine the pain of such a loss. A loss my friends, Kara and Andre, are feeling right now with the news that their beloved dog, Zoee, is no more. A loss that is inevitable.

It is funny how these little furry creatures enter your life and grab hold of that tender place in your heart reserved for only the dearest souls. You find yourself doing things you never thought imaginable. Like sitting at the vet hospital for more than an hour on a Friday evening trying to get your kitty to eat...anything, please...just to keep up her strength because the vet says she does the best when you are there. Or giving up all your plans on a holiday weekend for Cat Watch 2009 after she comes home from the hospital. Well, of course, I have to. I want to. After all, we are old friends.

Molly is home and on the mend. We have skirted another feline catastrophe for now. And while we are not out of the woods just yet, we are very glad to be back at home recovering. That is, if you measure happiness by the volume of kitty purring.

Where has the time gone?

So, I'm sailing along minding my own business with my nice little life. I go to sign into my blog. And what do I find? It has been a month since my last blog. A month! Where did the time go? It doesn't seem like that long since my last blog. Upon reflection of my comings and goings during those 30 days to see exactly how I've accounted for my time, I've made a few observations.

First, I am on the tail end (hopefully) of a very LONG lesson in patience. My friend, Heather, always says that God gives you the same lesson over and over again until you learn it. Well, for me that would be patience. (My mother would be the first to agree with this statement.) This whole year so far has been an exercise in exercising patience, but the last four weeks have been the most intense and excruciating. I think I get it, in fact I know I get it. Now I'm ready to move on to another area that needs improvement. Please. Thanks, God, for listening.

Speaking of improvements, I'm in the midst of a semi-major home improvement project. In fact, I've become the Picasso of room painting, transforming my guest bedroom and study. Secretly, I have an itching to redo my bedroom, but we won't go there just yet. It is kinda therapeutic to be in an empty room with a paint brush and your thoughts. It gives you time to reflect and adjust your attitude if your attitude needs adjusting. Although, I suggest that you use caution when moving furniture, as objects can be heavier than they appear and can thus cause injury to your otherwise perfectly working joints and limbs. I'm just saying...

And my final thought would be that you never really know what you have until you lose it or almost lose it. I can apply this to so many levels of my life, but my most recent experience occurred just 10 days ago when I came downstairs one night to find a trail of blood through my kitchen and living room. I was panic-stricken to find my baby girl, Ginger, bleeding and in pain. After a frantic run to the emergency vet clinic and a sleepless night of waiting for her to calm down long enough to give the doctor a urine sample (nine hours of high drama for the vet assistants to be exact), Ginger was diagnosed with a kidney infection.

Now some may say that Ginger is just a cat, but to me she is a member of the family, a 15-year member. She is older than many of my nieces and nephews and has been with me through college, law school, the bar exam, friend and family deaths, both Bush administrations, countless boyfriends, true love, and probably a dozen moves. I can tell her anything. She knows all my secrets and loves me unconditionally.

My head tells me that, at 15 years old, she won't live forever. But my heart can't imagine not finding her on my bed each morning purring. My eyes tear up even thinking about it. So I can't and I won't. All is good right now. We are on the mend, even feeling well enough play like a kitten again. So today is a good day for I am thankful for modern veterinary medicine and speedy recoveries. And will even forgive that hair ball left for me on my pillow.

Ginger on the mend

Introducing the Cast and Crew

Now for the first time, making their world wide web debut. It's the one. It's the only. Three Amigos! They are the furry, fun and fabulous feline trio.

First up is Ginger. She's a saucy red-head, with the temper to match, who likes cuddling close on the couch and biting. Miss Priss welcomes any opportunity to be carried instead of walking herself (who can blame her at her age). Try as I might I am unable to convince her that she is not human.

Next is Molly. She is a super sweet blue-eyed beauty and a bit of a loner. Molly is obsessed with the food bowl and doubles as an early morning alarm clock (usually to tell me that the food bowl is empty). Molly's occupation is professional napper.

Last but not least, there's Willie, a.k.a. The Boy, a.k.a. Buddy. Willie is the youngest of the crew and the token male, who as such is like a bull in a china shop. He relishes the role of little brother and laps up any and all offers to be pampered. Super lazy comes to mind.