Trick or Treat?

Take a couple of bags of candy for yourself and leave the other 48 bags for the rest of the kids. There’s all kinds of candy in each little bag.

Tonight I’ll be wearing this as I answer the door. I found it in a consignment shop, brand new and for much much less than it originally sold for.

If I show up at your house tonight and say, Trick or Treat, what do I get?

OUCH!

Thank goodness I had prepared yesterday’s post early Sunday morning, else wise, there wouldn’t have been one.

Sunday afternoon Mr. Pop and I decided we should do a test run on the new hurricane accordion shutters that were recently installed. Should a hurricane approach they will protect the alcove at the entrance to our home. The shutters are hung on either side of the entrance and they hang from a track overhead. When it’s time to use them all we do is screw in the lower track to the floor area and pull the shutters together and lock them.

So Sunday, we installed the track on the floor of the entrance. The next step was to pull the two accordion pieces together to lock them shut. I was sitting on the floor and looking to see if the track was clear of all projections from the installation screws. I told Mr. Pop not to pull the shutters together as I had my fingers in the track. Since he was on the other side of the shutters, he didn’t hear me and forcefully pulled the shutters together.

The next thing he heard was my scream of “NO!”. But it was too late and my index finger on my right hand was cut all to hell. There was blood all over my hand and I saw stars. Damn, it hurt so much. No stitches were needed but between the cut and the bruise, my right hand is basically out of commission for a while. I am typing this like a beginner typist (very slowly) and using my computer mouse is almost impossible. My left hand doesn’t know the mouse the way my right one does. So posts for the next couple of days will be shorter but hopefully sweeter. I’ll be back to visiting and commenting on your site as soon as I can. As Fred the Cat would say, right now this human has one super sore paw.

Halloween Tricks?

Halloween is approaching. Let’s think back a second. Did you ever commit a Halloween “Trick”? Egg a house? TP-a house? What did you do?

Full disclosure here, I never did any of those things because I was such a scardie cat. I was afraid of my own shadow on Halloween. As a kid, Halloween ranked at the bottom of my favorite holidays list.

One more reason that Felines Rule

I hear a lot about dogs being so, so smart. Ha!

The other day Mr. Pop took Murphy the Dog out on the leash and while Murphy was sniffing around, Mr. Pop decided to pull up some little weeds that were growing where they shouldn’t. He was pulling up the weeds and tossing them in a pile to be picked up later. After he had pulled up several he turned around and saw Murphy trying to eat the discarded weeds. Murphy never eats grass but since Mr. Pop had tossed something, Murphy thought it must be food. Fortunately Mr. Pop stopped Murphy before he swallowed any of it.

A human throws something on the ground and a dog automatically thinks that something must be eatable? Never will you find a cat that will do something that dumb. We cats may not be Mensa members, but we aren’t fruitcakes either.

Here’s what a cat does. A cat rumples up a little rug so that when Pop comes in with the container to fill the food bowl, she trips on the rug and spills about ten cups of dry cat food all over the floor. I’m telling you guys, it works every time. No matter how fast your human can move, you’ll get to eat a whole lot of kibbles before they can clean it all up.

So you tell me, who’s smarter, felines or canines?

Have a wonderful weekend and tell someone that you love them

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys)

Someone very Special to me

He has taught me how to calm down when I would too often get hot under the collar.
He has taught me to choose my battles wisely.
He has taught me to appreciate Mother Nature even more than I already did.
He has taught me that together we can get through anything.
He has taught me to laugh just as much as I can.
He has made me to feel safe and secure when I thought I couldn’t
He has come to my aid when I needed help most.
He understands my weaknesses and accepts me for who I am.
And best of all he has made me feel sincerely loved and valued for the first time in my life.

Twenty one years ago today I said, “I do”, to him. And now, twenty one years later, I would do it all over again. I love you Mr. Pop!

Happy Anniversary to my Sweetheart!

Calling out a prick and in this case, the prick is me

Monday night I was fresh and clean from my shower, sitting at the island in the kitchen enjoying a lovely, ice cold, Mr. Pop-made-martini. The kitchen was awash in the aromas of spaghetti sauce and toasting homemade garlic bread. Murphy the Dog and Fred the Cat were contentedly snoozing. I turned to Mr. Pop and said, “Damn, I wish the weather would cool down a little.

Then I turned to the TV and saw the horror stories about the fires in California. That’s when I realized what a prick I was being for sitting there in all that comfort and complaining about the weather being too warm for my liking. Meanwhile, thousands of people in California were literally running for their lives.

My mood changed considerably as I reflected on the times after the hurricanes when I felt things would never be normal again, but eventually they were. I feel so bad for the people who have lost their homes in these fires because I don’t know how long it will be, if ever, before things will be so normal for them again that they will forget to appreciate the normalcy, like I did for a moment Monday night.

Please take a suggestion from this self-recognized prick. If your life is fairly normal right now, take a couple of moments just to simply acknowledge and appreciate that.

Wildfire Hell

By now we have all watched the horrible scenes as California burns. Anyone who lives in that area please know that I am thinking of you and hoping like hell that you are spared the flames. Whether the homes are gazillion dollar mansions, or tiny hovels, they are home to someone and the loss has to be heartbreaking.

About ten years ago a wildfire broke out just a couple of miles from my home. We watched on TV as homes burned to the ground without a firefighter in sight. News helicopters showed house after house going down in flames. We weren’t close enough to be afraid but we were close enough to be alarmed at the helplessness of the firefighters. See, at that time there were no city water lines here and everyone got their water via a pump. When the electric goes off, pumps do not work.

After what seemed forever they brought in a firefighting plane that brought gallons and gallons of water from the river and dumped that water on the flames. That plane was the salvation of many of the homeowners in that area.

Thank goodness most everyone has city water lines today, but that day when they needed them most, they didn’t.

To bring this post to an end, here’s a comment by Glenn Beck yesterday.
"I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today."

(quote source)

Who’s Jesus’ BFF?

I’m lovin’ watching the Republican candidates for president talk/argue about who loves Jesus the most and who is the most conservative. While the rest of the country is screaming at the top of their lungs to get us out of this damned war in Iraq and return our country to some sort of responsible governance, these guys are not talking about the war at all. Instead they are talking about which of them is Jesus’ *BFF.

Fred Thompson said that if he is elected as President of the United States he would spend his first hour in the oval office praying. Hell, if that dumb bastard gets elected even the atheists will be praying and with good reason. The idea of Fred Thompson being president, reminds us all that yes, things could get worse.

If it wasn’t so freakin’ serious, it would be humorous.

*(Texting messaging shorthand for Best Friend Forever)

Fred the Cat exposes Pop

Let me tell you guys what has been going on here with Pop at Casa de Pop. You probably haven’t seen her on the web as much this past week and I’m going to let the proverbial feline out of the paper container.

You may not know this about her but she actually enjoys cleaning house. I know, I worry about her mental health too. Anyway, this week she has been doing what she calls fall cleaning. I mean, did she just make that up or what?

She has cleaned her kitchen from floor to ceiling. Okay, she does have a large kitchen by Florida standards so I’ll cut her some slack for it taking her so long. She even banned me from that room during this cleaning fit she had. Didn’t make me a bit happy when she made that heartless decision.

So now, as she says, her kitchen is spic and span. Everything is all clean and shiny. Myself being a cat, I can see great potential for me to have some feline fun once that door opens. Can a cat be sued for damages? Think I’m gonna need a lawyer? Nah, I’ll just blame it on the dog.

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to hug your Honeys
Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys)

World War III?

Bush, speaking about Iran at yesterday’s press conference.

"So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," said Bush.”

Who are these “people” he said this to and what did they say?

Why in the world, while we are still up to our asses in war in Iraq and Afghanistan, would he even mention WW III? Who would start World War III?
Has he lost what little mind he had? Doesn’t he realize that to many this may sound like a threat? Maybe it is.

(quote source)

Just Murphy and Me

Yesterday morning Mr. Pop took Murphy the Dog to the groomer. Murphy no longer gets all the fancy trims and everything, he’s decided he’s too old to look all prissy. About noon Murphy came home all clean and smelling sweet. While he was away I washed his cushion cover so it was just as clean as he was and waiting for him to return.

Murphy took a little nap. Being shampooed and blown dry can be tiring for an old guy. After his nap I tuned out the electric world and he and I went for a little stroll around the yard. Me in my usual around the house clothes and Murphy in his new Halloween bandana the groomer had given him.

During our walk we saw a black racer (harmless snake) slithering through the decorative grasses looking for yummy lizards to serve as his snack. We saw a peacock butterfly that lit on the mud in the ditch and was drawing water from the mud. We saw a mockingbird and an ibis too.

By now my old dog was looking rather bored with nature and once again a bit tired. We came inside and he headed for this clean cushion with a look on his face that said he had some plans for another serious nap.

This morning as he naps once again, I thought I would tell you about our trip, and I just did. Because of Murphy’s age, I don’t know how many more strolls we might have together but I do know we had one very nice one yesterday, just Murphy and me.

Notes in the desk

From this article in Vanity Fair we learn that recent United States presidents have left a note in their desk in the oval office addressed to the president who will succeed them. This began with Ronald Reagan when he wrote, "Don't let the turkeys get you down!" Bush Sr. left Bill Clinton a note saying he would be “rooting” for him.

Next year will be bush’s turn to write such a note. What’s he going to write?

***
Speaking of notes, on a serious and sincere note, I want to thank all of you for your comments every day and especially yesterday. You made me feel that I wasn’t alone and you also understood. I feel like we had a group cyber session and the results were very positive. Thank you!

The changing values I mentioned yesterday had nothing to do with anything political. It was more about what I found to be important in my life and how some of the things I used to treasure, I see now as just “stuff”. It seems a whole lot easier these days to shed some of that stuff and focus on the real true and honored treasures of my life.

In a funk

I find myself in a funk lately. My values seem to be changing as I grow older. Should they? Is that normal?

Fred the Cat finds it Ironic

This strikes me as funny and ironic too. Some of the silly human beings in our neighborhood will pay a lawn care company to mow and manicure their lawn, then those same humans will go to a gym and pay for a membership so they can get some exercise.

Human beings slay me!

Just for the record, here at the casa de Pop, Mr. Pop does all the lawn work and goes to the gym as well. He’s such a human Dude!

***

CONGRATULATIONS, Vice President Al Gore. You won the Nobel Peace Prize and this can’t be taken away from you by the Supreme Court. You're a hell of a human being!

Have a great weekend and kiss someone who has been sweet to you.

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys)

Iraqis caught between US and them

Other than the military’s invasion of Iraq, could our government have done anything worse than allowing security firms, unfettered by laws or rules, to run roughshod over the Iraqis?

Imagine all hell breaking loose in your neighborhood and instead of the police being called in to help, one of these security firms shows up and takes over, unfettered by laws or rules. What would you do?

Life Comes at you Fast

The top photo is of a mushroom in my front yard the day it spread itself out for view.
The bottom picture is that same mushroom 24 hours later.

Grab today and hold on to every minute of it. Sometimes 24 hours can make major changes in the way things look.

Fred Thompson makes his debate debut tonight

What are the odds that old Fred Thompson will make it through the Republican debate tonight without looking like an uninformed fool?

This will be his first presidential debate and this one will focus primarily on the economy. I doubt that is one of Fred’s best subjects. Come to think of it, does he have a best subject?

Steppin’ out with my baby

We went out yesterday to run some errands. On the way home, not far from our house, we saw these two beauties. Two Sandhill Cranes steppin’ out and taking a lovely Sunday afternoon stroll.

This is why you should never leave home without your camera. We pulled over to the side of the road, I grabbed my camera from my purse, put my window down and shot these pictures as they walked by.

Mother Nature brings you wonderful surprises if you keep an eye out for them.

Fred the Cat’s Wish List

As a feline I usually don’t pay a lot of attention to holidays and such, but this year I want to ask Santa Pop for a special present for Christmas. I found this and if it’s made of Cosmic catnip, I want it. I want it a whole lot.

Have a great weekend and hug your honeys for me

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys)

Tit for Tat, a waste

The Republicans were like children at a free cupcake party when the MoveOn ad came out asking if the General was going to betray us. A whole bunch of the them grabbed copies of the ad and searched for a camera that was rolling. Then they wasted time and money to be sure the ad was condemned. Many Democrats joined in the choir singing, We’re so freakin’ appalled that we can’t get our breath.

Now we have the comments by Rush Limbaugh. Many Democrats are now at their own free cupcake party. They want something done about Limbaugh. They want their tat for the Republican’s tit. I refuse to give that worthless bastard that much power. He’s a radio talk show host, nothing else.

How about everyone forget this sort of gotcha behavior and concentrate on what really counts. How about we ignore those tit for tat arguments and instead join forces to get our country back. Let’s all enjoy free speech and respect one another’s right to it. If the soldiers and vets want to go after Rush, let them go at him with all they have. I think our time would be better spent working to see that our soldiers get to come home and stay there.

Here’s some Irony for You

Chris Matthews called in to the Morning Joe show on MSNBC yesterday to talk about his new book. Matthews made a strong point that it is so important for politicians and others to “listen” to what people have to say.

If you have ever watched Chris’ show you know the one thing he almost never does is “listen” to what his guest have to say. Most times he is too busy interrupting them to even think about listening to their thoughts.

Chris saying people should listen to one another is about like george bush saying people should speak clearly and distinctly to one another.

Frustration Fatigue

I confess, I think I have frustration fatigue. I am frustrated with my country in general and with this administration primarily. The war in Iraq rolls on as does the one in Afghanistan. Now the drums are beating about Iran.

In my own life if I were dealing with two missions that were failures, I would not start a third one. That would be so irresponsible and ignorant.

Will the US strike or invade Iran? I don’t know and that is one more reason for the frustration. We know it would be unthinkable for our troops and yet we know it hasn’t been ruled out. That should make all of us frustrated.

I’m just tired of knowing what should be right and yet also knowing that, that has no influence on what will be.

Mother Nature, Chicken Wings and Football

Remember the photo I showed you here (Sept. 11) of the house on the edge of the ocean? Yesterday we had constant wind out of the east at about 30mph at the beach. The waves were around eight to ten feet high. This combination of wind and waves stacked the water up at the shore. As you can see from Mr. Pop’s photo above, the Atlantic was disturbed and raging.

We wanted to go back to the beach and see how the house was doing. We drove out there but the parking lot I stood in to take the original photo was closed due to waves pushing water into the parking lot and flooding it with water and sand. There was no way to get to see what was happening to the house, but I don’t think it was good.

After we left the beach we cruised to a local sports bar and watched my Dallas Cowboys kick a little football butt while eating chicken wings. Life can be good, this time of year.