Good Bye Buddy

In the spring of 2006 I became acquainted with a little cat who didn't seem to have a home, but by the looks of the fat belly, plenty of neighbors were taking care of. Once a day the cat would find our house for a visit. I tried not to get attached to the cat as making him a part of our family was not possible because my husband has allergies. Being an adult, I felt that I could enjoy the cat and assured myself that I would enjoy the visits and that would be that.

I knew that the idea of not getting attached to this cat was impossible as soon as I found myself naming him (I called him "Buddy"), looking forward to the visits, calling the cat when I saw it, offering food on a few snowy days, playing, and giving hugs out. I knew that I was headed for a broken heart someday if Buddy was not part of my family, so it was time to end our relationship; that way he could break someone else's heart, not mine.

When the following spring came around I smiled as I saw a fat Buddy heading toward our house. I knew that Buddy had made it through the winter months, probably having found someone else take care of him. With warmer weather we saw each other once a day and it didn't take Buddy too much time to get the upper hand with wanting my time. Daily visits were started up again, with Buddy staying out on our back patio for hours sunning, sleeping, and looking into our patio doors meowing; it seemed liked forever. At this point I asked the husband with allergies if Buddy could become a part of our family, even though I knew the answer before asking it. After the conversation with my husband I had a talk with Buddy and he understood the situation, that finding a new place to hang out was something he needed to do.

Last week I was thinking that I hadn't seen Buddy for awhile and was wondering if the little fella was OK. I couldn't believe it when a few days later I watched Buddy out in our field having a good time catching mice. I opened the door and watched him for awhile. I didn't call out to Buddy as he was getting along fine without our visits.

This morning it all came crashing down on me as to how much this little fuzzball had weaseled his way into my heart. I went out to our car and realized that something was on our front porch. When I walked up I saw Buddy laying by our front door, unable to move. I immediately got my husband and, barely able to talk through my tears, explained what was going on. Avoiding a situation like this is why I distanced myself from Buddy, but now I'm right in the middle of it.

We checked Buddy out and knew that this cat need help so a call was made to the county animal shelter rescue line. Within an hour a man came out and put Buddy in a cage. He said that it looked like he got into something that made him sick and was going to transport him to the emergency veterinary clinic. I was a little relieved that he wasn't hit by a car or in an animal fight so now he has a chance.

I am telling myself that Buddy will get fixed up and be placed in a nice family home. That is the perfect ending for such a cute little guy. That is the story I will keep telling myself.

Good bye Buddy. Hope you have a good family to love on you. I'm so glad I got to know you.

Where's Grandma?

Now that Cara is walking she and I can play all sorts of new games. One favorite is peek-a-boo or where is Grandma? We have a lot of fun playing these games but as you can see Cara can quickly decide that something else might be more fun.

You Gotta Have Love

Cara is enjoying her new-found freedom with her ability to now walk. While Cara was walking around in a store, with us close by, she came upon a cute little boy that she couldn't resist visiting with. This video will show you how much Cara especially loves kids or babies and cannot wait to interact with them.

Hope you enjoy, too cute huh?

Walkie-Talkie

Our sweet granddaughter is growing up so fast and is enjoying new adventures each day. Cara is perfecting the art of walking, as you will see in the video. Not only can she now walk but she can carry a giant ball while doing so. As she defies the laws of gravity, if you listen carefully, you will hear her say ball and mom. Good job Cara!

Birthday Greetings

Opus and Roscoe, our grandcats, are having a birthday today! Belly up to the bar and help us celebrate.

Wishing the birthday boys the happiest of days, aren't they cute

Even though our grandcats are miles away we decided to have a party for their birthday. Our grandcats live in Italy and could not make it stateside for the fun. Sorry they couldn't be here.

The end of another birthday. Hope you boys had fun on your special day. Getting older sure takes a toll on one, rest up boys tomorrow is another day.

Many wishes from across the miles.

Lawn Walking 101

Visiting last week in Carasburg we had a day of perfect weather. Unable to pass up this opportunity, knowing that cooler weather is not too far away, we headed outside for some fun.



Cara has been walking for about three weeks and is learning all about the different factors that enter into staying on one's two feet. It's amazing how a little bump in the lawn will affect walking. I would say that she passed with flying colors!

That Gram I Am

I do not not like plain scrambled eggs.

I do not like them Gram I am!

I would not eat them here or there.

I would not eat them anywhere!

Try them, try them you will see,

I've added applesauce, for free

Try them, you might like them now!

You might like them now, and how!

Say I do now like these scrambled eggs.

I do like them Gram I am.

I will eat them here or there.

I will eat them anywhere!

Thanks Grandma! I do so like your scrambled eggs!!

Thank you.

While watching Cara one day this last week, I decided to make her some scrambled eggs for breakfast. After she took her first bite I realized immediately that she didn't like them. As you can see, the hands went to the mouth to prevent me from feeding her. Remembering tricks from the old days of me being a mom, I found some applesauce and added it to the eggs. The rest, as they say, is history and she enjoyed her breakfast with Grandma.

I want to take a moment to thank Dr. Seuss for his wonderful books and for giving me the idea for this post.

Elephants & Books

I have been visiting Cara and her folks for a few days. Cara and I had lots of fun play time and we were working on making videos so Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Danilo can see some of the fun we had while we were together.

The other evening I asked Cara what sound does an elephant make and she proceeded to make the correct noise. I guess my many months of making elephants sounds for her to hear paid off. The attention to the elephant, you will notice, quickly was replaced by her book. (Sorry for the tv background noise, it's The View for those of you who missed the show.)

Remember

I find September 11 to be a difficult day as I reflect on the events that unfolded on that terrible day six years ago. I was more fortunate than many as I had no relatives or friends die on 911. That one day changed not just the lives of Americans but affected the world as a whole.

As this terrible anniversary arrives I hope each of us will remember those who paid the ultimate price. Innocent people were in the wrong place at the wrong time and forever are gone.

8:35 am September 11, 2001 the first passenger jet flew into the north tower of The World Trade Center. Ninety-two passengers and crew were on that flight.

9:03 am the second jet flew into the south tower of The World Trade Center, killing 65 on that flight. The total number of death certificates filed by The New York City Health Department is 2,617 for the victims through January 25, 2002.

9:37 am a jetliner flew toward the western side of the Pentagon and exploded as it smashed through the building primarily on the first floor, killing 189 in all.

Flight 93 United Airlines crashed in Pennsylvania as passengers fought to regain control of the aircraft from terrorist hijackers, killing 45. Some believe that the hijacker's target was our nation's capital.

I am not sure if we will ever know the correct number of lives ended that day. I found while looking through different articles that the numbers were not always in agreement. Loosing one life from the evil acts of someone is one too many.

Whatever differences in politics, religion, or military views there may be, I hope you will take a few minutes to remember those who lost their lives six years ago today. I also hope that the victims families find some peace.

Labor Day Recap

Labor Day weekend was spent visiting with Scott and his family. I think of this holiday weekend as the last chance to enjoy summer and to work on a few projects that you want done before colder weather sets in.

All dressed and ready to head for the zoo .



Waking up Saturday morning to a cloudless bright blue sky and lower temperatures, we all decided that it was time to head for the zoo. This was the first trip to our children's zoo as grandparents, and it was such a joy sharing this time with Cara and her parents. As I walked through the zoo with Cara I couldn't help but remember the many times that I used to bring her father and aunt here when they were small children. She shares with her father and aunt the excitement of seeing these animals and touching some of them. She had fun feeding them, peeking in each cage, and looking around the corner to see what was next.

Grandpa holding Cara up so she had a better view of things.

The sea lion really liked coming up close and staying for a few minutes so Cara could get a good look at him.

On Sunday we stayed at our house, playing a lot and doing a little bit of work that needed to be done. Swimming, playing golf, walking, and a little construction work were on the schedule.

Grandpa put the pool on the screened-in porch to keep the bugs away and also filled up the pool with warm water so Cara wouldn't get too cold. Skinny dipping anyone?

Hitting the ball required some help. Cara would laugh each time the ball got hit with the club.

Helping Grandpa & Daddy tow away the greenhouse that was taken down.

(Safety Note: Tractor was not running when she was on it. Out of the picture are Grandma, Mommy, & Daddy standing close to make sure that Cara doesn't fall off.)

Guess Who's Walking?

Cara and her parents have been visiting us over the past few days. While they were here we got to witness Cara perfecting the art of walking. It seems that several days before they came up here she started taking a few steps. At our house walking became the thing to do; crawling is for babies you know.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Enjoy.




In the video, Cara is saying "baby, baby" and walking toward the camera because she loves pictures of "the baby" and wants to see the one on the camera's viewfinder screen!

Thanks guys for the nice visit and a special thank you to Scott for his help on an outside project!