A Man and His Cat ( Post Gout Attack)

You  may sing songs of a man and his dog,

 Companions in work and in play.

But consider a tale of a man and his cat

Together for hours each day.

The man is book-writing, his cat's in the way.

 She's hungry for notice, just won't let him be. 

 Fluff-Ums needs petting and now would be best. 

"Pet Fluffs, Sir, and I might just cease."

"Fluff-Ums, I'm busy, I'm writing," he grumps.

"I'll pet you when this chapter ends."

"Now," she says, " Now, I simply can't wait!

I thought you and I were best friends"

Fluff-ums attaches herself to his shirt.

A wet spot appears on his chest.

She's nursing for comfort, and smacking aloud,

When kitty needs solace, this man is the best.

They dream of a time when Fluff was quite small,

 An orphan who needed his care.

When life gets too hard, and the stress is too much,

Fluff knows that her man will be there.

If her man is dead tired, is hurt, or not well,

She's busily kneading his chest,

Repaying his kindnesses present and past.

  She's purring him better, then best.

Fan Season Almost Over -- Impending Cold Front

Pure truth, that!

Get ready to celebrate! Pack those fans away (OK, not too far away yet), because Mother Nature is sending us a gift this weekend. A cold front is on its way. Weather guy says nights will be in the 60's for a few blessed days. Not really too cool,though, he reports.

Hah! I'm cheering for a Blue Norther. I want a 30 degree drop in temperatures in a few minutes! I want it all! I'm willing to cover the gardens, willing to winterize the animals!

Fall has arrived; let's show off some fall temps, Please. I know heat will return, but thrill to the thought of steadily declining numbers until maybe the 70's in the day.

Come on home to Momma, cooler weather! My sister sent me some sweatshirts I'd love to try out!

Farmers Almanac Swimsuits / I Am Soooo Tired

I'm glowing like ladies do (not sweating); I think I could use one of those swimsuits pictured above! I changed into dry clothes and put the "dewy" ones in the wash as soon as my breath steadied down to normal. Gloriously cool out, but when you weed, shovel dirt, pick veggies, collect critter water bottles, and pick up recycled cans that were strewn all over the place, you raise that old heart rate.

Then walk a little with the dog! I'm logging my progress on Route 66 on the AARP site. Today I reached Springfield, Illinois. One mile credited for every minute of exercise logged in; the gardening counts too.

Has anyone out there developed an allergy to fire ants over time?  I know the stings are painful, but now they itch and swell, too. Took some store brand anti-histamine tablets. Waiting for my left palm to stop itching -- am I allergic or going to get some money (per superstition)? 

Be Careful What You Ask For (from Cats)

The porch cats did their Keystone Kats routine underfoot when we returned from the Brazos Writers meeting. Usually I think it's funny as they race about crashing into each other and the porch furniture, but tonight I glared at them and snarled. It was eleven P.M. and I had to sub for a teacher the next morning. I wanted my bed, they wanted fresh cat crunchies, not the stale crumbles in their dishes.

Soooo... I said," Why don't you supplement your food yourselves? Shouldn' t somebody teach the rest of you to hunt?" The two momma cats must have taken the advice to heart. Especially after I closed the front door.

On my way to their food dishes this morning, I saw something like a hairball atop a storage box, except it wasn't exactly like that. I leaned over for a closer look. Hmmm. Soggy,furry, disheveled looking....

I sucked in a gust of air and jerked my hand back.  I identified dainty pink feet and a naked tail just before I poked at it. Three-quarters of a mouse,  proof  that the hunting lessons had begun. The cats "Keystoned" their way to the food dishes and chowed down eagerly. Who needs rodents when you have crunchers!

I praised their mouse-catching, in case the cats could hear me over the crunching. I left it in place though; maybe they'll snack on it later. Besides, varmint disposal is a manly job. Art can make much of  them  again when he does the rodent removal. I don't want to cheat the cats from their due.