They are still here. Shiro, the white Persian, and her big brother Gallahad. I think they love it here. They have everything they need and throw in a maid at their beck and call, and life couldn’t be better for them. I’m learning about their personalities as well.
Shiro is the princess or so she thinks! She loves anything that smells sweet and wonderful but that doesn’t stop her from cavorting in the litter box! She uses that box about 10 times a day! A little much? Tell me about it. I’m the one with the scooper keeping things clean and some days it is exhausting. She is also the ringleader. The “macho” pants are on, she got them off Chachi and is wearing them with pride. The little Shiro is also a drama queen. If she doesn’t like something, she lets it be known. The meows kick in and she doesn’t stop until I say, “Enough!” Most days, she is my companion. What happened to Chachi? Well, he not only gave up his macho pants, he is content sleeping the day away and keeping his distance from her!
Galahad is the guy who is all about the food. His life revolves around food. The minute he sees me, his high-octane purring takes off. It is not because he is happy to see me or that he loves me, maybe a little of both, but because he sees “food” flashing past his eyes. You wouldn’t believe the number of kisses I get from Mr. Roly Poly. It stops when he has achieved his goal. Yes, he plays me like a well-worn fiddle! He has grown close to my heart and I will miss him royally.
Chachi is getting used to them. His world revolves around them now. Some days he has a hissy fit and on other days he watches them like a hawk. Galli is his best buddy. Shiro is his arch rival. He still shows his tiny teeth whenever he walks past her. Lately, he is reeling that in. Shiro is the smart one. She wants to take his place so she PRETENDS to like him. My poor little guy doesn’t stand a chance but I know that it will never happen. Replacing him is an impossible thing to do but he doesn’t know it. So he watches her and when she snuggles up to me, I hear a growl coming from the little guy.
Here’s the thing. They were supposed to go back to daddy, my son, at the end of this month. My son has moved in to his new apartment. It was a stressful time. It still is. He is doing his business trips as well. After the move, he was off to a city in Germany for a week. He is back now but off again next week for another week. I asked, “What happens when the cats get there and you have to be gone for a week or more?” He says, “I’ll ask a colleague to look after them.” Not sure about that but we’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. Now, I find out that the cats can only be there on the 15th of August because his dad has more important things to do!
I don’t mind watching over them. They are sweet and cute albeit a handful at times. Chachi loves the company and I’m getting used to their ways. However, I need a break so they need to go. I know that Chachi will miss them as well and he will be back to being the ONE and ONLY!
Donald Trump wanted to paint the White House. He called three contractors to ask for their quotes.
The Chinese man offered 3 million dollars. The European, 7 million. The Indian, 10 million.
Trump asked the Chinese man: “How did you quote 3 million dollars?” The Chinese man replied: “One million dollars for paint, one million dollars for labor, and one million dollars for profit.”
Trump asked the European. He replied: “3 million dollars in paint, 2 million in labor, and 2 million dollars in profit.”
Trump asked the Indian. He replied: “Four million for you. Three million for me. And we’ll give three million to the Chinese guy and ask him to do the painting.”
When Forest Gump died, he stood in front of St. Peters at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said “welcome, Forest. We’ve heard a lot about you. “he continued, Unfortunately, it getting pretty crowded up here and we find that we now have to give people an entrance examination before we let them in.”
“Okay, said Forest. “I hope it’s not too hard. I’ve already been through a test. My momma used to say, “Life is like a final exam. It’s hard.”
“Yes, Forest, I know. But this test is only three questions. Here they are.”
1) Which two days of the week begin with the letter ‘T’?”
2) How many seconds are in a year?
3) What is God’s first name?
“Well, sir,” said Forest, “The first one is easy. Which two days of the week begin with the letter ‘T’? Today and Tomorrow.” St. Peter looked surprised and said, “Well, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but you have a point. I give you credit for that answer.”
“The next question, said Forest, “How many seconds are in a year? Twelve.”
“Twelve?” said St Peter, surprised and confused.
“Yes, sir. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd …” St. Peter interrupted him. “I see what you mean. I’ll have to give you credit for that one, too.” “And the last question,” said Forest, “What is God’s first name? It is Andy.”
“Andy?” said St. Peter, in shock. “How did you come up with ‘Andy’?” “I learned it in church. We used to sing about it.” Forest broke into song, “Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own.”
St. Peter opened the gate to heaven and said “Run, Forest, Run!”
Paddy and Mick are two Irishmen working at the local sawmill.
One day, Mick slips and his arm gets caught and severed by the big bench saw. Paddy quickly puts the limb in a plastic bag and rushes it and Mick to the local hospital.
Next day, Paddy goes to the hospital and asks after Mick. The nurse says, “Oh he’s out in Rehab exercising”.
Paddy couldn’t believe it, but there’s Mick out the back exercising his now re-attached arm. The very next day he’s back at work in the saw mill.
A couple of days go by, and then Mick slips and severs his leg on another bloody big saw.
So Paddy puts the limb in a plastic bag and rushes it and Mick off to Hospital..
Next day he calls in to see him and asks the nurse how he is.. The nurse replies, “He’s out in the Rehab again exercising”.
And sure enough, there’s Mick out there doing some serious work on the treadmill. And very soon Mick comes back to work.
But, as usual, within a couple of days he has another accident and severs his head.
Wearily Paddy puts the head in a plastic bag and transports it and Mick to hospital.
Next day he goes in and asks the nurse how Mick is. The nurse breaks down and cries and says, “He’s dead.”
Paddy is shocked, but not surprised. “I suppose the saw finally did him in.”
“No”, says the nurse, “Some idiot put his head in a plastic bag and he suffocated.
Last year, I started out on this journey of self-discovery looking for better ways to deal with emotional ups and downs, getting myself back on track, and taking the path unknown. It has been a long journey and I’ve made my mistakes along the way and I knew I would. I’ve fallen and picked myself back up and moved on trying not to look back at closed doors or staying there for too long. Along the way, I had to put this into practice.
“The past is where you learned the lesson. The future is where you apply the lesson, don’t give up in the middle.” Unknown
Honestly, I wanted to give up many times when the going got tough. At times, I thought I didn’t have the courage or the energy to keep moving forward. The finish line was somewhere in the distance and I wondered if I would ever see it. However, I had to have faith and to believe that as long as I kept moving forward, it would show up sooner or later.
“Sometimes life has to turn you upside down, so you can learn how to live more right side up.” Unknown
I am learning that not everything is going to break me. Even though it seems that way at times. Stepping back and seeing it for what it is usually brings more clarity to the whole picture. Taking a deep breath before I tackle the problem has helped me to focus on the problem at hand and not on things I make up in my head. I have a tendency to blow things up making them seem harder than they are. I have learned that problems crop up, it is a part of life. Learning to deal with them is needed and doing it with a clear head, courage, and focus has helped me to overcome and to solve problems as they show up.
“I’ve learned 3 lessons this year, to leave people where they are at, accept situations for what they are and that not every action needs a reaction.” Unknown
That last part was and is the hardest for me. I think or rather believe that every action needs a reaction. I am learning that sometimes that action could be no reaction at all. It speaks more than a thousand words could say and leaving it where it belongs, somewhere in the past is action enough.
It has helped to calm my soul, to move on without looking back, and to accept it for what it is. A problem that can’t be solved and so I LET IT BE.
I haven’t written much lately because I’ve been up to my neck with the three that take up my time and my energy!
Shiro, Galli, and Chachi are a handful. They run the roost and although Chachi, my guy, started out as the boss, he has turned it over to the other two. He is happy spending his days under the stairwell and sleeping his day away. Shiro, the white Persian is the ma’am and she dictates how everything goes. Galli, the long-haired British cat, is the observer and the thinker.
Together, they are a team. A brother and sister twosome. They look out for each other, they are very close and it shows. Unfortunately, this doesn’t set too well with Chachi, the little macho. Shiro has shown Chachi who wears the pants around here and even though he hates it, he has given up and keeps out of her way. She, Shiro, spends most of her time in my bedroom pretending to be asleep but in actuality she is watching everything I do! She loves it when I spray some scent on her. She is a GIRL and there is no mistaking it. Galli is the food guy. He waits around and whenever I head to the kitchen, he is right behind me with the Oliver Twist line, “Please, sir, I want some more.” It was driven by unbearable hunger but in Galli’s case, it doesn’t matter if he is hungry or not, he just wants food!
Lately, I’ve been observing the two and it is amazing how they interact with each other. Every time Shiro meows, Galli comes running to see what is going on. He is her knight in shining armor. This morning, she wasn’t feeling too well so when she finally got up and went to get some food, Galli came walking up to her and gave her a small kiss on her cheek and she returned it. I wanted to gather the little guy in my arms and to smother him with kisses! He is a sweetheart.
They will be gone in a month’s time and I must say, I will miss them. I won’t miss the work and the early morning meowing but I will miss having them around. I bet Chachi will too.
I am learning that I LOVE cats! They are beautiful creatures and there is much you can learn from them if you open your mind to them.
A Highway Patrol Officer pulled over a little old lady for going 10mph on the highway.
As he walked up to the old lady’s car he noticed there were 3 other elderly folks looking very frightened and rigid.
He leaned down to the old lady’s window and noticed she was as calm as could be.
“Do you know why I pulled you over, Ma’am?”
“No, I do not,” she replied sweetly.
“You were going 10mph on the highway. That’s a serious hazard for other drivers.”
The officer couldn’t help but glance at the three terrified passengers.
The little old lady pointed at the sign nearby. “Isn’t the speed limit 10?”
The officer looked at the sign and laughed. “Ma’am, that’s the sign telling you which highway you’re on. Interstate 10.”
The little old lady burst out in a fit of giggles. “Oh, I’m sorry!”
The officer decided it was an honest mistake and was going to let her go. But curiosity got the better of him. “Can I ask why your passengers are so scared?”
The little old lady laughed again. “Probably because I just got off Interstate 175.”
I saw this online and I never expected the ending! It cracked me up. Enjoy.
Every morning, the CEO of a major bank in Manhattan went to the corner where a shoeshine man was always there.
He used to sit on the chair, read the Wall Street Journal, and the shoeshine man gave his shoes a shiny, great look.
One morning, the shoeshine man asks the CEO: “What do you think of the stock market situation?”
The CEO arrogantly asks him: “Why are you so interested in this subject?”
The shoeshine man replies: “I have 20 million dollars deposited in your bank and I am thinking about investing part of the money in the stock market.”
The CEO of the bank asks: “What is your name?”
He replies: “John Smith H.”
The CEO arrives at the bank and asks the Manager of the Major Accounts Department: “Do we have a customer named John Smith H.?”
He replies: “We certainly do, sir! He is an extremely esteemed customer! He has 20 million dollars in his account.”
The CEO leaves the bank, approaches the shoeshine boy, and says: “Mr. Smith, I would like to invite you to be our guest of honor at our board meeting next Monday and tell us your life story. I’m sure we will have a lot to learn from you.”
At the board meeting, the CEO introduces him to the board members: “We all know Mr. Smith, who makes our shoes shine like no one else. But Mr. Smith is also our valued customer, with twenty million dollars in his account.
I invited him to tell us the story of his life. I’m sure we can learn a lot from him. Please, Mr. Smith, tell us your life story.”
Then, Mr. Smith began to narrate his story: “I came to this country thirty years ago as a young immigrant from Eastern Europe and with an unpronounceable name. I left the ship penniless in my pocket.
The first thing I did was to change my name to Smith.
I was hungry and exhausted. I started to wander in search for a job, but without success.
Suddenly, I found a coin on the sidewalk. I bought some apples.
I had two options: eat the apples and quench my hunger or start a business. I sold the apples for 50 cents and bought more apples with the money.
When I started accumulating dollars, I managed to buy a set of used brushes and shoe polishes and started cleaning shoes.
I didn’t spend a dime on fun or clothes. I only bought bread and cheese to survive.
I saved penny by penny and after a while I bought a new set of brushes and shoe polishes in different shades and colors and increased my clientele.
I lived like a monk and saved every penny. I managed to buy a chair so that my customers could sit comfortably while I cleaned their shoes, which brought me more customers.
I didn’t spend a dime on the pleasures of life. I kept saving every penny.
A few years ago, when the corner shoeshine colleague decided to retire, I had already saved enough money to buy his point, which was a better place than mine.
Finally, 3 months ago, my drug dealer brother passed away and left me 20 million dollars.
Dare I say it without jinxing something that is on the way? I’ll go ahead and do it because I can’t keep it to myself anymore!
The “light at the end of the tunnel” is a classic idiom that signals something positive is about to happen. There are four different takes according to one source.
The Realistic Approach:
“The light at the end of the tunnel is just the light of an oncoming train.” James Russell Lowell
The Empowered Approach:
“I stopped waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel and lit that b**ch up myself.”
The Pessimistic Approach:
“The good news is the tunnel has an end. The bad news is more tunnels before it.”
The Absurdist Approach: “When life gives you lemons, at least you know you are out of the tunnel.”
Hmm….where does my news fit in? I don’t really know but here goes. Some of you who read my posts on a daily basis know that I have two temporary residents who have moved in for about six months. They are Shiro, a Persian cat, and Gallahad, a long-haired British variety. They took up residence about a month ago and life hasn’t been the same ever since! They belong to my son and since he has started a new job and pets are not allowed in his current apartment, his only choice was to leave them with me.
A month later, I am ready to throw up my hands and to give up! It’s not that they are not cute and sweet. They are all of those things and more. However, they require a lot of time, energy, and looking after. Not only that, they think they’ve moved into a 5 star resort and “demands” are at the top of their list. No longer satisfied with the cheap stuff their daddy (my son) used to feed them, they want top-notch and nothing less! They have a maid (me) who is at their beck and call and if that’s not enough, they want a play buddy as well. Chachi, (my little guy) loves and hates them. So, they have to be separated at intervals, this approach seems to be working but it is taking a toll on me.
The news I am about to tell you couldn’t have come at a better time. My son, who I am very proud of, not only landed his dream job but has gone on to secure a much bigger apartment. This is next to impossible in a city where apartments are very expensive and they get grabbed up as soon as they appear. Anyway, he went to look at the apartment, talked to the owner, asked intelligent questions I presume, and snapped it up! He got the call the same day and was offered the place if he wanted it. A roomy place with a built-in kitchen with all the amenities. The best part, they accept cats! A dream come true? He thinks so.
Now comes the part of signing the contract, giving up the old one, moving his stuff in and maybe, just maybe, the cats are out of here in about two months! He’ll be happy to have them back, I’ll be happy to have my life back although I will miss them, and Chachi, the little macho, will be king of the castle again.
I’ll take a different approach. “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”
