Fruitful Friday

[Junko Taibei in one of her favorite baskets]

This is the youngest of the cats. She's the puppy's best friend. She sleeps quite often on top of the cockatiel's cage, which blows everyone away. She washed up in a terrible rainstorm one night, about 8 weeks old. I thought I heard a crying outside, and the dogs ran to the door. When I opened it, there was this little tiny drowned rat looking baby huddled up against the storm door. Of course, I brought her in. The man of the house got THAT look on his face, and I said"Well, I can't leave her out there! She's wet and cold and hungry." He rolled his eyes, I fed her, and she's been firmly entrenched in the family ever since.

When I count my blessings, I always count my pets. (and that takes a while, lol). I used to have a little cocker spaniel named Sophie, she was all black and had cataracts as a result of birth defects from the mother being overbred. She was a beautiful little black dog, with the biggest heart in the world. I made the mistake of working for a veterinary office for one year...she was brought in by a rescue organization because nobody wanted her because she was about 75% blind. We never gave her that prissy cocker cut...she was always a little wooly bear, except for twice in the summer we'd shave her down short so the sticks and twigs wouldn't get all tangled up in her hair on our walks, and also because she got hot easy. She was the best dog I have ever had. She was with us for about 10 years, when she contracted a liver tumor and I had to take her in finally and have her put to sleep. I cried for days. The vet tried to talk me into letting them take her in the back, but I couldn't. The least I could do for my sick little dog was to stay with her til it was done. When I got hurt and was hospitalized for a couple of weeks, P said she wandered the hgouse every night looking for me. When I finally came home, hospital bed and all, she never left my side. All those months when I couldn't walk, she never abandoned me, and I wasn't about to abandon her now. When her little valiant spirit left her body, she was as light as a feather and felt like a ragdoll in my arms. I will never forget her, or that day, or any of it. I was a better person for having her in my life. I will always be grateful to the people who threw her away, and to the rescue folks who knew me from the office, and to God, for sending that little angel to me. Even now, 2 years later, I'm sitting here crying like a baby telling this. Sheesh...

Anyway, I am grateful to be an animal caretaker. I am grateful to have these guys teach me about unconditional love. (The dogs are all here, licking and nuzzling me when they heard me crying...the cats are looking in too , just to make sure everything's okay). I am grateful to be, as the little thing on my fridge says: "Caring for pets, and feeding wild birds in winter, makes us partners with God."

Enough for tonight.... Bless you all....