Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Wednesday January 13, 2010

It's been a day of laughing a lot. First, I started reading a book by an author that I normally wouldn't be caught dead with. She's cashing in on the latest craze of demons and magic, and I was given the set of 3 books to read by someone who reads that kind of stuff all the time. Now, this writer is a romance writer, and a VERY prolific one at that. I don't know why I am such a snob about this stuff. This woman has written over 150 books. I have written, well...none. Anyway, I was laughing to myself about the absurdity of me even worrying about what I read. I am a voracious reader and will pretty much read anything that isn't nailed down. I have been like this all my life. And this stuff is really vaguely interesting. So....


I have been entertained by all these animals at my house all day today. I've had cats doing tightrope acts across the top top of my kitchen cabinets, dogs chasing frozen smashed plastic milk jugs around the yard, a cockatiel that kept trying to out- talk me the whole time I was on the phone today, and a kitten that got his big fat kitten head stuck in a drinking glass, trying to steal my iced tea. I laughed my self silly with that one.


I tried to get up the energy to go to town for a haircut and I just couldn't do it. I started looking at my hair in the mirror and thought, what the hell? I could probably cut it myself. Granted, when you are talking to yourself in a mirror, it's generally NOT one of your more stellar decision making moments. I grabbed the barber scissors and started hacking it off. Then I pulled out a razor comb and ...well, you can guess the rest. I took off about an inch or more, I think. It's not horrible...and as is usually the case when I get a haircut (no matter WHO cuts it) my first thought was, well--it'll be great in about a week.

I was looking around my living room tonight thinking...what is the deal with me???? Because the thing is this: I really don't care about stuff like I should. My house is decorated in yard sale chic. My pets (as babies) have chewed the edges of tables, clawed upholstery to ribbons, peed on my carpets...they sleep on the furniture, they climb across the cabinets, and they drink out of the sink. (well, the cats do--not the dogs. lol) Between last night and today, I cleaned up cat puke twice and dog puke once. The cats have scratched up my beautiful dining room table chasing each other up and over and across it. I would no more consider buying new furniture that animals couldn't sit on than I would fly to the moon. I look at little teeth marks and remember Molly chewing when we first got her, as she tried to get used to new owners and a new home....where little Caylee cut her teeth. The floor is littered with dog toys, and they have their own toybox. I don't care if my hair isn't perfect or that I NEVER wear makeup or that I tell people if you don't want fur or feathers on your clothes, don't come to visit me. I live in a comfortably shabby home, with coverlets and throws on the furniture to keep the staining at a minimum, curtains and drapes that have claw marks in them, and stains on the wall where we throw the dog toy down the hall and the Jack Russell Terrorist flings her little body against the wall like a racquet ball player. There's enough fur under my table somedays (usually vacuuming day, which is every other day here) to make at least 3 new dogs or cats at any given time. And I wouldn't have it any other way.



So, I laugh at my haircut, finish the dishes and turn out the lights. The animal food bowls are all filled, the cat boxes are all scooped, and the Kelley house settles down for the night.


It's enough to make a girl pee when she laughs....


Namaste.

11 comments:

Jess Mistress of Mischief said...

Thank God for moments and posts like these.

Houses full of pets, in my experience, are houses full of love.

Having dogs around the house growing up, and cats as well when I was out on my own (mom and dad didn't do cats) was sometimes the one saving grace in otherwise truly loveless moments where I desperately needed to see unconditional love.

I pray for continued laughter to peeing states of being in your home!

Andrew said...

Yup, never a dull moment at the Kelley house.

If you pee when you laugh, you better be careful when you cough! lol.

Anonymous said...

I'm envious. I WANT A BIRD.

Your life sounds just perfect.

Vaya con Dios, A.

(your post reminded me of the time, in 1988, went I cut my brother's hair after hitting a bottle of Wild Turkey for the better part of the evening. Such a bad decision.)

DJan said...

Laughter is good for the soul. Since I have allergies, my nose began to run just READING about your house! I guess we will have to keep our friendship virtual, but hey, I love pets and am glad you are loving them for me...

Kathy M. said...

Your house sounds like a delightfully chaotic place. Thanks for sharing it.

Unknown said...

Annie, you and I were somehow seperated at birth! Our houses sound the same, we have dog toys all over, and well dog hair is a condiment...our house is filled with throws, blankets and is generally clean, but not perfect, just homey. I like it that way and stress less and less over it.

I would jump at the chance to be a guest at your house and you at mine.

I love this post and all the sillies. BTW..what books are you reading? Sound interesting.

Love you
gabi

Enchanted Oak said...

Our houses sound similar. The fur flies here with two cats and three dogs. I gave up trying to keep the dogs off the sofas, especially my newest one in my office. Instead I bought a special wet roller that does a good job of picking up the fur embedded in the tapestry. But it's a big job and usually I say, Who cares? The cats fly all over the furniture (they are teens), and they give us much laughter. I'll take the laughter over a fur-free house any day. Cheers!

One Prayer Girl said...

Now your blog made me do some LOL.

You actually made me feel a lot better about my less than magazine-perfect home.

Every time I throw the dog's rubber bone down the long hallway here and that 85 pound dog barrels down the the hall on-the-chase, I will think of you.

:)

PG

CiCi said...

Your house sounds like ours except we don't have the pets right now. We are thinking of getting a cat at the rescue shelter. I call our house our little hippie house. Works for us. You cracked me up with the pee when you laugh.

Mike said...

Cats are awesome. I have just one cat myself. She doesn't like other cats, so I think she's happy being the grumpy hermit she is. I'd like to take her along with me when I visit another city for week, but she screams blue murder every minute she's in a car, so instead she gets put up at my parents' home where she ignores them. (Except when she needs to be fed, but even then ...)

Anonymous said...

My home is well lived in too. I have a shaggy dog (oops, did I say dog?)... LOL, he's my best friend and he is very comfortable here. I have just adopted a cat. The moments I've spent laughing at the two of them lately are priceless... I was a little worried at first because they hated each other, but now they are beginning to at least tolerate each other! Life wouldn't be the same without my furry friends :)