I want to give thanks for our animals. Join me!
Today, I watched my two white cats, Mac and Bunnie, negotiate a potential tiff. Mac was grooming himself as Bunnie moved in with her little punk attitude. “Let’s rock and roll,” she murmured.
Mac looked at Bunnie with affection. Instead of hissing, he licked her head three times. Surprised, Bunnie sat down and started grooming herself.
Thank you, Mac and Bunnie! You took me out of my head and into amusement. Just by being yourselves.
Thank you for the companionship
Stella Tibor & Mac
All my animals sit in the room with me, clearly enjoying my company without saying a word. Ahhh. I feel loved unconditionally just for being me. Never gets old.
Thanks for teaching me patience, Stella
My dog, Stella feels absolutely entitled to sniff every piece of grass that catches her nose. Most times, my other dog, Tibor and I want to move things along. But she’s 12 years old, so we stop. And stop again. It gives her so much pleasure. I remind myself to enjoy my time with her. I remember that once Stella gets her quota of sniffs, we will move at a decent clip.
Dreaming on the trails
We’ve learned to take Stella to the park where she trots and runs more often. I think she senses how Tibor’s spirits take off and so do mine when we’re in the park.
I imagine we’re adventurers on these trails so close to the Potomac River. I think of the deer and foxes who use these trails. Then I dream back to the time of the indigenous people, wondering if they also had trails here in this area.
Thankful for Shadow’s affection
Shadow
Our newest addition, Shadow, a black cat, is most definitely a “Daddy’s Girl.” Husband Charlie brought her home, and she is eternally grateful to him. I was a distant second. But finally, she has found me worthy. She now nudges me with her head, and on especially glorious days, sleeps on my lap for long periods.
How did a cat sleeping on your lap bestow a such a sense of privilege, being singled out by royalty? I don’t know. But I am truly grateful to be one of the chosen!
Birds keep me engaged
I keep the bird feeder filled in the back yard so I can enjoy their company.
At times there are so many birds in the surrounding trees that I wonder about the old Alfred Hitchcock horror story, The Birds. But the only attacks are mild squabbles with each other about spending too much time at the feeder.
It is uncanny when a few of them sit on the tree in the backyard looking at me as I look out from the kitchen.
Ah, yes, time to fill the feeder! Thanks, guys, I’ll be right there!
I have been scolded for letting the feeder get empty. But I give thanks for that scolding because we have a small connection, a relationship.
Read my log, Funny Cat Stories.
I would love to hear what you give thanks for when you think of your animals! Please share your stories in the comment section!
My cat persons, Terra and Chi, give us so much love and joy. They are born comedians. Terra serenades us with the occasional solo aria. Chi mutters to himself as he cruises the house at night. We have the early morning steeple chase around the house, but never through the bedroom (considerate!). We find toys arranged just so as offerings, generally in the mornings. They wrestle together, they sleep together, they sleep with us. Sometimes they’ll be sitting together on the bench in front of the window getting some sun and all of a sudden Chi wakes up from what looks like a sound sleep because Terra is giving him THE LOOK and then the battle is on. It’s over quickly and pretty soon they’re curled up together again.
I also feed the birds (suet and thistle) and love the variety of our visitors. I also feed the hummers during the winter (Anna’s are the only hummer that doesn’t migrate). Birds have given me so much joy over the years. I loved watching them even as a child.
This has been the year of the rabbit. It’s been fun to watch the cottontails. I’ve even been able to see them playing with each other.
Oh and I mustn’t forget the tree frog that lives in my garage under the cement slab during the winters. If one of us is in the garage and we cough or sneeze that will start him singing.
My cat persons, Terra and Chi, give us so much love and cuddles and joy. They are born comedians. Terra serenades us with the occasional solo aria. Chi mutters to himself as he cruises the house at night. We have the early morning steeple chase around the house, but never through the bedroom (considerate!). We find toys arranged just so as offerings, generally in the mornings. Sometimes they’ll be sitting together on the bench in front of the window getting some sun and all of a sudden Chi wakes up from what looks like a sound sleep because Terra is giving him THE LOOK and then the battle is on. It’s over quickly and pretty soon they’re curled up together again.
I also feed the birds (suet and thistle) and love the variety of our visitors. I also feed the hummers during the winter (Anna’s are the only hummer that doesn’t migrate). Birds have given me so much joy over the years. I loved watching them even as a child.
This has been the year of the rabbit. It’s been so much fun to watch the cottontails. I’ve even been able to watch them playing with each other. One will charge the other and then the other one jumps high!
And then there is the tree frog that lives in our garage under the cement slab during the winters. If one of us is in the garage and we cough or sneeze that will start him singing.
What a lovely reminder to appreciate these simple moments.
Yes, Judy, you get it! mb