Call me sentimental, I just can't seem to get rid of them. I try every year. Summer seems the perfect time to sort through closets, cupboards and crawl spaces, setting aside things I might use some day and weeding out the rest. And while I can box up some things and toss them out without a backward glance; clothing I haven't worn in five years, a sauce pan with a missing handle, Christmas decorations that aren't quite "me," when it comes to my son's clutter I just can't seem to part with a bit of it.
Take last week. I attacked his room with a garbage bag and good intentions. I flung open the closet doors and pulled out boxes, ready to do some serious damage ... and I couldn't part with a single thing.
Beanie Babies. I couldn't see the torn ears and missing eyes for the memories. There was the frog, stained and dirty from hours of playing. The alligator my mother bought him shortly before she died. The little red bull he once left behind on the public playground. We discovered him missing at bed time and I went hurrying back to the park to search for him, knowing there would be no sleep that night if he was not recovered.
Matchbox cars with missing wheels. Stacks of wrinkled Pokemon cards. Batman action figures with missing limbs from dangerous and death-defying stunts. It seemed that every phase of my son's childhood was represented in those boxes.
I'm told I shouldn't have let him play with them. That if I'd kept them pristine in their packages they would be worth money today. But ahhh, they're worth so much more as they are than any money they could have brought on E-Bay.
A case of pristine Beanie Babies, never played with, tags and eyes intact ... $2,000.
A box of well loved childhood friends ... Priceless.
I'm so excited, And I just can't hide it ...
One of my favorite time travel romances, Black Rock: A Time For Love was released in print format at Amazon today! The author, E. G. Parsons, is not only a phenomenal writer, but an all around wonderful person. You should get this book!
Spellbinding!
E. G. Parsons' new release, Black Rock: A Time for Love is a sweeping tale of love, deceit, and a woman caught between two different worlds. After her father's death, twenty-one-year old Roxanne returns from a girl's school in Boston to Wild Rose, Texas to take over operation of the family ranch. Crushed by grief, it would seem Roxanne has enough to deal with but her troubles have only just begun. Headstrong and capable as she is beautiful, Roxanne soon encounters ruggedly handsome Collin and is hard pressed to resist the attraction she feels for this rude, roguish man. But Collin is not all that he appears on the surface. I found myself turning pages at breakneck speed as their romance unfolded against incredible odds and the astonishing truth of Roxanne's past was revealed. E.G. Parsons' knowledge of the 1800s is unparalleled. Combined with her brilliant imagination and flair for creating living, breathing characters, she once again holds her readers spellbound and begging for more. Black Rock: A Time for Love is a winner!
Highly recommended.
Spot was starting to look skinny. Spot, our 13-year-old tabby, who has always tipped the scales at a good twenty-plus pounds. What could be wrong, I wondered? Her appetite was as ferocious as ever. She was playful. She still stood her ground with Lucille and Boy, letting them know, in no uncertain terms, who was queen of the castle. I went through my mental list of everything I know about cats, which isn’t much, and then I took her down the street to see my friend, The Cat Lady.
The Cat Lady petted and prodded and finally told me it was possible Spot might have a thyroid condition, so off to the vet we went, where after a thorough examination we were instructed to return the next morning for a blood workup.
Spot doesn’t do what Spot doesn’t want to do, and needless to say she put up quite a fuss. I can’t say I blame her, being roused before daylight, locked in a crate, and carted off to the animal hospital -- With no breakfast!
Later that day a veterinary assistant sporting a big gauze bandage told me Spot was a very feisty feline. She also told me my cat was a diabetic. I was stunned. Panicked. Trying to imagine rounding up the queen for twice-daily shots of insulin. Did I mention Spot does not do what Spot does not want to do? Luckily we’d caught on to the diabetes quickly enough that they told me a tablet would do the trick. OK. Tablets. We can do this.
This morning I returned from the drug store with Spot’s prescription and a variety of canned cat foods. Our cats have always eaten dry food and the moment I popped the tab and the … err… eye watering aroma of Sea Captain’s Medley filled the kitchen, Spot and Boy went crazy, rubbing around my ankles, purring, looking at me with their big kitty eyes as they wondered at the meaning of this new phenomenon.
I carefully planted the little white pill in a tablespoon of Sea Captain’s Medley for Spot. I gave Boy a tablespoon of Sea Captain's Medley too, just to keep it fair. The cats got busy, lapping and gobbling and within moments Spot had eaten every bite of her Captain’s Medley and licked the bowl clean. With the little white pill left neatly in the center. She looked up at me and flicked her tail.
OK, thought I. Two can play this game. I crushed the little white pill to powder and mixed it with another tablespoon of Captain’s Medley and firmly set it back down in front of her. She looked it over, looked at me, and grudgingly gobbled it down. Finished with the job, she delicately licked her chops, rubbed her face against my ankle, and walked away with a flick of the tail as if to say… I know what you did. And thanks.
And I’ll do it again tomorrow. And the next day, and every day for as long as my feline friend shall live. Because that’s what friends are for.
***Turns out diabetes is quite common in cats who are 12 years plus, so if you have an older cat who starts losing weight, acting lethargic, and camping out by the water dish, be a friend and take her for a check-up. I’m sure glad I did J
