Facie’s Ramblings

For those of you whom I am not friends with on Facebook, I wanted to post pictures from a dog wedding Jordan and I attended over the weekend. Four-Footed Friends, a no-kill animal shelter in Indiana County, where my mom lives, hosted this fundraiser, and as someone who regularly supports Animal Friends, a no-kill shelter around here, I was only too happy to attend, despite the near-90 degree temps. The wedding did not start on time, not because the bride had cold paws, but because the minister was late. Here he was after he arrived, waiting to perform the ceremony: The picture below is of Lenny, the groom, walking down the aisle. It did take him awhile to get there, thanks to his wanting to sniff a garbage can. Soon after, the best dog and maid of honor took their turn. Eventually, Cleo, the blushing and furry bride began her walk. Notice the garter on her back leg! Finally, the happy couple exchanged vows in what the minister joked was a double-collar ceremony. The ceremo...

As I am typing on the computer, I can hear my dog Sadie snoring in her crate next to me (I put her in there, after tiring of listening to her bark at every car and person who walked by). Sometimes I think about how great it must be to be a dog (or at least one who is loved and well cared for). Our tan-and-white daughter has it made. She sleeps on a couch, has plenty of toys, and is well fed. Best of all, thanks to Brian's working at home and my not working at all, this dog is around people a lot. Sadie loves to be near us (anyone, really), and, strangely, she loves to be hugged. She does not have to worry about paying bills or finding a job. She does not need to think about what she is going to wear today, what she is going to eat, or when she is going to clean various parts of the house or do laundry. She will never struggle with discipline (except she is on the receiving end a lot) or time management. No, her biggest concerns are being fed when the humans wake up and again around...

For past couple of weeks, a few cats have been hanging around our yard. The first time I heard them, while lying in bed, I thought it was a baby crying, but found out later it was just these cats. I blame Brian for these visits; he has thrown out stale/moldy bread and the like, and I surmise these wandering cats discovered the food. Then again, I am no cat expert. My senior year of college I dated this guy Chuck, who lived with three girls and a cat they named Kitty. Kitty did not like me, regardless of how much I tried to make him/her (I cannot recall the gender); I think he was jealous. Then one fall day, when I was watching the Steelers play the Vikings at Chuck's house, Kitty jumped on my chest. I was so excited; I think my exact words were, "Kitty likes me!" Unfortunately, a few seconds after I said that, Kitty peed on me. As you can imagine, to say I did not like Kitty was an understatement. The rest of the year, whenever that cat was around, was not fun. That summe...