Food prep as therapy? Who knew?
Walking into the kitchen last night to remove the day’s debris and unload the dishwasher, I realized that my supply of pre-made salads was gone, which meant, unless I wanted to eat badly for the next few days, I needed to break down and restock my fridge. My first reaction was a huge sigh and “Darn! I need to make salads tonight!” but once I’d gotten things out of the way and began assembling three salads (I find that more than three means the last one isn’t quite is crisp and tasty, so three is a perfect number!), I really got into the chopping of the fresh veggies I’d gotten from Underwood Farms and TJ’s, including a new chocolate bell pepper (very sweet and tasty!). Once finished, I realized that I was quite relaxed and since I’d already written and posted the night’s blog contribution, I crawled into bed hours earlier than normal.
My plan to get a good night’s rest and an early start on today was thwarted, however. It seems that Mr. Scrappy Doo thinks that when the lights go off, he’s supposed to be as obnoxious as possible so he’ll get some attention. It isn’t as if I’m not ready, willing and able to give him that attention during the day, and even well into the night. He was like the ghost of Christmas Past, rattling window blinds, overturning a box full of tissue paper and manically attacking it until I was forced to remove it all from his happy little paws and dispose of it in a cat-proof container (which is a neat trick these days as I’d swear that cat has opposable thumbs! In Scrappy’s defense, he is the only one who cleans food up from around the food dishes, whether it’s the mess Munchkin makes with her wet food or the dry food Dylan digs out of the bowl to find just the right morsel. So despite his nocturnal proclivities, Scrappy Doo has become a much-loved and appreciated addition to my household. Even so, Dylan has been given permission to teach his younger sibling some manners, even if he has to beat it into Scrappy who carries stubbornness to heights even I haven’t seen before in a cat!
The good news, it’s Thursday night which means I had an especially joyful and sweaty night of dancing. Though it will take me a couple of hours to wind down (which makes it an especially good night to make the 2 1/2 hour drive to visit my daughter!), by the time I do, it will take more than a hyperactive, klutzy little 8 pound cat to keep me from a well-deserved slumber! Not that I don’t expect him to try! Reputations must be maintained, especially in the feline world!
Shortly after Mr. Scrappy Doo joined my household, I found myself fishing him out from behind my monitor with annoying regularity. Here is an example of his curiosity and persistence. 
I believe this falls under the heading: “If mom keeps ignoring you, do something so incredibly cute that she not only pays attention, but has to get a picture!” I admit it. I’m a crazy cat lady known to my cats as “Staff”. Even now, the desk I cleaned off yesterday to accommodate client files for the accounting I still do is completely covered by the bodies of my two largest boys, Dylan and Toby. As Toby, alone, weighs nearly 20 pounds, he covers a lot of space, and Dylan is just, plain LONG!
I believe I have rambled and wandered enough for tonight, so I’ll close with my gratitudes.
1. I am grateful for friends who fill me with joy, simply by entering a room.
2. I am grateful for nights when I have to come home and peel my clothes off because I know I’ve had a great dance night.
3. I am grateful for furry children who only expect attention, love, food and treats (and a warm body to snuggle with at night). They give me that alone time I love without being completely alone. While I need a break from humans, I never need one from my cats.
4. I am grateful for the beginning of a new year which I know will see many more positive changes for me and for those I love and cherish.
5. I am grateful for abundance: love, joy, energy, laughter, sharing, healing, harmony, peace, change, health and prosperity.
Namaste
