Category Archives: Musings

weekly column of general observations

What Annoys Me

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I’ll tell you what annoys me in 619 words. Now don’t get me wrong; that in no way adequately describes the depth of my annoyances. After all, even though I’m easy going most of the time, I’ve discovered I am, after all, human.

I hear we mellow with age but I wonder. In my case I believe “they” are wrong and I’d like to have a word with “them.” Actually, I think the key is the older I’ve become, the more comfortable I am with calling it like I see it. In my younger days I was more concerned about being a likeable young lady.

Anyway, I’ve just wasted 107 words so let’s get to those annoyances, okay?

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My Thursday Night

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So Thursday night at about 8:30 I’m relaxing in my favorite chair, feet propped up on the ottoman, when I decided to check on one of my foster cats. A couple minutes later I return to find my dog Taffy munching something orange. I thought, what is that? That’s when I saw what was left of a pack of gum.

Scene of the crime

I’m a gum chewer from way back, which is why a friend gave me a pack of Trident Orange Swirl with my Christmas gift. It sat on the table next to my chair, which apparently was a big mistake. Sugar free Trident has xylitol in it and is extremely toxic to dogs. So I quickly called Pet Emergency because Taffy didn’t have the courtesy to poison herself during regular business hours.

Pre-Taffy

Pet Emergency had me call the ASPCA Poison Hotline to give them info so they’d know how to treat Taffy. Turns out xylitol causes hypoglycemia, seizures, liver failure and sometimes death. It’s even more toxic to dogs than chocolate.

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Being a Hypocrite

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I must confess I’m starting off the new year being a bit of a hypocrite and some, I might add, would say a conformist. That’s because as much as I prefer to avoid making New Year’s resolutions, mainly because I rarely keep them, I’ve gone and done that exact thing.

Yes, my friends, I’m going along with millions of others who resolved on Friday morning — New Year’s Day — to make a change or two…like the only time we can do such a thing is January 1st! Now don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against setting goals and working toward them but I ask you, do you know anyone who kept their New Year’s resolution beyond January?

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Gone Girl: A Suicidal Spider

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Good news…I’m now able to access previous blog posts since I couldn’t the last two weeks. Still can’t post an original one. But I’ll take what I can get at this point until I find a human who can fix the issue. Apparently, WordPress has no humans available to assist technologically challenged idiots such as yours truly. So thanks for bearing with me until this gets straightened out.

I hate killing things. I shoo flies from the house and scoop up spiders to bring outside. When my cats bring in lizards (once I found one staring back at me from my pantry shelf), I place them in my critter container used specifically for their release.

for-critters

I’m considered to be a pescatarian, not to be confused with a Presbyterian. That means I don’t eat meat but will eat seafood. Prawns, calamari and scallops are the extent of my fish consumption. They don’t have faces, making it somewhat easier for me to swallow them.

cow
Thanks for not eating me

I suppose technically prawns and calamari have faces, so someday I probably won’t be eating them either. I don’t know how long I can handle the guilt before I go completely veggie. I’m Catholic so I harbor a fair amount of guilt.

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Partners in Crime

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Thanksgiving began with a phone call to my friend Sue.

Me: Just a heads up I may need you later today, so keep your phone nearby.
Sue: What’s up?
Me: You’re my one phone call I’m allowed from jail. Oh, and don’t forget to remove the turkey from your oven before coming to bail me out.
Sue: Okay, will do.

You may be able to deduce from this conversation that Sue knows me well enough to realize one of these days I’ll be arrested for helping animals, probably cats, and if that means doing something illegal in the process, so be it.

Careful of the nail polish, please.

Careful of the nail polish, please.

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