Trouble and Migraine Get Bathed ... Sort of

For ages the family felines have been smelling just a bit ... well, gamey. It was time to make them clean and pretty again. I decided to tackle the event logically. First, a bottle of waterless shampoo was lined up on the counter with a clean brush and a nice, fluffy towel, just in case the little darlings got chilled during the procedure. Nothing is too good for the furry children, you know. Trouble, the smaller cat, was first. She likes to be brushed so this should go quickly and smoothly. Oh oh! One squirt of the shampoo and Trouble was on my shoulder and down my back like a flash. Dashing through the house like a animal possessed, she scooted under a chair in a spot only big enough for a flea to occupy. Tugging her first by a paw and then by the tail, she hissed and showed a side of her normally sweet self never seen before! Ok, let her rest. Surely Migraine, aka Fat Cat, would be more cooperative. Located in her usual summer sleeping spot in the bathtub, she barely opened her eyes at me until she heard the shampoo bottle go squirt, squirt! Out of that tub with speed not seen since she was a kitten, she raced down the hall and around and around the family room, landing somewhere out of sight. Ah ha! There she was! For a cat who can barely jump from the floor into the bathtub, she was trying to sprout wings and land on top of the china cabinet! Well, the little critters did get bathed - somewhat. Trouble has a clean and fluffy tail and Migraine has the prettiest, cleanest head you ever saw, but I smell like a wet cat. I learned something today. Bathing cats is hard work and is not for the weak and aged. I think I'll go take a nap.

Brenda Joyce Jerome, Rambling Thoughts - Out of My Mind, 31 July 2009

Modern Day Hero

People say we don't have heroes anymore, but that isn't true. Just last week we saw on the TV news that a young man rescued a three year old child from a burning SUV on a California freeway. Going in through the sunroof, he unbuckled the dangling child from her car seat and dashed to safety with her in his arms.

What makes this rescue so special is that this young man, John McDonald, is my nephew, who I saw for the first time in over 20 years at the Jerome family reunion in northern Michigan last week. The family is so proud of him and what a pleasure it is to know there are still unselfish persons in this world.

John can be seen in the reunion photograph below. He is the first person in the back row standing next to his proud aunt.

Family Reunion: Many Accents, One Family

They had never been together in one spot at the same time. They came from Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Charleston, Evansville and many towns in the Detroit area. Some spoke in the fast, clipped manner of the East, some in that lower Michigan accent and still others in the softened tones of the South. Some were blonde, some gray, others bald. It didn’t matter that some had never met and others had not seen each other in many years. They have one thing in common. They are family.

Summer Is Here!

Summer is here. How do I know it’s here? Let me count the ways ….

1. Having three mosquito bites on one leg and two on the other. Is it the scent of the soap or lotion or am I just a good target for these little vampires?

2. Having to wear real shoes when flip flops are much more comfortable.

3. Being hissed at and scolded by the cats when the door to the deck is closed after the early morning coolness has worn off.

4. Seeing the potted plants on the deck beg for a drink by hanging their heads most pitifully. Thirsty little beggars, they are.

5. Meals of meat and potatoes sounded so good in the winter, but they have lost their appeal when the thermometer reaches 90 degrees.

6. Thinking of 101 reasons to skip the gym, number one being opening the car door to 125 degrees heat hitting me in the face when I already glisten and glow and have the scent of dirty socks after an hour of exercise.

7. Listening to the neighbor train his dogs outside, using his loud, Chicago voice, and refraining from complaining.

8. Feeling the dry, prickly grass on my bare feet as I gingerly make my way to turn on the water sprinkler.

9. Having to iron because all of my summer clothes are 100% cotton.

10. Having a new book to read and a tall glass of sweet tea to enjoy as I curl up in my favorite chair.