Do you see what I see in this picture!? EIGHT baby kittens… EIGHT.

Do you remember the cat with fiery eyes? Well, these are her babies.  They really are cute; they smell like the other cats so I guess they’ll be OK. They just want to come up to me and smell me and touch me, so I have to dance around to stay out of their way (don’t forget, their mom slapped me a few weeks ago- I don’t want to make her mad again.)

I’ll be glad when they get big enough to really play with me- then we’ll really have fun!

Do ya’ll remember the cat with the electric eyes? Well, guess what? She had babies, just like Mom said!

Here are two of them – there are eight all together. Some of them have no tails, just like the mama, and one has just a little stubby tail.  They are very tiny so I have to be careful when I walk around them. But they like me; sometimes two or three of them stand around me and look at me like they think I might be their mama.

I can’t wait for them to get a little bigger so we can really play. We’re gonna be good friends, I just know it.

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This is my baby boy, Tank.  He’s been gone almost a year, and it still doesn’t seem right… it’s still hard for me to talk about him. He was such a good dog, a big baby who loved everybody and everything. You don’t get blessed with many dogs like this, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of his life, as short a time as it was.

This was just a day or two after he came to our house; a friend from north Alabama sent him to me, and I’m forever grateful. He was a happy go lucky boy; loved his naps and playing. Really just a big goof-ball all the time- no matter what he was doing, he could look up with that smile that said, “oh come on, let’s go play!”

We were keeping him in a crate while we were gone to keep him out of trouble…. until one day we came home and he was laying on the sofa, smiling at us. The crate door was still fastened, only bent a little at the top where he had squeezed through. I was never comfortable putting him in one again- I was so afraid the next time he’d really hurt himself trying to get out.

Our next move was blocking off areas of the house by closing doors, only to realize he could open the doors. (80 pounds of Staffordshire Terrier saying ‘open up’ tends to put the fear of God in any door.)

Then we started putting things like bookshelves in the way- not that it made any difference. He’d just move them out of his way.  In his mind, we were giving him a puzzle to solve, and solve them he did!

His favorite toys were never toys- give him a box or a paper wrapper and he’d stay entertained for hours, flipping it into the air and ripping it into shreds.

But as playful and friendly as he was, NO ONE was allowed into our house without him checking them out; and if he wasn’t sure about someone, he let me know. One night he and I were out walking, and we came home to a strange vehicle in the yard. The man had gotten out and was talking to Randy on the porch, but Tank did not like it at all.  The only word I can use to describe what he did was “stalk”. He kept taking deep breaths, as he gave the man’s car a very wide berth.  He eased quietly, almost on tiptoe, up to the porch. Every muscle was poised to jump. He never growled, but he was on high alert. If the man had made one false move, I’m afraid the rescue squad would have had nothing to work with.

He was a perfect specimen of a Staffie – gorgeous metal-gray and white,  a heart as big as the outdoors and wonderful, sweet temperament.

He started having problems in March; we thought his ears were infected (lots of discharge and shaking his head, walking with it to one side sometimes, etc)  and the vet who saw him gave us something to clean them out, but it didn’t clear up.  All this happened right after we started him on a flea-heartworm treatment pill. I don’t believe for a second that anything in his background caused his health problems- I will always believe it was those pills.

We changed vets, and she also saw problems in his ears, but she also noticed that he seemed to have problems in his spine. I don’t know if he hurt himself or the ear infection was worse and affected other parts of his body, or if the pills damaged more than we realized. We also think he was having seizures- sometimes he would ‘zone out’, grit and grind his teeth, and then hold his head up and back and smack his lips. When he was like this, he also tended to stumble when he walked; otherwise he was his own peppy self, running and playing.

Right towards the end, he couldn’t hear very well; his vision was affected and he got confused a lot. He finally got so he wouldn’t sleep at night, but would pace around- jump up on the bed, then down to walk around the room, then jumping back up on the bed.

I finally had to make the hardest decision a person owned by a dog or cat has to make. Even at the end, as bad as he felt, he was still a sweet, well-tempered dog.

Our very dear friends Leah and Jordan came to help  give him the funeral he deserved. He’s buried in our side yard, and when Hope and I walk every day, we have to stop and visit him.

Hope has helped me heal from my grief- but I won’t ever get over him; I won’t ever forget him….

I have been blessed with three wonderful dogs in my life, so I am far ahead of the average. My baby Caleb, my  baby Tank and now my baby Hope.

For those among you who don’t understand how the loss of a pet can affect you so hard – I can’t explain it other than this:  our pets are a part of our family; they love us unconditionally; they don’t care how good or bad we look, how rich or poor, skinny or  fat we are; they’re gonna love us whether we live in a mansion or a shack – in other words, they show us God’s love every day.

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Psalms 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

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As much as I love chewing on Mom’s glasses or my rope, my absolutely, positively favorite toy is my BALL!

Mom throws it, I go get it and bring it to her…. and I want her to throw it again but I don’t want to turn it loose. I hold on as hard as I can. Sometimes I accidentally scratch my mom’s hand because we’re both pulling so hard.

Mom says when we do this, it reminds her about how people have “pet” sins that they don’t want to turn loose of.  God will take it, but people have to loosen their grasp of it first. She says she struggles with it, and others do too.  She says sometimes it takes a LOT of prayer for God to help her let go.

I’m glad God listens to us when we pray; I’m glad He helps us do what’s right.

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 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to—what I hate.  I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking.  But I can’t help myself because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things.

 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t.  When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.  Now if I am doing what I don’t want to, it is plain where the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp. Romans 7:15-20 (The Living Bible)

Do ya’ll know what these are? They are PIGS!  At least I think that’s what Mom said.  I’m not really sure; I wasn’t paying attention because I was chasing the cats.

But let me tell you – they are GREAT. Mom’s been picking them so she can make “pig” preserves, or something. Anyway, when she finds one that the birds have pecked, she lets me eat it. She got this bowlful this morning while we were outside; I really wanted to try some more but she wouldn’t let me have any.

Did you know that Jesus talked about “pigs”?

“And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” Luke 21:29-31

Of all the trees, Jesus used a “pig” tree to remind us that we need to be watching for Him to come back. I’m ready for Him – are you? If you’re not, my mom and dad would be glad to talk to you and help you learn what it takes to be ready.

Look what we found on the porch last night! It likes to eat the cat food. Mom says to leave it alone and let it do the job God gave it to do- she says it eats bugs and other pests, so she’s glad to feed it and keep it around.
Sometimes people laugh at how ugly they think ‘possums are, but Mom says it’s not nice to make fun of how someone looks, or how they talk, or dress. Just because they aren’t like us, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t love them and can’t use them.
Mom says she saw on Facebook where someone said “don’t judge someone just because they sin different than you.” I think that’s a pretty good thing to remember. We all make mistakes and we need to lift each other up, not try to tear each other down.
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But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” I Samuel 16:7

Do you see this cat with electric eyes? This cat is not friendly. I tried being friends with her; she rubs on me and tries to butt me with her head. I was nice to her and tried to snuggle up to her… and she hissed at me and tried to burn me with her fiery eyes!
I had to protect Mom by laying across the door so she couldn’t get in.
Mom says I have to be nice because she’s going to have babies. I will be nice, but I won’t like it!
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Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19-21

I love my mom so much! I love her so much I like to eat her stuff. I eat her combs and brushes, I eat her shoes (the insides are great) and her shoe laces…. see that pretty blue tennis shoe? I chewed the rubber lace in two pieces. she had to tie it in a knot to wear it.
and see those cute sunglasses? I chewed one of the arms off it. I chewed her reading glasses too.
and see her riding boot? I chewed the tab that goes over the zipper- she found someone who could sew a new tab on there so she can still use them.
and just last night, I chewed her pink head band – she can still use it too; it’s just a little ragged on one edge.
I just love my mom – so I want to be close to the things that smell or taste like her… I make a bed out of her shirt or jeans; I stick my head in her purse to see what she’s got in there that might be good; I stick my nose down in her boots and shoes to smell them.
Now my mom laughs at those dog shaming pictures on Facebook but she would *never* do that to me- it would embarrass me! I really didn’t want her to take a picture of those things at all – see that other picture? I’m trying to stop her.
Because as much as I like chewing her stuff, I don’t like making her feel bad- when she talks to me about chewing, I try to kiss her and get up in her lap and show her how sorry I am. and I really am sorry, when I finally get caught.
I want to be a good dog and not eat her things but sometimes it’s just too tempting. I’m so glad my mom loves me!
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I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted above what you can endure, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Mom and Dad went on vacation (whatever that is) and I got to stay home with Dr G and Ms Regina. When they got back Mom’s purse smelled funny, so I stuck my nose in and found this thing that’s fuzzy like my stuffies; I carried it around the house until Mom saw me and took it away from me. She said it was her ‘possum and I couldn’t have it because I like to pull all the insides out. (she never lets me have any fun.)

She said they got it up on the top of a mountain at Clingman’s Dome, and she wants to keep it to remember the trip by.
So, now the ‘possum is stuck way up on a shelf where I can hardly see it much less play with it.
Where is that cat when I need him?