
A Smile For You


About a month ago we sought out and found a new home for both our cats,
Both my husband and myself have schedules packed with obligations. After seven years of living with us the lack of personal contact seemed like it was taking a toll on the boys so we felt it necessary to seek a home that could provide more companionship. Tom and Jerry came to us as a “bonded” pair which meant if you bought one of them you had to buy the other one as well. This also meant that where one went the other would go.
About four weeks ago we found what we thought was a suitable home. The couple that took them were excited to fill a void recently left by the death of their dog. So I packed up their kennels, litter boxes, rugs and food and transported them to the mutually agreed upon location. Tearfully I made the exchange saying goodbye to my buddies for one last time, or so I thought.
I received a message from Tom & Jerry’s new caretakers expressing the desire to return the cats to my possession. For various reasons the arrangement was not working as they had thought. After trading several messages back and forth a meeting time and place were once again chosen.
My youngest daughter and granddaughter made the trip with me to retrieve Tom & Jerry. With very little fanfare the ownership of Tom and Jerry was once again transferred back into my hands. My daughter helped me load the boys and most of their belongings into the car and away we went. Before leaving the, now former owners, expressed their regret for the arrangement failing.
I had purged my home of everything related to the care of cats when Tom and Jerry had left so other than what they came home with I needed to fill in a few gaps. On our way back to my home I made a very brief stop at a local big box store to acquire the much-needed items. After returning to my car we drove the final leg of our journey.
Upon arriving at our destination I first carried each cat inside, then their belongings. After opening the doors to their carriers they both sauntered on out as if they had been gone for only a short time. Not even Sadie paid much attention to their return.
So…just as a boomerang returns back to the person that released it, so too have Tom and Jerry returned. I call them the boomerang cats!
My sewing room has been very quiet this week. Why, you might ask? Well I’ll tell you. My hubby is on vacation. Now no grandiose destinations were planned. A simple stay-at-home vacation was on our agenda. We’ve been spending most of our time in a state of leisure. A few short trips were planned to run errands and a bit of shopping but not much else exciting has taken place. The highlight of our day today was a visit to Starbucks. Our plan was to pack up our iPads and a word search game along with two markers and head to the local Starbucks to relax, sip an endless cup of coffee and entertain ourselves with the items we had packed.
With anticipation we did as planned. My hubby, as is typically the case, drove us to the coffee shop. When we arrived is was darn near 1:00 p.m. One would think the lunch crowd would have dissipated leaving ample room for our planned adventure. Walking up to the door we could see inside a sea of patrons busily occupying the limited seating space. A decision had to be made. Do we order up our beverage with the hopes that somehow someone would pack up their belongings and vacate a suitable table, or do we turn around and reformulate our plans.
Option # 1 was the choice we made. After placing our order we lingered at the coffee bar awaiting our beverage as well as the ultimate answer to our question. Whom would leave? This was the one time we hoped our order would take too long. You know, just long enough for a table to open up. As the line ahead thinned out and it was at last our turn to receive our steaming hot cups of coffee, we turned one last time with that hopeful stare directed toward anyone that might happen to turn in our direction. Perhaps if they saw the longing in our eyes they would instantly pack up their belongings and graciously direct us to their table. Well all the wishful thinking in the world was not going to make that happen. Not one person received our subliminal sound waves. Nobody moved. There were a few spots where a table meant for four were occupied by just two souls. I suggested we occupy the two empty chairs but my hubby was not at all interested so we left.
The weather outside was not at all conducive to an outdoor excursion. It has been cold and rainy all week. If it had been warm and sunny we could have found one of the local parks and continued our little adventure there. The only option left was to carry our coffee to our car and head home.
When we arrived home my hubby announced he was going to set up our own coffee shop right here in our own home. While I tended to a few items he rearranged our living room furniture. When I returned he had moved the couch and coffee table in front of our gas fireplace. On the table he had placed our steaming hot cups of coffee as well as our iPads and the other items we had taken to Starbucks. I thought it cute that he had taken the effort to arrange a cozy and inviting area to relax and carry-on with our experience.
To those that are new to my blog I must tell you we share our home with two cats and a dog. Anytime we slow down and relax all three of them find it necessary to join us. This little coffee sipping extravaganza was just as inviting to them as it was to us. On the couch to my left rested Mayor Tom, our Maine Coon cat, on the floor in front of us was our tabby cat Jerry and resting comfortably on a love-seat throw pillow was our little princess Sadie. Just as with Starbucks all of the available seats were taken.
Although our relaxing afternoon of coffee had not gone as originally planned, we had a quiet little coffee shop right here in our very own home. What more could we ask for?