I had the day off for the Presidents' Day holiday, so gratitude is sort of built right in. 🙂
This post is more confession than gratitude, I suppose... but here it goes. I am a crazy cat lady. I actually only have one cat, so I guess I'm not actually a full-blown crazy cat lady, but if not for fear of my husband divorcing me- I could easily become one.Â
From my earliest memories I have been captivated by animals. I grew up on a farm and was very emotionally connected to our cats, dogs, and horses. I remember that heady, almost high sensation when I would find myself near a deer, squirrel, or other wild animal that would stop and temporarily engage with me before fleeing. Hell, once (and this was as a full grown adult) I went running out on my front porch because I had a bear in my front yard. It wasn't until the door closed behind me that I remembered that they can run 30 miles an hour and I was standing  20 feet away. See, crazy!
After leaving my parents farm for college I wanted a dog but could never let myself do that to an animal. My days have always been long between jobs, commutes, hobbies, and such. No dog should be home alone for 12 hours a day every day.
When my husband and I moved to our current property is came with a few acres. In the first six months we were here we had three stray cats (including two new born kittens abandoned by their momma) meow their way into our home and into our lives. I'm sure there will be future posts that details these stories in depth, but for today, I'll simply say that we're down to just one of those three cats. Her name is Princess and she earned her name through her dainty and high maintenance ways.
Last night Princess was distraught by the fact that we had a house guest spending the night, so she kept me awake for three hours trying to quiet her meowing (read: bitching) Finally, I put her outside, which I almost never do because that's how I lost the other two, presumably feeding the local wildlife.
But this morning I missed her and was saddened that she decided to spend the whole day outside. I know she's "just a cat", but she is also our sweet princess- she can be incredibly kind and sweet. My heart is filled with gratitude for my pain in the ass cat, whom I love, dote on, and curse at in the night.