Horny Cats And Bathroom Snakes

There is no other way to describe the sound coming from my house this week than caterwauling. BeeBee, Terry’s black cat, is seven months old and in heat, and she’s letting everybody know all about it! We wanted to get both of the cats spayed right after we got them, but the vet wanted to wait until they were a little older. We’ll be calling Monday to see when we can get both of them taken care of. We’re not worried about kittens because they are both inside cats, but talk about noisy right now!

In other news, I got the bejesus scared out of me yesterday morning. I’ve lived long enough that there’s not anything walking on two legs, and few things on four legs that I’m afraid of. But snakes scare the hell out of me. Yeah, I know they’re just God’s creatures. So are mosquitoes and fire ants. I don’t like them, either.

I was standing in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I saw movement in my peripheral vision and turned just in time to see a long black snake slithering behind the toilet. Oh, hell no! Time to burn the house down. I got my cane and very cautiously approached to see if I could either beat the damn thing to death or figure out some way to carry it through the house and outside. Neither one seemed like a good option, but you’ve gotta do what you gotta do, right?

Then, when I realized what the “snake” actually was, I had to laugh at myself. It was the black bushy tail of Mai Lyn, Terry’s other cat. I swear, these darn felines are going to be the end of me!

In other news, check out our son Travis’ latest creation, this amazing barn quilt made from old pallet wood. He made it by cutting and shaping individual pieces of wood, painting or staining some of them, and then gluing them together. It took a lot of patience and time, but I think it’s beautiful. I wish I had his creativity. He can look at an ordinary thing someone else sees as junk and spot the treasure it can become.

Today is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for an autographed copy of Tinder Street, the first book in my Tinder Street historical series starting just before World War I that will eventually end during the Vietnam War days. This first book in the saga that will take readers from rural farms to a major industrial city in the Midwest, across an ocean where German U-boats lurk waiting for a target to come within range of their deadly torpedoes, to the bloody trench warfare of France, and home again. And of how, back at home, the soldiers of a victorious army try to put their experiences behind them and pick up the pieces of the lives they once had, to look toward a future bright with promise. Lucas Wirtz was one of those soldiers, a simple farm boy who hated the thought of killing but did his duty. A duty that would haunt him long after the last shots were fired.

This is also the story of the simple working-class people who built America. Farmers, factory workers, streetcar conductors, midwives, and public servants. Their joys and sorrows, their wins and losses, and how these people who struggled together to build a better life for themselves and their children changed a place named Tinder Street to Tender Street, a reflection of one family’s devotion to their neighbors.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn this evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books and audiobooks to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed. After 90 days, unclaimed prizes revert back to the drawing pool for a future contest.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cackle maniacally and people back away from you slowly.