DON'T SAY IT . . .

(photo taken from Media Convergence Matters Blog)

Scott should know better! He really should, but some things slip out of his mouth and then it's too late!!

The downward spiral began on a beautiful Sunday afternoon when we discovered that our beloved kitty had been brutally murdered. That was followed by our favored gubanatorial candidate losing in the primaries and something about the Yankees not doing well . . . oh yeah, then a notice being posted on the house we're renting that it is foreclosing! (It's not a personal blow since we're just renting, but we still need to vacate the premesis!).

So Scott opens his mouth and out pops "the curse words". No, not swear words! The words that bring more bad things your way . . . you know, a CURSE! He says, as he nervously laughs - that laugh he does when he just can't believe the string of events that seem to be unfolding - he says, "WHAT ELSE COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?"

WHAT? I said, "WHY DID YOU JUST SAY THAT???" He immediately tried the knocking on wood trick. That never helps. Once those words have been spoken, you might as well put on your life vest because it's gonna be bumpy ride in a small life raft! All you can do is hold on for dear life and pray for calm seas.

I will have to fill in the rest of this story once I feel that the roller coaster ride has come to a complete stop and we can safely exit the vehicle! (sorry for the switch of metaphors.)

I felt the above photo was so perfect for this post. Yet when I started reading the blog that the photo came from, it got even better. Here's what it said:

Any devotee of Murphy's Law (If anything can go wrong, it will) knows it has numerous collieries (e.g. If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong; If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop). New Murphy's Laws have developed for just about any aspect of life, including selective gravitation (e.g. The chance of the buttered side of the bread falling face down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet; The greater the value of the rug, the greater the probability that the cat will throw up on it!). Posted by Tom Johnson, Nov. 7, 2009

I'll stop there. You get the idea!

Goodbye little buddy!

I never wanted any cats! I made myself very clear . . . I thought. On Camille's 3rd birthday we got a little black cat - the runt of the litter. Fine, I gave in. I was out-numbered! Then on her 7th birthday she fell in love with this cream colored fluff ball (pictured above). Though I protested and said how I really didn't want anymore cats, I was out-numbered once again. Camille couldn't live without the little fluff ball and Scott, the ol' softy, couldn't either! All I could do was grumble my protests which fell on deaf ears.

I'm not a totally stone-hearted meany. I think kittens are adorable. However, I can keep in perspective the fact that they grow into cats which then claw your furniture to shreds!!

Well, for those unfamiliar with the ways of cats, THEY tend to choose who they like most, and who they will sleep next to at night! Wouldn't you know it, the little fur ball plopped himself right between Scott and I on the very first night and that was that!! No matter how many times I threw him off in the middle of the night . . . he just came back. He was a momma's boy!

When we were naming him, manly names didn't fit because he was so "pretty" and always mistaken for a girl. I'm not sure how we settled on 'Branford' but it had just enough sissyness to it. . . not that it really mattered, we had so many nicknames for him, he was probably confused.

Much to my surprise, when we found out our little buddy had been killed (by a horrid pitbull . . . don't even get me started!), I was quite heart-broken. Usually when a pet dies (referring to when we said goodbye to hamsters), it's a sad moment but not heartbreaking . . . at least not to me. Camille's another story - she really loves animals.

However, when Scott made the discovery my heart sank. We were all so shocked and completely heart-broken. We had Branford for 12 years!! He was referred to as Camille's little brother since she had no siblings. He was constant entertainment and always had something to say.

In the picture above, he is in a suitcase. He always hopped in our suitcases when we were packing to go somewhere, hoping we wouldn't leave him behind. Not that he enjoyed traveling . . . he absolutely hated it! When we moved from Vermont to Utah - I don't think he stopped complaining from Essex to Palmyra, New York. At that point we stopped to see Scott's parents who were on a mission at the time. When Branford came into the house he was so frustrated he didn't know whether to hiss or purr. It was really funny to watch!

We teased Branford about being a Boston Red Sox fan because he always seemed to complain when the Yankees won.

Most of his days were spent sleeping in the funniest positions. Lying completely on his back like an otter . . . draped over the arm of the sofa with all for legs hanging down, or inside a cubby hole or a drawer that was left open. Apparently he needed lots of energy for his nightly capers. Once he knew everyone was in bed, he would call out Astoria and they would run races and tackle and get into mischief. Then when the romping around was done, he'd jump into bed with us and talk very loudly telling us all about it. Either that or he would purr so loudly it sounded like his purr box needed to be oiled!!

**sigh**

I can tell you this much, I will NOT miss fur everywhere, his cat food all over the floor, being woken up by his loud purr or having to block out all the lower level windows at night so that he doesn't fight the neighborhood prowling cat through the window.

I WILL miss his cuddly soft fur, his very lengthy conversations and finding him sleeping in the oddest places and positions. You are truly missed!

(We did tell you that curiosity kills the cat but you didn't listen!)