THE IDES OF MARCH

Their wedding was unusual in that they chose to go on a "wedding cruise" to the Caribbean. Their flight down required a stop over in Georgia, but that didn't seem to matter. Since the islands did not allow any flowers to be brought in, I went with my daughter to a florist's shop to select an artificial arrangement called a "halo" to wear on her head. As her wedding attire she chose a white skirt and tank top with sandals. My son-in-law was dressed in a casual white shirt and "clam digger" length pants. The actual ceremony was on the island of St. Thomas, and she brought back photos from the event plus actual framable pictures for the parents. They looked tanned and radiant, standing under the arch where the actual marriage took place. People have asked me how I felt about my daughter not having a church wedding, and I replied that it was HER wedding and therefore it was HER choice. Privately I mused that the big fuss and EXPENSE of her brother's wedding just two years earlier soured her on the big "traditional wedding" gig. As a bridesmaid, she had to pay for her gown, having her hair done, the shower gift, the wedding gift, and her stay close to the location of the wedding. Although she was flattered to be asked, she didn't realize the cost. There had been no prior weddings in the family to which she could relate.

Anyhow, I just heard the patter of little paws and turned to see Patches coming in with a toy in his mouth. He is the happiest little dog, made even happier if he has a toy. He was followed in short order by Skittles, which meant that my husband must be awake and up. Sure enough, the BOSS lumbered into the hall and took both dogs out for a quick trot. All were joined by Lucy, the yellow lab who lives across the yard and frequently comes over to play. She is so much bigger than my little Shih Tzu's, but that doesn't keep the three of them from running around together. Lucy gallops like a race horse on her long legs, and my little guys work really hard to make their short legs keep up. I joked with Lucy's owner recently that I should RENT his dog, because she gives my two far more exercise than I can from my wheelchair! After a run with Lucy, Patches and Skittles sleep very well. During the visit I heard the voice of a child in search of Lucy. It must have been time to go in for them, and as I was starting to go out my husband assured me that he was only mentioning to the neighbor child that Skittles had just had a grooming OVER HIS SURGERY and to pet very gently. Before I could even go out to say "hi", all three were back inside.

During this whole time, our three cats were snoozing on the couch in the TV room where my husband keeps bed pillows for his back. My son's two cats were curled up together on one, and my little deaf white one was asleep half leaning on the other. All were oblivious to the dogs, my husband, and me. After all, it IS their job to take frequent cat-naps! My daughter, in addition to "Darwin" that my husband will be letting out tonight, has a cat named "Tucker". Tucker was a tiny black spot huddled against a bitter November wind when she left her apartment and went outside to scoop him up. When the phone rang here, she was asking me about any "kitten" supplies that I might have and could she "borrow" them. So she and Tucker came over. The kitten weighed less than a pound and didn't even fill the palm of my hand. Looking between the back legs to see if it was a male or a female earned me an angry "hiss" that was immediately replaced by a return to sleeping. Kittens have that uncanny ability to go from "awake" to "asleep" at the snap of the fingers. But I did learn that Tucker was a MALE and a very sweet personality. As he grew it became obvious that he was a long haired cat; A VERY LONG HAIRED cat. In fact I describe him as a cloud of black fur with legs. Touching him will release a large quantity of this black cloud on everything it passes. But he is so soft that you hardly know you touched him at all! I must warn my husband to look carefully when he lets Darwin out to be sure that Tucker doesn't see his moment for an adventure and slip silently and invisibly out the door.