Dear Reader,
Today's Guest Author, Allia Zobel Nolan has written, at last count, over 150 books. They range from the Divine (inspirational books and Bible-based books for children) to the feline, (over ten books about cats and their antics).
Allia is absolutely thrilled about her latest children's book, Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day. The topic is about something she herself struggles with: learning to wait. Both kids and adults alike can read about how to deal with impatience and the surprise ending makes this a delightfully fun book.
Send Allia an email, say "Hello" and your name will be entered in a drawing for one of three copies of Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day. Reach out to Allia via [email protected]
To see Allia's latest books go to: www.AlliaWrites.com.
My Achilles Heel Walks on Four Feet
I consider myself a forceful woman--not given to many crutches. No nightlight keeps vigil while I sleep. Spiders don't make me squeamish. I know where the oil goes in my car. Still, I do have this one Achilles heel. It's my cats. I love them too much.
I admit it: I'm cat codependent. It's an addiction I've struggled with all my life. But happily, these days, I'm not alone. Women (and men) everywhere have caught on to what I've known for years: There's no getting "enough" of cats.
Still, it wasn't always like this. In the days before cats ruled social media, people thought I was a joke, the infamous cat lady gone over the edge.
"Did you notice her upper lip?" one of my business associates cackled. "She looks like she's sprouting whiskers."
"Yeah, and her briefcase stinks of salmon," another answered. "It's horribly unprofessional."
"What about those earrings?" yet another associate chimed in. "She makes them from her cats' fur. Disgusting."
Yet, what did those naysayers know? Back then, the general populace thought a cat was, well, just a cat. It's only recently people have come to see them as the loyal, loving, entertaining creatures they are. It's only today the cat reclaims the honored place she had back when pharaohs wore snakes on their heads and people rode to work on chariots.
Even today, though, some people still snicker that I go overboard. They don't realize I'm in recovery. Why only last week, I bought scoopable on sale instead of the designer brand
litter I've imported in the past. I saved two bucks, but I felt like a cad.
Truth is I have had to cut back in other ways, too. And it almost broke my heart. It isn't easy explaining to fur children who're used to having the air-conditioning and PBS on all day that they have to sweat and look out the window. But I have put my foot down. I no longer open up tin after tin of cat food to find one they like. I've set a limit of nine. And I've canceled the cats' animal enrichment classes with Ulma.
But things take time. And I'm working on it. But for now, Nolan needs his temples massaged. He gets those awful sinus headaches when he stays out all night. Then, maybe I'll surprise the kitties with a real treat. I mean how hard can it be to give a cat a French manicure?
How about you? Do you spoil your kitties? I bet you do.
-- Allia Zobel Nolan
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
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