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A Cat Tale -- Cozy, the Cat

A heart-warming, true tale of adopting a shelter animal, by Cindy Beck
 














Poozer had disappeared. How do cats manage to do that -- just suddenly vanish?

We hunted for days, worried that a hawk had swooped down, scooped her up in his talons and eaten her for lunch. Or worse yet, that she’d been hit by a truck and lay under a patch of sagebrush, injured and hidden from sight.

We looked under every bush, turned over every rock. Well, okay, not literally turned every rock, because there are a lot of rocks in Wyoming. But ... it seemed like every rock!

Then it dawned on us—maybe she’d wandered afar, someone had picked her up and turned her in. Hurry, scurry, off to the Laramie animal shelter!

By now it’d been almost a week, and the shelter only held animals for seven days. When we arrived, the young man at the desk looked disinterested. As in, “Don’t talk to me. Don’t ask me any questions. I’m only here because the judge ordered it.” Yeah, that kind of disinterested.

I looked at him, hoping to catch his eye, but amazingly enough he stared at paperwork on the counter in front of him. Go figure.

Finally, I asked, “Has a white cat come in?”

Our young son, Davey, stood on his tiptoes to look over the counter at him. “Her name is Poozer.”

My husband, Russ, smiled at Davey, as I said, “I don’t think the man needs to know that part, sweetheart.”

The guy shuffled the papers and stared at a speck on the counter. Seriously ... how interesting can a fly speck really be? Finally he said, “Nope.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, do you mind if we walk through and look at the cats, just to be sure?

“Go ahead.”

We walked in, and it only took a glance to see that Poozer wasn’t there. However, my hands itched to pet all the kittens. I had to stuff them in my pockets (my hands, not the kittens!) so they didn't reach out to scratch all those cute ears.

As we walked past the mewing balls of fluff, an attendant entered the room. I turned to him. “How long will these cats be here?”

“They’re scheduled for euthanasia tomorrow.”

My heart felt like it leapt into my throat and the only way to keep it down was to gulp. The thought of all those beautiful, purring kittens being dead in less than twenty-four hours made me feel sick.

I looked around, the tears threatening to form in the corners of my eyes. And then I saw her.

No, not Poozer.

I saw the ugliest cat anyone ever laid eyes on.
 Which meant all those beautiful kittens and one ugly cat would die on the morrow.

My heart went out to her. What chance did a half-grown cat have when her muted markings made her look like a lopsided jester? Still, we were there looking for Poozer, not there to rescue a cat that looked like she’d been dunked in cans of old paint.

As we walked past the cages again, the kittens tumbled and played with each other. When we neared Ugly Cat, she moved as close to the bars as she could, mewed, then reached her paw out and patted my arm as if to say, “Please, please take me.”

We did.

We never found Poozer. But, from the moment we took Ugly Cat home, she was the cuddliest cat in the house. Because of that -- and because we obviously couldn't continue calling her Ugly Cat -- we named her Cozy. She stayed the size of a half-grown kitten, and her colors remained muted, but her coat developed a sheen, and she never ceased to want to cuddle or to sit cozily in a lap. Her heart was filled with love for us.

Over time, the gruff, elderly gentleman who lived next door took a shine to her, and he’d talk to her when he went outdoors. She’d meow back at him and run to his porch, where he’d feed her fish heads (yuck!) and other "tasty" (and you'll notice I put quotes around "tasty") treats.
They developed a warm friendship.

Cozy lived to a ripe old age. Eventually she passed away, and we cried as we buried the ugliest cat -- with the most beautiful personality -- on the back half acre where she loved to wander.

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Author's note: If you enjoyed these thoughts, then sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar on the right. That way you won't miss out on the fun.

"A Cat Tale -- Cozy, the Cat" © C.L. Beck. 
"Cozy the Cat" graphic is the property of C.L. Beck, and may be found on other articles under her pen names. Please do not violate copyright -- obtain permission before using image or text.
All other images property of Pixabay.com

Tags: animal rescue, adopting shelter animals, cats, shelter animal experience, rescuing a cat from the pound


Easy Side Dish -- Cucumbers in Sour Cream













Tired of the same ol' cucumber routine? Cucumbers in salads, or with salt and pepper, or cucumbers in vinegar. And if you have a garden, you probably have cukes coming out your ears.  Or other orifices.

Yes, cucumbers coming out your nose!

At any rate, give this recipe, "Easy Side Dish -- Cucumbers in Sour Cream" a try. It's a snap to make.

Ingredients
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp sour cream
2 1/2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp salt (more, if desired)
Pepper
3 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 small Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion), thinly sliced, separated into rings.

Directions
Mix sour cream, vinegar, sugar, dill, salt and pepper in a serving bowl. Add cucumbers and onions. Toss gently. Cover. Refrigerate 2-4 hours ... if you can stand to wait that long. Serves 6-8.

As long as you like cucumbers and onions, you'll love cucumbers in sour cream. It's a great one to fix for your own supper, or to take to a potluck, too. Everyone will rave, and you'll have found a way to use up the produce on that cucumber plant from Hades ... er ... I mean, those copious amounts of fruit on that lovely cucumber plant.

(Recipe adapted from Taste of Home)

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Author's note: If you enjoyed these mostly amusing thoughts, then sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar on the right. That way you won't miss out on the fun.

"Easy Side Dish -- Cucumbers in Sour Cream!" © C.L. Beck. 
Image is the property of C.L. Beck, and may be found on other articles under her pen names. Please do not violate copyright -- obtain permission before using image or text.
Tags: easy side dish, cucumbers, sour cream, recipe

The Wind Didn't Blow Strong Enough!












If you happened to read my previous post ... and yes, I know it was a long time ago ... you will probably remember that I said "Change is in the wind!"

 Apparently, the wind didn't blow strong enough, because nothing happened after that. And here I am, a year later, finally posting again.

Oh, all right. It's actually been a year and three months. Or so.

 Just to prove that I didn't lie about change ... no, honestly, I didn't lie. I just didn't act quickly.

Anyway, just to prove I didn't lie, I'm planning to post one of my favorite recipes for cucumbers in sour cream in the very near future. Because at this time of year, you have to have something you can do with those cukes ... outside of using the really big ones for baseball bats!

More info on those cukes to follow soon. Very soon.

 I promise.

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Author's note: If you enjoyed these mostly true thoughts -- with a little bit of lying exaggeration thrown in, then sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar on the right. That way you won't miss out on the fun.

"The wind didn't blow strong enough!" © C.L. Beck. 
Image is the property of C.L. Beck, and may be found on other articles under her pen names. Please do not violate copyright -- obtain permission before using image or text.
Tags:change, wind, change is in the wind, cucumbers, recipe