Sparkle was our family cat. She passed away several years ago, at the ripe old age of 15, after living most of her life with only 3 legs--the result of a tragic mishap. We never knew what happened. She left home one day and returned, hobbling, several days later.
The vet told us the leg (her front right) would likely need amputating, but to give it a week or two and he would reassess. Fortunately for Sparkle, and for us too, the leg began to atrophy and eventually ended up next to her chest--thereby eliminating the need for amputation. She adapted nicely and continued catching mice and birds (bad kitty!) and climbing the occasional tree.
I was reminded of Sparkle and all of her antics recently when I read a book by a couple who are the ultimate spoiled-cat enablers.
Now I feel much better about my own enabling.
Sparkle didn't like the snow very much, and she wouldn't go outside unless I shoveled a path for her on the deck. Mr. Gadget used to clear a circular path around the house with his snow thrower, always insisting it was for the humans.
Sparkle was very fond of deli turkey. I made the mistake of giving her a small sampling one day, and from then on I had to repeatedly throw her off the table at lunch time. As she approached her golden years and her hearing started to go, she would sneak up behind me in the kitchen and emit a blood-curdling yowl. A little bit of turkey quieted her right down....and all-but-guaranteed a future yowl.
Then there were the early-morning wake-up calls. When she awoke at the crack of dawn and wanted her breakfast, she would come into the bedroom and lick the door moldings. Do you have any idea how loud a sandpaper tongue on door moldings can be in a quiet house? It was enough to get me up to open a can of cat food. And all-but-guarantee a future licking episode.
When arthritis started taking a toll and she couldn't jump up on the furniture with her usual ease, I took pity on her. Each evening I would put a chair next to our bed, and next to that a small plastic storage box. This gave her a couple of manageable steps and allowed her to share our electric blanket.
I miss Sparkle and all of her quirks. I miss watching her roll over and put her belly up against the kerosene heater. I miss watching her straddle the toilet bowl while she got a drink, and wondering if this time she would fall in. I'd love to have another cat one day....maybe when our traveling days are over. One thing's for sure though. I've learned what spoiling does to a cat, and I'd never do that again.....
For the most part they've been dependable and true although, on occasion, he's referred to them as fair-weather friends. They've helped him wash his car and vacuum water out of the basement. They've protected him from cold morning floors and rescued him from burning beach sand. But lately the friendship had begun showing signs of wear and tear.
It was starting to fray around the edges. In fact, there was an incident recently that almost broke them apart for good. Mr. Gadget was beside himself. I've never seen him cry, but his eyes were welling up. He came to me and asked if I wouldn't mind interceding on his behalf before the friendship was beyond repair. He knows I have mending ways. He knows I've often been called a piecemaker.
I told him I would do my best, but would make no promises. I called the two of them into the treehouse and instructed Mr. G. to leave the house..... maybe take a short trip to Home Depot or the gadget store.
I sat them down and talked to them rather sternly. I told them Mr. Gadget had always treasured their friendship, and that he looked forward to having them in his life until his dying day. Could they just sit calmly, I asked, while I did a little repair work? I assured them I had the tools and the know-how. They must have realized how serious this matter was because they agreed to sit quietly while I did my work.
In no time at all, I had things patched up. It's refreshing to know there are still a few good ol' soles in the world.
I made the scary spider out of Sculpey and wire. I thoughtfully warned Mr. Gadget that it was sitting on the kitchen counter so he wouldn't be frightened and run for a can of Raid. He seemed impressed with my spiderly talents. I especially like how the hat brim lining matches her eye shadow. Last night I stitched this one:
This poor ol' gal forgot to check her shoes for spiders! That's something I'll never forget to do, no matter how senile I get.... During the stitching process I confirmed what I've always suspected. It's much easier to embroider little embellishments on body parts before they're sewn and stuffed and attached to a doll..JPG)
Seems it's just the right size for a one-man dessert. I slice up 3 golden delicious apples, toss them in a sugar-cinnamon mixture, add some raisins, and plug in the crockette for about 4 hours or so.
Every now and then I peek in and give it a stir....and enjoy a little whiff of apple goodness.
Here's one of the sights of our money drop. I say one of the sights because there are many bead shops in this part of the city. I like to call it the bead district. Here's some of my loot:
I plan to embellish my angel dolls with these. Heh...heh....just kidding. These are mostly witch fixins'. As I was leaving one of the stores, I noticed the necklace on a sale table. Doesn't it look like a string of boney bits? Definitely haute couture for a witch intent on making a fashion statement.
None of the ladies has a name yet, but all in good time. I do believe naming is an important part of my job as a dollmaker....especially with witches. Can you imagine someone naming a witch Susie or Betsy, or even Barbie? I just can't take that chance....
So tomorrow I'm going to take the train down to the big city to see....you guessed it....Big City Girl. It's time for one of my 
BCG's best friend is going to join us too, so it's going to be, like, some really fun girl-time in the city. We'll have lunch, and then, like, probably do some shopping.
On a different subject, Mr. Gadget and I had once discussed the possibility of burying a statue of 
This got me to thinking. Maybe we could bury the toilet top instead, you know, after having it blessed by a certified plumber--a certified, religious plumber. Maybe we could kill two birds with one stone. We'd be speeding up the selling process, and getting rid of an unsightly piece of garbage that would, no doubt, be left on the curb by our garbage man.
Witches seem to be one of the most popular of my characters among buyers, but it's difficult to find a craft fair at a perfect time for selling them. In late September or early October, a few people are looking for Halloween things but aren't yet into shopping for Christmas gifts and/or decorations. 
November is the best time for those items, but of course by then witches are old news.
No matter what the season, I always make sure I have one witch on my craft table because sometimes I'll attract a collector....someone who loves nothing more than to live among witches all year long.
Here's my personal favorite pair:
These are the shoemaker's shoes. Remember the Grimm's fairy tale about the shoemaker? He had lots of elf helpers. So where are those elves anyway? They should be here doing my housework....
We assumed our house might sell if we got out of town for a few days, but that assumption was incorrect.
There was even more color in Halifax, thanks to Owen and his little red wagon.
There are always plenty of characters on a cruise. This one, a towel frog, was compliments of our room steward. 
The weather was much improved by the time we returned on Saturday morning.
Mr. Gadget reluctantly put on his red hat when I suggested it would serve as a beacon to our driver. How does this man manage to look so trim after a cruise I wonder? I made him swear on a stack of knitting magazines to delete every single one of the pictures he took of me....with the exception of that one above. It's not too bad. It was taken before the warm chocolate melting cake, the eggs Benedict, the special vanilla bread pudding dessert, and the two prime rib dinners. I'm afraid 
Don't tell Mr. Gadget I borrowed his brandy glass. 
"I might just sit around in this chair all day."
"If only I could find a comfortable position."
"Ahhhhh. That's better. Now, where's the sun?"
For years he kept track of Tech Guy's and Big City Girl's heights. He even measured BCG the day she left for college. I think that's the last mark we have for her because future trips home never allowed time for such details. The college years were also known as the era of the revolving door.
She raised me two planters full of geraniums and a garden mallard (on the left in front of the chair). This left me no choice but to call in the dogs.
This freeloading toad amused me. You know how easily amused I am. So I decided to decorate his shell....to make it more homey and inviting.
See that little dark spot in the middle? It's a break in the shell. It will make a nice picture window, so I painted some shutters on it. Mr. Toad will find it useful for predator sightings....you know, hawks, hedgehogs, or those persistent church ladies who come around with their religious brochures. I'm pretty sure this interesting piece of yard art might attract the right home buyer.
I think these are going to work out well. This pink fabric is much too bright for the pig I have in mind though, but I'm sure they'll have just what I need at the fabric store. It's not like I'm quarantined or anything....
He also thinks I did the right thing telling Mr. Gadget I needed a day off from working at the old house. My request to be put on the 15-day disabled list was a bit drastic he thought, but he definitely thinks my sitting out one game would be beneficial to my mental health.