Yawn, yawn, yawn! Nothing like a good stretch after a nap!
I was just thinking today about some odd customs I have noticed. One of the oddest is during the early part of each year (when the days are at their darkest), when Mom talks about her Uncle Sam a lot. I have met some of her relatives like nieces, daughter, grandson, sister, brother, even cousins, but never this Uncle Sam. I didn't know she had one, but she must, and he must be very poor, because she sends him a lot of money each year. We certainly are not rich, and sometimes Mom will wonder aloud where my next meal is coming from. Horrors! I could starve! Well, I haven't yet. Actually, Mom takes very good care of us and we always have good food to eat.
Another odd custom was when Cherokee would put his dry food into the water dish. It turned the water brown and made it most unappetizing looking. Since it was food flavored, I could drink it, but just barely. Mom didn't like it either. She said it stained the dish and she would have to scrub it out. After he would let the food soak in the water for a while, he would take it out with his paws and eat it. Then he would shake his legs and paws to get the water off and would leave water drops all over everything and puddles on the floor. At first Mom thought he was getting his paws wet in the litter box and was incredibly disgusted when she found footprints on the table. Finally she realized that it was from the water dish and not the litter box and felt a lot better about it.
Cherokee also had the custom of looking out of every window and door he could reach, which is to say all of them. We have a very high, yellow, arched window in the stairwell. It is up near the second floor ceiling, with no access whatsoever. It does not open. I know this because Cherokee often would get up on the half-wall at the top of the steps and jump over to the window. It is a very small, narrow place, but he was determined. I'm not sure why, since you can't see out of it because of the pattern and the color. Whatever made him happy! When Mom would see him jump over there, it was all she could do to keep from screaming, she was so afraid for him. She did not scream, though, because she knew it would startle him and maybe make him fall. She is a very good Mom that way, always concerned for our safety.
Mom also has the custom of bringing a tree into the house every year. I find it very odd, but it does smell rather nice, like the outdoors. She sets it up in a container of water and then puts lights and sparkly things on it. I guess it looks nice, and Mom likes it a lot. After it has been up for a while, she puts presents on the white sheet that is under it. Some of the presents are for us. The only presents I really like, though, are the food ones, like tuna and salmon. Um-m-m-m-m! She talks about someone named Santa Claus. Who is this? Another mysterious relative? Supposedly he brings the presents, but I've never seen him, and I have watched. This last year, Mom did not put up a tree. She was afraid that Pest would climb it and ruin things. She was probably right!
Other customs are called holidays. For instance, the tree is put up for the Christmas holiday, and she cooks a prime rib roast. Yum! Yum! When I first came to live with Mom, it took me a while to acquire a taste for beef, but now I think it's pretty darned good. Then there is Easter, when she cooks lamb. O-o-o-o-o-h! I love lamb! Very yummy! She usually boils eggs and colors them, too. The eggs are okay, but I much prefer the lamb. On the holiday called Thanksgiving, she cooks a turkey and I am in seventh heaven! I think bird is my favorite food. One day I was out on the patio, and a bird came within reach. I quickly swiped at it and brought it down onto the bricks of the patio. I was about to bite into a lovely meal of bird, when Mom came out and made me let go. The bird crawled under the grill and by the next day, he was gone. I know, I looked. I guess Mom has never caught and eaten a bird before. If she had, she would realize just how great fresh bird is.
Well, there are probably other customs that I haven't thought of, but talking about all this eating and jumping around has made me very tired. So, for safety's sake, I will go to my bed and nap for a while.
Yours,
Apache
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