delight

Snarfing Down a Carrot – Day 984

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Snarfing Down a Carrot – Photo: L. Weikel

Snarfing Down a Carrot

As I’ve said a vast number of times before, it’s the little things in life that make it all worthwhile. Yeah, I’ve written about a lot of the ‘little things’ in my life over the past 983 days, even accidentally titling three separate posts (here, here, and here) ‘Little Things.’ But I’ve never titled a post ‘Snarfing Down a Carrot’ before tonight and yet the snarfing was most definitely another example of a tiny moment that made my day.

In point of fact, and upon reflection, almost every post has been about something most people would view as utterly inconsequential.

Alas, perhaps that’s one of the lessons I’ve learned through this exercise I dubbed my ‘1111 Devotion.’ My life is a tapestry of inconsequential moments; opportunities to assign personal meaning to the shape of a cloud or to realize joy in the midnight song of a catbird.

Or to experience delight when pigs, responding to my calls, run from their pen to greet me with smiles and appreciative grunts. It got even better (in my book) when the swine that snagged the biggest carrot used decidedly covert and deliberate tactics to hide her coup from the other two. Not only did she know she’d scored, she was determined to hide it from the other two.

She knew what she was doing! – Photo: L. Weikel

Laughter and Joy

I’m grateful for the laughter and joy my ‘three little pigs’ brought me this evening. It was quite a juggling act, taking their photos while feeding them carrots, singing their praises, and making sure Spartacus stuck by my side.

But I hope you’ll agree, these photos capture at least a little of their ‘cheek,’ and surely elicit a chuckle.

I was going to pick a card for us to contemplate on tomorrow’s full moon in Aquarius. Instead, I became distracted by my lovely and loving little porkers.

Maybe I’ll pick a card tomorrow.

Or maybe not.

Shhhh! It’s our secret – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-127)

First Flurries – Day 759

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Cardinal in First Flurries – Photo: L. Weikel

First Flurries

Yup, it’s definitely starting to feel like winter, even though we’ve not technically arrived there yet. Here in eastern Pennsylvania we experienced our first flurries and snow coating of the season.

I hope I never get so old that I don’t feel the joy of ‘first flakes’ fluttering in my heart as they come cascading out of the sky. I know, I know. There are personal safety issues that arise with the arrival of the slippery stuff. I’m not talking about the stresses that might accompany having to walk or drive anywhere essential in the snow. I simply never want to have my first reaction to seeing snow be anything other than a touch of childlike glee.

Critter Reactions

I’ll admit it; I had to laugh at the birds falling all over themselves at the feeders. I should’ve taken more photos of the house finches, goldfinches, nuthatches, and cardinals crowding and dive bombing each other at the feeder just outside my living room window. You’d think it was the equivalent of avian Black Friday.

But I did manage to get a lovely photo of a mama cardinal that looks almost staged. I only wish I could activate the ‘live’ feature of the photo within this post because when I hold my finger down on the photo in my phone, you can’t miss the curtain of flurries falling from the sky as she turns and winks at me.

Squirrel Squatter – Photo: L. Weikel

Squirrel Squatter

While I was making my morning coffee, I had to laugh at the unexpected sighting of a squirrel balancing on a metal hanger for a floral basket. I cannot imagine that its tiny little peds aren’t freezing. I hope they didn’t stick to the metal when s/he went to move. They probably didn’t, although I was surprised at how long it hung out there. It did not look like the most comfortable perch.

Luckily, the temperature was just under freezing. I think that tongue-sticking-to-a-metal-pole type of reaction only happens when everything is in a deep, deep freeze.

Slugs

And then there were the spoiled creatures that live in our home. Cletus and Spartacus were not venturing far away from the fire. They much preferred watching the flakes from the window or the door. Or even better, from the vantage point of inside their dreaming eyes.

Cletus & Spartacus – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-352)

Cuteness – Day 554

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May I have more, Mommy? – Photo: L. Weikel

Cuteness

Sometimes cuteness is the only thing that gets me through the day. Especially lately. Not my own, by any stretch of the imagination. Good grief. No…I’m talking about the irresistible expressions of adorableness that I enjoy every single day at the paws of my familiars.

I cringe at the thought of imagining life without the daily dose of joy I receive from my pups and kittens. And even the fact that I refer to my old chunks of fur (none of my three cats are younger than at least 7 years old) as kittens tells you how cherished a place they hold in my heart.

It’s odd that I’m sitting here writing about the cats, though, when it’s Spartacus who’s been taking the cuteness cake lately.

Innocent Delight

Just that face; I mean really. I let Spartacus lick clean a container of yogurt the other day and this was my reward a few minutes later. The innocent delight was palpable. I could not look at him without grinning myself – and day after day I keep realizing just how precious it is to have a reason to smile.

Tonight, as I was sitting here contemplating what I could write this evening that might distract us all from, well, everything that’s going on in our world right now, I could hear Karl calling to Spartacus. Karl was trying to talk him into going upstairs with him because he’s such great company.

But take a look at where Spart was at the time he was being summoned by Karl:

Spartacus, wedged and cuddling – Photo: L. Weikel

He was wedged between my legs and the cushions of our couch. His ears curled just slightly when he heard Karl calling his name. I knew he was tempted. There’s nothing worse to Spart than being asked to split his loyalties and choose between us. But I could tell, at least for the time being, he’d found his sweet spot.

Sheila

It’s hard for me to write so much and so often about Spartacus, when he quite literally would not be here if it weren’t for Sheila. Not only is she his mother, but she also was our first dog as a family. It was a monumental decision for us to decide to get a puppy. We’d always been cat people. And let’s face it, cats train their owners; dogs, however, require a completely different skill set (beyond love, which it goes without saying is necessary for all animals).

Sheila changed our lives. If she hadn’t turned out to be the best addition to our family, Spartacus wouldn’t even have been a glint in our eye. It makes me sad now that she is so deeply ensconced within her own inner world, having lost her sight to cataracts and her hearing to old age.

And that’s not to say that she doesn’t still exude a ton of personality, as I realize I’m not shy in sharing with you. And she is the epitome of cuteness – even still – as the old gray-muzzled hound she’s become.

Part of the Family

I’m so grateful for all the animals that share their lives with me. Of course, my life wouldn’t be nearly as rich or entertained without my Sheila, Spartacus, Precious, Cletus, and Tigger. But I’d also be lost without the variety of animals that cross my path each day, lurk in the woods beside our garage, visit our feeders, prance around our compost pile, or grok at me as they swoop in to snag a peanut.

All of the creatures I’m lucky enough to share life with are a part of my family. And sometimes they’re the only ones whose cuteness can brighten my day.

(T-557)