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)