No Trouble At All!

Animals. Some of the best stories told come from the antics of those furry (or feathery) members of your family. These family members are also responsible for some of our best (and worst) memories! I was reminded of that again, recently. My children (especially daughter Abby) have always had a soft spot for animals, and our home has often been compared to a miniature petting zoo. There was a time that we had horses, lambs, goats, dogs, cats, and let’s not forget the fish! Son Marshall prefers cats. I think their independence appeals to him – along with the fact that an outside cat can pretty well fend for itself.

That brings me to our cat. His name is Trouble. We adopted him from the shelter, and he was the only kitten in the room that I told the kids they absolutely could NOT have. He was loud. He had a crooked bobtail. You couldn’t’ seem to make him happy. The kids found other kittens, but he had other ideas. With Abby holding one kitten and Marshall holding another, he promptly jumped on the half wall near where Abby was sitting, placed his paws on her shoulder and reminded us loudly that we should not overlook him. Abby said, “You know Mom, it would be a shame for a kitten with this much personality to be put down. And you KNOW no one is going to want him, because he’s so annoying!” That did it. Trouble came home with us.

We’ve learned a lot about each other over the years. Trouble is a birder. He likes to stay near home, and he likes being outside most of the time…unless it’s cold. He likes being inside when it’s cold, and he can scoot inside an open door faster than you can blink! With this most recent round of cold weather, Trouble has spent a lot of time inside.

Recently we had a quick sandwich supper, and a BBQ Lay’s potato chip was dropped on the floor. Trouble gobbled it up. I really forgot about it. Obviously, Trouble did not. Two days later on his next indoor visit, I heard noise and bags rustling in the kitchen. You guessed it…Trouble…in the BBQ chips! You see, Trouble is an incredibly brilliant cat. He knows advertising works, and he agrees with the slogan, “Lay’s Potato Chips – betcha can’t eat just one!“

To be honest, his little foray into the chips seemed pretty minor the next morning when my sweet neighbor called to let me know our goat was out and had chased her in her yard! The sight of that goat walking up our sidewalk toward our front door made me realize Trouble is really not much trouble at all. If you see me at the grocery store with BBQ chips in my basket…you’ll know why.

Until next time ~ Karen

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