The Culture of Cats & Dogs, Part II

We packed up our things, and moved to Clinton, Connecticut.  A day or two after moving in, my husband brought one last load of boxes in.  I began to open boxes randomly, noting the contents, and closing them back up.  Imagine my surprise when out of a box jumps...that's right...one Calico cat.  We took her to the vet, got her healthy, and gave her a loving home.  It didn't take long for Puddin' to become one of my best friends.  She returned the favor a million times over.  She was our baby, our only child and she WAS spoiled and coddled.

Years down the road, Puddin' would have lots of patience with our daughter, and we taught our daughter to do the same - Puddin' was now around 10 years old.  Puddin' was much less tolerant of the Jack Russell Terrier we adopted at the tender age of two - the same age as our daughter - their birthdays just one day apart.

Maia became fast friends with Zeke, and she often refers to him as her "brother", completely debunking the only-child theory.  Me?  I favored the cat.  Yes.  It's true.  The dog, while I know needed a home as much as Puddin' had, annoyed the heck out of me.  He's was a young, hightly-energetic, full-of-attitude, handful of a dog.  My husband and daughter have attached to him nicely.  It's been a little tougher for me.  I was happy with Puddin'; she was quiet, comforting, soft and cuddly...and she let me read a book.  Most of the time.  She was everything that Zeke was not.

Our Charter Fishing Adventure

I was excited when my husband won tickets on a charter fishing vessel for a day - although I hadn't fished in years.  And when I learned that we were going to be setting the alarm for 4:30am, I was a little...less excited.  I figured I'd be spending time fishing and relaxing, and in the end, it turned out to be just that.  But when we, along with the other passengers, began the process of setting our first lines, I soon realized I was in some sort of fish-whisperer slash mini-boot camp for the inexperienced.

Captain Greg is an in-your face, master of fish-finding.  My first dropped line was a disaster, and I heard "Keep your line long" or "Left hand up - you might as well say goodbye to your fish, if your left hand isn't up!" more than a few times.  But when I stopped being offended, and started listening to what he had to share, I found success.  Major success - I caught two of our largest fish on one rig!  I did fairly well from there, and so did the rest of my family.

My daughter was invited up to the Captains area to steer the boat along with another child.   Maia felt special, and had a great time.  We all did.  And...we have a ton fish for dinner now and well into the future!  Would I do it again?  Sure...why not?  Oh...wait.  You say set the alarm for 4:30?  AM?