SPARKY'S STASH
Above is a picture of Sparky playing with a stolen pencil. (Check out the thumb, not to mention the mischievous smile on her lips!) Little Miss Sticky Fingers is continuing her habit of stealing things off my desk to play with. She also steals things off the kitchen and bathroom counters. Anything that isn't nailed down. Yesterday, I went hunting for a missing earring, and found some of Sparky's toys:
AND NOW, FOR A TASTY SNACK
Did you notice the above mangled Brillo pad with the two hand-crocheted pot scrubbers? I can't believe it, but Sparky actually ate half of a new Brillo pad. I didn't discover her deed until she upchucked beside my desk. Naturally, the dogs, being dogs, hurried into the room to inspect the vomitus. Dogs and upchuck are like adolescent boys and fart jokes--a natural and inevitable pairing. While I was in the kitchen fetching a paper towel to clean up Sparky's mess, I discovered the half-eaten Brillo pad on the floor and immediately knew what had made Sparky sick. My baby had eaten soap-impregnated steel wool! Argh! When I reached my office, the floor was clean as a whistle and Shona, my Boxer, was smacking her lips. (Dogs, being dogs . . .) I sighed, put her outside for the inevitable consequences, and a few moments later, she obligingly gagged and then spit up the soapy Brillo pad. I have idiot animals.
DEMON-POSSESSED
I've recently discovered a TV show called My Cat From Hell, and though the show is a little campy and over-acted for dramatic effect, I've picked up some very useful information on dealing with a hyperactive cat. (That would be Sparky, in case you wondered) The host is a quirky but endearing cat behaviorist named Jackson Galaxy who visits the homes of people whose cats have behavior problems. I'm employing one of Jackson's remedies for high-energy cats. (That would be Sparky, in case you wondered) The "remedy" is basically a couple of feathers attached by string to the end of a stick. You whip it around and play with the cat until it's tired. It's a great way to burn off some of that excess energy from certain cats. (That would be Sparky, in case you wondered) So yesterday I made my own feather-stick and boy howdy, did Sparky go wild! And it did tire her out, which was good. Plus, the play time was fun, and soon Shona and Sparky were both fighting for domination of the feather. Great fun for all! And after all that running around, this is how Sparky ended the day--sprawled between my knees, sound asleep, with her arms sticking up in the air!