The First Place Gold Winner Is...

This winter season I have lost two of my outdoor felines. Good friends of mine who have been in my life since my family abandoned me in early spring of 2011. 

Chaun Elizabeth

A Bombay, Chaun Elizabeth was quick to become my friend if I had food or not. An orange tabby, Jimmy James discovered me a few short weeks later and couldn't help but be my friend. I love them both very dearly. Friends are friends. It does not matter if they walk on two legs or four. I appreciated their kind and gentle souls.

I finally came to grips with them missing in the past week. As Chaun (pronounced Shawn) disappeared at the beginning of March. She was my guard cat. She was fearlessly loyal and protective of me. She never missed a meal. James would come in and out. He would take vacations but when Chaun who rarely missed a moment with me did for over a week; I knew my friends were lost to the elements. 

As a tribute, i wrote the poem: All I Have to Give. The poem was my way of dealing with another set of losses in my life. Poetry is how I transform negative emotions into positive action. 

It doesn't mean, it doesn't hurt any less. I hurt. I cry. I want my cats returned to me.

Jimmy James

Until then, I entered the poem into a contest, which I won. I very much appreciate the vote of confidence from the anonymous judges.

So a huge Thank You goes out to Bonnie Jennings who organized the contest. The other poems entered were just as worthy and worth a read. I hope you visit the source link below. 

To Chaun and James, I hope you are soaring wherever you are and will come visit me again. Thank you so much for your companionship. You are wonderful examples of service cats. I appreciate your time and patience with me. 

Good-bye, my friends, may you always be remembered in verse.


Also added to Reiteration's content. 

Source: Boondoggles and Snafu



Please donate to my fundraiser: A Safe Place for Us. Thank you!   

The Perfect Coffee Table Bowl

I am a shopper.

More importantly, I am a Clearance Shopper. I have been eying a few items on ZGallerie, but on my budget I cannot afford anything at this store anymore... so I thought. 

I am browsing, collecting data for my Pinterest boards when I click on the Clearance section. 

Low and behold, there is a bowl for my coffee table I wish I could have. At over $60 with the shipping and tax, there was no way my little wish could ever come true, until last week. 

That bowl was under $18. Yeah, I had to do the double take too. So with hope in my heart that there was enough in the end of the month budget for a trinket, I placed the item in the shopping cart and pressed the Check Out Button.

Then I could see what the tax and shipping were going to do to the price. When all was said and finished, the price was under $26. I could not believe my eyes, or my budget. I just had enough. 

Now, one has to ponder: is the item worth it? do i really need it? I could still walk away. 

I pressed the next button, and the next one. 

Excitement surged as I finally after all these years of being sick, broke, and discarded, I was able to buy something nice that I can look at every day and know that with time and mad budgeting skills, I too can afford even high-end clearance sales. 

The only scary part is when Fedex placed the poundage on their tracking site. 17.1 pounds for a bowl. What have I gotten myself into? I hope the bowl does not break my coffee table! 

I know. I need a new hobbie. I have more pressing matters like writing and editing chapbooks and novels, getting my artistic creativity back on track, and doing what I need to get better. I have been doing that for over eight years now. So I have not been slacking ;)

Every once and awhile, you need to do something for you and only you.  Remember that when you see something you want and it does not break the bank to acquire it. 

Have a great and wonderful day!