Mr. Sammy [not Davis]

He missed curfew, so he was relegated to spend the cold spring night outside. This was not a young kool kat, but a sedate older dude, whose tomkating days were behind him.

I met Sammy on a previous visit to North Carolina. On our recent visit, Sammy and I developed a serendipitous relationship.

Sammy, the furry 4-legged honcho at the Moss household is a bossy, neutered tomcat, rescued by my sister-in-law (SIL), who works at a retirement village which allows pets. Often pet owners move, die or otherwise have to forfeit their animals for various, sometimes urgent, reasons.

This was the plight of Sammy. It seemed no one would step forward and give Sammy a "forever home." Finally, SIL said, "I'll take the cat." She wasn't sure of her husband's reception; he had run stray cats off his property.

SIL drove home with all 16 lbs. of Sammy, opened the door, and set Sammy inside. Amazingly, Sammy ran and jumped in her husband's lap where the two seemed to bond instantly.

Sammy, having conquered what was perceived the biggest obstacle to his new habitat, began to relegate the routines he expected for his continued comfortable lifestyle in return for his devotion of demoted head of household HOH and wife.

1. Sleep in bed with HOH and wife.
2. Feed warm saucer of milk-very small amount, heated 10 seconds, no more or no less, in microwave on demand in kitchen, after which must have outdoor spree.
3. Provide valet service at any door 24/7 for indoor/outdoor recreation, or whatever cats do during waking hours, day and night.
4. Daytime sleep-in after early breakfast, until 4 p.m., preferably undisturbed on master bedroom bed.
5. Other amenities, such as regular dry cat kibbles, water and litter pan in master bedroom.
6. Drinking water privileges in the bathroom lavatory, where the current occupant must open the spigot at just the right trickle, to lap or play.

When SIL's husband (HOH) died, best buddy Sammy, or should I say dictator, was devastated. The crowds of people during his last illness, and the usual company and visits before, during and after a funeral sent Sammy into isolation and hermitage.

Like other family members he suffered duress, desolation and deprivation of his beloved owner. He hid in the basement or spent long hours outdoors trying to understand his innermost feline feelings. He had no cat friends with which to consult or commiserate...well we aren't sure. There was the neighborhood stray who was seen occasionally on the property.

Sometime during or after the funeral, Sammy was missing, maybe contemplating his fate and future, or whatever cats do when their living arrangements take a dramatic change of course. The person to which he bonded most was gone. His house was full of strangers, including new creatures called "children." His household rules were not holding water.

When my husband (H) and I arrived to stay two weeks, SIL's son and family were in their last two days before leaving for their home in Wisconsin. We visited with the son and family one of the two days.

Someone, I think H, asked, "Where is Sammy?" SIL, et al, said Sammy was AOL and had been for a few days.

Conversation continued. I was seated a bit away from the center of attention by the open, glass back door. At some point I absentmindedly glanced at the door. Amazingly, there sat Sammy.

We let Sammy in. He hurriedly surveyed the room's occupants and scurried to the bedroom. He must have summed up his alternatives and decided to adjust to the hand life dealt him. After all, it could be a whole lot worse.

After the company left and only adults were in the house, Sammy seemingly settled in his routine of training us. SIL was already trained. He would rub our legs and even purred a tad for his milk. He sat with H outside in the smoking chair, as we called it.

The crowning achievement with me was # 6 above, when he entered the bathroom, jumped on the lavatory and waited for me to adjust the water. Certainly I never would replace HOH, but I was acceptable substitute if I complied with his rituals.

The most disgruntled, maybe downright mad cat I ever witnessed was Sammy the night he was missed another curfew and was caught up in a severe thunderstorm.

It was after 10 p.m. I was sleeping near the door he usually entered and exited. Between two loud claps of thunder there was a deluge of rain. The second clap was greater volume than the first. I lumbered sleepily to the door and opened it. In streaked the wettest, dripping mad cat I've ever seen. He streaked down the hallway to the master bedroom and SIL, with me in pursuit with a towel to wipe him down.

Sammy didn't know, but maybe he did, that H and I were saps to slavery via a lifetime of dogs. He just lucked out in training us so easily.

Message to Sammy: please be kind and take good care of H's sister and my sister-in-law. You could not have a better home!

PHOTOS: (Apology - I have had no time to learn my two new photo editing programs' method to remove pet equivalent of red eye. It is NOT the red eye tool, at least not in the 3 programs I own.)
Husband: 2, 3, 7
NitWit: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8

Golden Smog

Overnight the world was covered with golden dust--at least the world of Aberdeen, NC and the area know as the Sandhills which is locally known for sandy loam populated by pine forests, multiplicity of golf courses, and towns with "pine" in their names-Southern Pines, Pinehurst, etc.

Our Toyota Highlander Hybrid seemed to have been repainted yellow dust and sticky pine sap---yuck!

When we opened the morning papers, headlines revealed the source of the paint job: the annual pine pollen invasion which is reported to be the worst in seven years according to allergy sufferers, including this horse's nose! To further antagonize respiratory compromised persons, the pollen season entered in raging hurricane force, early.

With allergies, asthma and COPD on my palette of maladies, I anticipated trauma before making this trip. My previous trips to the Carolinas resulted in some kind of respiratory reaction with which to contend on the return trip home.

My primary physician supplied me prescriptions for antibiotics, steroids and cough syrup-just-in-case scenario. Allergy inoculations were up-to-date. Extra inhalers were packed. I also had routine prescription meds. My ammunition for front line defense was ready for airborne invasion.

My husband also suffers from some allergies and COPD. He had similar ammunition.

Both of us had supplies of Benadryl, the popular OTC allergy remedy, or its generic version, Diphenhydramine HCl and also an OTC cough syrup, Delsym. We use these two meds as the first line of defense despite its drowsiness side effect.

When we arose to the phenomenon of golden dust, we did not flinch. The duration of our stay we had mild reactions and no illness initiating the need for stronger medicines.I had coughing spells calling for the stronger cough syrup but most of the 2 oz. bottle returned home.

According to newspapers there were many unfortunate sufferers with symptoms of itchy swollen eyelids, weeping eyes, runny nose, nasal discomfort, itchy ears and coughing, etc.

Besides the dust, which reminds me of the green oak pollination in Arkansas, the other phenomenon was the visible airborne pollution. US Hwy. 1 is a main thoroughfare of Aberdeen and Southern Pines. It is a long, straight segment in one area. Looking down the road, it appeared we had fog or smog in Aberdeen and Southern Pines, only instead of grey fog it was yellow smog.

I've seen fog, smog, heavy rainfall, white-out snowstorms, sandstorms, etc. but never pollen so thick it was atmospherically visible. All the sneezing probably is a road hazard, if they sneeze as hard and repetitiously as I do.

The horizon was tinted the same color. It was downright eerie. In Arkansas we have oak pollen covering everything yellow-green, but to my knowledge the pollen does not tint the atmosphere and horizon--at least not the 30 years I've lived here.

There were pollen alerts, advising persons with compromised respiratory systems to stay indoors. I heeded the advice for the most part. Husband was outside more than I; he had mild reactions. It is the first time I remember, we started home without allergy or cold symptoms making the long drive more miserable and tirng.

Pine pollen grains are larger in comparison to other pollen. Some experts say it is too large to cause most reactions. Current sufferers vehemently disagree.

However, experts say the golden smog this year is not just one pollen but the result of extreme weather preceding the normal pollen season causing early pollination of pine along with many other spring plants, resulting in an early, abnormally heavy pollination complexity.

What was most amazing is the azaleas burst forth in all their glory during our second week in NC. Usually our allergies decide we should be miserable to the nth degree when we're in the Carolinas during azalea season. This year we barely knew they were blooming.

Ironically, Sunday, after returning home, whatever is in the air in Arkansas has me wheezing audibly. I tanked up on inhalers, carried one inhaler to church along with cough syrup. I am grateful my allerg8es abated until I returned home.

Luckie is having some allergies, too. What a threesome this household is!

PHOTOS:
Pine Pollen Smog: 1,2,3
Husband, myself and azaleas - Easter Sunday

[Will be in Springfield MO most of week seeing endocrinologist.]

Mr. One Speed

After a long, arduous, 2500+/- round-trip journey to NC &SC we are home. Every time I make this trip, I swear I'll never make a road trip again. When we go to Texas, we drive just as many miles because relatives and friends are stretched from Brownood, Stephenville, Denton, DFW Metroplex, Ferris/Ennis, Wolfe City and Houston. these points are 50-200 miles apart.

Today is a short story about an incident I witnessed between my husband (H) and his sister, my sister-in-law (SIL). We were eating a light meal: As I remember I sliced an apple. (H) was eating a sandwich and SIL had something else.

We had lots of leftovers from which to assemble numerous meals. SIL's generous friends, church family and her husband's family provided a stream of casseroles, desserts and entrees for the last few weeks of her husband's illness and death.

H & SIL wanted toast. H quickly made his in the toaster, and, after grace was offered, commenced to consume his assembled sandwich. SIL made her toast in a toaster oven which seemed to take longer, so she offered the grace and began to eat other parts of her meal.

We each were concentrating on our delicacies when the acrimonious odor of burning bread began to permeate the air. SIL looked back at the toast oven to see her bread in flames and smoke billowing out into the kitchen, dining and living area.She ran to the kitchen and unplugged the oven but the flaming bread kept burning like a baked Alaskan dessert. The slow, undulating flame was enchantingly contained in the oven; I should have grabbed my camera.

Meanwhile former firefighter H and I sat like bumps on a log, transfixed by the scene. SIL called her brother to help extinguish the flames. He arose from the table and moseyed into the kitchen area.

Now this is not a long distance but he seemed suspended in time, plodding slowly to the kitchen. "Hurry up," SIL said. "I'm coming," he said.

There was discussion how to extinguish the burning log in the toaster oven. H slowly grabbed a dishrag in the sink, saturated it to dripping with water. Then he opened the toaster oven door as more smoke pour out into the room.

H threw the dishrag into the oven covering the now burning ember, which once was bread. The water sizzled and hissed, and the smoke finally ceased to permeate the room, although there was a visible layer hanging from the ceiling.

The silence which often follows an accident or crisis was interrupted by my coughing response to the smoke.

After the crisis was over, the fire scenario became humorous with SIL marveling how slow--could we say deliberate--H, her brother, responded to the crisis. One could say he never panicked nor did his pulse, heart or breathing rate increase; neither did his blood pressure..

After 41 years of marriage I can say,and he will agree, he has only one speed, SLOW. I'm sure SIL will agree.