Kids and Cats

One of my kids favorite things to do is visit Green Meadow Farms in New Jersey. It's a petting zoo and a guide takes a group around to visit the animals one by one. It's only around for a month in the fall and a month in the spring. We are twice-a-year regulars.

At the end of the tour, there are kittens and puppies, always different breeds, and these are for sale. The kids of course really beg us to buy one, like there's a chance we might, which there is not.

But their look of pure delight with the kitties makes me wish there was a chance they might get to have one as a pet.

But my real reason for posting these is that when I was looking back at our Green Meadows pics, I saw this hilarious one.

I am not quite sure what's going on with the cat, but I am sure I love it.

Old Photo Friday: My Cat Casper

When I was five, my beloved grandfather "Gramps" gave me a cat for my birthday. She was a beautiful black and white cat, and I named her Casper, after Casper the Friendly Ghost, my favorite TV show.

Secretly, I knew it didn't make sense, as my Casper was not a white cat, but still, I loved T.V.-Casper and knew it was the perfect name for my cat, whether she was ghostly white or not.

With Casper.

After a few days with Casper, it became apparent that either Casper or my older brother (who it turns out, is deathly allergic to cats) was going to have to go.

In an incredibly rookie move my mom asked me which I'd like to keep, my cat or my brother. I looked at the lady like she was an idiot, and replied like it was the most obvious answer in the world (because to a five-year-old it was) "THE CAT!!!"

The next day, Casper was gone. I was shocked, incredulous - "But I TOLD YOU I wanted to keep THE CAT!"

And yet, despite my crying, wailing, and hysterics there was no reversing of her opinion.

Casper was relocated across the street, in what can only be described as the cat's lucky break. Casper went on to live a long, indulged and incredibly happy life with an elderly, retired and kind couple who gave the cat - really my cat - her very own room, as well as an entire other room just for her cat toys.

And me? I got liberal visitation rights to see Casper.

Visiting Casper in her new home.

And the knowledge that despite all appearances to the contrary, a great wrong had happened here.


I'm taking a trip down memory lane every Friday until I get bored of digging around my old photos, or until I run out of material.

I'm linking-up to Yeah Write, click here to read more stories from this incredible writing community.

Old Photo Friday: Portrait of a Young Fashionista

That's me in the 1970s, at home in semi-rural Virginia. Clearly, I started developing my fashion sense early.

I found the photo as I was digging around for more duck photos for my Big Duckie board on Pinterest.

I haven't found any duck-themed pics yet, but I did find these nice one of my brother and me and our two pet geese.

Oh, what a different time it was.

I'll be posting old photos every Friday until I get bored or run out of material.