Sophie’s World

A big M-E-O-W to you! Nice to see you again!

I have to say, Sophie is an intelligent cat. We’ve taught her to get fed only when an alarm goes off. She likes mental stimulation. She also gets bored easily.

As I’ve written elsewhere, I recently purchased a new laptop. I was troubled by the fact that I was wasting so much time at night. I wanted to be able to work anywhere. I also desperately needed an upgrade. Sophie’s reaction surprised me.

I thought that having a laptop on my lap as I watched TV would be just fine with her. She’d appreciate the extra warmth. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The first night I brought out the laptop, she stared. WTF, I’m sure is what she was thinking. Rather than jump up on the couch as was her usual practice, she sat near the couch. She wouldn’t jump up. She’d whine a bit, but I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

My husband figured it out. It was that black thing on the couch with me. Sophie was jealous of a laptop. At first, I laughed. How silly! Then, I was missing our nightly cuddles. To get her back on the couch, I set the laptop aside until she took her place. Only then would I dare bring it out. Eventually, she came to accept the black thing. Now, it’s not an issue. Maybe she does even enjoy its warmth.

Cats are funny animals. A cat that has claimed you as their own is a force not to be trifled with. To keep peace in the home, make sure your cat gets her time.

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I made a decision for this holiday season: I am only shopping online. I don’t want to deal with the crowds, the traffic, and pushy salespeople. I want to shop on my time, my way.

For Sophie, the cat who has everything, a gift will be a challenge. I’m looking forward to finding something unique for her. I’ll read the blogs and cat sites for some ideas. Twitter is also a good place for ideas. As I find ideas, I’ll share them too.

The hubby is another story. We’ve been spending more evenings at home, much to Sophie’s delight. It was nice because when we were in Illinois, anyway, we were part of a Wine of the month club.  Unfortunately, Minnesota law prevents us from joining a wine club, but given the opportunity, I’d do it again in a heart beat. It was always an adventure, getting a new wine, more often than not, a wine that we wouldn’t have picked up normally. The club we were a part of also included a recipe to accompany the wine. What a great experience it was! We had a great dinner at home, Sophie was happy, it was a good time.

That is the key. I want to get something for my husband and Sophie that will encourage our bonding time. Life is just too short not to be sharing it with the ones that matter most to you. Today, I was playing one of the many little games with Sophie as dinner cooked. She was so happy, purring away, so glad just for the opportunity to be with us. I think as I consider Christmas gifts this year, I’ll give her the one gift she wants most–all of us together.

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You don’t have to know Sophie long to know that she loves food. It’s probably fortunate then that she lives with us. On any given night, our home is bathed in the aroma of exotic spices, filling the rooms with their wonderful fragrances.

I’m convinced that cats have a keen sense of culinary taste. For me, I love cooking with strong spices that create atmosphere. Different scents evoke different feelings. When I cook with homey-type of spices like sage and thyme, our home takes on this calming feeling. Sophie reflects it too. She is content and relaxed.

When I cook with more exotic spices like curry powder and saffron, the air is charged with feelings of adventure. When I’m cooking  with these spices, Sophie is more likely to be found racing around, hiding, and playing hide-and-go-seek. Her mood matches the spices, creating that sense of intrigue.

I love the romantic feeling that comes from cooking with spices. Sophie with her sharp feline sense of smell, enjoys the adventure of our culinary travels.

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Having a pet can stir up strong emotions. If you’re like me, your pet is part of your family. Sophie is definitely a big part of the average day. It only makes sense for the passionate pet owner to share their feelings about the pets they adore, whether it be to keep scores of pictures on your phone, to create a blog (like this one!) about your pet, or to create 123print t-shirts.

To me, Sophie is quite photogenic. And yes, I do have scores of pictures on my phone. So, I suppose in a way, I have that “proud mom” syndrome. She hasn’t made it on our Christmas cards yet, but it probably will be coming down the line. I’m a pet owner and proud of it.

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Poor Sophie. She’s worn out. There’s been so much activity these last few days. Lots of chickadees are flying close to the open window from which Sophie does her patrol. They zip in and out of the branches. She’s getting so worked up at times that she’s shaking.

Then there are the geese. This time of year, they bunch up in family groups. A couple groups were resting in the backyard. Pretty soon, as what usually happens, a fight broke out. The geese really get at it sometimes. The two in battle were locked, bill in bill. The fight intensified, with them rolling on the ground, neither one really to abandon the fight. Just like kids in the school yard, the other geese in the yard had to see what the fuss was all about. The bystanders squawked and honked, fueling the fury of the fight. All this time, Sophie is chattering away.

As if that weren’t enough, then the squirrels started at it. A few were digging around near the goose fight, but ran to the porch when feathers started flying. Sophie went back and forth between the squirrels scampering across the porch to the geese in mortal combat. She watched and stalked as long as she could. Exhausted, she gave into sleep. So much for a kitty to do.

Photo by hickoryhollow113

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