Thakamagugua, the Cat

Well, what I feared would happen, has indeed happened. I was afraid if I started a blog, it would be just another one of those things I know I should do, yet don't, and here I am, a month later, and still no new posts, and yes, I do feel guilty about it. I must repent. I shall do better. I think I have written that in my journal over a dozen times. It reminds me of that quote from a smoker; "Quitting smoking's easy! I've done it hundreds of times!"

I think I actually know what the problem is. It's all Curtis' fault. I was a diligent journal writer up until I got married, then, well, I guess Curtis is a big distraction to me. A big, very sweet and cute distraction. I think that once I had a best friend to tell anything and everything I wanted to, I no longer felt the need to confide in my journal as much. Well...on second thought, I guess I can't really use that excuse because K-la is super good at writing in her blog. Hmmm....maybe it's the kids...O.K., I'll stop trying to find excuses!
So, I have this problem with writing letters and journal entries though, which I think hinders my desires to write. It is really hard for me to write short documents. I always have so much on my mind, and I'll admit it, I am a blabber. I really enjoy expressing myself. In detail. (As long as it's not on the phone!) It's another one of those things I must work on changing, as I don't believe most people care about the details anyway!

On to our news. The biggest news in the Nielsen household is that we are now first time pet owners. Yes, we have taken the plunge. We are owners of an adorable two month old calico kitten whom, after much debate we named Haiku. Arden had some interesting suggestions for names, such as "Thakamugagua," and "Pithakamuna," but those were vetoed as being too long and hard to remember. His suggestion of "Taiku" was a little warmer, and we thought "Haiku" would be a nice middle ground. Anyway, cutest cat ever! She likes to follow us around the house and pounce on our feet. (We will either have to eventually declaw, or always make sure we are wearing socks!) Curtis' legs are so hairy, that the cat mistakes them for a scratching post, which could also become a problem.



Maybe the kids and I will make a scratching post as our project tomorrow...By the way, how do people ever afford pets? Before we got the cat, I called several veterinarians to find out the cost of spaying, declawing, shots, deworming, etc...Nearly $300! That seems awfully expensive for a kitten! Luckily, our neighbor, whom we got the cat from, was fairly certain that her veterinarian husband would be able to take care of most of that for a fraction of the cost, is we would just "TAKE A CAT!" (Neighbor: "PLEASE take a cat! I know Rex would be happy to spay and declaw that cat, just PLEASE take one! Every child DESERVES a pet. It is so sad that not many people in our neighborhood have pets. Pets are great to teach responsibility to kids"...etc....) Her arguments won me over. We'll see how this goes. Thus far, alright.