The Purrfect Wee Beastie

Sophie Rose Hall

She graced my life from May 2003 - August 21, 2014

Age 16

1998 - 2014

My purrfect wee beastie crossed the rainbow bridge today.

I held her most of the day. Cuddled in my arms she never stopped purring. I brushed her fur and gave her "pink belly rubs" all day long.  She ate well: two Meow Mix cups, still drinking water, and she used the litterbox. She had peed on me twice yesterday. 

Her feline progressive histiocytosis had progressed so fast in this last month. She looked like a gremlin: had lost all of the fur on her face and all four of her paws. The lesions on her face and feet had begun to rupture and I could no longer keep them clean. She had nipped at me as I washed them and  put peroxide on them. Dr. Bo said that with her condition that she may have lesions internally and that if they ruptured she could bleed to death. The thought of seeing my cat bleed to death in front of my eyes was too horrific to contemplate.   Since her diagnosis in 2012, it became all about maintaining her quality of life. FPH is very rare. Only 75-80 cases worldwide. Dr. Bo said most cats were euthanized for cosmetic reasons. Sophie's treatment was mostly a success in that area. With the monthly Depo-Medrol injection and the synotic drops applied twice a day, it was only within the last month that she had lost her fur. 

Dr. Bo was awesome. He gave me time with her, before and afterwards, complete with a big hug. He and Kim, the assistant, were helpful with the information on cremation and pet urns. I've never had a pet cremated before. But I've never had a cat like Sophie before either. She was the best cat ever and had been with me through so many milestones and life events it seemed wrong to just bury her. 

Sophie was a rescue cat. I adopted her from the Humane Shelter in 2003. According to the shelter she was 5 years old. I think she had been abused. She never liked men, especially my ex-husband, and loud noises frightened her. Jacob is the only guy she ever tolerated and I think that was just because he loved her so and made her accept him. He was the first to discover that she like what he called her  "pink belly rubs." Jacob still scared her occasionally....like the Halloween he came in dressed as the Wolverine. Sophie jumped off the bed to hide under it.  

It's really hard to say goodbye to a friend who has been with you so very many years and seen you through so many tumultuous life events. Sophie was the one I could always cry with and never feel judged for the overwhelming emotion. She was the epitome of unconditional love. 

Sophie saw me through a nasty divorce,   a couple of boyfriends, children growing up, and the loss of my Mama. She endured every trip to the State All-Star tournaments, Youth America Grand Prix Dance Competition, and the road trip to Cape May, NJ for Josiah's USCG graduation. Not to mention the many trips to north Alabama with me as I cared for my Mom while she was undergoing cancer treatments. She was a well traveled kitty who thought nothing of being sneaked in to whatever hotel we were staying in and she never got car sick. I'm going to miss her. 

I already do. No jingly bell sound from her collar or her little cooing sound, a trill really, that she would make to acknowledge my presence. I lost it when I got home and saw her little bowls, her bed, her mousie, her brush with her fur still in it. I haven't put those away yet. Maybe tomorrow. 

I popped open a cold one with Rob who had lost his cat Perky earlier this week. We drank a beer and exchanged cat stories. He says he will probably get another cat. I most likely will too, but not until after I get Sophie home and finish mourning. 

Mama-isms: Things My Mama Said

I awakened this morning, remembering and thinking about my Mama and some of the words and phrases she used on a regular basis. She was a lot like Uncle Si of Duck Dynasty in that respect. Here's a short list of a few phrases that my Mama used that are my favorites:

1.  pasture giants (legs, as in use yours and don't be lazy)

2.  sanko across (as in leisurely walk or skulk)

3.  have a conniption (panic attack)

4.  smells like kyarn (not even sure how to spell this one, but she meant smells like carrion: something dead)

5.  ridikilus (ridiculous)

6. heifer (applied to any woman she didn't like)

7. floozy (loose woman, i.e. skank, ho)

8. corker (She's a corker, as in her cat, Lucy. Incorrigible or astonishing)
 
9. greedy-gut (applied to anyone who wouldn't share or hogged all the food)

10. grouch-box (someone in a bad mood or ill-tempered)

11. two wrongs don't make a right (revenge is never right)

12. I've already forgotten more than you know (because she lived in the 30s, 40s, 50s. She experienced things I'll never know and she's right.)

13. that scrapper! (anyone who tried to take advantage of her)

14. that scroungeball (same as above)

15. turd-head (my dad)

16. dumb-bunny (not the brightest crayon in the box, stupid)

17. tetched in the head (touched in the head, crazy)

18. pasquale (vagina....yeah, imagine my surprise when the pizza place opened!)

19. tallywhacher (penis....I lie not!)

20. always wear clean underwear (her talisman against accidents #nojoke)

21. don't make me come in there! (when my siblings and I were fighting/arguing)

22. shut your mouth and eat (still haven't figured out how this is accomplished!)

23. just wait until you have kids (proved prophetic....#justsaying)

24. I'm gonna pull you bald-headed (if she ever thought I or my sister were lying to her)

25. swear on the Bible (and she'd make us stand on the Bible and swear....#true!)

26. you can't fix stupid (an immutable truth!)

27. when I was a kid.... (followed by a very long, long, long story)

28. I'm going to jump on your bed when you grow up! (she never did, but she threatened)

29. olive oil is good for everything (from moisturizer to ear aches)

30. don't ask me "Why?"

Later dayz,

Starla

'Twas The Night After The Iron Bowl

‘Twas the night after the Iron Bowl
And all through the land,
Not a “Roll Tide” was uttered by a Crimson Tide fan.
They used to be boisterous, they used to be loud,
They used to be boastful, and cocky and proud.

But they lost all their swagger, they lost all their swing.
For one little second had changed everything.
The score it was even. The clock had run dry,
When Little Nick Saban then started to cry.

He demanded a second be put on the clock.
The worse that could happen? A miss or a block.
But fate it is fickle, and greed has a price,
And what happened next just wasn’t too nice.

The previous kicks, wide left and wide right.
So he put in a rookie, 'twas not very bright.
The kick was a boomer of 56 yards,
But the extra yard needed was not in the cards.

And back in the end zone a lone Tiger stood.
He caught that ol’ football, he caught it real good.
He started to run, he heard the cheers grow.
The Crimson Tide offense? Too fat and too slow.

One hundred and nine, he ran for a score.
If needed, he could have run one hundred more!
The crowd, it erupted while storming the field.
The Crimson Tide’s season was settled and sealed.

A cry of “War Eagle!” soon echoed the Plain.
Nick Saban’s expression was one of pure pain.
And up in Ohio they shouted "Go Bucks!"
For it gave hope to all, well, except for the Ducks.

In Tuscaloosa you could hear a pin drop,
And in Tallahassee, a tomahawk chop.
For the night after Auburn, the Tide has no clue,
That the new boss in town wears Orange and Blue!

(Author: Chuck Porretto | Photo: Ashley Brooke Barrett)

'Twas The Night Before The Iron Bowl

'Twas the night before the Iron Bowl
And down on the Plains

The Tigers were ready

To protect their domain.
  The shakers were laid out in orange and blue,

And tailgaters were cooking their own bbq.

 The RV's came from far and away,
The Family ALL IN to the fields of hay.
We were up all night as we anticipated
Tiger Walk, an Eagle soaring, and being validated.
The Malzahan Miracle will surely be in effect
  As the Tigers get ready to give Bama heck.
Will they run? Will they throw? 

Will they soar down the field?
Ever to conquer and never to yield?
Will Marshall throw bombs,
To the quick Sammie Coates?
Will Tre Mason go over the top
For a birthday gift for Bo?
Will Prosch make big holes,
Or Dee Ford cause a fumble?
Will a packed Jordan-Hare
Register an earthquake rumble?
Thiereze will play like a champion prize fighter!
"It's GREAT to be an AUBURN TIGER!"

The Crimson Tide will come, cocky and proud,

But the Boys In Blue refuse to be cowed!

Pat Dye field will be loud with great noise,

As tomorrow will separate the men from the boys.
No matter what the score is by the end of the game,
"I believe in Auburn," I'll always proclaim!
Win, Lose, or Draw, Auburn's my team.
And though we're the underdogs,
A girl can still dream.
My Tigers will leave it all on the field.
The Family's ALL IN, Never to Yield!

When it's all over, and we've beaten the best,

 We'll Thank God above because we're so blessed!

When the Iron Bowl is over, Dixie won't be the same!
We'll all ride the Gus Bus to the Championship Game!
#WarEagle!!!

What If?

I just heard an excerpt from Bob Costas' NFL halftime sermonette about the Washington Redskins and how offensive their name is. I'd like to propose a "What If?"

What do YOU think the media would be covering IF the Washington Redskins board came out and said that they wanted to change the name because they wanted to be associated with WINNERS? Victors? Hmmm. We all know that the indigenous Native American peoples were the losers to the Europeans who came over and settled in the New World. How well would THAT go over? Like a sack of rocks, right? The Politically Correct Police (PCP) and Mainstream Media (MSM) would STILL be on their bandwagon about how racist, how offensive, how terrible to target a people group and label them as losers.

Personally, I don't watch NFL. If it isn't SEC, it just isn't football. After they leave Auburn, I pretty much forget about them, though I've kind of kept up with Cam Newton, I've never (not once) watched a Carolina Panthers game. Truth.  I think it is reprehensible that the PCP in the MSM (and even our President) wants the Redskins to change their name. But let's not forget this is the same moronic mentality that fired an ESPN sportscaster for using the phrase "chink in the armor" when speaking of the weakest link of Jeremy Lin in the NBA. Unfathomable idiocy. Didn't think anything could top that until that OTHER ESPN sportscaster called the NFL team the "WASHINGTONS".  Let's just get it over with and change the name to the Washington Thin Skins. I'm good with that.  Call it what it is: a bunch of liberal, white, Europeans who are still hellbent on keeping the indigenous Native American peoples on the Reservation.

Fact is, the PEOPLE who are trying to CHANGE the name have NO CONNECTION to the Native American people. At all. Rather than seeing it as a TRIBUTE to the People, they want to eradicate it and that the Native American peoples have a GREAT heritage as well as an ANCIENT claim to this land we call home. Guess we'll have to change the name of OKLAHOMA next, since it is a CHOCTAW (remember it was the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Creek people from Alabama and other southeastern states, who were sent on the Trail of Tears to a RESERVATION in the WEST...Andrew Jackson was an EVIL, evil, man.) word that means RED PEOPLE. Oklahoma was established as one giant reservation for the Native American tribes from the Southeast. If you want to see what a HUNDRED AND FIFTY (or so) YEARS OF GOVERNMENT DEPENDENCY does to a people, visit a reservation. Speaking of, I suppose we shall have to rename the state of Oklahoma since the very name is Choctaw "okla" meaning "red" and "humma" meaning "people." AND let's not forget that the Red Mesa High School will have to change their name as well....even though it is a Native American school on a Native American Reservation. We can't play favorites, can we?

As someone who is of Irish-Cherokee lineage, and whose great-great-great-I-don't-know-how-many-times-removed-Grandfather was the first recorded white man (European) on Sand Mountain, who married a Cherokee woman, I have always appreciated that Irish-Cherokee genetic heritage. When I first went to Elementary school the mascot was The Lakeview Warriors; Middle school was The Westside Braves, Jr. High School, back to Lakeview Warriors, and I graduated from a High School whose mascot was a Bison, The Thundering Herd.  In MY OPINION you just can't get any more AMERICAN than THOSE mascots! How SAD and HOW TRAGIC it is for those of us who are descended from that part of our history, to have people who want to do away with it. Changing the name of a football team doesn't change the HISTORY, not right away. Eventually people will forget that the REDSKINS were so named, not because of the COLOR of their SKIN, but because of the COLOR OF THEIR WAR PAINT. There were two groups of Creek Indians in Central Alabama, one of which was called The Red Sticks, because of the COLOR OF THEIR WAR CLUBS. I just don't get this whole re-writing, erasing, of history. We, as descendents should want to know it: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's the only way we have a real perception of where we've come from, how we got to where we are, and what kind of people we want to be in the future. The NFL team name was changed to the "Redskins" IN HONOR OF then-coach Lone Star Dietz, an American Sioux.

It is a good thing that America was named for the first name of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, rather than his LAST name. Poor Columbus. Today is Columbus Day and in Elmore County, kids have to go to school. Once Upon A Time, This was a National Holiday and kids had a day off from school. Not any more. I bet kids don't even study about Columbus today.  Still, Jed told me his teacher told him that Columbus slept with Queen Isabella and that was how he became the recipient of the funding for his voyage. Jed asked me if that was true. Uhhh....my reply? "Not that we know of. Considering that Columbus was somewhat of a religious fanatic, it is doubtful, but still. It's been 521 years and unless there is recorded documentation from personal writings, I'd say NO!" As to Queen Isabella, her vision of discovery was sometimes obscured by events and people around her. Primarily the Catholic church as well as the all absorbing war with the Moors (Muslims). It was her war! At times she was the directing mind at the front. She even camped with the troops and participated in all their excitements. When not in the field with the army, she was collecting reinforcements and provisions and sending them forward. It wasn't until the end of the great war that she even gave Columbus an audience. It was his promise of funds to recover the Holy Sepulcher (from the Turks, aka Muslims) that touched Queen Isabella, but it was his impassioned speech about the dark paganism hanging over the lands and "the conversion of the benighted heathen was with Isabella by far the most potent argument."

This is my public service announcement for today. You can thank me later, as I'll be posting telepathically for the remainder of the day.

Later days,

Starr

Boston Bombing: Act of Terror or Plea from God?

Did you sleep last night? I tried, but was kept awake pondering the "whys" of the events of yesterday. I've concluded that, as a nation, we're missing the point. We respond to these events as if they are merely a matter of defense and national security without consideration that there could possibly be anything of deeper significance behind it. The purpose of events like those that happened in Boston is to humble us and make us realize that:

1) thinking we are in control is just an illusion; there is only One who is in control and we must seek Him and turn to Him.

2) because we are not in control, we should humble ourselves before God, seek His face, and turn away from our wicked ways.

3) we should live every day as if it were our last, recognizing that life is a fragile, precious thing and we, it's most frail creatures; as such, we should give worship to the One who gives us life.

4) death is appointed to us all, and after that, the judgement, and we should pause to consider that there MAY actually be a place called Heaven, and if there is a Heaven, then there surely must be a Hell for the ones to commit evil acts. If the thought of our loved ones in heaven brings us comfort, what is my responsibility and how do I get there?

5) All roads lead to Jesus, eventually. He didn't make "a" way; He made Himself "THE" way, and whether you believe or not, one day, you will stand before Him. Just because you don't believe, doesn't make it so. You can sincerely believe whatever you wish, and still be sincerely wrong. And even if I'm wrong, that doesn't necessarily make you right.

Yet, strangely enough, considering the graphic carnage of yesterday, I have not heard one person in government, media, or otherwise say we should humble ourselves and seek God's face. Every commentator and talking head has used words and phrases such as "we'll be stronger", "we'll ensure it never happens again", "we'll come back and be better", "we won't let this bring us down", "we'll be more vigilant", "we'll provide more security","we'll bring those to justice", "runners in Boston Commons as if saying, We're going to make a statement that everything is normal", "Boston is open for business", etc. It's all about "we.....us.....we'll....." much the same as it was after 9/11 when everyone from Donald Trump to the NYC mayor, governor, President Bush saying "we'll rebuild this tower" taller, bigger, better than before. Just like in Isaiah 9:10 "The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn stone. The sycamores are cut down but we will replace them with cedars." after the Assyrians breached their wall and attacked them. Instead of humbling and turning to God, we are prideful, angry, resting in the illusion of "our" strength and "our" abilities to overcome and "move forward" from the tragedy that has knocked us to our knees....as if we are somehow immune to destruction. Where is God? God is there with those who lost loved ones and He is still there to heal the broken and comfort those who mourn. Just as He was with the nation of Israel in her time of calamitous terror, He will be with America. His hand is outstretched. (Isaiah 9:12, 9:17, 9:21, 10:4) It's our choice as to whether or not we reach out and grasp it. Events happen in the physical realm but often have spiritual connotations and consequences.

Food for thought. Just sharing the midnight smorgasbord and 4 a.m. buffet that my mind dined on that resulted in a bad case of mental indigestion that wouldn't let me sleep. — feeling tired.

Easy For You To Say

I lost my angel of a mother on November 12, 2012. Not a day has gone by that I have not cried for her; I miss her so much. Life as I knew it changed forever the day that beautiful woman left my life. I feel like I'm an orphan now because "home" was always where Mama was, no matter how far away I traveled. I am still dealing with the anger too. I hate being told "it was her time to go" or "she's in a better place" like that is supposed to make all of the pain and sorrow go away. Time heals all wounds, but it does nothing to remove the scars of grief, loss, and missing someone you've loved your whole life.

The Tomb Is Empty

The Buddha's body was cremated and the relics were placed in monuments or stupas, some of which are believed to have survived until the present. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth or Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka is the place where the right tooth relic of Buddha is kept at present.

Muhammad is buried in the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi ("Mosque of the Prophet") in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. Non-Muslims generally consider Muhammad to be the founder of Islam, however, Muslims see him as the final prophet of the pre-existing primordial religion of humankind that he "restored." (Essential Islam by Diane Morgan, p. 101.)

The tomb of Jesus is empty. Many of the world's ancient religions believe in a bodily resurrection, but there is only one that has the proof to back up the belief. The early church also had relics and shrines of The Holy Rood (cross), The Holy Grail (cup), and the bones of the apostles. Some claim to have been "venerated" or verified, as those of Peter and Paul.  Whether they are true artifacts or gimmicks used by the Catholic church to swindle benefactors into providing for their upkeep, I surely cannot know, but what I do know is that none of those relics contained any part of the body of Jesus, cremated or buried.

The writings of the Roman Empire totally negate the premise that all claims of Jesus' existence were not "hear-say" and all of the writings from the first century are first-person, eye-witness accounts. That's like saying Homer didn't write the Iliad or the Odyssey. Yet we know that Homer did write it because OTHER people copied it, though there is NO manuscript in Homer's own hand that exists today.  Furthermore, there is MORE evidence in the first century accounts of Jesus than that of Homer writing the Iliad.  We know and accept that the Iliad was written in the Classical Period of Antiquity and that MOST scholars date it to about the 8th to 7th CENTURY B.C. yet the most fully extant manuscript of the Iliad is dated at the 10th CENTURY AD and was COPIED by Venetus A.

Even first century historians cite non-Biblical sources in their writings that still confirm the historicity of Jesus, the Apostles, and the persecution of first century Christians. Josephus and Tacitus were Roman historians of the first century. Tacitus refers to Christ, Pilate, and a mass execution of Christians by Nero after a 6 day fire that burned much of Rome.. He writes, "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired." 

Later days,

Starr