Cyndi Takes Charge

Cyndi:  All right, everyone, listen up!  Today is going to be a good day around here. There will be no bad behavior, no knocking things to the floor for Jan to not pick up, no breaking anything, no accidents, no arguments, definitely no fighting, and no backtalk!  Understood?

Buddy:  Don't you think you are overstepping your place, Cyndi?  You aren't in charge here!

Cyndi: I am snoopervisor for today!  So pull up your britches, slap a smile on your face, and try to behave for just one day!

Buddy:  What's the occasion?  Are we expecting a visitor?

Cyndi:  This house is a mess!  Marcus, roll the vacuum out of the closet.  No, never mind, you'll just waste time chasing and biting it.  Instead, grab the broom.  Buddy, can you reach the sink to wash the dishes?

Buddy:  What?

Cyndi:  Merci, tie a duster around your tail and dust the low furniture, such as books and bookshelves.  Taylor, find the small duster and do the taller furniture.  Percy, since you and Rusty knocked many of the small items off the desk onto the floor, you can pick things up from the floor and put them back where they belong.  Micah, you can stand by and use the dishwater Buddy splashes to mop the kitchen floor.  There's a brand new mop near the sink.

Buddy:  And what will you do?

Cyndi:  I will supervise.  Otherwise, Marcus will play bitey with the broom and the rest of you will goof off.

Buddy:  What's the occasion?  Are we expecting guests?

Cyndi:  I hope not! The house needs a good cleaning.

Buddy:  Cleaning is Jan's job.

Cyndi:  But Jan has been sick for over a week and someone has to whip this place into shape. It's looking more and more like a used tissue factory.  Do you want Jan to get well?

Buddy:  Of course I do.

Cyndi:  Then let's help her so she can concentrate on getting well.  Then we can go back to being slobs again and Jan can return to being our servant.

Buddy:  Okay, when you put it that way.  I'm tired of listening to her coughing and honking.  I haven't had a decent night's sleep since she got sick.

Cyndi:  None of us have, so let's surprise her.  The idea of Marcus wielding a broom and Micah mopping the floor makes me laugh.  Perhaps it will have the same effect on Jan.

Buddy:  And Jan keeps saying laughter is good medicine.  Cyndi, you're brilliant.

Cyndi:  I know. But remind me of that when Marcus sweeps the dirt under the washing machine, or Percy yells "lawsuit" because Merci hit him in the snoot with her duster, or Micah claims he should be on Disability because he slipped on some soapy water.

Buddy:  I guess your job is harder than mine.  I think I'll go wash some dishes so Micah can swab the floor.


Many of you know our old friends Dezi & Raena - service cats to their mom Audra, who is disabled but spunky.  Back in January they did a post on some expensive dental work Audra needs to alleviate pain and infection.  This is not cosmetic; it is a serious health and pain issue.  We decided to share a link to their first post on the subject - Put That Finger In My Mouth and See What Happens.  The post contains links to their youcaring fundraiser and to their paypal.  If you could spare a few dollars, it would really help toward the first step in the journey.  And please pray for them and their needs. 

Marcus Saves A Broken Nose

Marcus:  Today I'd like to tell you the story of how I saved Jan's broken nose.

Percy:  Did I miss something?  I'm not aware Jan has a broken nose.

Marcus:  We wrote some posts on the 2016 saga of our new city water pipes - the explosion, the flood, the dry pipes, the midnight dig by flashlight, the knee-high flesh-eating grass -

Cyndi:  Marcus, I think you're exaggerating a bit.

Marcus:  The pipe connection blew, it flooded our dog pen, we had no water in the house and a guy from the water company was digging in our yard just before midnight one Saturday ... Need I continue?

Percy:  I hate to ask, but where does the flesh -eating grass come in?

Marcus:  Well, I might have exaggerated just a teeny bit there, but it was knee-high.  The guys left behind a mess of uneven rocky ground and a deep hole where the old meter used to be.  Jan could have stepped in it and broken her nose and then who would feed us?

Cyndi:  Wait a minute.  Jan would break an ankle if she stepped in the hole.  How is she going to break her nose?

Marcus:  You know Jan.  Whenever she falls, she flies and crashes.

Percy:  So the city sent this huge machine to fix the hole?

Marcus:  No.  I just think it's the neatest thing since the pocketknife with all the gadgets.  This toy can dig the hole, haul away the dirt and then brush up the mess it made in the street.  I want one.

Marcus:  As we started our Friday afternoon walk, a guy stopped to admire the mess they'd made.  I U-turned and dragged Jan back to ask him if he could please fill in the hole before someone gets hurt.

Buddy:  I know.  I was poised to take a poop near the curb and suddenly I was being dragged down the sidewalk in a semi-sitting position.

Marcus:  When we got home, the rocks and an empty plastic can were in the hole.

Percy:  I saw the guys came by early Monday morning to finish filling in the hole.

Cyndi:  It looks like they did a pretty good job.   

Marcus:  And that is the story of how I saved Jan's broken nose.

Percy:  It sounds more like you're patting yourself on the back with a front paw.

Buddy:  So this week we are thankful Jan didn't fall into a hole and break her nose?

Marcus:   Would you be thankful if she had?


PS - Please excuse us if we are kind of quiet.  Jan is on a house cleaning, clearing, rearranging binge again and it eats up our time and wears us all out!  

Join Pepi Smart Dog and friends for the Thankful Thursday blog hop. 

Empty Box Bureau

Taylor: Hey, where did everybody go?

Rusty:  They're all watching Jan tearing the house apart.

Taylor:  But where will we live if she tears the house up?

Rusty:  It's an expression.  It means she makes an unbelievable mess through the whole house as she digs and discards and weeds out things she doesn't use.

Taylor:  Digs and weeds?  Is she planting grass in here too?

Rusty:  No.  Look, remember Sunday she decided to get out her summer clothes and put away her winter ones?

Taylor:  Yes, she moved things off the cedar chest on Sunday and hasn't even opened it yet to begin the transfer.  The house is in chaos.

Rusty:  That's how Jan digs and weeds her way through what should be a simple project.  Move A, wash B, bag C to give away, empty box and toss in trash, and -

Taylor:  Trash an empty box?  We're cats.  Isn't there a law against trashing boxes?

Rusty:   Yes, the EBB - I'm sorry, the Empty Box Bureau could fine her if we file a complaint, but we never do because if Jan pays the fine, she can't afford to feed us.  So we suffer in silence with a full tummy.

Taylor:  Oh, I didn't realize I'm suffering.

Rusty:  Don't worry.  You'll get used to it. Meanwhile, I'd advise you to follow my lead and avoid Jan until her she collapses from this chaotic streak.

Taylor:  Thanks, Rusty.  I guess I'll pass some time watching funny videos.

Rusty:  I have just the one for you.  Let's watch this doxie try to take a carrot through a doggy door.


If the video doesn't play, click here.