Monday, December 19, 2011

How to, early weekend morning and generosity



- My coworker was laughing hysterically at this video.  It is pretty funny, but also makes me miss having a kitty!  This cat reminds me of my Cleo, who was fairly placid, but had a little attitude, too.  She would randomly bite me on the ankle sometimes, when I wasn't expecting it, just for fun.  :)

- Walking out into an early cold, dry December morning.  Five wrens sit in a leafless crape myrtle tree chirping and flutter into another when I get too close. 

- Ringing the bell for the Salvation Army on Saturday night at the nearby mall.  Favorite moment:  a family exited the mall and walked toward the parking lot.  Their very little boy lingered with me and held out a round piece of cardboard, saying, "This is money." And offered it to me.  I thanked him and was letting him put it in the kettle, when his father came over and gave him a dollar to put in. 

24 comments:

Granny Annie said...

Lynn, do you really miss a kitty that would sneak up on you and bite your ankles? Cute video. Who would ever dream a cat would hold still for all that?

We have such an abundance of birds outside our door, I could never count them.

Hire the kid to stand by your kettle holding out that cardboard and calling it money and he should entice a lot of donors of real money. LOL I was a Salvation Army bell ringer and too enjoyed the many wonderful people who donated. Also enjoyed watching people try to avert their eyes and pretend we weren't there.

LL Cool Joe said...

Ha ha that video is fun! When I first saw it it I thought it might be cruel but that Kitty seems very content to be wrapped up in paper, and even have a bow stuck on it's head!! :D

Lynn said...

Granny Annie -

Cleo was the best cat ever! I think the ankle biting might have been a bid for attention - I was a busy corporate manager back then. She bit only hard enough to let me know she was there, but it stopped when I got her a kitten to play with (my beloved Sophie, who died last year.)

I got Cleo kind of serendipitously - she was 4 years old. She had wandered up to someone's house in the neighborhood surrounding Georgia Tech. She was obviously someone's pet - well groomed, spayed and declawed (so she shouldn't have been outside.) They put out flyers, but got no calls, so ended up taking her to the humane society. She had been there one hour when my friend spotted her and adopted her. She was gorgeous - a calico cat with enormous green eyes. But it turned out that he was allergic to her, so I heard myself say that I would take her and I had her for 10 years. She was my pal - I still miss her terribly.

There were many many generous people Saturday night, and the lower income the people appeared, the more folding money they put in. I was so impressed by that. Yes - my young friend would have been a big draw. :) And many of the wealthier looking people averted their eyes, as you observed, too.

Joe -

I'm glad you liked it. I loved the serenity of that cat and how it knows that it is in good hands. :)

Louvregirl said...

Lynn~ It is so great that you volunteer for the Salvation Army "Christmas" kettle. I will think of you, picture you, when I see them and act accordingly.
:-)

Maybe you should get another kitty?
What about it?
:-)

happygirl said...

Cute kitty and the generosity of a child. (even though it is cardboard money, it shows his heart)

TALON said...

lol @ the cat video. Cats are just full of quirks, aren't they?

It's wonderful that the spirit of giving is alive and well :)

Ileana said...

That video is so adorable, I had to share it with my son. At first he said, "that's so mean..." but the kitty didn't look upset in the least. Love that kind of demeanor. Our Tabby was easygoing like that...and this will be our first Christmas in 19 years without her. :/

Sara said...

These were all wonderful moments to share. I loved the cat video, but then, I imagine you'd know it would make me laugh. If only Aggie would be so patient!

The wrens remind me of my finches who are busily eating us out of seeds and nuts. Yesterday, four of them were taking a bath in my bird bath. It was so funny watching them; they reminded of little kids frolicking in a pool.

The boy with the cardboard money...now that's a memory to keep, isn't it!

Lynn said...

lg -

Even the change in your pocket will help - that's usually what I do.

I don't think I am ready for another kitty, but I do love them.

happygirl -

Ah - that's a lovely way of putting it. It does show his heart.

Talon -

Never a dull moment with cats around. :)

Scarlet -

Heyyy!!! It's good to see you here. No - that kitty was just fine with whatever. :) I shared another one on facebook with results that seem a little more likely. :)

Lynn said...

Sara -

I do remember that you like cats, too.

Isn't it wonderful when birds travel in packs like that? Like a bunch of family or friends getting together. And yours had a bath!

Yes - I loved that little boy.

Full-On-Forward said...

Beautiful Story--Now go rescue a Kitty!

Just DO IT!!!

I double DOG Dare ya!

J

Riot Kitty said...

That is such a cute story about the little boy! My little bro has been visiting, and so far it's been, "That was *your* money."

Cloudia said...

aw, thanks for the video and the little boy story!



Aloha from Honolulu
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Fireblossom said...

You KNOW I linked to the exploding part...

Snaggle Tooth said...

My Co-worker's mate bought a Xmas outfit for her 1 yr old kitty... n we had status updates all day as she tried to dress him up... She finally gave up! Takes a special cat to sit still...
Lucky you got chirping there- here the birds are few n seldom, most often crows.
Great SA story- like the magical thought of a child's pretend brought the money into being!

Lynn said...

John -

Just not a good time, not ready, too much traveling, etc. etc. - that's my excuse. :)

Riot Kitty -

Thank you and I know you love it when Blake visits.

Cloudia -

Thank you - and thanks for visiting!

FB -

:) Me, too.

Snaggle -

I had a lot of people ask me if that was volunteer work for me. There were lots of generous people that evening. Love that.

Betty Manousos said...

the little boy story is really beautiful!
thanks for sharing that brilliant video.

Cloudia said...

we really enjoyed this video, Lynn!

sage said...

Nice story of ringing the bell--it's been a few years since I have done that

Lynn said...

Betty -

Thank you and it's always good to see you here. I'm glad you are coming to my blog.

Cloudia -

A fellow cat lover, you are. :) I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Sage -

Good things happen when I ring the bell - I love doing that. My church does it all day on that Saturday and relieve each other in 2 hour increments.

Snaggle Tooth said...

btw- Up here folks are paid minimum wage to ring the bells for SA.

Lynn said...

Snaggle -

That may be why I had a couple of people ask me if that was volunteer work. I always reply that we are from Eastminster Presbyterian Church and we ring all day on the Saturday before Christmas.

Jannie Funster said...

Ah, so cute. Neither of our cats would stand for that.

xoxo

Lynn said...

Jannie -

I think my Cleo would have - especially toward the end, but Sophie would have had a field day with that paper.

xo