There are lots of reasons to smile in this world and most of us take great pleasure in the things that happen in our little corners of the world. I know I do. The things that not only make me smile but really get to the very soul of my being, is when good things happen to people I know and love. Maryanne, your news has made my day. I know that you have been climbing the mountain for a long time,GF, now you are on top and it's time to try out those wings. :0)

You and me both! (and you and me both on the wasted headroom! In this case, it's not so bad bcs it makes it possible to lift stuff up and over, at least on a couple of shelves.) And I'm feeling bad I didn't take befores. i'm going to take befores of the last shelf to tackle. Maybe even tonight.

Hi Steppy ... ... who may use step-ins, on occasion. Do you know the difference between an elephant and a rabbit? You don't? You'd be a poor one to send to hunt elephants, then, wouldn't you? ole joyfuelled ... who had a reasonably good discussion with some of the local "Occupy" group, last year

I think I gave people the wrong impression when I said solitary and independent. My cat was not your typical cat. She wasn't the kind of cat that liked to be held (unless it was someone she knew VERY well, and even then she didn't always want to be held), cuddle with you or sit on your lap all day. That's not to say she never wanted to do it, but most of the time she preferred to just sit next to us and enjoy our company. She really did love all of us very much. She just showed it in different ways. Much of her time was spent outside. Looking back on it I'm actually REALLY happy she was an outdoor cat because it meant I didn't have to deal with a litter box most of the year (except in winter). She would come and go as she pleased. We would let her outside every day (weather permitting of course) and let her do her thing, and let her in for meals, if it started raining or if she was tired or something. She LOVED to hunt and spent a lot of time doing so. She would catch rodents and birds and would frequently bring us "presents" (sometimes she just ate them though). We NEVER had problems with mice while she was around, and a few years after she died we had mice in our kitchen over the winters. We truly took for granted the service she was doing us, and we didn't realize how much she was helping us until she was gone. I also planted some catnip for her in one of my gardens and she LOVED it. She would chew on it and rub up against it and it was HILARIOUS. I still have a few plants in my garden to remember her by. She would also wander the neighborhood sometimes, frequently visiting our neighbors. These visits got her pregnant at a very young age, and she ended up having four kittens. We actually wanted to get her fixed and prevent this from happening, but the vet insisted that we wait until after she had her first period. So it happened, and we tried to keep a close eye on her, but all it took was one night and she got pregnant. We don't know if she snuck into a neighbor's yard or if a neighbor's cat came into our yard, but either way it happened and that was that. My parents were a little annoyed when they first found out about it, but eventually we just accepted what's done is done. Even though my parents didn't really want her to have kittens, I think deep down all of us were happy they came. They weren't around for very long, but let me tell you those 6-8 weeks or so that we had them were some of the best days of my life. I loved them very much but unfortunately was not allowed to keep any of them. Thankfully though we were able to find loving homes for all 4 of them very quickly. I cried a little bit when they left, but I knew they were going to good homes, so it was a bittersweet goodbye. As she got older, she started to spend less and less time outside. In her older years she was a lot more cuddly, and I cherished every moment of those last few years. I guess my point of this story is that just like people, cats can have very different personalities, and those personalities can sometimes change as they age. My cat may not have been your typical lap cat, but she was affectionate towards me in other ways (headbutting me, rubbing up against me, and sleeping with me). I will admit that when I first got her, I wasn't expecting her to behave the way she did. The only cats I'd ever met were very cuddly indoor cats, but it just goes to show you how different they can be. I think that domesticating cats has caused them to be less independent than their wild ancestors, and that causes them to be more dependent on us. That's precisely the reason why we love them so much in the first place. But even with all the domesticating we've done some cats still have a few 'wild' genes left in them. Anyways, I think there are definitely advantages to indoor and outdoor cats. If you have an indoor cat they will probably be less independent and more cuddly when you're around, but they won't be getting as much exercise and of course you have to deal with the litter box. A lack of exercise can also lead to weight problems, and thankfully my cat never had any thanks to her active lifestyle. Anyways I've rambled on long enough. I didn't mean to bore you with her life story, but I couldn't think of a better way to explain myself.