Thievery

1) When there is a thief in the picture, somebody always gets hurt. They often grab whatever they see, and when they get to look at their loot, they often find they didn't even want what they took. The items may not be valuable at all - but often have a personal or sentimental context - and the thief will never understand it.

2) Thievery hurts people of all ages and in every way. Folks get hurt on either side - by being a thief or by being victimized by a thief. Thieves bring a false bravado to everything they do. So now they are not only thieves. They are liars too.

3) Robin Hood. He was a thief.

4) Unfortunately, most thieves don't "take from the rich and give to the poor." Instead, they take from people who don't have much and give to people who don't value much.

5) Thieves leave heartache in their wake. The year after my younger brother was killed in a car wreak, I carried his picture around with me in my briefcase. I also had a very old "Book of Common Prayer" that I kept with me, a gift from my Grandmother. Thieves broke into my car and stole my briefcase. There was no computer in it, no money, nothing of value. But the thieves got the picture and the Book of Common Prayer. They probably threw them in a dumpster. I kept the heartache.

6) Thieves create a life event, impacting you many years after their thievery. They make you into a victim - and that is something you have to fight the rest of your life.


7) After becoming a victim of a theft, people are often left feeling violated, paranoid, and afraid.

8) Thieves in fiction are often romanticized, with goodness on their side. They are portrayed as characters of interest, depth, and delight.

9) Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons and other fantasy games have really keen senses, can identify traps and poisons, and are cunning.

10) Thieves in real life are creeps who drive around in black Subaru's or Blazers and steal patio furniture. Big Difference.

11) My favorite thief character is named Royce, and you can read about him in The Riyria Revelations, by Michael Sullivan.

12) The old saying is that there is honor among thieves. Apparently this was true in ages long ago - The concept is found in [c 1622-3 Soddered Citizen (1936) l. 305] Theeues haue betweene themselues, a truth, And faith, which they keepe firme, by which They doe subsist; [1703 P. A. Motteux Don Quixote ii. lx.] The old proverb still holds good, Thieves are never rogues among themselves.

However, in today's world, it seems that more often than not, human greed is stronger than human loyalty, and that no promise is safe from the corruption of money, drugs, and power. Very sad.

13) Mean People Suck.

Maine Coon Cats

1) Maine Coons are one of the largest domestic cat breeds. Males can weigh up to 25 pounds and females as high as twenty! Our little boy is 6 months old and is at 10 pounds right now.

2) Maine Coons are slow growers, like many large breeds. We will get to enjoy this kitten stage for several years and our little ones will reach adult size and behavior between three & four.

Fur
3) The Maine Coon is America’s native longhair cat. Their fur is in two layers, an undercoat and then the longer silky top coat. This keeps them warm in cold winters and provides insulation and resistance to water.

Paws



4) Their paws are very large and well tufted. (Tufts in between the toes are an essential feature for a Maine Coon.) With their large paws, they are capable of scooping up objects, toys and food using their paws. They can even stretch themselves up and use their flexible paws to open doors using door knobs!




Tail
5) Their amazing tail is one of the most unmistakable features of the Maine Coon. The tail grows to be as long and thick, and when they lived as farm cats they could cover up with their tail to stay warm.

Behavior
6) Maine Coons are often described as having dog-like behavior. They will follow you around, they will sit at your feet, will come to greet you (whenever you’ve been out), they will fetch and retrieve, they will also carry favorite objects such as a toy stick in the mouth and drop it at your feet.

7) Just like Maine Coons everywhere, my kittens always want to “help.” When something is happening in the house, we are on the computer, doing housework, putting things together, just about anything, they want to be in the middle, sitting on the computer keyboard, chasing after the broom, joining in and participating!

8) Maine Coons definitely have their own voice. This is one of the most special things about these cool cats. They are very talkative and engaging, using a distinctive vocabulary of chirps, peeps and trills to communicate – in addition to their meows and purrs.

9) These cats simply love water. It is the most amazing thing! They play in it, dip their paws in it, sit in the tub and watch the faucet drip, shake it all over the floor. The theory is that this personality trait comes from their ancestors, who were aboard ships for much of their lives.



10) Maine Coons are loyal, people-loving cats with a laid back temperament. They are highly intelligent and learn new games and household routines quickly. And they also get along well with children and other pets- even dogs.

Fame!
11) On May 8, 1895, the first North American cat show was hosted at Madison Square Garden in New York City – and the winner of this first show was a female Maine Coon brown tabby, named Cosey!

12) In 1985, the state of Maine announced that the breed would be named the official State Cat. The Maine Coon is the second most popular cat breed, according to the amount of kittens registered with the CFA.

13) Mrs. Norris in the Harry Potter film series is a Maine Coon. Three Maine Coons were used to build the part of this cat, but the one that had the most film time was Pebbles.


I found this write up about getting her ready for the act - Mrs. Norris was a scrawny, ill-kept and matted creature who constantly patrolled the corridors, looking to catch even the smallest student infraction. Three Maine coons played the part of Mrs. Norris. The unkempt appearance was achieved using a collar with fake fur attached. In addition, hair was spiked up using a non-toxic hair gel. Mrs. Norris’ malevolent red eyes were achieved using digital effects, not contact lenses.

The Thursday Thirteen - Random

1) It is easy to think you can come up with thirteen things to share - but it is more difficult than expected to get them down on paper.

2) Seriously, when you decide to be happy, your life gets happier.

3) Family is wonderful and matters all your life. Making time for family is hard to do, but it pays incredible dividends. So go call your mother.

4) Relationships are the bedrock of family life and our society. A commitment to relationship is a commitment to talk to people, to stay in relationship when the going gets really hard, to be open, to listen, to learn, and to love.

5) Living who you are is the hardest and simplest thing you can do to make your life better, right now.

6) It takes much longer to get physically fit as you get older. Heed the warning and go exercise, Right Now!

7) It is impossibly hard to lose the last ten pounds. Impossibly hard, I tell you.

8) As fast as I work, I can’t seem to work fast enough to get things done early, and so I feel like I am always rushing around. Some of my colleagues take their time at work, and I appreciate them for it. I just haven’t figured out how they do it!

9) I am in love with fonts. They let you do incredible things to documents, headings, publishing. I am finding some very cool ones and want to play with them more.

10) On Friday last week I fell off the bike and then got in a fight. And yes, Mr. Bryant, I learned my lesson from it.

11) I finally notice my legs are getting stronger and I can ride much faster. Hooray!

12) Sometimes even the very best people can be absolute creeps. Usually, they recognize it – later.


13) My kittens are simply amazing. The next 13 things will be all about these Maine Coon Kittens.

The Thursday Thirteen - This Summer

This picture from Colleen's blog. My friend Tabor introduced me to the Thursday 13.

So here is the first. Consider, if you will:
1) We had a beach vacation. The family at the beach is a very good thing. Like always, the time is healing and empowering.
2) I had 13 hours in the car with my son and daughter. I don't know when I will have that much time with them again - or when they will have that much time with each other. Even with all the fussing, this was good time.
3) I heard stories of mom and daddy when they were young and growing up that I had not heard before. Amanda got to hear those stories and capture some of them.
4) I got to spend some time with Dennis before we lost him. He made me laugh, and I made him laugh, and he remembered that we loved him very much.
5) Dennis inspired me to pick up a pen and write. He had a wonderful collection of pens and loved handwriting, but I don't have a copy of anything in his hand. I am making sure my kids have things in my hand.
6) I got to see Gregg, and was reminded of how much I dearly love my cousin. I was also reminded of how different we are, and how very much I pray that our fundamental beliefs don't come between the family ties we share.
7) We had family dinners and walks all summer long, and the kids made us happy every single Monday. We took a short family bike ride that we all loved, and agreed to do it AGAIN!
8) Karla and James got a wonderful new house, and they are so happy and so are we. It is terrific!
9) I had a chance to take my daughter and daughter-in-law to Charleston (along with my grands) for a quick weekend, and it was WONDERFUL, just like they were.
10) I found kittens and they are filling my life with joy even more than I expected.
11) Losing weight is just as hard as I imagined - maybe even harder. It has given me more energy, but getting healthy is a commitment that is hard to maintain. Sure, a better diet is improving my stamina so I can keep riding this bike. And I am determined to keep going, to raise money for cancer research in honor of my cousin.
12) Despite being committed to ride, the heat has weighed us down. But I continue struggling. We are going to do this ride in October. Me, Steph, Ama, and maybe even mom. Or maybe just me. But it is going to happen, by George.
13) My 11 year old grandson made a fabulous fun family game right out of his imagination. He made us laugh, we made him laugh, we had a great family game night, and we hope that there are more such fun times in store. He said that he had 9,999 experience points (to my 1) because he was the CREATOR! .... and Mr. Bryant cracked us up with Barry.