Utter Chaos – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Sheila slogged up the steps to her front door. She was tired, both mentally and physically. The party had been draining on her. She really hadn’t wanted to go in the first place, and there were so many people at the noisy club, it was practically chaos. Why had Julie invited her, anyway? She knew she wasn’t a party person, and definitely not a club person. And Jim, of all people, had been there, too. Why had Julie invited him, too? Julie should have known what would happen if she ran into her ex. And it almost did. Julie was lucky Shelia had managed to get away without causing too much of a scene. What a mess.

Now all Sheila wanted was to get inside, change into something more comfortable than her party dress, and crawl into bed and stay there for a week.

Sheila unlocked her door and stepped inside. She stopped after only a couple of steps and groaned. Her widened eyes surveyed what she could only call a scene of utter chaos in her living room.

Figurines off her bookshelf lay scattered on the floor, along with a handful of books. A few of the figurines had shattered. The vase and magazines had been knocked off the coffee table. Pillows from the sofa were also on the floor, as well as the table lamps from the side tables. The small footstool in front of the sofa has been tipped over. It almost looked like a crime scene. Except for one thing.

The toilet paper.

The toilet paper that trailed down the hall towards the living room.

Sheila stared at it all for a moment, taking it all in. Then she shook off her shock and moved down the hallway, following the trail of toilet paper to the bathroom, where another chaotic scene greeted her. All the toilet paper had been rolled off the roll into a pile on the floor around the toilet and trailed out the door.

Sheila sighed and growled out one word. “Mitzi!”

Sheila went to the small, spare room next door to the bathroom. She had set up the room as Mitzi’s room, complete with a cat bed, a food and water bowl, and a small cat tree beneath a window. Here she found among all the scattered cat toys on the floor a tipped-over litter box, its litter spilled out onto the floor. The culprit, a little calico cat, lay beside it like the victim in a crime scene – except for the slightly twitching tail.

Sheila stared in wonder. How could something so small cause so much chaos? she thought After a moment, she sighed and shook her head. “Oh, Mitzi,” she muttered. “What am I going to do with you?”

Sheila left the room and headed for the kitchen to get a broom. It looked like she wouldn’t be crawling into bed just yet.

Image found on Pinerest

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “scene”: https://lindaghill.com/2023/04/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-22-2023/

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Kitty Antics – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Arriving home from a long day at work, Sara entered the living room with heavy footsteps and plopped down on the couch. “What a day,” she muttered as she fought back the tears of frustration. “I don’t think it could have gotten any worse.”

Just as her mind began to replay the day’s events, her two cats appeared. The gray tabby, Tiger, and the black cat, Soot, paused inside the doorway and gazed at Sara for a moment. When Sara turned to look at them, the two cats ran into the room and began chasing each other around.

Sara watch as Soot chased Tiger around a few times, going back and forth in front of the TV and around the coffee table. Then Tiger chased Soot around the table a few times, with Soot at one point jumping up on the couch and running across the back before jumping back down to the floor and continuing the chase. The chase came to an end when Tiger found a catnip mouse in a corner and began playing with it, kicking it in the air and batting it across the floor while Soot watched, only to have Soot eventually steal it and run off with it before batting it back towards Tiger.

As Sara watched the two cats, she slowly felt her frustration slipping away and a smile forming on her lips. When Soot suddenly began to chase his tail, she began to laugh.

At the sound of her laugh, the two cats paused in their play to look at her, then they ran over and jumped up into her lap. Sara stroked their soft fur and they began to purr. “Thank you, boys,” she said. “Your silly kitty antics were just what I needed. The two of you are definitely the best antidepressants.”

Image found on Pinterest

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “antic”:

https://lindaghill.com/2023/03/31/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-1-2023/

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day! Here are some funnies to help you enjoy it. (all images found on Pinterest)

Happy Easter

Wishing one and all a very happy Easter

(All images found on Pinterest)

Is Your Cat Plotting To Kill You? – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

“How do you tell if your cat is plotting to kill you?” Sherri asked Mitch as she set her cup down on the coffee table.

Mitch gave her a quizzical look from the recliner across the table from her seat on the couch. “What do you mean?” he asked before taking a sip of coffee.

Behind the couch, a black and white cat crouched unseen and listened silently.

“Well, it’s just, you know. Things. Things Tux has been doing lately.”

Mitch set the coffee cup on the table. He thought she was probably overreacting, being a new cat owner and all, but he felt he should humor her, so he asked, “Like what?”

“Well, he always seems to be underfoot. I have to constantly watch where I’m walking for fear of tripping over him. Even on the stairs. I can be walking down the stairs when suddenly, as if from out of nowhere, he’ll be crouched on step, almost like he was trying to trip me.”

Behind the couch, the cat’s ears perked up and he turned his head slightly towards the spot where Sherri’s voice was coming from.

“Cats being underfoot is pretty normal, Sherri. Is that all he’s doing?”

Sherri shook her head. “I’ll wake up at night, suddenly unable to breathe, and find Tux has draped himself over my face.”

Behind the couch, Tux’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like what he was hearing from Sherri.

“I’ve heard of some cats doing that, Sherri. They’ll lay there or near your head, or even on your chest. They like to feel your pulse. It’s comforting to them. It’s nothing to get too concerned over. Is there anything else?”

“Well, actually, …”

Tux didn’t wait to hear whatever else Sherri related. He padded quietly out of the room and into the spare bedroom. Crawling under the bed, he dragged out a book he had carefully hidden. “How can she be on to me already?” he muttered as he licked a paw and started turning pages. “I can’t believe it! I wonder what the book recommends I should do now…”

(images are from Pinterest)

(And I recommend the How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You book, by The Oatmeal. It’s hilarious :D)

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “how”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/04/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-9-2022/

Cat vs Christmas Tree – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Marcia stepped back and eyed the freshly decorated Christmas tree. With a smile and a nod, she proclaimed, “Perfect! It’s done!”

Ian stepped up beside her and looked the tree over. “It looks great, Marcia,” he said with a nod. “You did a great job. I just hope it’ll be safe with you-know-who around.”

“Don’t worry. I made sure to keep any breakable ornaments off the bottom branches. It should be ok.”

“I hope you’re right. You know how much mischief he can get into.”

“Well, he is still young, you know.”

“But still…”

“It’ll be fine. Now come on, we have cookies to make.”

They went to the kitchen and began making Christmas cookies. They’d just finished putting the first batch in the oven when the sudden sound of breaking glass came from the living room. With a groan, they hurried from the kitchen to go check it out.

The sight that greeted them brought them to a sudden halt. Broken ornaments littered the floor around the tree. But the most shocking sight was the back half of a calico cat sticking out of the middle of the tree, wriggling as if he was trying to get further into the tree but was stuck.

“Oh my gosh!” Marcia exclaimed “Loki! What did you do!”

A plaintive mew escaped the tree, as if saying, “Don’t just stand there! Help me!”

Ian laughed. “I warned you, Marcia! He’s good at getting into mischief!”

Marcia gave him the side-eye then told him, “Just help me get him out of there, preferably without breaking any more ornaments.”

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “tree”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/12/10/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-11-2021/

(Cat meme found by Google image search)

 

Wallow – Tuesday Use It In A Sentence #tuesdayuseitinasentence

After snapping at her children for letting the dog slip outside, she hastily chased after it. A few moments later, she found the wayward yellow Labrador wallowing in a mud puddle. “Oh, Mitzy,” she groaned as the dog rolled around happily. “Now I’ll have to give you another bath.”

This day-late post is part of the Tuesday Use It In A Sentence prompt, “wallow”:

https://stephaniecolpron.wordpress.com/2021/11/16/tuesdayuseitinasentence-wallow/

Camera Shy – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Katie was new at the shelter and being shown around by her manager, Jill. They had just finished touring the kitten room and were heading towards the back when they came to a open doorway. Katie paused to look inside. 

The room was brightly lit and at the back was a table with a white backdrop. A tall young man stood in front of the table with a camera. Crouched on the table was a black cat that didn’t look all that pleased to be there, especially with the Santa hat on.

“What’s going on?” Katie asked

The man snapped a picture then turned to her, taking her by surprise momentarily with his good looks and bright blue eyes. “I’m taking pictures for the website,” he told her. “We’re trying to get some festive photos of some of our less adoptable animals to help find them homes.”

Katie stepped inside, with Jill right behind her. “Great idea. That cat doesn’t look too happy, though.”

“Yeah. He can be a bit of a grouch, and camera shy. But he’s a black cat, so we really need to get him up on the site. They’re not as adoptable because of silly superstitions, and his color makes it harder to get good photos. He’s the first one I’m doing. He’s been here a long time and I’d love to get a good photo of him and help him find a home. Despite his grouchiness, he is a really great cat and deservers a forever home.”

“Have you tried getting him to play while getting a photo? Something to distract him and show off his personality?”

“You know, that’s a good idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. Maybe you could give me a hand? You could play with him while I take the picture.”

“I’d love to. Just don’t get me in the picture, please. I’m a little camera shy, as well, and don’t like having my picture taken.”

“Really?” he replied with a spark of humor in his eyes. “A pretty girl like you doesn’t like having her picture taken?”

She gave him a small, teasing smile. “Surprisingly, yes.”

“That’s a shame because I think it might be good to have you in the photo with him. Besides showing his playful side, it’d show he’s not afraid of people, too, and that might help draw attention to him.”

Katie hesistated but Jill chimed in with, “I think that’s a great idea, Matt!”

“How about it?” Matt asked. “Will you do it? To help the cat?”

After a moment’s consideration, Katie nodded. “To help the cat.”

Jill grabbed a string toy from her pocket and handed it to Katie. 

Katied walked over to the table and positioned herself beside it. Matt readied his digital camera while Katie began whispering to the black cat and dangling a string beside it. She played with the string, making it move enticingly along the tabletop. The cat watched it, then began to play with it, batting at it then chasing after it as Katie moved it around. Katie smiled as the cat played.

As she drew it up in the air, the cat reached up after it, and Katie laughed. Matt snapped a picture of her and the cat.

“That was great!” Matt said. “Want to see?”

Katie gave the cat a treat and pocketed the string, then went over to Matt. He showed her the picture on camera’s view screen. “I think it turned out great,” he said. “Don’t you?”

Katie had to agree, it was a good photo, showing the cat being playful and not afraid at all. And she didn’t look all that bad in photo, either, as she’d been afraid of. “Yes, I think it will look great on the website.”

“Would you like to stay and help me take photos with some of the other animals?”

Katie hesistated. She’d actually had fun with the photo shoot and she’d like to help out more of the animals. She also found herself wanting to spend a little more time with good-looking Matt and get know him a little better. But she hadn’t finished her tour of the shelter yet.

She turned to Jill to ask her if it be okay, but before she could say anything, Jill said, “Go ahead, Katie. Helping the animals is more important than finishing your tour. We can do that later.”

Then Jill gave her a knowing wink and left.

Katie turned to Matt. “Well, then. I guess we have some work to do. I’m Katie, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Katie,” Matt said with a smile. “I’m Matt. Let’s get started, then.”

Katie smiled. “Yes, let’s.”

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “cam”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/11/12/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-13-2021/

 

Flop – Tuesday Use It In A Sentence #tuesdayuseitinasentence

The dog’s long ears flopped in the breeze from the window as the car drove down the road. He panted in delight, enjoying the feel of the wind with his head stuck out the window. His excitement grew as he recognized where they were going. When the car finally parked and the dog was let out, he ran straight for the nearby lake and jumped in with a tremendous belly flop.

This post is part of the Tuesday Use It In A Sentence prompt, “flop”:

https://stephaniecolpron.wordpress.com/2021/05/04/tuesdayuseitinasentence-flop/

Depressed – Tuesday Use It In A Sentence #tuesdayuseitinasentence

He came home from a rough day at work and curled up on the couch in a depressed funk. Within moments, his Pomeranian dog jumped up next to him, licked his face, and curled up next to him. Then his tabby cat curled up next to him as well and began purring. Slowly, his funk dissipated.

This post is part of the Tuesday Use It In A Sentence prompt, “depressed”:

https://stephaniecolpron.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/tuesdayuseitinasentence-depressed/