Beech Tree News Network

I’m sure you’ve heard, you have to take the bad with the good.  I believe that’s right, but this week, Brother Cat has been living on the wrong side of that equation.  My cats have indoor/outdoor access to our house, and Brother has decided to bring his outside toys inside.  

This morning, he brought a Downy Woodpecker into the house.  He has done this before, albeit with smaller birds.  He has no intention of eating it.  He doesn’t go hungry, trust me. He was just bored.

There is nothing more unnerving than the sound of a terrified bird.  Brother cornered the poor thing under the piano bench.  It flew to the kitchen, landed on the stove hood, then flew into the wall and fell to the floor.  Brother tried to pounce on it, but landed on my foot instead, which I had inserted between him and the bird.

Thank goodness Garey hadn’t left the house yet.  He has become quite the expert at rescuing critters—including frogs and lizards—that Brother brings inside.  Garey picked up the bird, took it outside to release it, and it flew into a nearby Willow tree.  You know and I know that I am not going to give Brother away.  If you love an animal or a person, you take the bad with the good.  

When I was younger, I didn’t understand the importance of this concept.  The older I get, the better I understand that it takes that combination for emotional and spiritual growth.  That combination of good plus bad builds staying power and produces a love that “sunshine all the time” can’t touch.

On the way to a doctor’s appointment last Wednesday, Garey said, “It’s almost our 50-year dating anniversary.”

“That’s right,” I said, “I had almost forgotten.”

Our 50-year dating anniversary falls on Halloween—our first date, 50 years ago.  I’ve told the story here before, but for those of you who don’t know it, I will give you a quick synopsis.  I was attending WKU, taking a full course load and working a 40-hour shift at Ray’s Restaurant in Bowling Green, in order to have the funds to do so.  For a couple of weeks, Garey had been coming in on my shift, specifically to ask me out.  I finally said Yes on Halloween, hoping he would just go away if I agreed to a date.  He didn’t.

At the time, I had an on-again/off-again boyfriend.  We were off-again when Garey asked me out.  Thank God, he did.  The boyfriend jerked me around emotionally, and it was a miserable relationship.  When I broke it off permanently with him, he kicked in the backsteps to the apartment building where I was living.  The following year, when Garey and I became engaged, he told my sister, Mona, “Your sister is making a big mistake.”

“That was the best mistake I ever made,” I said to Garey, as he was driving me to the doctor.

“It’s important to own your mistakes,” he said.  We laughed.

As I was finishing this column, Sister Cat brought a vole into the dining room and released it.  I guess she didn’t want Brother to have all the fun.  I think it’s hiding under the hutch.  I will have to get a flashlight and see if I can flush it out.  It looks like if I’m going to have any peace around here, I’m going to have to break down and get them a swing set and maybe, even a trampoline.