Hopefully by now everyone has power restored. The only thing I have a problem with when power goes out, is not being able to take a bath.
Though many say the quote “cleanliness is next to Godliness” as being in the Bible, it is not. There is one verse, and probably others as well, that could be construed as advocating that idea. Psalm 19:9.
I can handle it for about a day and a half, but that’s about all. Thank the Lord, we didn’t have to worry about it this time around. If so, I would have been knocking on a friend’s house asking to use the shower.
We get so used to modern conveniences and begin taking them for granted.
I wish our furbaby felt the same way about baths. But, alas, she doesn’t. She doesn’t like them at all. We have to physically pick her up and put her in the tub for a bath and then hold her there until done. She acts happy once it’s over but bathing her is anything but fun.
We’ve tried many things, including the hose outside which she likes drinking out of, but that didn’t work. She loves running and playing in the pond, at least on the edge, and loves the edge of the beach water, but anything over her knees and she freaks out.
As a puppy we envisioned getting her a lifejacket and taking her on a boat ride with us and having her play in the pool with us. Nope, nada, she’s not having anything to do with that kind of fun.
She doesn’t like going out in the rain, either but will out of necessity at times. She doesn’t want to wear any type of garment either, so there’s no use me thinking about getting her a doggie raincoat.
We can’t figure out why she is this way about water, but after five years, we’ve realized this is just who she is and we have to accept it and deal with it.
With Boxers, it’s kind of mixed bag anyway. Most don’t like water, but there are some which do. My previous Boxer, Rhett, loved the water. When he came down with arthritis, it seemed to relieve it some by him getting in the pond.
It’s the same with cats, though cats who like the water are really a rarity. I have had one, Benjamin, who loved the water. He would walk into the shower while you were bathing and get under the water. If you took a bath, he wanted to get in with you. He loved walking in the rain. Such personality.
He also loved riding in the car and would get in every time a car door opened, which was unusual. So when he went missing one day, I am sure he got into someone’s car and they didn’t know it. Benjamin was always up for an adventure and I could even get him to ride on one of the horses with me from time to time. He was very affectionate and not persnickety like some cats. He never turned down attention and never failed to give you plenty. I haven’t had a cat with that much personality since. In fact, David is allergic to cats so we don’t have one at all since Cally married and took hers with her.
I cannot believe the number of cats and dogs that were abandoned during the two hurricanes. Our pets are like part of the family. Roxie is the child David and I couldn’t have so we would never just up and leave her. She wouldn’t know what was going on and would be scared to death. Dogs and cats do have feelings. If we ever have to evacuate, you can bet she will be with us.
We recently had to leave her for my daughter to take care of when we attended a funeral in Texas and it was not only hard to do, she hasn’t settled down from it quite yet. She is even more clingy than before and looks worried when we leave the house.
I’m hoping that this will eventually change and she will feel more secure.
Pets are like children in that there are just some things they can’t do for themselves and when we bring one into our family, we should be responsible enough to take care of them for the duration of their lives.
I can’t imagine our lives without our furbaby. She makes us laugh, provides comfort and love. I can tell her anything knowing she will never repeat a word of it to anyone else and she listens as if she understands every word.
There’s nothing like coming home after an exhausting and hard day to a loving dog who is glad to see you no matter what. It’s the kind of behavior humans should exhibit toward other people all the time.
Pastor Myke Harbuck recently did a sermon on how we are treating people who were created in the image of God. It spoke volumes to my heart when I look around at all that is happening in the world today with people. God created man in His own image. The Bible clearly tells us that fact. So every person on earth was created in His image and we should treat them accordingly whether we think they deserve to be treated well or not. Certainly something to think about in our interactions with people. Blessings.©2017

VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com