Cats or Dogs?

I think when a person is born, there are certain things that come with the turf.   You can’t pick your parents or where you were born for instance. I also think there should be some things written on the bottom of your birth certificate that will follow you all through your life.  When my daughters were little and one, or both of them complained about something not being “fair” I always told them to go get a copy of their birth certificates and show me the word “fair” on it.  It if was there, I’d make the problem go away.  If not, suck it up.  Take a knee and rub some dirt on it.  No, I didn’t say that to them, but they got the idea.

I also think there should be some blank lines on the bottom to put things that we learn as we go through life.  Like: Johnny is a dog person.  Mary is a cat person.  Bill supports the University of Tennessee.  Charlie is a Georgia Bulldog fan.  These are things we can’t escape and probably can never change. There are some unwritten rules that say you can’t like cats if you like dogs.  Ever hear of a Georgia fan who also liked Georgia Tech?  How about Alabama and Auburn?  Ever go to a restaurant and have to decide between quiche and turnip greens?  Ain’t gonna happen.

Just so you don’t have to ask, I’m a dog person.  I never owned a cat and I don’t think I ever will.  My wife and daughters love cats and I have been forced to share my home with a variety of cats over the years.  Some I tolerated better than others, but I never really like a single one. My first pet was a black, non-offensive, middle of the road kind of mutt named Teddy.  As an only child, (me...not Teddy) he was my best friend.  We lived in the country on a dirt road and Teddy and I had more woods and creeks to play in than you can imagine, and we made the most of all of them.

One day my Dad said we were moving to Florida from Georgia and I couldn’t take Teddy.  This was not acceptable, and we made plans to run away. I decided we could join the Foreign Legion because there was a building just down the road from us where they met. They had dances every weekend and a fish fry twice a year.  I felt certain they could use a smart ten-year-old and his faithful dog. Before we could pack a bag and hit the road, my Uncle said he’d “keep Teddy for me until I came back to get him.” I knew that was the best deal I could get, so I watched as they drove off with Teddy hanging his head out of the car window looking back to our house…and his.

Two years later we moved back to Georgia and I went to get Teddy, but there was a complication.  He had found a new home, but he had not forgotten me.  He jumped all over me the first time he saw me, but it was not the same.  I think there was something written on the bottom of his birth certificate that said, “you can never go back,” and he shared that with me.  Teddy lived several more years in his new home and my Uncle and his family cried when he left them.  He would have liked that.

As for cats, now as I tell my good friends, Pat and Ken (who is recuperating from a heart attack) I love cats.  I just can’t eat a whole one by myself.

FYI!

Paul will be signing books at Wall of Books in Columbus, Ga. on Saturday October 6th from 1pm to 4pm!

Located at 4508 Armour Rd. Columbus, Ga. 31904

http://www.wallsofbooks.net