I Posted A Picture Of A Cat
I posted a picture of a cute little cat,
When she dropped by for some yarn and a chat.
Why not a bear, or a moose, or a frog?
Why not a pooch, someone’s faithful old dog?
Why a cat and not a rat or a bat?
Or perhaps someone’s misbehaving and spoiled little brat?
Why not a turtle peacefully napping on a log?
Or what about little Susie’s 4-H prize-winning hog?
But instead, I shared a picture of a colorful cat.
And now don’t really know what to make of all that.
As usual, simply having a bit of tongue-in-cheek rhyming fun. At the expense of cats today, it would appear.
My story character friend Little Red Bear and I both love critters and animals of all shapes, colors, and sizes. It seems Little Red Bear collects a new animal guest every
time his neighbor Farmer Turner visits in the stories. Readers will recall that is how Swinestein came to live with Little Red Bear and Cinnamon Charlie in the first collection of stories, and we can tell you now that having just completed the “Sockwash Soup” story for Red’s second adventures book coming in the fall, Little Red Bear is in store for more “gifts” from Farmer Turner.
And yes, we are adding a new cat character to the stories — Barney the Barn Cat. Maybe writing about Barney is what triggered this little poem earlier this afternoon. Of course, Little Red Bear does not have a ‘barn’, per se, so not sure how we will resolve that yet. But we will.
Do you have a cat or pet(s) of some sort? The health benefits of pet ownership are well documented, including physical, mental, and emotional improvements, from enhancing 
social skills to decreasing a person’s risk of a heart attack. Not to mention helping children to learn responsibility caring for a pet. A number of studies have demonstrated that having a pet in the home can actually lower a child’s likelihood of developing related allergies by as much as 33 percent.
As friends know, I am as extremely allergic to cats as some are to peanuts and shellfish. Maybe we just needed a cat in the house when I was growing up. But as they say, that cat’s already left the barn, so to speak. Or is that horses? Must be thinking about Barney the Barn Cat again. For more information on the benefits of pet ownership check out Animal Planet’s “Top 5 Health Benefits of Owning a Pet”.
Thanks always for visiting with us today! If you are considering adding a new pet to the family, please remember all of the wonderful and loving pets awaiting a forever and loving home in your local animal shelters. Your new best friend may be just a visit away! — Jim (and Red!)
If you enjoyed this piece, you may also enjoy → “I Will Greet This Day With Love In My Heart”
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“What greater gift than the love of a cat.” – Charles Dickens
“A kitten is, in the animal world, what a rosebud is in the garden.” – Robert Sowthey
Meet Little Red Bear & His Friends — “Once Upon A Time In A Very Special Woods . . . .”
“Cat – A pygmy lion who loves mice, hates dogs, and patronizes human beings.” – Oliver Herford
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“I’m not crazy. My reality is just different than yours.” – Cheshire Cat (Lewis Carroll, ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’)
the right. A continuous stream of moving menu offerings to handpick from as they stream past.
children, including those with food allergies, which can be life-altering and life-threatening. One in thirteen children suffers from some sort of food allergy today. Among the project’s goals is to raise awareness of food allergies and to promote inclusion for all little trick-or-treaters during the Halloween season.
“fun-sized” treats are not labeled with food ingredients and/or contain different ingredients than their full-sized counterparts, making managing for parents even more difficult.
your own, it will be a wonderful learning opportunity to involve them to help educate and raise their awareness of food allergy issues. Perhaps they have friends who are affected by allergies, making it even more personal and beneficial to be included in the process.
very likely be cheaper than high-priced candy these days, keeping in mind that if you do go the non-food treat route only one in thirteen children will be seeking the non-food treats, so not talking about a great deal of items. Just enough to include a little something for everyone. Time spent in making an extra trip each Halloween will be more than offset by the warm feeling of knowing that you are doing something not only nice but also beneficial for the kids, and by the smiles and happiness of those receiving your special treat items on Halloween night.
tap the link to visit the Food Allergy Research & Education page, where more suggestions for non-food treats and other ways to participate and help the movement are available. You can also read more about 
who they are, and frequently somewhat of a backstory. In this case, the only thing to come thru was the name — Mickey or Mickie McJibbers.
absolutely no help, obviously not very self-aware at this point, either.
James Milson - The Writing Pages 