AppleTreePets: Day Twenty

Kids Come First

I went on a shopping spree yesterday. Even though my back was killing me, and I looked like Quasimodo pushing my cart around Petco and Target, I accomplished a lot. Except for the sushi I got for supper (from Publix!) all of my purchases were for my fur kids. The trunk of my car was so full, I had to use the back seat of my car as well.

I'm not boasting. I just love to have a pantry filled with food for my kids. I would rather run out of coffee (and I LOVE coffee) and PopTarts than cat, dog, rabbit or hamster food. I also like to look for treats to keep everybody happy.

The big purchase of the day was a new bed for Rooney. Jack and Rooney sleep in our room at night. Andy would be fine with them sleeping in bed with us, but I have to be able to move or I would be in misery. So, Jack sleeps on a twin air mattress with raised sides, which is covered with a quilt. He loves it. Rooney has loved her kennel since she was a baby. She now has a 3'x4'x4' giant sized kennel. She can stand up and turn around and feels very comfy (unlike the poor pigs in New Jersey, but I digress.) There were two kennel pads and a bed with raised sides in there. Think Princess and the Pea. When it started to look and smell funky, I decided it was time to go shopping. It isn't easy to find a bed 3'x4' with bolster sides, but I hit the jackpot at Petco! I could not lift it, so had to get help getting it into the car. Andy got it out of the car when I got home.

As soon as he walked into the house carrying it, without any prompting, Rooney jumped up and just knew it was for her! She started doing the Rooney-hop; spinning around and jumping in the air. When Jack heard all the commotion, he came running to see what was going on. Rooney was lying in her new bed, with a big smile on her face. Jack was upset. He looked at us, as much to say, "Hey! What did you get for me?" He tried to get in the bed with her. He tried pushing her out - she was not budging. Andy and I were laughing, first of all because Rooney knew the new bed was hers, and that Jack was put out because he didn't get something. Trust me, Jack is well taken care of...

I can't leave out the boys (cats.) All four know when I've been shopping and they're fairly certain there will be a treat for them. If nothing else, they love the shopping bags - paper and plastic! I learned from experience that if I buy sushi or chicken tenders, I need to hide them while I finish emptying the car. Yesterday's bounty included sushi, chicken tenders and salmon! Fancy was the first to discover this delicacy, and of course, I had to share.

During my last trip to Petco, I found a treat-filled log for Roxy. She can chew the log as well as eat the filling. It was a hit. Yesterday, I found a hamster-size log, so Petey got a treat, too. Of course, he was buried in his igloo, but when I got his attention, he was very excited about this new addition.

I guess I'm just a happiness-junkie. I love to see that smile on the face of anybody getting something they really want or like. Holidays are a blast here, and I can never say "no" when my grands ask for something. Our step-grands picked up on it quickly! They've started asking if I have a special treat for them - which I usually do. In my opinion, it's so much better spreading happiness than drama and strife.