A Piece of Charleston

Spring... Nature explodes into beautiful, bright colors. Electric blankets are put back in closets until November. And pollen attacks your sinuses like there's no tomorrow.

This season is so darn pretty, but I've been popping Claritin like it's candy. My car is covered in the nasty yellow stuff, I'm afraid to touch it. I would give it a nice bath, but it would be yellow again by the next morning. Although it makes me sleepy, I've been glad for the recent rain that's been washing it all off the streets and buildings.

In spite of all the nasally issues, I'm still enjoying spring so far because of a plant we have on our back porch. Some gorgeous yellow jasmine vines have grown all around a post and now they're blooming, giving off a light and lovely aroma.

I don't normally get so happyfied over flowers, but these are kinda special. When Sam and I took a vacation to Charleston SC a few years back, the white version of this flower was all over the place. It twisted around light posts and utility poles, and climbed up brick building facades. Not only was it beautiful and natural, but it made all of downtown Charleston smell so pretty and added to its magical feel.

So my allergies at the moment are keeping me from completely appreciating this flower in my back yard, but it's still like my own little corner of Charleston. I can't wait to go back for a visit and walk the cobblestone streets, play in the fountains, and meander around the parks. But in the meantime, I can look out the window and pretend.

Sweeter Than Honey

Dad had to take off a Wednesday night recently to visit a church member in the hospital and left the lovely Mrs. Jane Garner in charge of the mid-week meeting. I absolutely adore her. If I didn't have such a great mentor in my mommy, I would want to be under the teaching of Mrs. Jane. She's so full of love for Christ and His church and she can also make me nearly fall out of my chair with excessive laughter. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

She is also full of love for God's word, which is what she taught about on Wednesday. And what she said really resonated with me. She read Psalm 119:97-104 and commented on the psalmist's words describing how he felt about the word of God. The primary idea was that he loved it. It wasn't just something he respected and read every morning with his coffee and bowl of Lucky Charms, it was something he treasured.

The psalmist also said that God's word is sweeter than honey to him. Now you can buy a bear-shaped bottle of honey for less than $2 at your nearest Walmart, but at the time this was written it was a rare treat. Instead of honey, I adore chocolate and my favorite TV show Chuck. But can I honestly say that God's word is more desirable and enjoyable to me than my beloved snack (that I probably already have too much of) and favorite story (which I may or may not be completely addicted to)?

Lately I've been incredibly busy at work with longer-than usual hours and several new responsibilities. Reading and meditating on my Bible has been a little less frequent and treated like a chore. But if I really, truly loved the word of God and desired it like this psalmist, I would have never gone a day without studying it. Through Mrs. Jane, God pointed out to me that night that my priorities have been a little off. And I'm so excited to see what God does when I really begin to treasure his word.

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How to Bathe a Kitty

One of our cats is super old and apparently has become unable to bath herself properly. Poor thing. We tried using those special waterless baths in a bottle for kittehs and even some wipe thingies, but they didn't work too well. So we had to actually give her a water bath. And now I shall pass on my tips to you, just in case you ever find yourself in a position to bath a particularly angry cat.

How to bathe a kitty

1. Find a dirty kitty. And I mean really dirty. Even if your cat has just rolled around in in the most disgusting places in your yard, it may not be worth it. Instead, wait to see if your cat gets really super dirty and stays that way for a while. Only then should you attempt such a dangerous mission.

2. Grab the kitty and hold it at arm's length. I understand you want to comfort it and love on it and tell it that it'll all be ok. But as soon as you bring it anywhere near the bathtub, it will try its best to dig its sharp claws in to whatever is nearest. AKA, your flesh. And then you'll never get it in the tub if its arms are wrapped around you and secured indefinitely by surprisingly large talons.

3. Have one person hold the cat in place in the water while the other one does the washing. And that one person should make the cat face the wall so the temptation to claw its way out is lessened. Know that if it even thinks it sees the door, it will bolt for it and drip water all down your hallway, on your coffee table, and in those unreachable places under your couch.

4. Pour water on the kitty and rub it gently. Try not to focus on all the unknown stuff coming off the cat and dispersing in your water. You don't want to know. And if it seems like the kitty is kind of enjoying the bath, it's not true. It's faking, hoping that you'll loosen your grip and giving it a chance to bolt for it and drip water all down your hallway, on your...

5. After a sufficient cleansing, wrap your soaked kitty in a towel that is still warm from the dryer. Massage gently until much of the water has been absorbed. And then let the cat go and enjoy laughing as it shakes its paws.

6. Leave the angry feline alone for an hour and then enjoy your clean, fresh-smelling kitty!

Now that I'm done giving you all my hard-earned wisdom, I need to go nurse a wound. Who knew claws could go that deep!?!?