This one's for Nimbus

So, I'm in the grocery store today, waiting in this interminable line up at the cash. Serves me right for going on a Sunday afternoon, I know, but fresh veggies were calling.

The person (er... god-like mesomorphic creature) behind me decided to use the slow moving line to strike up a conversation. He had long, crunchy dog treats in his basket, which he used as a divider between our orders, since no other divider was available, and we got to chatting about animals.

(Funny how animal lovers always have things to chat about, isn't it? Everyone in our family loves animals of all kinds. With a Dad and step-Mom who spent most of their careers at a vet college, how could we not?)

Some people have photos of their kids in their wallet. This guy at Superstore pulls the ribbons his dog won at a recent show out of his back pocket and beams as he shows them to me. Needless to say... I forgot how slowly the line was moving and tried to be a Buddhist about the whole thing... living in the moment and all...

I realized during our chat that it's ten years this month since I got Nimbus (the white cat). She was already about 6 months old when I got her from the SPCA, so it's not really her birthday, but it's close enough.

I was lucky enough today to catch a photo of her snuggled up to 9-year old Shade a.k.a. "Shady Guy", "Shady Character", or "my little slut kitty" -- because he'll cuddle anything with a heartbeat. Today, that "anything with a heartbeat" happened to be Nimbus... and she deigned to allow it, for once. All captured earlier today on my digital camera and shared with you here...

So, as I sit here munching on those fresh veggies and enjoying a small bowl of lentils, with Nimbus beside me as I write, I'm dedicating this post to her... Happy birthday, girl!