English as a Second Language

I am getting more and more frustrated in the way most people speak, or more accurately write, our native tongue here in America, and I am not convinced that it is because of text messages or email.  I don’t know what they are teaching in school these days, but whatever it is, it is NOT working.

So here is your English language lesson for the day:

The word ”lay” means to place or put an object on a surface.  It is also the past tense of the verb “to lie”.  The phrase “I am going to lay on the beach all day” is not the proper use of the word.  Chickens lay, humans lie. By the way, spell check gets this, which is really surprising considering the use it gets even by the press.

The word “YOUR” is the possessive form of the word YOU.  It may sound the same as the contraction of the word YOU and ARE as in YOU’RE, but it is not spelt the same and means two totally different things.  You write “You’re welcome”, not “Your welcome”.

There are three spellings for the word that sounds like the number 2.  The first spelling is for the number, written as “two”.  The second spelling is for the word meaning in direction toward, or “to”.  The third spelling is for the word the meaning in addition or in excess, or “too”.  We say “too much”, not “to much”.

Similarly there are three spellings and meanings for the word “there”.  “There” means to, into, or toward as in “run there”.  “Their” is the possessive for the word “they”.  “They’re” is the contraction for the two words “they” and “are”. You would write “they’re here”, not “their here” (even spell check gets that one, too).

Affect means to simulate or bring about a change.  Effect means something brought about by change – subtle difference, I know.  One writes “the effect of this appearance is due to the steps outlined in this program”, not “the affect of this change…”.  You could say “the program affects the appearance” if you wanted to use that word.

So there you have it.  Learn these five simple rules and you will sound like a college graduate and possibly impress your boss.  Or not.

Bad Landlord

An article appeared in the Philadelphia inquirer recently about their persistent landlord problem.  Similar to Philadelphia, Norristown has issues with rental properties that are fairly long standing.  Like Philadelphia, the administration has been lax in doing enough about enforcement of property management codes either because of money, manpower, or political will.

The whole property management issue is a slippery slope.  When I was a council person, one particular constituent was a landlord with a few properties.  He often questioned me as to why homeowners didn’t fall under the same regulations as landlords.  He was specifically referring to the heater inspection process, but in general he felt the process should be the same for homeowners as it is for landlords.  My response to him over and over was that landlords are operating a business and the municipality is giving them a license to do that business.  Ultimately the municipality is liable if anything should happen to the people in that property.  It’s a simple concept really.  Yes, insurance will cover part of it, but operating a business means that you have a whole other set of responsibilities. 

Broken down properties with falling shutters, trash strewn front lawns, and peeling paint are not the renter’s responsibility.  They are the landlord's and the landlord should be made accountable for them.  If there are a majority of properties in a block that look unkempt, the block will be easy pickings for criminal activity because the criminals know that will be looking for them.  That reason alone should be rationale enough why something must be done about those kinds of properties.  Block upon block of these types of properties creates a cancer of sorts for the town and it should be dealt with soon before it spreads.  A law such as what Philadelphia is trying to accomplish should be implemented in any town that has a predisposition to property owners who don’t care.  Those owners should be made accountable and held responsible to making the changes needed.  Without such attention before you know it the town is degraded, undervalued, and a place where no one wants to live. 

A Big Change

The other day I drove by my high school.  It has been totally rebuilt and is completely different.  If I hadn’t known where it was I would have driven right by it.  I am sure it is all bright and shiny inside and the students who are there are probably numb to the change since they may not have seen the old one.  The school was probably too small and too outdated to do anything with as it was built in the sixties and was modern by those standards and not by the current ones.

On the same day, I drove by the house where I spent the first 14 years of my life.  My first impression was that it was a lot smaller than I remembered it to be.  I will always have fond memories of that house despite its size, and it will always be in my dreams.  In many ways I wish I could be in that house now as an adult, but since we moved many years ago, my mother no longer owns it so unless I make a lot more money and it goes up for sale that won’t happen. 

I get kind of melancholy when I think of my childhood.  As I have said before, I don’t remember much, but what I do remember means a lot.  There are snatches of memories, good and bad, that come about from time to time, and the houses I grew up in and the school I attended are where most of them occurred.  Those memories are probably colored by a perception of what age I was at the time the original event occurred, and it comes as somewhat of a shock to go to that place again and have my memory shattered by a realistic view of current time. 

Making Money Obsolete

I read an article the other day on the use of Smart Phones instead of money in order to pay for things.  The article touted the ease and comfort most people have when it comes to using apps on their phones as a way to purchase things like coffee and goes on to say that this will become a reality by the year 2020.  As I see it, it is an idea that can’t come too soon.

Money is a valued token exchanged for a service or a product.  Whether that token is a shell as used by the Native Americans, or paper currency such as what we use today, these tokens are essentially an arbitrary representation of value.  Currency, actually an envoy of gold and much easier to carry around, has evolved in our age of increasing convenience.  It makes sense we would ultimately turn to a digital means to represent value.  I am frankly surprised that most people surveyed felt this way though.  Humans are generally tactile creatures and it would seem to me that an actual exchange of things would be of more comfort than doing the exchange electronically.  However, as we evolve as a society abstract thinking, such as using a less tangible representation of value seems logical.

Interestingly enough, there exists a gift economy where valuable goods and services are given without any exchange, according to Economist Carl Menger.  Not so much in this culture, though.  Ideally, such giving is done to circulate and redistribute value within the community.  Some think these gifts to be a way to say "I owe you" but may also be a form of insurance or bring some social status. Essentially these were elaborate credit systems prior to the introduction of money.  I see such a system as an administrative nightmare considering we live in an age where no one trusts each other.

The Wiki article I read on the history of money talks about using wine or rum as an exchange for goods or services.  I suppose this is where the giving of a case of beer in exchange for a service that my husband likes to use with his friends came from.  At any rate the concept of using advanced technology so that we don’t have to carry around our wallets is intriguing.  We have already eliminated the need to carry pictures in our wallets, so now not having to carry money or credit cards, makes billfolds totally useless.

Bad News

I had lunch on Friday with a friend whom I haven’t seen for quite some time.  We used to work together before she retired and we have kept in touch since.  She and her husband are selling the house here and moving to North Carolina next month, so she wanted to have lunch before she left.  We had a great time, and also included another woman we worked with.  We were all just ready to leave when she announced that she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.  It is stage one and they are still waiting for the results of the recent biopsy to determine the extent of the tumor.  She sounds as if she is taking it really well, but I can’t imagine what she is going through. 

I feel so bad for her.  I have only had one other friend who had breast cancer, and she was the other woman at the table.  For her it was caught really early and she underwent radiation and is currently cancer free but has to go for check-ups every year to make sure the cells don’t come back.  I know that many times when found early that it is very “curable”, but even so it is a terrible thing to have to go through and my heart goes out to her.

My friend is the one of the strongest women I know.  She doesn’t take crap from anyone and generally has a great outlook on life.  She is always looking on the bright side and frequently has an amusing anecdote to tell or emails funny jokes.  I know that her attitude will help in this situation, but still no matter what kind of viewpoint you have in life a diagnosis like cancer is hard for anyone to take.  She has gone through a lot mostly due to the drama caused by her daughter as well as a certain amount of issues with her husband.  I am praying for her and hope that despite everything her condition ends up in the most positive way possible. 

Gardening for Your Health

I came across an article about gardening and health the other day.  It spelled out just what I have been experiencing over the past few months.  I have had a garden for the last several years, but have not gotten into the hobby like I am not until this year.  I think because of this immersion I have had some of the benefits they are talking about.  My stress levels are less, I am getting out in the sun more, and I believe that the end result of the all the vegetables that I am going to eat as I harvest them can only help with my overall nutrition level. 

The only drawback to this is that I have become somewhat of a gardening snob.  I look around at all the people who can improve their health and their lives just by fiddling around with a few plants and sneer at them.  Many of the cases of obesity, depression, and overall poor health could be drastically improved if people would only work on themselves.  I have always hated people who complain, but I am getting more and more intolerant of those who complain about their health when there is something out there so simple that they could help themselves with.  Or maybe that’s just old age.

At any rate, I am very glad I have taken up this hobby.  I hope that you too can work a piece of the great outdoors into your life too and use Mother Nature instead of modern chemistry to advance your life.

The Internet

After my posting my excitement over my asparagus spear, I did some reading to find out more.  I should have done this before I planted, but this garden is a learning experience and I tend to rush into things without thoroughly researching, so hey, it is what it is.  Anyway, in doing my searching I came across a great site with tons of information on it.  It’s the Bonnie Plants site and it is chocked full of information on planting and harvesting all kinds of vegetables.  Of course, the site references their plants and products because they sell plants, but if you get past the continued hawking of their stuff you can learn some very valuable information.  I signed up for their newsletter.

I read a very interesting tidbit yesterday there are about 20% of people who don’t use the Internet.  As expected this group is comprised of the elderly and the poor.  Both of these groups I can totally understand actually.  Older people are often challenged by technology and are reluctant to learn.  Take my mother for example.  She uses the Internet mostly for email but sometimes she does searching for things and has been known to order some things online.  However she is very reluctant to do more of it because she had her identity stolen and is somewhat gun shy from doing more.  She often calls me when she has a problem and can’t understand why she is getting the results she gets. 

The Internet can be so useful, but like anything things need to be taken in stride.  Sites like Answers.com, Ask.com, and even entering a question into Google, are great because you can get all kinds of personal information from the people who respond.  However as such you will find conflicting information on these sites so it is important to look at multiple entries and take the “preponderance of evidence” as they say to get the correct answer.  But then again, isn’t that the point of doing research?

Asparagus

This year, as you may know, I am trying all kinds of new things in my garden this year.  I decided that I would try asparagus and ordered a package from Gurney's a few months ago.  What I got was not really what I expected as there was no picture aside from the little drawing of the spears.  I have never done most of this stuff so this has all been a learning experience.  But anyway, what came in the mail were these things that looked like aliens; long stringy roots that came from a central nodule that were kind of light tan in color. 

The instructions said to plant them in an area that could stay where it was because asparagus is a perennial plant – that much I knew.  It also said to dig a trench about 6 inches deep, plant them, and then mulch over.  It said that they like loose soil so I added compost to the dirt, which is somewhat clay.  I planted them next to one of the raised beds, digging the trench as they suggested (but probably not as deep as I should have) and then laying the roots out kind of alternating them so that the nodules were about 6 inches apart but the roots were touching.  Since I didn’t have a whole lot of room, I wasn’t able to plant all of the guys that came, but I think I probably got about 8 or 9 of them in.  I had heard that these things took time and that I would not be able to harvest for about 2 years.  I had seen a miniature asparagus fern at flower show that even had teeny asparagus spears in the pot that were probably the size of a toothpick, so I knew what the foliage was like, and that was what I was expecting to see come up and had been monitoring the section of garden where they were planted since I put them in to see any activity.  Of course a few weeks after I planted them, I saw a video on how to plant them and it said they like sandy soil, which is not what I put them in.  My soil is somewhat clay like and even when I added compost when I planted these things it is not the sandy soil type they were talking about.  After I saw the video I was tempted to dig the whole thing back up and add sand to the soil.

Lo and behold, yesterday when I went out there is a small, tiny asparagus spear was sticking up out of the ground about the height of my thumb and the thickness of a pencil! I rushed out to take a picture but if you don’t know exactly what you are looking at, you will not see it as it is somewhat camouflaged by the mulch at the base of the spear.  I am so excited!  So I guess I will leave things as they are and see what happens.  I will be very happy if I get more of these spears.  As I said, I thought one was not able to harvest until the second year so maybe what they sent there established plants, so I am going to have to ask around and see.  It would be really great if I could get enough to eat this year.

Curse the Springtime!

My allergies are practically doing me in.  For the last few weeks, I have been increasingly sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and teary eyed and nothing seems to help.  I had gone to an allergy doctor last year and she prescribed Allegra, which is now available over the counter.  But I swear the over the count stuff is NOT the same, despite what the advertising lingo says.  The new stuff does nothing; absolutely nothing.  This morning, I tried the Flonase that I found in my cupboard.  It said use before bed, but I was desperate. 

I noticed this morning that my car had a film of pollen on the roof when I went out.  At first I thought it was frost and then remembered it was not cold and it is not winter.  It was pollen!  I love the spring flowers and the increased gardening that I am doing.  But I hate these allergies, at least until I can find something that will work.  I called my doctor yesterday and have yet to receive a call back.  Most frustrating.  So in the meantime me and my red-rimmed eyes and drippy nose wait for relief.  I hope an answer comes soon.

Perennials

Over the weekend I did some more planting, mostly of plants that I got from Bluestone Perennials located in Ohio.  Their website is very easy to navigate and if you register you can create a wish list of the plants you wish to buy.  I purchased a few through Burpee, Spring Hill, and Gurney but was very disappointed when the plant arrived as they were tiny, tinier that I expected.  The plants that came from Bluestone were huge in comparison and looked very healthy.  If you are planning to purchase plants online, please give them a try.

Now, normally I try to buy local, and advocate such.  However, my schedule is very tight and my available time does not allow me to get around to nurseries in my area.  It is more convenient to shop online and have things delivered.  Therefore I am always on the lookout for stores that provide good products, reasonable prices, and quick delivery.  Bluestone provides all that and their products are really top notch. 

Mean Streak

I realized recently that I have a mean streak that I didn’t really realize I had.  There is a co-worker who really annoys me because he is always arguing with me at every chance he gets.  The other day he sent me an email asking about something that was so obvious I couldn’t believe it.  Instead of answering it simply, I printed out exactly where the answer appeared and responded in such a snarky way that really didn’t sound like me.  I didn’t copy the whole team, which really would have been mean, but hey, he had it coming. 

I don’t consider myself a particularly mean person.  I do not call myself a bitch, but sometimes I can be bitchy.  Sometimes I get annoyed with someone in particular and do little things to annoy them back, but I don’t really consider that being mean.  I have seen mean people, and as the bumper sticker says, they suck.  I try to be nice to people as much as possible but sometimes it is unavoidable especially when they are mean to me.  My husband has remarked that I can be really strong especially when writing and he is glad he is not on the bad side of me.  Occasionally I have sent a letter when I am dissatisfied with a service or an issue and after reading it he has said that my words can really cut.  But overall I don’t normally see myself as that kind of person.

Being mean is a sad state.  You have to remember, I think, what you have done in the past and think of things to do in the future that can top that.  That’s too much work.  I have enough trouble trying to remember to pay my bills on a monthly basis.  There are far too many things to keep in check in my regular life that adding what I did to so and so and how I can do it better, seems way too much to keep in the air.  I know that everyone loves a good villain in TV shows and movies, but I am not sure that people act like that in real life.  Maybe they do, but I don’t associate myself with them so I am naive on their existence.  Like people who constantly complain, people who are conniving all the time are tiresome.  A mean streak is fine, but being mean is too much of a hassle.

Old Times High

I had drinks with an old friend from high school last night.  It was really kind of nice that he remembered me from then, and wanted to get together.  We dated some back then, but there was nothing serious, at least not on my end.  I was curious when he called and asked me to meet him and I decided to go simply because of being curious.  We are both married and as there was no steamy high school romance in the past, so I didn’t see the harm in having a few drinks.  I left feeling rather sad to see someone stuck somewhat in the past.  He spoke of wishing to be back in high school, primary because life was so much easier.  From his stories, he has had it kind of rough.  He is on his second marriage and his business failed when his first wife and best friend basically stole everything out from under him.  He has two children and a couple grandchildren and his son has caused some issues.

I try not to live in the past, myself.  Frankly I had a problem with my memory and can’t remember much of what happened anyway, so I usually focus on the here and now.  That’s enough of a challenge for me.  Some of the things he was saying about how things were I just didn’t remember.  I do wish my memory was better and I could have followed along more, but what I do remember was that I was kind of miserable in high school. I felt ugly, unloved, and challenged.  School was an effort for me and things didn’t come as easily to me as they did to others.  Later I found out that I have ADD so it really was hard for me to keep focused and follow along with what was being taught.  Had teachers understood different methods of teaching to children who have this affliction back then, I am sure my memories of high school would have been different.  Maybe I would be stuck too.  It took years of making compromises as well as coaching my son through his issues with ADD, before I understood that it wasn’t because I am stupid, it was because I am wired differently. 

At any rate, it was fun to talk about the people we used to know and wonder where they are now.  There are a few people that I kind of keep in contact with on Facebook, but aside from that I don’t think much about those times – those times I remember at any rate.  High school is a rite of passage for everyone.  It’s the last time in our lives where most of us can be unfettered and free.  It’s before college and working to make it this world.  It’s fun and challenging and yes the times are simpler, but the world goes on and we have to also.

Home, Sweet Home

Driving home from my mother’s house after Easter dinner on Sunday, my husband decided to drop in on the house he grew up in.  I suppose it was because of a statement I made when driving to my mother’s about coming home when we came back to the area we both grew up in.  He just drove into the driveway of his childhood house and introduced himself to the head of the house who was sitting out front in the sun.  Surprisingly enough the couple invited us in and took us around.

The house my husband grew up in is really unique.  It was the carriage house of an old estate built in the 1800s and before my husband was born his parents lived in the small apartment above the large garage where the chauffer would have lived.  At the time they lived there cars were parked inside, below the living quarters, but apparently the horse and carriage would have been there a there was an area where horses were kept.  After the grand house was torn down to make way for a housing development, his father converted the garage part into a living area.  The front door, fireplace mantle, and a closet were salvaged from the main house, and one of the metal fences between the stalls was used as a partition between the front door and the main room.  The current owners enlarged the master bath and bedroom, put in a new kitchen, enlarged the deck, and created an office space from where my father-in-law’s den and furnace room were.  They also cleaned and restored the two sconces on the outside front of the house as well as the two main lighting fixtures in the house.  My husband remembered them as black iron lights and in reality they are brass and chrome.  The current owners have been there 17 years and I could tell they really love the house.

It was wonderful that they allowed us to invade their privacy that way and allow my husband a trip down memory lane as they did.  I think though they were really interested in the history of the house and enjoyed hearing it from someone to whom the house meant a lot. They asked lots of questions about how things were, where things came from, and how things came about.  It was really clear that they loved this house as much as my husband did and had taken really good care of it.  To them it really was a home, sweet home.

Driving Force

I have a theory about people and driving.  I am convinced that most people are secretly terrified of driving.  They don’t feel confident about their abilities and they greatly fear the other driver.  The reason I feel this way is because of the way people drive.  If you really look at other drivers behind the wheel you can see what I mean. 

You have your young drivers – those who have recently gotten their license.  They think they know everything about the road but know nothing.  They tear around as if they are the only ones on the road and God forbid you if you get in their way.  Then you have your middle age drivers who treat everyone else as if you have no right to be on the road at the same time they are.  They cut in front of you, don’t use their turn signals, and then give you the finger if they do something wrong.  Then you have your old aged drivers who have been driving for decades.  They don’t give a shit about anyone else and will drive in the passing lane 20 miles under the speed limit and dare you to do something. 

Each one of these people despite their seemingly bold actions, are afraid that they have no ultimate control of a 4,000 pound machine that could go awry at any moment.  They could lose control of the wheel, forget to turn where they should, or have someone else plow into them in a moment’s notice.  So in their defense they drive as if the car is driving them around and don’t pay any attention to the car’s demands of their attention.  Why else would they text, eat, shave, apply makeup, or read the paper while driving down the road.  They are afraid if they actually pay attention they might actually be in control of something.

Life and Death

There are a few things that elicit multiple responses on Facebook; birthdays and death notices.  I find that really interesting.  When my father died, I posted a tribute to him – the same one I posted here – and there were so many responses and sympathies from many, many people I am connected with.  It gave me great comfort that people actually cared.  When my cat died on Saturday, the same thing happened, which kind of surprised me because I always get the impression that grieving for the loss of a pet is considered pretty corny.  But people surprise me constantly and again I got a whole lot of sympathy postings. 

Birthday greeting abound, but death notices?  Is Facebook the new place to put an obituary?  In many respects it is much more personal and much more meaningful to have something there where your Faceook friends can connect with you and share your sorrow. To me it felt comforting, strangely enough, to know that others were sympathetic to what was going on in my life – the good and the bad. 

I often don’t post my statuses sharing every move I make as I really don’t think that others care all that much.  I usually post a simple motivational quote that I find meaningful to me and which I hope will spark some thought and maybe some response but I am not really looking for it. I also post updates to my garden because frankly it is kind of my bragging arena.  I am proud of the results of my garden and what to share that aspect of my life. I enjoy reading what others post with the exception of a few of my friends’ kids who have friended me for some strange reason.  They use the F word too much in my opinion and frankly I hide most of them because I find it offensive. But sharing one’s life from all areas and expanding ones personal network is exactly what Social Media is all about, even in life and death.

Happy Birthday, Norristown!

Saturday, March 31, 2012 was the Municipality of Norristown’s 200^th birthday.  The original town, when founded in 1812, was about 500 people in the area just around the where the county courthouse stands now.  It was later enlarged in 1853 and again in 1900 and then its borders were redrawn yet again when West and East Norriton broke ties with the area.  It is now about 2 ½ square miles hosting many of the county offices as well as many churches along with a community of about 30,000 people.  A section in Wikipedia explains best how it was and how it got to where it is now:

Norristown was one of the largest communities under Pennsylvania's borough form of government. Now, the official name is Municipality of Norristown, operating under a Home Rule Charter with that designation since 1986. Located on the Schuylkill River, it was established as a mill town and as a seat of county government.

At one time Norristown was a retail center for the rural areas outside of Philadelphia. With the growth of suburban communities and large shopping malls including the King of Prussia Mall and the Plymouth Meeting Mall in the outlying townships, Norristown's retail sector steadily declined and eventually collapsed.

The seal of the town features a bee hive on a small platform with the words “Fervet Opus”, which is Latin for “always working” or “always busy”.  Back in its heyday it was a teaming place with people going to and fro – a very busy place hence the name.  Norristown also has a lot of history including many firsts and notable people.  Over the years, as indicated above, there have been many changes which have caused the town to decline.  However, there have been many caring people who have tried, albeit not to successfully to date for a number of reasons, to revitalize the town.

On Saturday the Bicentennial Kick Off was held at the Elmwood Park Bandshell.  It started in the morning and went through the day, and despite the questionable weather, which was wet and often raw-feeling, most people appear to enjoy themselves.  I was there for several hours helping to pass out fliers about the Norristown Preservation Society History Day in June.  I talked to a number of people, heard the opening ceremony and went on a bus tour that went around part of the town and talked about the history of the town.

So here’s to Norristown.  I hope that our descendants will take care of you and work to keep you going, stronger and better for the next 200 years.

My Sweet Little Trixie

I lost my cat over the weekend.  On Saturday night I was in the living room paying bills and I heard a really funny noise.  It sounded as if the cats were fighting through the basement window with a cat outside.  There was some weird meowing and banging and it did sound as if it was coming from the basement.  So I went to investigate and found my oldest cat, Trixie under the dining room table with her head back behind one of the legs.  I knelt down and gently moved her head forward and found that although she was still breathing it was labored and she was unresponsive.  I stroked her fur to comfort her and get a sense of what was happening and within a minute or so she was gone.  Being Saturday night our vet’s office was closed and I just knew that by the time I got a hold of the emergency vet she would not have been alive to even get to there.  I was glad I was there for her at the end rather than just finding her dead somewhere, but it was very sad.

Trixie was 18 and we had gotten her as a kitten.  One of the women I knew at work had asked me if I wanted a kitten because and knew I liked cats.  A pregnant, feral cat had delivered kittens in her barn and she wanted to give them good homes.  We had one cat, Ralph, and had recently lost one, Alice (yes it was the Honeymooners we named them after), and named her Trixie.  My friend brought her in at lunch.  I had already planned to take her home that day and brought in the cat carrier.  We exchanged the kitten from her carrier to mine and I had her at my desk until I left that day.  She made a bit of a fuss and I was so fearful that someone would hear but no on apparently found out.  Her introduction into our house was uneventful.  She and Ralph got along and we were all happy.  My son, who was three at the time, took her on as his own cat.

That cat was really smart.  She seemed to understand us all the time.  We usually put the cats in the kitchen at night.  This is to prevent the cats clawing things while we are not around to stop them, and to generally keep them out of our room during the night.  It is my husband’s rule more than mine, but it has gotten to be quite the routine.  Maybe it was the routine she knew but when it was time for bed, and we called Trixie and said it was time for bed, she generally came trotting on down.  If she had followed me to the third floor and I wasn’t staying up there long, I would tell her that I was not going to be long up there and to head on back downstairs and she would turn right around and go down.  When my son had his wisdom teeth out, she stayed with him all day after the surgery lying on his bed and being with him.  She would not do that with us.  She seemed to sense all that was going on in the house and act accordingly.

So she is now buried in the back yard and we arranged some stones over the grave.  I might get a little marker with her name on it and add it to the stones.  I am happy we were able to share our home with her and blessed that I have these memories.  Although she was a cat, she was very much a member of our home and she will be missed.  RIP, Trixie.