Heavy Traffic Expected on the Rainbow Bridge…
- At July 13, 2012
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Life, Roxanne Writes On
- 2
This fall, when our youngest leaves for university, my husband and I will become, rather suddenly, empty-nesters. Well, I should say, our nest is empty of human offspring. Our remaining dependents now consist of one ancient, sexually-frustrated cockatiel, four elderly cats, two poodles (smart and healthy, if a little high-strung) and one Cavalier King Charles spaniel with the sweetest temperament ever. (Blank as an unpainted wall, though, our Addie.)
We’re not particularly looking forward to taking over all the pet chores; however, we know it’s time limited. Our two oldest cats, Tabitha and Mylos, are particularly frail.
While Tabi is holding her own, we’ve been treating Mylos for diabetes for several years. He’s now in remission for the second time, but over Christmas, he developed pancreatitis. We didn’t expect him to make it to spring, but he recovered, more or less, with antibiotics. Then he developed hyperthyroidism, and it looks like his pancreatitis is flaring up again. We’ve decided that we won’t let him go through another episode, given his other illnesses, so as soon as we see signs of discomfort, we’ll be walking him to the Rainbow Bridge.
At almost 17, he’s had a long life, but it’s always sad to lose an old friend.
What are you reading?
We were at a Canada Day party recently (well, on Canada Day, duh) when a friend asked me what my favourite book was. And then LISTENED FOR A RESPONSE. A brave man, our friend. Or perhaps really, really bored. Asking me about books is like asking our spaniel about food. Specifics don’t matter. The answer is YES YES YES, GIMME GIMME, MORE MORE MORE.
My favourite book of all time is, of course, Barbara Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible, for many reasons. (Ask me, next time you’ve got a couple of hours to kill.) But I’ve read many other good ones lately. Last night, I finished The Marriage Bargain, by Jennifer Probst, and it was great! (I’m fond of her publisher, for reasons I will announce shortly. Stay tuned, fans.) I enjoyed Goodnight Tweetheart, by Teresa Medeiros – it’s a good story, AND I learned a bit more about Twitter. Sworn to Silence, by Linda Castillo, is a great, gripping thriller set in Amish country.
And then of course… there’s the Shades of Grey trilogy. I read the first two, grudgingly, as research. (It’s true! I’ll tell you more about that soon, too.) But I confess that part of me wanted to know just what all the hoopla’s about. Literary pop culture; I like to have one section in Trivial Pursuit that I have a chance at winning!
I won’t add to the plethora of scathing criticism about her wordcraft. (I try not to say bad things about other writers… we have feelings, you know.) It’s not my favourite book, HOWEVER, Ms. James has done a great job creating a multi-faceted, tortured hero in Christian Grey, so props to her for that.
Anyway… it’s time to get back to work. But I’m curious: what are you reading right now? What’s your favourite book of all time?
The Cold, Hostile Streets
- At January 19, 2012
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Life, Roxanne Writes On
- 0
On Tuesday, January 24 at around 9:15 am, radio host Joan Cameron will be reading a chapter from my book Great Cat Stories. Appropriately enough at this time of year, the chapter she’s reading is called “The Cold, Hostile Streets.” It’s about the work of a woman named Linda Jean Gubbe, founder of Street Cat Rescue of Saskatoon or, as it’s commonly known, SCAT.
Having spent my childhood in Saskatchewan, I understand a bit about the coldness, if not the hostility, of the streets. I’ve seen my share of cats with frostbitten ears and tails. And the arctic front we’re experiencing in the Fraser Valley this week is a good reminder that, for all my complaining, my loved ones and I – including our four cats and three dogs – are fortunate to be safe and warm. Not everyone is.
Thank you, Linda Jean, for helping the cats.
And thank you, Joan Cameron, for spreading the word.
To tune in, go to Radio 100.9 Canoe FM, on January 24, at 9:15 am. Then go back to SCAT, and hit the Donate button.
You’ll be glad you did.