I hope she pulls through as I have furkids

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Please, no posts about declawing. I would never do that!! I have brand new furniture and right now it is covered with sheets, blankets and the like, delivered yesterday, living room full of leather at that (along with new dining room, 10 new chairs that have cloth seats). I tried the scratching posts, I tried the bad smelling stuff they sell at the pet stores, I tried the water bottle (that is effective as long as in the same room), but I want to know who has tried the cat nails and if they work. I want to enjoy the beauty of my furniture and I love my kids! I would never damage those indoor babies but I want to look at my furniture also. Are the nails hard to put on. HELP!!

THE JOURNEY

by Crystal Ward Kent

When you bring a pet into your life, you begin a journey � a journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet also test your strength and courage.

If you allow, the journey will teach you many things, about life, about yourself, and most of all, about love. You will come away changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.

Along the way, you will learn much about savoring life�s simple pleasures � jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joy of puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.

If you spend much time outside, you will be taught how to truly experience every element, for no rock, leaf or log will go unexamined, no rustling bush will be overlooked, and even the very air will be inhaled, pondered, and noted as being full of valuable information. Your pace may be slower � except when heading home to the food dish � but you will become a better naturalist, having been taught by an expert in the field.

Too many times we hike on automatic pilot, our goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We miss the details � the colorful mushrooms on the rotting log, the honeycomb in the old maple snag, the hawk feather caught on a twig. Once we walk as a dog does, we discover a whole new world. We stop; we browse the landscape; we kick over leaves, peek in tree holes, look up, down, all around. And we learn what any dog knows: that nature has created a marvelously complex world that is full of surprises, that each cycle of the seasons brings ever-changing wonders, each day an essence all its own.

Even from indoors you will find yourself more attuned to the world around you. You will find yourself watching summer insects collecting on a screen (How bizarre they are! How many kinds there are!), or noting the flicker and flash of fireflies through the dark. You will stop to observe the swirling dance of windblown leaves, or sniff the air after a rain. It does not matter that there is no objective in this; the point is in the doing, in not letting life�s most important details slip by.

You will find yourself doing silly things that your pet-less friends might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle looking for the cat food brand your feline must have, buying dog birthday treats, or driving around the block an extra time because your pet enjoys the ride. You will roll in the snow, wrestle with chewie toys, bounce little rubber balls till your eyes cross, and even run around the house trailing your bathrobe tie � with a cat in hot pursuit � all in the name of love.

Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less dark clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits in your pocket or purse, and feel the need to explain that an old plastic shopping bag adorns your living room rug because your cat loves the crinkly sound.

You will learn the true measure of love � the steadfast, undying kind that says, �It doesn�t matter where we are or what we do, or how life treats us as long as we are together.� Respect this always. It is the most precious gift any living soul can give another. You will not find it often among the human race.

And you will learn humility. The look in my dog�s eyes often made me feel ashamed. Such joy and love at my presence. She saw not some flawed human who could be cross and stubborn, moody or rude, but only her wonderful companion. Or maybe she saw those things and dismissed them as mere human foibles, not worth considering, and so chose to love me anyway.

If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you will not be just a better person, but the person your pet always knew you to be � the one they were proud to call beloved friend.

I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun sets, one day your dear animal companion will follow a path you cannot yet go down. And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go. A pet�s time on earth is far too short � especially for those that love them. We borrow them, really, just for awhile, and during those brief years they are generous enough to give us all of their love � every inch of their spirit and heart, until one day there is nothing left.

The cat that only yesterday was a kitten is all too soon old and frail and sleeping in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle now gray. Deep down we somehow always knew this journey would end. We knew that if we gave our hearts they would be broken. But give them we must for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes, and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift and let them run on ahead � young and whole once more.

�Godspeed, good friend,� we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again.

everyone on the plane wasn't hovering around this woman while she nursed...good grief!

Mind your own business and you'd never even know the baby was being nursed...dang!

By the way, at Disneyland.. how many butts and boobs did you see hanging out of shorts and tops? Did *yo momma* report them to the security and hold them hostage while they were told to leave? Huh? Doubt it!

Has your daughter changed her mind yet? The Navy sent my son's friend to Behran way back when the war first started. The other poster had marhvelous good luck with her husband and her sister and their Navy experience.

Dentists where I am are few and far between and it's a real problem. When I lost my childhood filling there, the tooth was too far gone to be saved. Well, it could have been saved but the cost was as much as monthly mortgate and car payment combined, so it went bye-bye. I balled my eyes out for almost 2 days because it was then that I realized I would probably wind up toofless the older I got, as I had no idea how expensive dental care was. Having your own teeth should be a luxury, ya know?

after the root canal I was great for 2 days - then pain hit again, radiating all over my jaw - still had no pain medicine - was ready to hit the streets!!! Needed more antibiotics and eventually and 2000.00 later I am okay. I did get some relief from the Anbesol stuff and ice packs on my face. Hope it's over soon.

I love Kyle Chandler! Oh!! Add Early Edition to my fave list. How could I forget that one?

good sign! I had one of those the other day. One thing I've learned with this job . .

How you like being an MT: Love the work . Would love more of it, lol. Have not worked since November and cannot seem to buy a job.

What you like/dislike about it: The politics of the business. The fact that I do not have more than 3 years' experience, and am rejected because of that.

One of your worst experiences: Buying a lot to build a house and finding out my neighbors were Nazis. Learning to get over that while dealing with a new diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Funniest experience: Um...watching hubby do crazy things. There is nothing funnier than a grown man chasing a goose or duck, or a 6Ɗ" beanpole (lucky duck) bouncing up and down on a trampoline.

Best pet you ever had: All my cats. Boogey, Squiddles, Calvin, Julius and now Simcha. They are our furkids and just constantly entertain us, amaze us, etc.

Funnest job you ever had: Working for the Appalachian Media Institute at Appalshop in Whitesburg, Kentucky. I got to learn a tremendous amount about the media, how subtleties in processing, etc, can influence things, and to connect with my heritage in new ways.

Weirdest job you ever had: Cold-calling voters to remind them of the upcoming election. One guy had been dead for 11 years but had voted in the last 3 out of 4 elections!!!

When you win the Big Lottery, you will: Well, first i will have to play it, but when i win

I will pay off all my debt, buy an SUV, help my uncle out financially, help hubby start his own business, invest in some friends' businesses perhaps, buy some land with acreage and build a sustainable house, donate money to the library to add on a nice reading room (dedicated to my grandmother), endow our wonderful veterenarians. Put some in savings for taxes, if there is anything left HA.

Your favorite musical group(s): Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Foo Fighters.

Latest pet peeve: People with their hands out who won't work to take care of themselves.

Favorite past Sat. Nite Live comedian: I don't watch it much, but Will Ferrell? I think he is a past SNL guy.

Most disliked sports figure(s): Pretty much all of them. Most of the sports figures these days are in it for the money, with very few exceptions, and they think their status as a VIP makes them special.

I cook / don't cook because: I love to cook. It satisfies a creative outlet for me, and I get to watch other peoples' enjoyment most of the time.

What you would replace in your house: Um. New house, but i think i would either do the whole upstairs in a bonus truss (meaning loft type space) or add a basement instead of a slab. That floor is darned cold.

Who did you look up to as a kid or teenager? My mom (actually my aunt who raised me) and my maternal grandparents.

Did you pass the 1st time you took your driver's test? Yep, sure did. My parents were killed in a car wreck when i was 2 so I take driving very, very seriously.

What you hope to see in your lifetime: A Gene Rodenberry-like world peace, extensive space travel, a cure for cancer, a cure for Alzheimer's, a cure for diabetes, no more world hunger, the shores of Virginia and Massachusetts where my ancestors came ashore, the Northern Lights, the Pacific Ocean and California, Hawaii, Australia, Europe, my thin self again, healthy.

Worst pain you ever felt: When i had a wisdom tooth extracted AND had a root canal redone in the same week. They both became inflamed and good Lord. I wanted to be efficient. Next time I'll drag it out, ha!

How you treat a really bad mood: Slam doors, cabinets, things I cannot break. I have a bad, bad temper. Yell. Go to the shooting range and blow up stuffed animals. Eat chocolate.

Happy Flyer, or White-Knuckler? If God had wanted me to fly, He would've given me wings.

A friend or relative who passed away 20+ years ago gets to come back and visit you for a day:

They would be most shocked by: The way their family has acted toward me, and the deaths in their family.

The activity you would most like to do together: Sit and eat, talk, maybe go back to where I was raised. See their graves? That sounds morbid, but hey.