A children's book in the making

I don't have children. I have two two cats and a fish.  Frankie.  Cooper.  Boxer 2. (You may ask why Boxer 2 - the first one was a beta - he didn't live more than a week - named after the mascot - guess which University.)

I've always wanted to write a children's book.  In fact, I think I'll write about my children.

You either are a cat lover or not so I realize this book may invite you into my novel or it may turn you off.  That's okay with me.

What you need to know about Frankie and Cooper is they are not the ordinary felines you may think about.  It's not like they have super powers or anything but they are extraordinary and have personality.

They love to ride in the car, on my lap of course.

They're not afraid of the vacuum (in fact they follow it around when it's on).

I think my cats secretly want to primp.  When my hair dryer is on, they leap across the bathroom sink to lunge at the moving cord.

And, instead of eating Boxer 2, my one pound gold fish, they drink water out of his bowl.

My children's book will be designed by Ryan Gaard, he just doesn't know it yet.

As they run and play,
Pounce and bounce,
They seem to jump in flight,
With all their might,

They watch TV,
And love the bouncing balls,
March Madness is their time,
Running to the door when the bell chimes,

Love visitors,
Friendly felines,
Enjoy being carried around by kids,
And hiding pop tops and lids,

Yes, Frankie and Cooper are fun,
Especially when they are on the run,
Like Boxer 2 when he's diving for their paws wishing he weighed a ton.

Energy Givers

I have several friends and have met a lot of people both near and afar.  The people who have made the most difference in my lives are the ones who don't complain, ask about me and not just talk about themselves, give me advice, are optimistic with their thoughts and suggestions and wake up most mornings on the right side of the bed.
Then, there are those individuals in my life that have gone the extra mile.  Blessings.  One such person was my 92 year old grandmother.  She died in January 2008.  Even though she is gone from this earth, I think of her often and "talk" to her once in awhile. She taught me how to live each day with passion, believe in myself and enjoy humor everyday. 
You see, I know a few of you out there who think you have bad luck, talk about what is going wrong in your life rather than what is really going right, complain about your jobs and your relationships or talk about your pain in your legs or the headache that you always have. 

Not my granny.  She woke up at 6 am every morning and drank the strongest coffee grounds I've ever seen. (Maybe that is why she was so happy all the time). 
But, yes, she cried.  She hurt and she got mad - especially with me. 
I lived with her during my college years. 
In fact, I talked to her everyday and saw her most days. 
Her name was Ethel. 
She was 5 foot 2 inches. 
I'd like to tell you how much she weighed but she never told me.  I didn't think it was the most kind thing to ask her and I didn't really care.  She'd say, "well I've put on a few pounds or my arms are getting skinny."
Yes, she was a bright and shiny star in my life.  She put up with me (I think she liked my stubborn ways) except for the times I'd come home around 1 am or I'd be difficult in conversation and raise my voice.
She'd always forgive me. 
Always.
The days I was diagnosed with cancer....twice (when I was 28 and again when I was 33). We cried for a few but after the tears dried up, she said, "enough...we'll get through this."  Both times she was there.  And, both times, after surgery, I was strong, smiled through the pain and took each day as it came. 

I've been in remission now for 7 years. 

I know deep in my heart and soul it's because of the people I surround(ed) myself with...energy givers not energy suckers.

Thank you, granny.  I love you. I miss you today and always and am so glad you are my energy giver.

Is it vegan if...

You've been there...standing in line waiting to order food.  You review the menu, nothing sounds good.  Most of you would leave or suck it up and order a burger.  This is somewhat of a challenge if you live in Spokane, Washington and you are vegan. For me, I am an optimistic about Spokane.  I think restaurants are coming around.  They may or may not have tofu.  They always substitute the meat or protein with mushrooms...by the way I DESPISE FUNGI.  And, when you say vegan, they instantly think vegetarian so they mix the salad in bleu cheese dressing or pieces of Parmesan.  Just a bit of educational advice, vegan is described as "no dairy - that includes cheese and eggs."
Recently, my friend and I had a hankering for breakfast at lunch. We stopped by Maggies (nice people but they need a bit of education).  My friend, by the way, is a big carnivore - hint, he eats items with eyes and parents.
We walk up to order our food, they didn't have egg substitute or anything vegan/vegetarian on the menu so I actually ordered something for lunch rather than breakfast.  I ordered their Thai chicken salad minus chicken.  So, for those of you who haven't been to Maggies, that is peanut sauce dressing, lettuce, tomatoes and chicken. The chef's had a difficult challenge on their hands...don't add chicken.
You can imagine my surprise when I over heard the chef say, "oh, this one didn't want chicken - wait, OK...pause...now what I am going to do?"
Five minutes later, we got our food delivered to our table.  Delightful presentation.  Again, nice people. I took my first bite, pretty good.  I looked down, there it was a piece of white chicken breast...at this point, I pass it across the table to my friend's plate.  I thought one piece...it's fine.  I took a couple more bites, huh, there's another piece.  Again, I pass it across the table.  I wondered at the particular moment in time...is this really a vegan salad.  I'll be honest, I was hungry.  I ate the rest of it but still.  Is it vegan if...the restaurant doesn't know that chicken is a meat and by taking it off the top of a salad or picking it out of something is really not taking the time to get to know what a vegan/vegetarian guest eats.

Why Blog?

So, I asked myself, why blog? Two reasons:  I started writing a book about my grandmother in 2008 (may she rest in peace) and the laptop in which I had 55 pages written, was stolen in 2009.  So, I thought, if I begin a blog, I have a back up to recreate my book of thoughts and I can write about other things too that may or may not have relevance to the virtual world.
A little about me without giving too much, I am a vegan. I love to eat. I love challenging restaurants to find something on their menus or in the kitchens for me to eat. And, my grandmother was my best friend.
My entries will most likely be about four things:  my life with my grandmother, my life without my grandmother, the funny experiences I've encountered in restaurants here and afar and the fascinating conversations I've had with people.   Once in awhile, you may learn about my two furry kids - Frankie and Cooper; two cats that have made me laugh everyday since I've had them.  I picked them up at Spokanimal - Frankie is a year and a half old and Cooper is 5 months old.
One last thing, I have some hobbies people question me about:  mountain climbing, cycling, golfing, running, hiking, interior decorating and the latest event I signed up for...a triathalon (this one is actually quite funny because I don't know how to swim...yet.)