The AFLAC guy came to my work yesterday to give us a nice talk and spiel
about the joys and benefits of insurance, and to sell as much as he could
before he had to shlep all the way back to his office in Pennsylvania. We all
got nice little folders with all the product information; and to those who
expressed interest and/or signed on he gave a cute little stuffed doll of the
company's mascot/spokes bird, a duck that quacks "Aflac...AFLAC...AFLAAAAAAAC!
!!" when you squeeze it.

This I knew was a recipe for trouble even before I left work. Besides the
lady who did not express interest, who has a remarkable ability to come up
with Anglo-Saxon obscenities to rhyme with duck and used it fluently when she
went to complain about not getting a f***ing duck for herself, I knew I was
going to have five little people at home who would have something else to say
entirely.

Two of our Ladies were too preoccupied with the immanent arrival of chow to
pay my new little chotchkie much attention; and anyway, Roxie and Odessa
think they're a little too dignified for such toys. This is only because the
duckie didn't come with a bag full of kittyweed, because a little pinch of
that forbidden herb cancels out any measure of dignity. And Brandy, after
three years, had finally discovered she has a tail, and was quite engrossed
in attempting to catch it. Sabrina and Stosh, however, were very intrigued
with this new creature: what on earth was that peculiar thingy that makes
such a racket? Sabrina stretched herself upward as sher stood up on the love
seat in the living room, standing on her hind legs, taking a cautious paw to
this funny little animal. Stosh sniffed it; I squeezed and he got that "WTF?!
" look on his face and pulled back from it. Imagine this burly, big, macho 16
pound hunk of feline jumping back like he'd had a jack-in-the-box pop up when
he'd least expectetd! Then Sabrina did the unexpected: she gave Stosh a shove
out of the way so she might get a more thorough investigation, and did so
without uttering a single foul word. Remarkable: out in the living room, and
learning to interact without cussing or drawing back. I don't know how she's
gotten such therapy, but I'm so thankful for it you cna't imagine...

Last night she slept out on the living room furniture, just as the Good Lord
intended a cat, next to the little AFLAC duckie.

Blessed be,
Baha