I can't top that, but I can tell you I have always enjoyed the stories, but
you guys have no idea what a wonderful person she is, I spent time with Pam
on the phone while she was dealing with her last hospital stay... until you
spend real time with her you can't understand, that her gift of writing is
just the tip of the iceberg, and she is one of the nicest, most engaged
people you could ever want to meet, Lee
and I thought I'd share one of her stories from Flippy's site.  We all
know Pam, we all love Pam but some of you don't know the wonderful
stories she writes.  I challenge everyone to post a story or remember
an anecdote about Pam for her birthday. WE LOVE YOU PAM!!! HAPPY
BIRTHDAY

Our Strange Thanksgiving
Pam Shirk
November 27, 1999

   Yes, we had our annual Strange Thanksgiving Day. The kids watched
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while I chatted with Rob on the
computer. I was typing a reply to him when I heard a weird noise
coming from the bed behind me. Mandy had turned on the parade on my TV
too and Tanda was watching the balloons intently. Now, she usually
prefers animal planet channel, so I didn't expect her to be interested
in the parade. The balloon she was going nuts about? Blue's Clues. I'm
not sure, but I think she was expecting it to come out after her.
Either that or she was doubting someone's sanity to create a blue
enemy. Sorta like the Blue Meanies from The Yellow Submarine. QC was
sitting beside me staring at Tanda intently, as though she were
worried about Tanda's mental hygiene.

   Tanda usually haunts the kitchen from the first smell of the
pumpkin pies baking a day or two before the holiday, to the last piece
of meat. I didn't cook a turkey this year, yes I (bad old me)
committed sacrilege and deprived my family of one of the integral
portions of the holiday. I cooked a turkey roast instead and Tanda
kept walking into the kitchen and sitting in front of the stove. She
could smell the ham roasting, but no real meat. Where was the turkey?
I gave her a slice of turkey roast, but it isn't the same and now
she's depressed. What if I change Christmas too? All three cats got
their canned turkey and gravy, QC got her mashed potatoes and Berfert
got a slice of cranberry sauce. Turns out he loves guacamole dip too.
Strange cat. Tanda eats the chips and he sneaks into the dip. We don't
leave food out at my house. Tanda loves french fries, but hates mashed
potatoes. According to her, I over process them once I put them in a
bowl equipped with a mixer. QC is on a diet. No fried foods for her,
she will only eat mashed potatoes, but only if I put homemade turkey
gravy on them. How she knows is anyone's guess. I made homemade gravy
using the roast and my own add-ons. She loved it. Strange cat.

   We didn't watch sports yesterday. The cats didn't mind. They
watched movies with us. This includes chips and dip (QC and Berfert
were happy) vegie snacks and nuts. Turns out that both Berfert and
Tanda love shelled nuts. Like the kids, they prefer hazelnuts, my
favorite. I got 1 nut before they cleaned out the rest of the hazel
nuts. There are a ton of almonds and walnuts left. For Christmas, I'm
buying a bag each of hazel nuts (sorry Hazel Az), mixed nuts, and
peanuts. Maybe I'll get 2 hazel nuts before kids and cats chow them
down. If that doesn't work I'll hide some for me next year.

   We had a full dinner even though I cut down on the number and size
of our dishes. I didn't serve a lot of the goodies I love and am not
supposed to have. I haven't tried my sugar free pumpkin pie yet. I
figure I can have a slice for lunch. The cats, of course, love pumpkin
pie. I told the kids that all five of them have to share the two pies
I made for them. The none of them, fur or bare are happy. I told them
I'm not making 6 pies so they can each have their own. They still
aren't happy.

   We watched Home Alone 2 on TV last night while I chatted with Rob
on the computer (thanks for computers). Turns out that Berfert is
scared by MacCauley Caulkin's (whatever the kid's name) scream. You
know the one, where the kid puts both hands to his face and bellows
out "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" when he gets scared. It's in his contract
to make that scream at least once per home alone movie. He's a great
actor though, saw him in some stuff where he is utterly terrifying.
Anyway, Berfert is scared of the scream. The kid screams and Berfert
come's barrelling in to hide under the bed. Surprise! The movie is on
in here too. He zips back into the living room, still on, back to my
room, and its the same thing. The cat hid in the bath tub for a half
hour before he decided it wasn't going to get him after all. I swear
the girls were laughing at him as much as I was.

   Poor Berfert. He got me back later. I talked to him and scritched
his little head for a while and he sexually molested a towel on my
bed. Drug it up onto the bed beside me and went at it. Berfert is a
neutered male, and what pleasure he gets from his towel is dubious at
best. He growled at me when I tried to remove his partner from my bed.
It was the first time I've ever heard the cat growl at anyone. I think
I've been cheated on.

   So I now sit at the computer writing while everyone is dealing
with their emotional hangovers. Tanda is pouting about the lack of
turkey, QC is flat on her back with her paws and tail stretched out
starfish position, and Berfert is sitting on my bed having a
cigarette. I would call it a normal, strange, Thanksgiving.

   Copyright © Pam Shirk
   November 27, 1999

Happy birthday, Pam. Hope the Clowder gives you a day
of rest.

Lily & her mama

and I thought I'd share one of her stories from Flippy's site.  We all
know Pam, we all love Pam but some of you don't know the wonderful
stories she writes.  I challenge everyone to post a story or remember
an anecdote about Pam for her birthday. WE LOVE YOU PAM!!! HAPPY
BIRTHDAY

Our Strange Thanksgiving
Pam Shirk
November 27, 1999

   Yes, we had our annual Strange Thanksgiving Day. The kids watched
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while I chatted with Rob on the
computer. I was typing a reply to him when I heard a weird noise
coming from the bed behind me. Mandy had turned on the parade on my TV
too and Tanda was watching the balloons intently. Now, she usually
prefers animal planet channel, so I didn't expect her to be interested
in the parade. The balloon she was going nuts about? Blue's Clues. I'm
not sure, but I think she was expecting it to come out after her.
Either that or she was doubting someone's sanity to create a blue
enemy. Sorta like the Blue Meanies from The Yellow Submarine. QC was
sitting beside me staring at Tanda intently, as though she were
worried about Tanda's mental hygiene.

   Tanda usually haunts the kitchen from the first smell of the
pumpkin pies baking a day or two before the holiday, to the last piece
of meat. I didn't cook a turkey this year, yes I (bad old me)
committed sacrilege and deprived my family of one of the integral
portions of the holiday. I cooked a turkey roast instead and Tanda
kept walking into the kitchen and sitting in front of the stove. She
could smell the ham roasting, but no real meat. Where was the turkey?
I gave her a slice of turkey roast, but it isn't the same and now
she's depressed. What if I change Christmas too? All three cats got
their canned turkey and gravy, QC got her mashed potatoes and Berfert
got a slice of cranberry sauce. Turns out he loves guacamole dip too.
Strange cat. Tanda eats the chips and he sneaks into the dip. We don't
leave food out at my house. Tanda loves french fries, but hates mashed
potatoes. According to her, I over process them once I put them in a
bowl equipped with a mixer. QC is on a diet. No fried foods for her,
she will only eat mashed potatoes, but only if I put homemade turkey
gravy on them. How she knows is anyone's guess. I made homemade gravy
using the roast and my own add-ons. She loved it. Strange cat.

   We didn't watch sports yesterday. The cats didn't mind. They
watched movies with us. This includes chips and dip (QC and Berfert
were happy) vegie snacks and nuts. Turns out that both Berfert and
Tanda love shelled nuts. Like the kids, they prefer hazelnuts, my
favorite. I got 1 nut before they cleaned out the rest of the hazel
nuts. There are a ton of almonds and walnuts left. For Christmas, I'm
buying a bag each of hazel nuts (sorry Hazel Az), mixed nuts, and
peanuts. Maybe I'll get 2 hazel nuts before kids and cats chow them
down. If that doesn't work I'll hide some for me next year.

   We had a full dinner even though I cut down on the number and size
of our dishes. I didn't serve a lot of the goodies I love and am not
supposed to have. I haven't tried my sugar free pumpkin pie yet. I
figure I can have a slice for lunch. The cats, of course, love pumpkin
pie. I told the kids that all five of them have to share the two pies
I made for them. The none of them, fur or bare are happy. I told them
I'm not making 6 pies so they can each have their own. They still
aren't happy.

   We watched Home Alone 2 on TV last night while I chatted with Rob
on the computer (thanks for computers). Turns out that Berfert is
scared by MacCauley Caulkin's (whatever the kid's name) scream. You
know the one, where the kid puts both hands to his face and bellows
out "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" when he gets scared. It's in his contract
to make that scream at least once per home alone movie. He's a great
actor though, saw him in some stuff where he is utterly terrifying.
Anyway, Berfert is scared of the scream. The kid screams and Berfert
come's barrelling in to hide under the bed. Surprise! The movie is on
in here too. He zips back into the living room, still on, back to my
room, and its the same thing. The cat hid in the bath tub for a half
hour before he decided it wasn't going to get him after all. I swear
the girls were laughing at him as much as I was.

   Poor Berfert. He got me back later. I talked to him and scritched
his little head for a while and he sexually molested a towel on my
bed. Drug it up onto the bed beside me and went at it. Berfert is a
neutered male, and what pleasure he gets from his towel is dubious at
best. He growled at me when I tried to remove his partner from my bed.
It was the first time I've ever heard the cat growl at anyone. I think
I've been cheated on.

   So I now sit at the computer writing while everyone is dealing
with their emotional hangovers. Tanda is pouting about the lack of
turkey, QC is flat on her back with her paws and tail stretched out
starfish position, and Berfert is sitting on my bed having a
cigarette. I would call it a normal, strange, Thanksgiving.

   Copyright © Pam Shirk
   November 27, 1999

and I thought I'd share one of her stories from Flippy's site.  We all
know Pam, we all love Pam but some of you don't know the wonderful
stories she writes.  I challenge everyone to post a story or remember
an anecdote about Pam for her birthday. WE LOVE YOU PAM!!! HAPPY
BIRTHDAY

Pam, Rob, and the whole gang-- we're sending you mighty mega purrs.