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Our adopted Family
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| We share our home with six
others that we have adopted, and they have become as important to us as
our own three children and five grandchildren. The six I refer to have all
come into our home unexpectedly, with the exception of one, and he was
given to us by another family. The first arrived in our driveway one day
as evidently she had been riding in a vehicle unintentionally, and about
the time that vehicle passed our driveway, she jumped out. She was injured
in the jump and had to be taken to her doctor for treatment of the injury
she received. And as the others came into our home, she developed a personality of "little ole grandma", and doesn't get along with them very well at all. She tolerates them, but that's all. There was one occasion when she got into some type of poison, and as a result of this, she required hospitalization for nearly a week. Although she came very near to dying from this episode, she did recover. When she came home, she spent two days telling one of the other adopted ones all about her near death experience. She followed him around carrying on a one-sided conversation about the awful experience she had just been through until finally, when he was totally fed up with her, he roughed her up a bit. She didn't give up entirely even then, but tried to continue the conversation until his patience was thoroughly exhausted, and he really let her have it. She wasn't too physically battered though, but she did decide that maybe it was time to hush about what she surely considered something he needed to know all about. The second to arrive has been with us for 10 or 12 years now and is as sweet and lovable as can be. She is by far the most spoiled of all those we've taken in, and even all five of the others, well maybe just four, love her dearly as well. The third one came from another family. He was a very active youngster and his favorite toy is the seal from gallon milk jugs. He has played with one of those for hours. Over the years, he has developed a weight problem, but that really just makes him that much more loveable. He has a very laid back personality; nothing much disturbs him. Time schedules on work days are very important, and he really doesn't understand why weekends should be different. His theory is that everyone should get up at exactly the same time, no matter what day of the week it is. He used to love company, but after our family made a trip to Texas one Christmas and he stayed home, he has developed a fear of anyone he isn't totally familiar with coming to visit. This trip to Texas evidently upset him a great deal, and the reason, I think, is that when we got home from Texas around 4 a.m. that particular morning, he perched himself on top of a chest of drawers and proceeded to tell us what all had happened around the place while we were gone. He went on and on, nonstop, with this conversation for at least a couple of hours. It was obvious that part of what he was saying was that he would not tolerate our taking another trip out of town under any circumstances, and if we had another planned, we could just forget it! The fourth one that came into our lives was found in a trash can. He was very small and undernourished when he was found crying at the top of his voice from the bottom of this trash can. We really didn't think we could take on one more, having adopted two others already, but in the long run, we just couldn't turn him away. He is quite independent and wants absolutely nothing to do with any of the other adoptees. His voice is very faint, and we believe he must have strained his vocal cords before being rescued from the trash can. He has a very distinct way of letting the family members know, especially one member in particular, that he needs attention he's a face patter, and he knows that will do the trick most every time. Sometimes he resorts to shaking the shower door in one bathroom if all else fails. He also has a special way of "knocking" on the front door after being outside, and when he does this special trick, everyone in the family knows without a doubt who is at the door. The fifth one was found abandoned at the Midway side
of Dale Hollow Lake. He was hiding in a little hole in the bank alongside
the lake, and wouldn't come out until he was told, "Okay, if you don't
come out this time, I'm gonna leave you here." With that being said,
he reluctantly made an The sixth adoptee (and I hesitate to say final)
appeared in a nearby parking lot and came running when he saw a family
member in the garden of our home. This particular family member just
declared that under no circumstances was another one going to be taken in,
but guess what? Not only was he taken in, but should he be out when
bedtime comes around, the very person who said he was not going to have
one thing to do with this one waits up for him, and wouldn't think about
going to bed before he's sure this one is in. This addition to our adopted
family has a personality that knows no fear. He must have something to do,
even if it means getting into big trouble with the housekeeper, he goes
right ahead, jumps right in, and worries about the And now by way of explanation, should one be needed,
those that I refer to above are all cats, with the exception of the second
one, and she's our beloved dog, Gypsy. Bitsy, Mooie, Taz, Rascal, and
Socks, along with Gypsy, make up our adopted family. They are all unique
and individual, and make life interesting for us to say the least.
Probably only those who are animal lovers will relate to my story, and if
you aren't among that number, you don't know what you're missing. Pets are
very good company, love you unconditionally, don't mind at all if you're |