His Royal Majesty and The Eclectic Slide

CrafterKat e-mailed me a Friendship Thingy—a basic questionnaire you fill out and forward to your friends asking them to answer likewise. Questions like the name of the last movie you saw (Brokeback Mountain), favorite TV shows (Navy NCIS, Stargate, Extreme Home Makeover), and favorite foods (pumpkin pancakes). One question got me thinking, though: What one thing made you smile today?

I answered and sent my response back to CrafterKat as well as to some of our other friends. But there was actually more than one answer to this question.

Last weekend when Critter picked up His Royal Majesty King James, she discovered a quarter size hard lump on his belly. The vet had just sent a notice that he was due for his four-hour check-up. I called the office on Sunday but they had no more openings for the day. After his ritual weighing (14.5 pounds!), the doctor tugged on King James to get him out of the carrier. “He’s gotten quite heavy!”

I nodded. “Thank you, Steroids.” King James had given us a shock last year when his immune system shut down. We forced steroids into him every day for close to four months to jump start his year-old immune system.

The doctor took a look at the mass. “It’s close to his mammary gland. We could excise it quickly and have it removed. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

The rest of the day I worried until I was able to pick him up that afternoon. King James looked at me with glazed eyes and mewed, wanting to go home. Turns out it was just a lump of hard fat tissue. Critter told me this evening that even though they removed the mass it still didn’t seem to affect his weight.

So, smiles for King James who has been attacking pillow tassels, watching the water go down the kitchen sink, and attempting to overthrow the reigning Queen by sleeping on our bed.

Last night, however, provided another smile. Critter has been preparing for a dance this week, a Cowboy themed event at her school. Just before bed, dressed in her gym t-shirt and neon Mickey Mouse pajama shorts she demonstrated the dance they were to perform.

She stepped around the Christmas decorations we are still putting away and began. “Heel, heel, toe, toe,” She placed one foot forward twice and then back to her side. “Leather,” she tapped her imaginary cowboy boot, “turn, step.” She lost her balance and began again. “Heel, heel, toe, toe, Leather, step, turn” wobble, wobble, “and then the Eclectic Slide.”

“The what?” I asked.

“The Electric Slide. But I can’t do it very well.” She stepped to her left, crossed over her front foot, clapped and repeated.

I grinned and continued to watch the dance. I guess I misheard her…