Broc Rocks Broccoli Blog

Broc Rocks Broccoli Blog Sounds like a movie... stories, history, photos from USA & Denmark, from a Viking Danish-American

🥦 I wasn't a "Cat Person"... Part 2The cat that was coming had been quarantined for a bit, because he had been exposed t...
03/28/2023

🥦 I wasn't a "Cat Person"... Part 2

The cat that was coming had been quarantined for a bit, because he had been exposed to Feline Leukemia and had to be tested. My contacts in New Mexico helped making it happen. From the time the cat went to friends' to the time he arrived in Colorado, I really don't remember much, lol.

My son did all kinds of planning without much help from me. I didn't even know he took my car, being 14, and drove it to a Safeway nearby. I still can't, I can't... LOL 🤣

Suddenly there was a cat in my house. A cat I had tried to resist coming, but my older son wore his mother down, lol.

He chose the name Cooper after a favorite movie of his. I think it was Marvel related.

He would carry Cooper all over the house, sort of over one shoulder, and at on point asked me if I wanted him on the bed with me, to which I said 'no'. I had just had my first back surgery, and the last thing I wanted was this cat, that my son was already bonding with and treated like he was a baby. I thought to myself "too late now! - He's here..."

My oldest son then said we could "toilet train" Cooper, so he'd go to the bathroom by "going" directly on the toilet. I thought he was joking, until I found a toilet training kit online and ordered it!

Cooper quickly made himself at home. He learned to go on toilet, which when you tell people that, they don't believe you, lol.

Everyone wanted a cat like Cooper. He was so mellow. I'd laugh and say they couldn't have him, but maybe one of his brothers.

I was able to rescue a second brother for my friend, Bonnie, and I was out on a farm in middle of nowhere outside Denver, where the transport had dropped him off with all the accompanying dogs. That Rescue wasn't even set up for cats at all. Late at night, it was like being on the moon, pitch black.

I hadn't even held Cooper's brother for a minute before he scratched me and drew blood, something I wasn't used to, lol.
He was very scared, being in a place where there probably were 100 dogs.

When Bonnie came back from Texas, she came by and picked up Cooper's brother. Her boys named him Bob. It was cute and funny at the same time. 😂
Bob was taken to vet within days and began living the good life in a big house, never wanting or needing for anything ever again.

You could bathe Cooper, but Bob was all claws and crazy and was NOT having it, lol.

Slowly, but surely, Cooper made me fall in love with him, which I didn't think was possible.
I REALLY didn't see that happening, but suddenly he was just our family...

💛💛💛

To be continued -

🥦 I wasn't a "Cat Person"... Part 1With the amount of pictures I post of cats, it's hard to fathom I wasn't always a cat...
03/23/2023

🥦 I wasn't a "Cat Person"... Part 1

With the amount of pictures I post of cats, it's hard to fathom I wasn't always a cat lover ever, or at all, and actually didn't even pet anyone's cat(s).

Many years ago, I broke out in rash all over my body. Long story short, I had a biopsy done, and was told I was probably allergic to cats. From then on, I kept my distance.

Fast forward many years later, and I'm visiting a friend in neighboring state. I have no idea how the subject came up, exactly, other than I would be spending the night on her sofa-bed in the living room and she had a cat.
When I told her I was allergic, she said she was, too, but only to short-haired cats.
I must have had a puzzled look on my face, but then she said, that long-haired cats trap more of the dander, which is usually what people are allergic to.
Huh! I thought. Isn't that something?
Made sense to me. I slept great that evening, and had no rash or other signs of allergies the next morning.

About a year later, I have my boys with me and I'm about to have spine surgery. On Saturday mornings I took my oldest to therapy and as those things go, I had no idea of what they discussed in sessions, and I never asked.

November was sneaking up on me and my surgery and my son begged for a therapy cat, an emotional support animal. His counselor was very supportive in this, so it felt a little like a 2-1 situation.

I was like "noooooooo.... noooo-ho-ho [pretend wailing], eeeeerrr, I don't want toooooooooo... [making faces]... gaaaah!

I was thinking of the many times I had smelled cat urine in someone's house or even on their clothes! And I just couldn't see how I'd be able to tolerate this in any way, because I wasn't going near their litter box!

My son can be so darn persistent. I had rescued two dogs, one year apart, from South-East New Mexico, where there are only kill shelters. My dog, Charley was with me, while second dog was getting spoiled in Puyallup, Washington.

I'm in some local NM pet connection group or something and before I know it, there are photos of three cat brothers, not kittens, in my Messenger inbox. Along with other photos.

The photos below are the very ones that were sent to me, on October 31, 2015, at 01:40 in the morning!

I'm still resisting pretty hard, at this point, and say I can't have a short-haired cat.

One of the local "cat ladies" in that area had over 20 cats, knowing that if any of them went to shelter and wasn't adopted within a week, they would be put to sleep.

My son looks at the cats in the cardboard box and says which one he wants. He was so excited and happy.

At that point I don't remember much about how the cat got put on a transport or how arrangements were made. I had just had spinal surgery and was bedridden.

Suddenly the rescued cat was in my house, with my son carrying him everywhere as if he were a baby. There is now a CAT in my house.

I later found out, that my 14 year old son had taken my car, driven it few blocks away to Safeway to meet transport in the parking lot, so he could get his cat. Not only that, while he was waiting for light to turn, a police officer looked over at him from next lane and my son just nodded!

I have no words.. 😂

To be continued -

Found something so incredibly important to me, but thought I'd never see this Jade pendant ever again. So when I saw it,...
03/06/2023

Found something so incredibly important to me, but thought I'd never see this Jade pendant ever again. So when I saw it, it was like I couldn't believe it.

It was summer in San Francisco, 1992 and my mother had come all the way from Denmark to California for a visit. (That has its own stories, trust me, lol.)

I was a nanny to two, cute half Asian/half Roma Gypsy toddlers, named Gregory and Geoffrey. Both of them had thick black hair. They loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a little more when I made mini pizzas for them. I knitted sweaters for them both.

During the week they went everywhere with me, to parks, San Francisco Zoo, Golden Gate Park, playgrounds, Stonestown Galleria Mall.
We rode busses, with the bulky folded up stroller and diaper bag. We were the stereotype of nanny with two children and full gear, with plain Cheerios in sandwich bag, mowing up into busses. So glad we didn't have social media then, lol.
But, I'd do it all over again It was a good time and I was with the family for as long as possible.

I was still watching boys during the week, while my mom was visiting, and we still managed to show her many things.

My mother was so funny...
I was used to the house on Balboa Street, that also happened to be a bus route. My mother paid attention to EVERYTHING.
The funniest thing was, while I was with the boys in the house, that were playing with their toys, my mother said, about the plush light blue carpet, "I think I will be SEASICK! How can you walk on this carpet??" 😂

I laughed and brushed it off. "Oh, Oh!" She exclaimed. "Must be American carpets, makes you feel like you're tipsy and wobbling, about to fall over!" 😂

My Mom, I swear .. 😂

One day we were in Chinatown in San Francisco. I think my mom's senses exploded with stimuli. She wanted to see EVERYTHING.

We didn't go to Chinatown specifically to buy a Jade pendant, but we somehow ended up inside a store. They came in all price ranges.

There was a sweet Chinese lady that explained that Jade pendant is believed to protect the bearer and bring good health and good fortune.
I mother decided right then and there that she was buying one for me.

The Chinese lady said to pick one with more green in it. After she rung it up, she blessed it in Chinese, she bowed her head and said it was custom.

I haven't seen this pendant in over a decade, and I had begun to think I had misplaced it, I'd lost it. It was 30 years ago. It was in the wind and I'd never find it.

Then somehow I found it and it took me back to the day when my mother bought it for me to bring good health and long life.
It was a very special moment, etched into my mind. I didn't ask for one, but she decided I should own one. There was a look of warmth and motherly love on her face.

I don't know what to say other than it feels like my mother is saying "hello" from Heaven.

I thought I had the strictest mom, but I didn't. She lived by a set of morals, honor and trust. I wasn't even 10 when sh...
03/04/2023

I thought I had the strictest mom, but I didn't. She lived by a set of morals, honor and trust. I wasn't even 10 when she first told me about No Regrets. I can hear her saying these words, clear as day, as if she were next to me right now.

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