The Lives and Lessons of Myrhh
This cutest little buddy in the picture here is my kitty. My hubby and two sons totally surprised me and got him as a gift for me for Christmas a few years ago.
We decided to name him something related to the season. And, since he was given to me by three wise guys, seemed like one of the gifts of the wise men would be a cute idea. Frank didn't really fit him, and neither did Goldie. I liked Myrrh because it rhymed with purr and he has an M on his forehead. My oldest son thought Myrrh was a great name because it was also the name of a guy on his favorite TV show Impractical Jokers (Murr, short for James Murray). Little did we know at the time that this little furry guy would make us laugh even harder than that show.
Well, it's been said that a cat has nine lives. I don't really believe that stuff, but if it were true, then Myrrh would be on the countdown...even on the first night we had him. When we brought him home, he was checking out his new digs and exploring the upstairs. We thought he was good to roam on his own, getting to know the place, and so we left Myrrh and went downstairs.
[caption id="attachment_3246" align="alignright" width="150"]Helloooo down there![/caption]
Well, our upstairs has a little balcony with a wooden railing. Never thought he'd go on the other side of the railing. Suddenly, when I was talking in the family room with my son on the couch, I saw an orange blur drop behind him! And a millisecond later... THUD. Life #1. Myrrh had fallen while trying to walk on the wooden edge of the railing upstairs. He walked away, fortunately, all A-OK.
Poor guy. Lesson #1: Explore vicariously. But, watch it...first step is a doozy!
Life #2 was a little more...what's the word?...dramatic. I was doing laundry and put some clothes in our top loading washing machine. Myrrh likes to be in any room that we are in, so he was hanging out with me sitting on top of the dryer, watching me put clothes and the soap in. I left to check my son's room for any other clothes to throw in. When I got back to the laundry room, Myrrh was gone.
I figured he was looking around for me. I threw in the rest of the clothes I found in my son's room, shut the lid, pressed start, left the room and shut the door. And I went downstairs to the kitchen.
It was during the week, but that day, my husband had taken the day off. He and our oldest son were heading out on a father-son trip. My hubby just happened to be packing upstairs near the laundry room when he heard a "THUD, THUD, THUD". He went to check it out, thinking that the washer was out of balance. He looked through the clear glass lid of the machine and saw...Myrrh!!... with wide, frantic eyes looking back at him, pawing at the glass, spinning around from inside the washer!
"Honey?!? The cat is in the washer!!!"
What???! Oh crap. I ran upstairs.
[caption id="attachment_3252" align="alignright" width="150"]No cats were harmed in the making of this photo[/caption]
DANG!! My hubby had stopped the washer, opened the lid and plucked out one half wet kitty. Fortunately, he had only been in there a few minutes! Myrrh jumped out of his arms and skedaddled quickly downstairs, hiding under the couch.
OMG I almost killed MY CAT!
Thankfully, he was only half wet. Poor Myrrh was really shaking. I tried to grab him to comfort him, but he slipped out of my hands, tail last. All I was left with was a handful of suds! Well, he smelled good. All I could think of was the song You Spin Me Round from the 80s by the group...wait for it...Dead or Alive.
My hubby made us a note that said "Where's Myrrh?" and put it on the washer lid as a reminder.
Poor guy. Lesson #2: Small spaces can start out cozy. But, stay out of washing machines.
Exercising can be fun and provide lots of benefits...if you know what you are doing. But, truth be known, it can be hazardous if you are new to the game and do too much at once.
Such was the case with Myrrh and Life #3...
[caption id="attachment_3258" align="alignleft" width="150"]Let's get this party started[/caption]
We own a treadmill. For some, the treadmill becomes a clothes hanger because they buy one with good intentions, but then end up not using it. Not if you're Myrrh. He loves our treadmill. And, he tries to use it frequently. One day, he actually got it started...on the fastest belt setting.
Yep, true story. Saw the whole thing while I was lifting some weights. As he was climbing on it, he hit the start button and away it went. Fascinated by a little strip on the belt, he jumped on it. Well, being on the fastest belt setting didn't help. He just went flying off and hit the wall...THUD. There went Life #3.
Poor guy. Lesson #3: Start working out on the lowest setting possible and work your way up.
Yes, there are more lives and lessons of Myrrh, but those are for another time. I thought we would just start with the first three.
To Be Continued...
