Category Archives: fun

The picnic table saga ends!

September 5, 2020Family, fun, Odds and endssusanmanzke

My August 17th blog began: On August 2, I ordered a folding picnic table (Store name withheld at this point). It was to be delivered on the 8th, and then the 12, and then 13th….. Finally, it was to come today, the 17th, between 10 and 12.

A huge box arrived that day, but it wasn’t my picnic table. It was a heavy table top.

I struggled to get that tabletop back in the box. The store arranged to have it picked up on August 24th.

Again I was told my ordered picnic table was on the way, to arrive on Thursday, August 27th, which it didn’t. Instead, my children gifted me a picnic table for my birthday on the 29th.

On Tuesday, September 1, my ordered folding picnic table arrived!

No assembly was required, only unfolding.

It is smaller than the gifted picnic table in the photo background, as I expected. When I am mowing lawn I’ll be able to easily move it–the gift table is easy to move, too, unlike both old wood tables we’ve been using for many, many years.

I can now relax and thank Lowes for fixing the situation with the wrong table and getting the correct picnic table to me before the snow flies. I will be using it all fall and then easily fold it away for winter.

Birthday Flowers

September 2, 2020cats, fun, petssusanmanzke

Three bouquets came my way for my birthday. They are all so great.

I had them all outside during my birthday picnic, decorating the table, but eventually they had to come inside.

I wish I could place my beautiful flowers on my table, but I can’t. Car-E, Othello, and Cruella have other ideas of what to do with flowers.

They pull them out and shred them.

Today my flowers are safe in the kitchen, on a pulled out cutting board, where cats don’t venture.

They are still lovely, but it’s at times like this that I wish I was minus a few cats.

Too tired to play

August 19, 2020Car-E, cats, funsusanmanzke

Car-E was more than ready to jump into my grocery bags to help me unpack this morning.

He worked so hard Car-E wore himself out.

First he went into a paper bag and then he attacked a plastic bag. Finally, he gave up helping and attempted to play with a cat toy.

But he was too tired to stand up.

Poor Car-E.

I should add that soon he was leaping about the kitchen again. He only needed a little breather.

Car-E’s new toy

August 15, 2020Car-E, cats, funsusanmanzke

My kitten will play with anything and I do mean anything.

There are a few purchased cat toys around but Car-E looses interest in them quickly. This new toy he found had him very active for at least 30 minutes.

He was playing with a potato. I had washed my harvested small spuds and I was sure he had one of them.

He scooted after it all over the kitchen, down the basement stairs, and into the laundry room.

I was afraid he’d leave it forgotten in a corner or under a piece of furniture. Just what I needed a lost potato, rotting away and stinking up the place.

Even after I picked it up, I was sure it was a potato, and then I looked closer.

His toy is an avocado pit! Found by him on the counter where I placed it before trying to sprout it.

Car-E had a lot of fun chasing this pit. I never saw him so excited about the toy.

I’ll let him play as long as he likes with this pit. At least if it gets lost, it won’t be rotting away like a potato.

And since I eat avocados, other pit-toys will follow.

Grocery Bag Contents

July 17, 2020Car-E, cats, funsusanmanzke

I don’t do a lot of shopping, even when there isn’t a pandemic. When I go, I have a list, so I don’t forget anything.

This day, as I emptied a bag, I found something I didn’t expect.

Car-E had a lot of fun both inside and outside that bag.

Sharing Car-E with you is my pleasure. He’s such a fun furry friend.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person