Here's Pete...

...the often overlooked cat
and also some assorted random thoughts for today.
I often feature posts about my dog here, but very infrequently do I mention my laid-back black and white fluffball of a cat, Pete.
Officially, its Peter-Sam, as my daughter was into Thomas The Tank when she was four and picked this kitten out of a newly born litter on a friend's farm back then(Peter Sam was her favorite engine, besides Thomas at that time). Because he and his brothers and sisters were handled by groping kid's hands from a very early age(three days old, I think), I think that is why he is the way he is to this day. Very friendly, he'll happily greet any guest in our house, friend or complete stranger, by going right up to them and jumping on their lap and purring. He has won over more than a few self-proclaimed feline-haters by his sweet nature. Pete's a little guy, too--not even ten pounds, so a very small male cat with a kitten-like face(even though he is close to 12 years old!).
I always say my vet should charge me less because he is so easy to deal with when I bring him in for a check-up. I have heard other cats in other rooms there, hissing and making scary cat noises, while Pete simply lies on the table, lets the vet poke and prod and doesn't say a peep or make any trouble. He even purrs when the vet and her assistant pet him. So, yeah, he's a good little cat, even though, as I said, he is often overlooked. Jewel, being a dog and more involved with us on a daily basis and needing and wanting more attention gets more of our attention. But every night, when we sit down on the couch to watch some TV, Pete is right there, looking for a lap or a spot on the couch next to us. Sometimes, he becomes so happy being on a lap and getting a little love, that he starts to drool! Awww....
*I also forgot to mention that Pete loves olives! He can smell them, even if they are on a pizza slice and will sit close to you, hoping for a nibble of black olive. Kalamata olives are his favorite(and mine, too).

As for my other random thoughts....

Since I decided to write a little about my overlooked favorite cat, I thought I should write about one of my overlooked favorite foods--coleslaw. Yes, coleslaw--that simple side dish made out of shredded raw cabbage(sometimes carrot added), vinegar, milk, mayo, sugar and pepper. I just love a good, freshly made coleslaw alongside my fish and chips dinner. If I make it at home, I am pretty much the only one who eagerly eats it and I'll eat bowls of it. It is strange, because I am a little squeamish about foods with vinegar and mayonnaise, usually, but coleslaw is the perfect combination of flavors and I feel bad because when I list favorite foods, I never seem to think of listing coleslaw. This only occurred to me a a few weeks ago, the last time I had fish and chips.

Did anyone see the photos of Michelle Obama at the state dinner from the other night(hosting China's leader)? The picture of her with the president on the Yahoo page this morning made me really take notice. She looked smashing in that off-the-shoulder red and back print dress. It really suited her and showed off those toned arms, of course. Her swept-up 'do was perfect for her face, as well.

More news that made me take notice this week was the news of Sargent Shriver's death yesterday. I always knew he was John F. Kennedy's brother-in-law, but never knew too much about him, so learned a few things this week(his involvement with founding the Peace Corps, for instance). But the thing that surprised me the most was that I just yesterday learned that his first name was actually Sargent! I just assumed that he was always being called a military "Sergeant" whenever I heard him being called that. Duh!