What made you happy today?

[Jenny]

Hi everyone, 

It’s easy to get lost in the doom and gloom, from reading news, personal worries, the Summer sun slowly leaving us … that’s why I thought it’d be great to combat this by focusing, together, on the little and unexpected sources of joy we come across. 

Something unexpected like your nephew or grandchild’s giggle, an out of the blue phone call from an old friend, a smile from a stranger, or a happy guest leaving you a compliments-filled review; these things can lift our mood and make us happy. Happiness is a beautiful feeling we are all in search of but it may be closer to us than we sometimes see. 

What made you happy today? Let’s share our little moments of joy, and inspire each other to see the positives in our days!

Jenny

[Huma0]

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@Clara116 wrote:

How lovely the cats allow you to live there. Haha 😂 

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@Clara116 

Yep, you hit the nail on the head!

[Clara116]

@Huma0  for certain those pets, both cats and dogs add such richness to our lives. I can't imagine life without them. I know you agree❤️

[Huma0]

@Clara116 

I definitely agree. They make me laugh every single day and that is not an exaggeration. They also cheer me up when I am feeling down. There is a theory that cat purrs have a frequency that is therapeutic for humans. Not sure if that is true or not, but sometimes it certainly feels that way.

[Jenny]

I'm just catching up on these posts, @Huma0  and @Clara116, and they make me smile.  It makes me happy to know there are so many good, kind people in the world that look after animals in need.

I've not had many in-depth experiences getting to know a stray, but I've had lots of transient cats who have passed through and visited for a few days, and I've always tried to provide food and a safe place to shelter.   

[Huma0]

@Jenny 

Grigio is a soppy cat, but he's very territorial and will absolutely not tolerate another cat coming in the back garden and will be on guard duty until the trespasser gives up. Pinot is less so, but she did go berserk when another female cat (not a stray) who looked just like her tried to move in!

It was different with Merlot though. I think Pinot and Grigio knew that he was injured and in pain and therefore were not threatened by him. This changed once he came back from the vet and recovered from his injuries. Then they were very wary and quite scared of him. He was a little monster in the beginning. Now they are all settled and probably don't even remember a time without each other.

Still, I don't think they would let other strays come and hang out here. Walter must be quite tolerant, or was this before you got him?

[Jenny]

@Huma0 Walter was very territorial for maybe the first year that I had him, but when he realised he was safe, he stopped bothering.  It became quite normal to come home from work and find another cat sleeping on the bed in the spare room, or near Walter on the sofa.  He was big friends with the cats from upstairs, though they've both sadly gone now, and he had a special friend in a white/tabby who lived nearby but who seemed to get locked out at night.

[Huma0]

@Jenny 

Well, Walter is most definitely a very sociable cat then! I guess because I have three of them, they already have company and reckon they don't need more friends!

At the moment, I have a resident squirrel that is driving me insane (digging up my pots and all sorts) and a fox that seems to want to move in. He/she was literally right outside the backdoor just a few minutes ago and was very reluctant to leave my tiny back garden. The cats don't seem bothered by either, but they go nuts if another cat comes in the garden.

[Jenny]

@Clara116 thank you for your reply - it brought a happy tear to my eye!  Thank you so much for sharing.  Perhaps next time you see Joanie, you can show her this photo of Walter?

[Clara116]

@Jenny thanks Jenny, indeed I will show her the photo of Walter....she'll love him.  Oh he is something special for sure.

[Huma0]

@Jenny SOOOO handsome.

[Jenny]

Thank you @Clara116 and @Huma0 - he's a very special boy!  Though he can be as goofy as he can be dignified! 

[Clara116]

@Jenny  Joanie was so thrilled when I showed her Walters pic....she loved him.

@Huma0 Joanie delighted completely in your stories of merlot and all the happenings at your home. I showed her your listings and she was ooh and awwww and thought it was wonderful...she loves older properties and this was so special to her. Thanks again for sharing and pics. 

What joy it can bring.

Bless you dear, Clara 

[Emilie]

I loved reading all your replies, such wonderful little joys all around ! The pets, creativity, scenery, memories ... thanks everyone for sharing 😊 @Huma0 @Clara116 @John5097 @Jenny @Quincy @Sybe @Laurelle3 @Kitty-and-Creek0 @Gillian166 

A bit late but I was so happy last weekend when my first successful batch of madeleines came out of the oven. I'd tried so many times, failed about as many, and being French had made it my mission to find a way. Perseverance is key, and madeleines are delicious 😄

 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Emilie 

Congratulations on the successful madeleines challenge!

[Gillian166]

Someone else was talking about carbonara recently and I ended up making it for dinner that night. @Emilie  you might have given me the next challenge!