Wednesday 15 January 2014

next time, I'll go myself

It rained yesterday.  It rained and it rained and it rained.  It wasn't as heavy as they said it would be.  They said we should be prepared for a heavy rainfall warnin' but it really wasn't all that heavy. It just went on for a long time.  A really long time.  Pretty much all day.

It wasn't that long ago when the weather was too cold for rain.  Not that long ago, it was freezin'...  literally.  Plus, there was snow.  Not much of the snow about now.  The rain seems to have washed it all away.

It's kind of weird 'cause you'd think that after the rain did all that washin', everything would be all nice and clean but truth be told, it's a mess out there.  Yup, a right ol' mess.  There's muddy stuff here and grungy stuff there.  Even the snow is dirty!  Well, what's left of it, that is.  Has bits of gravel and sand and whatnot stuck in it.  Icky.

Anywho...  even though it was wet and pretty nasty outside yesterday, Ol' Peepers had to venture out into the elements.  One of the stops she made was the grocery store.  I knew she was goin' there.  I told her she needed to go.  Our supply of food was runnin' low.  We needed some tins of our favourites, not to mention some snacks.  Well..  actually...  we didn't need snacks.  Santa brought tonnes of treats at Christmas and we still have lots of them left but we absolutely, really and truly, needed some food.  Food was needed, for sure.

When Peep #1 came home, she was a little on the grumpy side.  I think she stepped in a puddle or somethin'.  Her boots kind of looked like they had been through a puddle or two.  Or three...

Ol' Peepers walked into the kitchen and dropped a couple of bags onto the floor.  Then she headed back outside to get some more.  After three or four trips, she took off her coat and boots and clearly had no intention of goin' back outside.

I sniffed around the bags and peered into a few.  "Hey Peepers!" I cried.  "Where's the rest?"  I had to ask 'cause...  you see...  there were only two bags containing my favourite kind of cat food.  And those two bags weren't all that big, either.

Now you might think that two bags of cat food tins is a lot but when there are ten cats livin' in one house, it really isn't.  We go through several tins a day!  Two bags doesn't last long at all.  In fact, havin' only two bags of tins brought in is quite a disconcerting thought.  We could starve or somethin'!  And it's not like we can eat the peeps' food to tide us over or anythin'.  Those peeps of mine are a couple of veggies.  What they eat isn't fit for a cat, at all.

The peep had a bunch of excuses for her slackness but basically what happened is this...

We have just two proper grocery stores around here.  I've never been to either but I've heard all about 'em.

So the peep went to the grocery store that is closest and was quite happy to see that they had lots of tins of our favourite, Turkey and Giblets.  Quite often, they don't have any of this kind at the store 'cause I guess it's everyone's favourite and the store seems to have a difficult time rememberin' to re-order.  Either that or they don't know how to keep track of what they've sold.

Anywho...  the peep was all happy about there bein' a full shelf of Turkey and Giblets, knowin' that that was what we would be wantin'.  She reached down...   way down...  way down to the bottom shelf and brought out a couple.  She did that again and again once more.  Then she tried to reach some tins one last time but do you know what?  She couldn't reach 'em.  They were way, way back on the very bottom shelf.

Now truth be told, the peep has encountered this dilemma before.  Actually, she has encountered it many, many times.  At this point, Ol' Peepers usually gets down on her hands and knees and crawls around on the grocery store floor until she has everyone's attention with her lunacy and she can get herself into a position where she can reach the tins way at the back of that bottom shelf.  Okay, so I'm exaggeratin' a little.  But just a little.  She does get down on her hands and knees.  She just doesn't go crawlin' around all over the place once down there.

Once, when she was sittin' down on the grocery store floor, another lady was in the pet food isle. This was a lady whom my peep had never met before.  This stranger lady was absolutely shocked that any customer would have to get down on their hands and knees in order to buy somethin' at that store.  Apparently, other customers who don't even know my peep are more concerned about my peep's knees than the peeps runnin' the store.  Could you believe it?  But I digress...

Back to the lack of food.  The peep's explanation wasn't really explainin' why there were only two bags of Turkey and Giblets sittin' on my kitchen floor.  I mean, it's not like this crawlin' around on the grocery store floor experience is anything new.  It happens all the time.  It happens at least once a week.  Usually twice.  The peep knows what to do.  She knows that in order to get a good supply in of the Turkey and Giblets, she has to get down on the floor of the grocery store and reach way back to the back of that bottom shelf.  She has to reach all the way to the back.  Way, way back.  This is simply what must be done.  Why yesterday was any different from any other day had me baffled.

That's when the peep explained how because of all the rain and whatnot, the floors of the grocery store weren't as clean as they needed to be for her to crawl around on 'em. Apparently, even she has limits.  She'll crawl around on grocery store floors when they're clean but not when they're wet from the rain.  The fact that the wetness on the floor in front of the Turkey and Giblets was caused by the peep's very own boots seemed to have eluded her.  Any puddles by the Turkey and Giblets were of her own doin'!  I told her this and she simply ignored me.  Could you believe it?

If a peep won't crawl around on the grocery store floor so that her favourite kitty has his favourite food to eat, what good is that peep?  Why keep the peep in the first place?

Next time, I'm gonna go to that grocery store myself, I think.  I'm already down at the level of that bottom shelf so I won't have to get down on my knees.  Just bein' on my paws will work for me.  And as luck would have it, I'm on my paws all the time.  I mean...  I walk around on my paws on a daily basis 'cause you know...  I'm a cat.

So if you happen to be at a grocery store in the neighbourhood and see a handsome sterling silver - some say platinum - tabby cat walkin' around the pet food isle, haulin' out the tins of Turkey and Giblets for his peep to put into the cart, it's probably me.

Yeah...  next time, I'll go myself.  I think that would be best.  Fewer complaints from the peep that way.  And you know what they say.  They say, if you want somethin' done right, you've gotta do it yourself.  I'm gonna take that sayin' to heart.

Just hope I don't starve or somethin' between now and then. Hope I can hold out 'til the next grocery store trip and don't wither away into nothingness or somethin' like that.  It could happen.  I had better be careful.  Either that or I'll have to develop a fondness for veggies burgers.  Well, that's not gonna happen.  MOUSES!

29 comments:

  1. Haha! Great post, 10 cats! That's awesome!! There's no way 2 bags of food is enough then!! But I don't blame the human one bit for not wanting to crawl on a muddy floor!!!
    ((Husky hugz))
    "Love is being owned by a husky"

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  2. I hope u get some tasty treats soon! :)

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  3. Hmmm I think you could cut the peep some slack Nissy as I am sure she will go shopping for some more food soon enough,xx Speedy

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  4. We can just picture that, your mom grappling for your tins of food way, waaaaay back on the shelf while others look down with those, you know, THOSE looks on their faces. We'll be hanging onto the side of our boxes wondering and worrying if you ever got a fresh supply! Purrs...

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  5. Well pal, I think your old peeps rates 5 gold stars for her efforts. There is no way M would get down on her hands and knees in a story. First of all, she couldn't get back up again without creating a scene, and because she's too lazy to put that much effort into the situation.

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  6. An interesting peep problem. Our Dad peep has one knee, well not really just that one straps on and is metal, but complains about something a bit different. As there are only 7 of us he buys by the case. He says when they take the plastic off the cases and you buy 7 or so the cans need chasing as they try to escape that little box they sit in. It may be a different face of the same issue that the cans, to not be eaten, go to the back of the shelf, or, remove the wrapping. Hmmm...

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  7. She could have always asked for some newspapers to lay on the muddy floor and continue her crawling around. ;)

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  8. Nerissa, I am sure that your human will never let you starve !
    It seems that we have one commun "problem". My human, Nat à Chat ... is vegetarian ! Beurk !
    Lots of ronrons.
    Hisia the french cat

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  9. dood....17 things....thanx yur peeps for knot bring home de BURD flavored food, with all de rain, this bee a primo time ta catch pails oh werms for fishin, N ewe iz total lee rite, two bags oh food iz KNOT gonna feed de kittehz...yur mom kneads ta get bak in de car, pronto... N go buy 24 mor...just not burd flavor !!

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  10. Hmmmmm! This is a knotty problem! Enough to give you the bird ... or not!! The ol' peepers should be a bit more motivated in the ol' crawlin' department!!

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  11. I know what you mean pal. With 7 of us our Dad is always going our fetching food for us. Two bags wouldn't do us very long either!

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  12. We hope they fill your dish soon! Lee and Phod

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  13. Nerissa, when you want something done right, you have to do it yourself - humans just don't cut it!

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  14. We think your peep should ask the grocery store people to move that food to a higher shelf! Most of us eat Ocean Whitefish so that's the only food our peep buys, and sometimes there isn't much of that available. Grocery store people just don't understand the needs of cats. Hope the peeps can get more food for all of you soon. Purrs and hugs, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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  15. Nerissa!
    Our hardware store has a cat that lives in it!! He catches the mices and gets lots of pets and treats from the peoples that comes in. Same with the Bookstore and the Accountant...Purrhaps yous could become a grocery store cat? Then yous would always gets the Turkey!
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  16. She wouldn't crawl on the floor?? Sheesh...it's the least she coulda done.

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  17. It is so hard to find good help these days! I have problems like your peep has, but on the opposite end. You see, for being a human, I am quite vertically challenged. My husband (who is tall) makes fun of me for this all the time. There are benefits to my petite stature though; I almost never bump my head on anything and those lowest shelves are plenty easy for me to get to. However, stores really seem to like to put the items I like on the highest shelf possible. I have had to climb shelving units at the store like King Kong from time to time when I couldn't get the help I needed. Another nice thing about being small - other humans tend to think I'm cute and so they are very willing to help me. There is an easy option to all of this - order online and let the mailman bring it to you. :P

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    1. I'm afraid *sighs* that Ol' Peepers has those problems too. Why, just the other day, she came home without any frozen broccoli. Why? Because it was on the top shelf and there wasn't much left and she couldn't reach way at the back. From what I understand, the grocery store peeps don't mind my peep crawlin' around on their floor but they frown upon her climbin' the shelves. MOUSES!

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  18. I hope your food lasts out and you don't starve! My mum would have got one of the workers in the grocery store to get the hard to reach tins out. If they want to sell things they should have it where everyone can get it without having to crawl round on the floor.

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  19. It sounds like the humans at your Peeps store are very rude to not keep the floor clean or help your Peep. You need to go along next time and give them a loud earful!!! Hope the weather gets better and your food lady can get out soon and stock up!
    Whisker Kisses
    Marty

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  20. WE have had much more rain for the last 7 or 8 months then normally!!!!

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  21. Your peeps iz lucky dey can get down on der knees to get your food. My peeps has to scale the side of the shelving like a firefighter on a ladder to get to the best food. She is quite vertically challenged and always needs assistance from the grocery peeps who are never around to help. So she just climbs up on the shelves to recover the tins at the far back of the shelf. MOUSES as you would say. What they do to keep us fed. Pretty cool actually. Tell ur peep to bring knee pads wif her, that will help. Hope things dry out for you. Cats n rain don't mix very well. ~Willy

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  22. How you do suffer, I should send you a food parcel! Do you eat dry food?

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  23. Well! First of all I think it's inexcusable that your fave food is stored on the very bottom shelf of ANY grocery store - it should be right where it's easy to grab so your Peep doesn't have to crawl around to get it. Silly....purrrhaps you should make a call to the purrrson in charge there! Then there's the issue of non-stop rain. I feel your pain Nissy. We went through a period when I thought it would just NEVER stop. What's with the weather anyway? If I knew who to call and complain to I would!

    Hugs, Sammy

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  24. Hey Nerissa, that was a very good article. Why just a month ago I found myself sitting the floor of Sobey's as the cat food I get for the lot here is on the bottom shelf. Now, I order my food ahead of time but apparently they ran out at the warehouse so didn't send my full order but,,,,, there was some on the shelf, the bottom shelf and you guessed it, all the way at the back. So there I sat on the grocery store floor reaching in the shelf, as it happens I did have to get on my knees to get the ones at the very back. People pushing carts around me, looking at me like I was some sort of crazy lady or whatever. I did manage to get enough cans off that shelf though to complete my order of 15 cases of cat food. I was lucky though, the floor was dry that day.
    Love your stories, keep them coming. Thanks from Sue and the kitties at The ARC.

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    1. Ooh, ooh, ooh... Next time you go there, you should call my peep, first. She could bring tea and cookies and you could have a party! Yup, you could have a little tea party right there on the grocery store floor. purrs

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  25. Now, Nissy, I had a similar experience today because my Peep (I dont have to # her cause I only have the one) went to PetSamrt to stock up on my favorites. She came home with plenty of famine-resistant bags all right, BUT she only brought TWO flavors. See, I really only will eat this one kind of food and it's evidently not very popular so there's only a very small section devoted to it, and today they didn't have the other two flavors that I like. Sigh. So I will apparently have to make do with the tuna and chicken for the foreseeable future. She also bought single cans of the expensive, healthy brands which I usually always refuse to eat. to her horror, I pretty much refuse everything but Whiska's and a few Fancy Feast flavors--sometimes. She's afraid I'll starve if they stop making the Whiskas. Probably I wouldn't STARVE myself, but let's just say it would NOT be pretty.

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  26. Crossing our paws that you don't starve between now an the next trip. Can you give us a report back on how that went, taking matters into your own paws and all? We may need to take action down here as well.

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I love hearin' from my pals. I really, REALLY do. PURRS.