Saturday, March 4, 2017

Way Back When

I guess you could say I'm going a bit out of my comfort zone for today's post. I don't usually post photos of myself online. But, the recent Dr. Seuss Day, also National Read Across America Day, sort of brought back some memories for me. Like this one:


That happens to be young me and my angel boy Sammy. Sammy was my angel Rosie's litter mate, and although he suddenly passed away from an underlying heart condition at the age of 5, he and I spent the entirety of that time being best buddies.

As you can see in that photo up there, Sammy made a fantastic reading buddy. And as you can also see, I not only wore giant glasses as a child, but also an eye patch. Yep, that is me wearing an eye patch. Growing up, I had a vision condition (it's called amblyopia, in case you were looking for an ophthalmology lesson today) that caused my right eye to have difficulty focusing. To remedy that, a patch was put over the good left eye in order to spur the weak right one to work just a little harder at doing the job it was intended to do. So, eye patch it was.

As a kid, I was very self-conscious about wearing an eye patch around town. Sammy didn't mind, Rosie didn't mind, my parents and sister didn't mind, but my child's mind always worried that other humans would stop and stare at the pirate child that I was. Now, as an adult, I look at the photos and think, Eh, it could have been worse. And then I do stuff like this:


I don't know whether my child self or my adult self has a more reasonable reaction to wearing a patch as a child. Well, anyway, argh!

That there drawing is in honor of my angel Sammy. It's also our contribution to Athena's always fun and fantastic Caturday Art blog hop.


Happy Caturday to one and all!



***
Our Tip of the Day:
When it comes to mixing children and animals, don't forget that training might very well be needed on both the part of the two-legged and the four-legged little ones. Discuss or demonstrate to children the proper treatment of animals prior to bringing a new pet home. Likewise, try to ensure at least basic training for dogs and cats prior to introducing them to new children. Train both children and animals in the proper and gentle way to handle each other, such as by teaching children to gently stroke an animal rather than hit or pull fur, and by training dogs not to jump and cats not to nibble or bite, even in play. When proper, gentle behavior is succeeded, don't forget that positive reinforcement for good behavior can work for both human and furry children. On the other hand, if either the child or the animal gets too worked up or acts uncomfortable, remove either one or both of them and let them have a break from each other. For reasons such as this, always monitor first meetings between children and animals, and continue to supervise them for as long as it takes to ensure that they have taken to one another, get along, and understand the proper behaviors around each other. This all being said, while proper teaching and training can indeed work wonders, it is also still important to realize that all humans and animals have different personalities and preferences. Some children may simply have more trouble taking to animals, just as some dogs and cats simply may not be the biggest fans of children. So, before bringing a new pet home or in any way mixing children and animals, please always first take a step back, analyze your household and familial situation, and then make a well-informed decision.

20 comments:

Peaches and Paprika said...

That picture is beyond sweet! And thank you for sharing with us this previous memory.

Marg said...

It is so hard to have hard knocks as a child. But we think you were cute with a patch on your eye. Sammy sure made you a good friend.

Mariodacat said...

I hope other kids didn't tease you while you wore that eye patch -you know kids!!!! Actually you are very cute in it, and your kitty companion doesn't mind a bit.

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

Awww that is so sweet!!!! Thank you for sharing that with us, that had to be so hard catchatwithcarenandcody

pilch92 said...

Awwww....that is such a sweet photo of you and Angel Sammy. You were a very cute kid. I love the drawing too. And that is an excellent tip. I am glad my great niece lives with 2 cats and a dog so she can learn to respect pets and be gentle.

Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty said...

What a lovely picture of younger you with your angel cat!

Love the art too :)

Purrs xx
Athena and Marie

Annie Bear said...

You were a doll! You clearly had a loving home and family, and Sammy and Rosie were great companions. How nice that your sister didn't give you a hard time, but I understand about being self-conscious, especially as a little girl. I'd say your adult self has the right attitude. :)

Peachy, Stippie, Angel Binky and Granny said...

Such purrecious memories. The things we worried about when we were little, I think the eye patch looked COOL❤ Your drawing is as cute as ever. Pawkisses for a Happy Weekend☺❤

The Swiss Cats said...

What a sweet picture ! Thank you for sharing your memories with us ! Purrs

Anonymous said...

Oh, how cute you were! I instantly thought of when Sally had to wear an eye patch for the same thing and Linus explained it to her. I love Peanuts! And, of course, Dr. Seuss. Oh, and I had a Tuxedo cat, Sam, who used to love to sit on shoulders. HUGS!

Anonymous said...

P.S. No email?

Angel, Kirby and Max said...

You are Sammy were a cute pair. I understand your reluctance to wear the patch in public because kids can be so cruel to anyone that is different.

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

That is a sweet photo and drawing.

catladymac said...

You are probably too young to remember when "Peanuts" originally ran the story line of Charlie Brown's sister sally finding she had amblyopia. I think it was at a time when the condition was first being looked for in grade school eye tests. It did a good job of explaining and showing what Sally was going through ! That's how a lot of us learned there was such a thing ! (But I had astigmatism and nearsightedness and was 20/200 without glasses !)

The Island Cats said...

Oh what a sweet memory! The mom's sister had to wear an eye patch when she was young for the same reason.

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

You were adorable! Surrounded by books and cats as a little girl...just like me! I have pictures of myself and my childhood cat Patch around here somewhere. I should go digging around for them.

Cathy Keisha said...

HAH! An early Meow Like a Pirate post! Sammy was so handsome. Sometimes I think most adults need instructions on how to care for pets when I see people dragging their dogs along on the street.

meowmeowmans said...

What a sweet, sweet picture and memory of you and your Angel Sammy. Thank you for sharing this with us! :)

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

We cats are good about not noticing things like patches too much. We just see them and purr healing thoughts.

Laila and Angel Minchie said...

Our mom also had a lazy eye as a kid. She even had to have surgery and wear an eye patch over her good eye, her right one. The vision isn't great in the lazy eye but at least it doesn't want to cross into the corner.