Hi everyone,
 
Well, after warding off mono, *then* strep, I'm finally (*almost*) caught
up on my FLM reading.  I wanted to share something that happened last
night that I found interesting and funny.
 
I play the clarinet with the Huntsville (Alabama) Opera Theater.  We
begin rehersals tonight for "The Marriage of Figaro".  I haven't even
picked up my clarinet in months, so Snookie had no idea what it was when
I took it out of its case.  She nosed all through the case, tried to eat
a reed or two and spent a few minutes trying to get into the case that
holds my portable music stand.  It was great!  I finally got her to
leave me alone long enough to put the clarinet together and to warm up.
I started practicing some of the more difficult passages when I thought
I heard something.  I stopped playing and just listened.  There was
Snookie, sitting next to me on my bed, looking at the clarinet and
quietly hissing!  I wasn't sure if I should be concerned or amused!  She
got off of the bed and got under it.  I started playing again, and I
heard that "noise" again.  I stopped and there she was, between my feet,
staring up at the clarinet, quietly hissing again!  I showed her the
clarinet and told her that it wasn't going to hurt me and thanked her
for being so concerned.  She sniffed it for a while and then went about
her business of exploring my bedroom.
 
Guy had a haircut appointment and was leaving.  I told him, "Come here!
She was hissing at my clarinet!" Snookie was over by the bedroom door,
sniffing Guy's shoes.  I started playing again but, this time, all she
did was stop sniffing Guy's shoes and stare at me.  No hissing.  I was
sort of upset because I wanted her to do it again but I guess maybe she
decided that it was "O.K." to have that *thing* in the house.  I wonder
if the pitch of the clarinet bothered her ears or it was something else.
Hmm.
 
Anyway, I just wanted to share that.  Snookie is still not going "potty"
where she's supposed to, but we're still trying.  She doesn't seem to
want to use the litter tray we bought for her but it might be the litter
that she doesn't like because she'll consistantly go *next* to the litter
box rather than *in* it.  Oh well, we'll see.
 
Dooks to everyone!
 
 -Mark Zmyewski (and Snookie, who is quite funny when she tries to
     chase me around the house and hits the newly waxed kitchen
      floor!)
[Posted in FML issue 1241]