Gobble, Gobble Day (finally!)

Lola and I were invited to have Thanksgiving dinner at Denise & Wesley's place. [Okay, I was invited, and I asked if Lola could come, too, since it was our first Thanksgiving Day together. Because they are awesome people (and because Wes welcomes any opportunity to torment their cat, Grim), they graciously welcomed Lola into their home.]

Wesley made the turkey (as yummy, if not yummier than last year's) & the mashed potatoes; Denise made veggie stuff and her very yummy bread stuffing (did I mention it was yummy?); I brought candied yams & home-made flan. (See picture.) Lola luuuved the turkey and the mashed potatoes (and sez, "Thanks, Wesley!")

Now, what you really want to know about: When Lola met Grim

Grim is Denise's black kitty and Wesley's archnemesis. :) [I hear he had been taunting Grim for several days before Thanksgiving with something along the lines of "A dog is coming on Thursday, Grim. Just you wait!"] Whenever I've been there, Grim's been sweet...but he is a kitty & can be surly & evil. This was a test for both Grim & Lola. Wesley hopes to have a doggie someday & wanted to see how Grim would react; I wanted to see how Lola would do. Lola has seen kitties before, neighborhood kitties within a few feet, but she has never had the opportunity to see one up close and personal, since they usually run away from her. Then she barks at them which is really her telling me, "Mo-om! The kitty is running away! Let's go!" The bark is always playful, so I don't think she would ever harm a kitty, in that situation.

When we arrived, Lola and Grim had a face off. They both just looked at each for a long time. They weren't sizing each other up so much as coming to grips with what they were seeing. Slowly, they got closer (as I recall, Lola made the first move) & started to sniff each other. Grim had a little trepidation, but seemed okay, until Lola started sniffing his butt.

Grim's Expression: What the Hell...?
Wes: That's what dogs do, Grim.
Me: Hee!

After some more sniffing, Lola started to get a little more sniffy (maybe it was dawning on her that Grim was a kitty) & Grim was justifiably spooked. A quick hiss & Grim was off to hide under the futon in the office. Which of course only made Lola bark ("Mom! Let me go! He went in there! He wants me to chase him!")

We didn't want to close the door to the office, in case Grim decided to come out so we hitched Lola up to a heavy piece of furniture so she wouldn't go after him. To his credit (or his hunger), Grim did try to brave it out a couple of times, but Lola saw him & was immediately excited that Grim was coming back...which only spooked Grim again. Denise eventually retrieved Grim from the office so he could eat his dinner in the kitchen (I distracted Lola to keep Grim out of her line of sight.) Grim then curled up in a little spot in the dining area. At first, he was within Lola's line of sight ("Mom! It's Grim! He's right THERE!"), but with some distraction (and not letting her see Grim), she quieted down. There was no blooodshed, and no apparent animosity between the pets. I guess that means Lola & Grim passed the test.

We entertained ourselves making fun of "The Core" [Lola was happy to sit with us] & walking around downtown Glendora [You know how much Lola luuuves to be OUT.]

This Thanksgiving I was grateful for many things - my loving (if crazy) family, my awesome friends, and my Lola-girl.

Lola & I had a wonderful time - thank you, D & Wes! You made our first Thanksgiving very special.