Circle of Life

Tommy: “Well, the poor thing, it got-- I hit him and this, uh-- We hit the deer and his paw -- What do you call that?”

Tommy's Mother: “The paw?”

Tommy: “The paw, the...”


Tommy's Mother: “The foot.” 


Jimmy: “The hoof.” 


Tommy: “Yeah, the hoof got caught in the grill and I gotta, I gotta hack it off.”

Tommy's Mother: “Ooh.”

Tommy: “Ah, Ma, it's a sin, I can't leave it there, you know.”

 - Goodfellas

            So far, we’ve been very lucky with Vito. He doesn’t eat stuff  -- not a shoe, a cupboard door, or a piece of furniture – until now.

            Vito recently discovered this knickknack, which I keep on sill of our kitchen bay window. I thought it was safe because while he often looked at it, he never made a move to touch it.

             I have always enjoyed this trinket because it told a story. I think of a farm mother who made a pie and set it on the window to cool. Then kitty got a whiff of the sweet treat, and snuck a bite.  After his mischief, the cat gave himself a bath with his paw.

            Like the kitty, Vito succumbed to temptation. He could not resist biting off a piece of the ceramic cat’s ear.

            The cat eats ma’s pie. The dog eats the cat’s ear. What's next?

            Vito better be careful. Somewhere there’s a lion curious about the taste of Siberian Husky.