For the first time since I was a child I own no pets. Not a dog, cat, or even a goldfish. And believe me, I’ve had plenty. As a child, I was always begging for more furry or feathered friends, and my parents indulged me. There were few city-style pets I didn’t own. Not to mention fish tanks aplenty. And I took horseback riding lessons. As a young adult, I purchased a Borzoi (Russian wolfhound) and received great enjoyment from her, plus one of her pups. However, with the arrival of my first son, my priorities changed. When my oldest dog died I decided to downsize my canines, quite literally, to smaller breeds. And I moved to the city.
Along with two small dogs, one of our sons owned a rat named Flash, whom we became very fond of … But maybe that should be another story for another day, with fewer women reading. I figure most of you will cringe at the thought of a domesticated rat cavorting around our son’s room. We even took Flash to our beach place on weekends. My husband and I agree that the sight of Flash perched in his cage, along with four young boys in the back of our Suburban, saved us from getting a speeding ticket one day.
When our last beloved dog died about five years ago, I decided I’d had enough heartbreak. Plus, my husband and I could leave for a trip and not have to take our pooch to the kennel. But just because I no longer own a pet (or do they own us?) doesn’t mean I don’t keep a small stable of pet peeves.
I asked my husband if he had any pet peeves other than me, but he laughed and sidestepped the question. Clever man.
It occurred to me that there are some pet peeves for city-folk, like professional gardeners who blast leaves and clippings out into the middle of the street and don’t clean up the debris. On the other hand, up at our beach cabin, our neighbor’s rooster certainly used to give my husband and me a snarly topic of conversation at 4:30 AM. Those of you who live in the country could no doubt help me expand on the subject.
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| This cat’s pet peeve is its owners’ new puppy. |
A neighbor’s dog barking at night doesn’t bother me as much as it irks my husband. Nor do slowpoke drivers. Two of my pet peeves that might sound insignificant are gummy tags, for instance on the back of a notebook, that can’t be removed without damaging the paper or simply can’t be removed. Another is the constant barrage of telephone calls from recorded robots or solicitors. These are minor inconveniences, but they are never-the-less two of my pet peeves. I dare not let rain become a pet peeve or I might be miserable for the next six months!
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| It started out a beautiful day… |
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| Steps leading to my basement today. |
How about you? Do you have any pet peeves? I’m speaking of minor inconveniences, not subjects that make you want to scream or break something. I’d love to hear what they are and how you managed to either avoid or make peace with them. (Nothing political, please)
Leave a comment below and enter to win either a copy of Pennsylvania Patchwork or Leaving Lancaster. USA or Canada. Winner has one week to respond.
Congratulations to Michelle R., winner of the Amish-made tea towel plus a copy of Pennsylvania Patchwork or Leaving Lancaster! Kate will contact you.
Kids not throwing their trash out….they unwrap something, sit it on the table or counter instead of garbage 3 steps away….Grrrrr.
Mostly I just remind them, but if they are witnessed, I make them pick it up and throw it out.
Would love a copy of Pennsylvania Patchwork! Makes me think of falling colored leaves!
Thanks for your comment! I’d love you to win a copy of Pennsylvania Patchwork, but need at least a first name and some kind of contact info.
My pet peeve is people who do not use blinkers!! Those people just get my goat.
That is a curiosity, isn’t it, Michelle? Do people think were mind readers? Thanks for writing!
My pet peeve is when someone leaves a kitchen cabinet door or drawer open. How long does it take to close a drawer or shut a cabinet door?
Blessings!
Judy B
judyjohn2004(at)yahoo(dot)com
I must admit to being guilty of this myself, Judy. After cooking a meal, I look around the room and think: who messed up my kitchen?! Then I do run around and close everything. Thanks for writing!
`My cat getting litter all over the floor when using the litterbox. angelachesnut246@gmail.com
Thanks for your comment, which leaves me with the question: can a cat be taught to do anything against his or her will? They’re pretty smart …
Hi Kate, I had to really ponder this question-even though I’m a dog lover, have always had one, I think dogs that bark for hours when they are left and their owners don’t seem to care; my big one though is loose dogs-because my small dog and I were knocked down this last spring. As I get older, I am so aware of how easy it is to break a bone and so get anxious about dogs that could get out of a yard and go after us. Also people who drive on your tail=just drives me crazy because I realize how quickly an accident could happen. I would love a chance to win your giveaway.
Hugs, Noreen
Thanks for commenting and entering the contest, Noreen! About six months ago, a large dog on leash lunged out and bit my arm, much to my surprise. I’m not afraid of dogs in the slightest and was glad the dog hadn’t chosen a child as its victim. No harm done, but very odd. Yes, tailgaters are annoying.
Oh pet peeves! Owners that don’t clean up their dogs deposits in my yard! I love dogs as I had one very special tiny toy poodle for 13 years, and of course when growing up I had several dogs. I also detest people who talk on their cell phones or home phones when a person takes time to go and visit and ignore you while you are there, especially when they ask you personally to come over at a said date and time!!
Thanks for your comment, which I’ll bet everyone can relate to. Someone in my neighborhood scoops up the poop and then leaves the bag and all. Is that passive-aggressive behavior? Your second pet peeve is beyond understanding. Talk about bad manners!
Mine is when I go in the bathroom and all the drawers are open and stuff laying around.And I have another one that really irks me and that is when someone comes to visit and the whole time they are visiting they have there cell phone out looking at it and texting.This really irks me.
Thanks for your comments, Jackie! You must have kids at home. As for your visitors … you’ve got to wonder why they came over. There must be a way to handle that kind of situation other than throwing the phone out the window.
One of my pet peeves occurs when I am patiently waiting for a car to back out of a parking space at a store, & someone coming the opposite direction pulls in the empty spot before I can – the part that angers me is that they see me sitting here, & MUST know I am waiting for the parking spot. Another pet peeve is when driving, & people don’t give signals when they make turns in front of me.
Thanks for the opportunity to win one of your books!
bonnieroof60(at)yahoo(dot)com
Oh, my, that might tempt a person to do something they might later regret … especially if the other driver were half her age. Apparently turn indicators are not required much anymore. It’s amazing we don’t have more accidents. Thanks for sharing your pet peeves and for entering to win one of my books!
Someone not finishing an open can of soda pop. Seems such a waste.
Thanks for writing, Judy! That’s one I hadn’t thought of.
Hi Kate. I always love to read your blog. It always has some interesting subjects and pictures. You always seem so cheerful. Always some beautiful flowers. I love the picture at the top of your blog page. MAXIE mac262(at)me(dot)com
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