When my mom was still here, before she went to the hospice, we often found ourselves repeating a certain expression: “Whoever heard of…” followed by some observation about the behavior of the animals.
Once I noticed we repeated this expression, I began compiling a list of them. Below are a few of my “Whoever heard of…” favorites:
“…a cat taking a bath?”
Mr. Meow’s our water lover. One morning as I was running the water for my mom’s bath, Mr. Meow went in to play in her tub. That’s when my mom laughed, shook her head, and said, “Whoever heard of a cat taking a bath?”
“…a cat in the dishwasher?”
I believe it was Tabby being nosey one day as I unloaded the dishwasher that prompted this one.
“…a percussion of pups and kitties?”
My mom said this in reference to the racket all the animals were making with their tails one day. Both cats were sprawled on the opposite ends of the dining room table whapping their tails at each other. Murph for some reason started wagging his and thunking it against a nearby box. Made for quite the ruckus…especially when my mom and I started laughing.
“…such a good dog?”
Not all of the “whoever heard of…” expressions were repeated more than once, but this was an oft repeated one. Murph never fails to impress in the many ways he can be so well behaved.
“…a cat eating pancakes?”
Just about my mom’s most favorite breakfast meal was pancakes. But she didn’t much like sharing…and especially not with Mr. Meow, who was always trying to get his paws in her syrup.
“…a sunbathing dog?”
Sunbaking on fresh cut grass is just about one of Murph’s most beloved pastimes. My mom always enjoyed our afternoon interludes on the back deck. We’d sip tea in the shade and watch Murph soak up the sun on the lawn.
“…a dog getting a tan?”
Once, after I commented about Murph’s sunbaking ways (I think I said something to the effect “He’s soaking up the rays to work on his tan.”), my mom guffawed and asked, “Whoever heard of a dog getting a tan?”
Question to Readers
Do you ever find yourself using a certain expression over and over again when it comes to your pets?