Introducing Myself

I joined Steemit a couple of days ago, and am still trying to get a feel for things. The FAQs and other guides suggest that I start by introducing myself, so here goes:

I am a person of middle years, and I live with a cat. My cat is a demanding little creature who currently requires a lot of care. He's at the end of his natural life, and has had health issues ever since I first got him. So, in between stuffing pills down his throat, poking needles into him, and trying to convince him that grooming is not a form of torture, I've got my hands quite full. I absolutely love Persian cats, and their sometimes weird temperaments, so I honestly can't quite picture the day when I no longer have him. Sadly, that day is drawing neigh. In November, he will be seventeen years old.

I also like plants and flowers. The image in my profile is a half-completed funeral spray that I never got to finish. My ambition is to complete that Louisiana-hoodoo monstrosity of a design when, and if, I am ever able to open my own flower shop. The image below is another little monstrosity that I made from odds and ends during a class on wedding bouquets. One of classmates like it so much, she took pictures of herself with it, and declared she'd want one like it if she got married.

The third thing that is important to me is religion. No, not the right-wing religious zealotry that gives it a bad name, but investigating and analyzing what religious texts are actually trying to tell us. Let me put it this way, a woman (a devout Catholic) once asked me what the Jews had to do with Christianity. At the time, I was flabbergasted. Now, I understand, and agree, with her point. My fascination with religion is not limited to the one I nominally grew up in, either. All religion is fascinating to me.

Lastly, I was once a travel agent. So, I guess the fact that I am interested in other cultures is no brainer.

The one thing I hate is jingoism, and people who support it. Good people let other people live and let live. I really do hate people that thrive on hatred.

Oh, yeah. I love weird things. Bigfoot, UFOs, non-harmful conspiracy theories and the like provide me with endless entertainment. However, when things go too far, you can count on me to say, 'this is stupid; stop it!'.

Finally, I love stories, and sometimes writing them.

I guess that's it for now.