The other day, Election Day, I needed my shoes.

[conuly]

And when I went to put them on, I noticed the laces were untied. The nieces had been downstairs for a while, so as we left I said "Listen, girls, don't untie my shoes."

Them: We didn't!
Me: Look, it's not a big deal, I'm not mad, just don't do it again!
Them: We didn't!!!
Me: This is silly. *I* didn't do it, nobody else is home, and anyway neither your mom nor Nanen would've done so. One of you must have done it.
Them: Maybe it was the cats!
Me: Maybe that's ridiculous.

Anyway, what had been a minor matter turned into this whole big "thing", and all over them lying (stupidly!) about untying my laces!

Friday I dropped them off with their dad. Saturday I went to put on my shoes. The laces were untied. And looking closely... oh... I could see they were clawed all over.

I called my sister. "Jenn? When you were down here last night, did you, uh, untie my shoe?"

In my defense, how could I possibly have seen that coming? It was ridiculous! (I've since apologized to the nieces.)

Comments

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

LOL, I had to apologize to my girlie a number of times for scolding her for lying when she really was telling the truth. Usually about taking my stuff, when I'd misplaced it my ownself.

In my defense, she really did have a bad habit of kiping my stuff and lying about it for a while, and I made it quite clear that one classic consequence of lying is that people won't believe you when you're telling the truth, like the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

Most of the cats i've known have a thing for shoestrings. It took a bit of consistent episodes of scolding before my kitten (now a 4-year-old fuzzball) would leave my laces alone.

Ditto.

[marveen.livejournal.com]

I was surprised that conuly had managed NOT to have chewed-up laces thus far.

One of the more hilarious episodes with my old cat Julian happened courtesy of a tennis shoe. He was fighting with the lace and just as I made to shoo him away from it, his fang got wedged into the end of the cylindrical metal aiglet.

He tried to slink away and the shoe followed.

Now thoroughly frightened (instead of grudgingly obeying a shooing human), he started to run in earnest.

The shoe followed and, in time with his leaps, began kicking him in the butt.

I was nearly helpless with laughter but managed to step on the shoe during their second trip down the hallway, thus jerking it off his tooth.

He hid under the couch for a couple hours before consenting to come out and be comforted with some tasty crumbs of cheese.

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

When Chris and I were together (and then with Daniel as well) Terri would sit at the door and wait for him to come home. She would then loudly remind him that it was time to take his boots off. His combat boots with their impossibly long laces that have to go back and forth several times before they're loose enough to remove.

It was her favorite time of day.