Don't stay in one spot too long

I finally got around to preparing some of the "unusual" things I plan to list on eBay. I might even revisit some of the previous items, but without the taunt to Mr. Leno. There is quite a variety of "different" stuff, and while I would love to tell you all about them, I'd rather tease you (oh, loyal reader) into checking out what's currently listed on eBay. OK, just to whet the curiosity appetite, I will tell you about one of the "odd" items that will be up soon. I came about it in a way that requires explanation, which I shall proceed to do now. Granted, it may well become the same explanation I include with the listing, so don't get all bored when you check the listing on eBay. Just sit back and chuckle along with me and the two or three others who will take the time to read the description for the "Bag of Smudge."

Some back story is in order. In fact, I will even use visual aides!! You see, the "Smudge" to which I refer is not what one might automatically think. It might be easy to believe I've gone and done something with the remains of my smoking habit, which I might actually do, but such would not be the case. No, the "Smudge" to which I refer is a lovable, adorable habit I've recently adopted. Et violà:
Is he not the most adorable furball one has seen? This is Smudge, so named because, when we rescued him, the Mrs. thought his pudgy face was sooo cute, and I loved his coloration, but didn't want to use some passé moniker like "Smoky," so I came up with "Smudge." The Mrs. liked it, he had no comment, and the name stuck. Heck, he even answers to it now. Take that, silly mutts of the world. What you can't see from this photo is how he looked when he arrived in our house. He had been living the low life at some rural abode, and had obviously been out in the elements. Obviously stemming not so much from any physical ailments or maladies, but rather from the fact that his fur was so matted that he had the equivalent of a shell instead of a coat. I thought I had a photo of his first arrival, but failed to find it. I must rely, therefore, upon the following exhibit as proof:


Yes, that is all from him, collected gently over the course of days and weeks, small portions at a time carefully removed. Why not shave him all at once, you might ask aloud to your monitor? Hmmm. It was winter. It costs money to shear. I owned several scissors. Mostly though, I had a plan. A devious plan. It came from hearing a story on the Today Show about some lady who made a sweater from yarn made from her cat. Hence, one of my new listings for eBay... "A Bag of Smudge."