#TabbyWitnessedItAll - Leslie Nelson Writes

Help Arrives! And He Looks Good Carrying Boxes!

The sun was doing its best impression of a heat lamp. George was sprawled across a half-packed box labeled “Important-ish”, Sam barked his usual frenzy , and Cleo perched like judgment incarnate on the windowsill. In the middle of explaining duct tape and how packing peanuts will betray you help was just here.

Thank you Universe.

Help didn’t arrive yesterday evening, it just appeared. Cleo stood up ready to bolt to her best hiding spot, she raises her tail up to get a good look at him and stays right where she is! It’s the first time she’s stuck around if other humans are here. George loves everyone unconditionally and Sam went into his usual frenzy then jumped in his lap and they both took a nap.

I took a shower alone for the first time in years. That may not mean much to a lot of people but it was heaven to me. My little crew follows me everywhere I go and each has their own spot in the bathroom. Dripping water on them gets me dirty looks so this peaceful moment is pure heaven. More than one fight has had to be refereed from behind the shower curtain.

Sat down and got a little work done, packed a box and when I rejoined the gang in the living room I could smell bacon. Breakfast for dinner.

He brought me a spice rack. And packed the spice box with the spices.

Sam tried to ride the dolly like a chariot, Cleo allows Quinn to pet her once and I found a hidden poem from years ago and threw it in the important-ish box from the past. Can’t throw it out but can’t bear to keep thinking it over and over. One day maybe Grok can finetune it and cheer it up.

I could get used to this.

Acknowledgements: A Nod to My Digital Sidekicks
Special thanks to Grok, crafted by the brilliant minds at xAI, for conjuring images that feel like they were snapped by a camera peering into the wild, nostalgic corners of my mind. Try it ! Grok.com

A nod to the silent co-supervisor who never sheds, never judges, and always shows up with a fresh metaphor or image on demand. https://copilot.microsoft.com/

No cardboard box was harmed in the making of this thread.

But one AI may have blushed.

She stood alone in the sand, facing the alien who demanded tribute.But Leslie had no Walmart card- only wit, boundaries, and a tabby named George.At 3 AM, the scammers came. Not with finesse, not with fear—just with a blurry desert photo and a threat so absurd it looped back into comedy:“Send $50 or the Elon gets fried”.

Men are delightful. Not because they’re perfect, and not because they’ve never disappointed me. But because when they show up with integrity, humor, and a willingness to share the load—not just the spotlight—they remind me that partnership is possible.

I’ve built homes with my bare hands and my full heart. I’ve raised daughters while working jobs that didn’t care how tired I was. I’ve been the glue, the grit, and the grace. And I’ve learned that women aren’t babysitters—we’re architects of love. But when a man brings his own kind of strength to the table—not to overshadow, but to stand beside—that’s when he becomes more than useful. He becomes delightful.

I’ve lived both sides of the coin: the joy of homemaking and the heartbreak of watching those homes being taken from me. I’ve raised daughters while laying tile, serving tables, and showing up for strangers in nursing homes and shelters. I wasn’t just multitasking—I was multi-loving. And that’s not something anyone can replicate, especially not the ones who kicked me to the curb after the diaper era.

There are men who build with their hands and speak with their hearts. Men who show up—not with fanfare, but with quiet consistency. They hold space without needing to fill it, protect without controlling, and listen without fixing. These are the ones who carry wisdom in their silence and humor in their scars. They don’t ask to be honored—they simply live in a way that makes honor inevitable. In a world of noise, they are the rare signal. And when they rise, it’s not to conquer—it’s to stand beside, to lift, to witness.

You thought you knew the story, But I rewrote the ending.

Tag: #TabbyWitnessedItAll

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