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Abstract

e big cats in the wild (from a safe distance), but probably never will. I am content to watch them at zoos and safari parks instead, as long as they have plenty of room to roam.<figure id="825c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*3jXB7LKa7jG4qSipoiI8Fw.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="a196"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*70sSKhlhyld0dlTRaGEj3A.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo credits: Wendi Gordon</figcaption></figure>Small cats also have a special place in my heart. I’ve shared my home with at least one cat for most of my life. At one point, my husband and I had four!Taffy is our current cat. As we have with previous cats, we adopted her from an animal shelter. She was about four years old then, and we were warned that she had been adopted previously and returned because of her temperament.I’m used to cats with attitudes — in fact, I admire their refusal to do what they are told to do (or stop doing) if they don’t want to— but Taffy can be exceptionally irritating at times.She randomly walks up and bites one of us (my husband is her usual target, but occasionally I’m the chosen one) for no apparent reason. She also scratches us, the furniture, and the walls at least as often as her scratching pads and post. My husband bleeds frequently thanks to her.We love her anyway. Doesn’t every family have at least one member with less than desirable personality traits?She can also be incredibly sweet. Most days, she is affectionate and wants us to pet her for a few minutes. She often runs to the door to greet us when we return home. She likes to lie next to my husband’s legs on the recliner.As the saying goes, a house is not a home without a cat. Isn’t she adorable?<figure id="9b0a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*j6D3SozWj2fIYBws0W-hRg.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="ef4c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*EJhcHWl3Iu60C3l7IXwyog.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="2608"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*SBw-dJ900SE53Gyee1ShCA.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo credits: Wendi Gordon</figcaption></figure><h2 id="5a4a">Courth

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ouse</h2><figure id="861c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*2ATpjgplHuL7n3DtYhto6g.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo credit: Wendi Gordon</figcaption></figure>Normally, a courthouse would not be something I would choose to highlight. The times I’ve been inside one have not been fun.Once I went to court to fight a traffic ticket I had received for supposedly not coming to a “full and complete” stop at a stop sign. Another time I had to serve as a juror in a case that lasted several weeks.The courthouse pictured above is a welcome exception. It’s actually a pleasant memory, in part because I was able to admire it from the outside and had no reason to enter it.My husband and I saw it when we stopped to eat on our way home from a visit to a nature preserve. The courthouse was a block away from the restaurant where we had dinner, in the town of Lockhart, Texas.Neither of us had ever seen a courthouse like that before, so we walked over for a closer look. We were enchanted by its architectural style. Its size amazed us too, since Lockhart has fewer than 15,000 residents.I learned later that it is the Caldwell County Courthouse, and the county’s population is about 47,000.I was eager to find out more about this unique courthouse. Thanks to the city of Lockhart’s <a href="https://www.lockhart-tx.org/page/history_caldwell_courthouse">website</a>, I discovered these fascinating facts:<ul><li>Construction began in August 1893 and finished in March 1894.</li><li>It is built of Muldoon limestone with red Pecos sandstone trim.</li><li>It originally had electricity but no indoor plumbing.</li><li>Broom closets were later converted into restrooms.</li><li>It was rededicated in April 2000 after a historic restoration.</li></ul>Chocolate, cats, and the Caldwell County Courthouse are all favorites of mine. Now that you’ve seen my photos and know why I treasure these three things, I hope you have a new appreciation for them, too.Thanks to <a href="undefined">JoAnn Ryan</a> for the <a href="https://readmedium.com/eating-apples-and-avocados-while-arranging-alligators-and-autumn-leaves-in-atlanta-6063ff4efd33">writing challenge</a> that led me to write this story.</article></body>

What Do Chocolate, Cats, and a Courthouse Have in Common?

More than “C” as a first letter

Photo credit: Author Wendi Gordon’s personal library

If you knew you would die tomorrow, what would you do today? I would eat a piece of Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake from The Cheesecake Factory. The photo above shows that slice of heaven and me eager to devour it.

Chocolate is my favorite food and that chocolate cake is by far the best I’ve ever had. As you can see, it is multi-layered. Those layers are separated not by mere frosting, but by decadent chocolate mousse. The chocolate frosting on the side of the cake is covered with chocolate shavings.

Just looking at that photo makes my mouth water. I am tempted to stop writing and drive to the nearest Cheesecake Factory immediately to get another slice. Yes, it’s that good.

The photos below are of other chocolate cakes I’ve enjoyed over the years. There have been many more, but these earned honorable mentions.

It’s unfortunate that the middle one included layers of white cake, but it was the best available option at the time.

The other two favorites featured in this article can’t compare to chocolate, but they are still worth highlighting.

Cats

Cats are some of my favorite animals. The jaguar pictured above, along with the lion and tiger in the photos below, are among the largest cats I’ve seen.

I would love to observe these big cats in the wild (from a safe distance), but probably never will. I am content to watch them at zoos and safari parks instead, as long as they have plenty of room to roam.

Small cats also have a special place in my heart. I’ve shared my home with at least one cat for most of my life. At one point, my husband and I had four!

Taffy is our current cat. As we have with previous cats, we adopted her from an animal shelter. She was about four years old then, and we were warned that she had been adopted previously and returned because of her temperament.

I’m used to cats with attitudes — in fact, I admire their refusal to do what they are told to do (or stop doing) if they don’t want to— but Taffy can be exceptionally irritating at times.

She randomly walks up and bites one of us (my husband is her usual target, but occasionally I’m the chosen one) for no apparent reason. She also scratches us, the furniture, and the walls at least as often as her scratching pads and post. My husband bleeds frequently thanks to her.

We love her anyway. Doesn’t every family have at least one member with less than desirable personality traits?

She can also be incredibly sweet. Most days, she is affectionate and wants us to pet her for a few minutes. She often runs to the door to greet us when we return home. She likes to lie next to my husband’s legs on the recliner.

As the saying goes, a house is not a home without a cat. Isn’t she adorable?

Courthouse

Normally, a courthouse would not be something I would choose to highlight. The times I’ve been inside one have not been fun.

Once I went to court to fight a traffic ticket I had received for supposedly not coming to a “full and complete” stop at a stop sign. Another time I had to serve as a juror in a case that lasted several weeks.

The courthouse pictured above is a welcome exception. It’s actually a pleasant memory, in part because I was able to admire it from the outside and had no reason to enter it.

My husband and I saw it when we stopped to eat on our way home from a visit to a nature preserve. The courthouse was a block away from the restaurant where we had dinner, in the town of Lockhart, Texas.

Neither of us had ever seen a courthouse like that before, so we walked over for a closer look. We were enchanted by its architectural style. Its size amazed us too, since Lockhart has fewer than 15,000 residents.

I learned later that it is the Caldwell County Courthouse, and the county’s population is about 47,000.

I was eager to find out more about this unique courthouse. Thanks to the city of Lockhart’s website, I discovered these fascinating facts:

Construction began in August 1893 and finished in March 1894.
It is built of Muldoon limestone with red Pecos sandstone trim.
It originally had electricity but no indoor plumbing.
Broom closets were later converted into restrooms.
It was rededicated in April 2000 after a historic restoration.

Chocolate, cats, and the Caldwell County Courthouse are all favorites of mine. Now that you’ve seen my photos and know why I treasure these three things, I hope you have a new appreciation for them, too.

Thanks to JoAnn Ryan for the writing challenge that led me to write this story.