...off to see the wizard !

I like road trips...

sometimes... I enjoy the planning phase...
especially if it's to somewhere far away...
packing snacks... checking the weather along the route...
making motel reservations, if needed...
making sure that I have CD's, cell charger...etc...

sometimes, for shorter jaunts...
I just "go"...
Friday...I just "went"...

when I used to go to casinos often...
I would just go, if I felt lucky...

my last casino jaunt was over a year ago...
the one before that, at least a year previous...
I just don't consider myself a "gambler" anymore...
I can't afford to... it's too expensive..

so Friday, it wasn't so much that I wanted to gamble...
or "felt lucky"...

I just wanted to have a break...
to have some "fun"...

to be somewhere... other than Mudville...

before the "busyness" would begin...
[responsibilities at church...my bath redo...]
and since I didn't get to visit my friends...
who live on the Oregon coast this summer...
it was now... or never...

so I watered all my plants...
fed the kitties...
and around 8:30 AM...
rolled onto I5, Northbound...

traffic on I5 wasn't too bad for a Friday...
but by the time I had gone through "Ahnoldtown"...
and took I80, westbound...
I found myself in some heavier traffic...



moving with the last dregs of the morning commute...
which really began to thin around Rocklin...
a place, where on a clearer day than yesterday...
the looming mountains begin to peek over the horizon...
I eventually got out of the heavier traffic...



as I climbed up into and through, Auburn...
the highway rolled into a series of hill climbs...
rolling curves and steep descents...
which can be fun when the traffic is sparse, as it was...



my car has a really smooth V6 engine, with power...
so when traveling longer distances...
I use "cruise control"...
otherwise, before realize it... I get going too fast...

but the rolling hills...
with curves are a problem for "cc"...

it's not loosing power on climbs that's problematic...
it's the curves & descents...
and the other cars who "coast" ...
speeding up and changing lanes...
causing me to abandon "cc" in favor of better control...

so I had turned off the cruise control earlier...
during the heavier traffic...
and when I saw the speed limit sign...
at the crest of a hill...
accompanied by the ominous...
"radar speed monitoring in use"...
it caught my attention...



then, I looked at my speedometer and saw 80+...

very conscious of a need to slow down...
I took my foot off of the gas...
but as I was in traffic...
AND going down a long hill...
it took a bit to get below 70...
[there was someone behind me...
so sudden "braking" wasn't a good option...]

then, suddenly... there he was...
red & blue lights flashing in my rear view mirror...



a very nice CHP guy...with his citation book in hand...
after a brief discussion of how fast I had been "clocked at"...
he took my license & registration to his car...
returning a few minutes later with my "ticket"...

he told me that the fact that I'd been slowing down...
before I saw him... didn't matter...
he pointed back down the hill...
where I could see a motorcycle unit and 2 other CHP cars...
also giving tickets...



he said that the motorcycle CHP guy...
had got me with his radar...
and it was that speed...
that he was ticketing me for...



I'm looking at the others also being ticketed...
and think...
"speed trap...I fell for a speed trap !"

the ONLY other time I've EVER gotten a speeding ticket...
was in the mountains...with NO traffic...
on a fairly straight downgrade...
where you will pick up speed...
unless you consciously avoid it...

that... and a speed trap at 3AM, near Elkgrove...

so...

NOT a propitious sign for a "good" trip...

but then...

perhaps that would be it...
for the bad luck...

anyway... that was my hope...



so...continuing on... the road climbs quickly...



by Kingvale...just below Donner summit...

it was time for a rest stop...

but no gas...the prices there were like 6 weeks ago here...

*OUCH*



so after a "rest stop"...[too much coffee...]
and a brief refueling moment...
[fresh popcorn smells SO good...]

AND a brief nature moment...
[looking back behind the parking lot...]
smelling the trees and the mountain air...
it was back on the road...



continuing on "up"...
then, going over the summit...

marvelous vistas...

but bad air quality this day...
and extreme brightness "over the top"...

NOT ... a good picture day...



then heading down the eastern side...
now in the shadows...
an almost sudden absence of trees...

NOT helped by the widespread devastation...
left by fires a couple of years ago...

then... the CA/NV border...
crappy, torn-up roads on the CA side...
becoming very smooth and new on the NV side...

I learned a few years back that the NVHP...
are "ever vigilant"...
and 65... MEANS 65 !

I got stopped once... right across the border...
doing 68... got warned...

I ALWAYS set "cc" in NV now...

so I'm behind a large truck...in the slow lane...

and over a rise... off to the right...

THERE IT IS ...



Reno..."the biggest little city in the world"...

and in the center of this picture...
see the "dome" ?

that's the Silver Legacy casino...my destination...

I park "free" in "self parking"...
level 4, right in front of the elevators...

I generally can't get this close...
but it's only 11:45 AM on a Friday...
so this means that they aren't "packed-in" yet...
[I HATE crowds...]

so, I enter the casino after a brief stop at the ATM...
[I said I didn't plan this...]
and head for the "slots"...

I "wander"... waiting for a machine to "call my name"...



I like "Double [or Triple] Lucky 7's"...
"Wild Cherries"...
"Red, White & Blue"
or "10 x's"...

mainly because I've WON on them...

I generally play $1 slots...
although I will play $.25, $.05 & $.01 slots...
if I find one I "like"...



then... there's the "Wheel of Fortune" machines...

the pay out on "payline winners" isn't too good...
unless it's "loose"...and you win often...
but it is "progressive"[you could win millions...]
and then, there's the "spin"...

sort of like a "bonus round"...
it supersedes any other winners on the payline...
and gives you a spin on the "wheel"...
amounts go from $20.00 to $1000.00...
[I've won the $1000.00...twice...]

but, on this day... the best I could do was $75.00...
[a person next to me won $500 on a spin...]

and so... after only about 1 1/2 hours...
I wasn't feeling it...

AND...I had lost all I cared to...

so I got back on I80...
and headed west...



as I neared "Boomtown"...
I started feeling lucky...
so I pulled off [I needed gas anyway...]
and when I saw the price of gas...
[the same I had just paid in Mudville...]
I filled-up and drove around to the parking lot...

so I wandered in... and saw this...



I don't generally play these kind of machines...
because they don't often "pay"...
and you could spend $100,000...
and STILL not "hit the big one"...

so I didn't spend much time or $ on this...
it did give me a bit of a "roll"...
but not enough to get me to "invest"...

I spent about an hour...wandering...

playing a $.25, $.05 or $.01 machine that caught my eye...

but ... nothing fun...

not wanting to lose any more $...
I was making my way "out"...
when I made "eye contact"...

with this...



I LIKE Double/Triple Lucky 7's...
I have won BIG on them...
and lost too...
I had actually tried to find a "friendly" one earlier...

I was "feeling" this one though...
so I sat down and put in a $20...
several "plays" in... it hit...

2 green 7's...and a Double Lucky symbol...
[matches a winning symbol & doubles the win...]

$300.00 !!!

setting a "short limit" for myself...

I continued play...
*ding* *ding* *ding*...
3 green 7's...

$150.00...

*TIME TO CASH OUT*

I had replaced my losses... and then some...


on the way back to Mudville...
things went smoothly, although "slowly"...
[no more tickets for me, thank you very much...]

I passed a jack-knifed big rig...
stopping eastbound traffic just above Kingvale, for miles...

westbound... the road was deserted...
until I got closer to Ahnoldtown...
where it got congested with "rush hour"...
as it was now around 5 PM...



the real problems began on I5, southbound...
by the southern edge of Ahnoldtown...
it was a barely moving gridlock...
which would last for miles...
until well past Elkgrove...



around 6:30 PM... I arrived back in Mudville...

I had been to Oz...
survived... and made it back home to Kansas...

as I made my way onto the porch...

I remember thinking...

"...there's NO place like home..."

...school daze & nightmares

this is my 4th year being retired...
after 20+ years in an inner city middle school...
[grades 7 & 8....]
the last 4 years, I taught reading & English...
for the 17 years before that, I taught music...
[as well as English, world history & careers...]

but for the last 10 years of that 17, only music...
4 bands [3 levels] & orchestra...

most of my students didn't have much...
so I worked very hard...
to build up a cache of school equipment...
they could use without any cost to them...

I liked my job... my school...
my colleagues & my students...

we didn't "memorize" a piece...
and then go to "contests"...
playing the same piece until we won a trophy...
but they did learn to read music...

we participated in a community parade...
from time to time...
and generally went to the CMEA festival...
[sort of like "THE state test" for musicians...]

I NEVER had the same advanced students, as a group...
for more than 1 year... so just as they got "good"...
they moved on to high school...
so we never earned a rating of "I"[superior] at CMEA...

but we often earned a "II"[excellent]...
and one year... the best group I would ever have...
came SO close... to a "I"...
it really hurt...

the judge said, "you're really pretty much a "I"...
but next year, there'll be no question...
so I'll give you a "II" this time...
and next year, you'll really appreciate...
the "I" you earn..."

there was no "next year"...

of the 65 students in that group...
only 12 were 7th graders...
and the 8th graders would scatter...
to many different schools...

it had been the "perfect storm"...
and then... it was gone...



I had a "Music Room"... much like this...
[most commonly called "the band room"...
until I added orchestra to my schedule...]

I would spend about 2 weeks after school was out...
cleaning instruments & mouthpieces...
putting together the "Summer repairs" list & p.o....
marking & piling them in a safe spot...

sorting music, filing it, doing inventory...
closing out my fund raiser accounts...
painting & repairing music stands...
and storing EVERYTHING away behind locked doors...

I didn't get paid extra...

but if I didn't do it...
no one else would...
and it needed to be done...

so I just did it...



2 to 3 weeks before school was to start...
I began to go back...
[I didn't get paid extra for this either...]

to "un-pack" my room...
put away the "Summer repairs" that were now, back...

re-stock my supplies of reeds, oil...
cork grease, strings & rosin...
drumsticks, mouthpieces, chin rests...
ETC....
[out my own pocket, of course...]

make sure I had enough "beginner" books...
[one year, I had 63 in beginning band...
at the first of the year... IN 1 CLASS...]
playing 9 different instruments...
besides percussion...

by the 2nd quarter...
I was able to whittle it down to 45...
by moving the most talented "up"...
to intermediate or advanced band...
this would be the year of my best advanced band...
which would have 15 1st year players...
by the end of the year...

before school started...
I also relabeled instrument cases...
labeled music folders...
chose music, passed it out...
I had racks for each class...

and set up my room...





when I left music...
I also left most of the "fun" behind...

I still had to set-up my classroom...
now an ancient portable...
with very limited storage space...
and since the "administration" decided that we had to "vacate"...
[ie...move "everything" out and take it home each summer...]
because of "renovation" and relocation of some teachers...

this meant that all the textbooks...
had to be returned to the book room...
at each "school closing"...

and retrieved, at the "opening"...
hauling them on a wobbly cart...
making a number of trips...
over bad blacktop and cracked cement...
unless there was construction...
then ...it was over dying grass and hard, uneven dirt...

and finally, UP THE RAMP...
into my classroom...

this was AFTER hauling stored boxes of classroom materials...
from my garage to my car, packing the car...
driving to school, driving back behind the portables...
unloading my car... carrying things UP THAT RAMP...
and then, re-assembling my classroom...

I would still get that "tingle" all teachers get...
looking at the "finished" room...
just waiting for the ones who would populate...
[or as I came to think, the last couple of years...]
"infest", the room in a day or two...

I didn't come to dislike "kids"...

they just became so different...

more,"entitled"... less interested in learning...
LAZY...spoiled... and willful...
nothing could make them care...
about their future... about how they treated each other...
about the lack of respect they had...
for everything... and everyone...
including themselves...

but even when I liked my job & students...
and looked forward to returning to "my school"...
working again with colleagues...
and administrators I liked & respected...

I had the "dreams"...

at first, I thought that I was the only one...
then my good friend & mentor said...
"Oh, yeah... school dreams...we ALL have them..."
and I felt better...

I haven't had them for a while...
since I left all that behind...
but the other night...I had one...
and it was a doozy...

waking me up at 5 AM...
agitated... in a foul mood...
I couldn't settle down...
& just go back to sleep...

I had to distract myself...
playing solitaire on my cell to clear my mind...

[THIS... is why I don't watch violent scary films...]

it was a pretty common "school dream"...
I had a new class... a rowdy, noisy group...
not unlike ones I had the last year I taught...
but for some reason, there were some adults there too...

sitting with the students as "visitors"...

and when I employed the usual "methods"...
to show that I WAS in control...
the students responded...
but the adults undercut my authority...
and chaos reigned supreme...
until the bell rang...

in my dream, I left the classroom, extremely angry...

I went looking for the principal...
who saw me coming...
and made himself scarce...

then, as I was looking around for him...

I woke up...

in these kind of dreams... all is surreal...
I'm never at "my school" or in "my room"...
but I'm somewhere familiar...
[in this dream, I was teaching at MY elementary school...]

sometimes...I used to dream that I had left CA...
and returned to Chicagoland...
in these frequent re-occurring dreams...
I often lived in the same place...
[NEVER a place I had lived...]
and was aware that I had left CA...
and my old school...
and was trying to find a job teaching there...

since the dreams were surreal...
rooms would "morph"...
become smaller or larger...
or become other places altogether...

I can still see bits & pieces of these dreams...

sometimes they were "school dreams"...
where I was the teacher...
and sometimes, I had returned to grad school...
to finish the DMA I started, but left undone...
a kind of "school dream", I guess...

although my most common grad school dream...
is coming into a class I've missed a couple of times...
and there is a test...
and, of course... I'm clueless...

the other one is that I rush to a rehearsal...
only to discover that I either don't have my trumpet...
[or the music...]
or I don't have ALL the trumpets I need...
or some other necessary piece of equipment is missing...

but ... it's in my car...
now...if I only knew where my car is...

sometimes, I was still in Mudville...
but at my school's "rival"...
and being mistreated because of where I was from...
[ironically... I did post-retirement "testing" at this school...
and was "looked askance at"...for that very reason...]

the common ground is always frustration...
a loss or lack of control over my situation...
[and we all know about my "control issues", don't we...?]
and for teachers... the "new class" is always...
the "great unknown"...

I've left all those school issues behind me now...
I only think of them when I have my monthly FFers lunch...
[the letters stand for something "clean"...and, I'm NOT telling...]
with several former teacher colleagues...
though we did just meet last Saturday...
and there was a LOT of angst & frustration vented...

I guess I just held on to some of it...
causing the "school dream"...
that's a relief...
because I don't need any more stress...
what with the impending bath tear-out...



so, attention all you "school ghosts & goblins"...
find someone else to terrorize...
because...
Catsinger has left the campus...

...one down, one to go

as I sit here...
top lip s-l-o-w-l-y regaining its' feeling...
tongue running over "new" surfaces...
on several front teeth...
and finding bits of debris...
still stuck where it doesn't belong...

I breathe a LARGE sigh of relief...

my dentist is really a great person...
she takes my panic attacks totally in stride...
doing anything and every thing she can...
to "get me through"...



today was "re-bond the front teeth" day...
[technically, "3 small fillings" that cost me $155.00]
since my top & bottom front teeth meet evenly, like these...
they wear down and break off...
this is the 3rd bonding procedure...and each time...
I'm more of a basket case than before...

she gave me a shot that I swear to you I never felt...
[she is that good...]
she kept reassuring me and "holding my hand" throughout...

she is VERY aware of my phobias re laying too far back...
"stuff" running down the back of my throat, gagging me...
and things too far back in my mouth...

she's seen the panic attacks first hand...
so she does what she can to help me get through the procedures...



I got to wear the shades...
but she would fore go the "dam"[blue plastic sheet...]
making do with the "light" and lots of gauze pads...
the air blower made my mouth water...
which made me need to swallow...
so it was stopped...

she was also very "circumspect"...
re the use of the "water squirter thingy"... AND the "suction thingy"...
she let me sit more "up"...
even allowing me to move to an even more "upright"position...
"during"... when I started to "pant" a bit...

she figured out that I would keep my mouth open...
allowing the materials to stay dry and "cure"...
if I could swallow from time to time...
which I could accomplish with my mouth open...
if 2 people removed their hands and instruments...
and allowed me to swallow...

when I HAD to keep my mouth open...
she would tell me how much longer...
and allow me to push the gauze forward with my tongue...
when it started to get too far back...

yes...I know this makes me sound...
like the #1 wuss of all time...

pain doesn't bother me...
blood, needles, drilling, the smells...
oral surgery...root canals...extractions...
don't bother me...

laying flat on my back... or almost...
with stuff oozing down my throat...
gagging me...
while 2 people stuff a number of tools in my mouth...
wedging it open...
[you better know that chunk of plastic came out, fast...]
blowing air and water down my throat...
and it's panic attack time...

it's irrational and I can't control it...

I have to sit up..get everything OUT of my mouth...
cough... swallow... take some deep breaths...
and regain my composure...

I think it started with one of those impression trays...
the ones they fill with the oozing foam that hardens...
that you MUST leave in place for MINUTES...
[probably 3-5... seems like an eternity...]

NEVER used to bother me... not in the least...

then...one was put in my mouth a couple of years ago...
as part of a crown replacement on a back molar...
as I bit down, while leaning way back...
a big glob of the plastic foam oozed out of the back of the tray...
and started down my throat...

laying as far back as I was...I couldn't breathe...
and it triggered my gag/panic reflex...
causing me to sit up suddenly, tear the tray from my mouth...
coughing & wheezing...gasping for air...

my dentist wasn't too pleased...
until she saw the size of the glob that was going down my throat...
then she understood why I panicked...
since then...I've had this phobia...
and she is very understanding...
which I really appreciate...

so it's one visit down...
and one visit to go...
November 3, 2008... the crown prep...

I know that there will be an "impression tray"...
but this is a front tooth... a lower right canine....
so at least there shouldn't be "too far back" issues...

and I don't have to lay back... I can sit up...

and there is a void[missing molar] on that side...
so any extra "goo" shouldn't ooze out...

anyway, that's what I keep telling myself...

...has it been a year already ?

["cats singing"...they look like raccoons...but they are cats...]

it's hard to believe that it's been a year...
since Miz Minka finally succeeded...
in her attempts to get me "blogging"...

a LOT has happened in my life...
since I took my "leap" into cyberspace...

two treasured & much loved members of my cat family...
Tippy & Robbie have gone on "ahead", to wait for me...
the giant mess I was living in...
has been greatly reduced, cleaned-up, re-done...
sorted, taken "away" & uncluttered...

at this point last year...
the DR/LR were stacked with painting & cleaning supplies...
the wood floor was hiding under a "protective layer of grime"...
new rugs were stored in the garage...
and some furniture was STILL in boxes...

most of my big plants were in the back yard...
as the awning had just been back up for about a month...
and I would have to haul them around to the front porch...
and, eventually, get them inside...
[though NOT soon enough for a couple...
who have since, fortunately, "bounced back"...]

I still had up the dirty, shredded drapes...
on the "rods" that Gracie considered her "personal perch"...
the nook shutters were still in boxes...[after 2 years...]
and an ugly wall AC unit was the only indication...
of where a nice window had once been...
next to the fireplace...

I didn't yet know about the bathroom floor...
and the pervasive rot that would generate...
the impending tear-out and rebuild...
of the entire bathroom...

then there was the "office"...

piles of things needing sorting, tossing & filing...
hardly room to sit at my computer...
forget practicing... or finding anything...

book shelves stuffed with books...
I wasn't going to want to read again...
so anything new...
[who doesn't buy new books ?]
ended up, stacked & piled ...
on my "bookcase" headboard...
or on the "underneath" shelves...
making them "in-accessible"...

along with magazines I wanted to save...
[Cooks & Fine Cooking]
catalogs, by the dozens...
and piles of mail...
[I put the important mail in a pile...
& the rest ? it became clutter... what else ?]

this scenario was repeated with DVD's & CD's...
although they tended to be scattered about...
since there was no way to put them away...

I had storage for both...just couldn't get to it...

besides these changes...
I've made some major personal "adjustments" as well...

some spiritual... some physical... some mental...
some emotional... some behavioral... some perceptual...

I've explored all these areas in great detail...
on this blog... feel free to check out the archives...
if you "missed" anything along the way...

I'm really seeing some core behavior differences, now...
in myself...
but you'll just have to discern them for yourself...
for the time being, anyway...

I think that with this change...
I'm gaining a better understanding...
of what I am feeling...and why...
along with being more selective...
in revealing what I'm feeling & thinking...

and along with it...
establishing a calming..."que sera, sera" attitude...
[letting go of things I can't change...
& not worrying about things that God has in control...]
is a vital part of who I am becoming...

but like any authentic change...
it has to be practiced...refined...
and stand the test of time...
before it becomes fully formed...
and truly, "me"...

I've seen some very positive signs...
but there's much more work to do...

I don't know what's ahead...but I don't need to...

with all the amazing answers to prayers...
the achievement of long-held heart's desires...
life goals, wishes, hopes & dreams...
embarked on or embraced...
that I've seen in my life...
and the lives of those I hold dear...
in the last year... I can trust...

I can trust God to make me who He wants me to be...
to make my life the best it can be according to His will...

so today... a very special day ...
in more ways than just my blogoversary...

I'm very thankful...
for ALL God has done...

for the opportunity to write...
to share my thoughts...
my struggles... my hopes...
to know... and be known...
and to grow... in His love...

God is SO good...

thanks to all of you who have stopped by...
even if it was only because Google sent you...

and a special thanks to all of you...
who've encouraged me...loved me...
physically helped me... supported me...
"put up" with my growing pains...
and are still my friends, "anyway"...

you know who you are...
and I love you...


post script...
check out a few "before & after" pictures on the following post...

...has it been a year... ? pt. 2

welcome to "has it been a year...? pt. 2"...

the pictures...

I don't have much in the way of "before" pictures...
of the massive LR/DR/nook mess...
there are several reasons for that...
I didn't take pictures...
my "other" camera wouldn't download pictures...
by the time I figured out how to get pictures on my computer...
some were lost "in the process"...

trust me... it was a mess...

[those of you who saw it...
thanks for your silence about it...
and for helping, change it...
"you are forever in my heart"...]

DR/LR...



this is the DR west wall, "before"...
you can see the paint swatch on the "old" color...
but by this point... a LOT of stuff was gone...
the furniture you see had been in boxes...
and things were moving along...
s-l-o-w-l-y...
but moving, none the less...



from another angle... you can see that some painting...
had taken place...
before all the prep/repair was "perfect" enough...
by some standards, however...

at the risk of seeming ungrateful...
[and I'm very grateful...]
the "quest for perfection", although appreciated...
was, at times very frustrating for me...
and as a result...
there are some areas of window trim...
as yet, unpainted because we ran out of time...
[you can't really see it...
but I know where it is...]



here we see the "deeply red" accent wall...
finally finished...
[sort of...
it needs a 2nd coat & trim touch up]



the LR fireplace wall...
[complete with Lacy...]



and the TV cabinet...
[complete with cats...]

HIDDEN MESSES...UNCLUTTERED



my bedroom closet after donating about 10 bags of clothes & shoes...



my hall "storage" closet...
after "extreme" re-organization...


THE OFFICE...



these 2 pictures are of the book shelf area...






this is the file cabinet, to the right of the kitchen door...





this is the book shelf area, "after"...
[downloading 10 cartons of books...
and a dozen bags of trash...]



here, you can actually see the file cabinet...
and the closet can be accessed...



PANTRY/NOOK/KITCHEN AREA...

the "nook" wasn't too bad...as it had been cleaned out...
nearly a year earlier... and was just "cluttered"...
as was the kitchen...
with all the stuff which needed to be in the pantry...
but couldn't fit because of clutter...



this is the "pantry"...on the utility porch...
[which is a misnomer, as it is entirely inside the house...]



20-something bags of donations...
& 6 bags of trash later...



the nook, notice the shutters... uncluttered...
[before Gracie "ate" the grape ivy...]



and the pantry...


CEILING FANS/LIGHTS...



even after 20 years...
I never got over being "startled"...
waking up in the middle on the night...
and seeing THIS...looming over my bed...
[there was one in the office too...
originally... even in the BATHROOM...]

there was a short in the switch...
so for the last 3 years... it didn't work...

the one in the office worked...sort of...
well... it stirred-up a lot of dust...



so I was really glad to see this...
as a prelude to this...



and then, God said, "Let there be light"...

and it was good...

...Maneki Neko, the Japanese Lucky Cat

Maneki Neko...the Japanese "lucky cat"...
translated means, "beckoning cat"...
also known as "Welcoming Cat"...
"Fortune Cat" or "Money Cat"...



it is quite common in Japan or Japanese businesses...
often made of porcelain or ceramic...
expensive ones...sometimes even jade or gold...
although cheaper ones may be made of plush, plastic or vinyl...
[solar powered,"movable" ones are always plastic...]
they are believed to bring good luck to their owner...
and are often made as a statuette, keychain, a toy, a plush figure...
or, most commonly as a "coin bank"...



[this business is taking NO chances...
"lucky bamboo" [$$$]...
gold lucky cat family...
AND...a BIG lucky cat...
& between the 4 of them...
both paws raised...]
the origins are vague...
but Maneki Neko are first documented in the late 1800's...

by the early 1900's, they were a popular item...
in both homes & places of business...
believed to bring good luck...
especially to the person who receives one as a gift...



the gesture of "beckoning" varies with the culture...
what we Westerners consider a wave of "good-bye"...
Easterners consider a welcoming gesture...
"welcoming" customers, money or good luck...



the raised right paw...
is said to bring in "wealth & good luck"...
so the "gold" finish on this "raised right paw" cat bank...
is all calculated to maximize the "good luck"...


[there is NO significance I could find for the "cyclops"...]

a raised left paw, is said to "bring in customers"...
and some believe, VERY lucky for drinking establishments...
[leaving the right paw for the other stores...]

in Japan, those who hold their liquor well...
are called "hidari-kiki" [left-handed]

also, the higher the paw is raised...
the more luck...
or ...
the farther the distance ...
that the luck will have to travel to reach you...



both paws raised is believed to bring success in business...
and good luck in your life...
which is probably why this lucky cat...
looks like he's "channeling" the Buddha...
or is just, "blissed-out"...



Nyan Nyan Nyanko is a version of the lucky cat...
who in Pokeman type fashion...
enjoys imitating food...is very curious...
but is very fickle and easily bored...



here's plush one masquerading as a 'burger...



here are several vinyl "foodies"...
[I know... these look suspiciously like
that other Japanese "feline fatale"...
"Hello, Kitty"...
appropriate enough since "HK"...
was inspired by the Maneki Neko
as was the Pokeman character, "Meowth"]





the traditional Maneki Neko...
is a calico, Japanese bobtail...
but they come in many colors...
most of which have Feng Shui significance...
as do their placement in the business or home...
especially when made of crystal...

"blue", placed in the "north"...
will bring good health for the family...
as well as ridding the home of bad luck...

"red", placed in the "southwest"...
brings love, promotes good luck for the family...
and raises the level of fortune for the family...

"green" [or white], placed in the "northeast"...
brings good luck to all...

"yellow", placed in the "west"...
brings wealth, prosperity and success...

"purple", placed in the center of the home or business...
brings the fulfillment of dreams & desires of the heart...
it also raises the level of achievement of dreams and desires...




this Chinese style porcelain box, features...
the "jao cai mao",[in Mandarin...]
the Chinese version of the lucky cat...
which can trace it's origins back to a Chinese proverb...
"when a cat washes it's face, it will rain..."
[sending customers into stores, seeking shelter...
bringing business to stores...]

the later Japanese version...
"when a cat washes it's face... expect visitors..."

there are a number of stories about people...
who befriended a cat...
and became the recipient of good fortune...
for their kindness to the cat...

there are other stories about cats "beckoning"...
saving those who responded to them from bad things...

it's no wonder that in Japan...
cats are considered lucky...

but since the origins of the Maneki Neko...
are so vague...
they could have come from anywhere...
or a combination of several things...



continuing on in this less-stylized version...
[like those of crystal]...
we have these small ceramic, hand painted...
VERY collectible figurines...



some being VERY small...



others... a bit larger...
[I'd sure use a "lucky cat" slot machine...]



and then... some things need NO further remarks...

...the turning point

although it's still technically "high summer"...
and we expect triple digit temps for most of this week...
something is changing...

there is a change in the light...
and the air...



I haven't heard or seen migratory birds yet...
but the chill dawn breeze that just caressed me...
tells me it's happened...



that moment when summer turns her carefree face...
towards the necessary duties of the rapidly descending fall...
and the stark realities of winter needs...
with it's biting wind and dampening chill...



I remember, as a college student...
being gone a couple of weeks...
and on my return, realizing it had happened...

and like a small child, trying to get a glimpse of Santa...
I've watched for it each year...

I've observed the fullness of summer...

walking through a garden, in full-on "grow"...
the scent of tomato & bean vines, in the hot sun...
the intoxicating scent of tasseling corn...
creeping into my bedroom...

bringing me to the window...
just to "absorb" the garden ....
still warm from the day...
but now, shimmering in the light of the full moon...
so alive... the level of "activity" palpable..

I could almost hear the plants growing...
feel the energy of the earth being sucked up...
and pushed out into leaves and fruit...
releasing a joy into the waiting night...
a celebration of what Eden must have been...
when God first created it...

but... even though I've watched...
I've never seen "the moment"...

perhaps...it's not a moment we can ever capture...

one we can only identify in retrospect...

but I still hope...
that if I can learn to live more, in the moment...
that maybe someday, I'll see it...
recognize it... as it's happening...

hopefully... it won't be like the moment...
when a child realizes why...
he's never been able to catch a glimpse of Santa...



after all... I already know...
that my Father makes the seasons change...

...bad food day

ever had "one of those days"... ?

I seem to be having one today...
as far as "food" goes, anyway...

I've been "hungry" lately...
[as opposed to "not hungry"...
which I was for a long time...]

so I've really hit a plateau...

I haven't gone up...
just haven't gone down...

for a couple of months...

I've been active...
but not enough, I guess...

so I've stepped up my walking regime...
made it longer...
and am trying to go twice each day...
but I have arthritic issues that seem to be at odds...
with my best intentions...
creating too much pain to follow through...

anyway... I suppose I'll figure out something...

so this morning...
I went to the 'fridge...
to have some carrot juice...
but it was 'way past the expiration date...

since it was unopened...
[I've been drinking coffee...]
I tried it...
"ding ding ding"...
sour, not good...
DO NOT USE...



I had already had one "food misadventure" today...
rinsing black beans that I had par-boiled before cooking...
spilling a bunch [about 3/4 C]in the sink...
before putting the rest on to cook...
with onion, garlic, S & P, in chicken broth...



I got busy, and after a while...
I began to "smell" something burning...
upon investigation, I discovered ...
that my beans had absorbed a qt of chicken stock...
and were now burning...

I rescued most of the beans...
filled the burned pot with water & left it to soak...
I added another qt of chicken stock to the beans....
TURNED the heat to LOW, covered them...
and left them to cook for about 1 1/2 hours...

on my way past a cantaloupe...
I decided to see how it was doing...
it was moldy on the stem end...
so I cut that off and opened it...
it smelled wonderful...

so I tasted it...



YUCK !
it had a fermented taste...
so... out it went...

determined to find something to eat...
I checked out the apples...



not only had they "gone south"...
but they took with them...
the oranges AND the avocado I just bought...
hard as a rock, too...

I took this moment, after ditching the bad fruit...
to check out my bread... gone...
milk... gone...
bananas... gone...
salad mix... gone...
tomatoes... gone...
[nice heirloom ones too...]
cucumber, grape tomatoes & blueberries...gone...

I guess that being hungrier may have caused me...
to buy more than I could use up...
add to that the summer heat...
[my kitchen has southeastern exposure...]
causing things to "ripen" too fast...
and the fact that I don't put fruit in the 'fridge...
and things go bad too fast...

I paused in my garbage collecting...
to add brown rice & another qt of chicken stock...
to my black beans...
re-covered it and left it on LOW...

about an hour later...
I lifted the lid & stirred...

some of the rice was sticking to the bottom...
but as I stirred it...
it absorbed more of the liquid...
not unlike a risotto...
and everything on the bottom came up...
forming a smooth sauce...
"risotto with black beans..."
[more or less]



it tastes good too... [like risotto with...]

my plan is to make it a "Spanish-style rice"...
by adding diced tomatoes, chopped onion, chili powder...
sliced black olives & CILANTRO...
smothering it with cheese [2% milk Mexican mix]...
and baking it as a casserole...
garnishing it with chopped green onions & cilantro...

I might add here...
that I've NOT made this before...
not "from scratch"...

I've made "box" Spanish Rice...
[from the "SF treat" people...]
and "jacked it up"...

but I wanted something "healthier"...

I'm glad this is working out...
'cause the "fall-back" plan is always this...

...the rings of Catsinger

no... NOT this kind of rings...


THIS kind...



I've never worn much jewelry...
well... maybe in the 60's...
when I had long, blond hair...
[if you've seen those pictures...
or were THERE...>
what will it cost me...
to buy your continued silence ? ]

anyway...

during the last 15-20 years...
my growing appreciation and interest in...
my Celtic heritage has influenced my taste...
to the extent that I've "collected" Celtic style rings...
like the ones you see below...

my recent,[& I hope, continuing] "shrinking"...
has made rings I wore for years too big...
so I've added to my collection, along the Celtic theme...
and replaced the now too big with the "cool" Celtic...



on my right hand, I have a new Celtic Eternity Knot...
[see below] on my index finger...
and a new Celtic "Tree of Life" on my ring finger...

I had a ring with diamonds there...
but after crawling around looking for it...
TOO many times, after it "fell off"...
I put it away for safekeeping...


[Celtic Eternity Knot ring...]


I know... this isn't a ring...



it's a bracelet...[braided copper, brass & silver...]
the intent is arthritis relief...
but it is a "ring" of sorts...
I have several different ones...


on my left thumb...



I have a gold ring...
the pattern is a grape vine with leaves & fruit...
in yellow, white & Black Hills gold...
I got it in November, 2005,from a ring store in Grass Valley...
[that's a trumpeter's bone spur on the joint...]

on my left hand...



on my middle finger... is my first Celtic Knot ring...
I bought it in Reno about 15 years ago....
putting it on my middle finger was a "departure" for me...
the Celtic Knot ring on my left pinky...
is part of a 3 ring set pictured below...


[3 ring set]



Celtic Eternity Knot...



this is a Scot "Thistle" ring...
the thistle stands for royalty in Celtic tradition...
and I am Scottish & Black Irish...
"highlander"... on both sides...
[along with some German...]



this is an Eternity "Wave" ring...
[NOT Celtic...but I liked it a lot...]


they all fit at this point...
it depends which finger they're on...
and I can't wear them all at once...
so, they are "waiting in the wings" at this point...
[and, no, I'm NOT making a baby-talk pun...
missed it ? hint..."R"="W"...]

I do have 2 extra holes in my head...
I know...just as you always suspected... HA, HA...
very cute...for ear rings, Einstein...

used to wear the long dangly ones...
60's...love beads... and all that...
[see previous "bribe" offer if you were there...]

but not since I saw an older woman...
who resembled one of those "tribal women"...
with the s-t-r-e-c-h-e-d out ear lobes...
have I wanted to wear the long dangly ones...
[I have such a short neck, they looked odd, anyway...]

a "cautionary tale", observed...

I have some nice "studs"...
Aussie fire opals...[my birthstone...]
diamonds [from a long-dead relative's wedding ring...]
rubies, sapphires, emeralds [not big, but pretty...]
pearls, jade & tiger eye...
as well as gold & silver studs...

I only wear them now when I get dressed-up...
and mostly only the opals or diamonds...
they were "custom"...
and the shaft is long & thick...
with a "stop lock" for the "end piece"...
giving me, at least a chance
to insert them without dropping them...
[just try putting studs in your ears with 1 thumb...]

as far as "nose rings"..
or "belly button rings"...
or OTHER rings...

...GUESS...

...choose that "catsinger"

UPDATE...1.1
"Stay, just a little bit longer..." has a vote
[I find myself becoming more partial to "un bel di..."]
WHAT DO YOU THINK ? VOTE !

regular readers may remember...
that in a moment of "weakness"...
[OK... it was a shameless ploy...
for audience participation...happy now ? ]
I mentioned that I would allow readers...
to pick my avatar for the month...
following my impending [Aug.28] blogoversary...

here are some choices...
vote for your favorite...
[lyrics provided free of charge...
just like cat hair...]


"...o're the land of the freeeeeee ! "


"Tonight, tonight...won't be just any night..."


"No more Rice Krispies...we've run out of Rice Krispies..."


"the crooked straight... and the rough places, plain..."


"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight..."


"EEEOOOWWW ! I feel good...I knew that I would,now.."


"...rainy days & Mondays, always get me down..."


"un bel di..."


"I'm beggin' you...stay, just a little bit longer..."


"Fi-ga-ro... Fi-ga-ro... Figaro, Figaro, Figaro...Fi-ga-rooooo"


[this is for those of you who are literal minded...
"a Singer" + "a cat"...don't you just LOVE Google ?]


"What's new pussycat ? wha-a-ah-a-ah-ah-ah..."


"my baby done left me..."


"Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni..."


"Don't worry...be happy..."


"Inna Gadda davida, baby..."


"You do the Hokey-Pokey, and you turn yourself around..."


"I have a structured settlement, but I need cash now..."



"Bessame, bessame mucho..."

if you've gotten this far...
I have only this left to say...

...Cagney & Lacy, sisters in cuteness & crime avoidance

"Hi... my name is Cagney...
and I WAS asleep...
until Mom started taking flash pictures..."



"now that I'm awake anyway...
I might as well tell my...
that is, our story..."


"This,'full of herself' feline is my sister, Lacy...


who obviously causes her share of trouble...

something I try very hard to avoid..."

"on Christmas Eve, 1998...
Mom had gone to leave some goodies at the vets...
our foster Mom, who worked there...
knew a softie when she saw one...
and started telling Mom about the 2 CUTE kittens...
that she needed to find a GOOD home for...

about how there were 5 of us at first...
dumped as newborns on the vet...
fostered by her & her Mom...
and because we 2 were the only survivors...
she wanted to "place us together..."

since Mom had lost a kitty recently...
she listened...
and finding herself filled with the spirit of the season...
agreed to "look at us"...

our foster Mom's, Mom had us there in a flash...
we cuddled, purred, kissed & charmed our way into Mom's heart...
[it didn't take long...]
and the rest, as they say, is history..."


"Lacy likes to be on top of things...
this gives her a real sense of power..."


"she is also an opportunist...


this spot puts her in a prime position...
to look cute... AND be petted..."
my sister is NOBODY'S fool"

"I, on the other hand, enjoy more practical purr-suits...
I enjoy staying "off the beaten path"...
away from the others ...with their "issues" & fleas..."



"my silky fur benefits from drinking bathroom drips...
it also satisfies my catly desire for special attention...
as this requires Mom to turn on "drips"...JUST for me..."



"which is NOT hard for me to accomplish...
as I am SOOOO cute...
and...
did I mention my "silky" fur...
and total gorgeousness... ?"



"of course... if you're NOT buying that...
there's ALWAYS my cute, spotted tummy..."



"with all this cuteness...
[and Lacy's not bad either...]
Mom didn't stand a chance..."

...clutz update 1.1 [or, "I don't need no stinkin' stitches..."]

[never before ...has one little mishap...garnered so much blog fodder...]

it all began with this...


sliced on the pinky knuckle during a backhand hammer stroke...
by rusty chicken wire...

[creating, "The Red Badge of Clutziness"...]


attempt 1.1 to bandage the "small cut"...
attempt 1.0, was "bled through"...
attempt 1.1 finally stopped the "flow"...

the timely "butterfly closure" application...[2.0]
allowing ventilation...

after I realized how deep & long it was...

followed closely by the "genius" plastic dinnerware handle splint...[2.1]

solving part of the continuing pain issue by keeping it from bending...

so after about 36 hours of being immobilized...



the wound, which was fairly deep, and long....
has closed up, completely...



no swelling... or hint of infection...
some pain... but that comes from a bit more movement...



as I removed the splint this morning...
I'm still using the butterfly closures...
with a different placement... [3.0]
[I even just went and got more...]
these keep my finger from bending much...
allowing the healing to continue...



as you can see...
I haven't really washed the wound area...
I want to be VERY sure the cut has "knit"...
before I put stress on it...

my only problem...
keeping it "straight" & "dry"...
really does interfere with my daily chores...
[cooking, cleaning, showering...]

...the Mack & Murphy story

if you've never
seen this photo...

then you've never
looked ...
at my entire
blog page...

Mz Murphy Brown ...
in all her glory...

looking down on us all...

her favorite position...

diva, that she is...

[aka "Murphus purrfus"]






her brother, Mack...
also has been featured on my blog page...
in his winter "fluffiness"...
also, "above us all"...
looking wise and "all-knowing"...
[he loves to be called "Mr Fluffytail"...
as well as "Mack-a-diddley-doo"...]

there was another brother, Miltie...
who looked like them both...
he had Mackie's grey-ish brown fur...
and Murphy's white face markings & golden eyes...
[Mackie's eyes are green...]
Miltie left us much too soon...
gentle soul that he was...
succumbing to liver failure at age 5...
Mack & Murph are now 12...




I almost NEVER see them together without fighting...
[in true sibling fashion...]
this shot is blurry, because they moved...


[see... I told you...Mz MB is NOT happy w/Mack...]

the 3 of them "bounded" into my life as kittens...
dashing across the busy street to find food ...
with several other strays ...
from a rental house across the street...

I was afraid for their lives...
they were only about 6-8 weeks old...
3 fluffy, mini-Maine Coon lookalikes...
so when I next saw them...I captured them...



Mack was SOO easy to catch... I offered him food...
and stayed to "visit" while he ate...
after the first few hungry bites, he stopped eating...
looking up at me with such appreciation ...
for the food and attention...
when I reached down to pick him up, he came gladly...



Miltie was shy... but too hungry to be too cautious...
he didn't like being grabbed...
but settled-in quickly once he was "inside"...



Mz Murphy Brown...[named for her golden brown coat]
wanted food with no "me" attached...
she's the little devil I had to corner to catch...
getting bitten on the thumb in the process...
[the 3rd injury to that thumb in less than a month...
which would become my melanoma catalyst]

after trapping the 3 of them...
I took them to the vet for shots, tests, etc...
I still have a mental picture of Dr Kind Eyes,
arms full of 3 fluffy, VERY cute kittens...
grinning from ear to ear...
as he told me that they were all healthy...

strangely enough, the day after I grabbed the 3 kittens...
part of a larger "mob" of strays of all ages...
they all disappeared from across the street...

only 2 half grown cats survived...
probably because they couldn't be caught...
one would be Roxie, the long haired black Momcat...
who, together with Midnight, would raise their 5 kittens...
in my back yard... of whom only Frick & MJ remain...

I've always figured that it was "supposed" to be...
that Mack, Murph & Miltie would be mine...

on Friday night, my new neighbor to the north...
[the grand daughter of Alma, who died in May...]
knocked on my door...
she had found a small striped kitten in her flower bed...
and wondered if it was mine...or if I knew whose he was...

after some discussion about how to help her older cat "adjust"...
I could tell that she really wanted to keep the kitten...
but she said that she'd "ask around, anyway..."

when I saw her today, I asked about him...
and found out that his new name is Tiger...
and that her older cat seems less lonely with Tiger around...

sounds familiar...

just another example of a smart cat finding the right home...

like Mack, Murph & Miltie did 12 years ago...

...clutz update

here you see my damaged hand...
with the cleverly constructed...
"plastic knife handle splint"...

designed to keep my ripped knuckle immobile...
and it worked...

this AM, my finger is not swollen or discolored...
it is a bit "tender"... and very stiff...
but that's to be expected...
I shouldn't be moving it anyway...

after removing the bandages...
and finding it dry, "closed" and NOT evil-looking...
[ie,"infected, slimy or oozing"...]

I re bandaged it... without Neosporen...
[it's closed anyway...]
still using butterflies and my "splint"...



at this point, I'm sparing you the gory details...
of a picture of the wound itself...
it basically looks like a line of dried blood...
[that's the dark you see under the butterflies...

so stitches were NOT necessary...
[next time, I'll wear gloves...]

...Macavity, the mystery cat [ with apologies to T.S.Eliot]

Macavity's a Mystery Cat : he's called the Hidden Paw...



For he's the master criminal who can defy the law...



He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime... Macavity's not there !



Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime... Macavity's not there !



You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air...
But I tell you once and once again... Macavity's not there !



Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity,



You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square...
But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there !



He's outwardly respectable.[They say he cheats at cards...]
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard's.



And when the larder's looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing or another Peke's been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken and the trellis past repair...
Ay, there's the wonder of the thing ! Macavity's not there !



And when the Foreign Office finds a Treaty's gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings, by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair...
But it's useless to investigate...Macavity's not there !



And when the loss has been discovered, the Secret Service say:
"It must have been Macavity !"...but he's a mile away.
You'll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.



Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.



He always has an alibi, or one or two to spare:
And whatever time the deed took place...MACAVITY WASN'T THERE !



And they say that all the cats whose wicked deeds are widely known...
[I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Cuttlebone...]
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time...
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime !

...veni, vidi, DESTRUCTI

regular readers may remember...
this "before" shot of my bathroom...
taken in late May, "B.C."...
["before contractors" had even been called...]

today, I began my part of the de-construction...



this is the window "lift"...it is rusty, dirty...
painted over and will be "going"...
as will the sash lock which is in "worse" condition...
if that's even possible...


today, I applied a lot of "WD40" to both...
after scraping the paint away from the screws...
and scoring the paint out of the groove...
I was able to loosen the screws in the "lift"...

if you look close, you can see that the screws are loosened...
[something I've always been accused of having anyway...]

the sash lock is "percolating"...
it's screws may be rusted in place...
because they wouldn't budge...

I DO have paint stripper...
and EVEN some "naval jelly"...
if I need to call in the "big guns"...
[heh,heh...]

here you see the mini blind holders,"gone"...
there were 3 screws in each...
I had to stand with one foot on the stepladder...
one foot on the edge of the tub...

and work WAY too hard...



but they are GONE...
and that's all I care about...

so... here it is...take one last look...



I'm about to start in with the pry bar & hammer...
maybe they'll just "pop" off...

[10 minutes later...]


I've managed to remove the ledge...
discovering that it was CEMENT...
with tile stuck to it...
using about a ton of mortar...

not only are tiles NOT "popping off"...
I've hit some wire...
the cement is spread on the chicken wire...
it's like stucco...with tile...

[5 minutes later...]


perhaps if I just give up the chisel idea...
and hit it with the hammer...
because...not only is the tile really strong...
the cement is really thick...
and the chicken wire really holds on to it...

that's better... but it still isn't coming off very fast...

maybe if I just really WHACK it...

AHA ! that's the ticket...

I...[whack] just...[whack] have...[whack] to...[whack] hit...

OWWWWWWWW...



stupid chicken wire GOT me...
sliced me good...
little finger knuckle...
blood running down my hand & arm...
as I try first, to take a picture of the carnage...
[anything... for a post...]
then clean it and apply a bandage...

BTW...have you ever tried to peel open a bandage...
with only 1 thumb ?
WHILE blood is running down your arm...
and dripping ALL over everything...

harder than you might think...
[and messy, too...]


as rusty as the wire is...
it's a GOOD thing...
that I just got that tetanus booster...
[even if it DID cost $140.00...]



here I am... all bandaged...
had to use 2... bled through the first...
[yes...I only have half a right thumb...
you aren't seeing things...]



FINALLY...

[a total of 30 minutes...]


what a mess...

so...after cleaning it up and throwing away the debris...
[thank goodness it's "trash Day" tomorrow...]
I sat down to write this...
gritty, sweaty, battered, still bleeding and sore...
with chunks of debris in my shoes...
but enormously pleased with myself...

I think I deserve some lunch...
and some Excedrin for my aching muscles...

AND for my poor, sliced pinky...
which is really starting to throb...

maybe I'll re bandage it first...
then, lunch...

and a cold Dos Eqquis...

THEN... a NAP !

sounds like a plan...

God is good...

Post Script...

when I went to re bandage my finger...
I discovered a much bigger cut than I had thought...
NOT wanting to spend HOURS and $$$ in an emergency room...
I got a couple of butterfly closures...
and got "Dr" UnklePhil to bandage it...



leaving it "open" to the air...
after applying a layer of Neosporan...
and "splinting" it with the butterflies...
and some tape...




the cut is semi-circular...
from the middle of the knuckle...
around and down the side...
about half an inch long and fairly deep...
NOT just a flap of skin...
a good chunk of flesh...
probably 2 or 3 stitches...
if I was going to "go there"...
hopefully... this will be fine...
if I don't bend my finger...

...filling in the gaps

[my herb pot, now replenished...]

summer is fleeing fast...
the waves of "heat" taking with it...
some of my front porch plants...

having picked up a few fill-ins at Loewe's...
this past week... a couple of herbs...
portulacas & the one "decent" alyssum I could find...

but I still needed the elusive lobelia...
[Crystal Palace...to be exact...
electric blue that sizzles...]

so this past Friday, I went to Port Mudville Nursery...

all the old-timer gardeners in Mudville...
love this place...
they used to even grow many of their own plants...
but, no more...

it is still a place I like to wander...
and imagine what I would do if I had even just 1 acre...
and a staff of helpers...
oh, the things I would grow...
and the koi pond I would have...

*sigh*

on this day, however...
I had the good fortune to arrive...
just as they were preparing to have...
a "buy one"/"get one free" sale on summer annual 6 packs...!

since I had gone in search of "Crystal Palace" lobelia...
to replace those the hot spell had shriveled...
and some more alyssum [I LOVE the smell...]
which had also been dessicated...
it was "serendipitous"...

I bought the last 6 6packs of lobelia...
[actually getting about 4.5 packs of usable plants...]
as well as 2 alyssums [white]...
and only "paid" for 4 6 packs...

I already had 4, 6 packs of mixed portulacas from Loewes...
as well as an alyssum & a couple of herbs...

so the only other thing I needed were a couple more herbs...
to replace the now, "dried on the plant" oregano & thyme...
currently in the herb pot on my porch...
fortunately, these were also on sale...

then, I saw these...



I love geraniums...especially the deep red ones...
or the salmon pinky/orange ones, like this...
but I'd NEVER seen this kind of blossom before...
on a geranium...

on a dahlia...
or a mum...
yes...
[Mom grew them the size of dinner plates...]

in this picture, they resemble Christmas Cactus...
in real life, they do not, at all...

so I HAD to have one...
and this one was calling my name...

this variety of blossom is called,
"graffiti"




so, after getting everything back home...
I "filled-in" portulacas...
and planted a whole new bowl [on the left]



before alternately filling-in lobelia...
and alyssum...



as well as portulacas...
in most of the containers...



here you see the back side of one container...
with it's new lobelia & alyssum spilling out...



for the most part...
the allyssum & lobelia went into containers...
with red dianthus...
much of which got burned right before I planted it...
and has just now come back in flower...



I love the combination of red, white & blue...



the deep red dianthus...
seen here dusted with water droplets...
looks a bit washed out in the gathering dusk...
but when the sun hits it just right...
it glows with an almost inner light...
as does the lobelia...

I'm enjoying these now...
because before the big demo days...
I'll have to re-locate most of them...
for their protection from big guys...
carrying heavy stuff...
and NOT looking where they're going...

*sigh*

...calou, calay !

a year or two after I moved in here...
the right sash cord broke...
[the left, died years before...]
causing me to deal with window "props"...
trapped cats... and imminent dangerous crashes...
[see "One Lucky Cat"post,8/9]



if you look at the top L & R corners...
of the bottom window...
you can see the ends of the sash cord...



here, a close up of the left...



here the right...



and here...
the little wheel the cord needs to be "on"...



this diagram shows a true double hung window...
my bath one is NOT...
because the top window is stationary...
so you have to imagine this picture...
WITHOUT the counterweight & cord for the top...
[it's the back one...]



we'll pry off the well access panel...
recover the counterweight...
remove the bits of the old sash cord
from both the window & the counterweight..

tie the new sash cord to the window...
thread it through over the "wheel"...
down... inside the window casing...

catching it as it comes to the bottom opening...
and will reattach it to the counterweight...
by threading it through the eye of the counterweight...
tying a half-hitch at the end of the cord...
and then tying another half-hitch to secure the counterweight...

then we'll repeat the same procedure for the other side...

while the window is "out " of the frame...
we'll also apply glue or nails to tighten it up...
years of "propping" have made the joinery loose...
it also needs to be re-glazed...
but that's an outside job for later...

as is obscuring the lower window with a piece of plastic...
or another coat of opaque spray-on paint...



if you look carefully at this picture...
something is missing...
[hint...look at the "sill"...
there is no "ledge shelf" or "apron"...]



ALL the other "movable" sash windows in my house...
have sill trim like this...



notice the small ledge [about 1.5"x 1"]...
and the plain, flat apron [1" x 4"]...



seen here in more detail...



so, after removing the tile that has to go anyway...
that's what I want here...

and the reason I'm celebrating ?

I just talked...
to the "skilled craftsman/cat whisperer"...
who did my nook shutters...
created trim pieces, repaired my French door windows...
and framed-in my stained glass window...

AND...

he agreed to recondition my existing window...
replace the broken sash cords...
build the sill trim...



AND...

frame-in the stained glass window on the top half...

he's not busy now...
so as soon as the stained glass arrives...
he'll come over and get it done...

I also ordered a new sash lock set...
and a lift, in polished nickel...
to replace the rusted & painted ones...
that are currently on the window...

today, I'll get some black high gloss paint...
for the stained glass frame...
and some heavy duty stripper for the hardware...
[all the screws are painted over...]
so on Thursday, after the new hardware arrives...
we'll only be waiting for the stained glass...

after we repair the window...
replace the hardware...
create the bottom trim ledge & apron...
frame the stained glass...
so it can be attached to the top window...
and I strip most of the paint and prep the wood...

then I can prime it...

so when the demo starts...
the window will be reconditioned...
repaired, trimmed and primed...
they won't have to do anything to it...
besides painting it...

I'm SOOO pleased to be able to "save" the existing window...

it won't be "cheap"...

craftsmanship never is...

but it will be "correct"...
besides being "green"...
[this job is generating enough for the landfill already...
without adding a window, thank you very much...]

and it will make me VERY happy...

God is so good...

...ummm...enchiladas

those of you who know me...
know that I enjoy cooking...
but since last fall...
I haven't been eating much myself...

it is a challenge to cook for one, however...
even if I cut my ingredients way down...
some things are like Topsy...
"they just grow..."

this culinary adventure is an example of that...



I started out to create my take on...
Dearest Dragonfly's
Divine Green Chicken Enchiladas...

I have made these as "Veggie Enchiladas"...
[just eliminate the chicken...]
but never before WITH chicken...

I prefer "green sauce" ...
because it's NOT as "HOT" as red sauce is...

besides that...I'm a "cilantro" junkie...

so as I proceeded to construct my enchiladas...
my intent was to make just what I could use...

a plan that ALWAYS backfires...



as you can clearly see...

but they are GOOD !
[as you can also clearly see...
by the obvious void in the pan...]

Catsinger's Green Chicken [or Veggie] Enchiladas
[with a hat-tip to Dearest Dragonfly]

1 10-pac[this one had 11...] fajita size flour tortillas
{you can stretch this filling over 12-15 tortillas,if you have them...}
[you can also use corn....I like flour...]
1 28 oz can medium green enchilada sauce +
1 jar of the same [I like Las Palmas]
1 lb cooked chicken, chopped [I like boneless,skinless breast]
[meat is optional and cooked beef, pork or turkey can be "subbed"]
1 can cooked black beans, RINSED & well drained
1 lrg can sliced black olives, drained
1 16 oz container FRESH Pico de Gallo
[chopped cilantro,onion,tomato & a bit of jalapeno]
you could use canned salsa...
or chop up your own "pico"...
6-8 C shredded cheese [Mexican blend or a combo of...
Monterey Jack, Cheddar & any Mexican cheeses...]
1 C chopped cilantro
1 bunch chopped green onions[green & white parts]

preheat oven to 350 F...

use 2 standard size casserole pans...
or 1 really big one...

mix together in a large bowl...

the chicken or other meat [cooked, chopped or shredded]
the black beans, RINSED & DRAINED
the olives, drained
the pico de gallo or salsa
2 cups of shredded cheese
28 oz can of green enchilada sauce

fill each tortilla with 2 big spoonfuls...
roll up, place in baking pan...

when all tortillas are filled...
spoon any left over filling over enchiladas...
cover with jar of green sauce...
sprinkle 2-3 C shredded cheese over each pan full...
or the rest over the large pan...

bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40 minutes for 2 regular pans...
or for 1 hour for one large pan...

remove from oven, let sit for 15 minutes...

garnish with chopped cilantro & green onion...
[more olives if you wish...]

[a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving...
is nice too...]

disclaimer...these are NOT HOT...
if you have to have your mouth on fire...
you'll need to add your own HEAT...


serve warm...

enjoy...

[especially good with a cold Dos Eqquis Amber...]

nota bene...

if making this recipe without meat, use 2 cans of black beans...
along with a couple of cans of corn[or a bag of frozen...]
you can always add chopped bell peppers, zucchini, etc...
and you can, of course use red sauce instead of green...

POST SCRIPT...

I managed to entice UnklePhil with the extra pan...

enjoy them, you two...

...a bit of Fluff

it isn't easy... being fluffy...
when you're this pretty...
NO ONE takes you seriously...



as a kitten, 17 years ago...
I was a star...

I should have been a model...
or on calendars...

and who did they say I looked like ?
Nermal...that annoying kitten in "Garfield"....

did they ever consider that just maybe
Nermal...
looked like me ?

I mean, really...
how can you possibly compare
stunning real life gorgeousness...
to mere cartoon animation ?



I was a stunner...
presented to Mom in a candy box...

popping out, when it was opened...
with both white paws posed together ...
SO prettily...

green eyes batting...
tiny pink mouth opened in a small "mew"...

I had been smuggled ...
on the school bus inside the box...
my owner's dad was going to ...
"get rid of me"...
[vile man that he was...]
and she knew that Mom...
her kitty loving music teacher...
would take me in...]

it was "love at first sight"...
Mom was putty in my paws...
and I was quite happy too...

until we got home ...
and I met ALL the others...
[who needs other cats ...
when I am sooo special? ]

Mom called me "Fiona"...
she was in one of her Celtic moods...
[I suppose I should be glad ...
it wasn't Sioban...]

I hated it...

stamped my dainty feet in protest...
fluffed my tail repeatedly...
batted my eyes... strutted my cuteness...
and finally got the name I wanted...

"Fluff"...

I got by on my innate "cuteness"...
for quite a while...
but some of the other kitties didn't appreciate my "specialness"...

they were mean to me...
calling me "spoiled"...
and "stinky"...
and "buttface"...

so when I got old enough...
to get away with it...
I lived outside...
in the back yard...
for a few years...

taking refuge in the garage...
coming inside on only the worst nights...

that showed them...
that I wasn't going to stay with them...
and be treated badly...

eventually, though...
I decided that I needed...
more "proper" attention...
[aka, "adoration"...
lavished affection, etc...]

and began to come into Mom's bedroom to sleep at night...

letting her comb out the matted fur & stickers...
take me to the vet for my "dental problems"...
[I NEVER flossed...
and paid dearly for it...]

clip my nails...
get me allergy shots...
apply flea medication...
and pay "proper" attention to me...
with petting,sweet talk...
and my own special bed...



eventually...

after the vet told her...
that I had only 1 tooth left...

[he actually laughed at me...
and called me "snaggle tooth"...
but he's cute & nice...
so I'll let it slide...
for now, anyway...]

I managed to "convince" Mom...
that I deserved Fancy Feast...

it wasn't hard...
I just acted pitiful...
and it worked...

after all...
I'm SOOO MUCH prettier...
than that cat in the ads is...

my eyes are greener...
my gray & white fur is prettier ...
and I'm SO much fluffier...

just a couple of years ago...
there were a bunch of us ...
who were "back yard" kitties...

I don't miss most of them...
conceited, selfish things that they were...
but I miss Sumo...

and Tippy...
we used to sleep together ...
and wash each others' faces...



there is STILL Piglet, however...
hateful, selfish & mean thing that she is...

she takes my bed...
just for spite...

and...

when Mom goes to bed...
or is just laying down...
if I present myself to be adored & petted...
as is my due...
[ I NEED my "Mom time"...]

she comes over...

and insinuates her nasty self ...
right between us...

the unmitigated gall of some cats !



I've told her off more than once, I can tell you...



and I'm sure ...
that I'll have to "put her in her place"...
again.... and again...
and... again...



but... all in all...
it's a pretty nice life...

I've got Mom trained ...
as to how to stroke my fur...
when to stroke my fur...
and to tell me how beautiful and special I am...

what to feed me...
when to feed me...
to let me "in" & "out"...as I please...
and when I need to have a "me" day...
at the spa..."Chez Vet" Mom calls it...

now...if I could only figure out...
how to keep Piglet out of my bed...
and my life... !

...bite me

back several months ago...
when MM was dealing with another installment
of an especially ugly oral surgery...
I was very sympathetic...
because I've "been there"...

nothing anywhere as nasty
as the procedure she has endured a number of times...
but singularly unpleasant...
none the less...




these are not my teeth...
but, except for the root exposure...
[mine is "1"-"2" in front]
they could be...
as far as the cracks, chipping & thinning go...


I have a very "even" bite...
meaning, my top and bottom front teeth touch when chewing...
most peoples' don't meet so completely...
so my front teeth chip and wear down from the contact...

my dad's teeth were the same way...
and by the time he was 70...
his front teeth had been so worn down...
that they had to be pulled...

I'm fortunate enough to have found a dentist...
who is very good at "bonding"...
and she has rebuilt the 4 top front teeth...
and the 4 bottom front teeth...

unfortunately for me...
my even bite continues to chip away...
and wear down the bonded teeth...
and so I need to have them "done" again...
and again...

this will be the 3rd time...
and I REALLY hate it...



mainly because of this...

I have real panic issues re "choking"...
and having a piece of plastic stretched across my open mouth...
while laying too far backwards...
is NOT a "comfort zone" for me...

AND...

I will have to sit like that...
with a light shining on my face...
for quite a period of time...
so the bonding agent can "set up"...

AND... besides all this "fun"...

I have a cavity to be filled...

BUT... not your "normal" cavity...

OH, NOOOO... one next to an old amalgam filling
in a tooth that has "cracks" in it...
[fortunately, it's tooth 22,lower right canine...
and NOT in the back...]


[again, not MY tooth, but the same problem...]

SOOOO....

this tooth will be "crowned"...
nothing new for me...
I have a mouth full of gold crowns...

my childhood dentist put a filling in almost every tooth...
and 30 years ago, I started having them converted to gold...
and because my teeth seem to "crack"...
all of them are "crowns"...

"crowns" are used when teeth have cracks...
to stabilize the tooth...
trying to avoid a root canal...
or to help "keep" a tooth, AFTER a root canal...
avoiding a bridge or an implant...

the good news ?
this is just about the last of the amalgam fillings...
[they have mercury and should be replaced...]

the NOT so good news ?
my dental insurance will only cover a small part of it...
because I've used most of my allotment for the year...
so what we will probably have to do...
is to do the "crown prep"...
which includes "placing pins" into my jaw...
[oh joy, rapture, bliss...]
removing the old filling & the decay...
and placing a "temporary" crown...


[1= damaged tooth 2= prepped tooth w/crown being applied
3= finished crowned tooth]

THEN...

after January 1, 2009...
return to have the crown "placed"...

my "prep"/bonding appointment is for August 28...

I may not be able to hang with the temporary crown for 4 months...

BUT... if I have the crown put in BEFORE January...
I'll have to pay $750 out of my already taxed pocket...



I suppose it could be worse...

I could have NO insurance...
and need over $1500.00...

I guess that God is testing my ability to "trust"...
that He can... and will... provide all my needs...

OK...

after what I've seen lately...
I believe that He can, and will...
do anything necessary to provide what I need...

because...

God is good...

...the cats in the hard hats

I came to a bitter and expensive conclusion recently...

the contractor and I were discussing...
the first couple of days of demolition of the old bath...

the tub [cast iron] goes out...
NOT a small job...
all the tile & plaster on all 4 walls and floor go...
perhaps even the ceiling...

the sink & vanity... gone...
ALL plumbing for sink & tub/shower...gone...
the toilet will "go and return"...
to always be there at night...
the main waste stack may need to be moved...
it may have to be replaced...

medicine cabinet... gone...
double hung window... gone...
[at least for repairs...]
entire sub floor and walls surrounding tub...
gone...as far as the dry rot goes...



down to the studs... and perhaps...
beyond...



the floor will be "open" overnight...
[perhaps more if the dry rot is pervasive...]
the front door & screen door...
will have to be propped open, 24/7 ...
at least on the main demo days...

we may even have a debris chute out the window...

he called it "turn & burn"...
several men...
moving fast...
ripping out everything...
and hauling it away...

this is NOT "cat secure"...
on a very busy street...
or even vaguely, "cat friendly"...
when it's happening all around you...

they've dealt with construction noise before...
[the roof... the central heat & air installation...]
but those things were "above"...
or "below"...
and out of sight...

and the house was "secure"...

a couple of them, Sneaky Pie & Gracie, are SO snoopy...
and know NO fear...
committing "felinious assault" on anyone trying to work...
some of them enjoy getting into every one's way...
[Thomas...Lucyfur...Gracie & SPie...]
creating problems for fast moving workers...

the rest are, at best, wary...

& nervous...




at the worst... will become petrified...
hiding under or behind anything...
bolting out ANY open door or window...
anything to escape the noise and commotion...



not even coming out to eat...

so I'll have to relocate them for the first couple of days...

I'll distract them with one of their favorite meals...



smelly canned "people" tuna...

or maybe...
their all-time favorite meal...



rotisserie chicken... yummm !

they normally get what I don't want...
ie... back meat... skin...
I may just "go for it"...
and give them everything...



once they've stuffed themselves...
I won't need a trap...



or even one of these...



although the mere appearance of the carriers...
is often enough to provoke wide-spread "vanishing"...
I've been cleverly leaving them in the DR...



along with these...
[the vet has promised me the use of several more...]

and if I grab the biggest babies first...
[Thomas, Gracie, Frick & Charlie...]
I should get most of them without too much of a fuss...
[she said bravely...but, just to be safe...
stocking-up on band aids... ]




I will tell them that they are going to the "spa"...




when in reality... they will be going to "chez vet"...



during their sojourn there...
they will be checked, updated on vaccinations...
have teeth & ears "dealt with"....
claws clipped... etc...



and yes... perhaps even a b-a-t-h...
although Robbie's the only one...
who might have needed one...
and he's gone now...

my projected "start day"...
and the 2 or 3 days following...
[at this point September 9-11...
& no...the symbolism isn't lost on me...]
will be the worst... and are the target "cat spa days"...

my vet is already on "red alert"...

if we DO start demo on Sept.9, a Monday...
I will have to be up at "0-dark:30" ...
on the previous Saturday AM,"catching" cats...
and transporting them in stages...
as they won't all fit in one, or even 2 trips...
to the vet... who closes at 1 PM on Saturday...
and is NOT open on Sunday..
that leaves me up again at "0-dark:30" on Monday...
trying to catch any who are "slick" enough...
to avoid capture on Saturday...
as the workmen will arrive "early"...

if any just get so freaked that I can't catch them...
I'll leave my bedroom door open...
and they can hide in there until I can capture them...

I even purchased write-on, disposable collars for them...
so the vet won't get them "confused" with others...
or each other... there are a bunch of them...
he plans to house them apart from the "sickies"...
[but there will be noisy dogs... sorry, guys...]

when they finally come home...
a couple of them will plot revenge...
some will be pissed at me...
some will ignore me...
and a couple will NOT trust me...
for a good, long, while...

perhaps this is the correct moment...
for the rotisserie chicken...

someone remarked to me that it would be so strange...for me ...
to be alone...with NO kitties...
for several days...

the last time I lived alone... with NO cats...
was in the dorm in college...
[& that's not really,"alone"...]
almost 40 years ago...

so I guess I have never really lived alone...
without a furry friend...
not for long, anyway...

it seems strange to me...
when 1 or 2 are at the vet...

it will be a VERY long & lonely 3 or 4 days...

no cat hair in my food...
no cat squabbles to referee...
no trills for "pets, accompanied by pawing...
no head butts...or nudging...
no catly "messes" to clean up...
no "accompanying" me to the bathroom...
no jumping on my stomach while I'm sleeping...
no getting under my feet...
no strange "crashes" in the middle of the night...
no begging for food...
no climbing into my lap...

*sigh*

very solitary...very quiet...very dull...
and trés ex$pen$ive...

but it will be worth it...



so the kitties will be as unstressed as possible...
[if you can call being at the vet "un-stressful"...]

but they won't need any more vet visits...
for quite some time after this...

and I'll only have to worry about...
how I'm going to pay for all this...

...still a lovely stained glass window

regular readers may remember this...
"a lovely stained glass" window...
that the skilled craftsman/cat whisperer...
installed and trimmed last October...



seen here installed, trim unpainted...


in my search for a piece of glass ...
to insert in the top of my existing bathroom window...
[needs to fit within 21" wide x 14.5" high...]
this seems the best fit...

it has the right colors...
I love it...
it is SOOOO period correct...
and it physically would fit the area...
without the frame, that is...
[the glass is 20" x 10"...]

as we saw with the first one...
it can be removed from the frame...
[although we left the first framed...]
and set on the existing top window...
inside... over the existing glass...
and trimmed out top and bottom...

buying a new "wooden" replacement window ...
would cost me at least $500...
and a vinyl replacement window is just...
well... just too icky to consider...

I'm hoping that the one can be fixed...
[new hardware, shored up, sash cord repaired...]
and decorated for less...

the window was on sale...$30 off...
AND... I got an additional 5% off...
as well as NO TAX... & FREE SHIPPING...
so it only cost me $120.00...

at that rate... maybe I can afford to hire...
the "skilled craftsman" to rebuild the window...
and set this stained glass...
he'd do a great job on the trim...


with all the care I'm taking to create...
the bathroom I've always wanted this to be...
I'm NOT going to mess it up with schlocky stuff...
that isn't style-correct or that I hate...

while shopping...I also found these...
that are the wrong shape...
I've seen them before...
and always liked them..




they would, however look very nice...
elsewhere in my house...

....better than a list

I love it when a plan just "comes together"...

my reaction to signing my bathroom redo contract....
AND writing out a deposit check for $1000.00...
was to go to Loewe's after dropping the contracts/check...
into the correct box at the USPS substation...

the really nice guy who had installed my RO water filter...
in January, 2005... in the kitchen...
had been here a couple of weeks ago to replace the cartridge...

he came all the way from Ahnoldtown...
something he does NOT do any longer...
because I couldn't find a local vendor...
who would do the job...
and for $30 more, he stopped by on an "outing"...
just to help me out...

while changing the cartridge, he noticed that my faucet/sprayer...
was leaking under the sink when I used the sprayer...
it was new in 2005 and I got it from Loewe's, on sale...
and being a Moen, works pretty well...



the problem is the plastic fitting in the sprayer...
it leaks down the hose because it is plastic...
like the faucet itself...
which I bought because it matches my sink ...
and because I like the style of faucet/sprayer...
with a l-o-n-g hose for plant watering...
coffee maker filling... all the usual...
[OK... it was also cheaper ...]



since I had it before I got the sink...
I got a sink that had the correct openings for it...
using what would usually be the sprayer opening...
for the RO water filter faucet...

so when Mr Nice Water Filter Guy told me ...
that I should consider replacing the faucet with a metal one...
I listened... knowing that he had no reason to "sell" me...
and as he remarked, "you have really good water pressure...
the leak will only get worse over time ..."

since I liked the basic design and "package" of my faucet...
and any replacement would have to be pretty close to what I have...
in order to "fit"in my sink without drilling holes...
and since "a little voice" had said
to my "thrifty Scot side"...[aka "cheap"...]
"you'll be sorry ....
if you don't spend the extra $40.00 for the stainless steel one"...
back in 2005...

I've been "looking"...

I went to Loewe's today to look at replacement windows...
and found out that what I REALLY want...
is to have the existing one repaired...

I like the trim...
and after having the sash cord replaced...
and the loose members tightened...
it should be fine...

my current plan is to find ...
a piece of stained glass for the top...
and obscure the bottom...
[re-frost or ... ?]

this will also solve my "window treatment" dilemma...

so while I was wandering around...
after picking up some petunias for the front porch...
OK,OK... AND some alyssum... AND more portulacas...
[they didn't have any lobelia...
"Crystal Palace" is my weakness... ]
I wandered down the faucet aisle...

and... there it was...

high up...with similar types...
from several brands...
including a plastic one like mine...

the one I wanted...



ALL the others were too contemporary, or shiny...
the one I liked, was the only Moen in that style...
in stainless steel...all the others were chrome...

my bath "metal" is chrome...
my kitchen has black & stainless appliances...
with copper accents...
but I didn't want a copper faucet...
and the other choices were bright brass and bronze...

since the faucet is directly opposite the stove...
which is black and stainless steel...
this would be, "just right"...

so I found the code numbers...
and started looking for the bin...

and, there it was ...right in front of me...

not only that... there was only one box...

there were several similar ones in chrome...
they had multiple boxes in stock...

but in stainless... there was only the one...

it was also the most expensive... [sigh]
at $148.00...



I put it in my cart... very grateful to have found it...

so deciding to "press my luck"...
I went looking for a new toilet seat...
the one I have is about a year old...
but it has bright brass hardware...
and my new bathroom NEEDS a new toilet seat...

it didn't take long to find them...
AND... there was a round, light oak one with chrome hardware...
only $20.00... and since there were a couple in the bin...
I checked the grain, and found one with "tight" graining...



less than this picture shows... more like maple...

all in all... a pretty profitable trip...

interesting, that the one thing I went to see...
was the one thing I didn't buy...
but in NOT buying, will save $$$...
and I found just what I wanted...

of course... the enemy marshaled his forces ...
as I tried to use the "self check-out"...
"unknown item in bag area... remove unknown item"...
followed by...
"item removed from bag area... replace item..."
followed by...
"unknown item in bag area...remove unknown item..."
followed by...
[you get the idea...]

until the clerk took pity on me ...
and reset the @#$@#%@ machine...

after all that...
I almost forgot to pay for the toilet seat...
but saw it, just in time...

not the "perfect shopping trip"...
but as good as it gets for me, right now...

...taking a deep breath

it arrived in the mail today...
I was aware that it had been mailed...
and was eagerly awaiting it's arrival...

the contract for my bathroom redo...

I will read it...
sign & initial all 5 pages, both copies...
and then return it to the contractors...
they will sign one of them and return it to me...

then it will be "game on"...



"redo" sounds rather....
"let's paint and change the curtains..."
and this is soooo, NOT that...

I've lived here for 20 years...
and wanted to "fix" the bathroom from the beginning...

I'm glad I waited... because my tastes have changed...
but living with an increasingly unusable bathroom ...
has not been fun...

when I have scrubbed it...it's still nasty...
[broken leaky pipes...behind tile...]
and the most recent house settling...
since the new roof of September, 2005...
cracked the floor tiles badly...
making the most newly scrubbed floor look dirty...
the subfloor is rotten...
the toilet "rocks" when a cat jumps on it...

the vanity is broken...the plumbing will leak as it chooses...
[that's WHY the subfloor is rotten...]
the shower faucets have been beyond repair for 20 years...
[they squirt HOT water when the shower's being used...]
the tub is unusable...[not that I ever would...]
but it's a pain to climb into...and NEVER gets clean...
[besides harboring possums from underneath the house...]

ALL the grout needs replacing...
I've re caulked the tub a number of times...
but it doesn't last...

something "organic" is growing out of the wall...
between the faucets and the tub...
out of the old caulk...
it's fibrous, looks like thick horse hair...
and comes back as soon as I remove it...

I don't have a mildew problem...
because I always make sure to "ventilate", after a shower...
and I used anti-mildew paint when I last painted in 1993...
I DID have a mildew problem before that...

after 80 years...all the tile... and the tub...
need reglazing to be able to be cleaned properly...
and stay that way for more than a day...

I have never had any visitors use it ...
without feeling ashamed of it's grungy-ness...
so I'm looking forward to this getting started [9/8/08]...
[those of you who are aware of my fasination with the number "9"...
notice the start date = 9....]
and finished [10/17/08]...

these are, of course, "tentative" dates...

they won't start sooner...
but may end a lot later...
[if there are problems...]

the bottom line is that I've come a very long way...
from where I was last year at this time...

in how I'm living...
[my surroundings... my health... my outlook...]

and my plans for the future...
[what ? ... I can't tell you ...
if He hasn't told me yet....
can I ? ...]

I know that there's a quite lot yet to do...
but with all the "miracles"...
"goals accomplished"...
"life-changing projects started"...
and "hearts' desires realized"...
that I've seen in this last year...
in my life ...
and the lives of others who are dear to me...
I am encouraged to keep going...

it won't be easy, but the good things never are...

they are, however, worth it...
all the effort, tears, frustration, pain...
working, hoping, praying and waiting...
will eventually result in the life God had planned...

for each of us...

if we can stay the course...

keep the faith...do the work...

and trust our little lives...
with their daily traumas, fears...
dreams and plans...

to the "Master Contractor"...

I'm already enjoying my "better life"...
less cluttered, cleaner surroundings...
more order... less chaos...

and plan on continuing to "become"...
as He tells me, who, what, how & when...

and He will...

because...

God, is good...

for those of you interested ...
in the REAL bottom line...
of the bathroom "fix", that is...
here are the gory details...
maybe I'll start buying lottery tickets...

...why am I surprised ?

this lucky kitty is enjoying fresh...
filtered, recirculated water ...
[looks like Mackie...but it's not...]
from his Drinkwell Platnum Pet Fountain...

about a year ago, I bit the bullet...
and upgraded from the crockery water bowls...
to 2 of these little beauties...
[costing me a cool $160.00 for the two...]

I was tired of constantly cleaning & refilling the bowls...
and of being harassed EVERY time I went by the bathroom...
or into the kitchen...
by some cat in the sink, pestering me for a drink...

what they wanted was "drips"...
for me to leave the faucet marginally open & dripping...
so they could drink the drips...

it wasted water...
left a ton of cat hair in the sink...
and was annoying...

the "fountains" solved the problem...
everyone loved them...
they were easy to fill and clean...
they all were drinking more water...
and were healthier to boot...

not every piece of "cat tech" has been a success...
[don't even ask about the "automatic litter boxes"...]
but these are great...and worth every cent...
[there is a smaller version...
as well as one that grows grass on the side...]

so now that they are established...
what has started happening, AGAIN...?



Cagney...at her favorite watering hole...
[maybe she knows it's days are numbered...]

CATS... go figure...

...the big squeeze, take 2

I wrote a post, early on...
about things I've found in my mailbox...

among the things I'm not interested in learning...
by mail, or as it happened yesterday by phone...
is included the phrase...


"there is a blurry spot on your mammogram"...
and we need to see you for more pictures...
to resolve this issue...



after "reassuring " me that there was "no cause for alarm"...
[yeah, sure... "call-backs" are good for auditions...
but generally, not so much for mammograms...]
I agreed to return today, at 10 AM...
I did NOT want this hanging "over" me...

so I arrived about 9:45...checked-in...
[they couldn't find me on the computer...
and had NO record of my appointment...
a mere hint of things to come...]

so as I sat in the frosty AC filled room...
my head filled with "visions of sugarplums", NOT...
the people who had arrived before me began to ask...
"how much longer would they have to wait ?"



apparently, they were "a bit behind"...

but just in the "squeeze" department...
as other x-ray & such patients...
came in, were called in, and left...
as there we sat...

I'm not sure how long I sat there...
but after staring at the walls, floor, ceiling,etc...
and reading an old Sunset magazine, twice...
[ask me anything ...
about abalone culture or Eichler style...]

finally... they called my name...

I follow the technician back...
step behind the curtain...
take off everything above the waist...
put on the skimpy gown, opening in the front...
put my "belongings" in a plastic tub...
and carrying said tub...
try to keep "covered" ...
on my trip to the mammography room...

this was made a bit more "eventful"...
as there was a guy...
who had just had a mammogram...
[yes... guys can get breast cancer too...]
talking to a nurse in a hallway...
NOT usually occupied by men...



the technician wasn't sure what needed to be done to me...
and went to consult the radiologist...3 times...
closing the door behind her each time...
so I couldn't overhear their conversation...

all the while... assuring me that,
"this is not a big deal"...

even though the technician in the picture is grinning...
I don't believe that they WANT to hurt their patients...
but getting squeezed HURTS... !
especially while you're twisted around...

[if you're unfamiliar with the process...
just look at the juicer...
and apply THAT principle...
to the two parts of the machine...
forming the "bread" in a boob sandwich...
guys... it feels like that nutcracker
being used... well, you know...]



so when she took the 2 pictures ...
that the radiologist wanted...
she told me, "just relax [HA]...
while I take these to the doctor...
then I'll come back ...
and give you the results..."

so there I sat...
by this time...
REALLY COLD...
[she did lower the AC while I waited...]

then she returned...
all smiles...
telling me that they were ...
just "blurry" spots...
the doctor said that
everything was fine...
and I could go home...



I was dressed ...
and out of there in record time...
after nearly 1.5 hours ...
spent in the frigid AC...
for a 20 minute exam...
so as I stepped outside ...
into the Mudville Summer heat...
I've never appreciated it more...

as well as the feeling of a burden lifted...

God is so good...

...ummm, ice cream

I have been well-known ...
among my friends and family...
for NOT having a sweet tooth...
Mom could never understand it...
["are you sure we're related ?"...]
neither could my best friend...
["oh, well... more for me..."]

if it was rich... and gooey...
and chocolate... or really sweet...
one bite was enough for me...
"too sweet", I'd say ...
and pass it on to my friend...
[maybe that's why
she was my friend... hummm...]

having said that...
this next statement
becomes a non sequitor...

I LOVE ice cream...

well...let me qualify that...

I LOVE some ice creams...


I like my ice cream on the "hard" side...
I like "chewing it"...
the ice cream itself...
NOT a bunch of stuff in it...
I like it to have "tooth"...

also, NOT too sweet...
definitely NOT too rich...
NOT too heavy...
with a lot of add-ins ...
OR rich ingredients...

especially ...
NOT coating my mouth ...
with butter fat residue...

and...

NEVER, EVER...

all glommed together ...
half melted...
with a bunch of candy or nuts...
or gooey swirls...

[Coldstone...?
uhh, no... not for me...]

I feel MUCH better now...
having cleared that up...

a little background...

when I was a kid ...
our family traveled 25 miles for Chinese dinners...
once in a great while...
[one of our few family outings...]

and after Chinese food...
we always went to the Superior Dairy...
for ice cream cones...

I ALWAYS got chocolate chip....



it looked like this...vanilla ice cream ...
shot through with shaved semi sweet chocolate...
a lot like an Eskimo Pie bar...
not too sweet... not too rich...

the last time I had it was on Mom's 90th...
it was still just as I remembered it...

as I grew... my taste in ice cream ...
has remained skewed towards "simple"...
or "not too sweet"..."not too rich"...

and at home, growing up...
because Dad ate most of the "ice cream" ...
at our house, and he was always heavy...
Mom would buy ice milk instead of ice cream...

Dad liked vanilla, mixed with soda...
7Up, Pepsi, rootbeer...
whatever...he liked floats...
milkshakes...& ice cream sodas...

all easily made at home with ice milk...
and NOT TOO rich...

to this day, my favorite fountain drink...
is a chocolate soda with vanilla ice cream...
NO whipped cream, please...
[butterfat, you know...]

even as a "scooper" at Baskin Robbins ...
[during grad school in Chicago...]
my favorites included "mandarin orange sherbet"...
[semi sweet chocolate & orange...yummm...]
and "daiquiri ice"... [like the frozen drink...]

*notice* NONE of these are ice cream...

I have always appreciated simple flavors...
especially fruity ones...
my favorite being, "fresh peach"...



I "fell" for homemade peach ice cream...
made from tree ripened fruit...



hand cranked freezer...
warm summer days in the back yard...
under the large trees...
where a hint of breeze lingered...
despite the sweltering central valley heat...



then... I discovered this...
so much like homemade...
not at all rich... not too sweet...
with big chunks of peaches throughout...
ummmm....



then there's this...
Haagen Daz chocolate...
when it's rock hard...
it is so good...
not too sweet...



and this "specialty"...
Haagen Daz Mayan chocolate...
semi sweet chocolate with cinnamon...
there is a swirl...
but the semi sweet chocolate is so good...
I can ignore that bit of too sweetness...



ginger ice cream... first enjoyed by me in Boston...
after a very garlicky Thai dinner...
is another favorite of mine...



and I LOVE peppermint ice cream...
but prefer the bits of candy to be on the small side...
and the ice cream to be rock hard...
I've been known to buy several cartons during the holidays...
and ration it through January...



when I worked at BR...
I loved their pumpkin pie ice cream...
some people put "crust" in "pie" flavors...
I can do without it...
especially if the ice cream is hard...



the same goes for egg nog...
I don't like it if it's too "rich"...
"rummy" is fine...with a strong "nutmeg" presence...
and again...very hard...



by now... you've got the idea...
the rummy raisins are the thing...

someday... I'll overcome my laziness...
and make my own...

I have the machine...



I wonder if you can make a decent "Guinness" ice or sorbet ?

hummm...

...the days of heavy lifting

after more than a week of arriving home to find this...
or more accurately, opening the door ...



to find several like these...
waiting to be "wrestled" inside...



and then these "smallish" boxes of tile...
that must have weighed 40 or 50 lbs for the floor tiles[flat boxes...]
and at least 30 to 40 lbs for the larger trim...
that needed "schlepping" from my car...
[the cool trim in the yellow box was quite light weight...]



the last item I found, a chrome over-the toilet shelf...
arrived today...
I had just finished carrying in the tiles from my car...
and when I went back out,"stealth man" had left the box...



the toilet arrived in 2 boxes...
one box was 37 lbs...the other was 52 lbs...
[Mack & Murph are "enjoying them" in the 2nd photo...



ALL of the towels & rugs have arrived now...
I'm not unpacking them for anti-clutter...
and cleanliness reasons...
as well as all pieces of the accessories I bought...



this shelf finally arrived...

so now... I wait...

I called the contractor and left a message...
he had told me to let him know when the tile I ordered arrived...
then he would send the tile guy over so we could plan...
I'm going to try to draw a scale diagram showing the pattern I want for the wall...

I have some grid paper...
a ruler and some felt pens...
I know how I want it to look...
I just hope that I can make it "to scale"...

I still don't know what to do for a window covering...
we are supposed to replace the old double hung window...
with something similar, but not wood...[rot issues...]
if I could find just the right piece...
I'd like a stained glass top...with a frosted bottom...

and then...have NO curtains or blinds...

I think I'll probably leave the walls & ceiling,"white"...
if it doesn't look strange against the tile "white"...
I'll use the "Cameo White" from the rest of the house ...
on the woodwork and built-in shelves...
it's a creamy white... I'll have to see how it looks...

I'm just glad that the end is in sight ...
for the "heavy lifting"...
because there's not a muscle ...
in my hands and arms that doesn't hurt...
and my arms and hands are covered with bruises...

...a garden party

"I went to a garden party...
to reminisce with my old friends..."

the first lines of a Ricky Nelson hit song...
[probably, his last one before he died]

they came to mind Saturday evening...
as I drove back to Mudville...
from "Vitamin C Hills"...
a northern "burb" of Ahnoldtown...
where I had attended the 60th birthday party...
of someone I've known 40 years...

there were A LOT of people there...
most of whom, I don't know...
but there were a few that I did...
so it wasn't too awkward...

4 years ago, on the same day [August 9, 2004...]
I had gathered with a few of the same people...
in Mudville to celebrate the birthday of Big J...
trombonist extraordinaire... raconteur...
gourmand... and the husband of Smiley K...
this past Saturday's birthday girl...
[August 9 is really Big J's birthday...
Smiley K's is actually
a couple of days earlier...]

a year later, Big J would be gone...
a massive heart attack in mid July...
[one month to the day ...
after he retired from teaching...]
would take him from us...
so suddenly...
and very much too soon...

when my e-mail invitation arrived ....
over a month ago...
I checked my past calendar...
and noted the event in 2004...

my Mom had just been hospitalized ...
due to injuries from her fall...
and I was making the 300+ mile round trip...
between Mudville and Fresno, where she was...

daily...

besides taking care of my own house & kitties...
AND preparing for the start, of what would be...
my last year of teaching prior to retirement...
I was also making the 30 mile trek...
from the hospital to the ranch...

where I fed Mom's dog & cat...
picked up the mail, paid her bills....
watered everything...[VERY hot & dry in August...]
sometimes slept a couple of hours...
went BACK to the hospital...
sat with Mom most of the day...

THEN...

returned to Mudville...
feeding cats, watering...
dealing with mail & messages...
a few hours of sleep...
then, "on the road, again..."

I was on this routine for 4 or 5 weeks...

after school started and Mom was in a rehab place...
we had her neighbor feeding the animals...
and her yard guy watering & keeping an eye on things...
I went down every weekend...
to pick up her mail at the post office...
and take care of her business...
besides visiting her in the rehab place...

on October 22, [my birthday...]
she returned to the ranch...
but with a 24/7 live-in caregiver...
so I could come down only every 2 weeks...
until April 1, 2005...
when she moved to the care home, for good...

Big J's birthday party...
at a Mudville Greek restaurant...
was a welcome respite for me ...
from the surreality of it all...
and I think because of all I was dealing with...
at such a pivotal point in my life...
and all we would subsequently go through together...
with Big J's sudden passing...
has forever linked us in my mind...
in a melancholy way...

Big J had just finished...
"settling" his Mom's estate...
and they were returning home from San Jose...
where they had spent a couple of days...
cleaning out the house, to sell it...
with a trailer of keepsakes...

Smiley K, her brother Big A and his wife K2...
had also gone through ...
the debilitation & loss of their parents...

Tuba Guy & Optimist, his wife...
[who also taught at my school...]
were there...
and they both had gone through the same...
"child becomes the caretaker" period ...
before loosing their parents...
as well...

as we sat together, celebrating Big J's birthday...
joking & laughing...mandatory around Big J's sharp wit...
we couldn't know that the next time...
we would all be gathered together...
would be at his memorial service, less than a year later...
celebrating the life he shared with us all...
but mourning his sudden, untimely passing...

so, on Saturday evening...
as I visited with Tuba Guy & Optimist...
Big A...[K2 was in Florida, with their grandchildren...]
Smiley K, the "birthday girl"...
her daughters, son-in-law & new grand baby...
as well as a couple of others I knew...
among the 75 or 80 guests...

I was remembering Big J...
and the gathering 4 years before...
and ALL that has transpired since...
leaving me with a tinge of sadness...

as I was leaving, I said good-bye to Big A...
who was busy cuddling his baby grand niece...
[he's been fighting cancer for a while now...
and seems to be holding his own... but you never know...]

and then to Tuba Guy & Optimist...
who actually live a few blocks from me in Mudville...
Optimist invited me to "come over for a shower"...
during my bath remodel...maybe I will...
[she finally retired last December...
and looks better than I can remember...]

as I made my good-byes to Smiley K...
I wished her a happy birthday...
"although, it was really Big J's birthday..."
and I showed her my calendar entry from 2004...
on my Treo, listing Big J's party...
she smiled and remarked ...
that I was one of the few ...
who realized that it was actually his birthday...

as I drove home... in a melancholy mood...
I found myself thinking that life...
is such a gift ...
and is far too unpredictable...
to ever hold grudges...
or allow dissensions to fester...

and then...

lost in the moments past...
uncertain of the future...
but hopeful in the goodness of God...

I found myself humming that song...

"but I'm all right now...
I've learned my lesson well...
you can't please everyone...
so you, just have to please yourself..."

...one lucky cat

["Lucky Cat"]

early Friday morning...around 4 AM...
I became aware of "clunking" sounds outside...
as I listened... and became more awake...
I realized that it sounded like someone...
was trying to to open one of my windows...
from the outside...

since I live alone...
and the kitties can't open the old double hung,
wood frame windows... with broken sash cords...
I was understandably frightened...

I put on my robe...
and turned on the bedroom lights...
I didn't hear the scurrying departure sounds...
of a would-be intruder that I had feared...
but I still heard the clunking...

I walked into the hall...
then the office turning on lights as I went...
noticing a bevy of cats...
reacting to the same clunking I was...

I stood in the office, window open...
listening... nothing...
then... as I turned off the light...
I heard it again...
it seemed to come from the bathroom...

I flipped on the light and looked in...



there was Cagney... in the window...
between the glass...which had been open...
and the screen... which is wired shut...


[I didn't make her stay trapped while I took pictures...]

that window sash cord has been broken for years...
and since I need the ventilation...
especially at night...

and the kitties LOVE to lay in the sill...

I have a piece of 1" x 2" that I use to prop the window open...
I jam it into the window track, so it won't get knocked over...
because that window is heavy...
and would fall like a guillotine blade...
on any unsuspecting cat who knocked the support loose...

but that must be exactly what happened...
she must have knocked the support out of place...



the clunking that I heard...
was trapped Cagney... rattling the loose window...
trying to get out... she didn't even cry...

Friday... 08/08/08 is considered by the Chinese...
to be the most fortunate day in this entire century...

it certainly was for Cagney ...
who emerged from her ordeal...
not only unscathed... but non plussed as well...

as soon as she had a drink...
and I was sure that she was unharmed...
she hopped right back up into the window...
and went back to sleep...

a very lucky cat...

God is good indeed !

...the allure of darkness

I despise ATT... dealing with them...
and all their previous incarnations ...
was the bane of my existence...
for years...






until I switched my local service to Sprint...


I had signed
on with Sprint back in their "early days"...
[late 70's/early 80's...]
for their "long distance service"...
when I had friends who lived in other states...
that I talked to often...

when Mom was alive... we talked every day...
long distance... often over an hour at a time...
and the unique to Sprint plan that offered a huge discount...
on the ONE number you called the most...
saved us both a LOT of $$$...

so when Sprint offered "local area access"...
I jumped to them in a flash...
bundling the local & long distance...
saving a bunch of $$$...


"... and there was a great peace in the galaxy..."

but about a year, or so, ago...
Sprint got out of the landline business...
selling out to Trinsic/Matrix...
and the monthly charges began to rise...
until even with a $5.00 p/m discount...
my charge last month was $80.55...
[NO long distance calls...NO extras...]



I had been getting "love notes" from ATT ...
every other month or so...ever since I left them...



but they were not enough of a savings to tempt me...
considering all my "issues" with ATT...
and all the baggage from previous associations...

so then, a month ago, I got this...



I knew from paying Mom's ATT bill...
that simple service was about $18.00 p/m...
[including taxes, etc...]
but I couldn't trust...
I was afraid of being dumped on again...

so I waited...

and I got another "invitation"...
at the same time that I was very aware ....
of just how much Trinsic was charging...
[they have NO plan flexibility whatsoever...]

I didn't really feel OK with going back...
[evil empire, and all...]
but my desire to spend SO MUCH less...
for a service I didn't use much...
was too tempting...

and I fell back into the pit...



as I tried to access ATT online...
I started remembering ALL the reasons ...
that I had despised them before...

they have SO cleverly just "upgraded" their web page...
to IE 5.5 and above, ONLY...
[and fairly recently, I might add...
because I managed Mom's account...
very successfully online...just last year...]

uuh...Mac doesn't support IE...we have Safari...
we can run PC programs that are supported by Vista...
but the free down loadable IE 5.5...is NOT...

when Mac developed Safari...
Microsoft stopped upgrading IE for Mac...
they stopped at IE 5.2...
SOOOO....



I tried several times to access their page...
would get in a bit ...but then the door would slam...
and I kept getting the snotty...
"your browser cannot support our wonderful site"...
and... the oh, so "lovely"...
"please upgrade your lame browser
to accommodate wonderful, perfect us"
messages.... [grrrr...]

relinquishing ALL shreds of dignity...
and the anonymity of the Internet...
I dialed the 800 number...
ready to "feast on crow"...
with a real person...
[whom I assumed would be snickering...
or at least smiling... as I crawled "back"....]

the automated menu was very brief...
the agent was VERY nice...
there was NO hard sell...AT ALL...

I ended up with unlimited local calling...
plus 2 hours of long distance p/m...
[it should be noted that the "Sleepy Village"...
about 13 miles north of Mudville...
is considered "long distance"...]

no frills or fancy add-ons...

all for $15.00 p/m...plus fees...
for a total of about $20.00 p/m...
instead of $80.00 p/m...
AND... they will change my service...
so I don't have to deal with Trinsic...
she also set up automatic payment...
so I don't have to deal with the &)(#!@# web page...


I still have Sprint service for my cell...



where I have more than enough anytime minutes...
AND I have all the Internet time I need ...
to check my e-mail... and even my blog !
all for about $60.00 p/m...

I LOVE my Treo 755...

and I especially love all the...

I no longer have to send to Trinsic...

POST SCRIPT...

heh,heh,heh...



I just replaced Safari with Firefox...
not only does it chew up and spit out IE...
I no longer have to deal with the lame,
Safari "keychain" password requests...
that came in pairs...
EVERYTIME I went to a new page...

and BTW... the look is great...
crisper... better...
and WAY faster... !

take that IE...
and stuff it Safari...

hee, hee... hee, hee

...drawing catly inspiration

I identify with all things feline...
for me , it's a "purr-fect" fit [sorry...]
but my house is NOT stocked with cat bric-a-brac...
because it is stocked with the REAL thing...

so I've NEVER been that...
"oh, it's SOOO precious...I want 3... in PINK... with rhinestones..."
kind of person... [yuck...barforama...]
but, I always melt around real kittens...
[they ARE sooo cute...I can't resist them...]
the size of my cat family, makes that fact, obvious...

today...I want to invite you to explore the animated cats...
as in the "drawn", created characters...
who have been a part of my life since I can remember...
[and that's a LONG time....]

their position in popular culture ...at first, as villains...
[ah, the poor mice, birds & dogs who are their victims...]
eventually morphing into rebels, "individualists" and weirdos...
just like the rest of us...

illustrating the societal shift ...
between the clear "good vs evil"...
the "pc" movement...
which has had both good [inclusive]...
and bad [reverse prejudice] outcomes...
and today's attitude of ...
"I've got mine, go get your own/finders keepers..."

often carried to extremes...
promoting general rudeness, lack of respect...
no concern for others and the rapid dissolution ...
of a cohesive society based on common values...




this is from "Steamboat Willie", 1928 ...
Disney's introduction of Mickey Mouse to the world...
it was also the introduction of "Black Pete"...
a villainous cat, as Mickey's arch enemy...

although Black Pete...
had first appeared in 1925...
in one of the "Alice" shorts...
and would reappear, as the villain...
with other names...
[aka "Pegleg Pete" & "Bad Pete"] in other Disney shorts...

it would be his position of nemesis...
to Mickey & his gang...
that guaranteed the continuance of his character...
and his subsequent "pc" metamorphose ...
[dropping the "black" in his name...]
into Goofy's neighbor..."Pete"...
in the "Goof Troop" TV show ...
and movie spin offs of the '70's & 80's...



"Pete", Goofy's "best friend", is a bit of a selfish blowhard...
who means "well"... but generally does the wrong thing...
[think, "Ralph Kramden"... or even "Fred Flintstone"...]
but at his core, he's not really a bad guy...
[way to totally "gut" a character for profit, Disney...]


THIS "Black Pete"... was a flat-out bad guy...



throughout the comic books and cartoons of my youth...
Black Pete, often with the aid of his lackeys, the Beagle Boys...
terrorized all "good" Disney characters...
[ie Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy & Uncle Scrooge....]

it was only as I got older...
that I realized... he was a cat...

it was obvious to me, even as a child...
seeing "Cinderella" at the movies...



that "Lucifer", was a bad cat...

terrorizing all the "nice mice" who tried to help Cinderella...
as well as sabotaging all of her efforts to finish her work...

he belonged to the "evil stepmother"...
and was her nefarious collaborator ...
as well as her malicious soulmate...

he not only did her bidding...



he relished it...


the two Siamese from "Lady & the Tramp"...
were not only sneaky, selfish and evil...



Disney, who we now know was a racist...
made them strangely foreign...
and therefore... truly villainous...
[this was 1952... just 11 years after Pearl Harbor...
anti-Asian sentiment was right below the surface...]
now, I consider their song, shallow and annoying...
as well as having "racist" overtones...

then... I loved it...
and NOTHING could stop me from singing it...
over... & over... & over... & over...

[come on, join in... I KNOW some of you want to...]

"we are Si-a-me-se, if you ple-ase...[meow]
we are Si-a-mese, if you don't please...[meow]
we are for-mer re-si-dents of Si-am... [me-ow, meow, meow...]
there are no fi-ner cats, than I am...[meow]"

I remember especially enjoying
"doing" the meow parts...
what ?... I was only 5 at the time...
[ rolls eyes...] "get a grip"...

*hrummmph...*


THEN... there's THIS cat...
I have to admit... all the silliness in "Alice in Wonderland"...
REALLY annoyed me as a child...
for I was a serious-minded, literal child...
who did NOT appreciate foolishness...
[I've never cared for slapstick, either...]

NOTHING in "Wonderland" made "sense"...
it wasn't supposed to...
but I didn't understand that, then...

however... as I got older...
and could appreciate the symbolism in Carroll's story...
the entropy... the chaos...
the sheer lunacy of it all...
"down the rabbit hole"...

I could allow myself to let go of reality enough...
to recognize the farce & dementia for what it was...
to let it just be a form of "play" I could participate in...
[I believe I've mentioned my control & trust issues...]



now that I no longer identify only with stodgy, serious Alice...
I can appreciate the absolute goofiness and glee...
intrinsically inherent in every fiber of the Cheshire Cat...
and his whimsical, multistage vanishing act...



slowly "dissolving" before our eyes...



until only his grin was left...
then, *poof* ... it would be gone too...




in the world-weary 70's...
a new kind of cartoon cat arrived...
"making his mark" on society...you might say...



one with "cat-itude"...
and often a victim of "life"...
as were we all...



Garfield was fat... he was lazy...
he was self-centered and arrogant...
he didn't suffer fools gladly...

and he was surrounded by "fools"...


of which, not the least annoying was NERMAL...



cuteness purr-sonified...[oops...sorry...]
at times brilliantly devious or just plain dumb...
he was, ALWAYS, drop-dead, cute...
and, to Garfield, annoyingly so...




Garfield's everyman reactions to the pitfalls of life...
rang true with most of us....
because in being "like us" in his reactions to his world...
we could laugh both at him...
and at ourselves...



we could identify with his attempts ...
to "cat-ify" Nermal, in his own image...
attempts, which NEVER got the desired result...
[talk about,"going over to the dark side..."
or in this case, "the drool-y side"...]


Garfield's "lovable" snideness would be supplanted, however...
by a truly unattractive cat...


[notice the pattern on the boxers...]

"Bill, the cat"...from "Bloom County"...
lived a substance abusing, testosterone riddled existence...
in a place where everyone, but Opus, was truly wacko...



excess...was the new minimum...
with EXTREME excess being the norm...
snarky, sarcastic characters surrounded Bill...
his only comment... "thppfft"...



some would characterize Bill and his brethren...
as a "post-modern, 20th century" reaction ...
to the "pc" [politically correct] movement...
[or just "off the wall"...]
and they're probably right...

whether you agree with my analysis or not...

you do have to admit... it's hilarious...

my current favorite cat is an anti-hero...



Bucky, [Get Fuzzy] is despicable, demented, paranoid...
psychotic... and dangerous...



weird, anti social cat...
vapid, "pleaser" dog...
sarcastic, human prey...
what's NOT to like ?

his primary target is humanity......
however... the fallout is epic...
widespread... snarky...
and hilarious...

then ...

there are "the looser cats"...

they populated my childhood...
and I never cared...

they were inept losers ...
or just totally annoying...

from Sylvester...with his "sputtering" boobiness.....
[I'm sorry, NO canary is that clever...
Tweety was simply Bugs Bunny with feathers...]



and DON'T get me started on that insufferable bulldog...
so smart he drooled... or "sweet" old Granny...
[puh-leease...]
yet "clever" Sylvester was ALWAYS caught in the act...
"hoist by his own petard", as it were...

then ... there was... [let's all sing along...]
"Felix the cat... ["tah"*]
the wonderful, wonderful cat...["ta-tah"*]
you'll laugh so much, your sides will ache...
your heart will go "pitter-pat"...
watching Felix, the wonderful cat..."
[* trumpet note[s]...in cup mute...]



I hated that insipid song then... and still do...
that and his "wonderful bag of tricks"...
I think I knew that my intelligence ...
was being insulted by each line...
[hurl chunks...]

and Tom...
so "dense", he even moved slowly ...
Jerry, the bright mouse, ALWAYS got the better of him...
and it wasn't even hard...

[I despised both of them equally...
with their bright eyed imbacilety ...]



a perfect example of "good" always winning...

Mighty Mouse... would "come to save the day"...



ALWAYS at the expense of some stupid, greedy, evil cat...
enough, already...




I was a "tad" too old for this guy...
when he appeared...
as I was for all this author's books...
so I never "got" him...
or any of the rest of them...
[well... maybe the Grinch...]


I, however, totally got this guy, thank you very much...



"Fritz the cat"... was a 60's excuse...
to draw animated sex, drugs & rock and roll...
and I wasn't sorry to see him disappear...
with the rest of his "era"...

so, that's it...
you can, hopefully, see the evolution...
or if you're like me, dissolution...
of our society and culture...
just by this quick overview ...
of the role of felines in animated literature...
[OK, OK... pulp fiction comics and children's TV...]

I didn't start out to write a thesis...
like my subject matter...
this post just "morphed"...
I can only hope, if you're still reading...
that you've been both amused...
and informed...
as well as entertained along the way...

"see you in the funny papers..."
[you have to be OLD...to get that one...]

...MORE "choices"

if you read UnklePhil's comment to my previous post...
[Ameri-cat Idol, NOT]
I responded in a post script, with THIS....
[besides a snarky comment or two...]

the only other "cat in a hat with horns" I've found...
I only wish I knew how to "photoshop" the guy on the left, "out"...
[notice the duct tape under his chin ? ]
it's hard to believe that this was a conscious choice...
to dress this way...AND take a picture of it...
THEN...post it where everyone can see
that Prozac doesn't always work...
A.MAZE.ING !!!

although... the cat isn't singing, is it ?
[ it's probably thinking,"kill me now"...]
if it were me in THOSE circumstances...
I wouldn't be singing either...
[I'd be thinking,"kill this jerk"...
THEN..."kill me now."..]





I have, at times, found this picture...
with the toy & other kitties,"out"...
but again...
the cat isn't singing...





it looks like singing...
but, this one is titled "bored cat"...
[looking at it makes me, y-a-w-n...]





if I was a real soprano... maybe...
["Queen of the Night", perhaps ?
or maybe, "Fangs, for the Memories..."]






again... a bit too "tenore"...
[ "Paw-varotti" ? ]
and... O Solo Meow... ?
O puh-leeease !





this one is called, "stupid cat"...
or "Revenge of the Berds"...
[as in "Revenge of the Nerds"...]

MY kitties would call it, "foreplay"...
or "hors d'oeurves"...
[ie..."paté de Tweety"...]





"Cat-finger...[wa-waaaah-waaah]
Cat-finger... the cat with the rapier touch...
his touch is shredding...
he'll rip your clothes...
he loves only tuna..."
the name is " finger... Cat-finger"
nope... NOT feeling it...
[but I LOVE this picture...]





"let me give you a piece of my mind...
right off the top of my head..."

those of you who "know" me...
will recognize the "demented grin"...
[this IS the actual "role model" for my grin...]
and the "un-medicated-but-needs-it-bad"
gleam in the eye...

BUT, alas... I am not the "Cat-grinner"...

what to do... what to do...

...YEA ! MORE STUFF !!

YEA ! more stuff has arrived...
I spent the afternoon, "driving Miz YBee" ...
to the doctor... in Ahnoldtown...
and was surprised to arrive home to a "bare" porch...
since several things were due to arrive today...

I didn't have to wait long, however...
for while I was on the phone...
I heard a soft,"tap, tap, tap" at the door...
and... voila !

"stealthman" [aka UPS guy] had struck again...
and was "gone"...




my "in-house" customs agents ...
for the CDC [cat destruction crew...]
were quick to "inspect" the latest arrivals...
[l to r...Thomas, Gracie, Mackie & MJ...
all the licking, tells me it's Advantage time again...]


opening the boxes... I found...




the black plastic & chrome accessory set...




the polished nickel towel rods...
note the way cool square shape...
NOT easy to find... nearly all are circular...
AND ...
they were on sale for $19.99 each...
[similar ones were over $100 each... ! ]



Sneaky Pie assumed her console table perch...
for maximum attention as I carried in the boxes...
then carried out the empties...
[see previous blog for complete description...
of how to unpack boxes, with Gracie's assistance...]



I left the shower faucet in it's box...
it had no outer box...

and I put the 1st box of towels...
[more to arrive tomorrow...]


into another "lidded box"...



and left Gracie, Mackie and MJ...
guarding the pile...

tomorrow... MORE towels !

...it's here, it's here !

My sink has "entered the building"...
and it is none the worse for it's trip...
from Gurnee, IL ...
[I actually KNOW where that is...
I've BEEN there...]



also arriving yesterday...
the faucet set for the sink...

heavy cast brass...
the inspector proudly states that they are...
"a 15 year employee of Strom Plumbing...
at the sign of the crab..."

and the cool shelf for under the medicine chest...



with it's really elegant chrome fence...

and finally... the SOOO period medicine chest...



primed for paint... with chrome hardware...

of course... the UPS guy was in super stealth mode...
leaving them, all at once, silently sitting on my porch...
for me to find just before I retired to the bedroom for the night...

they weren't heavy... so he didn't leave them right in front of the door...
but they were big.... and ungainly...
and hard to wrangle inside...
where I left them laying as flat on the floor as possible...
[so a cat couldn't break anything...]

this morning... I made coffee...
got my "check-in" list, a pen & my utility knife...
shooed away kitties...
[ha... Gracie is a repeat offender...
with a "boomerang" move that she repeats, ad nauseum...]

after satisfying myself that it was the basin/pedestal that I ordered...
AND that there were NO cracks, etc...
I re boxed the 2 parts and laid them as flat as possible on the floor...
tossing out the outer box and foam packing media...

I repeated the same procedure for the faucet set...
shoo Gracie, open outer box...
remove inner box, check item...
shoo Gracie out of outer box...
throw outer box on porch...
check off item...
shoo Gracie off item box...
and store said item in the safest position...
at which time Gracie "assumes" her position on the next box...

I'm not sure HOW she knows which box I'll open next...
but, she does...

the previous procedure is again repeated for the shelf...

and finally, the medicine chest...

then I carry the outer boxes and packing materials out...
after shooing Mackie off of them...
[he likes empty boxes... Gracie likes full ones...
cats... go figure...]

of course Thomas has been "underfoot"...
he sits in my way and won't budge until I shoo him...
Sneaky Pie picks a spot on the console table...
where she can "see everything"...
AND be petted as I pass...

Lucyfur, MJ, Mackie and Murphy ..."lurk"on the periphery...

the moment I left the room...
in they swarmed...


the "usual suspects... left to right...
Sneaky Pie [NOT happy...]
Murphy [next to the box]
Mackie [on the lower box]
Gracie, Lucyfur & Matt...on "top of the world"...
[as you can see... I just bought cat food... truly "Cat Heaven"...

...Ameri-cat Idol...NOT

considering HOW LONG it took me...
to FIND an avatar to begin with...

and that I've never found the one I WANTED...
[maybe I just "dreamed it"...]
this change was long overdue...



this was as close as I've ever gotten to my original idea...
a Brunhilda cat, singing Wagner in full Valkyrie regalia...
I KNOW I saw that illustration SOMEWHERE...

I chose the first one...



because it was one I could "crop" & play with it...
[it's from a MUCH larger work...]



and though the cat on the lower left, was more my shape...
it was too "tenore"... even for me...
[there's also too much PINK... NOT my favorite color...]



I considered THIS one...
[I have a soft spot for THIS picture...]
but then, I'd have to become "Catdrinker"...
which is ambiguous... and too weird...
besides... the beer is the "wrong color"... [yuck]
and I don't watch that much TV anymore...
[also... the "figure" isn't quite as accurate as it once was...]



I strongly considered this picture...
"singing for your supper"... and all that...
and I DO like to cook...
who knows... ?
it may yet happen...



this one would work...
the cat reminds me of Lucyfur...
she looks "loud"...
and I don't lack for volume...



I LOVE this illustration... and have used it ...
as "our choir" at St Johns...
with me playing trumpet...
but again... I am "Catsinger"...
NOT "Cattrumpeter"...



then there is this choice...
the cat IS wearing a helmet...
[no "horns" or sword, though...]
it is on the "portly" side...
[at least, very "fluffy"...]
and has that "don't mess with me if you value your life"...
"diva face"...seen on sopranos with "catitude"...everywhere...

perhaps... there should be a contest to choose the "right one"...
in that case, submissions would be accepted...

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

if anyone has any "good" ideas ["G" rated, ONLY, please]
for a NEW & IMPROVED Catsinger avatar...
submit them in a comment or email...
I will post them...
along with these...
and you can vote...

I'll "use" the winner for the first month
after my impending blogoversary...
[August 28]

if no body is inspired to contribute...
then I'll just have to choose for myself...
cause a cat's gonna do,
what a cat's gonna do...

POST SCRIPT... JUST for UnklePhil...



"to-yo-ta-ho ?? "... uh... NO WAY...

...clearing the decks for action

of course... there is no "start day" in sight...
...yet...
but yesterday... the first of the things I ordered online...
for the bath redoux... were scheduled to arrive...
and a secure area for storage was needed...

if my several "redo"/contractor experiences...
[kitchen redo, new roof, new heating/AC, landscaping, painting, etc...]
have taught me anything, it is that planning ahead...
is vital to my mental health...
and the successful completion of my project...

my home "improvement"/repair efforts have also taught me...

a project schedule or calendar is a fluid thing...
[this includes start dates, completion dates and project duration...]
there will be "unexpected delays"...
it ALWAYS takes longer than you planned for...

products commonly "in stock"... won't be, when you need them...

you ALWAYS need more than you thought you would...
[this includes ALL supplies "provided by homeowner"...
and of course, MONEY...]

ALWAYS open and inspect ALL shipments upon arrival...
especially... if the box is "damaged" or dented...

delivery persons ALWAYS drop off heavy packages ...
in super stealth mode...
and push them up against the door...
making opening the door from the inside to retrieve them...
a "challenge"...
not to mention the "fun" of wrangling them inside...

"pick your battles"... decide what IS...
and what IS NOT negotiable...

try to be flexible... but don't be a wimp...

being "nice" [friendly] and "considerate"...
of all workers on site...
can be "money", later on...
[a couple of boxes of donuts, a few pots of coffee...
a few cans of soda... can all add up...in your favor...]

staying "out of the way" is essential...
but stay "around"...
if you are unobtrusive...
most craftsmen enjoy an audience...
and you can learn something...

ALL valuable items need to be stored INSIDE...
away from the harmful elements...
meteorological, human & critter...

EVERYTHING must be "cat proofed"...
[ie. not stacked too high... no open boxes... breakables protected...
everything securely "covered" or boxed...]


[Thomas, Lucyfur & Sneaky Pie... illustrating my previous point...]

so last week...
I arranged for Coit to come and pick up my rugs...

I'm having them cleaned, sanitized and "Scotch guarded"...
also "stored", until the demo is over...
with it's dust and excessive foot traffic...

they needed cleaning & sanitizing, "after Rob"...
with his "puppy pad" problems and litter box issues...
I had been "spot cleaning" them...
but now that no one, is NOT using the litter box...
they deserved the full treatment to clean and freshen them...



as it worked out, with Robbie's passing, early that morning...
I had time to clean up all the "puppy training pads"...
move furniture and vacuum before the Coit guy got here...

of course... while the Coit guy was here...
Gracie & Sneaky Pie made GIANT pests of themselves...
rubbing & nuzzling his face as the poor man was bent over...
trying to measure the rugs...
further reinforcing my notion of complete "cat evacuation"...
during the first few demo days...

I've seen a few people successfully manage to work around
Gracie & Sneaky Pie in full-blown pest mode...
but for most... it is impossible, as well as annoying...
and we don't want people who are being paid by the hour ...
to be annoyed... or delayed...

almost as soon as I had uploaded these pictures...
I heard someone at the door...
I got there in time to see the UPS guy leaving...
[I wonder if he should have gone to Beijing for the Olympics...
being that speedy...]

I brought in my first delivery...
2 envelopes and a box...
[checking them off of the list
that I had put in the "deliveries" folder...
and, yes ... I AM that anal, er, uh... "prepared"...]



the box contained the chrome-look, steel accessory set...
a waste basket... tissue box cover...
soap pump and tumbler...
very shiny... VERY cat-proof...
[YEA ! ]



in one envelope, were the "knobs" for the built-in drawers...
both styles are chrome...
one is the "pyramid" style, like the drawers in the hall...
the other is a "hex" shape that would "echo" the floor tile...

I only needed 3... and they were NOT expensive...
which is why I got both styles...



the 2nd envelope contained the solid brass,
chrome plated switch plate covers...

I needed a GFI and a double outlet...

I also got a single switch and a 2nd GFI...
just in case...



so, following my own advice...
I put the accessory set back in it's box...
and closed it securely...

I then put both envelopes and their contents...
into the covered storage box...
leaving Sneaky Pie in charge of "security"...

this morning.... the storage box was laying on the floor...
so I checked out the contents, secured it...
and left it on the floor...
next to the other box...
which had NOT been violated...

I guess it passed the "cat test"...

...adventures at the vet's

a hilarious blog post [link]sent me by MM...
reminded me of a similar event in my own "hazy" past...
trips to the vet, with cats, being fraught with trauma, as they are...
and the ever present sense of one's life being "on the line...


Scout was one of a litter of 5 all black kittens...
born to 2 strays I fed and cared for several years ago...
she & her 4 brothers grew up in my back yard...
under the watchful eyes of both parents...
[it was like a Disney movie...]

of that family... only MJ & Frick are still with me...
Frack, Rex, Momcat & daddy Midnight have all joined Scout...
in "Kitty Heaven"...
but before she "left"... she "made her mark"...

Scout NEVER forgave me for "catching" her...
and "bringing her in" to be a house cat...
her brothers liked living in the house...
but she, like her mom, wanted to be "wild & free"...

her dad, Midnight, was an amiable wanderer...
who I first discovered sleeping on my bed late one night...
completely at home...
totally cool and non-aggressive towards my cats...
very unusual for an "intact" male...

I had had him neutered months before...
but, as I learned, NOT soon enough...

I watched Roxie [Momcat-to be] get plumper...
as she came daily from across the street to be fed...

after the kittens were weaned...
she was spayed... and continued to come for food...
for years after having the kittens...

taking the kittens from their mom was not pleasant...
but it had to be done...
and done at least 2 weeks before they could get their first shots...
weaning... and all that...

the 5 kitten's first trip to the vet for shots...
at the age of about 8 weeks...
was memorable ... to say the least...

one of the boys [Frick, I think...] got away from the vet...
and had to be retrieved from the top of a cabinet...
where he took refuge...
we finally got him down and treated...
to this day... he hates going to the vet...
and if he has to "stay" there overnight...
he turns over the litter pan in his cage...
and hides under it... refusing to eat...

since Scout was the nervous type...
I got a firm grip on her scruff with my left hand...
and restrained her front paws with my right...

the vet started to give her the shot...
and she "freaked"...
as I was holding her...
biting me... HARD...
clawing and kicking...

loath to let go of her...
as she might escape the room and get hurt...
I gritted my teeth & held on...
[as did she...]
urging the vet, through clenched teeth...
to finish... QUICKLY...



he did the deed... and I put her back into the carrier...
only then did I really look at my hand...
blood gushing from several deep bites...
and assorted gashes...

the vet, then noticed the extent of my injuries...
and after giving me a handful of towels to staunch the blood...
produced a copious amount of gauze pads, tape and other bandages...
apologizing profusely that it had been me and not him...

I left with my hand swathed in the pink adhesive they use for casts...
[a harbinger of the bandage I would have several years later...
on the same hand...after having the top joint of my thumb amputated
due to cancer under the nail ...]



my hand looked a lot like this...
and involved twice daily soaking in hot, epson salt water baths...
opening and draining...[ie squeezing out... well, you know...]
and keeping it elevated...

as I look at the scars on my hand...
I remember Scout...
and how her untimely passing, a few years later...
left scars on my heart...

she NEVER got over her "vetaphobia"....
[or "anybodymessingwithmeaphobia" either...]
and would succumb to an infection ...
she wouldn't let me treat...

she had been such a happy, trusting kitten at first...
until that day I tricked her and took her inside...
she never forgave me... and never forgot...
never trusting me... or anyone else again...

this memoir is not funny...
like the one in the link...
but then, Scout's story isn't really funny...

I look back on it as a cautionary tale...
of mistrust... misunderstanding...
and irony...

...farewell Robbie

Robbie died today...
I knew it was time...
he had become so thin...

yesterday... he came to me...
wanting to eat... again....
just 15 minutes after he had been fed...
his pattern of escalated eating ...
that had set in the last few days...

I picked him up and held him...
he was light as a feather...
all skin & bones...
so shaky when he walked around...

as I held him...
he looked up at me...
his tired eyes said, "how much longer ?"
as I wiped away the gooey discharge...

so as I went to bed last night...
I knew that today would be the day...

I was up in the middle of the night...
and there was no Robbie camped outside my door...
when I got up, just after 7, he wasn't there...
so I went looking for him...

he was laying on his nest...
head hanging down off the side...

I thought he was gone...
he felt stiff... but still warm...
I picked him up and he responded...
with a tiny "mew"... sort of coughed and moved...

I quickly got dressed...
wrapped him in his favorite fleece throw...
kissed him on the forehead...
and we left for the vet's...

leaving behind Rob's confused & upset "family"...
unnaturally quiet... and withdrawn...
knowing that "something" was wrong...

during the trip, made longer by the morning commuters...
I told him what a good boy he always had been...
and how soon he would be free of pain...
and be young and strong again...
to prowl the backyard he loved....
making his "rounds" of the neighborhood...
and sleeping in the sun...

as we got closer... I began to feel the peace I always feel...
when a suffering, longtime companion and friend...
"crosses over"... their pain finished...

so it didn't surprise me when the vet, Dr Kind Eyes...
told me, "he's gone..." as soon as he saw him...
looking closer at Rob, at rest in the blanket in my arms...
I could see it now, too...

the life he had shared with me ...
and the rest of his friends, both feline and human...
was now over...
and I'm sure when he saw Jesus...
he meowed and went to Him to be petted...

rest well, my friend...
your quiet, gentle sweetness will be missed by us all...

...notes from "beyond"

"Kitchen Prayer"

"God bless my little kitchen,
I love it's every nook...
and bless me as I do my work,
wash pots and pans and cook.

As we partake of earthly food,
the table for us spread.
We'll not forget to thank Thee,
Who gives us daily bread."

[author unknown]


among the artifacts I've "unearthed"...
in the archaeological dig that is my office clean-out...
is this decorative cutting board...
which, until the makeover in 2004-5...
hung in my kitchen...

somehow... it never made it back after the remodel...
[it was not alone in being "lost"...under piles of junk...]
I found it yesterday...
and happened to see the back of it today...



the sticky note, in Mom's handwriting...
reconnected me with the past...
Grandma died in 1970...just before Easter...
Mom just last year... in January...

[click on the picture to see it bigger...
and you'll be able to read her note...
even at 90+...her years of teaching penmanship
to 3rd graders made her handwriting very legible...]

written as she cleaned out her life long home ...
her sadness at the impending move, obvious in her tone...

I hate to admit that I had forgotten it's significance...
the connection to generations before me...
a reminder of my family that is now gone...

I'll be finding a spot for it in my kitchen...
tacky though it may be...
it is "family"...

...accessories, accessories, accessories

after whining about how hard it would be ...
to find the bath accessories I wanted...
I found what I wanted at Target...

right style... right material...

and then...

discovered that it was "unavailable"....

so I searched Amazon...
found it "in stock"...
clicked "purchase"...
and they took me back to Target...
where it was still "unavailable"...

ARGH...

so after chasing several leads...
[they are Fieldcrest... so I looked at Sears, JCPenneys, etc...
all equally unfruitful...]

I paused to "re-group"...
the frustration having revived the "flu-like symptoms"... headache, etc...
that have been "dogging" me since the DPT booster last week...
[it's a "possible" side effect" of the vaccine...
that could last for several more days...
but rather rare... I am SO fortunate...]

so, in defeat... and an achy, sweaty fog...
I returned to Target...

they DID have these, IN STOCK...



a black plastic/chrome wastebasket...



the matching soap dispenser...



and tissue box cover....



the "tumbler" from the plastic set was "unavailable"...
I prefer ceramic for the tumbler...
this may be ceramic... it doesn't say....



this tumbler is ceramic...
I like the set but am tired of cleaning up broken glass/ceramic objects...
so I ordered this stuff...

then ... I stumbled upon this set at organize.com...
it is stainless steel...very similar to the chrome set I loved...

so I ordered the waste basket, tissue cover, soap dispenser...
and the tumbler...
of course... these cost more than the chrome ones...

having settled on the chrome look...
I began to scope out shelves...
I like the look of the "hotel rack"...
but they tend to be $400.00 +...

I kept seeing this one...



by Polder... nearly the same size as the existing wall shelf...
in chrome... with 2 glass shelves & a towel bar...
eventually... it "grew" on me...
and it's only $35.00 from Target !
so if it turns out too tacky... no big loss...
and I can use the 2 shiny nickle towel bars elsewhere...

this shelf... was serendipitous...



I wanted a simple glass shelf ...
to go beneath the medicine cabinet...
since there is NO counter at all...
and this one with a simple "fence" is perfect...
very period... a perfect accessory...
for both the lovely sink AND the medicine cabinet...
my Sonicare toothbrush will be well housed...

so now... between 4 colors of towels, etc...
and 2 colors of accessories...
AND tasteful glass & chrome shelving...
my bathroom will never be boring again...
at least...
that's my theory... and I'm sticking to it...

NOW...
I have to decide on colors for the wall/ceiling/woodwork ...
[above the white tile,w/ black trim...]
I need to use that anti-mildew paint...
I believe I read that it can be tinted....

I don't think I want as much white as there is now...
but I'm not sure if I want a pale green above the tile...
I'll have to let this percolate a bit...
but the contractors will paint... so I have to decide... soon...

I sure am glad I'm "retired"...
and have the time and "energy" for all this...[HA !]

...where's Creamer ?

when I got my first computer in 1996...
I got a computer armoire... with doors...
KNOWING my herd as I did...
it has proved a good idea...

at that time... I lived with over 30 cats...
now... less than half of that...

the hinges "broke" on the lower doors...
and I've had to manually replace the doors after each use...
to keep "them" out of the printer...
[I DO plan to replace the hinges...
when I get around to it...]

many kitties like to crawl in the back...
behind the printer...
but the worst offender has always been Creamer...

[her name was LeCrecia...because she has "lethal attitude"...
it became Creamer... because it "fit"...]

she likes to get on top of places, behind stuff & into corners...
to get away from Gracie & Sneaky Pie...as well as MJ...
who enjoy "deviling" her... due to her innate snarky attitude...
and spirit of retribution...[aka... revenge...]
often "marking" her area in disgusting ways...
instead of "running the gauntlet" to the cat box...

so I especially didn't want her "messing"...
behind or on my printer...

on the top of the armoire is bad enough...
also ... on the stove... kitchen counters...
IN the kitchen sink...on the top of the fireplace mantle...
in the bathtub... in a plant... just where ever ...
she's "moved" to leave her mark...

it's ALL hubris...the cat has "issues"...
she knows exactly where the cat box is...
she just chooses to go "elsewhere"...

I have often come into the office to find both lower doors...
flopped down... in the food dishes or the cat box...
the music stand knocked askew...music everywhere...
even trumpet cases knocked over...
if I had closed the doors with her behind the printer...
she is very stealthy...

making a giant mess in freeing herself...
and endangering the slower [ie older] kitties...
so, lately... I've just leaned them in place...
so she can slither out without knocking anything over...

today...as I've been sorting office papers...
and purging files from circa 1990...
I decided to take a couple of "before "pictures ...
of the armoire I've been whining about
needing to clean out & organize...

as I looked closer at the pictures I had taken...
I noticed something in the lower left hand corner...



in the cubby that had been full of a box of musical arrangements...
I had recently removed to store in a better place....
there was...a paw...



as I had backed up to get the entire computer mess in the next shot...
I also got more than a paw...
visible in the picture with the flash, but not without it...



so now... aiming my camera at the paw...
and shooting lower... into the cubby...
I got the full picture...
Creamer in her new "digs"...

at least my printed items will be less furry now...

...more from the "front"

today's good news ?
it's August... and Robbie is still hanging in here...
[here, napping with Mattie and MJ...
2 of his "posse"...only Thomas is elsewhere...]

they just finished "eating"...again...
Rob pesters me for food so often ...
that it wasn't all getting eaten...
it was going bad...and then, was being thrown out...

of course...
only "freshly opened" food is acceptable...
and his posse comes running ...
at the sound of a "top popping"...
opportunists that they are...
[I bought some little cans of Rob's 3 favorites to keep him going...]



I was up & "at it" early today...
sorting and hauling...
the porch is "full"...again...
trash... donations... stuff for the garage...
but you can see the floor in front of the bookshelves now...

today... I found my passport in a box of trash from my purse [c.2002]
[I need to renew it... and needed the original...]
I thought it was lost...
and was resigned to the extra expense ...
of not having the expired one in hand...

in the same box, along with ATM receipts...
grocery receipts and sales receipts...
I found my copy of the release letter...
from my Mt Zion Cancer Center doctor...

describing my cancer for my local doctor...
the treatment in 2000 ... the subsequent follow-ups...
and the long-term prognosis...
it's amazing what your mind chooses to "forget"...
I had forgotten that this letter even existed...

I also found Susan Issacs,"Shining Through"...one of my favorite books...
the film is good... but the book is much better... I thought it was lost...
I had been disappointed to have not found it earlier...
it had fallen in an old "discard" box...
I'm really glad I went through it...
it's an old friend I was missing...



at this point... I'll get bogged down ...
if I try to fix everything at once...
so I have some storage boxes designated as: "music"[mostly vocal] to sort...
"childhood memorabilia "[this includes some very old [100 years] story books ...
and some old recordings...]...perhaps E-Bay ?

photos/memorabilia to sort, [yearbooks, etc]...
comic collections,[Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, Far Side, Bloom County,
Peanuts, the original paperback editions]
craft supplies, h.s.memorabilia...
and instrumental arrangements I did for a former church job...
as well as published orchestra parts for several major works...
these need to be filed with the rest of my music...



a couple of the boxes are hidden behind the foot stool...
[here, only temporarily...]
and the shredder I got Mom...
and subsequently inherited...

hidden behind the lacquered Japanese tray & art print...
is the 10 volume,"A Photographic History of the Civil War "...
published in 1912 that belonged to my grandfather...
I was fascinated by these books from the first time I saw them...
and now, they are mine...

I guess I got my interest in anything historical...
from my mom's father...
who died years before I was born...
in his pictures, he looks just like my brother...



a LOT has been done here...
the closet, behind this cart is organized...
this cart used to be on the utility porch...
next to the washer/dryer...
hence the laundry products...

the cart's NOT going back...
but the laundry stuff has been...
and will be finished soon...

I generally store flats of canned cat food on the cart...
but it's starting to "lean"...
I'll either have to "tighten" it up...
or find another cat food storage solution..



the lateral filing cabinet is filled with music...
and more storage...
both short and long term is happening on the top...

there's more music [trumpet]...
my 2007 taxes, along with Mom's final[2007] return...
and trust/estate records...
boxes of stationary supplies...
a photo printer for my camera...
trumpet/music equipment...
and cleaning supplies...



my sorting station...
with Lacy, ever the opportunist...
snoozing on my new chair..



the bookshelf... the broken, disgusting bookshelf...
is empty and on it's way out...
all the stuff on top of it needs to be sorted...
or at least moved...
since I already have one box to resort...
after my "assistants" knocked it on the floor...
from it's place, cross-stacked on the bookshelf...

so I'll be boxing this "pile" for sorting soon...



then, there's the "tower of trumpets"...
and the desk under the pile you see by the window...



there used to be a giant pile of trash/junk here...
but there is still a lot to sort in the 3 drawer chest on the right...
as well as the 2 drawers of files above it...
[I have stacks of things to file...]

then there's the computer armoire...

*sigh*


[Lacy... "helping me file"...]

and with all the help I'm getting...
with the filing and sorting...
I might be done by Christmas...

...throwing in the towels

*NOTICE*
the "celadon/celedon green towels...
so elusive...so long sought...
and found at Company Store... !

this green is unlike any of the several others I've considered...
I can't explain it... it's just "celedon green"...
that opaque, jade-like green...
[I even found a "dusty jade"...but it was too dull...]
AND...
they had not only the bath sheet towels [xtra large...] I love...
but matching bath mats...[along with the standard washcloths, hand towels, etc...]

all natural cotton... just what I wanted...

I also wanted a couple of "switch-out" colors...
and at Pottery Barn, I found all cotton choices like at CS...
but in THESE colors...



"soft violet"...so nice with the white/black/bit of green scheme...
I generally don't think of "purples" when I think "towels"...
but this is a nice combo...
and will give me a nice break from green...



this is "marigold yellow"... a soft buttery one at that...
again... not my first thought for towels...
but this color will be a bright alternative...



you can't go wrong with black...
sophisticated and "correct"...
also as an alternative...

I'm still looking for a wastebasket/tissue box cover/cup ...
I wouldn't mind porcelain...
but it's not too practical with my furry "wrecking crew" ...

chrome would be very nice...
but it is often accompanied by glass[see above...]
plastic would be OK if it was shiny black...
wicker might work...in black or white...

*sigh*

I'm either way out in front of the current trends...
or WAY behind...

either way... I can't find what I want...
but I'll keep looking....
the "hunt" is always fun...!