...day 5 of the Piglet Captivity

"day 5" in Piglet's "captivity....

she seems better...

has been eating...

but REALLY wants OUT...

she sits in the window...staring out...
then sighs...looks at me...
pitifully, hoping against hope...
sometimes making the most heart-rending plea for freedom...
[if cats could shed tears...she would be...]

I've held her and tried to explain...
but her sorrow is deep...
and I'd have to give her too much meds...
too really knock her out now...

she's been grooming herself...
and yesterday, it was Advantage day...
so it's grooming, not flea chasing...

they told me 5 to 7 days...
inside... on pain meds...
and today is day 5...
so tomorrow is Freedom Day...

I can still give her pain med at night...
if she needs it...
but I think she's doing OK...
she doesn't act like she's in pain...

that is ...other than the obvious pain...
of her forced incarceration...

so tomorrow AM...I'll give her her antibacterial medicine...
and change from rotten Pharaoh...
to Moses...

and let my Piglet go !!!

...crime & punishment

I think I'm finally "over" what ever had it's claws into me...
I'm "officially" taking things easy...
but a "lost" week of NOT taking care of business...
has left me with a LOT of stuff to do...

I have to call tomorrow to reschedule the haircut...
that I just completely slept through on Friday...

and pay the couple of bills I still get in the mail...
I can PAY on-line...but I still receive paper statements...

and then... there are the "love notes"...

WAMU informed me that as of October 15, 2008...
they are "closing my credit card account"...
[and in the same letter...
urged me to use it before that date...
no wonder they needed a bail-out...]

I actually have 2 WAMU credit cards...
neither of which I've used for a long time...
both of which have had a zero balance for over a year...

ironically...I attempted to close both of these accounts...
and was told to jump through so many hoops...I gave up...
so as far as I'm concerned...this can't happen soon enough...
and here's the best part... ready ?

today...I got the monthly envelope from WAMU...
containing the "checks to access my credit account"...
the one they're closing for "inactivity"...
and...guess who bought WAMU...?
Chase... the holder of my 2nd...

is it Karma ? or just the universe getting even... ?

HA !

Mudville PD is charging me $72 because my alarm went off...
[the bedroom door was "opened" by guess who...while I was out...]
since then...I've been very careful to check the bedroom door...
before I set the alarm...

my dental insurance is NOT paying what I thought they would...
they consider the reconstruction of my front teeth...
to be "cosmetic" because resin was used...
and so...I owe another $350...
[I'll owe $750 for the upcoming crown...]



and then... there's the speed trap ticket I got last month...
$287... if I go to traffic school, it's $40 more...
and whatever that costs...[turned out to be $28...]
but traffic school is better than "points"...
and higher insurance rates...



once...years ago [probably 10...]
I got a speeding ticket within months of a fender-bender...
I got the warning letter from DMV...
and the "Traffic School" offer...

I couldn't go to court, where I would have probably won...
so I investigated "on-line traffic school"
and one Christmas vacation day... spent about 6 hours on-line...
and got the ticket dismissed...

so when I got the ticket... a couple of days ago...
when I was too sick to deal with it...
I put it in my computer desk to deal with today...

going to the issuing county's website...
I found that I could pay the fine online...
as well as sign-up for and complete traffic school...
after paying my fine/t.s.fee...
I was shown a list of schools...
and after a bit of investigation...
chose "gotaticket.com...



it only cost $28 dollars...
including sending me a copy of my completion certificate...
[the issuing county requires me to send it to them...]
so I've just spent about 5 hours...

reading...taking 5 quizzes...
[I missed 1 question 3 times...and 0 questions 2 times...]
and getting a 100% on my final test....[I'm SO proud...]
[good thing it wasn't algebra... ]

so now...I only have to wait for the Certified letter...
so I can send it in...and I'm done...
and well before the Dec. 9 deadline...

and now I need to go "mail" the other ex$pen$ive bills...

Piglet's been hiding under the bed...
and been really cranky...
perhaps she needs some more pain med...

and then...there's the rest of the mess...

sigh...

...game over

it breaks your heart...
it is designed to break your heart...

the game begins in the spring...
when everything else begins again...

and it blossoms in the summer...
filling the afternoons and evenings...

and then as soon as the chill rains come...
it stops...
and leaves you to face the fall alone...

you count on it...
rely on it to buffer the passage of time...

to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive...
and then... just when the days are all twilight...
when you need it most...it stops...
and summer is gone...

[from "The Green Fields of the Mind",by A. Bartlett Giamatti]

for me summer ended today...

the SFGiants beat the LADodgers 3-1...
closing out a 72-90 season that was fun to watch...
the Dodgers will move on to the playoffs...
as will several other teams...
culminating in the World Series in late October...

but... as I previously said...
summer ended today for me...

it seems just yesterday that "pitchers & catchers" reported...
it was mid February...but really...just a moment ago...

I can remember looking at schedules
that stretched out over 6 months...
and thinking that it was "endless"...
now...it flies by...faster each year...

and none faster than this, my 60th summer...

I think of the connection between generations...

and our own transition from tutored child...
playing the game at recess...collecting "cards"...
and falling asleep in the plastic glow of the transistor radio...
watching the "Game of the Week"[ALWAYS the Yankees...]
on a greenish-tinged black & white TV with Dad...
arguing with classmates over favorite teams...

to becoming an experienced adult "fan"...
owning season tickets...attending games...
listening to or watching every game...
reading the box scores...
looking at the players as contemporaries...

and finally...the day comes...
when you realize that you are so much older...
than the "grizzled veterans"...
who are trying to hang on to their fading career...
at the advanced age of 38 or 40...

and the "kids"...the young strong heroes of your youth ...
your contemporaries... are 20-somethings...
and some don't even shave yet...

when you weren't looking...
you grew old...
the game stayed the same...
but you changed...

and as the chill winds of fall...
foreshadow the cold & wet of winter...

you feel the loss...
of much more than just a team to follow daily...

you've lost your youth...

baseball brings the promise of spring...
and the endless warmth of summer...
the joy and vigor of youth...
of dreams fulfilled... and wishes come true...

of even for a brief moment...
a glimpse of spent youth...
and remembered joys...

and hope...

...turf wars

I was out of my bedroom[aka Piglet's Prison]for a while...
and upon my return...I didn't see the Piglet...
she HAD been sleeping ON my bed...
or reclining on the headboard...

but now... she was not visible...

I looked under the DVD player in the TV cabinet...

no Piglet...

hoping that she wasn't under the bed...
or worse... had managed to escape...
I first examined the screens for a "breech point"...
but there was none...

just before crawling around to look under the bed...
I looked into the dark cubbie on the side of the headboard...



I thought I saw something and looking closer...

there she was...



looking sleepy...

during these moments of insecurity...
I had been calling Pigs...
thoroughly annoying the Fluffinator...
who had made a point of hisssing at Pigs with every opportunity...

and had "removed" herself to her nice weather condo...
[when the windows stay open all day & night...]
in the corner between the west & north windows...
thus avoiding the Piglet nest-theft power play...

so...having found the Piglet...
I sought to "mend a few fences" by playing "up" to Fluff...
[she knows what I'm up to...
but she is such an attention junkie...
she doesn't care...]

so as I'm talking to Fluff...



and she's posing...

first in the window...
[the "fresh air" look...]



in the meantime... Piglet moves to a softer nest...
[probably also hoping to get a rise out of Fluff...]
and remains alert for "developments"...

oblivious to all this "drama"...
Fluff adjourns to her nest...



to treat me to her full arsenal...
the "come hither"...
"I'm ready for my close-up"...
& the "I'm just too cute for words"... pose...



fully aware that Fluff is getting ALL the attention...



she turns around... for the full effect...
hoping that pitiful will trump cuteness...



looking groggy and ever so pitiful...but brave...
Piglet is successful in regaining my attention...



and Fluff turns her back in a full-on sulk...

around here ... there is NEVER a dull moment...

..."toofless" & other small annoyances

Piglet seems to be doing well in her captivity...

I got the OK to give her a drop or so of pain med...
more often than .5CC once a day...
since an hour or so after each time I've given pain meds...
she's gone to the food... and eaten well...
she's also staying "close"...but not being clingy...
as she was before when she was in pain from the lesions...

I'm still fighting the headache and fogginess...
from this #@&%* virus...
although I think the fever is gone for good...
which means I'm no longer a threat to humanity...
[which is good... since I need to be at church tomorrow...
and really don't want to "share" this...]

I'm still weak and shaky...
and want to sleep 24/7...
but the "other" issues are gone...
and I'm hungry...

and that's where it becomes weird...
I'm hungry...
but I just don't want to eat...

I don't think I'm depressed...
but the last time I felt like this...
was late last fall...when I just stopped eating...
the beginning of that was depression...
then it evolved into something else...

then I wasn't hungry...
at the moment ...I am...
but getting something to eat is just...unpalatable...

and then... there's this...

Your result for The Which Lolcat Are You? Test...

Sad Cookie Cat

64% Affectionate, 33% Excitable, 69% Hungry

You are the classic Shakespearian tragedy of the lolcat universe. The sad story of a baking a cookie, succumbing to gluttony, and in turn consuming the very cookie that was to be offered. Bad grammar ensues.



To see all possible results, checka dis.

Take The Which Lolcat Are You? Test at HelloQuizzy

*SIGH*

what is "sad"... is that I can totally buy into this...

there is truth here... but embracing it will really bum me out...

besides...

I just have to say...
that as funny as I find most of the LOL cat pictures & captions...
the "hip hop" dialect really gets on my nerves...
I know cats are "cool"... but pleeeze...

so I've decided that I'm NOT going to let this get to me...

I'm going to do the sink full o'dishes...
clean cat boxes... take out the trash...
water plants...sweep the floor...
do several loads of laundry...
& generally clean-up from a week of sloth...

[boy...just writing that tired me out...]

and as for the LOL Cat Quiz...
in which most of the questions were...??? ...
and many of the possible answers were...
beyond my understanding... or just insipid...]

*SO*...

I've decided that I am "Bite Me Cat"...



"you are the "rugged individualist" of the cat world...
stubbornly "staying your course"...in spite of being gullible enough...
to keep taking "quizzes" dreamed up by 20-somethings...[so true...]
who ask questions you have NO frame of reference to answer...[YES...]
and then... being even more gullible... you let the results depress you...[too true]
until you get annoyed enough to tell it all to "bite me"...[preach it, Catfinger...]
and you're fine...until the next quiz... [ARGH]

I "get" that I've never been one of the "cool kids"...
and never will be...not in a million years...
but there are better things in life than "being cool"...
and not letting WHAT people think of you...
get to you... is one of them...

even with all the changes taking place in my life...
I still can only be, "me"... who I am... at this moment...
imperfect... annoying... messy... compulsive...

I have to trust that He has the situation under control...
and just leave it with Him...
not worrying... or "figuring things out"...
just "being"... and gratefully following His path...

because...

if anyone can make me not annoying...
or not as messy... not compulsive...
less im-perfect...
it is Him...

and I believe that, all evidence to the contrary...
He is working in those directions...
on those problems and more...
because He knows that those changes ARE possible...
if I let Him...and embrace His path...

so...

the only opinion that matters...
is His...

...uh oh...I'm in deep #$%* now

after 3 PM today...I went to the vet to retrieve the Piglet...
now sans fangs...and hopefully SOON...sans lesions...

the vet techs were REALLY glad to see me...
[NOT always a good sign...
if one of your "darlings" has been there long enough...
to "wear out" their welcome...]

"M" went out of his way to say that Piglet was "nice" to him...
[I later found out she had scratched him...]

so after I paid the $400+ bill [sigh]...
[actually a bit surprised that it wasn't more...]
the other 2 vet techs were discussing
who was going to "put her in the box"...
part of the discussion involved her current lack of teeth...
but willingness to gash with her claws, when pissed off...

"N" lost the "discussion"...so she went to get Pigs...

while I was waiting... the Dr... came to chat...
and I found out that the dentist...was a real people dentist...
[I had thought that the bill was pretty low...
for one of those UCD specialist vets to have been involved...]

he went on to tell me about all the tubes and equipment...
that his dentist friend [who ALWAYS wanted to be a vet...]
had brought with him and had used on Piglet...

[the dentist had called them today to see how Piglet was...
because he "always calls his patients to follow up"...]

my vet's father & brother are dentists...
so he went on to tell me about how there are many similarities...
between humans & cats...dentally speaking, of course...
and since he & his staff were handling the anesthesia...
and vital signs monitoring which is very different...
Piglet had gotten the best of both worlds...

about then... "N" brought her out, in the carrier box...
with the not so muted growling & threatening noises...
quite clearly audible...[she was obviously pissed...]

THEN... one of the techs told me...
as she handed me the bottle & oral syringe...
"this pain med will make her sleepy & a bit "unsteady"..
so she should stay inside for the next 5-7 days...
while she's taking it..."
"...and continue with the anti bacterial med drops...
until they're gone..."

she said it so calmly... so "it's NOT a big thing"...
so NOT AT ALL WHAT IT WOULD REALLY MEAN TO MY LIFE...
& that's when my life "flashed before my eyes"...

promising to bring her back in 2 weeks for a check-up...
& apologizing for all the VERY nasty cat language...
that continued to issue forth from the box...
unabated by propriety...

I took "Miz Crankypants" out to the car...
sure that they were all high-5-ing...
and celebrating her departure back in the office...
["ding-dong, that cat is gone..."]
& all the while...
STILL being called a number of unrepeatable nasty names...

when we got IN the car...she stopped...
and only gave me the minimal,"aren't we there YET ?"
comments for the trip home...

as soon as I got her out of the box....
she was at the window...a bit unsteady from the meds...
which were wearing off and wanting OUT...NOW !!!

Fluff was in her corner nest, rolling her eyes at Miz Dramaqueen...
[Fluff, you may remember has only 1 tooth...a front fang...
which I could see as she was smirking at Piglet's hysterics...]

since they told me to give her her meds fairly soon...
[and the pain meds would make her sleepy...]
I did just that...



.5CC of the pain meds [orally] & a dropperful of the anti bacterial...



after about 3 or 4 minutes...
she was mellowing out...



and then...nighty-night...

5 to 7 days of NO outside ?

they said it would be no less than 3 or 4...
she has to take the pain meds at least that long...
and they will make it NOT safe for her to "prowl" at will...

why do I have this "oh,no" feeling... ?

..."toothless" update

this afternoon...around 3 PM...
the Piglet will return home...
toothless...lesions healing...
and completely pissed off at me...

since she was under an anesthesia for the extractions...
and has stitches...
and will still be a bit groggy...

she'll NOT be going out this evening...
which WILL NOT please "Herself"...the Piglet...
Queen of Absolutely Everything...
[especially the backyard...]

to paraphrase Rogers & Hammerstein...
"somehow, I can see... just exactly how she'll be..."



first...she'll be subtle...
she'll sit expectantly...
in front of her portal to freedom...
ignoring me... so as to give me NO idea...
of just how MUCH she wants...
no...NEEDS... to be OUT...



when feigned indifference doesn't work...
she'll sneak a peak in the mirror...
checking out my "body language"...
my location relative to her desires...
scheming her next "move"...



which will start with a sweet...
"Mom... you forgot to let me out"...
and when that gets a firm "no" from me...
she will rapidly escalate into begging...
threats... and name calling...



some of them...quite nasty, I might add...
and delivered up close & personal...
just for emphasis...

I, of course, remain very mature...
and DO NOT HOLLER...
"NO...NO...NO...!!!"
back in her face...
NO matter HOW much I really want to...
[20+ years of teaching Jr High...
were good for something...]



now...in full sulk mode...
herself will crawl up into the TV stand...
from behind the TV...
screwing-up the cable connections...
[she could climb in from the front...
screwing-up nothing...and often does...
but what fun/revenge is there in that ?]

I will continue to ignore her occasional mutterings...
and soon...

she's b-a-c-k...



and in my face, BIG TIME...

if I'm trying to sleep...
she'll jump on my stomach...

if I'm sitting there...she's all over me...

whining...bitching...complaining...

and when THAT doesn't work...



she retreats to the headboard...
flopping down with a disgusted,"hrummph"...
lashing her tail... thump, thump, thump...
narrowing her eyes to slits of loathing...
fixing me with an "icy glare"...
that makes her usual "death to all" look...
a beneficent glance by comparison...



and when THAT gets her nowhere...
she will, purely out of spite...
resort to baiting Fluff...
who has been quite content in her absence...
to be an only cat...
and is already, more than a bit annoyed...
at Piglet's antics to this point...

so she will "occupy" Fluff's favorite nest...
and gloat over that...
assuaging her anger with vengeful glee...
and a side order of malice...

soon, however...
even the "high" of spite towards Fluff will pale...

and the longing for being "out"...
will return...

and so will she...



this time to try "pitiful"...

if it's dark...or getting late...
or she's wobbly still...
it won't work...
and we will go through ALL the dance steps again...
until she falls asleep...or I flee to anywhere else...

if I wait long enough before returning...
she'll be "dead to the world"...
and she'll sleep through the night...
eventually stirring...
sleepily moving close enough to drool on me...
and snore like a rampaging chain saw in my ear...
until the dawn's early light...

the next morning...after giving her her meds...
[& a continuing "fun" adventure I'm sure it will be...]

she'll be "released"...

and Fluff will say...



"it's about freakin' time !"

...toothless in Mudville

I just talked to the vet tech who was assisting...
and the Piglet is now "toothless"...
she will be spending the night ...
coming home tomorrow with more anti bacterial & pain meds...

she will be "in recovery" for a couple of days...
which, knowing her means "totally pissed off" at me...
for quite some time...
although...as she heals...she should regain her haughty persona...
[I hope so... pitiful, just isn't her...]

so besides all this happening as I slept the day away...

my last visit to Miz Minka's...
was apparently her # 10,000... WOW...
I saw that sitemeter said 9999 visitors, but was so "out of it"...
I didn't "get" the significance...

so before I wander back to my bed...
[I've been "up" too long...]
I'd like to congratulate MM on an always interesting...
& often inspiring blog...
and on her now 10,000+ visitors...

I might get there...in 5 or 6 years...maybe...
here's hoping that she will someday celebrate #100,000...
hopefully... I'll be here to see that too...

...floating

floating... in the stillness...

I can see the gentle turning of the glass wind chime...
as it joins the leaves in their subtle swaying...
as the breath of the marine layer insinuates itself into the morning...

like the fog...when it comes on cat's feet...
the mere stirring in the air currents...
of the cooler, damper air...
comes in utter silence...

last week, the fall breezes brought song after song...
to the assembled wind chimes...
the blue jay screeched his verses...
and the trees joined in for the chorus...

today...the stillness is broken by the hum of my computer...
the distant garbage truck claiming its' spoils...
the gurgle of the cat water fountain...
my lovely clock striking "3 quarters past the hour..."

but I'm floating...

brain swathed in the murky befuddlement of fever...
but at that point... where I've ceased to rail against it...
I've embraced it...have allowed myself to "be sick"...
so that I may "be well"...

as an intoxicated person always believes them self to be glib...
in control... entertaining...& lovable...
this fever has intoxicated me and I am at peace....

floating...as in warm waters...

unconcerned with the reasons for my buoyancy...
just content to float...and be...

and while the world seems to hold it's breath...
as God touches my fevered brow with His cooling fingers...
healing my body as well as my soul...
I am thankful for His love and care..

I think of my Piglet kitty...
in surgery even as I write this...
and pray that this procedure will give her lasting relief...
and I'm grateful that Lacy has stopped sneezing...
and seems much better today...

and for all those blessings...
the ones I see... and the ones I don't...
I am.. so grateful...

God is so good...

...bite me, Piglet style

if you are a regular reader...
you know of Piglet's mouth lesions...
due to an immune system problem...

my vet was going to have a vet dentist friend...
pull several of her teeth...
as that seems to help in this kind of situation...

it had been a couple of weeks since her last steroid shot...
and I knew she was starting to hurt again...
she was eating very tentatively...
and had started huddling next to me the last couple of days...

so today... as I was sleeping off this stupid virus...
that I don't have time for right now...
with Piglet snuggled as close as she could get...
and looking as pitiful as could be...
the phone rang...

it was one of the techs at my vets...
telling me that the surgery would be tomorrow...
so I needed to have her there around 8:00 AM...
with NO FOOD in the previous 8 hours...

I could have managed that with Pigs...
SHE wasn't eating anyway...
Fluff, on the other hand would have been VERY upset...
as she tends to eat little meals... OFTEN...

so... since Pigs was already at hand...
I scooped her up... and took her in then...

she was NOT happy...
but was soon resigned to her fate...
I know she didn't expect to be left there...
and is at this very moment...I'm quite sure...
plotting some terrible revenge...

as I sit writing this...
through the fever fog of whatever this is...
I can hear the rumble of the treat ball...
being plied for it's goodies in the LR...

Lacy is looking much better after the medicine for her cold...
[I haven't heard a sneeze in hours...]
I need to go back to bed...
I wore myself out doing the trash & cat boxes this AM...
then making a run to the store for soda crackers...
Sprite... soup... deli turkey breast...
and frozen mac & cheese...

also carrot juice...yogurt...yogurt shots[immune booster]
milk... Hershey's syrup... and malted milk powder...

they don't carry malted milk powder at Raleys...
so I stopped on my way home from dropping off the Piglet...
and got some...as well as the Sprite I forgot earlier...
[I am VERY fuddled at the moment... as a result...
THIS post is taking a lot more effort than usual...]

one of the managers of the SMART Foods store I was in...
was a band student of mine...probably 15 years ago...
but today... another young man in an apron...
who I recognized right away as a former student...
[their eyes never change...nor does their smile...]
said,"excuse me, are you a teacher?"

since I recognized his face, I cut to the chase...
and told him I remembered him...
he had been in one of my English/reading classes...
in the last 4 years I taught...

he mentioned a Japanese anime movie,"Princess Mononoke"...
that I used to have the sub show when I was absent...
[the kid's good behavior for the sub would affect what I left
the next time I had to be gone...a test or a film...their choice...]

he mentioned how much he had liked that film...
and how it had gotten him into that genre...

it never fails to amaze me how some little thing you do...
can so impact someones life...for years...

it's probably been 6 or 7 years since he was in my class...
but he still remembered that film...

I told him that his manager had also been a student of mine...
the way he grinned, I'm sure they'll be comparing "Miz B" stories soon...

when I was a kid...we never went to "town"...
without seeing someone who had been a student of Mom's...
even in her later years...people would stop her on the street...
to reconnect with her...to tell her how important she'd been to them...


when she had to have a complete hysterectomy in 1990...
to remove a pre-cancerous growth...
and was hospitalized in Fresno at St Agnes...
I arrived one day, on my long commute from Mudville...
to find her asleep...
with a young man I didn't know...
sitting there as she slept...

he introduced himself as one of her "former students"...
telling me that Mom was his favorite teacher...
and that he owed her a lot... so he had come to pay his respects...
we chatted... and after a while... he left...

when Mom woke up... I told her that he had been there...
she was sorry that she had missed him...
she told me that he had had some learning disabilities...
that kept him from reading and as a third grader...
he was already way behind...and it was getting worse...

Mom recognized his disability... and worked with him...
special tutoring... and a large dose of encouragement...
worked for him... and he had gone on to succeed in school...
and later became a very successful businessman...

he had always given her credit for his success...
she would just say that she was in the right place...
at the right time...to be able to help...
it was her job... and she was glad to do it...

I have no unrealistic ideas about all the kids who were in my class...

I know that I wasn't the most important teacher in their lives...
[at least... not much past jr high...]

I'm just pleased when someone who had me during grades 7/8...
[when ALL adults who are authority figures are not to be trusted...]
remembers at least something from my class with a smile...

and goes out of their way to say...

"didn't you used to be my teacher?"...

that leaves a warmth that I know isn't fever...

...got cats ?, pt 2

rattle...rattle...thump, thump, thump...

of course...it's totally my fault for filling it...

at least THEY'RE having fun...
the virus is having it's way with me...
I'll spare you the details...
I'm just glad that I got cat food...
and watered all the outside plants yesterday....



MJ [Midnight, Jr... because he looks & acts like his daddy...]
is the first to figure out...
that the ball will give out treats...
if he plays with it...

Sneaky Pie, as always is "lurking"....
waiting for her chance...

you can't see her...
trust me...she's there...
and Thomas is watching her...
waiting for his chance...

oh... there it goes again...
rattle, rattle...thump...

maybe that's why I kept waking up last night...
[the ball rolling on the wood floors...
it WAS empty this morning...]

I was having weird fever dreams...
that were part TV show...part cartoon...
and VERY strange...

I HATE being sick when the weather is nice...
and I have SO much to do...



while I was "up"... feeding, watering & giving medicine...
[Lacy has a kitty cold...sneezing, etc...]
Lucyfur was showing off her prowess at toy mouse maiming...



tossing it high... running in circles...
then returning to subdue it all over again...



meanwhile... the Creamer/Gracie standoff continues...
if this was a video...[my brain IS NOT working properly...]
you could see that both are lashing their tails...

this did end "peacefully"....for now...

I'm going to take my sick self back to bed...

...got cats ?

this morning...I was out of cat food...

not for everybody...but for Piglet & Fluff...
the Fancy Feast cupboard was "bare"...
[this may NOT seem like much to you...
but I SLEEP with them...
and "hell hath NO fury..."]

watch this...you'll understand VERY quickly...
since "embedding was "disabled"...
please go to http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JWFockl-rbY
[I'm sorry...it WILL NOT let me link either...
this is the "Got Milk?" catlady commercial...]

so now you know why even though I'm fighting some virus...
I got up...got dressed...
and dragged myself over to Discount Pet...

and after "awwwing" at the pictures of kittens for free...
I got a cart and made the rounds...

I got Tidy Cat litter...
[2 16 lbers, 2 35 lbers{on sale !}]

Fancy Feast...
[3 cases "chicken feast", 3 cases "turkey feast"]

6 packs of cat treats...
[because MM gave my gang a treat dispensing ball...]

and 2 catnip toys...
[because a "tweaked-out kitty", is a "happy kitty"...

I had all of this in my cart...
the 2 big litter pails stacked 2 high...
and was headed for the check-out...
when an earnest young lady rushed over to me...
looked at the 102 lbs of litter...
[especially the big one, on top of the other big one]

and said in a rather astounded, but also patronizing tone...
"My...did you lift all that in by yourself ?"

snarkily... I replied," yes...I had NO problem doing it..."

[her, still a bit patronizing]
"Well, I guess that's how you get in your workout"

[me, "snarkiness now dripping from every syllable]...
"you have no idea all the ways I "get in my workout"...
[showing most of my teeth... and batting my eyes...]

she chuckled...[oblivious...]

I chuckled back...[smiling, while trying to stifle the "snark"...]

thinking..."yeah.... just because there's gray in the hair...
crowsfeet on the face & fat on my butt...
doesn't mean that I'm helpless or inept..."

after paying [ARGH] and assuring her I could manage to load my car...

I went home...feeling a bit shaky from the virus...
[a little feverish, nauseous, headache, tired...]
which now occupied my attention...
since I wasn't preoccupied with being "macho"...
and schlepped it all on to the porch...

I carried the 2 35 lbers at the same time...
[I AM woman... hear me roar...]

[I'm going to bring it in after I "rest" a bit...]



I did however, bring in the bag with the treats to put in the ball...
AND the 2 cat toys...



while I was filling the treat ball toy...
I had a lot of "company"...
[the rattle of treats can be the "sirens song"...]
so I distracted them with a couple of scoops of this...


[notice who's snooping...?]

I got a sample in a litter pail...and they LOVED it...
it seems to be healthy...
[it has cranberries in it...]
and it hasn't caused widespread barfing or the runs...
[a change in diet can do that BIG TIME...]

so I filled the treat ball...



and rolled it on the floor...

they were startled... then investigated...

since not much had fallen out...
I opened the "hole" more...
and rolled it again...




Mattie, who has NEVER met a cat treat he didn't love...
came because of the "rattle"...
and after I shook some out...
began to get the idea...

I've been hearing the rattle...
of the hard knobby plastic ball on the hardwood floors...
as I've been writing this...

and will probably hear it A LOT MORE...
and AT NIGHT...ALL NIGHT LONG...

[thanks MM... I can hear you laughing...]

hummmmm...




Lucyfur was quick to pounce on one of the cat toys...
she's let me know that life has been BORING lately...
so I tossed it in her direction first...
Sneaky Pie, as ALWAYS... was "right there"...



and the moment Lucyfur's interest was diverted to the treat ball...
Sneaky Pie swooped in...grabbed the toy...
and just had to show it off...

Thomas, as usual... was having NONE of her shenanigans
I intervened BEFORE the fight began...


back when I was in the office, filling the treat ball...
I had both catnip toys setting on top of the cases of canned food...
Creamer ascended from her lair on high and snagged one...
drooling & carrying on something awful...
so I had tossed it to her...
up in "Creamer Land"...



when I returned to the office...
she was looking dazed & distraught...
I quickly saw the reason...
and returned her "fallen" toy to her aerie...
and watched as she happily resumed her play...

until I noticed this...



a jealous Gracie...glaring at Creamer...

I intervened here too...

and SO far... there's been peace....

at the moment...I can just see the tip...
of the sated Creamer's paw...
as she naps away her catnip hangover...

Gracie is sitting on the kitchen counter...
her new favorite perch...

waiting...

...sometimes...you just need a nap day

sometimes...in the midst of all you have to do...
you are overtaken by a nap...

you had good intentions...
even a list...

and... it IS Monday, after all...

maybe it was because today was the start...
of MY favorite time of the year...

maybe it was lunch...
[or the Dos Equis I had with it...]

or the 2 out of the last 3 nights with little sleep...

or the feeling of accomplishment I had...
sitting in the back yard...
grilling the marinated lamb...
at a cleaned off patio table...
enjoying "fall"...

whatever the contributing factors...
I have just "napped" the day away...

there were SO many years that I went to school [work]...
even when I was exhausted or feeling lousy...
because I had NO choice...

it wasn't that I was so special as to be irreplaceable...
it was just more work than it was worth...
to set-up a sub and then clean-up the mess...
and professional musicians who miss rehearsals or gigs...
don't get paid... and often don't get hired again...

during the last 5 or 6 years I taught...
[after the surgery... I was always tired...]
one of the guys in our brass quintet retired from teaching...

when we rehearsed, which was often, as we were busy...
the rest of us "working stiffs"[active teachers...]
kept kidding him about "all the time he had, being retired..."
"how the only places he had to go were the post office...
and the barber shop..."
always a laugh, since he was "follicle-ly challenged"...

he would laugh & say...
"just wait...time is like money...
you spend what you have..."

I now know how right he was...
the day can really "get away from you"...
like today... with this "nap" thing...

[yawn]

I still have that "nap headache"....
I've had it for the last day or so...
more weather change in my sinus, I guess...

[yawn]

since I'm now retired...
and have the time to nap...
I guess I'll go check for the mail...
[I get my hair cut on Friday...]

maybe I'll go to bed early tonight...

[y-a-w-n]

or maybe I'll take a short nap... before dinner...

[Y-A-W-N]



soundzzz good... zzzzzzzzzzz

...autumnal equinox

I love fall...


when I was younger...
the return of school was welcomed...
the promise of learning new things...
a new start... an end to summer boredom...
[country girl...]

the return of cooler weather...
the coziness of being inside when it was stormy...
the "harvest home"...
the approaching holidays...

the glorious bursts of foliage...
going to their death in flames...
a reminder of how sterile...
the cold, wet winter can be...


but as I've grown older...



it has become the light I look forward to...



as the direct, burning glare of summer mellows...
the sun seems to turn its' head sideways...
taking a last, warm, loving look at natures bounty...
before it turns away ...
leaving us to the dark, wet and cold...



the acuteness of the angle...
intensifies the depth of the color spectrum...
and the mists & haze in the air...
paint a last path of sunlight into our very beings...



and leaves glow...
as if with an inner fire...
blazing their presence into our very souls...
so we will not... we cannot... forget them...




the sky radiates an intense blue...
the perfect canvas for the clouds that are trying...
trying to gather the first rain...
washing the summer's dust from the soon to be splendid foliage...




and as the air chills... and the leaves turn...
the blue deepens to a shade...
that makes my soul ache for the sight of it...



the perfect counterpoint...
for the leaves...
as they become transient notes...
in a love song from God...

...the naughtyness of furry paws

so after drinking a liter of water...
and a lovely Dos Equis amber...
I found myself in the bathroom...

since I hadn't bothered to turn on the overhead light...
[there is a night light...]
I only realized something was "amiss"...
when I felt it with my foot...

thinking at first that it was a towel...
I reached down and found this...
[easy to see AFTER the light was on...]



then I looked to the right and saw this...




at that time...I had several visitors...
but I KNEW who was guilty...
she was sitting on the sink...
avoiding my gaze...

and my annoyance...
as the roll was new this morning...



Miz Sneaky Pie...despoiler of tp rolls...
destroyer of sanity...
able to unroll a full roll in mere moments...
with a bit of deft "slight of paw"...

she never tires of it...
is endlessly transported into worlds of wonder by it...
and always looks so innocent upon being...
"caught in the act"...

*SIGH*

CATS...

...pleasant Sunday

I always hear people speak of Sunday...
as the day they sleep in...
spend long hours over the papers...
a leisurely breakfast... or even brunch...
a day spent with family...relaxing...

I remember having Sundays like that...
generally between "church jobs"...



it's different now...
I still have obligations & duties...
music to prepare & perform...
Psalms to chant...rehearsals to lead...
[and remember to end on time...
no dismissal bell here...]

but unlike those other "church jobs"...
there is no place I'd rather be on Sunday morning...
and no other people I'd rather be with...



for our choir...this was our 2nd Sunday "back"...
our first rehearsal after church a couple of weeks ago...
instantly "snapped" me back...bringing a big smile to my face...
the joy of singing with this responsive & talented group...
is beyond nearly any other "group" experience I've had...
[and there have been some amazing ones...]

so after another warm & familiar service...
emphasizing how God will provide all we need...
and a rehearsal where much was accomplished...
we all made our ways on towards the rest of our day...

some had family plans...
some would stop at groceries and such on the way home...
some would go out for lunch...
I came home to write this...

first...I went into the back yard to check out my patch...
the trowel had fallen out of place...
but the clamp was still there...
I took it away... et, voila... it works !



and if there is any problem...



I'll just nail this pie pan over the outside...
to keep out the wet...[glue,you know...]



by the way...if you live near Mudville...
and need any potting supplies...
I might be able to "hook you up"...

[sigh...]

and this is AFTER tossing all the old broken pots...
and all the ones that plants "came in"...


you may remember this bed corner area near the garage...



now that it's clean... it looks like this...



cyclamen [red & white]... some creeping thyme...
catmint...[strangely enough, unmolested] garlic chives...

and to the right...



the 5 gal. gardenia replacement for the one in the front...
I have to wait for the creeper to lose it's leaves...
before I can dig out the dead one...



immediately opposite the gardenia to the north...
my next "target" mess...

this pile includes fountain/birdbath pumps...
planting bed designs... wooden pathways...
several wire carts...
a number of red anagazanthus that need planting...
and junk that has migrated from other piles...
that are now cleaned up...

but tomorrow is soon enough for that...

today...being Sunday...I'm going to "rest"...
and relish this...



the clean[again] driveway...[thanks to GotJunk...]

I'll find my Excedrin...
and my water bottle...

and sit in the back while I listen to the Giants game...

hummm... there WAS a cold Dos Exquis...
and I have some marinaded lamb to grill...



and then this evening...
I could take the new rocker...
for an extended test ride...

I love Sunday...

...rock around the clock

being "determined"..."focused"...
are admirable traits...

"stubbornness" however... is often seen as less than admirable...

and depending on the degree to which it is carried...
a LOT less...

I'm willing to admit to being stubborn...

it would do me no good to try to "paint it as something else"...
especially at this stage...

I know it comes from my Mom...

as she got older...
and the "little, everyday things"got harder...
I'd see her narrow her brow... watch her jaw tighten...
hear her voice become edgy...
and get out of the way...

she took great delight in "overcoming"...
which is probably why she lived alone successfully...
until into her 90's...on a ranch...out in the country...
and when she was forced to live in a "care home"...
her mind still jousted daily with any impediment in her path...

I have several ongoing battles...
not the least of which is my acquired handicap...
of having only half of my right thumb...
and that stump is sensitive if pressed too hard...

I thrive on "doing" for myself...
always have... and like fixing things...
or putting something together... from a kit...

since I also have back/leg nerve problems...
I wanted a rocking chair...
but was having trouble finding the right size & style...
that I could afford....

then back in November...
I found a kit for a mission style rocker with a leather seat...
and waited until January for it to be "on sale"...



it wasn't $500-750 like some I'd seen...
it was quite reasonable [$350] because it was a kit...
[AND on sale...]

I won't bore you with all the details...
or should I say "travails"...
if you enjoy pain, suffering & frustration...
read the 1/16/08 post, "update from the front"...

after all I went through, that chair is really comfortable...
I love rocking...and it looks good...

being who I am...[catalog capital of the Nor Cal area...]

I get catalogs all the time...
and once I got used to the rocker...
the chair on the front porch seemed...
too low... too "still"... and a bit boring...

so...I catalog "shopped"...

I absolutely was in love with a high end "outside rocker"...
made of oiled teak...craftsman-ish...
substantial...and $ 800 !!![with cushions...]
it WAS available as a kit...for $500 [with cushions...]

but I wasn't willing to pay that...
not and have to assemble it too...

so I kept looking...

the "big box home stores" [and their catalogs...]
had lightweight ones for $120- $200...as kits...
painted...stained...or "natural"...

I'd look at them...and they seemed "cheesy"...

and none offered cushions...
[I NEED cushions for back support...]

as the summer season progressed...
the prices began to drop...

the really "high end" stuff dropped down into the $450 range...
the cheesy stuff stayed the same...

and then Smith & Hawkin came through...

my porch chair came from them...
so did my media cabinets...
and my fireplace screen & tools...
[my chimney sweep thinks they are terrific...]

they were offering, in their end of summer sale...
a "natural Brazilian cherry"[sustainable] outside rocker kit...
for the sale price of $189.00 [it had been $279.00]....

AND... they had forest green cushions, specifically for the rocker...
and a rectangular lumbar support pillow...ALSO on sale...
as was a winter cover that would fit it...

the entire package cost me...
about what the rocker would have cost alone...
before the sale...

so when it arrived... I unpacked it...
shooed away Sneaky Pie...
read the instructions...
shooed away Gracie...

assembled the tools I'd need...
[wood glue, Phillips screw driver,rubber mallet...]
shooed away both SPie AND Gracie...
as well as Mack & Lucyfur, who came to "help"...

re-read the instructions...
examined all the parts...
shooed away Thomas, et al...
and began to assemble...
with an eye to the door...
as Got Junk was coming by, AGAIN...
for another load from the back yard...

I applied glue, wiped up the spillover...
channeled "Norm Abrahms"["This Old House"]...
shooed away "helpers"...
put pegs into holes...tapped with the mallet...
wiped up more glue...
shooed away more "helpers"...
applied some wood screws...
and was done...

I cautiously moved it outside...
[it has to set-up for 24 hours...]
tied on the cushions...
placed the lumbar pillow...
and left it to "cure"...



the GotJunk guys came & went...
they liked my back yard...
said it was nice & green...
[now that you can see it...]

now that the leaves and debris have been hauled away...
[it was about a quarter truck...]
I have the "container room" to continue the clean up...
[wait... that wasn't so smart...
I could have rested...too late now...]

I'll just have to rock away my aches & pains...
now if only the contractor would call...

...wind songs

I love wind chimes...
I collect them...
but not for their appearance...
or style...

musician that I am...
it's their sound...

some light and tinkly...
others rattly... or bongy...
or even brassy...

some very high pitched...
some mellow...
others deep & profound...

some tuned to certain notes or keys...
others... more random...
and the timbre is the thing...

they sing with the wind...
clamor in the storm...
and sigh with the merest of breezes...

they are the sound track of my life these days...
the laughter and the song of God...

sometimes...style and timbre meet...
in a serendipitous blend...



as in this copper, Mission style w.c....
hanging on my front porch...



this is not a w.c....
but it hangs & twirls in the breeze...
and always makes me smile...



I have most of my collection in the back yard...
here on the Valley oak, are 2 smaller ones...
they flank the hummingbird feeder...
and have a very "tinkly quality"...
though the one on the right has a shimmeriness to it's sound...



this large group is my most varied grouping...

there are ceramic bells from the Oregon coast...
a ceramic garden Nymph w/oak leaves from Orcas Is, WA...
[she's holding a temple bell...]
there are 2 multi tubed chimes...
similar to the ones percussionists use...

there is a "tuned" one...
and another ceramic one...
I just can't remember where I got it from...

as the breeze is blowing...
I hear them singing outside my window...
even as I write this...



in this close-up...
you can see the 2 ceramic ones...
as well as one of the several tuned ones...
I have in different "keys"...



in this close-up...
you can see the multi tubed ones...
flanking another hummingbird feeder...
and behind the one on the right...
another ceramic chime...


here... you can see an old ceramic bell...
that was my great aunts, then Mom's...

it hung outside my bedroom window at the ranch...
and it's hollow "bong" takes me "home"...




past it, is a rusting[it's supposed to...]pyramid chime...
and just to the left...
a tiny cat chime I found in the leaves...
I thought it was lost...
such a tiny delicate sound...
it's closest to my office window...



this chime was Mom's...
I have one just like it in pieces...
a victim of winter storms...
Mom had hers re-strung...

the blue hummingbird to the extreme left...
was also Mom's...
it was a gift from a teacher friend...
and she had it in her room at the "home"...



here...you can see the grouping...
the blue hummingbird chime next to the feeder...
on the right is a granite shard chime...
it has an exquisite quality but is very fragile...
as is the petrified wood one that needs to be restrung...
on the left...my glass "autumn leaves"...



here's a close-up of the "autumn leaves"...
it has a very tinkly sound that goes so well with the granite...



over in the plum tree are a couple of the tuned ones...
the long one is the "Westminster Strike" one...
the copper teakettle has a nice mellow tone...



this is more of a grouped shot...
that includes another tuned one...
my new copper rain chain...
that clanks in a strong wind...
and a couple of small tinkly/shimmery sounding ones...
around the bird feeder...
they let me know when something is eating...



here is my "Celtic copper leaf" chime...
although it rattles & clanks more than chimes...
the black tubes next to it are the most resonate chimes I own...
and remind me of a tam tam gong with the length of it's sound...



back under the peach tree is a faded "dolphin" chime...
it used to be very bright & tacky looking...
but has always produced such an exquisite sound...
that I looked past the tacky appearance...



in the nearby cherry tree...
there is a small copper tuned one...
a medium tuned one...



and what's left of another medium sized tuned one...
the victim of winter storms...



which will go with all the other tubes...
to be re-strung...and to someday sing again...

...taming the back yard, 1.5

yesterday...we left my "patch" setting up...
today...the first thing I did was to glue it to the door...
[where it will "set-up" overnight...]
of course... my clamp was just a bit too short...
to fit as the manufacturer intended...so I "jury-rigged" it ...
using a trowel for leverage and the expansion lever of the clamp...

I actually looked up the term ...it is "jury-rigged"...
which means an emergency repair from whatever is at hand...
NOT "jerry-rigged" which comes from "jerry-built"...
and means built with inferior materials & poor workmanship...
an intentionally fraudulent item...built to sell, but not to last...

so now that I've gotten that out of my system...



we move on to today's target areas...
the corner next to the house, by the gate...



half of the massive "pile o'leaves"...
behind the gate, next to the fence...



the other half of the "m p o'l"...
on the other side of my cover/cushion storage bag...
in front of the fence...looking towards the garage corner...
[yes...that IS a kitty/critter door...
in the garage door...that REALLY needs paint...]



from the other side of the "bed"...
looking towards the fence/garage corner...
across all the crap I need to sort/move...
[sigh]

after cleaning out the corner next to the house...
I decided that the 1st half of the mpo'l...
which had been greatly added to from the corner, had to go...
my question was "how ?"...

I have a limited amount of exertive physical maneuvers...
in my aging body before I lock up in a spasm of arthritic pain...
so I needed to minimize my efforts...
in the most efficacious way I could dream up...

this was my first attempt...



use my mini clamps to clamp the plastic bag open in the can...
fill it using the plastic grain shovel...
the spillage just falls in the can to be disposed of later...
then unclamp the mini clamps...and lift the filled bag out...

the concept was sound...
BUT...
the mini clamps ripped the bag
when I stuffed the bag too full..
[also when I didn't stuff it too full...]



it was all I could do to get the bag out without it falling apart...
I ended up just dumping it into the green waste can...

NOT the outcome I had wanted...
and... it took too much time and messing around...
not to mention effort on my part...

I eventually found a box of stronger bags[Forceflex]...

there was still some tearing...

BUT...

I finally figured out that that it would "work"...

if...

a] I was careful HOW I clamped...
and...
b] I didn't stuff the bags so full...



several sweaty, sneezy hours... and 9 bags later...
I had disposed of the leaves...from the patio area anyway...

also 2 planters the bottoms came off of...
the metal cart that was rusted through...
the past-its-date cat food...
a mile of creeper vine...
a rusted wood holder...
a ton of brittle plastic[in the trash can...]
and several disgusting old cat beds...

as well as having sorted out and stored...
a LOT of potting supplies...

having had enough...I sat down, had a drink...
and noticed the grapefruit on the patio table...

there had been a bunch of grapefruit on my tree...
I had picked..and tried to eat them...
they were all pith...or dry & woody [frost damage...]
so I reluctantly threw them away...
all that is, but one...

it was heavy...and felt like a grapefruit...
so I kept it... I just hadn't checked it out yet...
since I was hungry...I peeled it...
it looked good...



then I tasted it...yummm...
just what I had in mind when I bought this tree...
sweet red grapefruit...juicy... no sugar needed...
a perfect snack... sitting in a breezy backyard...
the Piglet on the prowl...and the blue jay harassing her...



here you see my "true dwarf" "Rio Red Grapefruit" tree...
and the good news [for me, anyway...]
it has 7 or 8 immature grapefruit on it...



click on the picture if you want the particulars...
of this tree variety & grower source...
[I got it at OSH...a couple of years ago...]



here you see the clean corner, by the garage...
where there was a huge pile of leaves...
the "bed " to the right is where the huge pile of crap was...

you see my hibachi grill...
the 2 planters that still HAVE bottoms...
a glass water bottle that may some day...
be a wonderful terrarium, again...
and one of my 2 strawberry pots...
with some rosemary setting on it...



by the fence...the bakers rack with plants...
this was before I moved the cover/cushion storage in front of it...



the old coffee table with all 4 ferns on it now...



the cover/cushion storage in place...



the corner by the house...



and the patio area...

I need ...

a large drink [of water...]
several Excedrin...
lunch...
a shower...
& a nap...

[not necessarily in that order...]

...taming the back yard, 1.4

the old yellow recycle bin...
is full of cat beds to be washed...
the kitty litter containers...
are actually where they belong and they are full...
but they are hiding the furnace vents...
so they need to be moved...

the pots need to be emptied of leaves...
sorted and stored...
the various refuse bags, ditto...
as well as the paint, plant food, etc...

the remaining cat food may still be OK...
but I'll check it before storing it...
[it's been there a while...]
and of course...there are leaves to remove...



just to the left of my back door, next to the oak tree...
there is a giant pile of junk...
large storage bins of bird seed...
a pile of good furnace filters that belong in the basement...
numerous containers, painting supplies...
gardening supplies, old cat bedding...
several winter "furniture covers"...
and an old silver tarp, hiding my garden cart...



I decreased the pile to the right somewhat...
but all it's leaves and sorting the cart will have to wait...



to the left, however, I was more successful...
as you can plainly see...



I merely "added" to the leaf mega pile...
since they didn't pick up my green waste until quite late...
and by then, I was tired...
so I'll bag leaves "tomorrow"...



the first thing I did today...
was to put a new rolling tray under my weeping Japanese Maple...
the old one was wood and had fallen apart...
causing water to run out without soaking in...
creating stress and causing some "brown back"...

I love the sculptural look of this tree...
especially in winter, when the leaves are gone...
so I think it will be happier now that I've attended to it...
cut off the dead tips and put on a new tray...



while raking leaves from the Japanese maple's area...
I noticed this, growing in an old Boston fern...
I'm sure it is from the Valley oak overhead...
but it reminds me of another small oak I found 20 years ago...



growing here...
in the crack between the concrete and the railroad tie border...
I asked a workman to cut away part of the tie with his Saws All...
to allow the tiny seedling to grow...
and 20 years later...



we have this... a volunteer Valley oak...
the parent of the one in my fern, I'm sure...

I planted the Pin oak...
and allowed this Valley oak to grow...
somehow, I find it all very satisfying...
in a "circle of life" kind of way...



a couple of days ago...in my on-going "critter war"...
I dumped almost an entire container of "critter repellent"...
down into the space between the inner and outer walls...
below the old electrical panel box area...

when the electrician removed the old electrical meter...
it left a large hole in the outer door...
he promised that he would "close it off"...
but as you can see... he "forgot"...

mice, rats & baby possums have made an awful racket...
using it as their winter lair...
and I've had enough...so I've come up with a plan...

not wanting to use poison...
[I bear them no ill will...
nor do I want to take the chance on poisoning a cat...]
I first moved the trellises that helped provide access...

this cut the noise & activity level, greatly...
then I decided to dose the space...really GOOD...
with the repellent I know works...
the next step is to fashion a cover for the hole in the door....



here you see my 1st attempt, "setting up"...
I sawed several pieces of wood veneer laminate...
glued 2 together at the edge...clamped it...
and glued a 3rd piece as a support for the seam...
of course...3 of 4 places could be clamped...
the 4th has a pot full of dirt on it...
as a weight while it "sets up"...
[Norm on "This Old House" would be proud...
too bad I didn't have a "biscuit tool" like he would have used...]

tomorrow...I'll "attempt" to patch the hole...

stay tuned...for more "Adventures in Home Maintenance"

...4 PM curfew [HA !]

Piglet...this morning...
employing the feline "cloaking device"...
[ie...if I don't acknowledge you...
you can't see me...(huh ?)]

well... I was ready today...
when she made her 4 PM appearance...
and closed the window...
before she could vanish into the yard...

Fluff, who was already in ...
and actively lobbying for more food...
didn't care one bit...
that the window was closed...

and...to give Piglet credit...
as soon as she saw that she was "toast"...
she feigned indifference...
and proceeded to stuff her face...

eating what Fluff had left...
and then cleaning up another can...
[Fancy Feast cans ARE small...]
after Fluff had licked off the gravy...
[that cat has radar for the whoosh of a can lid being popped...]

then... she settled in for a nap...
making quite a production of stretching...
yawning... and personal hygiene...
[ie butt bathing...]

all the while...keeping a bit of a distance...
letting me know... that she knew...
just what I had done...
and that I WOULD pay... and dearly, too...

she did make a brief case for freedom around dark...
standing in the window, sniffing the night air...
and twitching her tail...
but was too "cool" to say more than the slightest hint...
of a request...

then, just as quick...
as if the very idea of being "out" bored her...
she went back to sleep...

I'm not gloating openly...

because...

tomorrow is another day...

...taking-out-the-trash-day playtime

tomorrow is trash day...[at 0dark:30, I might add...]
so I always put it out the day before...
[and that would be today...]
so I pushed the cans to the curb...



and placed the ubiquitous "green" extra bag tags...
on the bags of leaves...
and said, "enough..."

after cleaning out the 'fridge...
"doing" the trash and cat boxes...
totally filling the trash can...
to the point that it "hurt" to get it to the curb...
I decided to "rest" from my back yard labors today...

so today...it's "flora catsingerus"...
[aka plants around the place...]

enjoy...



a couple of "Joseph's Coat" roses, blooming in the front...



my trio of very happy, newly potted ferns in the back...



the Mandarin orange & fig trees...in their new spot...



accompanied by the Japanese maples...
[yes...JAPANESE MAPLES...
I KNOW what shape the leaves are...
I KNOW what it LOOKS like...
if you only knew just how allergic I am to pot...
you would never doubt my veracity...
about this, anyway...]



this is the cutting from Mom's old lilac...
[the one with the small leaves...]
it has survived a year in the ground...
after surviving a couple of years in a can as a cutting...

there is also new growth from the older lilac...
Mom gave me...also a cutting, but from the larger leafed one...

Mom's lilac bush [older than me] was basically...
the old fashioned, small leafed kind...
but new shoots often came up with the bigger leaves...
which is what she gave me...

on my last trip to the ranch...
I made sure that I dug up a small leafed shoot...
[much harder to do... deeper roots...]
so now I have an heirloom one too...



this is my "long suffering" asparagus fern...
my really old one finally died several years ago...
so this one took its place and has NOT had an easy time of it...
though I believe that it will love it's new spot...



this is one of my Staghorn ferns...
it seems to flourish here...
on the eastside of the garage...
amidst the creeping ficus vine...



and of course, it wouldn't be right...
to overlook the giant oak tree I planted 20 years ago...
as it dominates the yard...
and gives me endless "photo ops"...



making my way back around front...
I stop to appreciate the "creeper"...
actually doing what I planted it to do...
and that is, turning colors as the seasons change...



finally ... the last sculptural flora on our tour...

the orchid I couldn't resist...
with nearly all it's blossoms open...

I had one "keep" blooms for nearly 6 weeks once...
this one came home with me with only a few blooms open...
so as long as it is "happy"...
I have high hopes for its continued state of "in bloom"...

...full moon mania [or "where the %#$ is that cat ! "]

[Miz Piglet...on the prowl...]

seems like only last week...
oh yeah... it WAS last week...
every time I turned around...
there was Piglet... being "pitiful"...
and wanting to be held...
because she didn't feel good...

3:30 PM...[prime "outside time"...]
and there she'd be asleep on my bed...
or wanting to be in my arms...

but...that was before the last steroid shot...

AND... the full moon...

last night...she was at large until 9:15...
which means I'm sitting there...
calling her... and fending off possums...
[they just come right in when the window is open...]

so after she sauntered in last night...
at 9:15 PM...
this "discussion" ensued...

me : "where were you ? "
her : "gobble, gobble..."
me : "it's been dark for almost 2 hours..."
her : "gobble, chomp..."
me : "I WAS WORRIED..."
her : "burp..."
me : "tomorrow...you had better come in on time...
or else..."
her : "y-a-w-n... *snore*..."

so today when she made a brief appearance around 4:30 PM...
I remarked, "that's right... you need to be in early..."
she looked at me, flicked her tail...
and disappeared into the late afternoon...

not to be seen again until after 8:30 PM...
[aka 2 hours of me calling...
& 2 possum incursions averted...]
also causing me to wait to heat up my own dinner...
until she was in and "safe"...
[there are BIG dogs at large...
and other things... like speeding cars...
and raccoons...]

she strolled up the ramp, pushed open the cat door...
and "wandered in"...almost nonchalantly...
looking at me as if to say...
"did I hear you calling me, a while back ?"

as I moved to close the window...
she became the feline version of a vacuum cleaner at the food dish...
scarfing every thing in sight...
then moving over to the crunchies [her favorite...]

still miffed...I muttered something about her filthy paws...
[they were dirty...]
and how they'd better be clean before she crawled into bed with me...
knowing, however, that it was all falling on deaf ears
so... I left the room to write this post...

I'm sure when I return, to go to bed...
she'll be right there the moment I lay down...
making "beds" in my arm... with her grimy paws...
purring lustily... drooling massively...
then falling asleep to snore like a backfiring chain saw...
in my ear all night...

I'm very glad that the full moon is now waning...
and that my silly friend is feeling much better...

and tomorrow...if she's in at 4:30...
the window will be closed...

...taming the backyard, 1.3

there are perks to being a pack rat...
especially when you are digging through things...
and find stuff that you need...

some wouldn't call a whirly gig a need...
but I absolutely love watching it...

it's like a stained glass kaleidoscope...
glowing in the sunlight...
strobing, perpetual motion in the breeze...
spinning, flashing and dancing...
a technicolor spasm of joy...

I liked it so much... I knew Mom would too...
[liking bright & shiny is in our DNA...]
so I got one for her while I still could...
[I haven't seen this kind for several years now...]

and when she left the ranch...[April 2005]
she gave it to me...and I "stashed it away"...
cleverly forgetting where...
while watching mine fall apart in the mean time...

there are 2 wheels that spin in opposite directions...
and a rudder that spins the wheel apparatus around...
to catch the changing direction of the winds...
and one of the spinning wheels on mine got shredded
because I stupidly forgot to bring it in one winter...

as part of my first day of clean up...
I had removed the shredded panels...
that had wrapped around the spindle...
keeping it from spinning at all...
and was resigned to watching the one faded wheel...
after I got it to spin again...

then yesterday...I found what was left of Mom's...
not thinking much of it, since only one wheel remained...
it wasn't until this morning that it occurred to me...
to make "1" from "parts of 2"...
and it worked... !



here you can see both wheels in place...
[and the one from Mom's isn't faded like mine...
I do so love intense colors...]



here they are... in action...
spinning in opposite directions...
I have really missed it...
I remember when I was recovering from surgery...
I used to lay in bed, look out the window...
and watch the wheels spin in the sunlight...

simple things amuse simple minds...
[I suppose...]
however you explain it...
it's good to have it "back"...

encouraged by my handy work...
I decided it was time to pot the ferns that had been lurking...
on the patio table for quite some time now...



here you see 3, very happy, small Australian Sword ferns...
finally in their new home...



moving around the table...the "heritage Maidenhair fern"...
it was my grandmother's for years... then my Mom's...
I didn't need to re-pot it, yet...
it has died back and returned many times...
it may be older than I am...
if it isn't...it's close...
[I have a sword fern on the front porch...
that is older than I am...]

next to the Maidenhair, is a neat little fern I found...
I don't know the variety...it's kind of like a sword...
but the frond sections have an oblong shape...
if anybody knows what kind it is...let me know...



this is an "Autumn fern"...
the frond shape reminds me of a combination...
of "monkey/rabbits" paw fern...
and the "sword" type...

*SIGH*

playtime now being over...
I reluctantly turned my attention to...
THE LEAVES...



which, oddly enough...
were right where I left them yesterday...
[I guess I should be happy...
that there wasn't a strong wind last night...]



trying to avoid a lot of extra effort...
I devised the "use a chair to hold the bag open" method...
which worked rather well...
causing me to have to clean up only a small amount of "spill"...



so after a lot of sweating & sneezing...
the pile was finally gone...



stashed in 4 garbage bags...
[now... I have to find my "extra bag" tags..]



and the big refuse tote of leaves/dirt/mulch...
is waiting to be spread in the garden...


sitting down to rest...
my next project was right in front of me...



a huge pile of stuff that belongs in the garage...
a bunch of potting stuff from the front porch...

and... MORE LEAVES....
with that pesky creeper winding it's way throughout...

this actually took the most time...
sorting... carrying...stacking...
storing away...throwing away...
and finally... after cutting away the creeper...
sweeping the leaves into piles...
[tomorrow...I'll "bag"...
I've sneezed enough for one day...
thank you, very much...]



here it is... clean...
my old coffee table and wooden chairs...
after I took this...
I put the newly potted ferns on the table...
they looked very happy...



same area, but from the gate...looking "in"...

and then... to the right...
the potting bench area...



it really pains me to say, I'm NOT half done yet...

*sigh*

but it is SO nice to be outside in this early fall weather...

...taming the backyard,1.2

this is where I "started" this morning...
the lime tree needed to be put on a movable cart...
and tons of leaves needed to be raked away from the house...
empty pots and saucers needed to be sorted...
the gas meter needed to be cleared...
[it's to the left of the blue tarp...]



I understand that they will be installing a new one...
so they can read it from the street... [cool...]
my electric meter is new... so it could be "changed over"...
the gas meter is ancient...so it'll be replaced...



besides the "ton o'leaves" next to the house...
the patio area was full of empty pots...
more leaves... "creeper" vines...
dead stuff... and...[you guessed it...]
MORE LEAVES...



so after an hour or so of sweating & sneezing...
[allergies, you know...]
I had managed to not only remove the leaves[ah-choo...]
but I sorted a bunch of pots & saucers...
along with other gardening stuff...
and stored it in/under the potting bench...
and the old computer desk from my classroom...



clearing the gas meter and the pile from 2 days ago...

I also moved the fig tree, over by the Mandarin orange tree...
and moved some big containers around...
making room for the lime tree on the edge of the patio...
where it will get more sun...



after moving all the empty pots off the patio...
trimming the blood orange & tangerine...
and cutting back a bunch of creeper...
I was able to sweep/push the leaves off to the side...
cleaning them out from under the table & chairs...

leaving me with this...



I guess I'll have to get some leaf bags...

...happy Piglet... & Lacy cat, too

a couple of days ago... I wrote about Piglet...
my silly cat who has lesions in her mouth...
due to an immune system problem...

the steroid shot she got on Friday...
seems to have really helped...
she's eating without complaint...
[even her favorite crunchies are "disappearing"...
and I'm pretty sure the possum hasn't gotten them...]

on the heels of Piglet's distress...
I took a close look at Lacy...
who has also dealt with the lesions for the same reason...
[and no, they don't have any contact with each other...]

about 2 years ago, Lacy had several teeth pulled...
and it seemed to solve her problem...
but as I looked closer, I noticed...
that she had dark "drool" marks on her chin...
apparently coming from her mouth...
so I took her in Saturday morning...

the vet said that her mouth wasn't as bad as Piglet's...
but she had a couple of small lesions...
so she got a steroid shot too...
she doesn't get the antibiotic though...
and seems much happier this morning...
as did Piglet...


[this was taken 9/15...notice...
NO dark drool marks on her chin...]

so... for now... things are OK in "Kitty City"...

what will happen next ?

I have NO idea...

...OK...I'm a Giants fan... & the Dodgers STILL suck...

when I was in elementary school [mid to late 50's...]
October... and the World Series...
would see teachers toting bulky TV's & "rabbit ears"...
into classrooms so everyone could watch the "Fall Classic"...

I remember being in 2nd grade and ALL my classmates...
either LOVED the then Brooklyn Dodgers...
or "those dammed Yankees"...

I really admired Willie Mays...



with his effortless grace & joy in playing ball...
so along with that...
as well as probably just wanting to be different...
I claimed the Giants...and the "die was cast"...



in 1958, the year I would turn 10...

both the Giants and the hated Dodgers moved west...
the shallow, glitzy Dodgers to LA...
the gritty, noble Giants to San Francisco...
and the whole state chose sides...



I lived in the central valley...
where EVERYONE... but me, & my dad [he liked Willie Mays too...]
seemed to be Dodger fans...
and even though they had some good teams...
like all "good guys"...the Giants often lost out to the Dodgers...

I lost track of baseball in high school & college...

during my Chicago years...I attended a game at Wrigley...
along with several of the guys [grad student trumpet majors]
the Cubbies were playing the Astros...
I don't remember who won...
I remember that we drank a lot of Heilmann's Old Style...
[that was probably our reason for going anyway...]

when I returned to Mudville...
and eventually started teaching...
I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands in the summer...
and that's when I reconnected with the Giants...

I would sit in my back yard...
under a shady tree...
with a cool drink & a book...
kitties sleeping companionably close in the shade...
and listen to the game on the radio...

also reconnecting with my dad...
as I remembered him coming in after a hot dusty day...
getting cleaned up and sitting in the back yard...
under the big trees...
in the gentle breeze that made 102 livable...
listening to the Giants...
and cursing those @$*&*Dodgers...

I went to a couple of games at Candlestick...
[a choir member where I sang then had season tickets...]
and when the Giants built PacBell Park in 2000...
a couple of friends[trombone players...]& I split up 2 season tickets...



just above the "Yahoo" sign...go up the aisle about 25 rows...
1st 2 seats on the left... great seats...

3 days after I had my cancer surgery...
Joe & I went to see the Yankees play an "exhibition"[pre-season]game...
it was the first game of any kind there...
Joe had to keep waking me up... but I wasn't going to miss it...

after 3 seasons... the cost of the seats AND parking, etc...
just got to be too much for me and I gave up my share...
but I still listened or watched almost every game...
[it's still something that gives my day structure in the summer...]

I saw Barry Bonds hit the first "Splash hit" in person...
as well as MANY other monster home runs...
I think I understand why he did what he did...
I just am sorry that the circumstances created the situation...
that they did and that things worked out the way they did...

along with his Godfather, Willie Mays...
he's one of the most amazing athletes I've ever watched...



one of the things I like about the Giants...
is how they honor past players...
did you know that there are more Giants...
in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY...
than any other team ?
more than even the Yankees...

it's true...[take that, Dodger breath...]


the Giants have more crazy fans too...
[yes... I know...Nor Cal...what else would I expect...?]



this "gentleman"[come on, you know who I mean...]
is known as "the Rally Pumpkin"...
he is in fact the driver of the Giants team bus...
when they are in LA...[he does live there...but has overcome the madness...]
he shows up at LA area[and some Bay area] games thusly attired...
and has been statistically shown to "turn the tide"...
almost single handedly...

the 2008 [post Bonds] Giants were picked to be dead last...
to lose 100 games...
that can't happen now...AND..
they are currently only 4.5 games out of 2nd place... !
[yes...I know the Dodgers are in 1st...
how much do you want to bet that they will yet implode...
as Dodgers are always prone to do...?]

with a combination of crafty older players...
and a bunch of rookies [15 major league debuts this year...]
they have held their own...



one of my favorite players, Omar Vizquel...
is in perhaps the last year of his "Hall of Fame" career...
after playing most of his career for the Indians...
he came to the Giants to win his last couple of Gold Gloves...
[he has 11 total in both leagues...]

he is a dancer playing shortstop...
and "class" personified...
mentoring the younger players who have taken his playing time...
without any rancor or attitude...



Rich Aurillia was the shortstop on the 2002 Giants World Series losers...
he has returned to become a pinch hitter extraordinaire...
and a mentor for young infielders...



Aaron Rowand is just finishing his 1st year as a Giant...
a hard nosed center fielder, best known for colliding with walls...



Bengie Molina, catcher, of the "Catching Molina Brothers"...
[he has 2 brothers... also major league catchers...]
is known to Giants fans as "Big Money"...
because when he comes up in "money"[we need a hit...]situations...
he almost always comes through...
I've seen him get a hit off a pitch that was a foot off the plate...
and 2 inches off the ground...

he's also a terrific "mentor" for our young pitchers...



of all the "old guys"... my favorite is Randy Winn...
I remember when he played for other teams...
I'd wish he was a Giant... then they traded for him...
he currently has the 5th highest batting average...
in the National League, at .317...
besides being a terrific fielder and a class act...

then... there are the "kids"...



"Fast "Fred Lewis came up last year...
and has at times been a terrific hitter...
and had his "growing pains"...

he reminds me of a young, skinny Barry Bonds...



Eugenio Velez has the look of someone who is from a very poor country...
like those pictures we've always seen of starving children...
but, boy... can he hit ...with power you do not expect...
and run like the wind...
if he gets on 1st... & the pitcher blinks...
he's on 2nd...

he's also a quick study and has been improving in the field...
now if Omar could just teach him how to steal home...



as good as Velez is... the heir apparent to Omar is Emmanuel Burriss...
a truly gifted shortstop, whose hitting...
and base running have improved steadily this summer..



and then there's my favorite rookie...
straight up from AA... Pablo Sandoval...
[aka "Little Money"]
imagine a young Hispanic Babe Ruth ...
and you have Pablo...

he hits for average... power...
runs fast... has great instincts & balance...
a superb natural athlete...

he plays 1st & 3rd base very well...
and he is a terrific catcher...
when he plays... the Giants almost always win...
one pundit calls him,"The Round Mound of Pound"...
in the most loving manner possible...

it's also true that where ever you find Bengie...
[especially on the road...] you'll find Pablo...



then, there are the pitchers...Tim Lincecum...
named to the All Star team and a candidate for the Cy Young Award...
in his first full season...
SI called him,"The Freak"...

he isn't tall [5'9"] or heavy [180lbs]...
he doesn't "ice his arm" after throwing...
and he just pitched his first complete game shutout...
oh... I think he's 24 or 25... years old...

WOW...



the Giants 2nd young "stud" pitcher is a year younger...
Matt Cain went into pro baseball instead of college like Lincecum...
so he's been "at it" a bit longer...



Jonathon Sanchez is the 3rd "young gun"...
and a lefty to boot...who throws 90+ with pinpoint control...
and a devastating change-up...



oddly enough... Brian Wilson, the Giants young closer...
is leading the National League in saves with 38...
I say oddly, because the Giants don't have a winning record...
I believe Wilson has only 4 blown saves all year...


if I sound like a maniacal fan who spends every moment...
reading and studying stats... I'm not...
just by listening to the broadcasts...
you pick up a lot of information...
especially when the broadcasters are as good...
as the Giants broadcasters are...



former Giants players...2nd baseman Dwayne Kuiper [on the left]
and former pitcher Mike Krukow [on the right]
are the TV broadcasters...

they are funny... and at the same time...
you learn a lot about the game from 2 guys who played it...
you get the players perspective and the fans...
and they are NOT homers...
[will say only good things about the home team...]

I don't always appreciate their point of view...
[I've had more than enough of Jeff Kent, thank you...
I don't care that he "was a good Giant"...
he's a Dodger now...and hates SF...]

but they will go out of their way to be fair...
and if you've listened to other broadcasters...
[ie Ron Santo, Cubs or anyone in Atlanta...]
you know what I mean...



here you see "Kruk & Kuip" as they are affectionately known...
in their box at AT&T Park...

it has taken the advent of Direct TV to introduce them...
to baseball fans all over the country...

they are now considered to be the best broadcasters in baseball...

but they are not the only broadcasting stars in the Giants world...



Jon Miller, who with Joe Morgan, broadcasts Sunday Night Baseball...
on ESPN...
has been the radio voice[and sometime TV voice] of the Giants since 1993...
Jon is truly a superstar in the broadcasting world...
and was joined a couple of years ago by Dave Flemming...
who is considered the best young announcer in baseball today...



here you see a post-game "wrap" with [l to r ]...
Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, Dwayne Kuiper, Greg Papa...
and the back of Mike Krukow's head...

so the next time you find yourself complaining...
about highly paid professional ballplayers...
if it's April to October... tune in to KNBR radio[680 AM]...
or Comcast Sports Bay Area TV[channel 37 or 116 on Mudville cable]

and catch a Giants game...

watch these kids [and a few "old guys"]
play for fun...
have a brat & a beer...
but don't do "the wave"... that's SO SoCal...
[Dodgers suck, Dodgers suck...]

listen to Jon & Dave...
or Kruk & Kuip...

and if you're a Dodger fan...
then, "grab some pine, meat"...*

* use your imagination, meat...

...taming the back yard, 1.1

this was taken yesterday...
behind the red cart, is my lime tree...
behind that is an old half-barrel full of dirt...
it came with the house[20 years ago...]

since I couldn't budge it...
I stacked stuff on it and let the leaves swallow it...

so after moving the ferns...
cleaning off the potting bench...
moving the two citrus trees...
digging into the junk on the top of the barrel...
finding 3 fallen wind chimes...
and shoveling a bunch of leaves...



there it sits...
still surrounded by leaves...
all the staves falling off the rusty hoops...

and then...



*POOF*

it's gone...
[oh...if it had only been that easy...]

actually...after removing[OK...they fell off, happy ?...]
half the rotten staves...
I used the one intact hoop to pull it to the edge of the patio...
[NOT easy... I may have hurt myself...]

then...I removed the rest of the staves...
[OK.. picked them up...they fell off...]
and the intact hoop with 1 stave still attached...
and put it into the trash...

I broke up the huge chunk of dry dirt with a shovel...
and scattered it around a rose bush...



I'll be able to smooth things out after I move the empty pots...

then I shoveled leaves until all my leaf containers were full...



and, behold... the oak tree HAS roots...
and there is a concrete patio...
cracked as it may be...
probably from the roots of the oak tree...

there must have been 6 inches of leaves here...
but I've done my bit here for today...
I need to be able to move tomorrow...

the good news...there's gonna be a lot of room back here...

the bad news... it's almost time for the leaves to drop again...

*sigh*

...taming the backyard, 1.0

I used to have regular help with yard work...
I've always been able to deal with mowing the lawn...
but I've never been good...
about keeping the leaves and debris cleaned up...
or trimming and hauling out stuff...

as the years have passed...
the physical pain has come to be a problem...
and in the last 2 years, since my helper left...
it's been even harder...

so when I decided to tackle the back yard...
it was no small undertaking...
but it has to be done..
and I can't afford to hire someone...

so this morning... I started in...



this is the first target area...
outside my bedroom, under the plum tree...
to the left is a raised planter box...
still sporting 2007 tomato plants & cages...
now, quite dead...

there are some small Japanese Maples in containers...
and you can see a number of wind chimes...
a bird feeder [empty] ...
and a bird bath...

a number of trellises, stakes...
empty cat food pans scattered by foraging critters...
and a lot of leaves...



on the right...
you can see part of a bird feeder I need to relocate...
and the corpses of 2007 bean & tomato plants...
[also in raised beds...]



this shot is from the dead bean vines...
looking back towards the house...
under the tree...


4 hours later...
[and a lot of effort you don't want to hear about...]




this is the under-the-tree area...
all the stakes, trellises & cages have been moved...
dead tomatoes and cages...
as well as leaves and hanging tree branches...
*gone*

the Japanese Maples have been relocated...
onto the raised area...[more sun...]
the bird feeder has been relocated to the raised bed as well...
it and the other bird feeders are now "filled"...
as is the bird bath...




the old bean vines & their stakes...

gone...



as well as the tomato corpses & cages...



here, in a wider shot...
you can see the relocated bird feeder...
and the cleaned off raised bed...

and where did all the debris go ?



I don't think much else will fit...

it will probably be after the next trash day[Thursday]
before I'm over all this exertion...

at least it's a start...

...Piglet tales

I've been overwhelmed the last couple of days...
with "opportunities to trust God for everything"...
some I've shared...
some I haven't...until now...

most of you know that I have a family of aging felines...
with aging... comes challenges...
for human AND feline...
[but that's about 25 other posts...]

I love all my kitties...
but Fluff & Piglet share my bedroom...
so we have more "opportunities"...
to interact on a nightly basis...

cats can have immune system problems...
and Piglet has developed lesions in her mouth...
due to an immune system problem...

her mouth gets very sore...
she tries to eat...
but ends up crying & pawing at her mouth...
trying to stop the burning pain...
searing her gums and soft palette...

when it's bad, she gets very clingy, wanting to be held...
looking at me, her eyes pleading for relief...
so, of course I took her to the vet...
about a month ago, when it first flared up...

he gave her a steroid shot...
AND an antibiotic shot...
[the bacteria in her mouth cause the lesions to become infected...]
he also gave me antibiotic drops for her to take...

I wasn't looking forward to medicating her...
she is a terrible patient...
[he had to sedate her just to fully inspect her mouth...]
but she surprised me with her willingness to take her medicine...
and we went through the entire bottle...

she seemed much better...she was eating...
and her old self-centered, mouthy self again...

but only a few days after the medicine was gone...
I could tell that her mouth was hurting her again...
she was crying, pawing at her mouth...
and NOT eating much...

when she tried to eat... she'd take a bite or so...
then jump back, cry in pain & paw at her mouth...
so I went & got MORE medicine...
which at first she took without complaint...
then, it must have irritated the lesions...
because she would run from me when I tried to give her some...
and was eating less & becoming pitiful...

so, back we went...

I assumed that she would have to be sedated again...
[he had mentioned pulling some teeth...
to alleviate the bacterial problem...]
so I left her overnight...

when I went yesterday to pick her up...
I was surprised that he had not sedated her...
and pulled some teeth...
he had just given her another steroid shot...

after discussing her case with him...
I understood why he hadn't pulled the teeth...
he explained that his father was a dentist...
and since her teeth weren't diseased...
he just couldn't bring himself to pull them...
even though cats do just fine without teeth...

he's attending a seminar this weekend...
on cat immune system problems at UCDavis...
and if it seems that pulling her teeth...
to remove the source of bacteria which feed the irritations...
causing the lesions... is the only treatment...
then he has a friend who is a veterinary dentist...
who will come in and do all her extractions at once...

until then... every 2 to 4 weeks...
she'll have to have a steroid shot...
to reduce the inflammation of the lesions...
and take the Clindomiacin to keep the infection at bay...

what's bothering me the most is that there is no cure...
we can only try to slow the immune system breakdown...

not the prognosis I would chose for my silly friend...

but for now, I'm thankful for this much hope...

and am grateful for the relief Piglet is feeling today...
as she ate without pain... took her medicine...
and has been happily prowling outside all morning...

God is good...

...chasing my tail

there are times when no further words are needed...

...September mourn

accounts of that day always comment on the beauty and clarity...
of that morning in New York City, Tuesday, September, 11, 2001...
a last moment of beauty and clarity...
in a world that would be thrust into violence and death...
gallantry and courage... and horrendous loss...



here...in NOCal, I was jolted awake, around 5:30 AM, PDT...
when I realized that my usual AM radio station...
was doing "national news" instead of the normal banter...

the first plane had "hit" the Towers...

by the time school started... [7:40 AM, PDT]
the news was worsening...
we sat listening to the radio in my classroom...
and as I glanced at the date I had written on the blackboard...
the day before...before going home...
and saw "9/11"...I turned to my class of 7th & 8th graders...
and said,"this was NO accident..."

I told them how I remembered...
exactly where I was and what I was doing...
as a sophomore in high school...
on November 22, 1963...
the day JFK was shot...

and that they would remember this day too...
for the rest of their lives...
where they were, what they were doing...
when they heard the news...

that week was a blur...

I had a student from Afghanistan in one class...
Mohamed's entire extended family was living...
in the area of Afghanistan where the fighting was heaviest...

he was very afraid for his family...
and after being threatened after school...
[there are always idiots, aren't there ?]
stayed home for the next few weeks...

my strongest memory of that day...
was watching the faces of the firefighters...
as they were going into the Towers...
trying to help... as hundreds streamed out...

and then... watching the collapse of the one...
and then the other...knowing that many of those
I had watched, "go in to help"...
were unable to save themselves...

when I went to my librarian[grad school] classes...
on Friday and Saturday...
we were all still stunned...

we had a symphony rehearsal that Tuesday night...
and the next... and then, 2 concerts at the end of the week...
a difficult series made even more difficult...
because the daughter of one of our musicians ...
was on the flight that crashed into the field...

we played Barber's "Adagio for Strings" ...
as a memorial for all the victims...



I had never seen this poster before...
they are all 9/11 victims...


when I thought of "September Morn"...
I always used to think of this painting...



now... all I can remember is a horrible death for thousands...

for all those who lost their lives...
and for those, left behind who mourn them...
I pray that the peace you feel in "September Morn"...
is the peace they have found...

...one door closes...another opens

well... now there is a whole different kind of delay...

a couple of the "subs"refused the job...
because of my cats...
[the odor was bad that morning...
but they all got here before I could remedy the problem...]

the plumber had "no problem"...
[I knew I liked that guy..]
the "general" had noticed the cat smell...
when he came before... but it didn't bother him...

since they are a "union shop"...
they can't do it...

one guy claimed to have been sick for 2 days...
I find that a bit much...
especially when it didn't bother the plumber at all...

I'm sure it didn't help when Gracie & Sneaky Pie...
pestered the other sub...
I could tell that he didn't like cats...
AT ALL...

so the "general" came to discuss options...

there is a very reliable non-union contractor...
that he knows and recommends...
so he's going to call him...
the plumber is good to go...
and the other subs would be non-union...
[aka "less expensive"...]

hopefully... this can all be worked out...

the "general" came in and said...
that he could smell the kitties...
but that it wasn't anywhere...
as bad as it was the other day...
but at this point...
the non-union guy is my only option...

I could smell it the other day...
I can't smell anything today...

so my problem is finding the source...
of the odor problem...
and eliminating it...

the "general" is a cat lover...
and uses the same vet as I do...
and just recently lost their last remaining cat...
so we had some "Dr Kind Eyes" stories to share...

I'm not sure what to do next...

cleaning-up a problem that you can see or smell...
is much easier than trying to discern...
the source of a problem you can't smell...
so I almost don't know where to start...

I guess that I'll just have to assume that everywhere...
is a problem...and go from there...


needless to say...

this may take a while...

...der katzen und der haus maus or "How Much is That Mousie in the Window?"

ahhhh... sooo cute....

perhaps it is because my Chinese sign is the rat...
[so was Mom's...]
or maybe... because Mom collected "mice"...
[I always brought her one...from wherever I'd been...
wait... maybe that's why she collected them...hummm...
I'll have to think about that...but, I digress...]

I've always liked mice...

I refer to my cats as "mice"...
and have had more than 1... named Mouse...

being a country girl...
I've seen mice in the house...
they don't bother me at all...
mice...spiders... skunks...

just leave them alone...
they leave you alone...
[I absolutely DO NOT like snakes, however...]

but, again...I digress...

in my old house...
there a number of mouse entrances...
most notably the sash windows in my bedroom...
and the grand cat entry...
through the window "pet door"...

I used to have cats that kept not only the possums at bay...
but caught mice too...

the late Sumo would dispatch rats & mice...
and leave them on my bed as a love token...
but since he left us...
it's been, live & let live...
as far as Piglet & Fluff are concerned...
and possums are ignored completely...

last summer, I entertained an adventuresome young mouse...
who came in very late at night to eat cat food...
he came in from inside the window frame...
boldly scampered to the dry food...
grabbed a piece and stuffed himself...

all the while, Piglet was snoring lustily...
not 5 feet away...
while Fluff & Tippy were curled up in their beds...
dead to the world...

in a quiet voice...
so as NOT to wake the "mighty hunters"...
I told the "ballsy" little mouse...
that he'd better make himself scarce...
before "they" woke up...

he blinked his big eyes at me...
grabbed a chunk o'cat food...
for the road... and hopped back to the window...
scampering up the frame and back into to hole...

a few days ago... I knew one was back...
as Piglet was prowling the dresser...
pawing at the wooden boxes...
obviously "stalking" her prey...
who, of course, cloaked himself with "mouseness"...
and vanished... into thin air...

so.... this morning... after being RUDELY jerked...
from the respite of sleep...
by the Piglet, yowling & banging on the closed window...
SEVERAL times...

I wasn't really surprised to see a mouse...
caught between the screen[the door was closed...]
and the glass...


[there was only one...]

Piglet was having a complete hissy fit...
so I tapped on the glass...
and the mouse ran up the screen...
to the safety of the top window...
while I opened the glass...
to free the Piglet...

she dashed out...only to dash back in...



looking for the mouse...
on the floor...



behind her...



frustrated... she sniffed the window...
smelling "mouse"...
but finding nothing...



determined to find that mouse...
she looked out...where I had tossed...
the few bits of mouse "bedding" [aka insulation...]
and then decided...



to take her search outside...



so she took up her post...[I love a good stake out...]
& stayed for a good, long while...
[if you click on the picture...
you can see her...
looking up...
probably watching the mouse stick out his tongue...
and make rude noises...]

finally she left to find her prime nap location...

with "high-pitched" mouse laughter...
still ringing in her ears...

...UPDATE...contractor contact made !

first...there was a "false alarm"...

"feeling" that I had a phone message...
I went inside to check...
and there was one...
a recorded political advertisement...
[for this... I checked...?]

so I'm outside, in the back, watering...
and the phone starts ringing...
I unlock the back door [I don't use it...]
hop over 2 cat boxes...
& squeeze between the wall and the pantry shelves...
[that's WHY I don't use it...]
picking up the phone in time to hear "click"...

but I could hear the message as I was trekking...
it was the general contractor's office...
so I listen to the message again...
and "call back"...

the general contractor wants to "come by"..
to discuss a few things...
and will be here tomorrow at 9 AM...

I'm guessing...
the final design for the shower wall/door...
a revised contract...
since the one I signed...
included a fee for the window I repaired...
[I included a "note" re my repair of the window as an addendum
to the contract that I signed & returned...
I am smarter than I might appear to be...]

probably also some requirements for clearing space...
[pretty much did that today...]

and then there's the preliminary dry rot assessment...
which, if I understood what I heard...
is not nearly as bad as first feared...
[and was NOT given a price in the bid...
until it could be assessed...]

perhaps... even[snicker...] a... timetable...
[chortle... derisive snort...]for project completion...

and..hopefully...

a firm start date...

I've been recently reminded of just how flexible...
time can become...when dealing with the "tool belt" team...

as they say...

"stay tuned for the next episode..."

...and yet...waiting... still...

I was jarred from the arms of Morpheus...
rather rudely this morning... it was still dark...
so I hurled a "sweet nothing" in the direction of the Piglet...
[when I REALLY wanted to "hurl a book"...]
as she was banging the window and yowling...

this would happen a couple of times more...
before I gave up...
and got up... just before 8...

I instantly saw WHY Piglet had been being such a butt...
but that's a whole other post...
so you'll just have to come back...
[heh, heh, heh...]
[p.s. scheduled to post at 9 PM...]

so I accomplished my morning routine...
enjoying the damp, fall-ish tang in the air...
as well as the changing angle of the sun...
and the softening of the light...

I used to miss this time of day in the fall...

I drove to school in the near dark...
and spent my mornings inside...

when I taught music, I could stand outside my room...
during the passing periods, "watching kids"...
but really looking at the trees across the street...
whose colors deepened daily...
flaming overnight into torches that took your breath away...

there was a Chinese pistasche across the street...
from my good friend's room in the early years...
I'd go there to say "hi" on my 2nd period prep...

we'd stand there, smelling wood smoke and drink in the sight...
as that tree would turn blood red...
and glow in the fall sunlight...
surrounded by other trees turning yellow & orange...

then the bell would ring...
and we would go our separate ways...
our spirits sated with the sight...

I love fall colors...
[so being an "autumn"...
has just been serendipitous...]

so...I always get a palette of mums to plant...

and today...
I needed to plant the ones I got yesterday...
but first...

I HAD to mow the lawn...



so after I mowed the lawn and set a sprinkler...
I soaked the old planter boxes by the back fence...
and then laid out my colors...
I had white/yellow center, yellow, red & orange...
I thought I had a tannish brown too...
but they're marked "orange"...

I also got some dark red dianthus...
[if it's red... I love it...]

so with only some grunting and sweating...
they were planted...
making sure that I sprinkled ALL of them with snail bait...

I also put some in a pot...
that was left in front, under the lemon tree...



then I planted the dill I bought...
I can't seem to get it to grow...
and these 3 were the healthiest...
of the rapidly dying bunch at OSH...
so I figured... uhh... ummm...
[OK... I felt sorry for them...happy now ?]



these are NOT dead... really...
these were some iris Mom took from the ranch...
[the purple planter would be a dead give away...
if you knew Mom...]

they were her favorites...
so I kept them after she died...

they didn't bloom last year...
but neither did mine...
only had 1...first time ever...

this is the time of the year...
that the leaves die...
and they can be dug up...
divided and planted...

I need to do that in my iris bed next to the driveway too...



then I got my cart...
first moving the containers of kitty litter...
that are heavy enough to end up "living" in the walk way...
around to the back, by the door, where they belong...

then I used the cart to move some of large flower planters...
from the front ...to the back...
to get them out of harm's way...
for when the job FINALLY begins...

all the while, truly relishing the freshening breeze...
and the changing light...
so glad to be out in the glorious morning...



so I finally got the biggest ones moved to the driveway...
and turned my attentions to compressing the others...



I moved things back and in...
clearing the steps completely...



by moving the biggest ones towards the ledge...
as well as back towards the house...
they should be out of the way...



I'll move the chair before they get here...



once the big planters & the kitty litter containers...
were moved... I could clean up along the walk...
I used clippers to cut back the creeper...
then swept and put the debris into the green waste can...



cleaning up around the corner...



and down the driveway...

here you can see how badly...
my iris beds need cleaning out...

the last time I did it was about 5 years ago...
and I had help...
I ended up with a large box of iris tubers left over...

now that I've "rested"...
[while writing this...]

I need to get busy...

I need to water the indoor plants...
clean out cat boxes...
take out the trash...
wash dishes...
pack up & move my bath stuff...
buy cat food for the vet visit...
put the collars on the kitties...
put Advantage on all the kitties...

write that "other post"...
[how's that for a teaser ?]

and WAIT for that @#^&* phone call...

[God MUST be teaching me patience...]

...still waiting

it's Monday....

[insert explicative of your choice here...]

and I STILL don't know when the "project"...
will begin...


[them] "we'll call you"...

[me] "I need a day or 2 notice...
to get the cats collected and to the vet..."


[them] "oh... OK...
we'll call you..."

I had called them this morning...
to make sure that the tile guy knew...
that I wanted to save the old porcelain, inset "TP" holder...
[they are HARD to find...
and expensive...& I forgot to tell him...]

the old one is in perfect shape...
& will blend in with the new tile...
so I can't see spending $50-75 for a new one...
[a recreation...made to "look" old...
when... I already HAVE "old"...
thank you, very much...]

so... to pass the time...
I set up a list of chores...

I put a load of laundry in the washer...
but was out of detergent AND fabric softener...
so I started "digging"...

I found the Febreeze scented Downey quickly...
but the extra Tide...
because it's on the bottom shelf of the pantry...
was "buried" under some stuff on it's way out...

laundry finally "under way"...
I turned my attention to watering plants...
which led to filling...
my car's windshield washer reservoir...
I was going to get gas...
but the "water" pump is broken there...

I had a list for OSH...
so I headed north on my "full tank"...

I got a new tarp for my wood pile...
AND new bungee cords to secure it...
several cheap paintbrushes...
to use with the oil-based primer...

which I will be using on...
exterior bath window, French door window ext. trim...
and several other ext. trim places...
that need painting before winter...
as well as the ext. driveway light mount...
that REALLY needs to be repainted...

I have the ext. latex "Tudor Brown"...
"Navajo White" & "Chrome Green" already...

these are all pretty much touch-up projects...
[aka make sure that the bare wood is covered...]
but time consuming, none the less...
and spending time cleaning oil based paint...
from a brush with paint thinner is NOT my idea of fun...

I lost several expensive brushes last fall...
that didn't get cleaned soon enough...
so I'll just do the priming with "throw-aways"...

I also got a plastic drop cloth...
and some "furniture tacks"...
to seal off the doorway into the office...
during the dusty demo days...

just sanding the woodwork last fall...
left a coat of dust on everything...

I can only imagine what total destruction will do...

I found some chrome "clothes hooks"...
for the back of the bath door...

some "contractor's clean-up" bags [3 mil thick]

a couple of "cup" cat beds [on sale for $15]
[I guess my guilt is kicking in...]

a new white bath mat for the new shower...

"hammered brown" Rustoleum spray paint...
[for the fireplace screen & wood racks]

vanilla air freshener re-fills...
[I never can find these in a store...]

2 sink rack protectors [twin size]...
2 sink mats, bisque [twin size]...

AND... they had the pincushion size garden mums...

in 6 packs... !

I always end up having to buy the 4" pots...

so I got 5 6 packs....
[yellow, red, orange, brown & a white w/yellow center]

so I can re-fill the snail salad bar pot with mums...

AND put the rest in the empty driveway planters...

I almost bought "Johnny-Jump Ups"[purple/yellow/white violas]
my standard cool weather color planting...
[as soon as the portulacas fade...]
but controlled myself...
in this heat...
they'd die before I could get them in...

I still have a couple of mums from last year...
mixed in with the portulacas, etc...
hopefully, these small ones haven't been as "forced"...
as the bigger ones, which often die after the blooms fade...

so I check out and haul my stuff to the car...
as I'm putting the cat beds in the front seat...
a lady sitting in her car next to me remarks...
"someones got babies..."

so while I'm loading up, we have a conversation...
about our "rescued" felines...
[she has almost as many as I do...]
and how important it is to adopt "rescued" animals...

as I make my way home...
it's almost 1:30...
so I stop and treat myself to a Quiznos sub...
[double cheese (cheddar & provalone) melt...
with lettuce, tomato & red onion...
and a red wine vinaigrette...ummmm]

arriving home...I unload my car...
[NO phone messages... hummm...]

the kitties investigate the new nests...

there are a bunch of chores on my list...
but first...lunch...

and a nap...

...suspended animation

it has been "one of those weeks"...



where a lot gets accomplished...
but there is SO much more to do...

and you wait...



we had our first choir practice after church today...
organizing & preparing the music was time consuming...



but singing again...
with that wonderful group of gifted & sensitive musicians...
makes any meager efforts on my part, worth it...

our first Sunday service is next week...

when the rehearsal was over, about 12:15 or so...
I went home, ate a bit of lunch...
and took a very long nap...


after my nap...
I looked around...

the bathroom... is waiting...



already having had some work done...
it awaits the end of it's existence as heretofore known...

as I look at the partially demo-ed window...
with the new glass & hardware...
as well as the structural repairs...

I'm reminded of the night I spent in an SF hotel...
before my melanoma amputation surgery...

quite uncertain of my future...

acutely aware of the impending loss...
of my right thumb...
which was by now black-ish & numb...
and without a nail from the biopsy...

my right armpit/upper breast area...
was covered with felt pen marks...
["do NOT wash these off!"...]
marking the target lymph node...
making it VERY clear where to "cut"...

I'm glad that I didn't know then...
all the details of the vexations...
that would result from the surgery...
my recovery and rehabilitation...
and needing to learn to do so many things left-handed...

but through it all...
I felt at peace...
even in the "eye of the storm"...

God kept me safe and calm...
bringing me through all that...
and He will bring me...
safely & calmly through this too...

and... in case you think...
that comparing cancer surgery...
to a bathroom re-do...
is ludicrous...

I'll remind you that...

I have only ONE bathroom...

this is a dry rot/ bad floor repair...
it had to be done...
or the dry rot would spread...

NOT a cosmetic "make-over"...

there are at least 4 major sub contractors...
with a LOT of workers in & out...

the kitties will have to be "out" of the house
for at least the first 3-4 days...
[THAT... will be so strange for me...]

I HAVE to be home when they are there...
& they start work, EARLY...

I'm guaranteed a toilet at night...
but there will be NO shower for at least 4/6 weeks...
and probably no toilet during the day...
[I'll probably have to drive 2 miles to the church...]

and...

when you have "workmen"around all day...
you have NO privacy...
nor can you go anywhere...
or accomplish much of anything...

and finally....
I have known only a couple ...
of "tradesman people with a "Y" chromosome"...

EVER...

who were evolved enough to clean up after themselves...

hopefully, these guys are that evolved...





the LR/DR furniture...
has been moved to clear a wide path...
the rugs have been cleaned...
and are in storage for the duration...

the path will get wider...
as the "hour" of destruction is announced...

the porch will have to have...
most of it's "occupants" moved...

for at least the first few days...

the shady area by the wood pile...
in the now clean driveway...
where the old planter boxes are...
will probably work well for a few days...
for many of the smaller plants...
the biggest ones will just be shifted...


there are boxes with my "new" bathroom parts...
currently piled in the DR...

and there will be more...




the cats know...
that "something is going on"...

they don't know what...

but they can feel the atmosphere of waiting that is building...

so they've become more "clingy"...

and they are "watching" me...
looking for the change in schedule or behavior...
and hoping for the best...



I remember during the last few weeks...
that I had a right thumb...
"touching it"... being very aware of it...
knowing the time was short...
but that the separation was necessary...

and, as much as I've longed to "fix"...
my bathroom for 20 years...
I now find myself nostalgic...
knowing the time is short...
but that the change is necessary...

so... I wait...

...it was on sale...[aka Heigh,Ho clutter...pt 2]

so after relishing my newly clean driveway...
[aka,"blogging about it...WITH pictures..."]
I took myself to the grocery to pick up a "couple of things"...

I've been wanting THIS...



especially... since there was only one left in my 'fridge...

and it was on sale...
[I love Mexican Independence Day merchandising...]

besides...

[here it comes...]

after all the hot dirty work I've been doing...

I deserve it...


so I arrived back home, put away my groceries...

and then turned to the matter of the cookies...
that I had happily promised to make...
before I worked myself so hard these last 2 days...

but... since I've still got my mixer "out"...
[from another "project"...]
the hardest part will be staying awake...
while all 4 dozen bake...



Mom always said that she got the recipe from the oatmeal box...
[I checked...it's NOT the same...]
it's also NOT the same as the one from the raisin box...
[the red one...we always sold them our raisins...
so we always used "our" raisins...]

I've seen the one from my Grandma, which was from her Mom...
it has molasses & buttermilk...as well as lard...
and is, to say the least...
"vague as to instructions..."
["fast oven"(probably wood burning)...
a dab of this... a pinch of that...
a lot of assumed knowledge & procedure...]

so as much as I like "authentic"...
I don't need the guilt of feeding to my friends...
anything made with lard...

I often generously, "tweak" Mom's recipe...

of course...

I'm a "cook", not a baker...
I "tweak"...it's what I do...

[tweakus, ergo sum ?]

I use as many organic, whole food ingredients as possible...
adjust amounts AND ingredients...
and add a few other things...
[hee, hee, hee...]

so I had gotten out the recipe I use...
and had begun to assemble things...
when I realized that I would have to factor...
some "time" into my prep...

Mom always used Crisco or in later years, margarine...[yuck]
I don't keep Crisco on hand, don't really use it anymore...
and I'd NEVER bake with margarine...
so I had to get out butter... and leave it out for a while to soften...
so I can cream it easily with the organic cane & brown sugar...
then I have to add the room temperature eggs and beat well...

which meant that the eggs ...
would need some counter time as well...



here you see the most recent version...
of the recipe that Mom made in 1998...


and NO...

the peppers are NOT the reason...
that I was chuckling before...

the peppers [and the avocado] are for the beans & rice...
in the "Gladware" container...
underneath the eggs & butter...



this is a hint... as to the "hee, hee, hee" I had in mind...

no... I'm NOT soaking the raisins in rum...
but that is a terrific idea...

these are giant flame raisins...
very rich & intensely flavored...
like the old muscat raisins...
but without the big, nasty seeds...

and then...there are the dried cranberries...
NOT "craisins"...these are "au naturale"...
[unsweetened"...]

I probably won't mix them...
too diametrically different in taste...

so there will be some with raisins...
and some with cranberries...

but alas... none with nuts...

it would be overkill with this fruit...

so... now that I have some time to kill...
before I can start the cookies...

what to do...

well... there is a Giants game...

and I know JUST the thing to accompany it...



that last, icy cold Dos Equis...

mmmmm, dark beer....

...Heigh, Ho, clutter... away !

I achieved consciousness around 0:dark-thirty...
and went back to sleep...
waking with a start at 7:45 AM...

and after a good 2 hours of sorting...
sweating, carrying heavy stuff...
digging through the garage ...
as well as various "pack rat dens"...

I had assembled this....



clutter... junk... trash...
any way you look at it...

from the front...



or from the back...

it's still "debris"...
[notice the "large chunk o'tree...]

and it's going... today...!!!




this stuff has some value...
and in some cases is very "lightly used"...
perfect for the Delta Mudville Humane Society Fall Rummage sale...



and some of it they will use at the shelter...

this stuff, however is trash...



it is broken, torn, used up, dirty beyond cleaning...
it's going to the big "pile", elsewhere...

'cause it's been here too long already...

and then, there's my firewood...



I'll just get a new tarp...
consolidate & cover the cord I have left...
and be ready for cozy fires this winter...
[now that I can get to it ...
without doing bodily harm to myself...]



finally...[they were about 45 minutes late...]
the DMHS folks arrived...
loaded up all the "too good to throw away" stuff...
and were on their way...



leaving me with just the trash/junk...
but the GotJunk guys had called earlier...
and warned me that they would be a bit later...
than the "appointment window"...

BTW... I have used GotJunk several times...
they are very punctual & polite...
they keep you informed at every step, re time, cost, etc...
you can schedule a pick-up, as I did...
on the web & save $10.00 off the total...
they also sweep up the area & haul it away...

I recommend them highly...
and so does everyone I know who has used them..




so after watering "everything"...

visiting with several neighbors...
& warning them of the impending influx of contractor vehicles...

and assuring a couple of earnest Jehova's Witnesses...
that I did know Jesus... and was saved...

I scrounged some lunch...
[turkey frozen...no sandwich...
Ensure, crackers & water...yumm]

and waited...

sitting on the front porch...

in the gathering "warm"...

and the escalating humidity of "just watered plants"...

getting up to plant a couple of 4" plants into a pot...

getting back up to replace the petunias[aka snail salad bar]...
with the red & white begonias

moving the old petunia pot to the lemon tree...

maybe some mums... or more begonias are good too...

where are those guys ?...

wait...



here they are...



and there they go...

went right past... didn't even slow down...

they should know where I live...

they've been here before...
[it has always been the same two guys...]

OK... so they went around the "circle"...

now they're coming back...



why are they stopping there ?

"HELLO... THIS IS THE PLACE !"

it's NOT the same guys...
and they wanted to give me an estimate first...

OK...I'll play along...

"sounds good...yes, you can back in..."



finally...



they get all the junk, trash & leaf litter...
into the truck...

including the L-A-R-G-E tree limb...
that was a storm casualty last December...
it was at least 12' long...with a 6" girth...
now it's dry and light...
in December...it was heavy...
I hurt myself moving it...



so... as I bid "good riddance" to the trash...
I turn to "bask" in glory of a clean driveway...




ahhhhhhhh.....

...hold on to your hardhats, 1.1

I had originally planned to get up at 6 AM...

but after hearing the clock chime 3 AM...
while trying to get to sleep with really achy hands...
[too much sanding & scraping...]
I wasn't too surprised to see that it was almost 8...
when I regained consciousness...

so much for getting a 2nd coat of black on the frame...
and getting it dry, before the sc/cw arrives...

shaking the grogginess from my brain...
I got dressed and hurried to do what I could...

after chasing Sneaky Pie off of the frame...
where she was sleeping...
["keeping guard", as she assured me...]
I was relieved to see that it was dry before she "took up her post"...
and that there was no cat hair embedded in the frame finish...

using a pretty dry brush, I used just enough paint...
to smooth out the lines and cover the last traces of brown stain...
and I put it in a "cat-protected" place to dry...



then sc/cw called...
and I asked him if he had time to look at another problem...

when I had the kitchen, "fixed" in 2004/5...
I bought a floor cabinet w/drawers & a butcher block top...
to help with my counter space & storage problems...

there were issues from the beginning...
and Lowes told me that "the installer" needed to "adjust the drawers"...
the contractor I was using, said that he'd done it...
but the problem persisted...

the top drawer's "bottom piece" wasn't secure...



and the bottom drawer would fall off the track...



so when he got here...sc/cw, after petting Gracie & Lucyfur...
started fixing the kitchen drawers...

he took both out and put a brace underneath each one...
so the bottoms wouldn't bow out...
then he "adjusted" the bottom drawer "track"...
which now works flawlessly...






allowing me to replace ALL my pots in the drawers...
where they belong...
[not stacked on the stove, counter or floor...
and NOT hanging from or setting on the pot rack...
[less clutter...YEA ! ]



so then we moved on to the window re-assembly...



the lower window, with the new chrome hardware in place...
was re-strung with the sash weights...
put in place and the trim replaced...



then the stained glass, with its black frame...
[which will get a couple more coats before permanent placement...]
the little black spacer...[ditto...]
and the sill/apron piece...[ditto, Cameo White...]
so I could get the full effect...
[and this picture...]



before disassembling & storage...
for protection from guys in "destruct mode"...






then... it was on to fax a "partial surrender" form to my TSA company...
[it was either this... or rob a bank...]
strangely enough, no one wanted to buy a cat...
and I have to pay for all this...

SOMEHOW...



I now have to "pack-up" the bath stuff...
and move it into the office or my bedroom...
for the "duration"...

I need to wash dishes... clean the kitchen...
finish the laundry...remake my bed...
[yawn...]
and eat something...

then I need [yawn...] to water outside & inside...
and consider mowing the lawn...
[yawn...] also move porch plants out of harm's way...[yawn...]
and sort through/organize the pile[s] in the driveway...
[yawn..] because the Humane Society people will be here...
TOMORROW... at 10:30 AM for all the "usable" stuff...
[they have a garage sale coming up...] [YAWN...]
AND there's a fair amount of "pet stuff" I don't need anymore..

THEN...between 11:30 and 1:30...the "GotJunk" guys...
will come and haul away the rest...[Y-A-W-N !]
[which means I'll HAVE to get up at the crack of dawn...
[YAAAAWN] to finish de-cluttering the back yard...

and I promised "cookies" for the first choir rehearsal...
[my oatmeal raisin...I may try oatmeal cranberry too...
very healthy, whole grain & organic... and good...]
so I'll be firing up the mixer & the oven for those...

and I need to pick up some flats of cat food to send to "chez vet"...
with the kitties, as well as dry food...

then...
there are these...[yawn...]
[modeled here by Lacy...]



disposable, write-on pet collars...
Lace has had hers on for a couple of weeks...
so now...[yawn...]I need to put them on all of them...

especially Frick & MJ, who are brothers and look alike...
and the tabbies [yaaawn...] Thomas & Cagney...
and Murph & Mac... and Creamer & Piglet...[yawn...]
so I really need to put them on them all...
sort of like hospital bracelet...for "chez vet"...

but right now...[YAAAWN...]
I need a nap...
[after I make my bed...and get a big drink...
and eat something.... yawn/sigh...

...hold on to your hard hats, 1.0

I got an early start this morning...
the contractor and the construction foreman...
the tile guy & the plumber came by at 8 AM...
to finalize plans, etc...

I had been waiting for the stained glass to arrive...
which it did yesterday afternoon...
but I didn't know it until after 3:30 PM...
[I was at the church doing "choir music"...]

since the "guys" were coming to discuss things this AM...
I thought I'd wait to call the skilled craftsman/cat whisperer...
[we'd been "waiting" for the stained glass to get here...]

so after several very fruitful meetings with the guys...
I learned these things...
*TILE*
the tile guy is "green" colorblind, so the scale diagram...
IN COLOR... was wasted on him...[he is, however, very nice...]
I'll be using the 1" hex tiles in the shower [15 sq ft...]
because there are enough 2" hex tiles for the floor, but that's it...
[I think the 1" hex will make the shower floor less slippery anyway...]
and the 1" hex are "in stock", as are the 6" white field tiles...
[he's going to let me know how many...]
and the black 2" x 6" bullnose that I'll need a few more of...
he did approve my design...
so I'm really excited about seeing it come to life...

all in all, a very GOOD tile meeting...

*PLUMBING*
the plumber is a dead ringer for the plumber on "This Old House"...
I liked him right away...
he has a gleam in his eye, but really knows his stuff...
I wanted the toilet moved about 2" back...
so the tank would be close to the wall...
the waste stack is too far from the wall for that...
the original toilet had the tank, attached to the wall...
but had a long pipe from the throne to the tank...
new ones aren't made that way...

so when we went under the house...
and it was discovered, just like I had told them...
that there was a lead collar in the cast iron waste pipe...
which would have to go...[that's where part of the leak was...]
he looked at me and said there's plenty of pipe...
so since we have to redo that collar...
we'll just move it back where you want it...
[I think he was impressed that I had known about the lead collar...]

he said,"we've done several of these old houses of this era...
just like this one...this will work out well for you"...

all in all...a very good plumbing meeting...

*CONSTRUCTION*
this is where we had "issues"...
I want a swinging door on the shower...
NOT a sliding door...
since the room is small...
and there will be a pedestal sink...
the door will have to swing in...

since there will be a built-in tile bench...
on the "built-in cabinets" side...
there will need to be either glass partitions on BOTH sides...
and/or "pony walls" on both sides...
[partial walls for glass to attach to or the door to mount on...]

AND... the door will need to be even with the bench...
and swing in to the right, stopping even with the bench...

I knew ALL this...
getting these guys to understand that I "got" it...
was the real job here...

"no, I don't want a sliding glass door" [they are soooo cheesy...]
"I definitely, DO NOT WANT a shower curtain"...
[that's part of my "leak" problem...]
as soon as the construction guy saw that I didn't care...
if it was glass or a wall, or both...
and that I knew just how the door had to open...
and that a 24" door was fine with me...
I could see him "coming around"...

as he measured the tub...
and saw that it was 5'6"[6" longer than normal...]
he began to see that it would all fit...
the wheels were turning...
and he came up with a plan for a "combo"pony wall/glass wall...

we decided that the "right side" trim piece on the window...
would be shortened to fill the gap between the p.w. & the top trim...
my "window guy"[the skilled craftsman/cat whisperer]...
would make the missing apron/sill to be added after the tile was done...
we would also "renovate the window" before the "job" was begun...
and "call them" when we were done to set the dates to begin...

after crawling around under the house...
he was positively enthusiastic about the surprisingly good conditions...
the sub floor, especially around the toilet, was bad...
but... there was NO sign of pervasive dry rot in the joists ...
or framing members... or most of the exposed lath, for that matter...
there may be some in the shower plumbing wall...
and there were water marks under the sink...
but I heard him say that he had feared termites...
and there was NO sign of them...

so... all in all... a very good construction meeting too...

so, they all left to go to jobs/meetings/Modesto...
and I went in to call the "s.c./c.w."...
who wasn't busy, and would be over in about 45 minutes...

so, I moved my car so he could back-in his trailer/workshop...
and discovered that Lucyfur had managed to escape...
[I think she got in the basement when I wasn't looking...]
but after a few minutes of "back yard"...
and being called bad names by Piglet...
she allowed herself to be caught...

so when the "s.c./c.w." got here...
I explained our objectives...

*take off right side window trim...[save]
*retrieve old sash weights...
*re-do the rope on the sash weights...
*eventually re-attach weights to lower window on both sides...
*replace old hardware with new hardware...
*create an apron/sill for window...
*create a frame for the stained glass piece
that would fit inside the top window, filling it completely...

I would remove old glazing & glass from lower window...
scrape, sand, prime & paint the lower window frame...
order a piece of obscured glass, 15" x 21 3/8"...
get said glass... put in window, apply glazing...
paint the stained glass frame,"black"...

THEN... we would put everything back together...



we got the left & right side trim pieces off the window...
[sc/cw also cut off the top 3" of chicken wire...
why didn't I think of that... ?]



then he took out the guide strips & lower window...
setting them in the tub, for safe keeping...



he fished out the sash weights...
[this is for the top window...nailed shut...
you can see how the rope is barely wrapped around the weight eye...
the two lower ones were like that too...
if the rope hadn't broken...
the weight might just as well have fallen off...]



I replaced the old cotton rope...
with 10 lb test "clothesline cord"...



which sc/cw "waxed", for added life...
and fished back through, up and over the "wheel"...
which he had oiled while I was tying knots in clothesline...
he measured the length needed & tied a massive knot...
to be inserted into the window frame when re-mounted...



he then removed the old hardware...
and I took the lower window to prep...
as he worked on the trim and stained glass mount...

I spent at least 30 minutes...
[getting a blister for my efforts...]
scraping & prying with a scraper and a 5-in-1 tool...
just removing old glazing...



just look at part of the mess I made prepping...
[BTW... a toilet box makes an excellent work table...]

I truly believe, that old glazing, after 75 years...
had petrified...
especially when combined with several coats of lead based paint...
and being left to "bake" in the Mudville sun...

it also had become "one", with the wood...
further complicating removal...



but even after ALL of this...
I'm pleased to say that I got the old glass out in 1 piece... !
[and into the trash, where it belongs...]



here you see the lovely apron & sill created by sc/cw...
before I reminded him that the right side trim wouldn't be there...
so the bottom had to terminate where the right side started...
[so he cut it down to the correct size...]



after deciding to do the "assembly" on Friday...
[oil based primer drying time & all that...]
sc/cw went home...
and I primed the sill/apron...
and the lower window frame...



the frame for the stained glass had been cut down to fit my window...
and needed to be painted black...
but the caulking needed to set-up...
so I set it aside while I ran errands...

taking a break in the hottest part of the day...
I went to get the glass I ordered...[$9.03... such a deal...]
AND some glazing... since my container had just a dab left...




after the primer had dried...[7-ish]
I painted the lower frame & sill/apron Cameo White...
[my default trim color...
AND...final choice for the walls/ceiling of the bath...
I bought some "satin" with a mildew inhibitor additive...]

and painted a spacer and the frame for the stained glass...
shiny black...[what you see is the outside "side"...]
when it dries, I'll paint the front...
probably 2 coats...



later... when the paint on the window frame is dry...
I'll put in the obscured glass...
and glaze it...
allowing it to cure overnight...

tomorrow, sc/cw will return...
mount the stained glass in the top window...
reattach the hardware to the lower window...
attach the sash cords & re-hang the lower window...
and replace the pieces that hold the window in place...

the right trim piece & sill/apron will be kept in a "safe" place...
during the destruction to come...
and mounted in place when appropriate...

I notified the contractor that we were done...
[I think they were surprised...
& impressed that I got it done so quickly...]
and we will "start" sometime next week...
they've promised me several days warning...
[cat catching, is a time consuming activity...]

and as I have to glaze & paint still...
[and it's after 9 PM...]
I better stop writing...
and start working...

Post script...

it's 11:39 PM...
the newly glazed ,obscured glass window is curing...
the front of the stained glass piece frame is drying...
I'll get up early and give it another coat if it needs it...
everything should be cat depredation proofed...
I'm going to bed...

..."the road not taken"

two roads diverged in a yellow wood...
and sorry I could not travel both
and be one traveler...long I stood...
and looked down one, as far as I could...
to where it bent in the undergrowth...



then took the other, as just as fair...
and having perhaps the better claim...
because it was grassy and wanted wear...
though, as for that, the passing there
had worn them both about the same...



and both that morning equally lay
in leaves no step had trodden black...
oh, I kept the first for another day !
yet... knowing how way leads on to way...
I doubted if I should ever come back...



I shall be telling this, with a sigh...
somewhere ages and ages hence...
two roads diverged in a yellow wood...and I...
I took the one less traveled by...
and that has made all the difference.



["The Road Not Taken" Robert Frost, 1920]

..."rat-faced interlopers"

awww... sooo cute...

I grew up on a ranch...
we mostly saw only dead possums...
killed crossing the road...

they were shy and kept their distance...
'cause farmers had dogs... and guns...
as well as cars & tractors...



the ones around us were nocturnal...
which also decreased their "visibility" to us...
we burned our trash...
and threw garbage scraps in the fields...
away from the house...



20 years ago, when I moved into my house...
I was told about the "roof rats"...
who came in on the utility lines...
I was "too far" from the water...
to get raccoons or skunks...

but I might see the occasional possum...



and over the first few years, I did...

since I put out cat food...
I wasn't surprised to attract possums...
omnivores that they are...
and there seemed to be "one"...
each year... I'd catch a glimpse at twilight...
of them scuttling around...
or I'd hear them climbing the tree by my bedroom...

and in the spring...
I'd find the bones...or what was left...
in the garage...or under a bush...
after the winter had "gotten them"...



so with that sad fate in mind...
I trapped the possum who was eating cat food...
about 15 years ago...
took him to a local "park"...
[nature preserve]
and released him into the oak trees...
where he would have lots of food & water...



he looked back at me, as if thanking me...
as he scuttled off into the brush...
my brother, the scientist...
went ballistic when he heard my story...
telling me how stupid I was for not killing it...



because they are not indigenous... [?]
and pests to boot...

they may not be indigenous to WA, where he lives now...
but they certainly are in central CA...
or at least this species is the next best thing...

in the years since then...
the possum population has exploded around here...

last fall, I opened a drawer in my built-in Hall storage...
and found a baby possum smiling back...
sort of like THIS picture...



the access cover, to the crawl space of my house...
was pried open by an opportunistic possum a few years ago...
and it was "game on"...

the back of the built-in drawers in my house are open to below...
as is the bathtub...
and old [80 years +] tubs have a shelf under them...
that has now been the "nursery" for several litters of possums...

they also crawl in between the brick façade...
and the backside of the lath & plaster walls...



this is a shot inside the old electrical service "box"...
the service was moved...
and the electrician promised ...
to close off the old meter opening...
which, of course, "he forgot to do"...
and the little possums discovered this cool route...
right away...

here you can see the old service box on the left...



and on the right...
the cat"accessibility ramp" from outside into my bedroom...
my "oldest cat", Miss Fluff is 17+...and needs some "help"...

that was it's intended purpose, anyway...

it has become the possum ramp...
allowing entrance into my bedroom...
[where cat food awaits...]
if I leave the window open past sunset...

the little ones know NO fear...
& will come in...get startled...
and fall off the bureau...
creating a major problem for me...
just to get them back OUT...

the bigger ones have attitude...
as well as a taste for the cat food...
that I haven't put outside for a year now...
so they will come in & clean out the dish...
if I leave the window open too late...

I've been skulking about lately...
camera in hand...trying for a shot...



so far...this is the best I've gotten...
[the east end, of a west-bound possum headed down the ramp...]

when the demo starts next week...
and they get rousted out...
because the tub is going...
and there'll be mega noise...

I'm planning to seal off the crawl space access...
AND the old electric service box...

they can go back to the garage...
with their rattling in the walls at 3 AM...
the scuttling around under the tub...
the nesting in drawers...

never again do I want to have a cat...
stalking the bathroom wall...
[chasing spiders is one thing...
pawing at the wall, where scratching sounds can be heard...
from inside...is too much...]

to mis-quote Shakespeare, "out, damn possum..."

...don't go shopping on a holiday

so I figured, "nobody will be shopping on Labor Day..."
[...I mean... it's 3:30 PM... people are, out...
doing stuff... just because I have "no life"...
doesn't mean everyone else doesn't...]

so I parked in the almost deserted parking lot...
[I drive about 10 miles round trip to shop there...]
got my reusable bags, got a cart, went inside...

stopped at the ATM... did what I needed to do...
grabbed a couple of in-store bakery bagels...
[the "everything"ones...yummm]
got some deli roast beef, turkey & tabouli...

Ensure w/extra protein...[2 for $14, usually $8.00+ each]
[mmmm... banana...]
bottled water [also on sale...]& snacks for the choir...
a couple of other things...[inc. EV olive oil...]
organic bananas, oranges, bell peppers...
[also on special...red, yellow, orange...$2.99 per lb]
and sweet white corn[really fresh...] 4 for $1.00...

so...I went to "check-out"...

and discovered that unbeknownst to me...

several dozen others had sneaked into the store...
filled their carts...
and had gotten in line at the 2 check stands that were open...
[the line for the "express lane" snaked around...
and down an aisle...disappearing into the meat dept..]



I considered continuing to shop... but I was done...
so I chose a line, that looked equal in wait time to the other...
[there were at least 6 people in front of me in each line...]

of course... I chose the wrong line...
[I always do...]

literally 15 minutes crawl by as the checker for my line...
follows company policy...and "chats"...

and because the 2 check stands that are open...
are right next to each other...
there is a bit of gridlock...
so once you've pulled-in as "next" to the check-out station...
you're blocked-in...

of course, it's at this point...when I'm "next"...
after at least 15 minutes of standing...
that someone opens up "next door"...
and I'm asked to "move over"...

since I couldn't back out and move over...
without forcing several people behinds me to also back out...
creating severe gridlock...
I opt to stay where I am...
after all...I'm next...
[right ? how much longer can it be ?]

but then I haven't considered MZ "Chatty Cathy Checker"....

everyone in the other line...
who was in line when I chose my line...
is not only gone, they're probably home by now...
eating what they purchased... while I waited...

and now that I'm "next"... I begin to understand why...

she's not only "chatty"... but she's inexperienced...
and seems to have the world's s-l-o-w-e-s-t cash register...
it's a good 10 minutes more before it is my turn...
and as I wait, I watch those several, who were behind me...
and who "moved", when I opted to "stay"...
leave with their groceries...

FINALLY... it's my turn...

I don't encourage chatting...
[I'm not rude... just wanting to be on my way...]
I ask the checker not to bag the Ensure in my cloth bags...
and then have to turn around and tell the bagger...
when he shows up...

she hands me a piece of paper...
I start to leave, after telling the bagger, twice...
that I don't need help "out"...
[they always argue...]

the checker says, "wait, your receipt..."
[the piece of paper she had given me was a coupon...]

so, after what seems like forever...
the s-l-o-w machine spits out my receipt...
AND...another coupon for something I don't need or want...

finally making my way to the car...
I load in my groceries...
3 bags half full...[one is choir snacks...]
2 flats of water...[for the church...]
4 6 packs of Ensure....
[& a partridge in a pear tree... just kidding...]

as I make my way home...
to load in my groceries...
then take my walk...

I attempt, purely as a mental exercise, of course...
to figure out HOW I ALWAYS manage to pick the s-l-o-w-e-s-t line...

and then I realize...

God must be teaching me patience...
and, after all... I AM retired...
and have all the time in the world...
or so it would seem...

...a thirst for change

I think we can all agree that this...
is not my attitude towards "self improvement"...
although I often identify more often with Calvin...
the obnoxious, selfish egomaniac...
than I do with Hobbes...
the "enlightened child-spirit"...

[perhaps, that's my problem...]


so after being encouraged to drink "more" water, yesterday...
I went home and did just that...



by the time I had retired for the night...
I had consumed close to 2 of these...[3 L]
and aside from getting up, numerous times...
felt none the worse for wear...

I did, however NOT get to sleep until 5 AM...

body aches and joint pains... stuffy nose...
[Excedrin & Zyrtek D, respectively...]

a burrowing Piglet...
making me too hot & sweaty...
so, off, go the covers...
as well as the Piglet...
using my stomach as a springboard...

then, the sporadic wind would make me cold...
so, back, come the covers...
bringing the return of the Piglet...
purring lustily and burrowing...
causing me to sweat again...

an annoying, sleep-robbing, cycle...

exacerbated by trips to the bathroom...
possums frolicking in the walls...
which sounds like a board dragged across a fence...
[enjoy it while you can, rat-faced interlopers...]

finally dozing-off after my clock struck "5"...

so when I woke up...or should I say...
"by the dawn's early light..."
when the Piglet thought I should be up...
[to feed her...& and release her into her "kingdom"...]
I muttered, pulled up the covers...
against the now steady, freshening breeze...
rolled over and went back to sleep...

finally... around 10 AM...
I forced myself to wake up...
the Piglet, fed & "released" earlier...
was curled up in the small of my back, snoring...

Fluff... also having done the "outside" thing...
was next to my face...laying on my arm...
conveniently positioned to be petted and adored...

moving them both as little as possible...
although Pigs always hurries out when discovered inside...
during her "outside" time...
and this morning was no different...

so...I got up...

getting dressed... going to the bathroom...again...
I realized that I didn't "hurt"...
and it had been hours since the last Excedrin...
as I walked around...my joints were NOT hurting...
I didn't have the headache I'd been fighting every morning, either...

hummm....

as I started my chores... I felt energetic...

hummm...

I got inspired... spent about an hour on a post...
then got up...a little stiff... but not like usual...

hummm...

I've seen "hydration therapy" work well for me before...
but for some reason... I forget...

so now...
I've gotten out my 7 1.5L water bottles...
and after filling them...
will scatter them around...
so one is never very far away...

had an Ensure earlier... but I'm drinking coffee now...
very necessary with only about 4.5 hours of sleep...
I do, however, feel surprisingly good...
for so little sleep...

so after I visit the bathroom, again...
and finish my chores...
[cat boxes, trash, laundry, dishes...
watering everything inside & out...
AND going to the store...]
visiting the bathroom... again...

I'll work on the choir music...
finish up some "elements sheets"...
and go for a long walk...

it's not 5 miles...
but I'll go up my street to "VOP"U...
and back...
my pedometer will tell me how far it is...
it should be farther than my "usual"...



I can't guarantee that I'll walk like this...
but walking a new route will perhaps invigorate me...
and I have to watch the sidewalk on my usual route...
broken cement... tree roots... etc...
and it's always good to have a goal...

especially when you're taking "baby steps"...



POST SCRIPT...

I didn't get all my chores done...
but took "the walk"...
up to "VOP"U & back...
[I even meandered around the south campus...]

due to a pedometer malfunction, "going"...
I'm "guesstimating"the distance to be...
about 1 mile... it took me 35 minutes...
from 4:50 - 5:25 PM... & I'm sweating like crazy...
which is fine... 'cause my water is "close at hand"...

I have some freshly steamed corn for dinner...
as well as some Raley's tabouli...
[which is very garlic-y...
and NOT nearly as good as Mr.Greenthumb's...]
and some Greek salad fixen's...
if I need it...
[and yes... I'm pleased with myself...]

...the quest

this is NOT me...

I couldn't assume the "lotus" position if there was $$ involved...
but I am or I WAS, pretty close to that size...
this time last year... a few pounds ago...

at first, it was relatively simple...
not eating much... walking a bit...
losing weight...and eventually, inches...
don't ask how many...I didn't measure...

I was wearing BIG clothes...that weren't loose...

now, I'm in clothes 2-3 sizes smaller...

but the weight loss has slowed... and stalled...
for the last 3 months...



not wanting to stop at this point...
and beginning to be concerned...
[OK...scared... happy now ?]

I turned to a reliable source for advice...
someone who has quietly encouraged & supported me...
from the beginning of this journey...
a wise and insightful person...
seeming always to know just what to say...and how...

and even though I've been encouraged & supported...
by others as the loss began to show...
and I do appreciate the show of support I've received...

I find myself, at this point of stagnancy...
again seeking encouragement...
and advice from that reliable source...

and after getting some advice & encouragement...
as well as some "different things to do"...
I am feeling much more hopeful...

as well as wondering, "why didn't I think of that ?"

but then, that's why God puts certain people in our lives...
to help us find the hidden potential in ourselves...
and to encourage us in ways we'd never dare to imagine...

besides... distance always helps perspective...



after reaffirming my choices to "eat healthy"...
I decided to try eating less...
I don't eat a lot...not ALL the time...
but if I watch it...
and try to be better about regular meals...
that should help...



after sharing that my current "route" was .68 of a mile...
I shared that I had tried to "ramp it up"...
but had to back off due to pain...

at this point...
with what is best described, as an evil gleam in her eye...
my "reliable source" told me that my eventual goal...
should be to walk 5 miles a day...

when I pointed out how much time it would take...
at my present rate, I was "reminded" that I'm retired...
and have LOTS of time...

but then, of course she's right...
[she generally is... about these things...]
that's why I value her perspective...
[evil gleam, and all...]

I DO have time... and I CAN do this...
[where's my Excedrin ?]



it was also suggested that I drink more water...

I use these bottles [1.5 L]...
and refill them from my RO water filtered faucet...
and then...I realized that my water consumption...
has dropped off in the last month or so...
from an average of 2-3 [1.5 L] bottles per day...
down to 1-2... at the most....

so this is something I can easily do...
I just have to remember...



I'm going to try to blend in a little more aerobic movement...
to increase my flexibility ...



I have a couple of dumbbells...
so I can do some light weight training too...

so... with increased walking...
decreased food intake...
[a food diary is probably a good idea...]
increased water intake...[see above...]
and some light aerobics & weight training...
I'm hoping to get the scales moving downward again...

I think that eventually, though...
I'll just have to bite the bullet...
and join a gym or buy a weight training machine...



though THIS...
is probably out of the question...