...on the 7th day of Christmas [aka...I have SO much to do...]

I think it looks better...



I "worked" it in the shower[won't be able to say that much longer...]
I can't move the top joint at all unless I really hurt myself...
but the middle joint, though very stiff & SORE, will bend on command...

so today, I'm going "commando" in an attempt to get things done...
my motivations include...

part de-cluttering...
[thanks to MM for today's "inspirational post"...]
part..."tomorrow is trash day"...
part... nothing has been "done" since last Sat. AM
[when I dislocated my finger...]
part...the demo starts on TUESDAY....
part...I'm having company on Saturday...
part...ARGH...

so to get rid of this...



I first have to empty & move things...

such as these...



I was clever enough to insert baskets in the cubbies...



that can be removed with the contents intact...
but then, I need to sort the contents...



the medicine chest contents need further purging...



as does the under the sink "collection"...



since I want to save this and reuse it...
it has to be removed by me...BEFORE Tuesday AM...



probably leaving a hole like this...



this has to be moved into the DR, as does the screen behind it...



the stepladder coat rack will go...
[coats in closet...]
and the box on the floor will go to the DR too...



I have a cluttered kitchen & dishes to wash...



as well as a stove to clean & declutter...
[it looked great even a couple of weeks ago...]
then I got busy...let it "go"...
then hurt myself...and now...



the LR needs vacuuming, straightening & pet bed washing...



also pet debris "wrangling"...
the slip cover needs to be washed too...



Molly likes to roll around on the sofa...
mostly on her back...totally un-tucking the slipcover...



but then, that's not the only mess she makes...

sigh...

it WAS an "angel wing" begonia...

then there are the cases/bags of cat/dog food...
that I need to get to take to the vet's with them on Monday...
and I need to get a half dozen boxes from the vet...
for transporting kitties...

now I need to get to the store...
to get what I need for tonight's festivities...

my finger's really stiff again...and cold...
maybe some "Deep Heat" and a wrap...
it's puffed-up like a sausage...

there's always another challenge...

...the orthopod has spoken...

in the whiter light of the orthopedic dr's office...
the green-ish part looks black...
[BTW...I'm 1-finger typing, because at the moment...
anything else really hurts...]

look at the tip, see how it tends to turn up...?

OK...Dr."Evil" manipulated it down...
[it wasn't easy...it didn't want to move at all...
ie..."hurt like bloody @#$$%^"...]
then up...[which also hurt like....]
then all the way down...& back...
several times...

then, he did similar painful things to the middle joint too...



also squeezing, pressing and feeling his way around both joints...

coming to the conclusion...
that there was no need for invasive measures...
[$urgery, $crews, pin$...etc...ect...ect...]

that both injured joints were extremely swollen & sore...
from the injury trauma...
[hello... you just mashed & twisted both joints...
testing, "range of motion"...
d#@% straight they're swollen & sore...NOW, especially...]

so he did this...



he said I could wear the splint at night...
to avoid hurting myself in my sleep...
as the splint keeps it from moving or being painfully bumped...
[it worked really well last night...
I actually slept through the night without rolling on it...]

but since I need to move it to get it to heal...
I need to go with the tape job during the day...
tomorrow is trash & cat box day...
this should be interesting...

so I'm grateful it's not worse...
no long term treatment$...

the assistant who took my medical history...
couldn't believe,"how healthy you are..."
she said that nearly all of the people she takes histories from...
have so many health problems...

high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, diabetes, allergies to everything...

and they're taking so much medication...

she couldn't believe that I take basically nothing...
but OTC pain meds & Zyrtek D for sinus...

besides that...I was up to date on ALL check-ups...
AND vaccinations...

she left laughing that she'd remember me...
as one of her very few "healthy ones"...

you just never know when something good will come your way...
do you ? but then...He is the Master of everything...

...a macro kitty day...

some shots of a few of the kitties...


Mattie & Murph...


[no....MJ just blinked...but Frickie's good...]


Mattie


Murph



Mattie's paw



shy Mattie



Murph's whiskers


Mattie's tummy fur



Tommy's tummy fur



Mz Lucyfur, Herself...

...on the 6th day of Christmas [aka, "perfect timing..."

this is the day that this was supposed to commence...



I would have had to postpone it...
considering the current circumstances...



my hand is really feeling much better...

except for the 2, actually injured, joints...
most of the soreness & swelling is gone now...
and there's just a bit of stiffness...



as well as only a touch of the swelling & bruising...



my left hand is almost looking normal...
if you ignore the splint...
which has been a VERY GOOD thing...

however, to have started the demo today...
I would have needed to have worked...
on "path clearing", "stuff removal" from the bath...
"tp holder" removal from the wall...ect... over the weekend...
when I was incapacitated, big time...

I could barely feed myself... much less catch kitties,etc...

now, I can start doing the stuff I need to get done...
before next Tuesday [01/06/09] the big "D" day...

if my healing continues as fast as it has gone just today...
I'll be ready for the demo crew on Tuesday...

my dr. said that the very quick and constant application...
of an ice pack to the injury on Saturday was a big factor...
in lessening of the severity of the effects of the injury...

I only had the ice pack...
because something I'd ordered as a Christmas gift...
came late... having just arrived on Friday...
in an ice chest...with several long lasting ice packs...
or I wouldn't have had any at all...

sometimes God's perfect timing just takes my breath away...

and thanks again to all whose prayers & random acts of kindness...
have moved this recovery along at top speed...

God is SO good...He has "helpers"...
and He plans ahead...!

...on the afternoon of the 5th day of Christmas

I just returned from a visit with my Dr. about my finger...
definitely dislocated in 2 places...
and decidedly NOT straight like the other one, anymore...



he referred me to an orthopedist...
I just got the call that a consult & 2 "follow-ups"...
were authorized by my insurance...
my doctor thinks that the finger "should" straighten-out...
& heal on it's own without any "invasive procedures"...
[surgery, pins, screws etc...my finger hurts just thinking about it...]



however, he did say that if it doesn't straighten-out...
the orthopedist might have to correct it...
he gave me a cool splint to hold it straight...
and protect the tip from bumps...

I secured it with the same sticks to itself stuff...

the splint allows the rest of the hand to move around more...
and although it hurts more from the added motion...
the swelling is going down in the rest of the hand now...
and I can wiggle all my fingers from the knuckles...
[except that one, of course...]

bending from the middle joints is still hard...
in the index & 4th fingers...but doesn't hurt as much as it did...
[sore & swollen still, though...]
the dislocated 3rd finger is NOT bending yet...
and attempts to do so bring instant pain in both dislocated joints...

my hand around the knuckles seems much less swollen...
and isn't really sore when probed...
that's a big improvement from this AM...

I'm waiting to hear back from either my dr's office...
or the orthopedist about my appointment...
[just heard...appointment at 2:45 tomorrow...]

the really good news is that once they start the treatment...
my current insurance company will follow through the course...
saving me from the giant looming deductible...
that would be kicking-in on treatment started after 1/09/09...



I'm typing fairly normally again...
[using more than one finger...]
and it hurts a bit, but I'll live...

I'm really tired today... so I'm going to heat up some soup...
[now that I can open it...] & turn in early...
I've stopped taking the double doses of OTC Excedrin...
and it's time for a good sleep...

thanks again to all the kind souls...
who "helped" me out when I was really disabled...
on Saturday & Sunday when anything was almost impossible...
I do appreciate all the kindnesses...

may God richly bless you all...

...tausend Dank, Lil' Sis ! [aka Critter Christmas gifts from Germany...]

it can be a small world sometimes...
and the kindness of people I've never met...
never fails to touch my heart...

global communication can be problematical...
however...there are some true commonalities...
no matter where or who you are...

some of these common grounds include music...
the appreciation of beauty in the world...
and the love of the animals we live with...

through this blog, I've come to know...
some generous people who've shared my joy...
when Molly "arrived"...
and my sorrow at the loss of several kitties...
since this blog began in August of 2007...

I really got started blogging...
after Miz Minka wrote about the loss of my Bubba...
since then, I've said good-bye to Tippy, Robbie & Gracie...
and hello to Molly...
meeting many kind humans along the way....

my little "herd" has been the beneficiary...
of several gifts from Lil' Sis to Minka...
that were ignored by HRH, Minka...
but LOVED when they got here...
as "hand-me-downs"or de-cluttering flotsam...

so it was a very nice surprise...
when Miz Minka handed me a couple of items...
that Lil' Sis had sent to her, to give to my gang !



even a personal greeting for Molly...
[does this mean that now L'il Sis...
is an "honorary" doggy God-Aunt ?...
since Big Sis [MM] is Molly's God-Mom ?]



and, just in case you can't read the writing[UnkelPhil...]
it does say, mït Kaninchen...



upon taking the treat stick gently from me...
Molly retreated to her nest[ALL good things get this treatment...]



where she settled down & devoured it...



immediately being thankful to her "God-Aunt"...
and begging for more...

the Kittie treats were also inscribed...
but Lil' Sis used my real name...



so you get to see only this much...



the treats are little letters...



and attracted the herd right away...



MJ & Lucyfur, being the vanguard...



with MJ being especially thankful to his nice friend in Germany...
who's sent the cat treat ball he loves to play with...
the catnip mousie he enjoys...
and now... the yummy "Felix" treats...

many thanks, Lil' Sis for your generosity & kindness to my gang...
I hope that someday we can thank you in person...

...on the 5th day of Christmas

I have an appointment at 2:30 with my Dr...
the 2 phone calls it took...
[I was "dropped" after almost 7 minutes, on the 1st one...]
were made half asleep in an attempt to get in today...
& to not have to wait until tomorrow, or worse...



putting any pressure on the 3rd [or 4th] finger...
results in big time "unpleasantness"...
and I'm NOT looking forward to them being manipulated...
squeezed, prodded, poked & possibly yanked-on, again...
[I think it looks crooked... again...]



I have a lot of things to do that requires 2 hands...
before the bathroom remodel begins Jan. 6...
and at the moment...I can't do anything...

I had a good meal last night because Miz Minka & Mr Greenthumb ...
took pity on me & invited me over for supper...
I have a goodly supply of their delicious Christmas dinner leftovers...
in my 'fridge...but I can't open the containers...

well...I probably could get them open...
but the ensuing pain makes me loose my appetite...
which sort of defeats the purpose...
and just the simplest food prep, like making a sandwich...
is beyond me...I almost had to ask someone to cut my meat last night...

I have dishes to wash, a kitchen to clean...
cat boxes to clean, cat food to buy...
vacuuming & laundry, plants to water...
etc., etc., etc...

so I'm hoping for good news from the Dr. today...

at this point, a hard cast or splint would be welcome...
at least them I could do somethings that need doing...

I need my hand back... & my life...

I am working on my attitude at the moment...
I'm sure that God has it all under control...
now I need to rein in my feelings...
& be thankful... NOT easy, but I'm working on it...
I'm sure that there's a lesson here...
I just don't know what it is...yet...

...on the 4th day of Christmas

I finally resorted to this...
the gauze the ER Dr wrapped on my hand...
got too tight as more swelling happened...
so I loosened it...added different gauze...
and used this "stick-to-itself" stuff...



it keeps my fingers still & protected...
supported, but is infinitely adjustable...
should the swelling increase again...



the discoloration is actually worse than this...



it just doesn't show up in this yellow light...



the swelling is obvious...



I had to remove my thumb ring, as the swelling has increased...
it was getting tight...and it had been falling off...



this is probably the best picture showing the bruising...
the tip of my finger really is that pale...
and the rest is reddish purple....

and really sore...

I am, however, quite grateful for all the little things...
that have combined to make this bearable...

it happened after Lessons & Carols....
it happened before my insurance coverage changed...
the other dog & owner involved were very calm & unperturbed...
[it could have been SO much worse...]

I had the presence of mind to reset the main joint right away...
I arrived at a nearly full ER...
but didn't have to wait in a long line to sign-in...
[about an hour later, the line was "out the door"...]
they sent me right in after I signed-in...

they had to cut off my ring, but did it cleanly...
and before it cut off my circulation...
I was back home in about 5 hours...

several folks at church just jumped right-in & helped me out...
from BLT doing all the handbell wrangling...
to Super Sop & Miz Minka assisting me in vesting, unvesting...
and putting away my stuff as well as putting on my coat, etc...
Mr.GT for driving me home after inviting me to supper...
and to R for coming by to give me a ride there...

so while I'd just as soon NOT have a double dislocation...
of the 3rd finger on my left hand...with probable ruptured tendon[s]...
it could have been SO much worse...

God is good....ALL the time...

...on the 3rd day of Christmas [AKA 5 hours in the ER...]

so I took Molly to the park...
she saw another dog, charged at it...
jerking on the lead...
which was wrapped around my left hand...

it pulled free & off she charged...
me hollering at her to stop...
the poor lady & her dog, assuming a defensive position...

fortunately, Molly got to them...
and started wagging her tale & sniffing...
if that dog had charged back, it would have been bad...
the dogs sniffed each other...the lady was gracious...
they moved on...

as I was becoming very aware that the third finger on my left hand...
was numb & wouldn't move...

it had been "sideways"...

and I had instinctively "reset" it...
before chasing Molly...
[seeing a body part at a ridiculous angle...
will do spur me to new heights...]



by the time we walked home...
it was so swollen that my ring wouldn't budge...



it was still numb...unless I tried pulling on the ring..



so I knocked on Unkle Phil's door..
he advised an "Urgent Care" or ER...

I went looking for the one he found in the phone book...
it no longer exists... & the other "Urgent Care" place...
wouldn't take my insurance...
they told me,"go to an ER, you need xrays"...

so, about 1 hour after the injury...
[fortunately, I had an ice pack...]
I signed-in at St J's ER...no line....
I just walked up & signed-in...

though there were lots of folks in the waiting room...
they took one look at my rapidly swelling & bruising hand...
and the ring becoming buried under the swelling...
and took me in back to wait...

I'm not going to recount every moment and movement...
let's just say I got home around 4PM...

while I was there... I "moved"about 15 times...
observed that now, there was a huge waiting line to sign-in...
had my favorite ring "cut-off"...
had xrays done...twice, before & after...

the "after" would be after the phys.asst....
tried to reset my top joint[it took 3 tries]...

I had reset the middle joint myself...
before all the swelling...
while it was numb & without thinking...

but he had to firmly grab the middle joint...
to pull on the dislocated top joint...
he offered to numb it...
but I told him to just do it...

if they had given me those kinds of drugs...
I'd still be there...
they can't let you leave for 4 hours...
if you're on your own...

did it hurt ? you betcha ! [all 3 times...]
but I'll live...

they wrapped it to the surrounding fingers with gauze...
gave me some Tylenol...
[I turned down Vicodin, etc...]
and my xrays, etc...
& told me to see my Dr. early next week...

the gauze was wrapped too tight... so I re-wrapped it at home...

taking these pictures...



I really can't straighten it much more than this..



I think the top joint still looks crooked...
but if a tendon is ruptured... further "setting"...
will NOT aid healing...



here you can see some of the bruising...

and this is the "high tech" bandaging job I got...



as I said, it's splinted to the surrounding fingers...



and I was SO hoping for a bright & colorful cast...
we'll have to see what we can do here...
and the best part...my insurance has only a $50 deductible...

in two weeks, an ER visit could cost me $500.00...

perfect timing...Thank you, Jesus...

...hmmmmmmmm...

something "fairly new" has been added...
[I'd like it...on a tree...]



this is "old news"...
it's been languishing here...
since I eradicated it from MY porch...
and put it on HIS lawn...
[hee, hee...]

be patient...

"good things" come to him that waits...

...the 2nd Day of Christmas

on this sunny bright 2nd day of Christmas...
a walk around the neighborhood...
finds most trees now nearly bare...
victims of a couple of days of strong winds & rain...



the big trees in the park, now, have only mistletoe...
to crown themselves...
where once choirs of songbirds took cover...
is now the lair of Druids prize...



the water just beyond, gives rise to a thickening haze...
in the afternoon's brilliant sun...



a light who's southern angle is already low...
and dipping fast at only 2 PM...
if the winds die down... the fog will rise...
and maybe freeze again, like it did last night...



by New Years, all the leaves should be gone from the trees...
and so to slumber in the depths of winter...
to await the return of the coming of the light...

...a really blessed Christmas

I've been asking,"are we there yet?" for about a week now...
and today was finally my "dancing day"... we have "arrived"...
the waiting & busy-ness of Advent...is finished...
and the celebration of God, with us...has become reality...



and for me, no better place to celebrate...
than with some very dear friends...
who have become like family to me...



amidst the holiday trappings of tree & turkey...
they haven't forgotten the reason we celebrate...
and it is a pleasure to put behind us...
all the hectic scrambling to just relax & "be"...



Mr Greenthumb, turkey roaster, par excellence...
also made a savory stuffing[with homemade wheat bread...]
and another secret ingredient I'm NOT telling...
as well as his signature tabohli & a delectable turkey gravy...

Miz Minka roasted sweet potatoes in the skins...
and crafted a wonderful candied red cabbage...
I oven roasted Brussels sprouts & made mashed potatoes...

it was a marvelous feast... everything was just perfect...



of course,"click-click fever" was rampant...
with the 3 of us taking turns at shooting away...



and it didn't stop at the table either...
where we had the now, almost expected shots...
of Miz Minka & I taking pictures of each other...
taking pictures of each other...well, you get the idea...



after Mr & Mrs Greenthumb, his sister M & I had finished dinner...
three of Mr Greenthumb's kids dropped by for visiting...
gift giving, game playing & popcorn...



even HRH, Minka [the cat]was sociable...
so much so, in fact, that she wore herself out...
and I caught her in a big yawn...



soon enough... after popcorn & Cranium...
Mr GT took his sister home & the kids left...
leaving Miz Minka & I to exchange pictures...
and upon Mr GT's return, the 3 of us laughed ourselves silly...
watching the "Christmas Lunch" episode...
of "The Vicar of Dibley" on DVD...

after giving me enough delicious left-overs...
for at least a week...and cleaning up the kitchen...
they helped me pack my plunder to my car...
scraped the ice from my windshield...
and sent me on my way back home to Mudville...
through the crystal clear & bitterly cold night...

leaving me once again blessed...
to have spent this very blessed holiday...
where 3 were gathered in His name...
and He was present amongst us...



"come let us go & see this thing that has come to pass...
for today is born a saviour, Christ the Lord"...

may you be blessed this Christmas with His presence...

...have a blessed Christmas

wishing a truly blessed Christmas to all of you...

...a gift for Molly from MizYBee & Gigi [her dog]

tonight before Midnight Mass...
Miz YBee, canine aficionado, supreme...
presented me with a Christmas gift for Molly...
from her & her dog, Gigi...



the toy is "special"...
I removed the "specialness" before giving it to her to chew...
as the manufacturers recommended...

she likes chewing it so much...
that this is the best shot I could get...
the rest were "action-filled" & blurry...



she also loves the cheese flavored snacks...

many thanks Miz YBee & Gigi!

...are we there yet ?

I can remember years, long past now...
when I doubled my normal income in December...
a couple of years, I tripled it...

playing concerts, Nutcrackers, Messiahs...
church programs, quintet gigs, singing jobs...
contracting orchestras, arranging music...

not to mention school concerts with my students...

everyone played...
from beginner to advanced...band & orchestra...
and not music they had worked on since August either...

we always had our first concert in early November...
and they got "Christmas" music after it was over...

it was an endurance race...

the month of 1-3 "events" per day...every day...

after the Christmas Day Mass, I'd "run" home to the ranch...
arriving around 2 PM for Christmas dinner...
and when I returned to Mudville late the next day...
would collapse for at least a week...
[if I was lucky enough to have that many days of "break" left...]

I haven't missed that craziness, at all...

and this year, due to having Lessons & Carols on Advent 4...
it's been more hectic than the last few years...
a strange flashback to the crazy days of yore...

it's 8:07 PM as I write this...
I've returned home from the early service...
at which I led 30 minutes of Christmas caroling...
[we don't sing them until now...]

cantored the Psalm...
& surprise ! the Gospel acclamation & verse...

I say surprise, because I didn't expect to be doing it...

the organist played the intro...
& when no one started the "Alleluia"...I jumped in...
knowing full well that there was a verse coming...
and having NO idea what it was...
so I "borrowed" the response from the Psalm that I had just cantored...
["Today is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord"...
close...but not correct...]

after the service I checked in the Lectionary...
and found the right verse...
it'll be correct at the late service...
[and NOT a surprise...]

I also led the hymns & service music...cued the organist...
& played trumpet on the opening & closing hymns...

I'll be doing ALL that again starting at 10 PM...
I'll get back there around 9:30...
because the choir will be singing 2 anthems from L&C...
and perhaps spelling me, in leading the caroling...
if my voice goes...

at least they will lead the congregational singing...
so I don't have to "push it"...
I also have a descant I wrote for Silent Night[communion hymn]
that I'll do on my cornet...[very mellow]

I'm supposed to take a singer home afterwards...
I may have to go pick her up...I'll know soon..

then I'll get home after midnight...
in the glow of the lights...
sleep fast...and get up early tomorrow...
to make mashed potatoes for the lovely Christmas dinner...
that Mr & Mrs Greenthumb invited me for...

I've already roasted the Brussels sprouts...
& made the garlic herb butter...
which will also be used in the mashed potatoes...
I'll find out more details tonight...

we're all tired and ready to "be there"...
to be done with the waiting of Advent...
the myriad of concerts my singing friends & colleagues have done...
not to mention all the family & seasonal responsibilities...

it will be a wonderful blessing to be able to relax...
and just "be"... no more performances or services or details...
to just "be there, already"...
for a while anyway...and then...it will begin again...

but for now...

we've earned our respite from the schedules & to-do lists...

to have a day that allows us to just...
"be with those who help our being"...
dear friends & family...
with whom we can celebrate...
that great mystery...
of God...come down among us...

to save us from ourselves...

alleluia...Christ is born...

...po-ta-toe, po-tah-toe...

finally...my potato math question...solved...

'cause about 3 of these little ones equal 1 really big one...

so if 6 really big ones was too much...
then 18 smaller ones is too much...
[I'm starting to get a math headache...]
and there are 18 smaller ones in the bag...
which weighs 5 lbs...

so 5 lbs is too much...

so probably... 4 really big ones...
would have been enough...[that's 12 smaller ones...]

so I'll cook 12 potatoes tomorrow to "mash"...

whew... I'm glad that's decided...

who needs algebra...?

I just need my Excedrin...

...Brussels sprouts...YUM...

when I was at Raley's, the other day...
cornering the market on Brussels sprouts, "au naturale"...
a lady in line behind me said...
" I never knew how they grew...
I always had them frozen, from a box...
maybe that's why I always hated them..."

indeed...

and probably boiled, to boot...
as the checker said her family always did them...

YUCK...

I'm a farm girl, wore shoes only to go to "town"...
[in the summer, of course... too cold in the winter..]

but I digress...

we didn't eat them a lot when I was a kid...
but as Mom grew older, and discovered her toaster oven...
she would "roast" them in a small dish for holidays...

I discovered oven/pan roasting with olive oil & Kosher salt...
by watching Food Network... it was serendipity...




this is how they grow...the "sprouts are immature flower buds...
if the "sprout" begins to elongate, it's too old and isn't good to eat...
the top few buds of a stalk are generally way too mature to use...
so I always buy extra stalks in order to have the freshest, tenderest sprouts...

if I have to buy the already cut off ones...
I look for fresh cut stems & small, tight green buds...



this time of the year, you can find the stalks in the stores...
the sprouts stay fresher and sweeter on the stalk, than when cut off...
you might say,"sweeter?"...who cares ?
if you're roasting & caramelizing the sugars...you should...




in this closer shot of a stalk...
you can see how tight and compact the sprouts are...
if they are starting to elongate at all...
they will be bitter... yuck...



it took me a couple of hours...
to pop them off the stalk...
[if they are really fresh, they snap right off...these did...]
and to trim them up by cutting off the protruding core stem...
and peeling off any dark or damaged outer leaves...
[also bitter & NOT good eats...]

leaving me with this...



2 LARGE paper grocery bags of stalks & all the trimmings...

and these...



yes...they look like little cabbages [same family...]
which is why roasting & caramelizing the natural sugars...
is the ONLY way to cook them...
like the rest of the cabbage family, boiling releases the natural sulphur...
hence the foul stench/taste that generations have hated...
the caramelized sugars counteract the sulphur...



so after all the prep...I had about 8 quarts of them...

which I spread out on 3...
heavy weight full sized sheet pans...
I coated them with extra virgin olive oil...
sprinkled them with Kosher salt...



and put them in my newly cleaned[it works better that way...]
well pre-heated, 400˚ oven...
and checked them at about 40 mins...

since there were 3 pans, close together...
I knew the time would vary...[1 pan is always 40 mins.]
so I switched the pans around on the racks...
[the center pan wasn't browned at all]
and checked again in about 8 mins...

then I took out the top & bottom pans...
& moved the middle one to the top for another 8 mins...
and then, as they had browned, I took them out...



they have filled the house with their nutty aroma...
and are making me hungry already....

"we" like them, not only with the meal...
but as "fingerfood"...



finger food that's actually good for you...

besides that... they're REALLY tasty... YUM !!

...fowl tenore treachery...at 0-dark:30 AM....

since I've been verbally trashing Unkle Phil's flamingi...
he decided to give me "round 5", which I must have "skipped"...
in the form of "other flying critters"...
[his words Santa... the coal goes in his stocking...]

of course, it's NEON...

first glimpsed by a sore, groggy me at 7:30 AM...



from inside the DR, looking out the French door windows...
at the gaudy mess "seasonal lighted accessory"...
that was hanging, AND "blinking" from my front porch...

after dressing quickly...



I followed the trail....

to this garish, thing...



which has blinked on HIS house several times...
and was currently lowering MY property value...

of course...it was raining...AND there was a nasty cold wind...
but I messed with it until it's evil tentacles were ripped from my porch...

and it was returned to it's one true tacky home....



in front of Unkle Phil's house...
plugged in & flashing "seasonal kitch" for all to see...

and my house was once again free of the sinister tenore "decorating touches"...



I want to know how Molly who BARKS at anything that moves...
let him get away with it...it took some time and effort ...
to remove the 2 hanging geranium baskets...
hang the neon monstrosity...which is 2 parts...
ungainly & heavy, to boot...

I guess the real question might be...
how did I manage to get it down by myself...

perhaps all that tackiness gave me the strength of 10...

just you wait... you sneaky tenor...

I'll go for the soft underbelly... heh, heh, heh...

...a change in the air

the winter solstice was Sunday...
I was pre-occupied with the Lessons & Carols...
and just missed it...



massive amounts of storm clouds rolled in all day...
and are in the mountains now...
leaving us the beginning of the 2 days & 3 nights of rain & storm...
that's forecast for tonight through Christmas...



these kind of clouds always portend rain...
but I'll believe 3 nights & 2 days when I see it...
there is also a wind advisory...
for gusts up to 50 mph for tomorrow...



in the meantime..the clouds and sky...
made my walk more interesting...
with most all the leaves gone...
you can really see the clumps of mistletoe...



as cozy as a couple of days of rain & wind would be...
having them when so many are compelled to travel...
is NOT a good thing... so I'm hoping for the usual...
the predicted nastiness...that sort of fizzles out...
so people can get where they need to be...
safely... and without worrying their loved ones...

my latest look at the weather forecast...
shows Christmas Day downgraded to showers...
which is great news for all of us...
who are traveling any distance then...

...Molly and the Porch Visitors [with apologies to Menotti]

when Molly was rescued by Miz Minka & Mr Greenthumb...
she was very afraid of all men...even Mr. GT, calm & quiet as he is...
I'd walk her...and she'd shy away from any male who came within view...

I'm pleased to say that she seems to have gotten past that now...
she wiggles with delight whenever she encounters male neighbors...
or workmen who come inside the house...
licking, often jumping up and being a total marshmallow...

she's always been friendly towards women...

she's fine inside with my cats...
but wants to chase any cat she meets outside...
she also still gets very aggressive around other dogs...
particularly if they act aggressively towards her...
if they don't bark, she'll whine and be anxious, but will not bark...

however, anyone coming up on the porch is a different matter...
unless I proactively greet them...

she goes so ballistic...
that even though there may be a closed, heavy screen door...
I've seen men trying to sell something...
keep their distance...which from my point of view...
is a good thing...

of course, her avowed enemies are the delivery guys...
UPS...Fed Ex...USPS & the regular mail carrier...
as well as PG&E & the water company...
all on her "most hated" list...
because they come up onto HER porch...

she goes after them...[barking, not attacking...]
with rabid single-mindedness & malice...

even if I'm standing there...
reassuring her...
being a watchdog is her job...
and she's good at it...

but today...on our walk...



one of these passed by...

and she instantly "alerted"...



staring, with raised hackles until it passed...
we saw another one, farther away, later on...
she froze & watched it too...

while on walks...I've seen her "alert" to a mail carrier...
over a block away... she doesn't do that with ordinary pedestrians...
and as they get closer, she becomes very agitated, barking wildly...
even blocks from home... so it's not a territorial thing...



she'll alert to their trucks too...

as well as these guys...



similar vans can go by...plumbers, yard care, electricians...

NO reaction...if it's "brown"...she freezes...
and watches it as long as she can see it...

all the engines can't sound alike...

and I thought that dog were "color-blind"...
besides...they certainly can't read...

it's a puzzle for sure...

...Sneaky Pie is feeling more "Herself"

Miz Sneaky Pie has had a rough 24 or so hours...
as have we all... but worse for her..
she and Gracie were littermates & sisters...
and have spent nearly every moment together...
for over 4 years...

yesterday, Sneaky was very depressed...
she was huddling with her head down on my rocker...
when I picked her up, she cuddled [she NEVER does that...]
and stayed in my lap for a long time...[unheard of...]

so I've made a real effort to talk to her today...
and late this afternoon...
she started to perk up a bit...
I managed to get this one, clear picture...
[which only heightens my admiration for MM's pictures of Gracie...]

and a bunch more, blurry ones...
mostly of SPie washing her butt...
her standard "default" pose when she sees the camera...
so she's definitely feeling more her snarky self tonight...

and that's a good thing...
loss, especially sudden, unexpected loss...
is very hard...
and when it's "family"...
devastating...

...Molly hears a trumpet

I know some of you have been eagerly awaiting this...
so I set up my camera on a table top tripod...
set it to "movie"... and began to play...

the whole first film had no "star"...
just a soundtrack of me...
warming up for the first time in 8 months...
[no... really... I last played in late April...]

so I continued to play...
eventually I heard her coming...
so I started the camera...
and I got what I got...
3 short clips...

the dog's a natural born critic...
[you'll see...]

BTW...NO cats were chased during the making of this film...

enjoy...

[the film, that is...yes there are glitches...
that's why they call it "warming-up" & "practicing"]

"...you know, of course, this means war..."

this morning as I was leaving...
I spoke briefly with Unkle Phil...
who proudly pointed out...
that the "lit" flamingo would "stay on"...
all day & night...




leaving unsaid the part about..
"...just to vex you..."


I smiled mildly and furiously began plotting...
[relax...there will be pictures...]
so watch your back...il tenore...
[or should I say, "beak" ?]

BWAHH..HA..HAAA !

...all is bright, NOT...well, maybe a little...

Monday was an emotional roller-coaster...
basking in the nice afterglow of Lessons & Carols...
as well as several really nice comments made to me...
making plans for Christmas...

only to be interrupted by the horrific shock...
of finding sweet, silly Gracie laying dead on the floor...
not a mark on her...just gone...
she was just 4...

I know the prayers and words of sympathy sent my way...
from several friends, some who knew Gracie well...
have helped to get me through the ordeal of the burial...
and the creeping awareness & pain of my loss...
poor Sneaky Pie, Gracie's sister...
was very upset and just wanted to be held...

so by around 10:30 PM...
I was ready to move into a new frame of mind...
I started to warm to the idea of "fanning the flames"...
of the neighborhood light wars, just a bit...
as Unkle Phil has made good on his threat promise...
to ramp up the light show...

though I must admit...
the gazillion lights in the crepe myrtle tree...
were blinking discreetly...
but I had "other fowl to fry"...

and being inspired by the pattern emerging in his previous 2 posts...
[he's now posted 4 times in one month...what a concept !]
I did some research and posted my previous blog quite late...

then I checked out UPhil's blog before calling it a night...
and found myself ROTFLMBO at Miz Minka's take...
and clever verses, expounding...
on the same pattern I had observed...

inspired myself, I added a verse to hers...
continued chuckling...and headed for bed...

as I walked into the bathroom...
I realized that I still had a hose on in the back...
[my grapefruit tree was thirsty...
and I was running the hose during the burial...]

so at almost 1 AM... I went out to turn off the hose...



observing that all the "decorators"...
[including il tenore...]
had turned OFF their lights for the night...
leaving my lemon tree a gleaming bastion...
of tasteful seasonal decor...



and then... I saw it... the "death star"...
glowing malevolently in the flower box...
accompanied by it's tacky pink, metalic cohort..



Unkle Phil's picture of a pale, glowing orb...
didn't do it justice...
not to mention the jaunty chapeau..[ewwwww]

upon closer inspection...I saw even brighter lights within...



[leave it to a tenor to be attracted to bright, shiny things...]



it reminds me of an alien brain on Star Trek,[TOS]
either that..or Unkle Phil has donated his own to "decorating"...
cause this certainly isn't science...

[with apologies to F. Gruber]

"Foul, Pink-y Night"

"pink water fowl...
you make me growl...
your tack-i-ness...
causes dis-tress...
all that's gaud-y &
tawd-ry you are...
you look so garish...
e-ven from a-far...
thank God I can't see you from my bed...
or else I just might drop dead..."

[Bwa-ha-haaaaa...*snort*]

...round yon virgin mother & child [?]...hmmm?

What comes after, "all is calm...all is bright"...
[the title of Unkle Phil's last 2 posts...]

"yes, Virginia...Unkle Phil has found a reason to blog...
baiting and annoying moi...
his long-suffering neighbor to the north"...
MM...I can hear you laughing...
I'm chuckling a bit myself...


when I posted this as the perfect acquisition for UPhil's display...
[it's inflatable, has Santa AND flamingi...!]
Miz Minka summed it up perfectly, "My eyes, my eyes!!!!!!!!!!"
[10 exclamations might be a tad excessive, but hey...consider the subject...
even Santa's wearing shades...]



in order to present MM's claws some fine targets...
I did a bit more research...[hee, hee...]
the above item can be obtained at ...
"tuffinflatables.com", on sale for $79.99 and in stock !!!

and right next to it ...was this little beauty...



UPhil does have 2, make that 3 versions of the nativity scene displayed already...
[although the 3rd is a seasonal banner...]
but we know someone who has as many, don't we...?
of course, Mr & Mrs GT's are much smaller, tasteful and much more manageable...
as they are the typical indoor type of creché ...

this one is 7 feet tall, when fully inflated...
so it's really more UPhil's scale... BIG...and lit up...



this one appears more simple...but is also BIG...



and then, because we all know that it was snowing in Bethlehem...NOT...
[in the Middle East ?...oh come on now...]
a "snow globe version"[also, {say it...}"inflatable"]
and this one is 9 feet tall...



of course, if you're tired of tacky inflatables...
you could go for the "classic" tacky look...
life size plastic...glow from within mannequins...
[life sized as long as you don't look too close at the proportions...
that "ox" & "ass" are both the size of a large dog...]

they actually had these in my small town...
60 years ago...in the 50's/early 60's...ewwww !

or you could go in a different direction altogether...


>/

that is ...if you can, ummm... "bear it"...



here they are with the 3 Wise Guys...
[wait..I thought it was Goldilocks & the 3 bears...
or was it, the 3 Magi & the 3 bears...?
I'm so confused... I can't "bear" anymore of this...]

of course, if sanity and good taste win out...
what am I saying ?...

OK...

if UPhil only buys the Santa & flamingi...
he might want some of these to add some tropical festiveness...



[they'll have lights too, unless I miss my bet...]

all of which leads us to this...



undoubtedly, the 7th circle of Hell...
for those of us with taste...
and decorating restraint...

how appropriate...

"gobble, gobble"...
[HA,HA...UPhil...made you look...! hee, hee, hee...]

and PLEASE... on your south lawn...

...Gracie, we hardly knew ye

[10/31/08 ©Miz Minka, used with permission]

I have just discovered a tragedy in my family...

I have just found silly, irascible, sweet Gracie...
laying dead on the floor...

there is NO indication of any violence to her...
her fur is dry and soft...
no wetness or blood...
and her neck is not broken...

I heard a distress cry earlier...
but when I investigated, could find nothing...
I only heard it a couple of times...
then it stopped...

when I found her, she was no longer warm...
and she was stiff...
so what I heard must have been her death cry...
I'm so sorry I wasn't there to hold her as she left us...

I have been so busy the last couple of days...
I realize now, she wasn't as pesty as usual...
and I remember thinking last night...
that she looked different, perhaps a bit under the weather...

now I'm really sorry that I didn't pay more attention...

I hope she knows I loved her very much...
and will miss her greatly...

I was planning on using these amazing photos...
that Miz Minka took of her on Halloween...
to illustrate a Cat-mas carol...
"There she sits, the Divine Gracie"...

now they are part of her memorial...

rest well, my sweet kitty...
may you have many new & exciting perches to explore...
and lots of comfy laps to snooze in...
in Kitty Heaven...


[10/31/08 © Miz Minka, used with permission]

...surprise ! new anthem for 12/28

there are a few of you St John's Choir singers out there...
due to personnel issues, ie no 1st tenors...
we won't be able to do, "O Magnum" [:( ] this Sunday...
but we still have to be in keeping with the readings...

so...it's not just a change of anthem...
it's brand new [to us...]

SURPRISE !

fortunately...I'm anal enough to have just purchased...
THIS...



our REALLY new anthem for Sunday...[CALL, 9:15 AM...]

[it will be a bit slower in the 4 part section...more like the end...
music available Christmas Eve... enjoy...]

...Lessons & Carols, the after-glow

the location...



St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, downtown Mudville...

the setting...



our historic 105 year old sanctuary...

the occasion...



our annual service of Lessons & Carols...

I've described the contents of this service...
in great detail elsewhere, a couple of times before...
so I won't repeat that description a 3rd time...

last year, I wrote "working without a net" on Dec.9, 2007...
describing my surprise at being successful as a choral director...
something I've had no real training for...not at this level...
I have studied instrumental conducting and sung in dozens of choirs...
but choral conducting is it's own field...
and I haven't studied it...

I spoke of my hesitancy to step out of my "comfort zone"...
"in" the choir...to a place of leadership in front of it...

besides the fact that I love singing in this group...
and the conductor can not sing...
AND be effective as a conductor...
it just doesn't work...

God gave me this choir to sing with...then, to keep it going...
I had to give up "just" singing and direct...
a lot more work...
& not nearly as much fun as singing...

but it seemed to be where He wanted me to be...
so I went with it...and I have begun to realize...
that God gives us a multitude of gifts...
His ability to give is infinite...
it's our ability to accept all He has to offer...
that's limited...

limited by our fears... lethargy... stubborn refusal to change...
our inability to allow ourselves to be loved...

the service tonight was wonderful...
there were "places" that could have been better...
but a lot of beautifully crafted music "happened"...
the congregation seemed genuinely moved & blessed...
and things went much better than last year...

we had several new people with us this year...
who're considering becoming "regulars"...
I hope they do join us on a regular basis...

I know that God has richly blessed me...
to allow me the privilege to work with these wonderful singers...
to feel appreciated for my work...
and to see the talents He has given me be used as He intended...

the whole of this group is greater than the sum of it's parts...
because of their heart & mind being focused on praising God in music...
their marvelous musicianship, subjugation of ego for the good of the group...
willingness to work and let the beauty of the music shine through...

this is their daily gift to me...

and I am humbled and privileged to work with them in His name...

so tonight, as we sang from the heart...
and touched hearts & souls...
it was another reminder to me of His goodness...
and the overflowing bounty He provides for all of us...
if we will just allow Him to give it to us...

I don't need a net anymore... because they lift me up...
and together, we can reach out and bless the heart of God...

...re "don we now..." [duck now, Unkle Phil...]

this is from, where else ?, Amazon.com...


costumes for your lawn flamingi...

I think that the Turkey one has to be a bit confusing...
for the flamingo, that is...

I can always tell,"pink"...from "turkey"...

but as long as you want "costumes", el tenore...



THIS...has your name ALL over it...
[I wonder if they make that turkey outfit THIS size... ?]


if that's not quite your thing...
there's always this...



Miz Minka can sharpen her claws & have a good time...
[she enjoys deflating, inflated yard ornaments...]

so that can be her "practice"...

for this...



which I believe is "just your thing"...

just put it on the south side of your lawn... please !

[hee, hee...*snort*...]

...round 6

I was quite content to take the high road...
a Christmas Truce, as it were...

and ... at first it seemed as if that would be the case...

the formerly tangled lights...now lovingly "re-hung"...
and blinking discretely...

the neon nativity perched sedately on the roof...
[if neon can BE sedate...]
while the neon Holy Family graced the porch...
[to be "fair"...they are "rope" lights...but what fun is that ?]

"all was calm..all was bright"...

even my lemon tree seemed to blend in...



see for yourself...

but as I was enjoying the warm glow...
and relative tastefulness...
an odd sensation of the presence of an evil tackiness...
began to pervade my consciousness, & make me twitch...

I moved to the flower box... oh, the horror...!

there they were...

lurking... under the cover of darkness...
[how appropriate...]

the dreaded flamingi...
just waiting for those mini Santa hats & lights, I imagine...

I suppose that I should be grateful...
that THEY aren't neon, too...

...the cat[s] in hard hat[s], plus Molly

starting on January 6... at 8 AM...
this is going to be required around here for a day or two...



and since THIS... is that reaction I would expect from most of the felines...



(although a couple would LOVE to "help"...)
[Gracie & Sneaky Pie...]

and Molly...



would probably get into the spirit of it too...

I just made arrangements for them all to stay at the v-e-t-s...
for a day or so...

I'd take them in throughout the day on Monday, Jan.5...
[also enough food for several days...]
and start bringing them home after the noise...
debris and danger has passed...

the front door will have to be open for debris removal...
the workers DO NOT need animals under their feet & in the way...
and there will be BIG holes in the floor for a bit...
not to mention how scared most of them would be of the noise involved...

so it's decided... it will certainly be strange...
a day or two, totally alone... sigh...
but it has to be... & so it will...

...I'm glad he's on top of things

the contractor just called...
we're going to back the starting date to Jan. 6...
a week later...'cause he just realized...
that because of the New Year's 4 day weekend...



I'd be "stuck with a completely torn-up bath...
for 4 days...



not to mention that the cats & dog...
would have to remain at the vet's then, too...

so January 6, 2009, at 8 AM it is...
that's also Epiphany...

how appropriate !...

...a busy weekend

I have a really busy weekend...
so busy I'm starting today...

and it all takes place here...
St John, the Evangelist, Anglican Church...
in downtown Mudville...



today, after I run some errands...
and get my hair cut at 2:45, about 6 miles north...
[the Auto Center Car Wash...really, her salon is there...]
I have to rush back [3:30...RUSH...HA !]
to rehearse at 4 PM for a wedding I'm singing for...

I'm singing...
"The Wind Beneath My Wings" in the prelude...
"All I Ask of You"[Phantom] for the processional...
cantoring Psalm 23...
[that's chanting the verses & leading the response...]
leading the congregational singing...
of the Malotte's "Lord's Prayer" ...
& "One Bread, One Body" at communion...
and singing "Ave Maria"[Schubert]...in Latin...

that's a LOT of singing...
& it was all their idea...

my throat is rough & scratchy now...
so I'm flooding myself with water...
and hot Gypsy Cold Remedy Tea...
because I need to go through ALL of it today...
for the organist... & my sanity...

then I have to go to the store...
I need more tea bags...

the wedding rehearsal is Friday evening...

we'll have to do "All I Ask of You"...
to figure out how much of it to do...
it is the processional...
which is not too long a time...
especially since St John's doesn't have a really long aisle...

the song has 8 pages...

Saturday morning... will find me at the church early...
[after picking some lemons...]



the Lessons & Carols dress rehearsal is 9 AM-noon...
I'll be there by 8 AM... to plug-in the hot water for tea...
[for the break...tea is soothing to singer's throats...
there will also be lemons, honey, half & half & cough drops...
besides some cookies... nourishment, you know...]

I also need to make sure that the heat...
is on in the church as early as possible...
and that things are set-up & in place, ready to rehearse...
[silly me, I thought those days were behind me...]

the Altar Guild ladies will be doing their work...
and there will be some flowers for the wedding placed...
we'll go through a couple of pieces...
then "run" the service, with entrance & exit...until noon...
when we have to give way to the other choir for their rehearsal...

I will stagger home...I may remember to eat...

take massive amounts of Excedrin Back & Body...
drink a LOT of water...get ready for the wedding...
[I am vesting, so at least I don't have to worry...
about wearing other than "orchestra black"...
my black blazer/slacks/shoes & white turtleneck]

I'll probably return to the church about 2 PM...
for the 3 PM wedding...which, being a full mass...
but not a big crowd, should be over by 4...
[there's the Filipino 5:30 PM mass...
but I don't have to be there]

I may "need" to make an appearance at the reception...
but I don't know that now... I haven't been invited...
but may be expected...

eventually...I'll stumble home...
eat something & collapse...

I'll be at the church Sunday AM, around 8:30 AM, as usual...
to set up for the 9:15 rehearsal[10 AM service]
I'll get out the handbells for the Gospel Acclamation...
thankfully, I'm NOT the cantor this week...
[it's Super Sop's turn...]
I'll be grateful if I can even speak...
after all the rehearsal talking & solo singing on Saturday...

the service will be over around 11:15 AM...
and with NO rehearsal after church...
we will all go home to rest...
after setting up in the church of course...
because our "call" is 4 PM, vested, in the church...

since this will be our first chance to practice...
our standing/sitting cues with the "modesty screens" out of the way...
we'll do that...do some light warm-ups...
perhaps go through 2 pieces...
and be ready for the "rest" period...
[5-6 PM in the Guild Hall]

people who need a snack can have one...
restrooms, last minute music checks, drinks...
and just getting off our feet...

we'll line-up... go into the church...
lining up along the back wall and up both sides a ways...
from this position, we'll sing Palestrina's setting...
of the matin responsory, "I Look From Afar"...
with solo cantors[Tenorissimo, BLT & Wunderkind] & choir...

a tolling bell[played by moi] will lead us into the processional...
"Creator of the Stars of Night"...
the congregation joins in the final 3 of 6 verses...
and we are "off"...

after the 1st reading, the women of the choir...
sing M. Larkin's treble voices setting of "Adam lay ybounden"...
featuring a short solo [Super Sop] & a short duet[Hummingbird & Miz Minka]

after the 2nd reading... the choir sings the M. Lauridsen setting...
[in Latin] of "O Magnum Mysterium"...

after the 3rd reading...the choir sings V. Singh's setting of...
"Personet Hodie" with the Clavinova using a guitar stop...
and "strumming" chords...then there is a congregational hymn...

after the 4th reading...
the choir sings a lovely, accompanied setting...
of "Mary, Did You Know ?", arr.J. Schrader...
then there is a 2nd hymn...

after the 5th reading... the choir sings a magical setting of...
"Watchman, Tell Us of the Night" by J. Chorbajian...

after the 6th reading...the choir sings Rachmaninoff's setting...
of "Ave Maria" [in Latin]...

after the 7th reading...the choir joyously sings...
"Tomorrow, Shall Be My Dancing Day", J. Gardiner...
followed by the final congregational hymn...

after the 8th reading...the choir sings "The Christ Child"...
by W. Todd...a lovely accompanied setting of the manger scene...

after the 9th reading...the choir sings,"A Silent, Holy Night"...
by T. Fetke...with piano & obbligato flute...

after the blessing...we sing "Once in Royal David's City"...
with the first verse an acappella treble solo[Wunderkind]...
the choir singing the 2nd verse and the congregation...
joining in the 3rd as the choir recesses down the center aisle...
following the cross bearer... to end up where they started...
standing against the back wall and around the sides...
as we sing the final verse with choral descant...

then it's on to the Guild Hall...
for a spectacular dessert reception...
and finally, home to collapse...

but not too completely...

because on Wednesday night, Christmas Eve...
I'm leading caroling before both services...
[5 PM & 10 PM]
cantoring both services...
playing trumpet for both services...
and leading the choir at the later service...

I'll be home around midnight...

and looking forward to a nice...
peaceful & joyous, Christmas Day...
with dear friends...

...a little bathroom "re-cap"

in the beginning...

of summer, that is...



my 80 year old, mostly tile, bathroom...
looked like this...

old, blue rattan, cat-shredded shelf...
blue mini blinds...
the original leaky plumbing...
& the subsequently, rotten, sub floor...
the original cracked tile...
original double-hung window with broken sash cords...
[had to be propped open with a piece of wood...]
and worn-off opaque paint on lower window...
toilet NOT secured to rotted floor...

old & tired... not functional... grungy...
and impossible to keep clean...

I had signed a contract to start the remodel on 9/9/08...

but the deal fell apart...and so I waited....

waited for God to provide the right contractor...
which He did last week...

& with the contract now signed...
demo begins Dec.30, 2008...

only the cat will remain unchanged...

so for those who "want to know"...
here's a refresher/new look, at my plans...

the tub will leave...

to be replaced by a stall shower...
I grew up with only a shower...
so I've never taken tub baths, at all...

all the original tile will go...
but will be replaced in every location where it now is...

this corner of the shower stall will have a tile bench...
the shower is 5 1/2 feet long and about 28 inches wide...



there is plenty of room for a full width bench in this end...



the new shower stall tile will go up as high...
as this tile currently is...


here you have some idea of just how long the shower area will be...



these built-ins will stay...
and the crawl space access behind them...
will be closed off...[bye-bye possums...]



this area, where the old rattan shelf was...
will have a new chrome shelf...



here you see the original tile window sill...
the old mini-blinds...
the peeling opaque paint...
and the rusted window hardware...



because the sash cords were broken...
the window had to be propped open with a scrap 1" x 2"...



this was the only sash window in the entire house...
without a wooden sill & skirt...
it had a tile & cement over chicken wire, ledge...
[removing it was a bloody mess, in more ways than one...]



this is the same window, with ...

new, now functioning, sash cords...
new hardware : lock & lift...
new obscured glass lower window...
new stained glass upper window...
newly fashioned & painted sill & skirt...
[matches all the others in the house...]

so this window is pretty much, finished...

this is a period tile bath...
notice the tile trim pattern...
imagine the pink tile is white...



the cap bullnose trim tile that is a deep burgundy will be black...
and there will be a celadon green 1/2 in half round trim below it...
flanked on top & bottom by 1/2 black trim strips...
the tile will go up about 4 feet on all the walls...
except the shower stall, where it will rise to 6 feet...

there will be a 3 in black tile border on the bottom...
the floor will be white 2 in hex tiles...



here you see a rough mock-up of the top detail...
using the actual tile...
since the tub is going bye-bye in favor of a shower stall...
I've opted for a chrome "custom, hinged glass door"...



it will have side panels, similar to this one...
with the door in the center, opening "into" the west wall...
there won't be a need to build "pony walls" then...
[glass is always cheaper than built-from-scratch walls...]



the shower bench will look similar to this one...



and on the outside look like this...
though my toilet will not be in this aspect to the shower...



this is the chrome shower head/valve assembly I've chosen...



this is the toilet...
it is a "high-rise"[18" with seat] toilet...
as opposed to my current [standard]one...
that's only 16" with the seat...

higher is easier for people with stiff joints...
like me, to use into their senior years...
I'm also having a grab bar installed in the shower...
for the same reason...



I like natural oak seats...so I got one...



I love this sink...
the contractor was surprised after I showed it to him...
and he measured it...
it is not as deep from the wall as what is there now...
and it's 2 inches wider...

since the toilet plumbing will be moved...
2-3 inches closer to the wall...
that not only won't be an issue...
but it should allow the sink to be centered on the new medicine chest...
right now it isn't at all...
but the room is so small, you don't notice it...



I love the style of this faucet set with this sink...
very period correct...



this glass & chrome shelf will go over the sink...
below the new medicine cabinet...



I especially love the way this medicine cabinet, "echoes"...
the style of the window trim that is already here...
it came "primed"...with chrome hardware...


this towel bar is polished nickle...
I love the square mounting base...
the pedestal of the sink and bottom of the toilet are squared...
I looked long & hard to find "squared"...



this shelf will go in the place...
of the old blue rattan one...
that hung on the wall over the toilet...



this is an accessory set in chrome...
I also bought black plastic & chrome...
[ceramic & kitties are NOT a "long-term" situation...]






it's heavy plastic...and looks pretty much like ceramic...
if you don't look too closely...

I decided... that since for years...
20... to be exact...
I could only have blue towels & rug...
that I wanted, "options"...



here I found the large "sheet" bath towels I like...
hand towels & wash cloth...as well as a rug...
in the celadon green that matches my tile trim...

elsewhere I found the same items in these colors...
so I can change things with the season or my mood...





I'm excited to get going on this...

this bath could have been redone 10 years ago...
and I've lived with the knowledge of the rotten floor...
AND the resulting "rocking" toilet...
as well as the leaky shower knobs that squirt very hot water...
[on places you'd just as soon NOT have that occur...]
and general griminess... for a couple of years...

so I'm ready... WHOO-HOO !

...round 4

700 non-flashing colored lights...
$35.00...

100 clear non-flashing faceted lights...
$12.50...

15 foot outdoor extension cord...
$10.95...

NO flamingos in sight...
priceless...

...*sigh*

Sneaky Pie strikes again...

you might say, "she's on a roll..."

...round 3, "after dark"

after dark the lemon tree in tasteful splendor...
[it does need another 100 lights or so...
and maybe some clear ones...]

it has been raining on and off...[mostly on]
all day and into the night...

hence the almost magical glow...



it actually glows less in reality...
as you can see in this video...

if you keep a sharp eye, you can also see the outline...

of the flamingo, perched in the crepe myrtle tree...



enjoy...

[see MM...ALL the lemons I have left...
& some are nice and soft...
gooshy, even...just right for lobbing,,,
at a trouble-making, pot-stirrer... ;D]

hee, hee, hee... [*snort*]

...the contract is signed...new bathroom here I come !

FINALLY...

the contract is signed...the check written...

the cost for labor/construction materials is $17,500.00...
Mr.GC[general contractor], put into the contract...
that I'm not responsible for any more material costs...
beyond an additional $1500.00...

the "custom shower door" will be from $800-1200...
and then there's the tile I don't yet have...

there were a couple of bonuses today...

it was raining too hard to leave Molly in the back...
so she was inside when he came...
& she went bonkers over him...

not only did she NOT bark at him even once...
she wanted him to pet her and she rubbed against him...
like she'd known him all her life...
so that's a real plus...

he also plugged my outdoor extension cord...
into the outdoor outlet...
I was having trouble seeing where to put it...
& pushing in the plug...
so he assisted me in getting my "glow" on...

the starting date is Tuesday, Dec.30...
so I can get the kitties into the vet on Monday, Dec.29...
I'll leave Molly there the first day or so too...
depending on the way things go with the demo...
I may end up camping out somewhere that night...

there will be a time when the floor is gone, completely...
and since the lead flange/cast iron collar is to be replaced...
the toilet will be pushed back about 2-3 inches...
and flush with the wall...

this means a new plumbing connection under the floor...
combine this with the tub removal...
and the under layment for the shower...
as well as the sub floor repair & closing off the crawl space...

I may not be have a toilet for a night, if things line up wrong...

but I'm not going to worry about that now...

I'm really looking forward to getting the "bathroom"...
out of the boxes in the dining room...
and getting my dining room back
and taking my first relaxing hot shower, in a clean place...
with a toilet that doesn't rock if Gracie jumps on it...

God is Good... all the time...

...round three, heh, heh, heh...

if you've been paying attention...
there is a battle being waged in central Mudville...
between yours truly, Catsinger...
and that devotee of seasonal decorating excess...
[not to mention gaudy, tackiness...]
my erstwhile neighbor of 20 years, Unkle Phil...

round one...
was when he attached a string of flashing...
blinking lights to my innocent Meyer lemon tree...
as a "surprise" for me...
[it WAS a surprise all right...]

round two...
he perched a couple of tacky flamingos...
[or is it flamingii ?]
in the flower boxes facing my house...
and threatened er, uh, promised...
to dress them with lights and little Santa hats...
[ewwwww...visible shudder...]

so today, while he was "out"...
I braved raindrops...and there were a lot of them...
to "free" my Meyer lemon tree from tacky bondage...
and return "gaudy tackiness" to it's rightful home...
HIS yard...

so I unwrapped the lights from my lemon tree...
went across my driveway and "hung" them on his crepe myrtle...
[which I actually gave him 20 years ago...
it needed a better location, & he had one...]
I did another bit of rearranging...



snuck up on his porch, turned on the power strip...
et, voila !

then I turned my attention to the lights I had bought...
for the lemon tree, but hadn't gotten to put up...
before the malicious decorating "happened"...



so very soon...

and not a moment too soon, because I was getting soaked...
I had 300 NON-flashing, "NON" gaudy or tacky lights...
gleaming serenely...I'll take a better picture after dark...




and, over on the dark side ?

heh, heh, heh...
"on the 8th day before Christmas...
my neighbor gave back to me..."

"300 gaudy, tacky flashing lights"...



and a flamingo in a crepe myrtle tree...

heh, heh, heh...

...doggie destructo derby

I've been really busy lately...
so Molly is bored...
and has taken to demolition to amuse herself...

I heard the sounds... the play growling...
the yipping...the ripping...
but by the time I got into the LR...
this was all that was left of Lucyfur's favorite nest...



now Lucyfur is becoming one of Molly's favorite pals...
I often see them nudging each other...
but if Molly gets too pushy, Lucyfur will swat her...
so perhaps it was payback...

if I'd known...I'd have used the bitter apple stuff...
though that might not be good for Lucyfur's bed...

so after I admonished Molly, who was too pleased with herself...
Lucyfur came over to view the carnage...



my burning question...

WHY... tear-up a new bed...?
when there are a couple that are falling apart...
and wouldn't be missed...

except for the destructo part...
this is beginning to look suspiciously like the baiting tactics...
of a certain neighbor of mine...
who has a "seasonal decorations hoo-hah fetish"...
which he's really trying, and he can be, really trying...
to infect me with...quite unsuccessfully, I might add...

my brother used to bug me in similar ways when we were kids...

come to think of it...
Unkle Phil & my brother share the same birthday...
4 years apart...but the same day...

hmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

...it's finally stew

I've watched FoodNetwork for a few years now...
and learned a great deal...

especially helpful, because I am a "cook"...
I'm always experimenting & adding ingredients...
so things are rarely exactly the same twice...
[unless I REALLY try...]

this is also why I'm not a successful baker...
precision is required...it's chemistry...


and I like to "play"...


last winter I got inspired to do a stew...

my usual efforts weren't "making it"...
so I looked & found Ina Garten's recipe...
for beef bourguignon ...and "adapted it" into a stew...
to rave reviews from the partakers...

I believe the meat is key...

I use boneless chuck shortribs...
cut into bite size pieces...
it cooks up tender, is very flavorful...
with mild marbling...and no gristle...

so this time of the year...I keep my eyes open...
and I was rewarded about a week or so ago...
when I stumbled upon 3.77 lbs of it...

I had the butcher cut it up into bite size pieces...
I took it home...
froze it and waited for cold, wet weather...
it finally hit...so today was "stew day"...

Catsinger's winter beef stew
[this makes a LOT...& that's a good thing...]

3.5 lbs boneless chuck short ribs, bite size pieces...
salt & pepper the meat...
dredge in flour, brown in olive oil[I use Ex V.]
in single layer batches in my wide LC cast iron d. oven...
moving the browned pieces to a holding pot...
before adding more... it was 4 or 5 batches total...



after the meat was done, I added a bit more oil...
and cooked 4 C of diced carrot, onion & celery...
along with a bunch of celery tops & leaves...
and about 18 cloves of minced garlic [S&P]...
stirring in a glass of pinot noir ...[one small bottle]
to de-glaze the pan of the meat cooking bits...
after the veggies were translucent...
I sprinkled on about 4 TBLSP of the left over dredging flour...
and stirred it into the veggies...
then added back the meat & juices...

I added about 1 C of brandy...[Christian Bros, VSOP]
2 more little bottles of pinot noir...
and a quart of beef stock...

tied a bundle of fresh thyme & tossed it in...
about a TBLSP of fresh minced rosemary...
a couple of TBLSPS of tomato paste...
3 bay leaves, some more S&P[also garlic powder]
chopped up 3 bunches of young carrots, tossed them in...
then stirred...



covered it and slid it in the preheated 250˚ oven...



it was supposed to be mostly cooked in 1.5 hours...

after 1.5 hours, I added 3 bags of baby pearl onions[frozen]
and about a TBLSP of grated nutmeg...
and put it back for another 30 mins...

it should have been done by then...
but it wasn't...
the carrots were not cooked...
the meat was too chewy...
the gravy hadn't thickened enough...

so I gave it 30 more mins, bumped up to 300˚...

STILL not done... I upped the temp to 350˚...
and gave it another 30...

finally, I pulled it out to check, and eureka...

it was done !

carrots tender, gravy thickened...
and the meat...very tender...

I pulled out the 3 bay leaves...
& the bunch of thyme stems...
then, I added a C of fresh chopped parsley...
and a 2 lb bag of frozen peas...



stirred it all together...

and it's stew...

...contractor update

the contractor was just here...
and he brought his tile guy...

what a couple of nice guys...
so the contractor is petting Gracie...
while the tile guy is measuring...

we discussed the shower door...
whether or not we needed a pony wall...
I think I want the tile bench...
unless I have to sell a cat to get it...

different kinds of shower wall/doors...
my tile pattern...
the possible need for trim tile on any pony wall...

the good chance that I may have enough...
2" hex sheets for the floor...
AND the shower floor...
[I always thought so, but the other guys didn't...]

so, after everything was discussed...
they left...

the contractor is going to come over tomorrow...
to show me the plans/cost ect...
so I can decide if I want to do it...
[are you kidding ? I HAVE to do it...
and these guys seem to be the "right" ones...]

if I accept their "bid"... we'll sign contracts...
I'll write a $1000.00 check...
we'll discuss timelines and they'll file for the permits...

I know I'll have to have the kitties & Molly elsewhere...
for a couple of days...
I may keep Piglet & Fluff here...
since they have a closed up room to hide in...

but if I have to be out for a day or two...
which might happen...
then they'll have to go to the vet's with the others...

the guys said that they would do their best...
to have the toilet accessible at night...
so this may be an adventure...
but at least, there's progress...

...Sneaky Pie, "basement cat" minion in training...

I say "minion in training" advisedly...
as she can cause a master's amount of havoc...

it's been a while since she made toilet paper "pay"...



but this morning, I found some "puddled" on the floor...
only part of roll this time...
perhaps she was interrupted in her nefarious task...

the part on the floor is still usable at least...



sometimes, it's too shredded...or worse...

of course, I didn't see her doing it...
but I know who to blame...

I did, however see her up here...
just before the bottles of wine began falling...



crashing down on some mugs...and other stuff...



leaving 2 in pieces...

fortunately, the wine bottles didn't break this time...
she's been up here before...

that time, bottles were broken...
and my stand mixer almost fell...

*sigh*...cats...

...round two

round one... was this...



my neighbor, Unkle Phil...
attached a string of gaudy, Wally World flashing & blinking lights...
to my Meyer Lemon tree...
quite unsolicited...

then proceeded to "crow" about his accomplishment...
on his blog, This Life's Tenor...

at first, after having a good laugh for herself...
Miz Minka admonished him for the "Vegas" style lights...
but it really took MM very little time at all...
to begin to encourage his antics...
and in her last comment re "tacky pink flamingos"...
she said....

"...does that mean that you've planted the pink flamingo
on catsinger's lawn ? !!!! ROFLMBO.... SWEET !!! "

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

I don't have a good feeling about where this might be going...

here's the fabled flamingo...



which Uncle Phil has threatened er...ah..."promised"...
to put flashing lights on...



as well as this one...the ball glows in the dark already...

this is how close they already are...



the "lit" lemon tree is to my left...

if I wasn't SO busy today...

...a Christmas open house

I had a busy social calendar today...

first, the FFers had "brunch"...
which I almost slept through, waking-up with a start...
15 minutes before we were to meet...
so as I drove towards the Creamery...
holding my cell, expecting a,"where the heck are you" call...
[which never came...]
I managed to get there only about 15 minutes late...

one of the "gang" said she left me a message...
which was puzzling since I had the phone in my hand...
and it never rang...

we discovered that the number she called...
wasn't me...she didn't know WHO it was...
at that point...I should have known...
it was going to be "that kind of day"...

so after brunch and "gossip" [we were SO bad...hee, hee...]

I came home to walk Molly, feed kitties, AGAIN...
re-acquire the Piglet [aka get her to come inside ...]
check & answer e-mail..., write a post, answer the phone...
and leave for "Vitamin C Hills"[an hour+ one way]
to make an appearance at Smiley K's annual Holiday open house...

I'd missed it last year, due to L&C rehearsal...
but I'd made it many other years when Big J was still with us...
[Smiley K & I HAVE known each other for 40 years...]
so I drove north, getting a bad case of click-click fever...
as I looked at the magnificent sky in my rear view mirror...

but I hadn't brought the camera[s] so I just continued on...

the crowd was pretty sparse, most of the family I know weren't there...
and all of the others were members of the RCChorale she plays for...
the church choir she plays for or other librarians...
so I didn't know any of them, but we all chatted for a bit...
and then they all left at once, with other destinations...
and obligations urging them on...

Smiley K asked me if I wanted to stay a bit longer...
visit & have some supper [a nice butternut squash & apple soup]...
there was a ton of finger food left...
that we'd been only partially successful...
in keeping most of her cats away from...

and in the case of Johann, completely unsuccessful...
the little devil, who really looks like a short-haired Gracie...
[soul patch, white spot on the back and all...]
loves rose leaves and dumped a vase of roses over onto a cookie tray...
creating a large mess of water, powdered sugar and soggy cookies...

fortunately, I saw the evil deed...and shooed him away...
I was able to clean-up the mess before the cookies were ruined...
which was fortunate since they were homemade...

after a nice visit, I left for the return trip to Mudville...

it was almost 8 PM, when I rolled into a gas station...
running on fumes... I slide my credit card...
"see attendant"...I tried again...same message...
so muttering to myself, I went inside...
my card wouldn't work there either [I just got & paid my bill...]
so I had to fork over $15.00 cash so I could get home...
[it was $1.799 p/gal,[premium] the least I've paid in a l-o-n-g time...]

at least I got to use their restroom...

as I neared home... more surprises awaited me[read my previous post...]

now I need to pick some lemons...
"light" work, unless the flashing "blinds me"...
it's supposed to freeze Monday-Wednesday nights...
although the heat from all the flashing lights...
would probably keep the lemons from freezing...

but there's a lot of them...
and I can give away a bunch at church tomorrow...
so I'll brave the upper 30's temps & just do it...
perhaps Unkle Phil will be gloating over his nefarious handiwork...
see me out there and I'll get the horse laugh from him...

that's fine... there's a nice rotten lemon on the ground...
and I know just what to do with it...[*snort*]

...the "wars" have begun

on December 6, I wrote a post about Christmas decorations...
and mentioned that my neighbor, Unkle Phil, PG&E's best customer...
had been up on his roof, hanging lights....



in the same post, I "quoted" UP, when I mentioned that...
he said that his neighbor to the south...
had "beat" him by having the first lights up...

in a snide comment, I was "informed" by UP that up wasn't on...
blah, blah, blah...etc...

I responded reminding UP that they were his own words...
and in another comment, Miz Minka [ROTFLHBO...]
responded,"let the wars begin"...

she is usually correct...
has seen these "things" escalate before...
and was, unfortunately, correct in this case...

so a few minutes past 8 PM tonight...
I was coming home from a nice afternoon visit in CH...
& as I was stopped on the other side of the circle...
I saw flashing, blinking lights on my street & thought...
"that's pretty close to MY house..."

as it turned out, they were VERY close...

in fact, they were right in front of it...

the flashing, blinking "object"...was my Meyer lemon tree...
now covered with flashing, blinking colored lights...
with a cord leading across my driveway...
to Unkle Phil's house...



which was shining with it's first wave of seasonal splendor...
looking tasteful and serene, next to this...



since a still picture doesn't really do the majestic scope...
of all the glittering tackiness justice...
I made a movie...so the blinking & flashing can be viewed...
in all it's tawdry glory...next to the tasteful serenity of UP's house...





and by the way... I'm blaming this for at least part of the lunacy...

...getting closer

I just got a call from the contractor who came over yesterday...

he's faxed the specs he's working on to his "tile guys"...
they'll come over next week to look at stuff...

we discussed a couple of things...
the time line... costs...
things on the punch list I don't need...

and things are moving right along...

so hopefully, after Christmas... we'll get started...
I'm hopeful that it might be done before March...

so if anyone wants to give me a Christmas present...
and doesn't know "what"...
the offer of a hot shower will soon be a Godsend...

...changes in the air

Molly & I went out for our walk today...
into a different world...
the sun was out, as it has been...
but there was a cold wind from the north...
rapidly removing the remaining leaves from the trees...
and frustrating those who had just piled up mounds of leaves...



the 10 day weather forecast has only 1 day[of the next 10]
that is listed without at least a 30% chance of showers...
and most of them are 60-70% chance...



on Monday night. the low is forecast at 32˚F...
with Tuesday at 26˚ and Wednesday at 28˚...
so our first freeze is coming...
if it's been raining and the wind is blowing...
the wind chill may make it a hard freeze...
so I'm picking lemons today...



I don't have to cover or protect plants from frost...
unless it's in the low 20's or 'teens...
but I'm glad I did my planting when I did...
I'll also water well before Monday...
that always helps...



I'm really glad I got my big plants inside...
there are a couple of smaller ones on the porch...
that need to come in...but I can manage them...



I also need to haul-in wood before it gets too wet...
I have some frozen chuck short rib meat for a stew...
the perfect cold & wet meal...
with some freshly baked bread...YUM...



a week or so of cold, wet, windy stormy weather...
will pretty much insure a foggy, murky winter...
it's been a while... and we certainly need the rain...



so let's have at it, Mother Nature...
it's time for winter...

...a walk with Molly

so after she had to spend some extra time in the back yard...
'cause the contractor was in the house...
Molly & I finally got out for our walk...
something she's ALWAYS ready for...



the chance to meet... & greet other dogs...
by barking furiously and almost out of control...
leading me to believe that lots of canine "yo mama's"...
are being exchanged...
never gets old...or "past" her...



so by the time we got to the park...
all the early fog had burned off...
and the sun was shining brightly...



as we passed my favorite "fungal festival"...
I got a sudden case of "click-click" fever...



the reflected sun...



the utter stillness of the water...



meanwhile, Molly has developed "sniff-sniff" fever...



we continue on to my favorite view...



and a "full sun" reflection...



I wonder if these might be wild iris...



here's a summertime survivor...
that really takes me back to my college days...
and sitting on the lawn...under huge, ancient trees...
making necklaces of these...
[it was the 60's...OK ?]



after some "territorial marking"...
and "sniffing every blade of grass"...
we're waiting to cross the street...



and on the way home... what else ?
sniff-sniff time...



it is still fall, though the winter solstice looms ever closer...
and some trees are just now "turning"...



looking north towards home...several flame into view...



from underneath...looking "up"...



my young weeping cherry has even joined in the color fest...

back inside...I find a disemboweled pillow...
with it's stuffing scattered about...
[thank you Molly... who of course, has NO chew toys...]



and just to make my day complete...

Gracie decides to get,"up close & personal"...



I know it's blurry... but it is SOOO "Gracie"...

I just couldn't resist...I am SOOO blessed...

...that "thing with feathers" is back

a digi macro view of my most recent bread venture...
I'm not sure how "well" it came out...
but it tastes great !
a big thanks to MM for the recipe...
and she was right [as usual...] it makes great toast...



especially with blackberry honey and heart-healthy butter spread...

YUM...

that...



and my freshly ground & brewed "Mr.Dickenson's blend"[Peets]...
in my favorite mug... perfection...

so right about now...you're probably asking...

"OK... WHO are YOU...and what have you done with Catsinger ?"

fear not... c'est moi... la chatchanteuse...
[OK... it's been 40+ years...& "spellcheck" doesn't "do" French...]

I'm in an expansive mood because the contractor just left...
& "that thing with feathers...that perches on your shoulder...
...sings without words...& never stops at all"...[E.D.]

is back... !!!

it left with the other contractor early in September...

I "gave" it to God...but as days turned to weeks...
and weeks to months... and more things began to fall apart...
I still trusted... but "hope" had left the building...

had I been brave enough or had enough faith to continue to "hope"...
this would have been an even more joyful moment...
as it happened... I am less surprised than I am relieved...
that it seems to be finally happening...

God's timing is always right...
I'm learning that... I trust that...

things that seem bad to us, that are His will for us...
are always better for us in the long run...
than the things that we think are best...

the contractor & his son are both quiet, nice people...

he looked at the bathroom...
Gracie was being Ms Hospitality...



I showed him the "punch sheet" the other contractor had drawn up...
told him what I could live without...
a built-in bench in the shower, for one thing...
[I'd rather have a movable one...]

he agreed with me that all the plaster walls...
did NOT need to be torn out unless there was a problem...
there's no electrical work at all...
the pony walls around the shower will work...
with a DOOR that swings IN...
[he agrees that sliding doors on a shower are tacky...]

he liked my tile pattern and plans...
and suggested that I should try to remove the TP holder myself...
[it's ceramic and set in the tile "mud"...& I want to keep it...]
he also thinks that the crawl space & cupboard back...
should be closed off, as do I ...

so many things I had to "plead my case" with the other subs about...
he agreed with, right off the bat... & I don't think he was just playing me...

he does all his own plumbing, and he didn't say...
but I think he does the tile work too...

so the whole time he was scoping things out...



looking at the leaky plumbing...the rocking toilet...
[which Gracie jumped on, demonstrating it's "pitch & roll"...]
the stuff growing out of the grout line...
measuring...taking notes... listening to me & what I wanted...

he would stop & scritch Gracie...talking to her...
which eventually brought in Sneaky Pie...
to get her "cut of the attention"...
[Molly was in the back yard...]

as he was leaving, he said that he'd get back to me soon...
& that he was sure that he could give me what I wanted & needed...
for quite a bit less than the other price...[$22 K]

this final message was delivered as he was petting Mackie...
who was perched on the top of his tree...
and loving every minute of it...
[Mackie usually doesn't warm to workmen...
so I consider this a VERY GOOD sign...]

the kitties always know who the good guys are...

so "that thing with feathers..."
is perched on my shoulder...
& singing away...

God is Good...ALL the time...
even when we have to wait for it...

perhaps learning to wait expectantly is what I needed to learn...

...finally...the planting...c'est fini

this is what my patio table looked like in October...
unfortunately, it still looked exactly the same this afternoon...
when I finally got myself to finish my plantings...
before everything got frozen or died of old age in a small pot...



I had one tiny asparagus fern "baby" already...
and recently found another, so they got a pot...



I found these 3 deep red ivy geraniums languishing at OSH...
they had both dried & moldy dead leaves...
and had been zapped by cold...
so I "rescued them"... potted them...
and put them on the sunniest part of the front porch...
[a good watering & "trim" didn't hurt either...]



I planted several containers with johnny jump-ups...



here you see the Christmas cacti...
and a container of johnny jump-ups that aren't blooming...
[they were on the back table and lost their blossoms...]
hopefully some water & the sun they'll get here...
will remedy that situation soon...



I gave up and bought some more cyclamen...
as the other will bloom again...
but too late for Christmas...
so I left them in the back...



I'm trying, again... with the dill...
this was looking droopy, but really perked up on the porch...
I planted it in a container next to the wood pile...
that is in a sunnier place now, but not too hot for later...



here's a planter basket with the 2 "iron ferns"...
and 2 "5 finger maiden hair ferns"...
you can see the reddish new growth on the maidenhair...
it looks like it has "5 fingers"...
only the newest growth looks like that...



this is a basket of "polypodus"...
aka "monkey" or "squirrel" or even "rabbit's" paw fern...



these are "red ferns"... 2 are more mature...
you can see the fiddle scroll shaped "heads" poking up...



this is a B-I-G hanging basket of the "5 finger maidenhair ferns"
I had a flat of them...and now they're safely in a basket...
in a very good place for them...



so you can see...no more un-planted plants here...



or here...



but doesn't the porch look "full"?

of course...

there's still that large gardenia that needs to go in the front...
and those daffodil bulbs...
and the anagazanthus...

*S-I-G-H*

well...it was a feeling of accomplishment for a few moments, anyway...

...keep your "fingers crossed" for me

I have a meeting tomorrow AM with a general contractor...
the nice guy God "put in my path" on a walk the other day...

I went online to the CSCLB...and looked him up...

he's been in business, here in Mudville since 1992...
or at least has been licensed by the state since then...
has the proper "bonding" coverage...
holds the proper "kind" of license to oversee this job...
and has no complaints or liens on his record...

so I called him this morning...
and he's stopping by tomorrow on the way to his job...

I had briefly told him about my "problem" from early September...
when everything came to a sudden halt...
I briefly described the scope of the job...
and said that I had most of the materials already...

he said that "animals didn't bother him..."
so I'm hoping that "he's the one..."

I'm SO tired of the failing plumbing, rocking toilet...
holes in the wall, dirty, cracked tiles & cat poop in the tub...
[I can't wait to have a shower stall...with a door !]
and a shower that has working knobs, a properly functioning "head"...
and no rogue, scalding spray...

so, if you're so inclined...
please join me in praying for a quick[sigh]...
relatively "painless"[sigh]...
affordable... animal-friendly...
bathroom restoration...

I hope this is the guy...
and that everything will just "fall into place"...

because this is my only bathroom...
and once it's "gutted"... I'm at his mercy...
so hopefully, it's really at His mercy...

...oooh, THAT'S why...

I might have known...

the rampant feline [& canine...] bursts of insanity...
and manic, frantic activity...[the runnsies...BIG TIME...]
the jumping, running, cat spats & getting into weird places...

are all due to the 99% waxing full moon...

[yes...there's a lot of it on a day-to-day basis...
but this is the "spin" I'm sticking with at this time...]

especially since...



"someone"...has been all lovey, sweet-face since last night...
[AFTER I put out the "BOLO"...]



I also noticed that she was biting & chewing...



and grooming, MUCH more than usual...



so I lured her to my lap...[NOT hard...]
and distracted her as I applied Advantage...
[she was due, anyway...]

she usually fights tooth & claw when she smells it...

but this time... was almost too docile during the application...
mewing sweetly...almost as if she was apologizing for...

breaking the handle off the blue mug...
destroying my French bistro glass...
un-potting my favorite violet...
disheveling the counters...
defiling the plant shelves...
perching on the coffee maker...
etc... etc... etc...


and this morning...

every time I've turned around...

she's been here...



I was hanging my coat there...
but she's been crawling up into it...
so I moved it...

she always chooses "strange" [& uncomfortable...] perches...

the traverse drapery rods [which she bent, then broke...]
a ladder step... the narrow edge of anything...

never a soft, kitty bed...

so now that she seems to have "fixed" herself on the step ladder...

my violets should be safe... for a while at least...

...B.O.L.O.[be on the lookout for...]

"Gracie", aka @#$%^& cat, etc

















m.o.: getting on kitchen counter tops...sinks...coffee makers...

leaves behind massive amounts of cat hair, hair balls, broken crockery, dead plants...

WANTED FOR : feline-ony trespass, plant-i-cide, feline-ony breaking of crockery...
wanton de-construction of private property, littering...
meow-licious mischief & inciting felinal mayhem...

known to carry l-o-n-g, sharp claws...
and to make stealth attacks on sleeping humans...

has been observed committing these crimes...
as well as "loitering" with "intent" to commit chaos...

surveillance photos...





approach with caution...suspect is armed & fluffy...

...cats...ARGH... !

sometimes...I hate cats...

'cause after all my efforts yesterday...
I awoke to this...



the smallest & weakest of my African violets...
[of course, it was the white one...]



pulled down from its place on a shelf...

a shelf that NO cat needs to get on...
and the snooping Gracie could have easily spied outside...
by just looking over or around it...

GRRRRRRRRRR.....



so I gathered the soil and the poor little violet...
[thankfully, she didn't pee on it...
been there...cleaned-up that...yuck !]

it had probably just happened...
and since I watered them yesterday...
the soil, being moist... was easier to gather...
and... she didn't break anything...
like she did yesterday...

though you can see the pot is cracked & chipped...
this was NOT... its' first cat destructo derby...

I cleaned up the mess after re-potting the violet...
which I think will survive...
unless there are follow-up attacks...

all the while letting Gracie...
who had fled the scene when I came into the kitchen...
"hear about my displeasure" with her depredations to my plants...
I also picked-up all the stuff strewn about the floor...



I am grateful that she didn't trash more violets...
she has laid waste to numerous violets at once, on too many occasions...
if she felt "vindictive" or just boisterous...

she is mad at me because I spent most of yesterday yelling at her...

to get off of the a] sink b] counter c] cutting board d] coffee maker...

all in turn...all met with massive attitude and complaining...

she's making herself scarce at the moment...
so my "gentle remonstrance"has had some effect...

but now...I'm nervous...

I need to go run some errands...
drop off some pants to be altered & mended...
[yes, MM... the "gang banger"jeans...& my gray cords]
go to OSH [more violas, cyclamen...
some washers for my watering hose{cat lost one for me}...
and a level to hang my art...]
then, the grocery for a few supplies...

I'm almost afraid to see Gracie's vengeance...

sigh...sometimes...

...my Tuesday

this has been a "full" day...

I came into the kitchen to find this...



Gracie gets "fixed" on some pretty amazing "perches"...
and she's always stubborn about moving...
even if I need to use the coffee maker...

and besides...
I don't want her sitting on my counter/sink/appliances anyway...yuck...

besides the obvious reason, of course...
there's always "collateral damage"...



this time...

not only did she break the handle off of my blue mug...
she trashed my big, heavy weight French bistro glass...
I'm just grateful that she didn't get the Orcas Island mug too...

then there were the beans I started soaking yesterday...



I rinsed them...
added a ham hock, chopped onion & garlic,S&P...
added a qt of chix stock...covered it and left it to cook...



after about 3 hours...I stirred them & cracked the lid...
to let them cook down a bit...



after another couple of hours, I had this...
so I re-covered them, turned them down to the lowest simmer...
and left them another couple of hours...
at which time the ham hock had fallen apart...
so I fished out the fat & bones...



leaving me with this...
I stirred it well to release everything from the bottom...
covered it & turned off the heat, letting it set...

the fat, skin & bones...



became dog food...
Molly loved them...the kitties will lick off the gravy...
but won't eat the bones, etc...

but that was towards the end of my day...
back at the beginning...

I dug into the office closet [behind Mt Catfood]



and pulled out a box of replacement air freshener re-fills...
and replaced the empty [all of them] ones...
I also replaced the "plug-in" ones...
this was after I took out the trash...
and cleaned cat boxes...

then I surveyed the BIG project I'd been putting off...



I needed to move out the dead plant pots, move the table...



sweep the floor & create a space for my big ficus trees to come inside...



because the front porch is full of plants that won't take a freeze...

especially, the ficus trees, scheffleras, dracenias & the African violets...



so I took these...
[yes, there are now 5...
I rescued one from near death by dehydration at the grocery store...]



and did this...



bringing them into the kitchen...



where they will do very well...



if Gracie doesn't decide to "nest" on them...



the 2 dracenia margenatas will be OK..



until the kitties start discovering them...
cats LOVE to chew on them...fortunately, they are NOT poisonous...
but being chewed on doesn't help the plant...



they won't chew on this pothos, which should do well here...
even so close to the heat grate...



the fiddle-leaf fig [ficus] that came back from bare sticks...
it got frost-bitten last year...



I almost didn't get it inside...it's SOOOO heavy...
I just hope I didn't really hurt myself...
it should be happy here...lots of eastern light...
[the other ficus have new growth...]



this dagger-leaf ficus [I don't know it's real name...]
also responded well to being outside for the summer...
it HATES hot air blowing on it & needs a lot of light...



so hopefully, this will be a good spot...
as it's away from the heat grates and in an eastern window...

I also brought in the Maranatha plant I repotted...
a Hawaiian shefflera, 2 small fiddle-leaf figs...
some cissus [oak leaf ivy],my coffee tree & some "creeping charlie"...

I moved my old portulaca pots to the back...
to replant them with the johnny jump-ups...
I put the Christmas cacti in their places...
since the cyclamen have lost their blooms...
I'll either have to replace them or not have any this year...



so after all that work....my front porch looks a bit barren...

and the day was getting on towards evening...
so we went for a walk to the park...



the tide is rising [moon going full...]

so on our return...
I dug out my indoor watering hose...



it easily reaches all my plants...
and keeps me from having to lift & carry heavy buckets of water...



it attaches right onto my bathroom faucet...
and has a sprayer at the other end...

so after returning from the walk, finishing off the beans...
preparing to water the inside plants...
and write this...

I was treated to this...



the late afternoon sun, shining on the liquid amber tree...

oh...and while we were out walking...

I noticed that one of my neighbors down the street...
had some workmen parked in front of her house...
[she had her whole house renovated last year...]
but this trailer was of a contractor who does bathrooms & kitchens...

so we stopped to chat...

they are a father/son team...licensed...
the city inspector showed-up ...
& seemed to know the dad on a first name basis...
[always a good sign...]

I told them about my situation...
they said that animals didn't bother them...
[Molly seemed OK with them...
and I got a good vibe from them...]
so I took one of their cards...
and will call them to come take a look at my situation...

the Lord moves in mysterious ways...
and I asked Him to make "the right guys" appear...

5 houses down is pretty much, "appearing" in my book...
so I have a "good" feeling about this...

now... I just have to finish this post...
send an e-mail...water the indoor plants...
light a fire... make some cornbread...
heat up some beans...

sit in my rocker...watch some TV...
have some supper...

and try to stay awake until I finish eating...

all in all...

not too bad for a Tuesday...

..."Cat-a-Pan", [CC#1,11/10/07,revised]

Gracie takes her long sharp claws...
and she shreds up everything...



she can create "slaw" from plants...
hee, hee, hee, hee, heeeee...
Sneaky Pie on high...
wants to join...
as she watch-es Gra-cie "slice"...oh,my !



Sneaky stretches out her paw, to join in on the may-ham...



as her claws come out to slash...



hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hisssss...
suddenly a crash...
as they up-end eve-ry-thing...
turn-ing all of my plants to trash...

enter Mom, whose really mad, 'cause the cats have been so bad...
and she's low-er-ing the "boom"...
scram, scram, scram, scram, SCAT !...
you e-vil rot-ten cats !
as they run a-way they laugh...

with a sly cat-ly smirk,... heee, heee...]



[tune : "Pat-a-Pan"]

..."Carol of the Cat" [CC#13,12/20/07, revised]

should I go out, should I stay in ?
the sun is out, but there is wind...
and it is wet, oh, what to do...
it's light right now, but soon that will be through...



the breezes hurry, fallen leaves in flurries...
but I've really got to pee & do my "biz-ness"...
do I, do I, do I, do I go out... ?
do I, do I, do I, do I go out... ?



so I stand here, frozen with fear...that...
if I don't go out now, Mom will close the window...
I do want out, but still there is doubt...
oops, here she comes, I'll close my eyes and"just go"...



oh, boy, it's cold out here...just the way I feared
it would be when I was looking out...
let me, let me, let me, let me, let me back in... !
let me, let me, let me, let me, let me back in... !



now... it's so cold... please... it's so wet...
my paws like ice...it's not so nice....

please... let me in...

now...now, now... NOW... !

[tune : "Carol of the Bells"]
[dedicated to Piglet, Bixby, Minka & all like-minded felines...]

...it's bread, 1.1

it's not pretty...but it smells good...



this was a "baking" picture...notice the same uneven top...



but it did rise...now I have to wait to see...
if it tastes as good as I'm hoping it will...

in the meantime...



some "kicked-up" bean soup...from the red & white can...

I use chix broth instead of water...and only 1.5 cans of liquid...
I add dried minced onion, garlic powder & fresh ground pepper...
it was a great lunch & will be a good supper on this damp & chilly day...

...it's Monday, sigh...

I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat...
and a nasty sinus headache....
the latter got Zyrtec-D & Excedrin...
[which at this point are sort of working...]
the former got a couple of large mugs of Gypsy Cold Cure tea...
[which is, at this point, the more successful remedy of the 2...]



after I took out the trash & discovered that it was "misting"...
I started a pot of pink beans to soak...
I will boil them off later...then throw out the water...
and cook them with a ham hock, garlic & onions in chicken stock...

I also decided to be brave...


and try a light whole wheat bread recipe MM gave me...



of course, I screwed up right off the bat...
when I forgot to add the olive oil in with the water...

the recipe said a "scant" 2 C water...depending on the humidity...
since it was so damp outside, I thought it would be fine...
then I got involved in doing stuff...and forgot to check...

the thudding noises brought me back to check the Zo...
and I found a big lump with a dusting of unincorporated flour...
thudding around with some normal looking stuff on the bottom...
the good news was that everything was in the middle...
nothing was stuck to the sides...

so I added a bit of water...then a few drops more...
the more I added, the less it made that thudding noise...
and all the dry flour incorporated...
leaving me this...



now...well into the 1st rise...I have this...



and that marvelous yeasty smell beginning to permeate the house...
I hope it turns out OK...
but for now... I have stuff to do...

...the Librarian

I like my sci-fi with it's tongue, planted firmly, in it's cheek...

so tonight...I'm watching these...



I just finished watching "Quest for the Spear"...again...



AM watching, "Return to King Solomon's Mines"...again...



and am looking forward to "The Judas Chalice"...[Librarian III]
if I can keep my eyes open...

...it's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas...



my Christmas cacti is starting to bloom...



they "summer" in a shady spot in the back yard...



on Halloween, when I last looked...



the buds were just starting to swell...
now, they are starting to bloom & will move to the front ASAP...



elsewhere in the 'hood...lights are beginning to show up...







although "Frosty" hasn't been inflated yet...



I wrote earlier of my northern neighbor's decorations...



and lights...



as you can see, they haven't "gone seasonal", yet...

the there's UnkelPhil's southern neighbor...



he got his up & "on" before UnklePhil...

here you see UnklePhil, who as the song goes...
was "up on the housetop"... hanging lights...
which he assures me are only "the first wave"...



after it got dark... I got this shot...



he's been threatening to give...offering...
all his unused "decorations" to my northern neighbor...
after I told him, "I'd pass" on the "toy soldiers",etc...
[it's a budding conspiracy...*sigh*...]

I have got my wreath up...[$10.99 at Raleys...]



I have a wreath hanger with "jingle bells"...
I save the big red bow to reuse each year...
along with cat ornament the GT's gave me a couple of years ago...

I love decorated trees...and all the lights...
it's just really hard with the kitties...
who consider a decorated tree a giant play toy/climbing wall...
so I have to get my seasonal fix as a voyeur...

...lasagna, completed

whew... it's been a very long day of cooking & delivering lasagnas...
but it's always worth it...
when I think of people I know and care about...
enjoying food I've made for them...

I made 2 very large lasagnas for the church potluck tomorrow...
as we welcome our new rector to St John's...
they are at the church, in the 'fridge...

I'll put them in the oven around 8:30 AM...
at 350˚F, they'll be ready just before church begins at 10 AM...
so they'll sit, keeping warm until the potluck after church...

I always have extra "lasagna elements"...
so I put together one for the GT's...
and delivered that one too...

after returning home...
I cobbled together a small one for me...
from the rest of the left-overs...
put it in the oven...& went for a walk...



after about 40 mins at 350˚... I had this...
a "just-my-size"ricotta & spinach lasagna...



aka..."dinner"...

...lasagna, in process

I'm making lasagna today for the church potluck tomorrow...
it's quite an undertaking, especially for a crowd...



first I made the marinara...

I sautéd minced onions, carrots, celery & garlic in ev olive oil...
then added 4 cans of Cento San Marzano tomatoes...
plus 2 cans of Cento crushed S.M. tomatoes...
1 good "cup" of pinot noir...s & p....
and chopped fresh basil, thyme & oregano...

as well as a good palm full of fennel seeds...
rolled between my hands to release flavor...
a TBSP dry oregano, sugar, garlic & onion powder...

so while this was simmering...



I sautéd 6 lbs of mild Italian sausage...
drained the fat, then added it back to the pan...
and began spooning in the marinara...
mixing it with the meat making a ragu...
I also added another cup of pinot noir...
and left it to simmer...



in a large container, I mixed 3 large tubs of part skim ricotta...
2 small containers of full fat ricotta, 3 large eggs, 1/2 C of half & half...
some nutmeg,a "splash" of sherry, a container of shredded 3 cheese blend...
3 boxes frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed in a tea towel...
a container of shredded Reggiano Parmesan cheese...



leaving me with a LOT of empty cans, containers & wrappers...



I have shredded mozzarella & 3 cheese blend for the toppings...
as well as fresh mozzarella logs to slice for in between the layers...



and of course, the pasta...this stuff cooks in the oven...
no boiling ! what a concept...

I'm currently waiting for the sauce/ragu to cook down a bit...
then, it's assembly time...

...fungi, in digi-mac

I took a picture, of a mushroom in my yard a while back...



and recently noticed several more popping up...



I spotted a really neat one, returning from a walk...



but when I went out the next day, someone or thing had shattered it...
leaving only the pieces behind, so I had to satisfy my fungal urges with these...

...a proper turkey sandwich

one of my favorite things about having a turkey...
are the left-overs...
from quick heated mini versions of the "main event"...
to the sandwiches you can have for every meal...
[my family ate them for breakfast...]

this year I was fortunate enough...
to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Greenthumbs...
and they sent me home with a bounty...
of delectable leftovers...
which I have been enjoying, re-heated, for days...

today I realized that there was really only enough turkey left...
for one good sandwich, so I'm going for it...

I've always enjoyed a good turkey sandwich...
and will eat them done many ways...
even those made from "deli turkey"...
if the real thing isn't available...

when I'm not fortunate enough to have T.D leftovers...
[freshly roasted, hand carved turkey breast...
and stuffing... etc...]
I often make a sandwich similar to this...



I often don't use mustard...though sometimes I will...
I also prefer Swiss cheese to Provolone...
and besides lettuce & ripe tomato...
I like thinly sliced sweet red onion...
this is obviously a summertime favorite...

this version is low salt...not an issue for me...

I also enjoy a deli turkey sandwich with bacon...



lettuce & tomato too...
basically a BLT with turkey...
[and yes...I like the bread toasted...]


I've had sandwiches like this...



and enjoyed them...

but for my taste... it doesn't get much better than this...

the Thanksgiving left-overs sandwich...



roasted turkey, dressing, cranberry...yum...

of course, in my mind there is a step beyond that...



MY version....

lightly toasted & buttered whole grain bread...
a layer of cole slaw...
[yes MM, with the MW dressing...unless I have yours...]
a layer of stuffing...
several slices of turkey breast...
a thin layer of cranberry-orange relish...
[again, MM's is better...]
squeeze together...cut in half...
consume leaning over the sink or a dish...

YUM



definitely...a fitting end to a marvelous feast...

...odds & ends

on what appeared to be a 4th straight gray day...
I dragged myself out to go to Costco...
it had been a L-O-N-G time since I'd been there...
when I went last month, remembering the great price they had...
on the smaller cans of cat food...
that I used to put out for the outside kitties...

once the outside group "thinned" down...
a couple of years ago...
and the "critters" took over...
I stopped putting "out" food...
& fed the "bedroom kitties"...
in the bed room...

the couple of cases I got last month...
were a cost success [37¢ ea vs 61¢ ea at most stores...]
and...an anti-dog success also...
since the kitties love the 4 flavors so much...
and the cans are small enough, that they "inhale"it quickly...
thus not leaving any scraps behind for the doggie-disposal...
[aka, Molly...]

I know, you're saying, "Catsinger...just go to DP...
and buy cases of their fav flavors in larger, more economical cans..."
been there...done that... they leave big chunks...
[just Molly scarfing size...]
if I pick it up and hide it [microwave...]
then the kitties want "fresh"...and Molly gets it anyway...

so I braved this...



it was actually, worse...

I helped a lady put a 40 lb bag of dog food in her cart...
snagged 8 48can cases of the Friskies I went for...
4 "bags o' beef bones"... 1 case of Duraflame fire starters...
and a 2-pac of queen sized pillows[for $9.99 ! ]
that I've needed since last spring...

I wanted to get a wreath...
but they were H-U-G-E...28"...
they had 2 kinds of branches & real pine cones...
but tacky plastic[or some such crap...]holly sprigs...
AND... they were $15.99...each... WAY too much...
I remember when you could get a 2-pac of plain...
fresh smelling wreaths...for $9.99...sigh...

so as I came out, pushing my full cart...
the sun was out... !

I drove home with the window open...
enjoying the lack of cold & damp...
and when I got home, started to unload my car...
when I finally went inside...
I was pleased at the mild reception I got...
there hadn't been any jumping around in the window either...



of course, that's what I had intended...
when I created this...

Herself was wanting to play with her fleece ball...



so she was hopping around...
finally settling herself on the sofa...
[aka "batcave annex"...

but I wanted to feed kitties...
so I bribed her with a bone...
which I knew would be chewed near, or in, the "batcave"...



I gladly gave her the last one...
since I now had 4 more bags...

I opened 3 cans of salmon[a real fav...]



and the feeding frenzy began...
I made sure everybody got some...



'cause while they were eating...I carried in the cases...
stacked them on the cart and piled the bone bags on top...
[it'll be Mt Gracie real soon...]

meanwhile outside...the sunshine was glorious...



my Meyer Lemon tree is heavy with now ripe fruit...
I've given away some already...
and will take some to church, NEXT week...
[my plate is full for this Sunday, thank you very much....]



looking down the street to the north...



and looking south, towards the park...



also to the south, Unkle Phil's liquid amber tree is now "fully engulfed"...



and my weeping cherry tree's leaves are now golden...
and glow with the light beaming through them...

there are several large plants I need to bring inside SOON...
I waited too long last year due to the painting/floor re-finishing...
and almost lost a couple...



this large ficus, with large dagger-shaped leaves...
has flourished outside during the warm months...
and now, should come in before the frost...



this fiddle leaf fig[also a ficus]...
was almost a frost casualty last year...
it miraculously revived over the summer from "dead" looking sticks...
and must be brought back in ASAP...to avoid a similar fate...
which could prove fatal this time...



this rubber tree was languishing on the media cabinet...
outside it has flourished...but must come in now...



these 4 African violets are replacements...
for the 4 a certain dog trashed in a fit of "mail carrier mania"...
[Molly's version of "going postal"...]



this is the now mostly empty table where the 4 violets...
that I rescued from the $1.99 bin at OHS, were flourishing...
before Molly trashed them one time too many..



this ficus tree is happy...



this old ficus tree is dying...
and I don't know why...
so it needs to go out...
but the pot's so heavy...
that will be a problem...
I probably can't lift it empty anymore...
and it's full of dirt...

the other large ficus has spider mites...
which I'm spraying with Safer's I. S....
it's a younger plant & seems to be responding...



this rubber tree has lost all it's leaves...
and appears to be dead/dying...
so you can see that I have quite a lot of "heavy" lifting in my future...

I also need to hang my framed art...



currently, it's in the closet in the office...
[that would be the closet behind the pile o' cat food...]

seems like some things always get pushed back...
like the dishes & laundry I still haven't done...
and now, I need to go to the store...

sigh...

...a purple iris for Ms Blue Eyes

on this 3rd day in a row of no sun...
with the damp chill of the rapidly advancing winter...
entrenching itself amid the gray, dankness...
and glowering darkness of the coming evening...

we gathered, yet again, to say good-bye...
to a member of our church, Ms Blue Eyes...
there have been too many this last few months alone...

the family had requested that choristers...
Mr & Mrs. GreenThumb, good friends of Ms Blue Eyes...
lead the congregation in some hymns...

I became involved as Mrs GT wasn't sure...
that she could get off work in time...
but she did, so we had a trio...

then SuperSop, who had ties to Ms Blue Eyes from years ago...
came up to where the 3 of us were sitting...
and we conscripted her, making us a quartet...

it was a lovely service, a full Eucharist...
so it was really nice to have a "mini"choir...
all vested... & leading the hymns...

afterwards, in the Guild Hall...
some ladies who were club members with Ms Blue Eyes...
passed out tubers of purple iris...
a tangible remembrance of Ms Blue Eyes...

I put mine in with the iris that Mom saved from the ranch...
they're also purple...
during the eulogy, Ms Blue Eyes' daughter called her generation...
"something special"...& said that we will not see their like, again...

I agree... Mom was one of them too...

these people who grew to maturity...
during the Great Depression & World War II...
were a unique kind of person...
who did their duty, without complaint...
made do with what they had...
and always helped their neighbor...

they were unselfish...caring...and honorable...
they believed in family, civic duty & duty to one's country...
they knew that freedom isn't free...
and that there is NO free lunch...

as I look around in today's society...
we could use a lot more of those attributes...
at a time when we are losing more & more of "that" generation...

I see among my friends, those who exemplify the ideals...
that "that" generation was willing to die for...
but for every good human being I know...
there seem to be droves that are selfish and self-centered...
beyond even the mantle of "immature"...

I hope it doesn't take the mass suffering...
of another "Great Depression" or global war...
to wake up the "sleepwalkers"...

during this time of Advent, let us all take a lesson...
from the rapidly thinning ranks of "that" generation...
and prepare ourselves to do our duty...
in whatever form it may come...

to reconcile with those with whom we may be estranged...
to open our hearts and lives to self-evaluation...
to set right those things we find, that aren't right...
and to welcome in the Christ of Christmas...

to trim our lamps...to be watching...

and to plant a purple iris... or some other remembrance...
of all those who fought the good fight...
kept the faith...and finished the race...

e'en so Lord Jesus, quickly come...
and night will be no more...

...Mackie is back to his old self

not only does Mackie seem to be completely "back"...
to his old fluffy-tailed self these days...
he's gaining back the weight he lost...
he climbed into my lap to be petted today...
and he is definitely not as thin as he had become...

the bounce & swagger are back...
as is the gleam in his eye...

I, on the other hand ...
have not been, "worth shooting" today...
exhausted from getting about 3 hours sleep...
I've been in a mental fog and perpetual yawn, all day...

I had to take care of several details at the church...
and when I got home, chilled from the fog & damp...
I fell asleep in front of the TV...
I often have a "hibernation" urge...
when the fog and dank close in...
so I'm NOT going to try to fight it...

I'm going to hug my fluffy-tailed Mackie...
pet all the others too...
feed Molly...& call it a night...
tomorrow will be another busy day...
with yet, another funeral...

sigh...

...over the river & through the fog

so this morning...
I took the dog for a short walk in the fog...
and then decided to go down to the church...
and get details for the Wednesday funeral taken care of...
after spending a couple of hours there...

I went on my way to have the oil changed...
as it was overdue...
I had spent so much $ last spring...
that I was hoping to get through the process "lightly"...

but, no such luck...

because I got my car 6 years ago tomorrow...
it has issues the mileage [46,500] doesn't warrant...

things that are scheduled at 90k are also time sensitive...
and just because I've only put half that mileage on my car...
it still needs the attention because of the age of the parts involved...
and since I will never buy another car...
I'd rather do things a bit sooner, than have problems...



so having said that... the nice service manager at LHonda...
recommended several options...which if I didn't do them now...
would have to been done sooner than later...
so I just bit the bullet...& told him,"do it"....



he thought that he could get it all done today...
so I went to lunch...



after a brisk stroll, I arrived at my destination...
the "Senior Menu" has just the right size portions for me....
and at a price about $3 less than the same item on the regular menu...
so I had a small, but well made, bacon cheddar burger...

a broiled patty[think MickyD's regular]with one piece of bacon...
a small piece of real cheddar & veggies...
the small batch of fries, which I ate with ketchup, were also good...
several cups of coffee rounded out my lunch...

and when I returned to LHonda...

I was told that,"yes...they could finish my car today"...
so I settled in the waiting room to wait...

first...I used my Treo to access my email...



after answering a couple & clearing my inbox...
I moved on to my blog where I read comments for a bit...
then on to other blogs...& of course...
ran afoul of Blogger... who didn't recognize me...
and wouldn't let me leave a comment...

so then I lurked on Facebook...
checked my email again...
played Klondike for a while...
drank more coffee...

then went to the book I'd brought...



I can't remember if this is the 3rd or 4th time I've read this book...
but this time of year is so perfect for the subject...
and it always "blesses" me to relive it...
inevitably leading to re-reading the entire series...
[also a blessing...]

all the while...they were doing expensive things to my car...



namely...
replacing the water pump, timing belt and ALL external belts...
replacing the air filter & interior dust/pollen filter...
perform fuel induction system cleaning...
performed automatic transmission service...
and replaced transmission fluid...
regular oil/filter change...
rotated tires/balanced/aligned wheels...
inspected brakes...

for a grand total of $1291.66...



the good news... that's it for the "time sensitive" maintenance...
for the next 7 years...

also...by doing what I did now...
my car will run more efficiently until then...
the service manager sent me on my way at 5:03 PM...
with a promise of a free oil change next time...
and the information that my car was in excellent shape...

having lived for years with various cars that had "issues"...
couldn't be counted on to start when it was damp...
no heater, holes in the floor, bad starter, etc...
I'm now at a point in my life...
where I just don't want to deal with that stuff anymore...
so taking care of this car is a priority for me...

so off I went...

into the dark, damp & foggy night...



headed back to Mudville on a day that turned into night...
without the fog ever lifting or burning off...
and as I neared home, the fog got thicker...
murky, swirling wisps...like a damp smoke...
wafting across my path... obscuring the houses...

ah...winter has come to Mudville...