...the usual suspects

things have really changed with the passing of Fluff & Piglet...

for the kitties anyway...
since now the bedroom door is open to them...
though not for Molly, since on the first visit she made...
she went straight for the cat box and...
well, you get the picture...

so she sits in the window or stays on her bed...
or on the couch, without much feline annoyance...

like here where Lucyfur is telling her where she can stick it...
and where she can't...
because now, all but 3 kitties have staked out their territory in the bedroom...

Lacy...

Cagney...

and Murphy are still in the LR/DR at night...

since Molly's in her crate then...
they now have the house to themselves...
and are making the most of it...

MJ has become the new cuddle boy...
and was the first to claim a spot...

Ms Sneaky Pie arrived very shortly there after...
claiming the Piglet side of the bed...

then Mackie, who loves to "perch", discovered the TV...
though he's moved to the foot of the bed when he's sleeping...
after he fell off of the TV 3 times...

and Lucyfur generally sleeps with him...

and last night, Charley, who is very shy, arrived...
purring like a chainsaw...

it's taken some effort on my part, but after 3 nights...
I no longer wake up with cats on my feet, chest, legs, etc...
and we seem to be settling into a routine...

the daytime snoozing spots used to be...
in front of the fireplace...
[Lucy, Charley & Murph...]

or in front of the window...

from a different angle...
[Mac, Murph, Lucy, Charley & MJ...]

I have a feeling that when the newness wears off...
the favorite places will be favorites again...
they just now have more choices...

...remembering Piglet

it was nearly Halloween in 1997...
1st period had just begun and I was taking roll...
when the head custodian walked into my music room...
he came over to me and then I saw that he was carrying a kitten...

"Mrs. H[my good friend & fellow animal rescuer]...
told me to bring this to you...
she was found by some kids out by the gym...
who saved her from some others who were going to hurt her..."

she still had spittle on her head from where some kid had spit on her...

the PE teacher had called him because she didn't like cats...
and the ones who were "protecting" it...
were yelling at the ones who wanted to hurt it...
so she just wanted it,"no longer her problem..."

as he carried the very scared and almost limp kitten back...
fully intending to call the pound to pick it up...
he realized that it was very thin and weak...
so he went to Mrs.H's room [on the way...]
and she instantly recognizing that it needed care...
sent him and the kitten to me...

2nd period was my prep and my vet was nearby...
so I took her to him & left her there for the rest of the day...

when I came by after school to pick her up...
he told me that she was completely starved & dehydrated...
probably only hours from death before I brought her in...
he'd given her an IV and offered food, which she nibbled...
but there were no fresh injuries...

her tail had been broken in several places before the kids hurt her...
and had healed crooked, looking like "Peekachoo's"...
she had probably been kicked repeatedly...
and had finally run away from that abuse only to be found by cruel kids...
who wanted to "stomp" her as she was black & white and it was almost Halloween...

I'm grateful that there were good kids who stopped them...

when we got home, I set her up with a warm bed & cat box in the bathroom...
so the "others" could get used to her...
she was so weak the first few days that she crawled to food...
and lay down to eat & drink...

but she loved to be cuddled and learned early on...
that I was there for that purpose, as well as food, etc...
and was always very grateful for having been rescued...
rewarding all cuddling & petting with loud purring and head rubbing...

she never really got along with the others...

perhaps a holdover from her abusive early life...
so she became a back yard cat, coming into my bedroom to eat & sleep...
but she loved the outside and was always very vocal in her desires...
make that her need, to be outside, whenever she felt the urge...
which was always...

she was not at all shy in making any and all other desires known...
we often had lengthy "conversations"...
regarding her displeasure with the staff[me], Fluff's selfishness...
or any other impediment to her total self-gratification...

sometimes, after a lengthy confrontation where she had been denied her desire...
she would flop down noisily and sulk, muttering asides at me...

other times she would just let it go and go find Fluff...
sometimes to aggravate or annoy her...
other times, just to "snuggle"...
made even better if it woke up or disturbed Fluff...
as she did in this picture...

but most times...
after a sulk or bugging Fluff, she would return to me...
to further plead her case or to see if pestering would "change my mind"...

if that didn't work, she would often go take a nap...
trying to look pitiful, or even "wronged"...

sometimes she would attempt a separate peace & "maturity"...

often, then next move was aimed at annoying either Fluff or me...
by crawling into whatever we were doing...
insinuating herself into the middle of it and eventually taking over...
then though she wasn't happily outside, we weren't happy anymore either...

so now she'll be happy always...
outside in her garden and I won't be calling her in...

she's sleeping next to her buddy Fluff...

farewell, dear sweet Piglet...
you were a sweet kitty and quite a character...
I will really miss our "conversations" and cuddle times...
but I know that you & Fluff are at rest now...

always remember that because no one wanted you when you were little...
we found each other and you were always loved & wanted here...

...farewell Piglet

the x-rays showed a large, almost certainly malignant tumor...
she wasn't going to get better...
& I could tell that she felt awful...
so after I cuddled & kissed her...
I petted her as she was put to sleep...

she didn't resist at all...
she always hated being handled at the vet's...
so I knew that it was time for her to go...
before she felt any worse...
which was coming since she wasn't drinking or eating...

I brought her home and laid her next to Fluff...
with a red rose bud in her paws...

rest well, beloved companion...

...waiting for x-rays

[revised version...]

Piglet has never really gotten back to herself...
she started eating, then Fluff died and she grieved...

she started eating again, but then stopped...

I didn't like the look of her membranes, too pale...
and she looked unhappy, wanted to be held all the time...
and wasn't really interested in ,"going out"...
so I took her back to the vet yesterday & left her for x-rays...

because he found a "mass" in her abdomen...
he needs the x-rays to be certain...
but it's probably very bad news...
and was to check back after noon today...

they've had a really busy morning and are behind...
so I'm going to return after 3 for the news...

I have her carry box in the car...
but I'm pretty sure that for her trip home...
she won't need her carry box...
I'll probably be returning her home...
to be buried in the garden...
next to her buddy Fluff...

it's hard to believe that they will both be gone...
so close together...

we spent so much time together...
my bedroom already seems so empty...

...details, details

REVISED VERSION...

since the visit with the lawyer last week, I've been busy...

I opened an account at Bank of Mudville...
enabling it for online/mobile banking...

changed the direct deposit info for my pension, effective the next payment...
and Social Security benefit, effective next month...
[the account/ATM card/15 checks /mo. are free with direct deposit]

took my 1st mortgage off auto pay...
as well as making sure that no credit card payments...
are set to be withdrawn from WFB...

I also changed my "pay from" account to BOM from WFB for...
all my utilities as well as my car & home insurance...
which have to be auto-pay to cost the least they can...

all done MUCH more easily than I had anticipated online or by phone...

a couple will not change until March, but I can deal with that...
since changing the bank for my SUSD medical insurance benefit repay...
[which is deposited into WFB each month...]
has, to this moment been difficult...
and will go into WFB, whether I like it or not...

so I'll "drop by" the "Castle" on my way home...
to see if I can talk to someone from Payroll in person...
[their,"helpline" wants me to leave a contact number...
and they'll call me back in a few days...]
their idea of a quick response is a couple of weeks...

been there... not interested in going there, again...
but then, I'm NOT at all surprised...
that SUSD would be the hardest to deal with...
for even such a simple change...

dealing with the Federal Government was simple...
one quick phone call was all it took...
if I could've remembered my password...
I could've done it online in a flash...

dealing with the state & my pension plan was also very easy...
I signed-in online, found the link, entered the new info...
they e-mailed me of the pending status...
and then quickly confirmed the new bank's approval in an e-mail...

all of my utilities & car insurance allowed me to change banks online...
by adding an account & then deleting the old one...
Sprint was actually processing my payment...
and changed to the new bank... right then...

I don't deal with my homeowners insurance company online...
but through a local agency, so I contacted her...
faxed a copy of the new check to them for her to process...
and received a confirmation e-mail from her...
of the change to take effect for March...

so what I thought would be complicated, has been really not...

well...

I haven't finished with SUSD yet...

but I'm hopeful...

oh... and I received 3 letters from the 1st mortgage holder today...
all asking for me to send ALL the stuff we submitted through HUD...
4 times already... ARGH...

made it a lot easier to go and turn-in my safety deposit box keys...
and empty out all the stuff in the box, most of it out of date, anyway...
I'll close my savings account tomorrow...
with the checking as soon as I get through the beginning of next month...

but for now, onward to grapple with the beast...

POST SCRIPT...

I went by the "Castle" yesterday...
Payroll sent me to Accounting...
and just when I figured that I would get a total run-around...
I heard a voice say,"I know you...I was in your band in middle school..."

it was Robbie, a former student[good saxophone player and good kid...]
who now works in Accounting at SUSD...
so after "catching up", he went looking for someone to help me...

the young lady who came was very considerate...
and listened to my problem, repeating back to me what I needed...
and then promised that she'd call the "holding company" today...
getting back to me, ASAP, with what I needed to do...

I also said that there was nothing on the website for retirees...
and that since this holding company was hard to contact...
there should be a link for retirees on the SUSD website...
at least a contact list for Cobra, the holding company, etc...

so I left, not expecting a great deal, but encouraged by her attitude...

this morning, I found a voice mail from her assistant...
[I didn't know that I was talking to the person in charge yesterday...]
she gave me the address for the website...
as well as detailed instructions and a couple of alternatives...

she also said that if I had no internet access...
to come back in & they would print me the needed form...

so I went online at the holding company...
followed her instructions and easily changed my info on line...
it was just as easy as every other online account...
I just needed the address...

so I called SUSD Accounting back to thank them for their help...
[They have been historically BAD & UNHELPFUL...
so I wanted to encourage this new mindset...]
the assistant I spoke with said that...
they were putting together a proposal to create a "retiree's"link...
on the website to deal with questions such as mine...

AMAZING! I would have NEVER expected that timely & complete a response...
to my mention of needing a retiree's contact list on line...

I guess things DO sometimes change for the better...
even in organizations mired in red tape & complacency...

...stepping off of the edge

well, it's getting closer...

a process server served me with papers the other day...
I'm being sued by one of my creditors...
I had 30 days to respond, so I called the lawyer's office...
and went in yesterday, since the summons wasn't clear...
as to the details of what I needed to do...

and since nothing has officially happened with the 1st mortgage holder...
I had NO clue as to what to do next...

the associate I spoke with was very helpful...

after ascertaining that my only income can't be garnished...
[since pensions & retirement benefits cannot be seized to pay debts...]
and that "repossession" was not an issue...
her advice was, "ignore the summons"...
since that debt was to be included in the Chapter 13...
that we were beginning soon...

an emergency exit for the maze, as it were...
which was something that I did not expect...

so with that issue "moot"...
we turned to discussing their fee for the Chp.13...

$3500... $1750 now... $1750 after...

at that point, I had to tell her that if I didn't eat for 6 months...
I still couldn't come up $1750... much less $3500...

so she said that she would go in and talk to the "boss"...
to see what he could do for me...

she came back with the good news that they would drop the fee...
from $3500 to $2200... AND allow me to pay in installments...
to the trustee of the Chp.13, along with the settlement...
which they will try to keep at $75 per month...
since the 1st mortgage modification hasn't gone through yet...
and that filing bankruptcy often screws up the modification process...

the lawyer told me that,"I was really lucky to have come to that firm"...
because, "he always tries to help those who are in dire financial straits"...

I smiled and told her that I was sent there...
and we did both mean the church's lawyer, who referred me...

but I am also quite thankful that God cares about foolish old women...
who get themselves into big trouble through missteps & carelessness...
but then, can trust enough to allow God to bring them through the maze...
even though at times it seems hopeless...

she also informed me that ALL my credit card companies...
including ones that I was paying, such as a gas company one...
a department store one and the small credit limit Visa...
would close my accounts as soon as I filed...
so I should stop paying them now...

I also was warned that my bank, WFB, is one of a few...
that freezes ALL accounts when bankruptcy is filed...
even if you are current on all payments to them or owe them nothing...
so I have to change banks... and quickly...
since all 3 sources of my income are "direct deposits" into WFB...

not to mention the "auto pays" using my ATM card from WFB...
for my car insurance, homeowners insurance, cell phone...
I also pay my city utilities, gas & electric & everything else I can...
online...using my ATM card...

then there's the automatic 1st mortgage payment...

so changing banks is a major undertaking for me...
since some of those who are paid automatically...
require a lengthy processing period to change anything...
and keeping all my bills paid on time...
while extricating myself from WFB...
with whom I have no bad blood...
will be tricky at the least, possibly quite difficult...
requiring planning & a bit of good timing...

part of the problem is that my insurance companies give me a discount...
for the auto pay and changing the source of the payment...
may result in me having to pay extra, which I can't afford...

thankfully, I have God on my side...

if the mortgage modification of my 1st doesn't go through...
I have alternatives...
but I have to keep paying the current amount in the meantime...
which is 66% of my monthly income...
leaving me with not a lot to live on...

however, the attorney did tell me to stop paying ALL credit cards...

so that does leave me with about $75 more per month...
and since Fluff is now gone...
I no longer need to spend $40 on special food for her each month...
so I have about $100 I didn't have before...

if the 1st stays the same, I can still start the bankruptcy...
as the minimum payment is $75-100 per month...

and if the first is never modified or reduced at all...
I just might make it...
especially if I can learn to follow His instructions better...

I might even be led around the maze...

or, which is more likely, guided through the confusion...
to emerge wiser and safe, on the other side...

left to my own devices... I might have found the cheese...
but would STILL have been, stuck...
going in circles... or worse

...more winter bits

I have lived with 4 distinct seasons and loved it...
I miss it even though I only lived in Chicagoland for 5 years...

however...

even though I love the crisp cold of winter...
[though around here, it tends to be a more damp cold...]
there is something to be said for a NorCal "winter"...
uh... make that, "colder & wetter" season...

FYI these trees exist within 100 yards on the same block...

some liquid amber trees still have some fall color...
in January...
even after several storms...

while this Japanese maple has been bare of leaves for some time...
with no buds in sight...

farther to the south a few yards, this Bradford pear tree...
is one of a pair that have green leaves still...
you can see that a few leaves are red...
they will turn and fall, eventually...

and on the southern end of the block...
this plum tree has swelling buds...
it always is the first to blossom in the "spring"...
and by the end of this month, it will be, "out"...
followed quickly by the red leaf plum near it...

...remembering Fluff

the "love at first sight" lightening bolt struck me in May of 1993...
when one of my students opened a smallish box she had smuggled on the bus...
and up popped the cutest, most gorgeous, kitten I have ever seen...

big green eyes, pink nose with a white stripe...
with fluffy silver & dark gray tabby fur...
pointed by a snowy white vest and paws...

I was toast... putty in her paws...

on my way home, we stopped at the vet's for a check-up...
as we waited, a fellow "waiter" commented...
"she's gazing at you with such adoration"...

that soon changed...

she was, after all,"the Queen of Everything"...
an attitude NOT designed to endear one, feline or otherwise...
to their "peers", of which in her mind, there were none...
or the "staff", which was me...

but in reality, I had a houseful of kitties...
and those who didn't,"play well with others"...
did not find it a peaceful existence...
as the others sought to "put her in her place"...

after enduring these insults to her person for a year or so...
she discovered that the back yard was a refuge for her...
sleeping in the garage or an outdoor nest...
she came into my bedroom to eat along with a few other, "individuals"...
but spent the bulk of her day, outside, in her kingdom...

then, probably 10 years ago, she had mellowed enough...
and being the clever opportunist that she was...
she began sleeping inside on a regular basis...
and we became "reacquainted" as...
"Her Most Royal Feline Majesty"...and "staff"...

upon entering "her" bedroom, I was greeted with a chirp...
[a meow with a rolled "r" on the end...]
this meant, "I desire food, NOW..." or "open the window"...
she would then pose regally until her desires were met...

in her later years, as we became "friends"...
the chirp developed new meanings...
and came to include,"pet me[adore me] NOW"...

if I was in or on the bed, she would pat my arm with her paw...
if I ignored her or quit "adoring her" too soon...
the next paw tap would include an extended claw...
further ignoring on my part generally was painful...

these last few years, she had only 1 tooth left...
but she used it to good advantage...
and would bite, hard... if the combing was not to her liking...
or some other breach of conduct was perpetrated by the "staff"...

she survived several others namely Mouska, Sumo & Tippy...
but in the Piglet, she met her match...

and would seek, "a separate peace"...

only to suffer more indignities & invasions of her person...
enduring endless lapses in protocol where her territory was invaded & usurped...
the choicest bits of food were taken, her nests invaded...
and herself most horribly imposed on...

these egregious lapses of etiquette would bring forth hisses...
a display of, "the fang" or swatting...
basically to no avail as Piglet was undeterred most of the time...

it should also be noted that during her last moments here with us...
I left the bed, where she was snuggled up to me, to take a shower...
and Piglet moved in to "keep the watch"...
when I returned, she had her head touching Fluff...
looking up at me as I took this phone picture...

then, having said her farewells moved away...
as I petted her, Fluff twitched a few times...
then was gone... Piglet sniffed her and crawled into my arms...

our friend Fluff had gone so quietly & peacefully...

the next day, I laid her to rest in the garden...
in a spot where she loved to sleep away the afternoon...

farewell Fluff... the sweet memories ease the pain of parting...