In a way, I envy the people who post every day, just a little something, like Tango does at Tango's Goings On . I post so infrequently that I forget all the good, the bad and the ugly of what has transpired that keeps me going, in spite of the "uglies".
But this morning, while looking out on my patio (which I never sit on---it would make a nice party space though one would have to get through my basement to get there...tricky) I saw my first cardinals this year. Of course, that makes sense since I just started putting seed out again and got a mix that cardinals are supposed to like.
I love cardinals, mostly because of their cute perky caps (I like California Quails little headpieces, too) and the fact that I never saw them on the West Coast. So like fireflies, they are a real East Coast special thing for me. I want to get a couple of those "shepherd crooks" to hang my feeders on, so the seed and bird poop isn't right above where the Adirondack chairs are, but wonder if they would be strong enough to stay upright with all the squirrel activity my feeders also bring. Maybe I should just move the chairs...
I remember the first time I saw a black squirrel, in Golden Gate Park. Well, here I have a "Blue Point" squirrel and without seed being out, I missed seeing him, saw him way up the road in more fertile territory. I snapped some photos of him before he scampered off.
I have been treating myself to renting movies every weekend, trying to relax and "escape". I am following a new blog, and have picked some of his picks, which saves some time wandering round Blockbuster if I have my list with me. I am still looking for Sunshine Cleaning, but this weekend enjoyed Vicky Christina Barcelona and Wall-E. I have a big screen TV in the basement, but you all know what that looks like, so I've been watching movies upstairs in the bedroom and have the laptop, eat dinner and get to nuzzle the baby kittens, all while watching movies (and pausing them a lot). Sounds so...single and spinsterish when I put it in words, but really, quite enjoyable!
Movies yes, Music no...I still find myself missing Mike too much when I listen to music we enjoyed together. I think that, and dining out alone, are the two hurdles I haven't managed to get over yet. That being said, the guywhowrites this, over at Astoria Oregon Rust turned me on to a band that is new to me, so not the shared memories there (other than dancing, sigh) and I am liking the "vintage funky hip hop" that is their signature. Here's a video, think you will enjoy...
Work (at the cat hospital) has been filled with exasperation and some successes lately. We got a new computer system and the doc most familiar with it has been out for 90% of the time due to family and personal crisis and we all feel like we are dog paddling and circling the drain at times. But little by little we are teaching ourselves and while what should only take 3 keystrokes takes about triple that, I've been telling everyone that it's job security---it'll take about a year or two to get it all down the way we want it...
The kitties are all doing well. Another month and Coco's babies will head off to their new homes, and Kiki's 3 babies have been spoken for now and are 3 weeks old already! Cute as buttons and just learning to bobble about and do the "bitey", as this video shows...
Toby, one of the kitties I got back last November, has his flight reservations to fly off to his new home on the 24th. I so hope he is happy there and ceases his spraying behavior. He is 99% rehabbed but with the other cats in the house that he can hear and smell, I will never know if he would be good unless he is in a home by himself. I usually try and place kitties like him locally so I can get them back easily if they are "bad" again. But this woman really wants to try him and even came down from Connecticut to meet him, so I am full of hope right now for his successful transition and future happiness.
Not so happy news for Sunny, the kitty that was spoken for by my SC friends. Not long after they visited, I added a second cat to his bedroom to see if he would be happy with a companion and he started spraying again. So he had to back up a step in his rehab and has been in the bathroom alone for a week and is doing fine. When Toby leaves, he will get to move into that room and see how he does alone in there. But he probably needs a home as an only cat, and my friends have 3 cats and a dog...so they will adopt Buttercup instead (his new name will be Oliver, cute!)
(that's Oliver on the right)
I haven't gotten back in to cat showing, but do have a couple of shows I have to attend, as I am in charge of the breed display setup, and the other show I am a club member of and have to be involved with that. Funny, how after doing something for so long that I enjoyed, I have sort of just turned off the switch and don't miss it like I thought I might. I do miss seeing the two good friends I have that are still out there showing, and keep thinking I'll get back into it...maybe when my basement is cleaned up?
The same switch will probably be turned off when I decide to stop breeding these Cornish Rex cats that I love. I work full time, taking care of them is full time and so there isn't much down time for me. Oh, there's movies and blogging and photo sessions to edit, which tends to mean I am up way too late during the week and then sleep half my weekends away trying to catch up with sleep. There are a few friends I'd love to take long weekends and visit and I keep looking for those $98 round trip fares, but they never seem to be going to where I want to go, though maybe I should let the fares dictate where I get away to?
I am heading down to Charleston SC in late August for 4 days to visit friends who are getting their second kitty from me. Then I am going up to Philadelphia in October to spend a few days with my mom and Stephen after they finish up with an Elderhostel seminar there. Then it's Christmas in Oregon and before I know it, it will be 2010. I know the first part of this year has passed by, quickly now it seems.
If it weren't for my blogging "journals", I might forget where I was and were I've come to in the past 2 years. Journaling is good for that. And while I started blogging to keep my family in touch with me...well, my family aren't even following me but I certainly have found some wonderful new friends out there in the blogosphere and when I read of bloggies meeting, moving closer, planning vacations around getting together, I think that would be a fun thing to plan sometime...
