A Little Of This, A Little of That

I didn't realize I hadn't posted for so long.  I've been on the computer about "enough" stuff that I kind of forgot about my own ME blog.

Computer problems continue to drive me crazy.  I can't seem to solve them.  I'll try to stay brief, to spare you...

The computer restarts randomly because of (from the error message) incompatible software or hardware.  Wow, that pretty much covers all possibilities.  I've unplugged all non-essential hardware.  I've looked at all the software, trying to figure out exactly what is incompatible.  Maybe turning off nearly all software and bringing them back one at a time will help.

I've scanned the HD for problems.  2/3 is available, so nothing there to fix.  I've used Kaspersky and Bitdefender to search for malware.  Nothing seems wrong.  I increased my RAM from 8GB to 16 GB; didn't help.

Macs can stay in sleep mode without problems, but I restarted it several times and even shut it down a few.  That didn't solve anything.  I even shut down the router overnight and restated it.  No help there.  The problem pre-dates my current O/S (and nothing mentions frequent restarts as a bug in any recent O/S).  The 2018 Mac isn't old enough to be a problem.

ARGGGG!

I can't get the newer printer to print.  It there in the printer list, just "idle and paused?  I've tried it cabled and wireless, and followed the manual instructions in "baby steps".  I've even gone a a Mac Help Forum.  No  luck.

On other stuff...

I ordered a clear acrylic dining tabletop cover in November for "3 week delivery".  And since I was doing that, I ordered covers for my 2 computer tables for easier cleaning.  The computable table covers arrived in perfect condition.  The dining table one had a big chip on one edge.  When I sent the sender pictures, they promised to ship a replacement in 5 business days.  That was January 17.  Time to bother them again.

They don't want the damaged one back, so I am using it in the meantime.  I haven't even peeled off the protective masking.  It does work functionally, but a bright blue tabletop is a bit funny-looking.  When the new one arrives, I'll use that.  Interestingly, I do make things from plastic sometimes.  When I'm positive they can't demand the damaged one back, I'll use it for a few projects.

Not everything is bad.  I ordered flower seedlings.  A native-plant seller of good reputation offers various plant mixes.  One was 38 plants for $149 dollars (free shipping).  You can order 2 kinds (16 of each) or up to 6 different kinds (7-7-6-6-6-6).  Since most are perrenials or self-sowers, I went for the 6 different kinds.  I matched them by water/sunlight needs and spread them by bloom time, so it should give blooms May-Nov.  Most of those are meadow flowers with a couple of ornamental grasses.

I also ordered 3 seed mixes (each covers 500 square feet) for about $22 per bag.  One is deer-resistant (for the front yard - the deer can't get into the backyard), one is for shady areas, and one is for pollinators (some specifically for native solitary bees).  

Plus, I have saved seeds and existing transplantable meadowlike and pollinator-friendly plants.  I'll move those.  That will free up some space for "merely" ornamental flowers.

I'm sure glad I bought a snowblower 5-6 years ago.  Self-propelled, forward/reverse, and electric-starting.  It was most important with the 12" snowfall, but even with 4" it sure makes things easier!  My house faces north, so while the cross-the-street neighbors' snow melts in a day or 2, mine turns to ice if not removed quickly.  And my driveway slopes downhill to a drainage ditch.  I had to pay a guy $50 to shovel my driveway once (18") so I think the snow-blower has paid for itself now.

I'm replacing the refrigerators.  Yes, plural.  I have a really old one in the basement for bulk veggie and seed storage.  It is SO bad, I have to chip ice off the top of the refrigerator section and the freezer section won't go below 10 F (S/B 0 F).  And I bet it is costing a lot just to operate.

The current fridge isn't great at temperature uniformity, but it is sure better than the basement fridge and more energy-efficient.  I looked up newer/better ones at Consumer Reports.  There is a bottom freezer  LG model rated at the top I think I'll buy.  The temperature uniformity, reliability, and owner-satisfaction are all at the top, the price is about the same as lower-rated ones, and it has a top "energy-star" rating.

It has an external ice-maker.  I'm not sure I like that.  They tend to fail.  I make ice cubes manually just fine.  But if it works, "hurray".  Mostly though, you can't find a good refrigerator without one, LOL!

I'll have to clean the basement before I order the new refrigerator though.  It is too cluttered for movers to get around in.   No matter what I want to do, I have to do something else first!  To explain, I have say that my electric co-op will come and take away the oldest refrigerator and credit me $50.  Who doesn't want $50?

But I have to clear a space for the new fridge guys to put the older kitchen one in the regular space and the oldest one "somewhere".  That "somewhere" has stuff in the spot.  So I need to move that stuff.  I'm running out of places to put "stuff".  Which leads to REALLY cleaning the basement before I can buy a new fridge.  It's ALWAYS something...

Back to sad stuff...

Lori went into heat Wednesday night.  It's Monday night and that makes it 5 days.  She HAS to stop tomorrow, right?  Lori hasn't been as bad as Ayla was, but a sudden "calling session" in the middle of the night is hard to sleep through.  I sleep badly enough as it is.  Daytime isn't too bad and she doesn't keep it up for more than an hour.

Unlike Ayla did.  OMC!  She was a yeller.  For those of you who read this but are unfamiliar with "Alya In Heat", she had 2 botched spays by the breeder's vet, went into heat every 3 weeks for 7 days at a time, climbed me desperately with sharp claws, for maybe a year before my regular vet got her fixed.  

Ayla drove me crazy day and night, screaming.  The first circle of Hell is probably filled with Siamese cats in heat...  It was a terrible year.  I still have the calendar marked with Xs for her days in heat.  It seems mostly Xs.  She was seriously messed up.  

Lori isn't "that bad".  She has a quieter voice.  And it will certainly be her-our last experience.  I am a little annoyed at the vets though.  They said they didn't like to operate on a cat in heat so they wanted her to go through it first.  Timing the operation for "in-between", they said.  OK.  But they aren't here listening to the calls.

I am sad that Lori can't get the relief she wants so desperately.  Marley and Laz are neutered and *I* sure can't do anything about.  There should be a chill-pill...

That is sure more than enough for now...

More Random Stuff

Some good news:  My newest Mac Mini has mostly really tiny ports I am not familar with.  I looked them up, but I can't find the notes on what they are called.  Most of my stuff has USB plugs.

I bought a 4-multiplug device months ago, and it works but I needed 6 ports.  Hey, I discovered there were 2 more on the new keyboard!  I have "enough".  But I would rather plug stuff directly into the Mac Mini (seems  more direct).  But at least I don't have to keep switching the printer cord and camera cord.

The new keyboard is a bit weird.  It wants 2 ports.  It works on one port, but every few days it fails to communicate and I have to restart the computer.  The discovery of the extra ports on the keyboard means I can plug the 2nd keyboard plug in.  So far, no fails.

And I like the new keyboard (dasKeyboard).  The keys are slightly engraved, not stenciled, so they aren't wearing off like most have.  And there are the 2 USB ports.  It's black with white letters, which I prefer.  But it has an odd reflection that keeps making me think I have cat furs on my fingers.  Nothing is perfect, LOL!

I got my vegetable and flower seedlings outside several days ago to get them used to actual sunlight.  The area was dappled.  I carried the lettuce trays onto the deck for easy harvesting.  The seedlings stayed down for another day.  Later tomorrow, I will plant the tomatoes and peppers in full sun.  They will have had 3 days of partial direct sunlight.

Watered them thoroughly yesterday.  Had to change nozzles 3 times to find the most appropriate one for delicate lettuce leaves.  In fact, I went to a soaker nozzle for "next time".

The flower seedling need more growing time.  They look a bit weak.  A few days of dappled then full sunlight should improve them.  Besides, the place I want to put them has grass growing. so I need to dig that out or at least damage it a lot tomorrow. 

Every day my Federal tax form DOESN"T come back "insufficient postage" is good.  The State owes my a small amount, so I don't worry about that.  They don't penalize you about a refund.

The Mews are doing well.  Laz hardly bothers Ayla at all these days.  She is actually the hissy one.  And I don't worry about it.  Each of them lick foreheads mutually these days, so it can't be too bad.  Yeah, it took Laz a full year (nearly to the day) to " settle".  

A hiss is not the claw/tooth fight.  I'll accept a hiss.  Next challenge is the Tonkinese female kitten due for pickup in early August.  I so much hope The Mews accept her immediately.  Marley is definite, being so calm; Ayla has always gotten along "OK" with any female cat; Laz is so much calmer now and has 2 months more "calm" to experience.  It should be OK.

Yeah 4 cats is more than I expected.  Maybe I should have just gone with Marley and Ayla.  They like each other.  But Laz was a rescue.  Not the normal rescue.  But the breeder I've dealt with in the past DID literally reascue Laz from a bad home and was looking for a Forever Home.

I sure almost gave up on him a few times.  But on his Gotcha Day here, he changed rather suddenly.  Maybe memories fade or he finally realized it was a safe place.  Whatever.   Who knows with cats?  He is only 3.5 and I think mostly he just wants to play.  Laz an Marley wrassle happily and gently often.  So I think "now" he just wants to do that with Ayla.  

His attacks on her ended months ago.  Maybe it was status-seeking in his new home.  Ayla doesn't forget (and I don't blame her).  But lately, they meet, sniff noses, and lick foreheads.  I'll accept the peace as a good sign for the future.

My car made "hot metal noises" when I came back from shopping last week.  I noted there were drips under the car.  After it sat for a day, I opened the hood and set up a lamp under it.  I'm not a mechanic and Dad never taught me stuff about cars.  But I understand enough to know what basic parts are.

The stuff that dripped was water.  Yeah it could have been air-conditioning condensation except for all the hot metal.  So I checked all the fluids.  

Oil level was fine.  Windshield washer lever was low so I refilled it, but that stuff being low doesn't heat the engine.  The coolant reservoir was empty.  I opened the radiator cap (it was cold after a day).  It was filled.  So I added water.  Not coolant; I didn't have any.  But that should las a trip until I schedule maintenance work at the dealer.

You are going to laugh.  I bought the car in July 2020.  It has 500 miles on it now.  But you should have a maintenance visit after the 1st 500 miles and I was planning it for next week.  The manual said I should expect "greater than usual" oil usage, but it was the coolant that was low.  

I'll let the dealership figure that out.

Time to go to bed...

Soothing Cats

I swear, sometimes I walk around telling The Mews "its OK, nothing's wrong, just relax".   I collect laundry to wash when they are napping on the bed, they leave.  Marley won't use the litterbox if he can see me but Iza would use one while I was cleaning the one next to her.  When Ayla wants to go outside, she circles away from me at the door before she goes out...  If I reach out a hand to scritch Marley, he flinches at first and then loves the attention. 

They love me when I am not moving...  It's not like I step on tails or paws.  I'm careful.  Its not like I pick them up unwanted (well Ayla likes that and I do it when she asks).  They come to me when I'm not moving.  I understand I'm way bigger.  But I am SO careful around them.

On the chair as The Lap, fine.  In bed trying to fall asleep not moving, fine.  Sitting at the table eating lunch and TRYING to read the newspaper?  They are all over me then.  They love me when I don't move. 

Cats are endlessly strange and inexplicible.  Is that why men love women and women love men?  Not really understanding what to expect day to day?

The Proper Place For a Deceased Cat

The proper place for a deceased cat should be a place of beauty because cats are nearly the definition of beauty.  And grace, agility, and movement.

The proper place for a deceased cat should a place it enjoyed in life because cats are almost the definition of knowing where they look their best and they know thos locations.

The proper place for a deceased cat should a place you look at frequently in the normal course of your life, because cats deserve to be remembered.

The proper place for a deceased cat should be a place you will maintain free of weeds and briars and invasive plants so that their final spot will not be lost.

The proper place for a deceased cat should have a decent marker.  They deserve it, and making (or buying) one is a final act of love and respect.

The proper place for a deceased cat should be in a sunny spot.  They adore sun.  They won't know it is sunny (maybe), but you will, and that will comfort you.

The proper place for a deceased cat should include gravegoods in honor of what they most loved in life.  Some treats, some Nip, a couple of toys.  Add anything you think is good.

The proper place for a deceased cat should include a bit of ceremony.  When the last shovelful of Earth's is added and tapped down (gently of course, cat's don't like loud sounds), play a bit of soft music, sit by the spot and contemplate the individuality of that cat.

The cat who shared space with you for a few or many years deserves time for you to recall its habits, likes and dislikes, loves and fears, and how it adjusted to you as you adjusted to it.  It was a living, thinking creature.

Cats are still essentially feral animals.  Yet they adjust to our world, come to adopt us as we adopt them, accept most of our household rules and get along so gently.

The last thing we do is remember them after they have gone OTB.  So do it well...

Retirement Anniversary

I almost missed it this year!  I retired 13 years ago March 1st.   I haven't regretted a day of it!

I retired the first day I was eligible for a full annuity.  Many co-workers were surprised, for various reasons.

1.  Because I seemed to really enjoy the work I did.  And I did.  It wasn't routine work.  I wasn't following old procedures every day.  And it allowed me to solve new and different problems.

2.  I was allowed great freedom in what I chose to do.  Most office workers aren't.  Apparently, many co-workers were envious.  I could say a lot about being a "self-starter", and bringing "solutions to Management rather than problems",  but I bet most of you reading this are like that and don't need it explained.  But I had many co-workers who were not.  I recall reading a humorous collection of (probably fake) personnel evaluations and one said "Works OK if watched constantly and trapped like a rat in his cubicle".

3.  A number of co-workers asked how I could retire financially at 55.  Well I had carpool members who lived paycheck-to-paycheck and they didn't have to.  They talked about vacations, new cars, moving to larger houses, eating out a couple times a week, movies, etc.  I didn't do a lot of those things.

Now, I didn't grow up poor.  My Dad had a good Government salary (GS-15) and while Mom and Dad were careful with money (grew up in The Great Depression), we kids had what we needed, good food, and nice Christmases.  But once I left home, I spent years in poverty myself (refusing to ask for help).  And I mean roach-infested apartments I shared with several other guys, minimum-wage jobs, and Hamburger Helper...

But I saved as much as I could.  Every promotion meant half the increase went into savings and finally into index stock funds.  When I could finally buy a house, I had to borrow the down payment from my parents (at market rates and a firm repayment schedule).  But I paid that early, bought a new car 2 years later, refinanced the mortgage to 20 years, then 10, and finally paid off the original 30 year mortgage in 14 years.

My average car has lasted about 10 years (current one 12 and likely to go to 15) and 2 of them were cheap junk (a Chevette Scooter and a used Chevy Vega Hatchback, and my first 2 cars were rather old, so they didn't have much left to give), so the average lifespan would be higher otherwise.

So back to my co-workers' question about how I could retire at 55.  They bought new cars every 3 or 4 years.  I kept mine 8-10.  They spent money as fast as they earned it.  I saved and invested.  They went to restaurants once a week for $20 each; I learned to cook.

4.  The other question I got was "but what will you DO all day"?  That was my favorite question!  I had so much I wanted to do, I couldn't do it in the time I had off work.  Too few people have a life outside of work (other than going out on the town).  I had too many hobbies and interests I couldn't wait to do more of.

Subject and replies:

Gardening:  "But you can just buy food at the grocery store".
Yardwork:  "So just hire someone".
Woodworking:  "You can just buy furniture, you know".
Cats:  "They just ruin your furniture".
Computer Games:  "Yeah, I like Angry Birds (or whatever was popular in 2006)".  But I was stretching my mind with complex strategy games.
Cooking:  "Pizza Hut delivers".
Fishing:  ""Icky".

Etc...  I went bowling, I went golfing, I went fishing.  I gardened, I worked in the yard, I built small furniture, I enjoyed staying up late at night to see things on TV I had never been able to see before, listened to long pieces of music and watched weird DVDs (Heavy Metal, Fantasia, and Wizards, and bought science/history/nature ones.

I played Civ2 a lot (a game where you you start with a primitive Settler and built until you can hopefully launch a spaceship.  And then there was a multi-player version where you could play other people from all over the world.  After a YEAR of learning how to play it properly, I learned how to design new worlds for other people to play.

Then I organized the one and only worldwide Civ2 Tournament.  That didn't come from nowhere.  In college, I was the President of the University Chess Club for my last 2 years there.  It didn't mean that I was the best player (I was nearly the worst), just that I could keep the meetings organized and I also learned to manage campus tournaments.

So I took that old chess club organizing experience and managed the Civ2 tournament.  It was one of the most difficult things I ever organized.  Just try to imagine the negotiations involved in getting some player in Australia to play a person in Italy, or Japan with England.  But I finally got 12 of the 16 best players to play several rounds to get to a Final Two.

They played (and as always, I was a non-player viewer), and it was a close game.  As I promised, I made a small trophy of shaped wood painted red with a rearing horseman on the top with a small plaque announcing the winner.  The other players of the game followed the games and cheered the Winner.

The individual players only had to be there in their local time (like the Japan guy was up early to play and the English guy stayed up late), but I had to be available 24/7 for all games.  It was worth the effort; something new, something I had not tried before, something no one had done before.  But I also announced that I would never try it again, LOL!

All this is mostly a reminder to myself about what I've done after retirement, and why.  A lot of this blog is just me talking out loud about things that may not matter to others.  It doesn't HAVE to mean much of anything to other people.  But if it does, that's good.

I've enjoyed my retirement, and I hope to for a long time.  I am suited to retirement.  And this might sound odd, but there was never anything in particular that I ever wanted to do in life.  Just do some job well, and enjoy my time here usefully.  I've done and am doing that.

If nothing else, celebrate my retirement time with me...

Late December

I'm not really into Christmas.  Technically, I'm more into Soltice Day.  It a natural event.  I enjoy the idea that the days are getting longer, leading to Spring.

But I'm also a an emotional sap, someties.  I love Christmas Carols of all sorts.  And I have  aweird streak.  The more religious the better and the least religious better, too.

So when one I enjoyed in the past didn't play on the local 24/7 radio, I looked it up today.

Don't laugh too much, but it is 'Christmas Wrapping' by The Waitresses.  "what, you forgot cranberries too?"  I listened to it a dozen times in a row, just for the smiles.

And then I thought of another I hadn't heard.  'Christmas In Washington'.  I listened to that several times,

Why that led me to  Canon in D' by Pachelbel, I'm not sure.  I know, it it isn't considered "the finest piece of music ever written".  I don't even know know if it is in the Top 100 Classical Pieces.  But it is at the top of MY chart.

I even have a site of many versions (from classical to Rock) bookmarked (everything for standard viola to vox humana to music box versions) .  But after the week, it just blew me away.  It starts so slowly and builds...

I sat at the computer and cried...

Happy tears, of course, but it was a good release of a year's tension... 

And though it is "only" approaching 4 pm (I stayed up all last night on the computer)  I think it is time the feed The Mews and gather them all up fat and happy into the bedroom in an hour or two where we will sleep for 14 hours or so to "catch up"...

I get a little bit off-schedule from time to time, but The Mews don't seem to mind.

I think I'll go out first and collect a bit of wood for the New Year's fire and let it dry out indoors.    It won't be a big one,  more symbolic than anything, but it will be sufficient for thoughtful staring.   I may be ready for 2019.

I love you all for reading The Mews's blog and this one when it appears sometimes.  You don't need me to tell you of the pleasure of having cats around...

But, you know, I sometimes just marvel at the idea that there are sort of wild animals in my house, and that they seem to like me...

About Birds And Cats

I don't want to make a big thing about all this interest that cats have in birds.  But I saw another complaint about cats catching songbirds recently (elsewhere).  I understand that cats DO catch birds.  I understand that bird-lovers don't like cats very much because of it.   Well *I* love birds too.  It's not like I feed them to be food for my cats.  Black Oil sunflower and thistle seed is way too expensive (than the canned food the cats happily eat) for THAT to be worthwhile.

They probably catch voles, mice, and moles 100-1 compared to birds.  The neighborhood hawk, on the other hand, catches 4-6 birds per day (not usually from my feeders, of course, or I would have nonbe).  I see the scatterred feathers on the ground infrequently.  If we want to protect songbirds, kill hawks.

My cats stalk birds.  They also stalk squirrels (but never catch them - and I wish they could) and rabbits (and though they do catch the occasional young rabbit the world isn't going to run out of rabbits.  And my cats have a varied diet of beef, chicken, turkey, tuna, duck, and rabbit.  So if you are sad they eat rabbit (or any of the other animals), consider that they are eating rabbit because people raise them just to be eaten.  There are predators and prey (and that started about 500 million years ago).

There are more songbirds thriving here after I cleared the property somewhat than before I moved in 30 years ago.  I originally had a pair of Cardinals.  Today there are a dozen pairs.  I never saw a Goldfinch for the 1st few years, now there are some dozen of them.  I didn't even know what a Purple Finch was until they started nesting around the yard attracted to the feeders.  Between the thistle seeds and the black oil sunflower seeds and suet and peanut butter smeared on trees in Winter, I think there are more than 10X the birds here as when the lot was undeveloped.

When one of the cats catches a bird, it has to be pretty dumb (other than birdicide against a window).  I've observed it a couple of times.  The birds sits on a low shrub branch, one cat comes near it, the bird stares at the cat stupidly, and the cat grabs it.   DUH!  The dumbest bird in the flock has been removed from their gene pool, LOL!

Sometimes the attacks on cats as bird-killers bothers me,  so I wanted to give some personal experience.  Cats don't catch the smarter birds or many of them...

Put another way, I just saw a picture in a National Geographic magazine.  A hyena is carrying away a flamingo.  The flamingo is alive (its neck and head are upright) and not acting very distressed.  It doesn't seem to be struggling.  In fact, it seems to have no idea it is about to eaten alive by the hyena.  It is just like "huh" well, carry me other to that next pond, OK"?

Sorry, I go "off" sometimes, LOL!

A Less Than Great Week

My normal routines have gone entirely out of whack this past week or so.  Too many annoyances...

Let me say clearly,that my troubles are minor compared with many peoples'.  But they are MY troubles and on my mind constantly. 

1.  I just can't seem to get in tough with the owner of the neighboring property.  The contractors won't tell me (don't want to get in trouble).  The County tax records still list the previous owner and I know ownership passed to a bank and then the property was sold.

I need to talk to the actual owner or whoever is managing the contractors renovating the property.  I can't find the person, though the contractor boss says 'he".  I am worried every day they will start painting or tearing down MY fence when I'm not looking.

WHY I care if they paint it is a whole separate post and I will try to get to that soon.  Meanwhile, it is my fence on my property and I claim the right to decide how it looks.

2.  My beloved 60" plasma HDTV died Wednesday.  It just went *blink* and then nothing.  It is only 3 1/2 years old.  The soonest appointment for a repair I could get is next Wednesday.  Actually, I called Samsung for trouble-shooting advice hoping for some rebooting advice.  I didn't know that repairs on those things were even possible. 

The Sumsung service desk says it sounds like a power supply problem.  I have my doubts, since there is a little red power "on" indicator and it is lit.  But maybe there is a circuit past that which can be replaced. 

Anyway, the idea of having no TV at all for week was just too much, so I went to Walmart and bought a 24" model for $138.  Plus, I wanted tit as a test o know if it was the TV or just some cable or the cable box etc.

Right out of the box, the new little TV came right on.  It's the 60" that is having the problem.  Plus I can show that to the repair person.  Having a small TV isn't bad.  Since I have MSNBC on most of the day, I listen to TV more than I watch it.  Who needs to watch talking heads?

But The Washington Nationals baseball team are in the playoffs, and watching THAT on a small TV is annoying.  But I'm old enough to remember our first family 12" B&W TV and then years later thinking a color 20" TV was just "amazing".  So I pulled the TV stand closer to the chair and got used to it.  4 days of "tiny" TV isn't the worst thing.  Some people drink water from polluted creeks...

But I'll still be happy to see the big screen again.

3.  I mentioned a couple weeks ago getting the metal spout of a gas can stuck in the car's fuel inlet.  The dealership did the job removing it just fine.  How they did it is not something I expect to have to know for future situations, but they did suggest I have the timing belt and all drive belts replaced.  Not from wear, but due to age.  They wanted $1000 for that.  My automatic response was no because there was no actual problem.  It wasn't like they said "we looked at your timing belt and it is worn out".

But now everytime I start the car I worry.  Some problems you can see developing.  The engine is hart to start, the engine runs rough while driving, there are noises, the brakes squeal, etc.    But when a timing belt breaks, everything just STOPS all at once and nothing first. 

It's like falling off a cliff.  The falling isn't the problem.  The problem is the sudden "THUD".  A broken timing belt is a "THUD".  That happened on a previous car, and lucky that I was directly in front of a good local repair shop.  They just pushed it into the shop and replaced the timing belt in an hour!  I doubt I would be so lucky again.

I think I may pay for the whole belt assembly.  I've been lucky.  No sense pushing my luck.  The Toyota Highlander is 12 years old.  It only has about 28,000 miles on it.  But it has mostly been stop-and-go traffic commuting and local errands, and that is really hard on an engine.  I want to keep the current car running until there is a good SUV hybrid or fuel cell model available.  I like SUVs for the height and cargo capacity.  And since I don't drive much, gas mileage isn't a concern.

4.  I'm listing information about Iza to bring to the vet.  My thanks to everyone who mentioned things to ask about.  I want to talk to the vet about a plan of exams rather that just bring Iza to the vet and say "do stuff"  I want the vet to think about it, advise me of what tests he indends to perform, and them look them up before I agree. 

But I'll do anything within reason to make her life (and mine) better.  My regular vet of 30 years gets the first chance to identify her problems.  I trust him a lot because of years of good attntion but also because HE was the one who found Ayla had almost a whole ovary after the breeder's vet did 2 failed spay operations.  But he might not be so skilled/equipped at detailed tests.   I know of a certified feline specialist (an annoying hour drive away because of few bridges across a river but closest - 40 road miles, 10 as the crows fly) and will go there if my regular vet can't find the problems. 

But to be clear, the feline specialist vet wanted $1700 for exploratory surgery and my vet did it for $400.

Busy As Bees We Is. Part 5

I am worn out.  Today was the most recent day of hard work.  Went from Noon to 5 pm with two 15 minute breaks. 

Moving and dividing large Hosta plants surrounded closely by Daffodils I don't want to damage is hard.  Planting the divisions in new patterns among the existing Daffodils is even harder. 

My knees feel broken, my back muscles are complaining, and I got leg and side cramps after I stopped.  And I have Hostas I dug up yet to be transplanted (i watered them in a shady location before stopping for the day).  So tomorrow is "once more with the shovel".

So I want to show off some pictures of HAPPY...  They don't all apply to this week's work, but they are good reminders of why I do the work.
 
 A good standard Daffodil

 New Astilbes growing.

Serious contrast

Lovely tulips in wire cages to protect from voles

As bold as a Daffodil can get

Multiple daffodils

Bold colors

Bright colors

 Delicate colors

Multiple blooms

Many Tulips together

 And some planted 10 years ago still blooming (somehow escaping the voles)

The new flowerbed border Daffodils ('Hillstar')

 Iza In Flowers

Marley In Flowers

The Deck Is Too Hot

When I decided to have the deck I built 25 years ago, I decided to go for the composite material base (over pressure-treated woof posts and joists).  At the same time, I was sufficiently worried about a HUGE oak tree hanging over the house that was starting to drop large branches.  So the tree went (saved a dozen 6' long 4" branches to use to smoking meat on the offset smoker).

But 2 things happened.  First, the removal of the huge oak tree let a lot more afternoon sunlight onto the deck, which I thought a "good thing".  Second, I discovered that the composite deck base heats up a lot more than plain wood does. 

The cats alerted me to the heating problem.  They ran out on the new deck when the oak tree was removed and ran back into the house.  I put my hand on the deck and took it right off fast!  It's HOT!  My kitchen temperature probe said it reached 115F!  That was not something I expected OR was warned about. 

Temporarily, I have put outdoor carpet runners (by name and literally) in some paths that get the cats safely to the stairs out to the yard and to shaded spots on the deck. I am looking into awnings (openable/closable like Sunsetter and possibly permanent ones) that will keep the deck cool. 

The heat on the deck isn't constant.  It is shaded about noon to 5 pm.  But a couple hours before Noon and after 5pm, it get seriously hot.  Even I have to put a towel on the top rails so that I can stand there leaning on them.

An Old Whisker

Because the composite deck gets very hot (something I did not know when having it installed), AND removing a tree made it sunnier, the cats were not happy going out on the deck in mid day. 

So, I found a roll of outdoor carpet to give them a cooler path around and off the deck.  The carpet was leftover from when I used it on my aluminum Jon boat in 1994 to reduce glare and deaden sounds. 

Well, when I unrolled it, I found a cat whisker.  I can't tell which cat it was from.  Skeeter, LC, maybe even Tinkerbelle.  But it definitely the oldest cat whisker I have.  I haven't mixed it in with the others; it is "special".  It is 22 years old!

One of those really odd things you discover digging into the past...   Which reminds me that I should pour out my bottle of collected cat whiskers and take a picture of them.  I have a lot, but I bet I missed most of them while cleaning.

Thankful Thursday

1.  The bathroom remodelers completed the work today.  But there are some places where tape is holding trim tight for another whole day, so I will post the "after" pictures next time.

2.  The cats don't have to be locked into the bedroom anymore (well until the next project).

3.  I won't have to set my alarms for 6:30 am tomorrow.  That will be a relief because I kept worrying during the nights that I would sleep through them.  6:30 may not seem early to you,  but I had mine set for 5 am for 35 years, and after 10 years retired, I'm out of the alarm habit.

BTW, I don't actually use alarm clocks anymore.  I use digital kitchen timers.  Since I keep irregular hours these days, I can just push the hour button 9 times, press start, and not worry about what time of day that gets me up.  SO much easier than a real alarm clock.

4.  I have my car back in the garage again (the remodelers were using it for a work area).

5.  With the 6 weeks of nearly constant daily drizzle done, I was able to mow the lawn today.

6.  I felt free to work in the garden again.  I planted my last 4 tomato seedlings, 14' of italian pole beans, 8' of cucumbers, 4 cantaloupe melons, 2 honeydew melons, 2 squash, 6 leeks, 18 corns (10 early and 8 late season).  Harvested my first 6 radishes of the season (wow, even home grown radishes taste better than the grocery store stuff - spicier, firmer).  My snow peas are starting to produce...

7.  To celebrate the remodeling completion, I made a nice dinner.  Delmonico steak, fried potatoes, asparagus with mushrooms, tossed salad, SEVERAL glasses of wine!  And fresh fruit for dessert (plum, peach, apple, grapes, and cantaloupe).

8.  I'm setting the timers tonight for 12 hours.  If I wake up refreshed before that, fine.  If not, well, I have some catching up to do.

9.  After dinner, all the cats were on my chair with me.  They shifted positions a few times, but there was always one on the back and one on each arm.  They were happy to get time outside this afternoon, but they really wanted closeness.  And they got plenty of attention this evening.  And I bet they will almost be surprised not to be locked into the bedroom tomorrow morning!

And, yes, I shared my steak with them...

Bathtub Area Replacement

First, getting up at 7 am to be ready for the demolition crew was a novel experience.  Second, getting the cats stashed away into a safe room was only a partial success.  Third, no renovation work ever goes smoothly.

I managed to get up on time, fed the cats, and went to get them into the bedroom.  I called them and Marley and Iza came right in.  Ayla was not so cooperative,  sensing that "something" was up.  I know better than to chase a cat, I just follow slowly.  But she was ducking from room to room and upstairs/downstairs until she was upstairs and I wasn't sure where she was.  I figured she was either in the Mews Room or the Computer Room, so I just closed both doors.  It turned out she had to be hiding in the Living room somewhere.  I swear that cat could hide in a coffee mug!  But since she stayed in hiding and didn't try to run out through the frequently opened front door, all was fine. 

The bathtub area demolition was impressive.  I took a LOT of pictures for possible insurance reasons, but I will only inflict a few of them on you.

The before shot shows the mess.  When the tiles began to come loose, I duct-taped plastic around the front and side, not realizing how bad it was getting behind the plastic.  And under that situation, tub-cleaning seems to have fallen off my schedule.

So, they went in and just started pounding the tiles and backer board into pieces.  Well, the plastic was more waterproof than the tiles were!

Bathroom renovators are notorious for finding "more repairs needed" when the backer boards are removed.  These guys said everything looked mold-free and no rot.  I looked at it and agreed.  I don't know tiles, but I know about wood.  So they vacuumed all the dust and debris.

And started to replace the backer board.  It is a special concrete and laminate product that basically can't rot.  So was the original stuff, but after 30 years, the modern product is better.

Next, they installed the new tub and covered the inside with padding and plastic.  And it was a good thing they did!  Because after that, they constructed and installed the new pipes.  I wasn't thrilled to see them using a plastic pipe, but they assured me that it is better than copper pipe.  "Not one failure in 10 years and it sheds mineral deposits that can collect in copper pipe with hard water".

Well, I have soft water, but if the cemented plastic holds better than soldered copper, OK...   BTW, the first day I moved in here 30 years ago, I tasted the water and decided it was the best municipal water I had ever tasted!

So then we had a few "adventures".  The first was a pipe cap blowout.  You see that copper pipe sticking out over the tub?  There is a temporary pipe cap.  The Senior Repairman said they are called "shark valves" because once on, they never come loose until you want them to come loose".

So guess what came loose?  Right!  The shark valve...  The assistant went running to the door shouting at Senior guy that "the water is on".   Well, yeah, it had been turned back on, but I realized he suddenly didn't WANT it to be on, so I ran into the basement (bad knee and all) and crawled into the access where the whole-house shut off valve was and closed it.

That apparently saved about 50 gallons of water pouring out the open tub into the basement.  And I stuck a bucket under the leak. 

They were very apologetic.  Those caps "never fail".  Well, until they do, of course.  At least I got some credit for fast-action!  The assistant is not the brightest bulb in a room of lamps, he meant "water is flowing and it shouldn't".  I had noticed the senior guy mad jokes about the assistant (his BIL) and I had joined in slightly, but I stopped after that.

But, no harm was done.  The plastic in the tub caught most of it and my bucket caught the rest.  The senior guy was really pissed off, but I joked "that was fun, let's do it again". 

After they vacuumed up the water and replaced the plastic lining with a dry one (and made sure I saw they were using a brand new pipe "shark valve" cap), they proceeded with the job with the water turned back on. 

Then the second little "adventure"...The last backer board to be installed was the one that fits over the tub faucet and shower valve.  That takes very precise cut-outs.  And senior guy cut it wrong!    Oh wow, did the assistant have a relieved turn with that.  I had noticed the the senior guy just wrote the cutting dimensions randomly on a piece of paper.  Well, I suppose when you have been doing something for 38 years (as he said he had), you know where your numbers are. 

Oops, he got the left and right measurements reversed..  No problem for me, it's a fixed price contract (and the senior guy did mention that it comes out of company expenses.

I mentioned to him that when I put wood paneling in the basement, I had been careful to use a huge piece of cardboard from a bookcase box to make sure I cut it right.  Ans then traced that onto the wood paneling so that I COULDN'T get in wrong.  And got it wrong ANYWAY because I put the cardboard on the wrong side of the panel.

True story, but it did lighten up the situation...  The last thing I want are angry embarrassed workers doing work in my house.  I've done enough house work myself to know that when you get mad, you don't do your best work! 

So senior guy cut out another concrete backer board panel and it fit like a glove. 

They return on Monday to install the bathtub fixtures and do the tile installation.

Ayla, Iza, and Marley recovered quickly.  Food helped, attention helped, deck time helped.  quietness helped.  But I bet I will have to get sneakier about getting them shut into the bedroom Monday morning.  At least the final work is quieter...

Unexpected Benefit

My twisted knee has really been annoying and delayed me doing any serious yardwork (never mind just putting on socks and shoes), but I discovered something beneficial almost immediately.

I have 4 litter boxes for the cats in the basement.  I have always been uncomfortable cleaning them kneeling on the cement floor.  Well, (spurred by the difficulty of kneeling) it occurred to me that my workbench is right next to the litterboxes.  So, I thought "why kneel down there when I can lift the litterboxes up to the workbench"?

Oh wow, that is SO much easier!  Scraping everything loose and scooping it out is easier, it makes it easy to sweep loose litter from around where the boxes sit, and I am more inclined to clean them more often!

And even if you don't have a workbench right there, nothing says you can't put a cheap skinny-leg hall table over it for the same purpose.  Out of any problem, some good thing may result...

Feeling Sad For Iza Today

Warning, some icky biological stuff is involved here...

Poor Iza, She hasn't been able to keep much food down Mon and Tues or this morning.  Then today I brought her to the vet, where she was "temperatured" (ahem), had a blood sample taken, x-rayed, given two shots and returned to the PTU.  Suffice it to say that she was "subdued"

And then the vet instructionn were that she couldn't have any food or water until the next morning.  If she tossed up any food tomorrow or often in the next few days, she needs further tests.  The vet suggests berium pumped into the stomach and ultrasound if that doesn't show the problem, but I am thinking of just going straight to ultrasound.

Iza has always had a tendency to toss up her food once every week or two.  Giving her spoonfuls many times a day the past few months has helped.  But this change to hurling every meal is too serious.

She keeps her food in her stomach for 4-5 hours at least.  I can tell because of the varied cube, sliced, and minced foods I give the cats.  When a cat tosses up undigested cubes 4 hours after eating, there is a problem.  Food shouldn't stay in the stomach that long.  And she isn't even stopping the hurling when the food is out of her stomach; sometimes she keeps at it later when there is nothing but tan foam.  There is no grass of plant material; this isn't "scouring".

The vet says the x-rays show mysterious spots in Iza's stomach, which seems to confuse him; he thinks it is just air.  I keep thinking there is something Iza has swallowed that is blocking the output end of her stomach.  Maybe that's what the mystery spot is.  The vet just doesn't seem to want to consider that.  

He pointed out that there IS matter in her intestines, so there is no blockage.  But what if the "something" moves around in her stomach and only sometimes blocks it. 

He called this afternoon and said her blood work is fine, no sign of infection of organ problems.  That's good.  She had no high temperature, physical sensitivity, or reaction to being prodded.  

But she did refuse to eat Tuesday night (and she has never refused food in her life), she just stared at the food and left.  She has lost 1.5 pounds in a week.  There is OBVIOUSLY something wrong!

I just KNOW this brief fast after the 2 shots the vet gave her are NOT going to have any effect!  She has had this problem (to a much lesser degree) all her life.  I can tell I will have to proceed to more serious examinations after the Friday vet visit where it seems clear that he will tell me the problem is unresolved.

The odd hardest thing, though, is that I can't give poor Iza any food after she hasn't kept much down for 3 days!  All I can do is just hold and comfort her...

A Week In The Life...

Some weeks, problems accumulate...

1.  Naturally, I had to order more cat food just as the snowstorm struck.  2 boxes of 8 trays total, scheduled to arrive Wed and Thurs.  Well, I had the driveway and sidewalk cleared of snow Sunday, but I didn't shovel the front steps.  Figured I would most of it melt and shovel the remainder Tuesday afternoon.  The first box arrived Tuesday morning.  UPS left it at the garage door.  So I pushed the box inside the garage.

I forgot about the box when I decided to drive out for some errands Wed.  Well, you would be surprised at how many cans of cat food an SUV can crush beyond use...  ARGHHH!

2.  The outside unit of the heat pump stopped working.  I'm getting normal heat via electrical induction from the inside unit (like an oven), and I suspect it isn't costing MUCH more than the usual heating (some normal furnaces routinely operate that way).  I have been trying a few things hoping the outside unit will just "start" again.  I shovelled the snow from around the unit where air comes in, scooped out accumulated snow inside the unit, poured hot water over the insides hoping some ice was preventing operation, pulled and re-inserted circuit breakers, etc.  No luck.

But when the block of ice inside the outside unit finally melts and it doesn't start working normally again in a couple of days, I will have to call for repairs.  I didn't call immediately, because I AM getting heat, and I know they take complete failures as emergencies first.  Besides, they always want to just replace the whole unit. 

3.  My automatic garage door openers stopped working.  The overhead door light just blied rapidly.  That probably means something, but I couldn't find the manual.  But it isn't THAT hard to just raise and lower the door manually.

So I checked the power supply, circuit breakers, spring attachments, possible blockages, etc.  No luck.  Finally, I followed the wiring down to the bottom of the garage door track.  Well lookee there!  There is a set of safety lights at each side.  If the light beam between them is blocked, the system shuts off.  One of them had gotten pushed off.  Well, I guess when I ran over the box of cat food, I also pushed it into the light beam device.  Took just a minute to get it clipped back on and aimed properly. 

At least SOMETHING got working again.

4.  I mentioned previously that I had set up a regular birdfeeder on a pole on the deck to feed the non-finch birds sunflower seeds during the snowstorm.  They emptied it today.  The stepladder is still buried under the deck snowdrift, so I figured I would just untie it and set it down flat to refill it, and them put it upright again and retie it.  Brilliant but dumb idea!

The instant I untied the last know holding the pole tight, a strong gust of wind hit.  So there I was holding the bottom of the pole while the heavy top started to fall over.  I couldn't hold it up.  The feeder can crashing down on the deck.  The wooden feeder broke into 4 pieces!  I said a few BAD WORDS.  But what is done is done, and you go on from there.

I took the pieces down to the work bench and set about regluing the pieces (with exterior waterproof wood glue).  It took 12 bar clamps (you can never have too many bar clamps).  The feeder is back together, but it has to set until tomorrow morning.  I started to put out a tray of seeds, but even with a brick in the tray, the wind was slowly pushing it around.  And even if I clamped the tray to the deck rails, the wind would probably just blow the seeds out.  Sadly, the birds will have to wait til I get up in the morning...

5.  The trash company didn't show up for regular pickup today.  I'm leaving it out by the street.  I recycle and compost so much that about the only thing that goes in the trash is used cat litter, styrofoam,  and chicken skin.  And I out the chicken skin IN the litter bags.  So I feel pretty confident that NO scavenger is going to bother MY garbage can!  LOL!

BTW, I drove out today and saw a neighbor's TRASH can knocked over and the contents spilled out.  It was ALL cans and bottles.  All recyclable.  Aw c'mon...  We get free street-side recycle pickup and you don't even have to sort it.  Are they ACTIVELY against recyclying?

6.  This one is a bit long...  My waterbed sprung a leak.  That happens.  I have a repair kit.  I've probably patched it a dozen times (the waterbed mattress is at least 35 years old).  I only noticed when I pulled the sheets up for washing and the edges in one corner were wet.  I pulled up that corner of the waterbed. I thought it was wet cat food at first (because there was some there), and thereby hangs a short tale.

Ayla eats only in the bedroom, and sometimes she decides on some odd places.  That morning she had decided she would eat on the bookcase headboard of the waterbed.  I sure don't argue about it.   It's not like she gets to make a WHOLE lot of decisions in her life, so I give her the ones I can. 

That afternoon, when I pulled the wet sheets up I found her bowl tucked into that corner.  WOW!  I sure didn't think there was THAT much water in canned cat food (and it didn't smell like anycat had peed there).  But the cause and effect seemed clear.  So I cleaned up the spilled cat food, wiped it clean, and stuffed an old towel down to absorb the water.

Well, THAT wasn't the problem.  There was TOO much water the next morning and the towel was soaked.  So I pulled the corner of the waterbed up (which is not easy - water is heavy).  And I found a strange little piece of sharp metal.  I can't identify it, but I assume it took a while for it to slowly wear through the waterbed mattress. 

I can't get a patch to hold in the corner unless I drain the mattress and remove in entirely.  And even that might not work.  So, after all these years, I think I will replace it.  It's OK, they aren't expensive.  $50 to $200 depending on whether you want baffles and lumbar supports etc.  But I'm used to the cheap kind with nothing fancy so I will stick with that.

There COULD have been a better time for this.  All my hoses are outside and too cold to uncoil without maybe causing a break.  But at least the forecast calls for 50F temperatures Sunday, so I can probably get one into the basement undamaged and let it warm up inside.   One of the problems with a waterbed is draining them.  That can take a couple hours.  And then you have to fill the new one.  Filling a waterbed takes about 30 minutes from the outside spigot, and it takes all day for the heater to warm the water. 

Fortunately, my basement laundry tub faucet has a garden hose screw fitting.  But my water heater doesn't hold enough hot water to fill the king size waterbed mattress.  So it will be a balancing act to get the heated and cold tub water mixed right so I can sleep on the new mattress the same night as I empty it.

I'm probably not saying this clearly.  I have to get up in the morning, drain the old mattress, remove it, pull up the old liner (old and worn out) dry the wood frame, set the new liner in place, set in the new mattress, fill it, get the water warm enough, and put the mattress pads and sheets back on.  My recollection from the last time (30 years ago) was that took all day.  So I will be in for a very boring (watching a waterbed mattress fill up is like watching paint dry), but dedicated day...

7.  I had a mouse invasion.  Marley caught 5 mice!  I initially blamed the snow for making mice seek shelter, but it might have actually been my fault.  Last Friday, when the snow began to fall, I brought a few tubs of planting soil into the basement to thaw out so I could plant leftover Spring bulbs in them for forcing by Spring.  There MAY have been mice nesting in them in the leaf litter covering the soil. 

I HOPE he caught them all regardless of how they got inside.  Probably.  There were 4 caught one day, I found a 5th in a bucket the 2nd, and none for 4 days.

Quite a week!

Good and Bad Day

Discovered I could transact business with my far away credit union through a different local one.  They call it Credit-Union-Sharing (real original, right?).  But it beats driving an hour and back.

Picked 22 ripe cherry tomatoes and 3 large heirloom tomatoes in the garden. YUM!

Raked 10 piles of rocks out of the new leveled backyard.  Not sure what I will DO with the rocks yet.  But they have to go before I can plant anything there.  And I have a cool tool for raking rocks.  Get ready for the name - Rock Raker!  Maybe "Stoned Today, Gone Tomorrow"?


Actually, it works.  The front tines are curved slightly backwards, so it catches rocks and lets soil slide through.  I suspect some clam-digger adapted it to New England farming.

Fired up the charcoal offset smoker.  Cooked pork ribs and chicken.  The ribs are delicious; I'll have some chicken tomorrow.  And I have enough leftovers for 10 more meals.  Those hickory chunks make great smoke and flavor.

Watered the flowerbeds.  We aren't technically in a drought, but the recently-removed ridge soil was dry as dust 4' down and that's not good.  We we forecast "heavy rain" Thursday/Friday, but I got less than 1/4".  That doesn't even register on plants.  In fact, it's bad for them.  It encourages the roots upwards, where they dry out faster.

So I try to water deeply once a week.  We aren't low on water supply here (for the hoses), just not much rain  and lots of plants transpiring it from the soil even deep down.  Its the lack of water deep in the soil that worries me.

Watering is easy.  I have this thing I built...

 I bought 2 plants that I want more of.  One is a Knock-Off Rose and the other is a dwarf butterfly bush.  I hate buying plants that cost $25 in a 3" pot!  But I know how to take cuttings and root them.  So each of those plants will be 5 plants at least next Spring.

Call me cheap, but its the fun of doing the rootings I like...

And the cats are loving being outside.  Marley misses his mousies (destroyed when the ridge was leveled) but he accepts my promise that the new plantings will probably bring even more mousies around and he will have more hiding places.

I better deliver on that promise...

December

Why is December such a hard time on cats?  It seems so many leave for The Bridge in this month. 

Is it the short days that depress them? 

Less time outside for those who DO go outside?  Or just fewer sunpuddles for those who stay inside?

Do the longer nights just suggest going into "forever"?

It seems to me that we lose more cat-friends in December than any other month, and I don't know why...

The short days sadden ME.  I have to fight it; I get depressed at this time of year too.  But I know WHY.  Maybe its harder when you DON'T know why maybe they just get saddened and all.  Who knows the minds of our cats.  We try, but as close as we feel toward them, we cannot ever truly understand their thoughts.

I just know that December is a real hard time on cats. 

And so, for myself, and for the cats, I keep the house brightly lit, I keep them active, I stuff them with food, and I keep them on my lap as much as possible.  I don't know if that makes the slightest bit of difference. 

But it makes me feel good to try...  Special places to make them happy.

My lap.

Good places to sleep at night.

Interesting new spots.

Anything I can do...

Holiday Tree

I should have known not to buy an artificial Holiday Tree!  I don't like artificial things all that much.  And I didn't even go shopping to get one.  I was at a DIY store to buy furnace filters weeks ago, and there were all these nice-looking artificial trees so nicely decorated.  Two thoughts came to mind.

First, I recalled memories of younger days with the family decorating the tree, and I thought a nice artificial one would be "satisfactory", convenient, and cost-effective over the years.

Secondly, I had had to empty the attic a few months ago to have the attic sealed and additional insulation sprayed in, so I had all these boxes of Holiday decorations stacked up in the cat room.  The decorations were on my list of things to keep or donate.

So I was looking at the trees in the store and thinking of the all the decorations I'd collected over the years and ON IMPULSE I bought an artificial tree.  Impulse purchases are not my habit, but by definition "impulse" is not planned.

I opened the box today, and it was NOT what I expected.  I EXPECTED a box of a dozen or so stacking rings of perfectly formed branches that would be ready to go with a simple plug-in (and me adding special ornaments and my bubble-lights.  Foolish me!

Instead, there are only 3 sections (of branches that DO hinge down, to be fair).  But each branch is as tightly squeezed into a tube-like shape as wrapping paper.  Each individual stem and twig has to be bent out into a realistic shape.  A quick estimate suggested there would be 100 branches of about 20 stems per branch and 20 twigs per branch (= 40,000 if you really do it right).

A sample branch of the middle section took 2 minutes to make look realistic.  So, 2 minutes times 100 branches = 200 minutes (or 3 hours and 20 minutes).  And adding in some time for discomfort caused by handling the prickly plastic needles, hand-cramps from all that bending of stems and twigs, and back-cramps from being bent over and around reaching them, I decided that was more than I wanted to do in order to have a Holiday Tree!

I re-evaluated my concerns over killing live trees.  I guess if I am perfectly willing to have chickens and turkeys raised just for the purpose of being killed for my eating pleasure, I can stand having a real tree grown and cut down for my decorating pleasure.  At least trees just use sunlight and produce oxygen.

Hey, I can rationalize my decisions with the best of them, LOL!

That's IF I get a real cut tree...  I probably will, but it's not definite tonight.  I haven't bought one for a decade, so there may be sticker-shock involved.  I have to think about this.

Its not like there are children or visitors who would see my tree.  But it HAS been years since I decorated and I DO have all the boxes of decorations out of the attic already.  And none of the cats has ever experienced a real tree in the house and that might be interesting.  Skeeter and LC (and the cats who came before) always seemed to enjoy them.

I could justify buying a real tree just for the cats, I suppose...  Hmm, yeah, that could work.  A tree just for the cats.  And they wouldn't mind if I decorated it with cheap plastic ornaments at the bottom where they could reach to whap them.  They'd LIKE that...  I'll put the "good" stuff higher up.

And the birds would like it too.  I used to dig a hole in the backyard to set the tree in after I was done with it inside.  The tree leaves a bare spot under it even when it snows and the birds LOVE picking at the seeds I toss under it.  I had almost forgotten about that.

So, well of course, I'm not buying a live dead tree for ME, I'm doing it for the cats and then the birds.  What could POSSIBLY be more noble?

Oh my goodness!  I better go shopping for a real tree ASAP.  The cats are waiting, and the birds will be happier into the New Year, and the New Year is something to celebrate too...

Mark

Intersections

I have this blog for myself, and I have a separate blog for my cats.  I try to keep this one for my own thoughts and I try to leave the cats to theirs (with some usually unseen help on my part).  But sometimes, both blogs intersect.

Yesterday was a case in point.  I read about 80 cat blogs every few days (for my own pleasure and to help my cats keep in touch with their friends).  You never know what you are going to find when you visit one.  One cat will have just caught its first mouse, another may report the death of a beloved old cat, another may have had a trip to the vet. 

Sometimes I read a serious story about a cat that brings me to tears.   I have read many of them over the years.  Sometimes about lost cats, sometimes about cats killed in sad ways, sometimes about rescued cats.  Isn't it odd how both happy and sad stories can bring tears to us?

Today I'm writing about an old neglected cat who found a friendly home to pass her last days.  I won't repeat the whole story here; it is written so much better at Max, The Psychokitty.

There aren't many sad endings that also feel happy when you stop crying.  If you haven't read that post, go there now!  Go there NOW!