Hello 2020

Pearls Before Swine - January 1, 2020

But seriously folks...

2019 Christmas Tree

So I'm starting off the year with the hope that 2020 will bring wonderful new things. 2019 was a beyond busy year at work, which ended with me being laid off after 8 1/2 years, less than 2 weeks before Christmas. I was definitely very bitter to begin with, for many reasons, but I have slowly let it go, with the belief that I deserve to be somewhere that I am valued, and at the end, I wasn't.

I had a quiet Christmas with the cats, and today was the same - but today we had some beautiful sunshine for the first half of the day, and I appreciated it, and hope that is a good sign for the rest of 2020. I will be able to take a little "me" time for a short while, and I am looking forward to spring and hoping that wherever I land next work-wise I will be able to enjoy more of the summer than I did last year, and really for the last 8 years to be honest.

Boo

Munchkin

Boo & Tommy New Year's Day 2020

Merry Christmas 2015

I hope everyone had a great day. Quiet one for me here - I took a relaxed approach to the day. We got a bit of sunshine later in the afternoon which was much appreciated after all the rain we've been having.

I roasted a chicken with stuffing and will have my pumpkin pie in a bit. I took these pictures of the cats all snuggled up last night. Boo & Munchkin snuggle a lot, but not usually in that chair. And Tom Cat always looks so sweet when he sleeps. Happy New Year everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving 2015

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

It's sunny and cold here in Bellingham. I am thankful for the sun, and the roof over my head and that I didn't lose my electricity with all the wind storms we've had this month!

I'm enjoying the day relaxing with the cats and my dinner is in the crock pot.....but I already had a slice of pie!

Crazy Cat Lady

I am definitely guilty of everything but numbers 4 & 8. I even downloaded a MP3 of a cat purring to use as background for meditating - a gal at work said that officially made me a crazy cat lady - as if I wasn't already. But that MP3 was the best dollar I ever spent ☺

So Long Weekend-

Munchkin

I go back to work tomorrow after 5 days off, as usual it went faster than I thought it would. I made a whole chicken and stuffing in my crock-pot for Thanksgiving. It turned out pretty good, and it hit home that the stuffing really needs to be cooked with the bird. 

The temperature plunged overnight Friday to Saturday and the wind was really strong for most of yesterday. It was 23 degrees when I got up yesterday morning. I woke up at 2 o'clock this morning and it was 19 degrees! It's supposed to be below freezing for the next couple of nights, and then get back to normal by Wednesday. 

I have been working on my quilted pillow covers every day and am making progress, but am still cutting the pieces themselves as I go along. I am trying to be efficient and have somewhat of an assembly-line going so that I am ironing in one large group. It dawned on me when I was looking at this on the kitchen table a few days ago that the colors are the U of M colors ☺ Go Blue!

I watched the Thanksgiving Day episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee this morning. Jerry''s guest was a comedienne named Miranda Sings whom I'd never even heard of, but OMG it was hilarious. 

Two Kittens in Poland Walk in to a Park.....

I subscribe to the YouTube channel of a guy in Poland named Krzystof Smejlis for hilarious videos of his cats Bobo & Nikita. He got Nikita over a year ago as a rescue kitten, and she is a character with a capitol C. She is so playful and talkative, and a perfect foil to the laid-back Bobo.

A week ago he started posting some new videos of these two kittens that he has taken in, but he can't keep, and OMG, they are so funny to watch. He has this teeny, tiny, little apartment, and it's barely enough room for Bobo & Nikita, but I bet he really would love to keep them if he could. This is the third video, and it's the best yet, enjoy!

GoPro HD: Cats vs Laser

Yesterday was World Cat Day, and this was on LOL Cats as part of the celebration. It is a kick, with the music and the editing, it feels like a nature show watching a tiger in the wild hunting it's prey.

We have beautiful weather still and I was going to start stripping the drafting table top that Susan shipped me this winter, but ended up cutting out a bunch of dead branches out of the snowball bush. I am absolutely beat! I cut out 25 to 30% off it, and my entire body aches. True to form I just went at it whole hog and spent half the day working on it.

Life with Munchkin

Munchkin's First Day

It was 4 years ago today that I adopted Munchkin from Laurel Feed Store off of the Guide. I went in looking for a container to feed the deer, and I came home with a kitten instead.

He was in a cage by himself, apparently all of his siblings were adopted but him, and he was so full of energy and bouncing around I knew that he would make a great playmate for Boo. I debated with myself for 10 minutes about getting him, and couldn't bear the thought of him not going home with someone that day (I'm such a sucker for tigers). It was one of the best decisions I ever made, I love him to pieces.

Munchkin in the Italian Prune tree in 2010

It was super hot that day, and I ended up letting him out of the box in the car so he didn't suffocate. He explored the entire car by the time we got home. I wanted him to get assimilated with the other cats for a few days before I let him outside. Naturally the first day I did, he went straight up the Italian Prune tree 15 feet off the backdoor. My first thought was "Great!", thinking it would take me hours to get him down; he was about 25 feet up in a few seconds. But he surprised the heck out of me, and came down on his own within a few minutes. He doesn't climb trees as much now, but when he was little he did ALL the time. He was mostly chasing birds and squirrels thinking he could catch them, maybe he just is older and wiser now!

Munchkin July 2014

Gladiolus

Munchkin & Boo

I treated myself to some Gladiolus from Haggen this morning when I got my groceries. It was slim pickings in terms of the color selection, but these were beautiful, so it didn't matter.

It is a gorgeous day, warm but with a great breeze so the house has been cool enough to be comfortable. I had a really hard time getting to sleep last night. I'm not sure why, but I just woke up from an hour and half nap making up for it. A waste of the sunshine, but if I have the opportunity, I will give in, because I needed it. we are due for the whole rest of the week to be warm & sunny.

Munchkin

Woody

Woody

My beloved and loyal buddy Woody passed away last night. His health took a very sudden downturn mid week last week.

I had 15 great years with him. He slept with me every night and even though he often had this melancholy look on his face, he was a contented cat. He was so mellow, that everyone else got along with him without any problems.

Woody

When I got Munchkin back in August of 2010, Woody was the first one to make him feel at home, and didn't hiss and swipe at him like Boo & Tom Cat did. He could be kind of goofy too, and I ended up nick-naming him Monkey Boy a few summers after I got him. I eventually called him Monkey more than I called him Woody, and he adjusted just fine.

He was angelic when he slept, and had the softest long hair I'd ever experienced in a cat. I am thankful that his suffering is over, but I will always miss waking up with him by my side. People that think only dogs are loyal, never had a cat like him.

Woody and Munchkin in 2010

Wet Weather and Beautiful Wood

Woody & Boo

It's hard to believe it's almost May. We have had rain every single day for the last week, but are supposed to get a complete turn around this week with it drying out and temperatures in the 70's. I'll be out there mowing in shorts again in a few days, woo hoo!

This weekend was definitely back and forth with the rain, and this afternoon after the last bout of showers, all the cats came in to nap, and Woody and Boo ended up curled up together in the big chair.

With the wet weather, but longer daylight hours I have been getting more sewing and needlepoint in. This weekend I put the collar on the blouse I am working on, and today made the buttonholes and sewed on the buttons. All I have left to do on it is sew on the sleeves and that will be done. The needlepoint is now about 80% done with some of the design and colors still being determined on the fly; but it's coming together.

I don't think I ever featured my dresser in the posts of furniture projects of the past. The dresser itself has a long history. It has a signature on the back and I decided today to try and find information online about it. The signature is Carder & Sons, Kalamazoo (my hometown). I couldn't find anything on Wikipedia, so I decided to Google it. And it brought up a book on Kalamazoo history, and it looks like that furniture company may have existed back in the 1880's. I pretty well knew it was over a 100 years old, and that is strong evidence of it.


It is a very solid and nicely built piece of oak furniture. My personal history with it started back in the early 1980's when my brother Mark gave it to me before he hitch-hiked out west. I had done an initial stripping of the really dark stain on it in the driveway back home, but it stayed in that rough condition until 2006.

There were two things that lead me to start the final refinishing of it; my neighbor Dave passing away, and coming across the decorative keyhole covers in the drawer of my secretary desk. I had figured I better take advantage of having the back deck to work on it while I still had the chance, thinking that I might have to move in the near future (that's where Dave comes in). Well, 8 years later, I'm still here and Dave's property is still up for sale. (This is the short version, the long version is too long).

The keyhole covers were my other
inspiration, because I really wanted to see them on the dresser after all those years. I love the curved upper drawers and curved top as well. My dad had gotten me the beautiful round brass knobs for Christmas one year back in the early 80's, and I found the pulls that complimented them in 2006. I do everything by hand, so it's a lot of elbow grease, but I totally love very minute of it. I use Homer Formby's Tung Oil, I like a natural finish where the beauty of the wood shows through.

The weather was good starting in April that year, so I went to it and got the dresser all sanded and refinished within about a month. I would go on to refinish 4 other pieces of furniture by October of that year. I was really on a roll, and the weather was good all summer.

The Difference Between Cats and Dogs Religious Beliefs

Yoda Kitty Says May the Milk be With You

I couldn't stop laughing for 5 minutes when I saw this - totally made my day!

Who's The Boss?...by Connie Schultz - Parade Magazine

I really like the writer Connie Schultz, and she had another great article in today's issue of Parade magazine. It was kind of a continuation on the cover story about leadership and women. She had a great quote; "We can't let others define us. Figuring out who we are has to be an inside job". In her usual humorous and poignant style she relates her own defining moment of taking charge of her career.

Munchkin this morning before I got out of bed

Spring Flowers & Showers

When I went to the Barkley Haggen during the week these tulips immediately caught my eye as I was going in the main entrance. I love this color of flowers; this color combination is really pretty in parrot tulips also. It ended up raining pretty much all day today, but it does feel like the weather is shifting. We had day time highs in the mid to upper 50's this week, and tonight when I went to let Tom Cat in, I could hear a bunch of crickets chirping, that is a very good sign!

I just finished reading "Who Moved My Cheese" by Dr. Spencer Johnson a few days ago, and went through it again last night and today to write down the passages that stood out for me, and thoughts I had while reading it. I borrowed it from my supervisor Kelly. It is a book that she has recommended for all of us, because it has to do with change, which we are constantly going through.

At the strong urging of my friend Steve from Premier, I read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by Sean Covey last fall. Even though it is geared toward teens, it's still appropriate for adults. It was helpful in reinforcing what I was already doing, but also helped me become more focused as well. I'm in a better mindset for setting goals, big and small.

At work starting in November I think, each month we have been pairing up and doing a Power Point presentation on each of the 7 Habits during our team meeting. It has been good to get the perspective of others and see what their take-away's were after they read the chapter. 

For March, Peggy & Lindsey presented the Habit: the Public & Private Victory. It is mostly to do with our relationships with others, but also reinforces that we ourselves have to come from a healthy place to be successful in our relationships with others. I thanked them both, because it was very thought provoking, and fit in with a big part of what I have been working on for myself. 

During the Christmas break I read "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield and it was very helpful in helping me see how I was letting a lot of my emotional baggage and fears stop me from progressing. All of these books have been helpful in leading me forward.

Woody

The Bar Has Just Been Raised for the Crazy Cat Lady

The Bar Has Just Been Raised for the Crazy Cat Lady

A lot of bad stuff in the news today that is such a downer I didn't want to tackle it, starting with North Korea.

So instead, I'm doing a 180 with a silly meme that illustrates that not only are there too many wacky people in this world, but just as many that will watch reality television that features them....

Happy Valentines Day

What's Happening Lately

It will be coming to an end in a few days, but for the last week we have had some beautiful sunny afternoons after the morning fog burns off. The day time highs have been in the upper 40's and every night it has been around or slightly below freezing, but we are due for rain on Tuesday.

A Chart To Explain Why Dating is So Hard

I fell on my left knee a week ago today on the sidewalk about two blocks from the house. It is healing, but I am looking forward to when it is back to normal. I couldn't let that consume me though, because a few days before that, Munchkin started being unwell, vomiting and being off his food. 

I took him to the vet on Wednesday, where he had complete blood & urine testing and an X-ray. The vet called the next day with the results, and there was nothing to explain why. No infections, no obstruction to his system that the vet could feel or see - nothing that would point to a cause.

He started vomiting on Thursday the week before, mostly stomach bile, and it stopped as of mid-week which was an improvement, but his appetite is still a challenge. The vet gave him fluid under his skin Wednesday & Friday, and a anti-nausea medication both days. He also got a pain medication shot on Friday, and the technician said he would probably be quiet for the next several days, but it was the exact opposite, he has been nervous/anxious.

The last injection of fluids on Friday settled mostly in his left leg, so it was kind of bizarre looking that it was all puffed up including his paw. It has finally all absorbed and he looks normal this morning. The only thing he will eat, and only in small amounts is Whisker Lickin's Tarter Control treats, but at least he is eating. He had lost a whole pound by the first vet visit last Wednesday.

I have been on pins and needles because I don't want to lose him, he is only 3 1/2 years old, and as previously noted, he is the apple of my eye. He is still acting normal for the most part in every other respect, so I just have to keep trying to get him to eat more and try to stop expecting the worst. I really want him to come out of this okay.

World's Slowest Going Needlepoint Project

So this is where it all began. I made this 'drawing' over 30 years ago. It was done with colored pens on paper that I had drawn my own grid lines on with pencil. It was my own handmade wrapping paper for a present I gave my mom. Thankfully she let me keep it after she opened the present.....

So fast forward to 4 winters ago, and I was feeling a deep need to do something creative and not wanting to just sit there watching TV during the dark winter nights after work. So I started this needlepoint using the drawing as my inspiration.






My intention was to create a throw pillow cover, and work on it while watching TV. I did not plot it out as much as I should have before I got started, but for being essentially a free hand design, it has worked out pretty well. The shape of the original drawing being rectangular, and the shape for the pillow being square has of course led to some adapting.

I worked on it pretty faithfully up through the summer of 2010, and then an unexpected thing happened. I got a kitten, and then it got put away for a while. A long while.

But can you blame me for falling in love with this little guy? This picture was pretty much me every day with my little boy.

Munchkin as a kitten

So the honeymoon with Munchkin lasted a long time, and the needlepoint got put aside. It had also become apparent to me that even when I wasn't going to be cuddling him all the time, he was so playful that I wouldn't have a chance to actually do anything without him constantly swiping at the yarn.

Well he's 3 1/2 years old now, and I picked it up again in December during our two week holiday break from work. So far Munchkin has been good and not gotten in the way of my working on it. I'll post an update, and hopefully a finished project by the end of the year.

A Day In The Life of a Cat Owner

I wish I could get my cats playing like this on video. They do it all the time, especially Boo. But 90% of the time when I grab my camera, they stop and just look at me.