Stupid Stuff

As if focusing a post on my left thumb was not stupid enough - 

here are a few other stupid things cluttering up my time and my mind  - 

 so when I take my next blog break of 2 or 3 months, 

you will be able to say - “Oh thank God, she has gone blog-post-dark for a bit.

I can’t take any more stupidity."

DRINK MORE WATER

Correct.  Drinking more water is not stupid.  

But in my case I should really say - Drink water - Period!  Stupid is the “game" I play to make it happen.  Without the game I drink next to nothing.  I could go all day on a cup of coffee in the morning and a glass of wine at night and ... I never - I say N.E.V.E.R get thirsty in-between.  In fact, I could go out for a humid summer walk, work up sweat, and think - Gosh a glass of water would taste great right now! But by the time I open my front door to return, my thirst alert disappears entirely.  Yes, yes, I know, that is not normal, but a majority of my life was lived just like that.  Now as a senior, my water intake has become more important.  Hence the search for a fix ....

Meet my new water bottle!  

Or I should say, my latest new water bottle.  Lots of "almost new" water bottle clutter my kitchen cabinet and are failures for one reason or another.  What I really need is a water bottle with authority ... that has a hand that reaches out, grabs my collar and says “Drink!!”   But failing that feature, here is what this new bottle does provide that the others missed.

• It divides the water into time periods.  I can look at the bottle and think - oh, I am 2 hours behind.  So I drink down to the current time.
• It has a “waist.”  I can get my hand around it.  Many bottles are so fat that it isn’t comfortable in the hand.
• It has a handle that lets me carry it easily when walking.
• It has a tight seal so it doesn’t leak.
• It has a wide mouth that easily accepts ice.  Water without ice is still impossible for me.

Nothing is perfect, so here are its 2 short-comings so far.

• It has a fat bottom so it doesn’t fit into my car’s cup holder.
• It sweats because of the ice.  It would be nice to have a thin insulation to prevent sweating.

I certainly demand a lot from a water bottle, don’t you think?  The question is ... has it worked. 

Day 1 -  I drank my full 64 ounces of water or the required 2 fill ups!! Smashing success!  

Day 2 -  I drank 32 ounces - only one fill up. Hmmm, ok ... more than the ‘none’ which is my normal.

Day 3 -  The next day I drank only 16 ounces and I managed to forget the darn bottle at my son’s house. 

*sigh*. I was half way home when I discovered it was missing so I  turned around to get it.  I wouldn’t have done that for any other bottle.  I am not giving up.

But seriously, isn't it stupid I can’t seem act like a grown up, go into the kitchen and fill a glass with water several times and day - and drink it - voluntarily?

HOUSE PLANTS

I finally have a cat who doesn’t eat plants!  Way To Go, Aja!!  

Just a short detour on the plant news.  Here is a picture of Aja sleeping out in the living room.  She finally just this week showed she is comfortable sleeping near us outside the bedroom and by an open window with street noise - but only if there are no others about.

And just now, for the first time in 17 months, I watched her clean herself!  She is always clean, so I knew she was grooming, but I never actually saw it.   Today ... another forward baby step in our relationship.

Just Amazing! 😍

And now the plants ....

After 52 married years with cat companions and being forced to choose between cats and plants - I can now have both.  

I live on the sunny side of the building.  This summer I got a few flowering geraniums that love the sun.  They remind me of my student teaching days in early 1969 when I had a mentor teacher, Mrs. Miller, who was still teaching at 70 (I am in my 70’s and just can’t imagine managing a class of 30 2nd graders at 70).  She had a row of geraniums that stretch the length of her class room along the windows. She pampered them every morning.

These are hardy plants but sometimes have problems adjusting to the indoors in the fall (or that is what I read on line.)  Hoping these few will winter well enough indoors.

What is the stupid part!  I obsess.  Every morning I check all the leaves and pick off the ones that look like they are failing.  I remove blossoms that are at the end of their blooming cycle.  Check the dirt for watering.  I move some indoors or move some out - looking for a stress reaction caused by changing locations.  Ever - single - morning. And while I am doing this I am pondering names for them.  Yep, names!

You see, one of my geraniums came with the name:  Mrs. Pollock on her plant tag!  That is the actual name of the version of geranium she is.  She has the most beautiful tri-colored leaves.   Then I looked at the other plants.  Nameless!  

So ... do YOU know anyone else who considered naming their plants?  I haven’t done any naming yet, but the thought crosses my mind now. What would be a good name for a geranium!  Here is a picture of Mrs. Pollock’s leaf.  She doesn’t need flowers for me because her leaves are so pretty.  But she is having the most trouble transferring to the indoors.  

I am pretty sure there is a Giovanni somewhere in my group!!  Giovanni Geranium has a certain ring to it.  Or maybe Geronimo!! And then my mind drifted to ... those are male names.  hmmm ...  I wonder if Mrs. Miller had this problem.

Can things get any more stupid?
  

MY NEIGHBOR (no pictures but a sad story)

I live in a 55+ condo community so I live very close to other people.  Many original owners have died or moved away, but we still have a small percentage of the population well past their abilities to live independently.  

And that was the case of my neighbor, (I’ll call her Jane.). Jane was a nice lady, but a little foggy.  She didn’t seem to have friends in the community, never attended owner meetings, never out for walk, hardly every made trips to the trash dumpster.  Once she mentioned watching her son’s children at his house. Ahh, I figured ... that's where her life and connections are. Still, it seemed odd that family or friends never visited her in her condo.  When we moved here neighbors shared that she liked to shop by mail.  It was common for 3 or 4 packages to be waiting in the foyer for her several times a week.  They whispered the word “hoarder” to me.  I felt bad that they shared this with me - a virtual stranger at that point. I was uncomfortable with this talk and would often pick up her packages from the first floor and set them by her door out of sight of judgemental eyes.  After all, she was hurting no one.  But over the 5 years she and I lived side by side, we were barely acquaintances. 

Three weeks ago I noticed big changes.  She had been gone for a long time it seemed.  Others were going in and out of her unit.  Many very large black trash bags filled the hallway. Those disappeared.  And more re-appeared, but disappeared again.  Later a junk truck pulled up behind the building and started to fill.  It arrived many more times that I noticed and was always full to the brim.  But I never saw Jane.  I began to worry that she had passed away.  At one point I stopped a lady going in - turns out it was her daughter from Florida (wow, I didn’t know she had a daughter ... who apparently never visited ...  sorry, that was unkind of me.) She assured me Jane was fine, had been hospitalized, and was in rehab. She would not be returning, but moving directly to Florida, and they (her brother and her) would be selling the unit.  Ok ... I felt some relief that family was finally stepping in to help her.

So what is the stupid stuff?  For a woman who I barely knew - I felt sad.  In moving, her life and stuff, that she had so carefully hidden from the neighbors was suddenly on full display. While I am sure she could not participate in the condo clean up without saving everything,  it appeared that literally every decision regarding her stuff was lifted from her.   Of course other residents noticed this activity.  Word of this move passed beyond my building.  They commented on a single truck load of flattened boxes.  I heard the truck staff were pawing through other truck loads, pulling things out for themselves.  I am glad I didn’t see that.  Some residents were checking with others - how many trucks did you see? I wanted to shut down that talk.  But I kept my mouth shut.  I have to live here for probably another 10-15 years.  A neutral stance is better.

But I did ponder my own future.  My over riding goal when cleaning out and downsizing - is that I take care of shedding my belongings myself and not become burden to my children (and after this experience avoid being the topic of idle discussion by the neighbors.)  You can be very sure, this episode planted thoughts in my mind that will not easily fade.  

I guess, ... as I type this story for you, I realize this concern for a near stranger isn’t stupidity, but just common, run-of-the-mill, compassion for another human being.  It is compassion for an aging woman undergoing a big change imposed on her for her own good - but beyond her ability to contribute or control.  It is advancing age robbing a person of their independence. This is an emotion am very familiar with as I lived with this thought every day when caring for my own aging mother.  And it is a reminder to me that I still have control - for now.  

Here’s hoping Jane is in a better place in Florida - with a fresh start at life and new neighbors who don’t know all her secrets and a daughter nearby for support.

And as for myself, I won’t raise any ‘red flags’ for my family to worry about - like putting name tags on my geraniums.  We will just keep that little secret between you and I. 😂

My Left Thumb and Aja

Here is a bit more of what has filled my time since July

 from the perspective of my Left Thumb.

(Yes, my left thumb!)

My left thumb has registered a significant objection recently.  Who knew that it had opinions!?!  That is an unfortunate evolution because I am in the thick of crocheting 2 sizable projects which I have every intention of finishing and I suspect my new craze - crocheting - is the cause of this thumb revolt. All my other fingers are agreeable to my creative needs.  Since my thumb seems to be full of opinions lately, I thought I would give it an opportunity to express some of them now.

So here we go!

Annie Crochet Striped Afghan Club in Plumberry - almost done.  (Vote from the thumb 👎)

I am nearing the end of this project. I was really drawn to this club because not only did you get a the yarn and pattern instructions for 3 different stripes once a month, but you are given access to the video tutorials.  For me the video tutorials were invaluable. 

I have learned a lot using this club, but I am still not comfortable with the written instructions or the crochet charts with all the odd ball graphic designs the look like Chinese picture writing to me.  Regardless, I love working on this blanket and would consider another Annie’s Club - maybe a knitting club. (from the thumb 👍)

One last pleasant discovery.  The acrylic yarn used is Premier Anti Pilling Everyday Worsted.  I had never heard of it before, but the colors are pure, the feel is very natural, there is no splitting and the stitches are sharp in definition.  My favorite acrylic now.  And it can be found at various yarn websites.

Queen Blanket (vote from my thumb 👎) 

This blanket made with mosaic crochet looks intricate but really it is so simple. The technique of mosaic crochet is a bit time consuming and the size makes this a long term project.  Still, the result is eye catching and very enjoyable to work on. The will be a very big project and will take more than a year so more crocheting is in my future (from the thumb 👎!!!)

Shelley Scarf/Wrap (vote from the thumb 👍)

My left thumb loves this project so I’ve made a lot of progress on this knitted project. 

This project has a simple 2 row repeat and one row is a purl row.  How simple can it get!  Apparently, for me, the simpler the pattern, the more likely mistakes occur.  Luckily, it is fairly forgiving pattern as it is pretty easy to correct a mistake in the previous row from the purl row.  In fact, if you use the right yarn - mistakes can be corrected anywhere in the pattern.  I had to make 2 corrections by actually sewing up errors  (almost like darning) with a separate piece of yarn and weaving in those ends.  Once done, it is pretty invisible.  In a solid color, that might not work, but my yarn has variations of shades.

And now on to my little Princess 👍👍👍:

AJA

Aja is so much fun. Little habits that she repeats and trusted moments that she dispenses (when the time is right for her, of course) are lovely to see. Her latest game is playing catch with our feet as we walk.. Claws are in - and she does a tap tap on our ankles. If you turn, she stops, looks, then runs away. Sort of a version of the game of Tag. At first we didn’t know what she was doing. But she does it frequently with both of us.  

She also is fond of jumping onto my lap in the evenings.  It is pretty much the only pictures I get.  And she doesn’t really care if you have knitting or a computer on your lap.  When she is coming up - she is coming!

When Aja was new to us she was a little 'black box' that was filled with mystery.  When you get a kitten, their black box is totally empty (sort of like their kitten brain - totally empty.) 😁  Adult cats have stuff hidden in their black box.   In her early days with us I made contact with her previous owner through Facebook.  We had a few lovely messages back and forth, and I learned a lot about Aja that she was keeping hidden.  From those Facebook chats there is a phrase that is stuck in my head.  But her previous owner said, “Thank you for giving her a chance.”  Awww ... 

"Giving her a chance...”  I guess that is what it looked like we were doing.  But what Aja and her previous “mama” could not know was - this wasn’t a “chance.”  There was no chance that it might not work out.  There was no “chance” that we would return her to the shelter (which I am quite sure does happen.)  Even if we would only have a marginal distant relationship with her, she was staying.  Aja landed in a home that didn’t rely on chances.  She was ours - for better or worse!  That is how we roll.

That’s all folks!!  

When she is done, she is done.  

I get tapped with her tail a few time in departing and then she is off to other things.

I am a persistent person - if it takes a year - if it takes 10 years, if I want to do something, I am going to do it.  And I wanted to conquer this little cat’s fear and distrust. And I think I have.  But that one comment has stuck with me anyway.  "Thank you for giving her a chance.”  Aja has proved she is worth many, many, chances.  As many chances as it takes - and almost all pets deserve that - unlimited chances because the circumstances of their past lives are really not of their making. She was lucky on several counts.  She had a good life before us and she has a good life now.  We love our little Aja, and I think she finally loves us.

I checked on Facebook and her former mama has removed her Facebook page content.  Only her name is there.  I left a message for her hoping she gets it.  I got the sense she really loved this little cat and was upset that Aja was in the shelter 2 weeks before someone took her.  I can’t imagine how hard it was to know her little Aja couldn’t make the move to another state with her.  I am hoping she remembers to check in on this blog to see how Aja is doing.  She is doing just great. (from the thumb 👍).

👍 

Now that I have given the stage (so to speak) to my left thumb, I am hoping that it will start to settle down.  A compression glove, cold packs, no crocheting for 3 weeks and regular applications of Penetrex (an inflammation cream) have had limited success.  Maybe giving it the opportunity to get a few things off its chest (do thumbs have chests?) will do the trick!

So what have I learned today.  Thumbs have opinions, perspectives and chests. Thumbs hate crocheting, but thumbs can’t speak so they are limited to emojis.  I have also learned to be grateful that this little 2-3 inch portion of my body is the only part putting up a fuss.  At my age, that is a fact to be celebrated.

(Now hunting around to find some wood to knock on!!!)

Maybe a New Title

 I am thinking of changing my blog name to

 “My Next 20 Years of Living: A Year at a Time.”  

I am slipping into the habit of posting only a few times a year!  I often think maybe I should just close the blog down.  I can see how it will all play out in my mind.  Do a graceful exit speech ...  you know ... taking a bow, wishing everyone well, throwing kisses to the crowd (if anyone is still out there reading - ha!), heading off to new but unidentified adventures, and drawing the curtains on this blog.  Then I remember, when I started in 2010 I thought 20 years was forever into the future.  But from where I am standing now - my “next 20 years” from 2010 takes me out to 2030.  Wow, that is pretty darn close.  It isn’t “forever.”  And I will be 83 in 2030.   83!  Hard to wrap my mind around that number.  hmmm .... isn’t 83 the “new 63?”  haha! Nope, not even I believe that.

So I talk myself out of quitting.

After all I still have things going on.  My wonderful kids are in the prime of their lives.  Professional and personal success.  Living comfortably, raising an amazing new generation and just generally improving the world with their presence.  I still have a life partner of 52 years and counting.  Turns out he needs me now more than he did when we first married.  (Its hard to express just how important vision is until you lose it.). Then there is Aja, our adult 'Covid Cat adoption.' God knows she keeps us amused and engaged.  And I still have not knitted through ALLLL my yarn stash yet (which means - if that is a goal - I will need to live to 115!)  Topping all that off, there is this amazing grand daughter in my life who is 3.  Now that is one little human being who is going to change the world.  If I live to be 115 - I might just get to see it.

Nope!  Not quitting.  

So what has been happening since July.

First off my darling, amusing and smart-as-a-whip grand daughter is a regular part of my life.  

Here she is carrying her Minnie Mouse leather purse her father (my talented son) made for her.  She thinks her dad can do anything (and I am hard pressed to disagree with her. 😁)

Here she is getting ready to go out on a boat with her dad.

 Her honorary uncle owns the boat is putting her life vest on. 

(That face says: Yah! I am cool.)

And here is a special cookie her grand mother (me)

 got for her loaded with icing.  Yummy - so she says.

A sugar high (and low) in the making!

And here is her first day of preschool picture - the first of many!

What to say about this little person!  She is not only smart and can talk circles around you, she is a competitive 3 year old.  In August she went to the beach with family and extended family for the first time.  In that group was Will, her cousin, who is 4 years old.  The age difference of 6 months was nothing in their relationship.  Some conversations that were overheard were:

Will:  I am 4 years old.

Esk:   Well, I am 5!  (Poor Will lost that one - even though it was based on an exaggeration of the

           truth. Ok, a lie. But still ... )

Will:  My dad can jump on one leg.

Esk:   Well, my dad has 2 legs!!!  (Sorry Will.  Looks like you lost that one, too.  But the dads had

           fun with it.  My son reminded Will’s dad ALL week, that HE had 2 legs.  And Will’s dad has 2

           legs as well, but let’s not let a little bit of logic get in the way of winning one!  Right, Esk!)

I wish I could have been there.  Watching and listening to the 2 of them together would have been truly priceless.  My first video upload is below and I sure hope it works for you.  This is a movie of Esk and Will dancing together by the pool.  When I am feeling low, I watch this 1 minute and 20 second video and I feel myself smiling and laughing.  Hope you feel that way too.

So I guess the question is why wasn’t I there?  Well the Outer Banks is 5-6 hours away from home and I feel uncomfortable being so far away leaving my husband with no back up (both my kids were on this trip.). So I made myself useful and stayed with my son and daughter-in-laws two dogs.  A dog week for me - I used to do that kind of house and dog sitting all the time before the pandemic - but the pandemic changed all that.  So here are my pictures from that same week.

They like to stay close.  

Very close.  

Sometimes it is a little claustrophobic, but they need more attention when “their peoples’ are gone.

They have a beautiful side porch that the dogs and I completely enjoyed sitting on.

This bulldog is Ragnar - Rags for short.  

Getting a front picture of him is hard when he was determined

 to put his butt on my lap keeping me close.

This is Olivia - Livvy or Beansie for short.  

She isn’t quite so clingy but loves attention just as much.

Yes, that is 60+ pound Rags running full out down the hill in their fenced in yard - directly at me.  I have learned never to move when he does that.  He darts to the side at the last minute and invariably he darts in the direction I have chosen to move - taking me out!  He hasn’t master stopping all that well! He is such a character.

 

The location of their house is wonderful - acres between houses, lots of green and trees, neighbors are far enough away that there is tons of privacy and lovely silence.

I did lots of reading and knitting and crocheting and TV Netflix watching - and mid-day visited my husband till after dinner.  Sort of a mini-vacation for me as well.

This was a long post and I’ll close it for now.  I’ll be back because I have pictures of my projects to share and Aja pictures to include.  And who knows, maybe some other stuff as well.

Nope - not quitting yet.  Who would I bore with my pictures if not you wonderful people!

Till next time ...

Still Here

I am still here ... just not very productive in the blog world.  But life has marched on regardless ... and here is a summary of me running to catching up to it. 

Milo

A sad event.  Although I don’t own a dog, I have been an active participant and “grandma" to my children’s dogs.  The 3 dogs shown in this picture grabbed my heart for the whole of their lives just as securely as if they lived with me full time.  From left to right: Meathead, Milo, and Grimace in much younger days.

Meathead and Grimace passed away many years ago taking pieces of my heart with them.  Milo died last weekend at the age of 11 after a long struggle with pneumonia.  He was the last of this trio to leave us and my heart aches for him so much.  I hate that he is gone.  As searingly painful it is to let them go ... and to stand with them as their heart stops and they take their last breath ... it is a final loving gift of comfort for them surrounded by "their people” in those last moments.  This was my daughter’s first experience with euthanasia.  So the pain was particularly intense for me watching her part from her most beloved best friend, Milo. 

You lived a long life fully devoted to my daughter who is now missing you terribly. 

Your grandma is missing another part of her heart.

Rest In Peace my sweet boy. 

Aja

Aja continues to surprise us.  This past May she passed her one year anniversary with us.  Just when I think she has reached her full level of comfort with us, she moves forward another step.  I don’t think people realize (or in some cases accept) the amount of time that is needed for an adult pet adoption. 

If she is looking a little chubby in that picture - it is because she has gained some weight.  When she came she was a gaunt 7.8 pounds.  I suspect she didn’t eat much during those 2 weeks at the shelter.  At her last check up she was over 10 pounds.  She loves her meal times.  And we carefully cater to her likes and dislikes.

Here are her ‘achievements' since I last wrote (No photographic proof, of course.  She avoids any documentation that she is evolving.  She would loose her “cat credentials” if she allowed pictures of her exploits.🤣)

• Jumps on the bathroom counter top. Seriously, I didn’t think she could jump at all - she did it so seldom. Now she leaps up like it is no big deal!  How she disguises her abilities!! 
• Jumps up on the bed when my husband and I are both on it - big WOW!
• Lays beside my husband when he is lying on the bed - not for a long time and not all that frequently - but Aja is all about baby steps.  My husband was so stunned when she did this the first time, he didn’t want to move - or even breathe, fearing he would scare her off.  She was definitely “testing” the waters.  Always testing!
• Roams the condo many times a day.  A bit skittish when she does it, but is learning to be daring!
• Has picked a living room window to watch the world from that is not in the bedroom. That would be her “chubby” picture above.

We are really happy she is our “special girl."

Eskarina

We have finally reached the point of normalcy in grand daughter visitation.    What an amazing little person she is becoming.  

Although she is not vaccinated yet, being only 3 years old, everyone around her is vaccinated so the circle of protection is safe for all.

Her use of language continues to astound me.  Such sentence structure and complexity of thought coming from that little mind!  Of course, now that she can parrot back everything she hears, adult speech has to be carefully monitored.  No “f” bombs - as my son recently discovered!  😂 All words are fair game in the mind of a 3 year old.  

Knitting /Crochet

For me, this is the Year of the Blanket apparently!  No pictures yet but soon. I am working on two afghans now, and one or two more are waiting in the wings to be started.  And ironically they are ALL crochet!!  I also want to knit a sweater for my grand daughter.  She has finally reached the age where she won’t outgrow a handmade item in 3 months.

In other areas ...

As I grieve the passing of Milo, my normal reaction is to clean, declutter, re-organize. Basically just keep moving.  Action and distraction lifts me out of obsessing out of my sadness for a time.  Sitting still and thinking about the loss makes the whole grieving process so intense.  Walking would do the same thing, but the heat outside right now would sap my strength, so staying busy inside air conditioning is the next best thing.

Yesterday I vacuumed and steamed cleaned the carpets.  It is a job that takes hours because I also try to move things to reach areas that normally don’t get cleaned.  As much as I would like to replace this 18+ year old wall-to-wall carpeting, it cleans up beautifully when it has been steamed cleaned. It is just a lot of work to do it.  Next up - the pantry and the fridge.  Both need attention.  

And in my walking around I routinely simplify the spaces and surfaces in my condo.  After years of having tons of bricka-a-bracka all over every surface, I now find peace in cleared spaces.  As it turns out, it also helps my blind husband who would find maneuvering around “stuff” very difficult.

We also did a few big things this year.  This winter we replaced all the windows.  Part of that process was stripping them of the double hung drapes the previous owner had installed.  I am not fond of curtains or drapes but I kept them for 4+ years while doing other big improvements.  I am very pleased with the blinds we installed this spring.  They are the traditional size - not mini - and they are white with gray highlights similar to the markings of wood.  My carpet is gray so it works well.  They have a nice header and are complete as they are without the trappings of additional drapery.  Simple clean lines.

This coming August we will be in this condo for 5 years.  The list of condo improvements seems enormous when looking back.  New windows and window treatments throughout, new kitchen appliances, a new bathroom toilet in the guest bath, a new garbage disposal, 3 new lights/ceiling fan combinations, a new screen door for the deck, a new deck light, 3 new10-year smoke alarms, and a new air conditioner.  With each change this condo feels more like my space and less like someone else’s space I am visiting - a feeling that still haunts me at times.  

Next year we will probably tackle the flooring.  And there are other items that need a more current update. But I may change my mind on all these future changes.  They will be expensive and very disruptive.  When I was 30 or 40, or even 50, I could anticipate staying put in a home and enjoying the improvements for another 20 years or so.  Now, at 74, our future is harder to predict. We may have reached the point that condo improvements would not be a good use of money or time. Time marches on.

If I could just slow down that marching of time ... or even just roll it back a bit so I could give that dear dear grand dog Milo - one more hug.

That’s all for now.  Hope it isn’t months before I write again. Thanks for stopping by.

  

Commenting on the Comments

I rarely respond to comments and questions on my blog now that I use the Pop Up commenting.  I can’t reply in real time on the same post unless I choose to add a separate comment of my own to my post.  I am not sure if that method of reply would be seen since most people never look backwards on the blogs they follow.  Then I got to thinking ... why not have a “Reply Post” that follows the main post a few days later.  So here is my Reply Post.  We will see how this goes.

”Have you made a date [to see Esk] with dear Eskarina and her parents?”  YES!!  I should have mentioned that in my previous post.  In fact, the date was scheduled on my calendar the very first moment I snagged the first shot date!!  I went right to my calendar and counted out the days and marked my “Liberation Day” in bold red print. And there will be a blog post, Michelle, when it happens. “Liberation Day” is April 20 around 12:30 pm (yes I know the time as well) -  not that I am counting the minutes or anything.   However, she goes to day care during the workweek so we are holding off our reunion until the weekend when we have a “Sleep over at Grandma’s" condo all planned on April 23.  It will be joyous in the extreme.  I hope I can get through the first hour of the visit without crying.  Even in the Google Video calls with her - which do happen frequently - I can see that she has grown and matured.  During one of those video calls Esk asked me if I could show her the toys and her bed at my house through the phone 😢.  As I "walked her” on the phone into the guest room, I was fighting tears. While it is lovely she remembered these things and wanted to see them again,  it made me so sad that the only way we could do that was through a cell phone.   And although I am looking forward to seeing her parents as well, I know they are just as eager to have some time to themselves - even if it is just to get some sleep.  😄

And as for Aja!  She is definitely a female, Cynthia.  And I can assure you that the difference between female and male cats is like different solar systems.  The males (we have had 9 of those) are the party, party, party animals.  Pretty much happy-go-lucky!  More dog-like than cat-like.  The females (we have had 2 counting Aja) are the business end of the species.  It is nature’s way of assuring that kittens will survive.  Even in the wild, the female lions are the hunters and the male lions are the “figure heads” who wait for the meal to be brought down by their female mates. The true power is in the female.  It is probably true of most mammals.  It is just more evident in animals like cats - who are unlikely to hide their true nature.

I also learned some interesting things about orange female cats yesterday.  Orange females are relatively rare. This info came from another female orange cat owner who asked if Aja’s personality was “spicy.”  Why, funny you should ask.  Yes!  What a perfect description of her personality.  Spicy. This informal source said spicy personalities are a common trait of orange females.  So off I went to Google to do a little research.  Yes,  pretty much all sources agree - about 81% of ginger cats are male.  Ginger females carry the orange gene on both X chromosomes.  Both her parents had to be orange according to the sources I read.  But the “spicy” personality observation was not supported.  In fact, it was suggested be  the reverse.  While the strongest influence on personality tends to be early socialization, males tend to be the “spicier” of the two.  That observation does not appear to be based on any science like the color of the fur.  You can’t help but wonder, however, ... since there is only observational evidence on personality, maybe there is something to it - just not proven.  Everyone agrees, however, that orange cats are very friendly.  And Aja is.  She just doesn’t always know how to contain that joyous feeling at times.

Terra, Leigh, Marie and Lefty, thank you for your kind comments on the crochet.  I am definitely a novice in crochet.  The actual stitches aren’t hard but knowing where to begin and end rows still is sometimes a mystery.  Last year I started a crochet blanket and got about 5 inches done when I discovered the blanket was getting wider.  Obviously I had been unintentionally increasing on the edges.  I ripped it all out and decided crochet just wasn’t for me.  Then I discovered the Annie’s Club Kits - I liked the patterns and each kit came with video assistance. You could see quite clearly where the hook needed to go to begin or end.  While the cost of the total Kit is pretty high for what is acrylic yarn, the assistance and knowledge building more than make up for the cost.  And when you commented on the colors in the blanket I had to smile. I like browns and tans also, but there are no browns and tans in the blanket.  I tried so hard to capture the colors and failed miserably.  The colors are in the plum family with a pop of turquoise for contrast.  Even the professional pictures that came with the directions don’t show the colors correctly.

Finally to my walking friend, Karen, Happy One.  I think of you often and how lucky you are to have such a beautiful place to walk every single day (for 6 miles - yes, folks, she walks 6 miles every day - my hero!)  While our move to this condo was perfect in many ways, walking paths or even just sidewalks are in short supply in Elkridge.  It is not Columbia, where the developers were following the vision of James Rouse with pedestrian friendly neighborhoods. And Sandy, your idea for audio books while walking is something I used to do when I was on my own walk.  It does pass the time.  I am trying to get out later in the evening by myself when he has gone to bed.  He is an early to bed (7:00 pm) but late to sleep (10:00 pm) person - listening to his audio books for a few hours before sleeping.  With the longer days this works ok.  I get in a short walk around my condo development. (boring, but walking). But I miss wandering around randomly and spontaneously like Happy One does. 

Not sure how this worked for you guys.  I feel like I closed the loop on the last post with responses.  I probably won’t be back blogging again until I see Esk - in the flesh - on the 23rd - with a box of tissues in my hand and my other arm around her slim little body.    

Stay well all! 

A "Don’t Fence Me In” Update

The habit of writing seems to be lost on me of late!  The thought of writing pops up at regular intervals but the action seems absent.  Lately, if there is a structure to anything in my life - I seem to resist it!  Regardless, I am here now, so update time.

COVID-19 VACCINATION update

I am within a week of being fully vaccinated - meaning that I will soon pass the 2 week waiting period after the 2nd shot.  I won’t be barred from seeing my family anymore (specifically my dearest grand daughter.)  FREEDOM!  But I have been fortunate in this pandemic.  No illness and little to no reaction to either shot.   But I will continue mask wearing and social distancing until we are closer to herd immunity ... because that is the sensible, logical and the “adult” thing to do - until we ALL can be free!!

DIET update 

I spent time thinking about my diet - not for weight loss but mostly for health.  I finally settled on a mostly Mediterranean diet.   But it isn’t really ‘mediterranean' if you aren’t being semi compliant!  In the end I settled on listening to my body’s needs! And what is needs are smaller meals, more veggies, less meat, lower carbs and no 'no-nos!’ That is as much limitation as I am willing to do.

EXERCISE update

I miss walking.   Walking "my way."  And during this pandemic,  any kind of walking has been scarce.  I refuse to blame the pandemic. Nothing has kept me from going outside and walking during these months.  Nothing but myself and one small deterrent.

What is most satisfying about walking is the solitary time, walking by myself.  Setting my own pace, viewing the scenery, thinking about things - mind drifting, no socialization or expectations.  But my husband also needs to walk and due to is disabiity, he cannot walk alone.  Oh I know there are blind folks who can do absolutely everything independently, but those kind of people are very rare when you lose vision as a senior.  That means when I walk (with him) I am "on duty."  I have to be on alert the whole time to make sure the obsticals are announced or avoided, always checking our pace since he has exactly one speed - fast - but he doesn’t have the heart and lung capacity for that speed any more.  His mind drifts, he forgets to “listen” to the messages his cane gives him.   I know it sounds (and feels) a little selfish to want to have some alone time on my walks.  But the only fix for this is to find time for 2 walks a day.  Working on this.

CLEANING OUT update

I joined a blog event last fall called Making Space. But as I suspected, I found the discipline of blogging about it hard.  I enjoy reading the posts of others, but I am happy to clean out on my own when the spirit moves me.  

My current decluttering has focused on exercise tapes and cook books.  

I get absolutely NO satisfaction out of exercising indoors.  If I am forced to exercise inside, I prefer to have a list of exercises that I can do while I watch some sort of distracting TV.  And yet I had a shelf and a half of exercise disks - each one I thought would be “the one” that helped me get in shape indoors. I am down to about 5 disks.  Big declutter there.

I hardly ever crack open a cookbook.  Same logic - I buy the book thinking this is “the one” that will help me enjoy cooking.  I will make wonderful tasty things from that book. Never! When I want a new recipe, I just hop on my computer and print something out.  I have several loose leaf binders of recipes I have pulled from the internet that I use when menu building.  I have donated a great number of cookbooks, and now I am in the process of cannibalizing a few - pulling out any recipes I made that were good, but never repeated because ... well ... hardly ever crack open a cookbook.

Funny, I never thought I would get rid of exercise tapes and favorite cookbooks.  And here I doing both.

KNITTING AND CROCHETING update

Scarf - my only knitting project right now. Finger weight yarn and it will take a long time finish because ...

... I started an Annie’s Club project called Plumberry Sampler Afghan in crochet.  

This is an indoor shot of the first 6 rows of this Afghan.  The colors are hard to capture correctly.

This is an outdoor shot and the colors are closer to normal.  

And even with natural light, the colors don’t show as true.

I am enjoying working on this - it is a great crochet learning project.  And the yarn they use for this is wonderful stuff.  Acrylic, but hard to tell without the label.

Queen blanket, also crochet, is well underway.  This is the most satisfying project I am working on at present.  No pictures to share yet but the finished object should look something like this.

My colors will be somewhat different, but you get the idea.  It really is a fun and easy project.

And then there is this little lady, Aja.

Yes, that is a smug and self-satisfied face.  Don’t those eyes say it all.  

She has made large strides with my husband.  And he has put great effort into it.  Several times a day, he goes into the bedroom to “visit” Aja.  He sits on the bed and she jumps up and rubs and rubs and rubs - and he pets - and usually it ends peacefully.  She gets herself over stimulated ending in a hiss or a swipe, but that is more rare now.  Oh, she does come out of the bedroom and wanders around the condo regularly, but she is most comfortable where her two beds are and food and litter - and she has safety behind the gate at the bedroom door (it has a cat door in it - and no one but her can pass through.) So she can come out any time she wants.

Here she is behind my recliner.  And if you look close, Milo is in the recliner.  Guess she felt the coast was clear if he was asleep.

Next month it will be the first anniversary of her adoption.  She has come sooo far since that skinny frightened and distrustful cat came to live with us.  Change is hard for her.  Not everyone could give her the time and distance she needed to adjust.  I kind of feel like she was just meant to be with us.  We love her so much and she has shown in her own way that those feelings are returned.

I think I hit all the topics.  Until next time ...