New Frame

Dad got us a terrific HP frame. This is my first slideshow. It's the contents of an SD card. By the way - they are now calling Silly - Midnight... creative.



There is more to do - edits to make - better photos to select but I had to at least get started.

Here's Silly!

Here's a few pictures of Silly. She is still young, tame and cute. She runs around with the other cat (second picture) that the people who live at the Comfort House seem to feed and maybe care for. It's hard to know. Talking to residents, it's not easy to figure out what's really going on. Robert, who is pictured with Silly in the third picture talks quite a bit. He's told me stories of the residents, the employees and the neighbors. I am careful what I say to him.

Cats at Home, Cats being Patriotic

Dee was taking pictures - the first two portray cats being dramatic. The second two - cats being patriotic. These were taken at home.

Silly

Silly is the new cat next door - there is a sort of group-home behind us and the residents sit outside in the good weather and one of them is VERY talkative and told me all about the cat. I think she stays inside part of the time. She's little, black, and lithe - still partly a kitten. Of course she's not fixed. I will try to get pictures up this weekend.

Election Day

Oddly, I am full of hope today, election day. Living in a small town in the middle of Missouri there are a lot of McCain-Palin signs - my neighbor has three in her yard. The rumors and tales are plentiful - buying in to every conspiracy theory about Obama. Meanwhile, I am full of anxious hope that Obama will win - stifled glee that someone who isn't embarrassing, portraying us as nation of hillbillies, has a shot at the Whitehouse-someone who sounds smart and hopefully IS smart! When the pollsters call, I somehow have gotten on a list and have gotten at least 2 calls from live humans a night, I tell them, "Obama better win." Now, all we can do is wait and see. I don't know what I hope for - the government will continue to tick me off. I just feel an impending sense of relief that our nation's status in the world can be mended.

By the way, I did get a small camera so I will be photographing this brand new day. There is a new cat next door - they call her Silly. She is small and social. She begs to be a star!

I voted today - absentee. I figured if there was a long line, standing would be either a pain or a problem (stupid MS) so I guaranteed my civic duty would be fulfilled by driving to the next town over where I cast my ballot. I am a patriot too! Here is an artsy rendition of the flag during a great era of painting:

Flag. 1954–55 Encaustic, oil, and collage on fabric mounted on plywood (three panels)

42 1/4 x 60 5/8" (107.3 x 154 cm)

The Museum of Modern Art, New York Gift of Philip Johnson in honor of Alfred H. Barr, Jr.

© 1996 Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Facelift

Here we see the "before and after" photos of the house. I should look around - the before picture doesn't do it justice - there were two sweetgum trees - big leaves, prickly gumballs everywhere and worst of all, invasive roots taking out the foundation. Well, the trees came down and yesterday the stumps were removed. Here it is:

Buy it?

I have a decent digital camera but you know what? I take pictures to post on my blog, to send to friends and family and to keep as records. I don't print them, I don't do anything too terribly complicated with editing them. I use picnik.com to quickly edit and then save either to my picasa site or my hard drive. I'm not terribly organized about my pictures either. So - I am thinking of buying a second camera, small and tiny and cheap to take with me on my walks and in my car. I've seen them for as cheap as $20. I could take pictures of the cats of Moberly. I saw four on the way to work the other day and it just saddens me that I am not prepared to snap. So stand by, while I figure this out - the deer I saw on my walk in the park today, the praying mantis on the building downtown and the cats of Moberly might be arriving in lovely low definition color!

Haunted Lamp

The lamppost in front of my house had started looking like it could be the Addams family's lamp. It had no glass, dirty cobwebs, no bulb and was in obvious disrepair. So, Plexiglas was cut and frosted, a light bulb was installed and now it looks somewhat complete. There is no light from the bulb but that really doesn't matter. The picture doesn't do it justice as it is in the rain but you see where I'm going with this. It looks better - like life exists within. I'm getting estimates on tree removal and the dreaded sweet gum trees (see the comments after the article) with spindly balls and invasive roots will be removed in a couple weeks. I won't have to pick up balls or rake leaves from it this fall. I cannot wait! The tree is pretty but when the roots grow halfway back the house and through the foundation, it has to stop. I hope that removing the trees and stumps will stop this monster.

Ahhh if only topics stuck to Smalltown Life and Cats!

Up Close

Bug Control, Bug Patrol

It's hard to shoot a picture from a darkish room of a moving cat after a fly. This day was Margeaux's day of glory. She stalked, killed, ate and barfed three big flies! I am happier to see her go after gnats. Our house is devoid of indoor spiders and the occasional wayward mosquito does not last long with three predators patrolling. Shannon, may she rest in kitty peace, used to wait at the hole in the wall of our apartment and prey upon the crickets that emerged. She'd leave the legs and we'd be aghast at the carnage! Dee vacuumed up the spindly remains with horror, yet admiration, that Shannon was so dedicated to the task.

Flowers of My Back Yard

The morning glories are finally blooming! It is September 1 and last week they began unfurling in a blue and fuchsia display. The vines have been crazy - wrapping around anything it can including itself. I will plant fewer morning glories next year! The moonflowers (relative of morning glory but blooms at night) have shown one blossom. It was several inches across - white. We call the slab that is in back of the house "the back yard" and have now put a black iron table with chairs and an umbrella to go with the Weber grill. It isn't worthy of better homes and gardens but we like it and it is a work in progress.

No New Pictures!

Gosh - not very many posts. I'm looking boring here! Actually I have been pursuing other goals and "tending the farm" which is the cats, the dog, alley cats, and a few plants and now hummingbirds! Dee's deployed so I've been handling it. I have pictures sitting on my camera waiting to be edited and so on. My other goals? I've been pretty faithfully dieting and exercising and not even blogging about it too much on my other blog, Fitness Jones, because you know, time spent sitting here typing is time NOT spent working on my goals! This weekend, I'll edit some pictures.

Berkeley, Pepperdine, and Mae West from the alley are fickle and sometimes come and shout at me for food but then seem to resent that it is Aldi brand kitty chow. Berkeley is just a beautiful wild thing and I am always amazed to understand she is no more tame than a lion in the wild or sadly and less grand, a raccoon more likely. She is, however, a cat and I cannot help but relate her to my lovely healthy house cats which are somewhat less wild.

Daisy is growing up but still drives me crazy.

Margeaux is my shadow, following me everywhere and sleeping next to or somewhat on me at night. Vegas yells at me for attention and I cannot give her enough - although she is greedy. Laura is happy with less and doesn't demand endless strokes.

I've quit biting my fingernails for a few months now - but still tear at any dry skin around them - but hey - as a lifelong nail biter, the fact I have to trim them down for my weightlifting is unbelievable. I'd simply bite them down - more satisfying but not at all predictable.

I'm also trying so hard to get 8 hours of sleep at night and have taken to reading briefly at bedtime - I'm now reading Best American Short Stories of 2002. It's mediocre. I keep reading on to the next story, looking for a gem. Thank you to my local library.

Twin

This servile cat is the spirit twin of Margeaux. This is the expression we often see on Margeaux's face - when Dee sent me this picture, I tried to note the differences (mainly the ears) but the similarities are too clear. As she follows me wherever I may be (right now she is beside me, she sleeps next to me, and has become my shadow), I see her put on this expression and know domestic cats are not at all far from wild animals.The alley cats truly ARE wild animals. Luckily, we're bigger and have opposable thumbs.

Why did the Turtle Cross the Road?

I was going to the grocery and turning from Williams onto the road where the store is and what is emerging onto the road (possibly under my wheel)? A turtle that looked like THIS. It had a long tail. It wasn't very big - maybe 6-8 inches (without tail). So I looked behind me - stopped and got out of the car. I started hurrying the critter across the road but he's a turtle and slow and probably didn't comprehend that I wasn't the threat but oncoming vehicles might be. By this time a car was coming the other way - so I put up my hand and continued. I was still trying not to touch the turtle - it didn't look friendly and it was moving along. Finally, I carefully picked him up by his edges and sat him in the grass. I waved at the driver and smiled. I go back to my car. The drivers (by now there's one behind me, and another behind the oncoming guy) didn't honk or yell. In fact the first one drove slowly past and said hello. So there you have it. I looked up turtles and this one is closest in appearance although it didn't open it's mouth at me and it was small. I wonder why this kind of turtle was walking on the road. They tend to be water turtles... I got so into thinking about the turtle, I forgot the bran cereal and to look at my list. DANG IT! It's not a bran emergency but now I have to still get it. It's a LOT cheaper at Wal-Mart but I hate going there. I looked for the turtle on the way home (and hoped it had not be squashed) but didn't see it.

Alley Cats Feast

Cutting the Grass - with Scissors!

There's a movie where the kid has to cut the grass with scissors as punishment. I can understand the feeling of dismay trying to cut the blades of grass with those. Well, I don't have a lawn mower and my yard is approximately 12 feet by 30 feet. Should I spend money on a mower? I purchased a low-end string trimmer and it performs like a low-end thing so I've been using some cheap clippers, yes - glorified scissors, to trim the grass. When one is enduring this punishment, it is important to aim one's posterior away from the road. One invites rude comments about pea-shooters from passersby if not conscientious about that. I hope that nobody I know well sees me cutting the grass with scissors. It might just look pathetic, but it's my choice! It isn't like the grass is really all beautiful lawwwwwn grass - it's more ground cover - clover and weeds. There are long stems with pollen-covered ends on them and I whack those off. I trim by the sidewalk so it doesn't look all rangy and that's it! You know what - I don't actually care. Why should I have a perfectly manicured grassy green? My vinca is growing in front of the house but won't cover the ground for a year or so. It's all a work in progress.

Storms of Moberly

Tonight (and some today) we've had intermittent storms. There are outstanding storms here with noise and fury to be respected. I went outside to try to get some pictures of lightening but of course, we're in between storms and it's bedtime. When I visited the Oregon coast a few years ago, I was at a fair in Eugene, and there was a big clap of thunder. Everyone cheered and the drum circle beat louder in celebration. My friends explained to me that such a thing was not common. In Chicago, there were storms but I recall lake effect snow with more clarity. Growing up in Ohio, I remember sitting on the big front porch with Dad watching the rain and storms - we liked them. But honestly, these mid-Missouri storms are big and loud and what a storm should be if it's a storm to be the subject of prose. They earn that right. I know I'll be getting to sleep in a little while when the next one rolls in and I'll awaken a bit and feel good somehow. Right now I consider the electricity going out or lightening striking a tree but when I awaken to a storm, I don't overthink it - I just enjoy going back to sleep to the rumbling of thunder and the little flash-flashes of lightening.

Better Hose and Sweet Accessory

I wrote an open letter to Dee on my other blog apologizing for buying a cheap terrible hose. It probably would have been more appropriately placed here. Well, it was so awful I should have posted it at BOTH! Now, I have corrected the problem. I got a good quality hose. I have hooked it up and I have gotten a good nozzle. It was $10. I have never had such a nice nozzle. Since it sits in an area that can be seen from the road, I now fear someone will see this sweet nozzle and take it. I will probably remove it when not in use. I would be very bummed if some loser felt compelled to make off with my nozzle. I don't think the hose itself is at risk. It's cumbersome. After all that, Dee has been deployed and she won't have an opportunity to use the new hose and nozzle for a while. I will keep them safe for her visits and return.

I'm that kind of person. I admit my errors and try to make them right. Well usually. Dee, I apologize that I had to bring Margeaux home and now she destroys your flipflops and all things foam have Margeaux bites. She stays - but I'll donate to the flipflop replacement fund as needed.

Dog of Moberly

This is Daisy's summer look - tongue out and panting. This position is "lay" and is prompted by showing a closed hand as if harbouring a treat. There is always hope! Hand signals work well and look impressive. When she is good, people envy us and say how cool it is to have a dog that will do as commanded. They do not realize the hours over months that have gone into her basic obedience. Daisy has improved. She still gets wound up and has to be supervised in the house but she doesn't have potty accidents and she behaves pretty well. Margeaux is guilty of tempting her into bad behavior and Daisy has to be partially forgiven for succumbing to Margeaux's antics. Maybe I can get Dee to write about her swimming and befriending the ducks. When Dee gets back from her Army journey, I may be able to upload the video. It is incredible.

On the Other Side

The house on the other side is looking nice. I wasn't the first to take a picture of the flowers blooming next door. Lovely. My ivy is growing in the hanging baskets and the vinca is planted. It looks sparse but it is a weed and I bet that periwinkle will fill in within two years and we'll be trimming it back. The morning glories are growing out back and starting to climb. It feels like summer.

Clear at Last

It took multiple phone calls, picture taking, and an in-person visit to city hall but finally, the stinking junk is removed for the most part. As it rained this week, the boxes got moldier, broken-er, and smellier. Other people started dumping their garbage too. Why not? It looked like a dump!

I took Friday off and spent a good deal of time in the morning at city hall talking to the person responsible for code violations. Later in the day, when just enough had been taken that the loose garbage was blowing over to our property, I made another phone call to the property manager. She promised me that their maintenance would be over to complete the clean up. I used words like "unacceptable", "enough is enough", "stinking" and "unsanitary".

Finally, it is acceptable. It doesn't stink and while I wouldn't call it sanitary (there is still a broken jar of okra on the porch), it is no longer a dump site.

I got up at 3:30 a.m. today to take Dee to catch the MoEx (airport shuttle) from Columbia to St. Louis. She is in Washington state for two weeks of service. She says that the barracks are like WWII open bay barracks but that it seems okay. It's cold there and she'll have to get some sweat pants. There is some basic sushi at the base food place so she is happy with that. She plans to run 4 miles a day if possible. Meanwhile, I'll be exercising and dieting here. I'll be detailing it on my other blog for sure.

Not Just Cats

My life doesn't just include watching cats and so on. The past ten days (starting Memorial Day Weekend) has been busier than usual. Not just physically busy but mentally busy with many interruptions.

1. We still don't know what Dee is doing or when. She finally got orders for her two weeks of duty on the west coast. She leaves at 5 a.m. June 7. She will return late June 29. Then we aren't sure when she leaves for her deployment - it should be within another two weeks.

2. Margaret's family was here to wrap up her loose ends. They turned out to be looser than one would have imagined. She had not only a two story house and basement packed floor to ceiling with stuff but 6-9 sheds. I've heard different numbers. We were perfect ambassadors in all ways. We were helpful and cheerful as they piled the junk in the yard and spilled over to our yard. We helped them advertise their yard sale and we were nice - almost too nice. Others tried to help too - churchmembers hauled away truckloads of items and trash. It barely made a dent. When the family headed south, leftover items, garbage and boxes were stacked against our house and strewn over the rental property. We moved it back onto the other property and someone came and stacked it neatly, as if to take it away. BUT, so far no one has taken it away. It smells bad, has flies buzzing all around and is the end of a truly awful movie!

I have tried to capture some of the horror but alas, smell-ivision doesn't exist! We now wish we had taken pictures of the sale - it looked almost the same - ONLY MESSIER!

The report from a semi-reliable source is that the family didn't sell the items that they considered treasures. They fought over them and divided them amongst themselves, locking them behind closed doors to keep others from stealing the precious objects. The fact of the matter is - it was all JUNK. Dirty, old junk collected from dumpsters and yards. Dirty old junk that sat in a house, piled to the ceiling, piled in the basement, piled in sheds. Their precious objects - JUNK. The items in the yard sale - JUNK. The aftermath - JUNK. They even stripped the car. They gave away many cans of food - some swollen and rusted. We joked that Margaret was making her own bo-tox and was really 170 years old and that she was planning germ warfare as a defense in the impending end-times.

One thing the family wouldn't part with was Margaret's home-canned items. I know what she canned. Old, half-rotten fruit and vegetables she got from area dumpsters that laid in boxes half on our property, stinking until she took them inside. They were VERY careful to put those aside, sternly affirming, "Momma canned that food for us. We're taking it with us." Unbelievable. Tales were told later by non-family members (friends?) that some of the jars were more than ten years old. There is a story of Margaret eating food from these jars and sharing it with Melissa, her developmentally disabled daughter, and them both getting sick - Melissa not able to make it to the bathroom and so on.

We felt for Melissa and hope she'll be okay. Of course, they left behind her medicine to prevent a blood clot while she heals from the accident and surgery so we don't feel real good about all of it. We have a walk-in shower and they brought her over in a wheelchair to bathe her once last week. We sent her off with a copy of The Adventures of Milo and Otis and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which she loves). They rented a truck and a trailer but also drove a car that had a DVD player. We tried to be genuinely nice and patient with all involved but admit to hiding in the house and coming and going carefully as the drama continued.

They left at 2:30 a.m. Thursday night and piled boxes and trash against our house in a final aggravating action. Dee was awake at 4:30 Friday and urged me out the door at 5:00 to inspect and help move all the items onto the driveway adjacent to our property. Puhleez! It was clear a few items got left because they simply didn't fit into the big truck.

The mess, the intrusion, the stories, the shouting, the aftermath - all of this has truly disrupted our lives. We live quietly in our house. It's peaceful and not too cluttered. Everyone struggles with clutter. For Margaret, it was a sickness - a sickness that evidently spread to her sister and children. The only one who didn't seem to share the disease was her namesake who is 22 years old and was tough throughout the whole thing, managing the yard sale and enduring all the sorting through the junk piles and squabbling.

And now, it really is over, except for the remaining garbage which the landlord must now manage. Margaret has truly left the building.

Laura Ingalls

Laura Ingalls is our cat with a substantial overbite. We call her "Bucky" and marvel at the fact that if she's on her back one can see in to the roof of her mouth. This has caused problems. Her bottom teeth poked the roof of her mouth and when Dee took her to the vet, she wrote her complaint as "stinky head". Yep, Laura had an infection from those teeth puncturing the roof of her mouth. So, those teeth were filed down.

Miss Laura is about three years old now. Turns out, there has been infection raging under those teeth for a while now. It actually burst through her chin with sores. That was pretty gross. So, today Laura went to the vet to have those teeth removed. Stephanie Vison is her vet. Dr. Vinson is terrific - the Green Hills Vet Clinic is very professional.

Warnings were issued, with those teeth removed, Laura might live with her tongue slightly protruding. Instructions were given - if Laura's not going to be able to have a quality recovery, take the path to ease her future pain. Many, many cats need a good home. We waited with fear and hope, that Laura Ingalls would be okay. She is. With those teeth removed, she may have to eat softer food, at least for a while, but she'll be holding shoulders again soon. Bucky is on the mend.

Dee selected Laura at the Humane Society. She crawled onto Dee and fell asleep - she was sweet. She rarely makes eye contact but will climb onto your shoulder if given the slightest opportunity. She's a shoulder holder. She'll walk around on Dee's shoulders and wrap herself like a stole.

She doesn't really play. When she does play, it's awkward. She wants to be held. When Dee was at Army camp for three months, I made a special effort to hold Laura Ingalls. Normally, I'll pet her but I tried to hold her more often. Really, I made a concentrated effort. She sleeps on the bed most of the day and doesn't run around too much. The exception is if the basement door is open, Laura scrambles down into the cellar. I'm not sure why.

They sent her home with a couple days worth of pain medicine. I'm glad. Now, if we can only administer them! Trying to medicate a cat - well, you may have seen the pictures. Luckily, we're now using syringes and shooting meds down her bucky gullet. So far, her tongue is inside her mouth!

Cat's Pajamas

Do cats appear to be wearing clothing? I always thought Dee's cat Shannon looked like she was wearing pants. Dee thought I was nuts. When my mom came to visit she remarked that Shannon appeared to be wearing pajamas. Dee says that it's some genetic sickness that mom and I think a cat might appear to be wearing garments.

I disagree with that assessment or else we wouldn't have the stories of puss in boots and the phrase, "the cat's pajamas." We even get formal and say a cat is a "tuxedo cat" - am I right? Not every cat appears clad in finery or bedclothes but it isn't out of this world to see a cat complete with an outfit to match.

Dee just sighed and said, "it's true - but I still disagree." Dee stops short of garmentry with commentary on Laura Ingall's eyeliner.

It's a cool Sunday and we're going to make tea and let this topic rest.

Margaret is Gone Forever

Margaret lived next door with her daughter, Melissa. We read that she was killed yesterday in a head-on collision. The other driver crossed the line. They weren't wearing seat belts. Her daughter, Melissa, was flown to University Hospital and is in serious condition. Poor Melissa, if she is ever awake again, she'll find her life completely confusing. I don't even know what that would mean.

I hope Margaret and the other passenger didn't suffer. She suffered much in life. There were times I'd hear her shouting late at night - or see her running around, looking wild with Albert Einstein hair. She was depressed and possibly delusional. She'd come over in the evenings to talk to me sometimes. She collected junk from dumpsters, went to all the stores in town and "rescued" their dead flowers and rotting vegetables. She prepared for the hard times ahead. She'd tell me what she said to people that supposedly were on the property late at night. She'd tell me that some neighborhood bad boy called her a bitch. She went on one time about her shame of her own problems and how she just couldn't stop crying - and she cried for a good long time right then. She brought food over one night, which I politely accepted and then carefully discarded.

She limped that beat up Volvo to Florida and we thought she wouldn't return but late March, she did. Since then, she'd been yelling at Melissa - which we don't recall her doing before. She had barely talked to us, which was unusual. She used to bring us half-dead flowers. It appeared she was perhaps moving some of the many items that packed the old house. I didn't have a lot of hope for her but I was surprised to see in the news that she'd been killed.

Dee and I went over to her mailbox (to check the last name and make sure the old Volvo wasn't in the driveway). A cop stopped by because they're doing extra watch of that house for now and it's all true. This time, Margaret won't come back. I wonder if the members of her church will help empty all the junk out of the house or if her family will arrive from Georgia and Florida to remove some of her "treasures."

Feeding Time in the Alley

Berkeley and Mae West were hungry enough to eat the cheap cat food and to tolerate my taking pictures. It was dark out so I couldn't get real good color but these are two of the alley regulars.

But I want to LIVE!

This was my first attempt (left) to capture the wounds the cat inflicted. I looked like I was showing everyone just how much I wanted to slash my wrists. I edited the photo to protect my vanity - wow what a terrible picture!

I am wounded. Laura Ingalls has an infection and we are giving her antibiotics and tonight I failed. More than an hour later, I can still dab a bit of blood from the moist claw-slash.

Dee isn't home so it was my responsibility and after I stuffed the pill in her mouth and she clawed me viciously, she ran down the hall and on her way, spit out the pill. Meanwhile, I was seeking a paper towel to sop blood off both arms. These pictures are shameless ploys for pity. Cats can be really mean!

Cat Drama - as told by Dee

While I was at work, Dee reported in from the home front:

Lots of cat drama this morning. First off, I found a flea on Vegas, so a round of spraying ensued, followed by much hissing and complaining.

Then I sprayed Daisy. She didn't mind as much.

The outside cats had their share of drama as well. I was spraying Laura when I heard a round of hissing and spitting in the front yard, and there I saw that Berkley had chased the Tuxedo Cat up into the tree and they were having a Stare-Off, with Berkley parked at the base of the tree and the Tuxedo Cat on a branch. Staring at each other, twitching their BIG tails, acting angry. Must be a territory fight.

Of course when the outside cats started fighting, OUR cats chose to take sides and stood at the glass door, hissing and yeowling like they were possessed. Every single cat had a big tail.

Lots of cat drama.

What more can I say? Dee has told the story so well.

(I couldn't find any cats with angry big tails.)

Springtime in Moberly, Part II

I have taken more pictures of spring in a town of flowering trees. I can't even take enough pictures - they are everywhere. Here's a slide show of them.

Cat of Moberly

Here is one of the newly seen cats. We haven't named him. He didn't have a collar the first time we saw him but now he's sporting a pink one, just so people know, I guess, that although this cat doesn't have the luxury of living indoors, that someone lays claim to him. He isn't feral - although males are friendlier anyway, he is all about communication. He has something to say, that's for sure and he is all about saying it! He wants to be petted and has sat on Dee's lap. He comes out from under the shed into the back yard and although he doesn't want to interact with Daisy, he isn't really afraid of her. He just avoids her. He has a funky left eye. It's as if it doesn't have a pupil or something. We think he "belongs" to the people who just moved into the yellow and green house. He seems to run there when we're in the process of leaving in cars and closing the garage door.

Berkeley is that you?

The alley cats are out and about. There are some familiar faces - Berkeley, Pepperdine, and Mae West. Dee says Pepperdine is smart and Berkeley is a liberal. Mae West is to be respected for her tenacity (that broken leg is poignant.) There are new faces too. A tuxedo cat who's real vocal and a grey tabby who is most elusive. These two are as yet un-named. No sign of Stumpy. We can only hope... The alley cats are for the most part feral. They aren't tame at all. You can't touch them. This picture of Berkeley was taken from halfway down the alley. She is more than glad to come eat some food but don't approach! She's tiny. Pepperdine is small too - but has longer hair so she's puffier. These cats run into all of the yards and under woodpiles, into cracks and holes and under sheds. They are cat-rats, scrounging around. It's not an easy life for them.

Springtime in Moberly

Spring is the brief season between icy winter and sweltering summer. I have been taking pictures of the flowering trees in Moberly. There are so many of them. I've put the pictures in an album here: http://picasaweb.google.com/bethakrugh/SpringtimeInMoberly

I got twelve bags of topsoil today (on sale for 99 cents a bag). I have ten of them laying in my front yard area. The other two are in the back yard. Daisy has ripped them open and I have to do a big dirt cleanup. In a few minutes, I'm going to head out there to clean up her mess so I can get my back yard ready to plant morning glories.

The challenge will be to keep Daisy out of the preparation but we will thwart her. She chewed last year's hose (it was a cheap one but it still worked). This year we're going to run pvc pipe along the edge and run the hose through it. HA!

Vinca Minor Instead

Vinca Minor also known as periwinkle is described: For shady areas beneath shrubs, and in other dim places, even where grass won't grow, you can have a 12-month carpet of thick abundant, evergreen Periwinkle ground cover.

OK then! The other vincas I was looking at actually require more sun. Plus, these are cheap - real cheap. I am worrying a lot about money right now, primarily because I have none. So, if I can fill the big empty void (the dirt-patch in front of our house) with something that is remotely decent, then I'm all about the periwinkle.

Now, what to put in the hanging baskets in front of the house. I'm thinking simply ivy. It will topple out of the top of the baskets. The flowers, begonias, that I put in last year were too short just looked small.

Daisy had a big day today, going to Rothwell Park and diving in the water to fetch her toy and then running up the hill to fetch her ball. That dog can sure swim to fetch and run to fetch. She didn't run out of energy much to Dee's consternation. N0w, however, at 9:30 at night, she's in her crate dreaming - very funny - probably about running the show. We were very strict today and it frustrated her. She's gotta learn!

Puzzled by the Millennial Hype

Oh those millennials! Born approximately 1977-1998, generation y is described as optimistic, inventive, diverse, group-oriented, great at technology and full of high expectations. As a member of generation x (1965-1976) I am labeled as distrustful, practical, independent, feeling overlooked and underappreciated. Looking through this lens, I am viewing the millennials. Are they a repeat of the baby boomers, only more accepting of others and the latest technologies?

Human resource press has had a field day with the millennials. How to mentor, what they expect, how they think. So the millennial is between ages 10 and 31. They are hitting the workforce with high expectations and turning it on its ear, according to the media. They seem to require a lot of attention. Their parents seem to be over-involved.

Is this an accurate picture?

I am currently exploring what media and polls say about millennials and what the reality is or could be. Do I simply have a pessimistic gen x viewpoint? I like the millennials I know but find them to be very different in their actions. They don't like menial work, that's for sure. They don't feel beholden to anyone. They seem to be willing to do what older generations have thought but not dared to even say. I'm not sure what's next. They aren't aiming to be administrative assistants and paramedics! Somebody's gotta do the non-fun stuff (and has been doing it for cheap) - maybe a young millennial genius will invent a robot to do it. I just keep watching. The earth seems in trouble as usual with food riots, economic gloom and war in addition to the usual threats of doom (global warming, evil-doers and meteorites, for example).

What happens if when I get older, the world doesn't collapse in upon itself, the economy doesn't lead us all into starvation, and I get a social security check? Will I laugh at my pessimism and feel lighthearted in the lovely world? or will I feel disappointed that my gen x worldview was skewed?

The Slab

This is the back patio - kinda. Dee fenced it in last summer and we have a big wooden shed out there now. I should take a couple new pictures. The oddity is that there are four posts sticking out of the concrete. We've run clothesline on the one on the right and we've ignored the ones on the left. It is a trashy little back yard, now sporting a doghouse, a big grill and a couple of plastic chairs. I'm going to plant some morning glories to run up the fence (at the left). The weedy patch probably should have some ground cover - maybe more vincas. The dog pees there anyway so I'm not sure that it matters.

I know there was a roof up here previously but I think we're just going to leave it as is for another couple years - this isn't some parallel universe where we're made out of money! I'll plant some herbs and so on.

Oh the yard!

Right now, our property is a bit of a mess, yard-wise. We have two sweet-gum trees out front which have to go. They have invasive roots which threaten the house. I hope we can get the one on the left removed this year. There are two small patches between the house and sidewalk that need some cover. Last year we tried grass - it requires water (which costs money) and was a failure really. This year I'm going to try the ground cover vinca (pictured below). Hardy, invasive and drought tolerant - it seems like the plant for us. Now I haven't even gone into the back yard yet. That's another post.

Cats

Vegas does yoga
Laura Ingalls does yoga

Cat communication

Hey, I thought you two hated each other!

Cats Cleaning

Laura Ingalls giving herself a cat bath
Vegas bathing with grace
Laura cleans Margeaux

Cats on the Treadmill

I have a project going on where I walk 1/2 hour per day on the treadmill divided into three walks a day. I am entertained by cats while I walk. Margeaux is fascinated by the True logo going past. She also likes access to the window beside the machine. She has a ball in a circle toy right there too and it isn't unusual for her to play with that the entire time I'm on the treadmill. She walks the thin strip of edge on either side of the belt. Vegas is curious too. Both cats have ended up ON the treadmill with me fancy-footin' to avoid stepping on them. I wish they'd just learn to walk on it! I know there are videos of cats on treadmills at YouTube but not our cats. I am busy walking so I can't even snap pictures of their cute behavior!..

The Shoulder Holder

Laura Ingalls is known as the "shoulder holder", crawling up whenever she can. She'll crawl higher and dig in her back claws. She'll wrap around your neck like a stole. It can be very painful to be loved by the shoulder holder. Dee's shoulders are her preferred holding territory.

The Demon Margeaux

Margeaux is our beloved grey tabby. She is the one who is like Little Sparta of YouTube fame. She is still full of kittenhood and evil intentions. She will not shut up and whimpers in her sleep at night and chatters to us all day long. She taunts Daisy who is dumb.

She is the destroyer of our possessions and thief of the screen in my shower drain. She eats like we're made of money. She is also very VERY cute. She uses that factor to win our affection and get away with things her older sisters (Vegas and Laura Ingalls) cannot. Just look at her - she's a cat.

She's BAAAAACK

Not only are we back, but Margaret is back with her old Volvo. So far she hasn't come over to ring the doorbell. When we returned from Ohio, the Volvo was in the driveway next door. We were at once horrified and cautious. Normally, she will show up at our door and ring the doorbell over and over. When we answer, there is the inevitable half-dead flower arrangement, questionable food product, or time-consuming monologue and worse yet, the invitation to come sit down and chat. So far, she's not even pushed the button.

On my way home for lunch today, I pulled around the corner and heard a loud voice shouting. As I pulled up I noticed it was Melissa, looking thinner than usual but shouting just as loud. Melissa is Margaret's developmentally disabled daughter. I cringed and parked, wishing I'd pulled into the garage. I will do so tomorrow. With Melissa about, Margaret cannot be far. When I went back to work after lunch, I noticed that the Volvo was gone. I called Dee to let her know it was safe to go out - no Margaret. She is plenty friendly, full of advice to get one through the end times, with many stories to tell. Maybe I'll be better at getting her picture (which will say 1000 words) than I am at getting pictures of cats.

I'm curious about her return but not curious enough to endure the narrative.