Purrrrrr-fect

The label on the above photo should read "you woke me up! to take my picture?"

The other day, I started thinking about how much my cats personalities are vaguely similar to mine. It's just frightening how close some of them are....

I have two Russian Blues (well, that's what I call them - their mother was a wandering Siamese), Lola and Lucy - born June 14, 1997 in Seal Beach CA. They were flown to Portland via UA at 2 months old and I could hold them in the palm of my hands - they were that small. Litter-mates, these sisters could not be further apart in the personality pool...I sometimes question the DNA string that they share.

Lola (aka, "Don't you dare touch me") was aloof from the start. She would sit just outside my reach and if I failed to remember the rules and actually PET her she was gone! She lived under the bed for months....when I finally moved, I found the box- spring muslin in tatters - so apparently she took her mad out on the material and thankfully not my arms. She refused to be held, and if by some magic I managed to capture her, for indeed it was a capture....look out clothes and skin...rips and blood would soon be my reward for wanting to love on her. She would march across my lap to sit in Mike's, curl up and smirk at me, as if to say "can't touch me" - now that's gratitude for you-I'm her caretaker...

It's been 12 years,she is still sleek and shiny coated, regal when she sits on my desk or office window - gazing out at the bird-feeders, undisturbed by the hummingbird fluttering directly at eye level... she finds me now - to sit on my lap, or have me scratch her ear, or sleep next to me...she's mellowed with age and I find that has happened for me as well. When I first got her we were much more alike, both aloof and stand-offish, I like to think of it as being more shy than aloof...I'm positive she does too. After all, that noisy cold baggage area would have terrified me too.

Lucy (aka, Your-lap-is-my-lap) - has been the LAP CAT of the century. She has yet to find a lap she did not like...although I truly wished she would. She weighs in right around 10 pounds...loves plastic,(she chews on it) needlepoint yarn, and Laps! Whether perched on a stool, the sofa armrest, or lying on the floor, Lola will and does find your lap to walk around 3 times and curling up into a semi-circle...she's overweight so she spreads out more than curls up. Lola will also shame you into sitting down...if you happen to be standing just near enough she will mew and reach out for you, letting you know she's ready to be lap-sitting! And she glares as if to say "where have you been all day? I've been waiting!" Lucy is a napper, I like naps, Lucy wants to be cuddle, I like cuddles, Lucy is a lover ----- I like love...

Lucy is the bundle of 'wanna be loved'....that's where the similarity comes in. I'm that bundle of 'wanna-be-loved' after a long day at the office. I want someone to pay attention to me, hold me, stroke my hair (close enough) and make me feel warm and safe.

I've been cranky most of this week, my lovely Lola and Lucy don't realize that their presence in my life helps me to 'get over myself'....they have loved me from near (Lucy) and far(Lola) and my mood doesn't change their need,want or desire to be a part of my life. Thanks to the universe,that won't change for some time to come...I have a lot of love in my life. For that I am grateful.....

Deciding to dance through the door of sadness and loss

Today is Sunday, November 1...it didn't start out as previous Sundays, where I would call Joyce up and talk to her for 30 minutes about what was going on in her world.

Mike and I have had the really sad and thankless chore of going to Albuqueque, NM and close up his mom's home. Joyce Deal was an amazingly strong, independent, stubborn as a mule, life long Democrat, kind and generous soul who crossed over on Oct 22, 2009. While her passing eased her pain - she left a hole in the heart of my man Mike. I saw him cry, for the first time in 12 years, the night the boys spread her ashes on Sandia Mountain. We flew home the next day... heavy in heart but thankful that her time in pain was so very short. and we are grateful for that.

It's cold and sunny out today, and I was able to spend a few minutes outside clearing yard debris and planting garlic. My chest cold limited my energy level and so I limited my time--there is so very much to do. I am hoping that next weekend will be at least dry. Tomatoes need to be pulled out of the ground, trumpet vine needs to be cut back, leaves need to be gathered up and put to the curb. The 8x8 needs to be readied for next spring's plantings.
I am tired of this chest cold, the hacking, sneezing and lost of my voice has really lost it's allure.

I LOVE the Fall - it's my favorite time of the year, my birthday, the trees are changing as one can denote from the attached images of our street. Even in the rain the trees remain colorful and happy! Yes, I took that picture while driving....ok, ok, I know if it's not so smart to use your phone to call or text, it must be equally disturbing to the on coming drivers to see someone aiming a Kodak! (I probably won't stop)

Welcome back, welcome back...

Can not believe it has been 18 months since my last posting...not quite sure why outside of the desire to do something, anything besides sit in front of a computer screen. Missed it, yes - so much so I remembered that I needed to change my email address to access the account before we stopped paying for the privilege at our old ISP.

It's the 28th of December 2008. Yesterday was the first day that I drove my car in two (2) weeks! We had a record 18 inches of snow here, and if it hadn't been for Mike, not sure how I would have gotten to work the few days that I had to go in...having the MAX makes life a bit easier, but just getting there was a nightmare at times. It snowed EVERY day for 12 days...sometimes just a short time, others for hours on end. I was so OVER it by day 3. Had I wanted to live where there was snow for much of any winter, I would have moved to Minot or northern New York State.

I'm trying to think of all that has happened in my world the past 18 months, and while I know that I went to my job most every day, I did buy a new car - Cha Cha, the ever cute VW Beetle seen above. I love this car. It makes me smile everytime I pull into the garage and see her sitting there, waiting for me. She is loaded with all of the accessories that I never had the $$ to purchase with a new car...she's zippy for sure. I sold my old car from the curb in less than 2 days.

Mother dropped her body last June. It was interesting to experience the feelings that surfaced in those hours directly following. I was neither happy or sad...I was however, acutely aware of how her passing affected Patricia and my nieces. I felt sadness for them...and then 4 or 5 weeks passed and I found that I needed to get some counseling to deal with my own grief. That was a shocker for sure...she really missed out on a amazig daughter! I was given Grandfather's diamond, finally and received a death benefit check that Dad purchased when I was born. The original benefit was for $500 - but had increased in value to a nice $3200 by the time I got it. Thank you God, that was a nice gift.

I continue to needlepoint (like a madwoman at times), read, tend to my garden and exercise. I really thought I wanted a dog, but until I retire that just seems like to much work. Mike continues to fly, he finished GFox U in August 2007, found a job and was laid off again after 8 months, but has been at Phoeson since last month and appears to find it rewarding and challenging.

Mike and I continue to work on getting ourselves into "retirement mode".... I hope to be unemployed by April 2010....need to get Cha Cha paid off! It grows dark and I'll need to fix dinner soon, hopefully I won't be idle from the blog going forward. Until then-adios.