Saturday, May 30, 2009

Cats and Sunshine

The weather was much more satisfactory today, being about 80 and mostly sunny, and I was in heaven to have the windows open again. Amazing how stale the air got in just a few days of "too cold for open windows".

Miri is a window cat, and so she too enjoyed the reopening. This week has been a turning point for her, in terms of her behavior to me. For over four months, she has been in love with Harold, but dubious as to the wisdom of allowing me to think I have any say in anything. Now, however, she is finally edging into the zone of accepting my attention as perhaps not being part of some vile plot to harm her.

In other words, she's letting me pet her a lot more, sometimes even when Harold isn't right there; she has come onto the bed at night, even when my eyes are open; and she has failed to run instantly for cover when I enter a room.

I even think perhaps she is naturally wide-eyed, and not just scared by me.


This is my natural expression. What do you mean, relax?
What will you do if I don't?

As is so often the case, the short work-week did not feel short, so I have fully enjoyed kicking back today. I went for a nice long walk, but otherwise didn't "do" much. Very nice.

Must end with a few of these. Too cute, and too true!

funny pictures of cats with captions

I am helpless to resist the cute.

funny pictures of cats with captions

Helpless, I say.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Temperature is so very relative

Tonight it was about 65 degrees when I got out of work.

Compared to 50 yesterday, it felt rather balmy. No gloves!

Compared to last Friday, it felt ... well, about 25 degrees cooler. No need to stop on the way home for popsicles!

And somehow, the mid-60s outside and the mid-60s inside feel totally different. Brrr in here.

Off to put on a sweatshirt and curl up with a cat or two, and a movie. Enjoy the start of the weekend!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Random Photos for a Random Thursday

I don't think I can be anything approaching entertaining if I try to talk about the weather, which after a perfect summer day Monday, sunny, 80s, light breeze, perfect, has been 50 and raw and often raining ever since. I can't rattle off something light and funny about work, which has me going full-tilt. And don't even get me started about, well, even words fail me.

So I pulled up some photos from my recent trip. Let's see the random, shall we?

Look! I found a yarn store! (Well, my mother did. She's well trained.)


Some nature... Florida's vegetation is very different from Massachusetts.


I like this guy's sense of humor. I feel fairly safe in saying it was a guy who made a snow-blower into a mailbox. Do you think?


A Truly Nolen car! Not the best photo, but so cute.


What kind of wine did my mother buy while I was there? Well, obviously.


Pretty flowers; I'm such a sucker for pretty flowers.


Just perfick.

Monday, May 25, 2009

The end of the weekend

Overall, it's been a good weekend, though at this moment, I must say I'm a little saddened that the return of lovely-weather-open-windows season means the return of kids-yelling-outside-my-windows season, too. Always the bad with the good, right?

I do love a long weekend. Yesterday was like a second Saturday, to get things done and relax and not have that imminent back to work pressure that Sunday usually brings. I got a lot of things on my list done, but also read and watched TV and snuggled with my Harold, too. He even helped me make the bed: what a good cat!

Is that sarcasm?

The only bad part of yesterday was last night, when I saw an ad on a website that said, "Father's Day is June 21! What kind of Dad do you have?" I felt rather flattened; clearly, it isn't just Father's Day, but the whole season of it, that will suck this year.

I picked up one of my favorite books for distraction reading. Though Four Days' Wonder does begin with a death, Aunt Jane is quite a minor character, and by the time Jenny has absent-mindedly cleaned off the object that caused Aunt Jane's fatal head bump, dropped her stained handkerchief, realized she wasn't supposed to be in the house at all, and fled through the window, leaving interesting foot-prints in the flower-bed ... well, it isn't a depressing book at all.

Sometimes I like reading old books that are long out of print more than current ones. They almost feel more real. Though I love plenty of new books, there's something about a character marveling that 'such things still happen, in the thirties,' that tickles my fancy.

Plus, although of course old books have errors too, I can get discouraged by the carelessness that seems more prevalent in the current era. My absolute favorite current magazine has, I believe, cut back on proofreaders, and the results are sadly noticeable:


See that, halfway down on the right? Foound? This was in the starred, featured review at the front! And this one the much-reviled spell-check would catch!


Oh, ouch! Catch the placeholder, will you? Et tu, Publishers Weekly? Let me say, this was a bad week for you to send the renewal form. I understand that mistakes happen, but oh lord, will you spend some of my $250* on proofreading? Please?

*It's an indulgence. What can I say? I'm addicted.

Now it's time to get things ready for the week ahead. A short week, at least, though I doubt it will feel that way. Today was a lovely day, and it is too soon over.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Brain Full: Random Photos

I've watched a lot of Doctor Who this weekend, and while it's been good and fun, my brain is a bit full. So look at the pictures!

Check out the green car I saw recently. Really that green!


Also, I kind of kinneared it, since it was behind me (I was stopped for a traffic light). I only had time for one shot; not bad!

House detail, noted while (again) stopped for a light.


Highway traffic was bad this week; I spent a lot of time on side roads, and thus a lot of time stopped at lights.

Pretty sunset sky.


And finally, let us take a lesson from the cats. When it is time to relax (and to a cat, when isn't it?), they do it right.


Enjoy the weekend, all. I am: I slept in, and will do so again tomorrow and the day after. I've done dishes, and vaccuumed, and put away my suitcase, but I've also watched all of Doctor Who, Season 4 (I did start last night). Whew! Now that's a day.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Almost there

Today feels like summer, which makes me so happy I could dance. For the first time this year, I got home and had to change into shorts and a tank top, because I was hot. Hot! Not cold!

So yeah, today wasn't great at work, but not as bad as yesterday. I think the root cause of my disgruntlement yesterday, odd as it may sound, was that the company had a cookout. Which means that five weeks after the layoffs, they spent I don't even want to know how much on a cheery cookout (chicken? burger? sausage? hot dog? steak tips?), and somehow it seemed a little ... tasteless, metaphorically speaking. It bothered me, and since the week after a vacation is always a little more fraught anyway, well, that was yesterday.

Today was okay, work-wise, and lovely weather-wise, and now I'm going to make some yummy bell-pepper salsa while watching Doctor Who. And tomorrow is Friday, and they're letting us go early (which I heard from someone else, since they announced it at the cookout, and hello you'd think they could shoot out an e-mail since I wasn't the only one to eat at my desk, and ... let it go; let it go), and it will be a Three! Day! Weekend! Ahh.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

I'm Cranky

I'm going to eat fresh peas (woo-hoo!) and watch Doctor Who. Hopefully tomorrow I will be better.

This made me laugh, at least. Thanks for sharing it, Wendy!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Reasons Why

There are a bunch of reasons why I didn't make it to my stitch and bitch group tonight.
  • Harold is far from being "over" my latest absence. Is he made of fur, or velcro? Furry velcro.
  • I needed to pick up a few groceries, and return and pick up at the libraries.
  • I had a dentist appointment at 6:40. Since we usually gather from 6ish to 8ish, that complicates making the meeting.
  • I strained my left thumb a few days ago, so I'm not doing much crafting at the moment. Which reminds me, I want to tell you about what I finished last week. Soon, soon.
  • I'm so, so tired. I hit the snooze button for almost an hour this morning, and while today wasn't a terrible day at work, it was the first day back after vacation, meaning it wasn't a lot of fun, either.
Reasons enough, do you think? I do. But I'll have to ask if anyone else thinks they'll be there next week: being Memorial Day, I don't know if everyone will have other plans.

I can just about taste that long weekend already. This afternoon around three, I commented to a coworker that it felt like today should have been over already.

He thought it should be Wednesday already. I guess I wasn't the only one having that day.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Home, and what's next

I'm home.

Harold is terribly relieved. He was so happy to see me last night, Miri got caught up in the moment and seemed pleased, too. And he woke me many, many times overnight to say, "You're home! Pet me!" (I didn't really mind.) Earlier today, he napped on my lap, for two hours. (I didn't mind that, either.) He's so, so happy to have me back.

Not that you can tell here, but just the same, look, I think I figured out (by mistake, of course) how to make a movie on my (not at all new) camera!



And lest Miri's fans complain, she gets a moment in the sun too. Pretty cat.



Mum and I had a good visit. We got some things done that she would have been able to do alone, but that were easier with two, and we did some sitting on the lanai and eating out for the good of our souls. We talked, and we were quiet, and it was good.

Now I'm home, and have to get back to everyday living. Since Dad died, I feel like I've been living closer to "barely functional" than usual. I mean, I'm never the best at getting everything done on my list, being one who's more likely to pick up a book than clean the kitchen, but these days, I look at the kitchen and wonder who the slob is, and oh wait. That would be me. It doesn't seem very important, but I do have to take care of myself. There's room for some escapism, always, but there's also getting to it. And speaking of which, I should go put some laundry in. And put something together for dinner, or at least check the freezer.

P.S. I suppose I should mention that I'm okay, given the end to the Bruins' season. I'm disappointed, sure, but they blew that series early on, really. Overall, it wasn't as climactic as a 7th game overtime loss sounds. I sure wanted them to win, but yeah. The roller-coaster ride is over until the Fall.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Admiring Miri from a distance

I took these pictures last weekend. I was on the bed with Harold, and Miri did her regular dash past me to the window, where she can keep her eye on me. Because she just can't trust me.

Here she is, looking casual.


Then looking at me.

And getting annoyed. Are you still here? Why?


And finally: If I turn away, are you still there? Why?


She'll get used to me. Someday.

Meanwhile, though Harold is missing me this week, Miri is enjoying the peace. So some good comes out of it.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Thursday night:

Game Seven! Go Bruins!

Also, go technology that allowed me to listen to game six tonight via the computer. Go, Bruins!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Lilac ... Saturday

Every Spring around now, the Arnold Arboretum holds Lilac Sunday, when the many, many lilacs are near peak, and it's apparently a big festival thing. I hope everyone there is having a lovely time today; the weather is decent, though very windy, here.

I must say, seeing (and smelling!) the lilacs yesterday was good enough for me. My friends and I had a wonderful time, comparison sniffing, color checking, and generally getting tipsy on lilac odors. I wish I could share that lovely smell with you! Different colors, different shapes, different varieties all over.

But alas, all I can share is some of the 200+ photos I took yesterday. (Seriously.) There are a few of non-lilac flowers (and a couple of my friends' cat), but it's mostly lilacs, so that's where we'll go today. Ready?

If you don't care about lilacs one way or another, you are excused. Before you go, let me tell you, I leave for Florida tomorrow, so I don't know when I'll post next, but I hope you come back. Have a good week. You may go.

Lilac lovers, still there? Dive in!






































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Happy Mother's Day, Mum. Love you. See you tomorrow.