Musings on a Small Life

I was shocked to log in to Feedly a short time ago and read that one of my favourite bloggers died on August 13 from a brief battle with cancer: http://barbscatsandquilts.blogspot.com/ Barb was a kitty foster mom and quilter, and one of the few people I sensed I would really, really like in real life, someone I could be my true self with. I'm crying so hard I can barely see to type. I can only imagine the grief her husband and family are going through, and I'm at a loss for words as to what to write. Just that...my god, I'm so sorry. The world has lost someone special, IMO, someone fun and caring and witty and talented. Peace and Blessings to Barb's family, and godspeed to her spirit. Comments are off.

(Because I'm not yet ready to return to posting for the boys on their own blog. Snapshots from yesterday after work.)         In case you can't tell, it's a grey mouse that he's carrying around.  :-) Peace .

Back to school today, which is the unofficial start of fall. Feels like summer, though, with the late season heat and humidity.  Yes, the "fleas" came home last Thursday. Took me all of three hours of listening to the girl pound through their carpet-less unit before I wanted to commit a violent act. Mercifully, they went somewhere Sunday, came back yesterday at 3:45PM. Had to listen to the constant pounding of the girl's and mother's footsteps, down and up their basement steps (basement is finished, they spend a lot of time down there), and through the rest of the house, till oh, 9 PM or so. You can hear and feel the vibrations through the whole house. Can't stand it. I'll be lucky if I don't snap sometime during the next ten months, and I mean that quite sincerely. All I can think is that if I do snap and am arrested, they'll be the ones who are pitied and who will have "won". Better I should do my best to hang on and hang in, try t...

We were off-line (the whole building) for the entire morning, didn't get back on till about 11:30. So for that reason and because I hate (with a passion) work get-togethers, I skipped the "pizza in the park" today. Caught up on some stuff while eating leftovers at my desk. A coworker just laughingly asked me if I missed them. I responded in politically correct fashion. But frankly, no, I didn't miss them at all. And I wouldn't miss any of them if I never saw them again. There's my baldly honest answer. The one I can't voice out loud. Jeezus, how many years till retirement or the lottery win, whichever comes first? *** My window replacement yesterday went well. Turned out he did it first, because they were unable to get in touch with the owner of the (rental) unit across the street from me. So the installer (the usual guy) showed up just after 8AM and was done before 9:30AM. (Small window.) Old window below. Apparently the panes of...

Okay, so in my last post I alluded to a woman who had volunteered for us for a short time, but who had "issues" and who wasn't qualified to do the work. My old boss had asked her to leave last Friday morning. She accosted someone in the department across the hall from us on her way out, asking if that person's name was "M" and what her role was at the university. Well. This afternoon I got a call from someone else over in that other department -- guess who had just walked in a short time ago and been skulking around again (for the 4th or 5th time)? They asked if they could help her and she said oh, no, she was just looking for "K," the person she seems to have fixated on as being able to help her, career-wise. They also asked if she (the former skulking volunteer) worked in the building and she replied not at this time. (Uh, never, lady.) So, they're a bit freaked out. I'm a bit freaked out.  This woman obviously has some s...

Somehow these Mondays roll around too quickly. The weekend was uneventful, quiet. I expect the "fleas" are home now, can't imagine otherwise, what with school starting next week. They must have been quite late getting home, though, as I was up at 10PM (sound of girls screaming outside my fence woke me) and the neighbours weren't yet back. The car was in the driveway at 4:30AM, though. BTW, the screaming that woke me -- at first I thought it was one of the cats, screaming in pain and dying from a blood clot, as happened with Chumley. Can't tell you how many years THAT took off my life. However, the girls were running around with flashlights, back behind my fence, and they didn't linger once I got up and flicked on my back light, took a look outside. (No damage to the fence; I checked this morning.) It took me a while to settle down after that, though, my heart in my throat and almost literally sick with fear. I'd like to have one day -- o...

I'm heavy-hearted today, because of Sparkle's imminent death, whether that be today or not. I don't have (or want) a FaceBook account, but thanks to another blogger, I knew she was quite ill, so "her" post today wasn't a shock. Still difficult and bittersweet to read, though. She's been such an intrinsic part of the cat blogging world for so long, and I've been around the CB for not quite 5 years, I think. It's so hard to let go, to say goodbye. No number of years is enough with our beloved companions, and in Sparkle's case, her human had given her a voice that has reached so many, done such good work. I don't feel like posting on the boys' blog about this, not until she's passed, whenever that might be. My thoughts and "prayers" are with her and with her human right now. *** In other cat-related matters, Nicki scared the beejeezus out of me this morning, I thought I would lose him. When I get up in...

It seems eons ago now, but today is Annie's 13th adoption day, "gotcha day."  Angel Annie I wish I had more pics of her to use! I'm not sad, not weepy, it was so long ago, and this is the fourth summer without her now. That, too, seems like forever. I just wanted to acknowledge her. I still think of her every day, wish her (and Chumley) a good morning, say goodbye and goodnight to them as appropriate...just in case they're still hanging around. Though I don't think so now. But you never know.  :-) So my beloved heart, my angel-on-earth, my silly Annie Bananie...happy adoption day. I'm very glad you snared me with your too-large eyes in a too-thin face that day at the shelter. I wish we could have had more time together, but I know I'm blessed to have had the years I did. Peace .

It'll just be Dad, per usual, in September, as his wife had dental surgery yesterday, and will have her final work done on September 24th. I'm sure she won't mind skipping the visit this year, as she's afraid of cats. So I have his trip to look forward to, though don't have enough vacation time to take every day off. Still, I'll take a couple of days, and that will be good. Dad likes to putter around sight-seeing on his own, anyway. Plus he should be here over two weekends, which is great. *** This might be my last weekend of peace and quiet in the house, as the neighbour kids are due back soon. They've been gone all summer, as they were last year, presumably to the grandmother's. If they follow the same pattern, they'll return on the 24th, but it's always possible they'll be back on the 17th. It's fabulous to have the peace, to feel like I have a real home, but I do find it very hard to readjust once things return to "n...

My staycation is over, and I'm only starting to get into it. Took me till Friday after Derry's vet appoinment (regular check, very cursory, not really impressed with the new-to-us vet back from maternity leave) to start to unwind. One week definitely isn't enough if you want a real break from work. I did get downtown yesterday to watch the start of the annual Poker Run. I hadn't intended to, because well, it's a bit ho-hum (IMO) if you go every year. Same old. But I enjoyed myself just the same, though 45 minutes frying in the direct sunlight wasn't the best thing (couldn't find my hat).                                     I kept 74 of the snapshots I took yesterday; you're lucky I didn't post them all, or even half.  :-) Today I took the bus over to Fort Henry, then walked up and around (not in) for some pics, then walked down the hill to RM...

Earlier this week, or maybe last week, Poppy posted something about her mum being down to one roll of toilet paper and needing to buy more. This fueled my own obsession over having enough on hand -- I was down to a mere 18 double rolls and in almost-panic mode. So thanks to Poppy and her mum, I now have an extra 22 double rolls on hand, for a total of 40, certainly enough to get me through till Dad and Hélène's visit later in the fall, when I can stock up in earnest via his rental vehicle. There's just something about stock-piling tp (and paper towel) that I find very comforting.  :-) *** Recent pics: Mr. Bee, snapped by WalMart while waiting for a bus.  New-to-me cat in our complex. Another one let loose to roam.  In our greater neighbourhood, not in my complex.  One damselfly that Derry didn't eat.  New plant "stand": A coated steel shoe rack, minus its middle shelf, from Home Depot. Very sturdy.  In the cemete...