"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." ~ John Muir

20 October 2007

October 20, 2007

Oh, yeah! Got a late birthday box from my sister which included SOCKS! And not just ANY socks, but HAPPY BUNNY Socks. I loooove Happy Bunny! This is one pair of my new socks that I'm wearing with my Happy Bunny pajamas. (Yes, it IS all about me!)

October 19, 2007

The Little Mother has been spending some time working on renovating her birdhouses (which actually see some use, which is pretty cool!). Dad took these photos of her efforts and sent them to me. I think they're so cute! Hopefully, I'll be in Truckee in the Spring to enjoy the new residents.



Octobet 18, 2007

Hey! Look! It's my new desk in our Tempe office! I really like the green walls. I have my calendar flipped up to November because our open house is on November 1st and I don't know if I'll be back before then! ha!

Also, today was CPR training! And guess who introduced the training program (via video, but still...)?

October 17, 2007

Telecommuting: Gotta love it!

October 16, 2007

I read recently an article sent to me by a friend that addressed the grief over the loss of a pet. How it's different (of course) than the grief we feel when we lose a human friend or family member, and how the difference is often in the details. Very true. I still walk gingerly so I don't inadvertently kick the cat. It feels funny to leave the gate open. It's hard to bypass the Pet Care aisle at the grocery store. Guess it will just take time - like all things.

Meanwhile, my parents transported Maybe's "Estate" to California to give to my sister's kitty, Uzi. My sister sent me this photo today of Uzi enjoying the Boogie Mat and toys that I sent out for him. It's wonderful to see him with the toys - a bit more healing.

My sister sent me also this photograph of her and Jerry. A friend took it of the two of them. I think the blue is a fabulous color on Amy and makes a great background, too.

15 October 2007

October 15, 2007

Do you have a morning routine? I do. It's a little bit different than it used to be now that I'm minus one cat; however, I generally get up and open the blinds in the dining room and then make a pot of coffee (Grounds for Change - Shade Grown and Fair Trade: socially conscious coffee - And now, back to our regular program...). I pad around checking the houseplants and opening the blinds in the rest of the house while the coffee brews. Once it's done, I either settle back in bed or, lately, take my coffee outside and nestle in a chair on the back porch.

This morning, I was arrested by the glow of the sun on this candle holder which sits on the dining room table. I love that "certain slant of light." The whole thing kind of shimmered in a lovely way.

October 14, 2007

Look! The little cactus that Michael gave me is making a baby! I'm calling them "spud" and the "spudlett."

October 13, 2007

Ever wonder what the inside of the remote looks like? Well, Steve dropped the remote to the VCR and being who I am, I just HAD to pull the thing apart and see what was up. Not much to it, really (one screw held the whole shootin' match together). Of course, when it's a simple matter of transmitting pulses of infrared light at around 980 nm (nanometers), I guess not much hardware is required.


Turns out, the LED (light-emitting diode), was broken when the remote was dropped. You can see the break at the bottom of the LED, which is protruding from the right end of the circuit board in the photo below. Can't decide if I want to try and fix it, or not. It's just hangin' out in a plastic baggy for the time being (like I've got nothing ELSE to do!).

12 October 2007

October 12, 2007

Today, I retrieved Maybe's ashes from her veterinarian. I've had Hey Cat's ashes in a lovely ceramic pot with some of his toys, cards, and bits of hair. Maybe has now joined him and they are together once more.


One cat... or two?


Hey, what's that smell?

10 October 2007

October 10, 2007

So, I'm sitting at my desk, talking on the phone and sort of staring out the window, when Uh' Clem catches my eye. He's under the lemon tree with something BIG in his mouth. I'm like, "What IS that?!" Hold the phone, I'll be right back!

I go charging outside to rescue whichever of the two needs rescuing (the cat or his lunch). Turns out it's this really big horn worm! Probably a tomato horn worm. Very colorful, but they can mow down a tomato plant in an evening - seriously! I tried to distract Uh' Clem with treats but he won't have any of that. Fortunately, as the horn worm stops flopping around, Clem loses interest. I'm just glad he didn't haul the thing into the house! Good kitty!


Uh'Clem mesmerized by his horn worm.

And, viola! The horn worm, itself. It really is a lovely green and nice and stripey. Too bad they can be so dang destructive. This one was about four inches long and as large around as my thumb.

October 9, 2007

Yesterday, everyone left. Mom and Dad went back to Truckee. Steve went to Silver City. My kitty is gone to Heaven. I didn't take a picture. I was actually feeling kind of sorry for myself. I did some cleaning and tidying, but nothing really earthshaking. I awoke about 3:30 AM to a loud booming sound and then the power went out. I don't know if someone hit a utility pole or what but it was off for over an hour. I went outside and could see stars (which can be unusual in the heart of the Big City). It was very quiet. I decided to take a hot bath and then I crawled back into bed. Felt kind of foggy this morning.

This is the best I could do. A picture of the basil on the back porch. I LOVE basil. It's one of my favorite herbs. Love to grow it, love the way it smells, and I love to eat it with sundried tomatoes and goat cheese on top of a sourdough baguette. Yummy!

October 7, 2007

Porch time with Mom and Dad (Mom is holding Dad's new GPS).

Steve hangin' with the Fam.

Mary stopped by with a birthday present! I'm holding a beautiful hot pad that is crocheted with a rose (which matches the wallpaper in my kitchen - loooove roses!).

October 6, 2007

The weather has been quite nice - cool in the morning and evening - and we have been spending a lot of time visiting with Mom and Dad on the back porch.

Before Mom and Dad arrived, I bought a new hummingbird feeder, as my old one was leaking nectar all over the place (the ants were getting rough!). This one has met with overwhelming approval from the local avian set.

Below, a calliope hummingbird perches for a drink.


Slurp! Ahhhh...

The calliope likes to hang out on this branch and survey the territory (and feeder!), below.

October 5, 2007

Today is my birthday: Thirty-nine (again), ha ha! My Mom and Dad arrived, today, and brought be a pot of mums and a pumpkin! I spruced up the front porch with the fall color. I love the fall!

October 3, 2007

Well, you can see that I'm not really taking my own photos, but I am still using photos to chronicle my days, more or less. Just haven't had much energy or inspiration. Been spending most of my time outside in the yard or working on some data analysis for work. I do, however, have this photo that my sister sent to me. This is Uzi with a shaved belly - which was trimmed for his ultrasound. Did you know that cats' skin is the same color as their fur? My sister thinks Uzi looks like a spotted cow! ha! Good news, though! Apparently, that weird thing he threw up WAS the culprit and he is on the mend! Amen!

October 2, 2007

It's time for School Fundraising. A friend emailed these photos to me. They are the artwork of her two children. Steve and I ordered pillow cases which will feature these pictures. Isn't that totally cool?

"Fantasy"


"Star Fighter"


October 1, 2007

It's been kind of lonely without Steve and Maybe. I still can't believe she is gone. But Steve comes home today! Yippee! I drew this picture on the shower wall for him. We have special Crayola crayons that are just for writing on the shower walls, so we leave each other little messages. Steve is the Peanut and I am the Pony.

My sister's kitty, Uzi, has been quite sick - throwing up for days - been to vet hospital, had an ultrasound, x-rays, etc. Well, today he threw up the pink thing in the picture below (the battery is for scale). We're crossing our fingers that this was the culprit.