A Saturday Vibe

 Good morning from the foggy valley. It's the kind of fog that counts for how many snowfalls in the winter. Word from most is a cold winter but we hear that almost all the time toward the end of August. We shall see. My eyes are looking for those signs, those hints of fall. Poplar trees are moving right along as well as sugar maples in color and then into winter transition. These welcomed cooler temps of the last week are so welcomed, just giving those of us who are autumn people that little extra spring into our steps hoping fall, not falls so guess autumn, to begin. 

Since the first of the year it has felt like I've dealt with an overwhelming general malaise. Not just physically but mentally as well. A few small flare ups of afib that haven't been bad, just annoying. Knocked out a few Dr visits and the next one comes in September. I made the appointment in June, confirmed in July and put on the cancellation list. Either the list is long or no one wants to cancel.  On Monday I took G Mo for his snip snip procedure and didn't leave the house until Thursday night for choir. Other than during the pandemic, this has to be a record of consecutive days at home. Friday, started out with me not feeling good but got better after breakfast. We decided to make a trip over to TN. TN is not charging taxes on food for the month of August and since the stores had a couple of things on sale that we use regularly, we headed that way. Just hit two stores and no Johnson City. On the way home we also stopped at Publix cause they have the butter we use two for one. I think we can clearly classify ourselves as older types when the big activity of the day is grocery shopping. Once September hits, hopefully we can make it to a couple of places for a day trip or two. 

Being around home this week there wasn't the excitement of the toddler and the dogs, but I did see the sister that was supposed to keep an eye on the guy, maybe 4 1/2. Thursday night was choir and afterwards Teresa and I visited out in the parking lot. Since I silenced my phone for choir I and didn't notice any vibrations from the phone, I was clueless to the texts Roy sent. It was later than usual so when I got in the car I called Roy and he told me it was now safe to come home. What??? He said look at the texts and sure enough he texted me about gunfire nearby, not like target shooting but like someone desired to scare or direct these shots toward something or someone in particular. He called the sheriff's office to report. Before they could arrive it all stopped. So, Roy called them back. Last night some people down the road were setting off big booming firecrackers and small ones as well intermixed with a few shot gun sounds. Sometimes as busy and as noisy as our road can get, the sounds of car or motorcycle intimidation happens, now a little more than usual. It sounds intimidating because those are the sounds in bigger cities that someone is sending a message. Haven't a clue if the same  here or not. 

It feels a tad strange after working so hard to pay off law school loans back in the day that now a $10,000 debt forgiveness would be possible. This is not a political discussion just a remembrance as Roy worked so hard to go to law school, at night. That meant four years rather than three. He finished the last three years without any paid vacation and working three jobs. When he was laid off, he lost his company car so we were down to one car. I picked him up at U of H four nights a week after classes. For everything else he depended on taking the bus, after I had dropped him off at the Park and Ride in the mornings to go to work.  Many times on the bus, he felt threatened but made the best of a bad situation. We scrimped and saved and finally was  able to buy him a small truck, paying cash for it because we knew after he graduated those loans would kick in. He took the least amount of school loans to just cover books, tuition and other incidentals involved for school. Some of his friends took out loans to use for living expenses. After graduation we owed thousands of dollars but his friends owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Several loans, the interest rate was ginormous and seemed almost to have you in their clutches for an inordinately long period of time. Roy clerked in law school and assisted a lawyer part time after graduation. All that schooling made him realize he didn't really want to practice law in a courtroom. That's good cause Roy doesn't have a poker face. His specialty more so, contract law and he used his law degree in his work. Law school was a great decision for him. It matured him and taught him the way to think in solving issues and such.  Law school and Toastmasters were great decisions on his part. I will never forget the day those college loans were paid off. We had doubled up on payments, so we didn't travel much, didn't eat out anywhere too costly and cut back on other things to pay off the loans, early. 

Hezekiah part two has surely been eye opening. This week while studying for the lesson, I have learned so many things and insights into his life even more than expected. We start Amos next week so, it will have to be a wrap this Sunday. 

Last night I was looking at Macy's and Nordstrom online. Roy said he had heard from all his financial programs he follows that now is a good time to buy overstocked stuff from Macy's and Target. We have taken advantage of those opportunities, plus the discounts given as birthday gifts. Macy's has tons of stuff whereas The Nord, not so much. I mainly was looking to see what from last winter is still in style. Not that this would affect anything, still going to wear the same old stuff. Hey, I'm old and earned that right. The shacket is still popular although not too much of a fan...even in flannel. 

Roy had all the fun this morning going to the dump. The Boys are behaving out on the porch and time to get this finished up. 

Wrapping Up On A Wednesday

 The month of August is wrapping up with foggy mornings, the thick kind of fog. Although, we live in a small valley, so fog accumulates a bit more some days. Yesterday, I took G Mo to the vet for his snip snip procedure. The fog thick and early commuters along with trees being trimmed back on the river road made for a morning adventure. G Mo came through the procedure with flying colors and now the fun begins. No rough play for several days and that means keeping The Boys separated which is difficult. Now, they want to be together and G Mo came home famished from his procedure pre-fast. His diet should be light but the boy wants to eat. We let him this morning and then some meloxicam for the inflammation. Mr Mo is a tad lonely out on the porch without his cuzbro. Thus, he is wont to get into trouble like climbing up to the top of the screen. 

I would like to think maybe my email and comments to a national retailer of women's clothes helped change their policy. They have made pricing equal and they carry some big girl sizes in their stores now. These days I can wear pants in the smaller girl sizes but it certainly is welcomed. 

We are doing a two parter of Hezekiah. Such an interesting king and follower of God. We got to his prayer with the threatening letter all rolled out for the Lord to see. We looked at the threats that were made and how those tactics are the same time old tactics of our adversary. We also spent a little time discussing Hezekiah's tunnel. In 1988 it was not the spiffed up version that is available now. Our group went through it on an extra day we had in Jerusalem. The men who built it were short and fortunately for some reason, I brought the Eddie Bauer flashlight you put in your mouth thus freeing up your hands to cling to the side of the walls. 

Today, we need to slice peaches and get them ready for the freezer. We are loaded with strawberries and blackberries. Nothing like summer fruit in the cold of winter. The prediction this year is snowy December and shivering January and February. I have not seen any wooly worms to bear this out though. Someone put a picture of an asp, white deadly stinging caterpillar, on FB and said it will be a very snowy winter. Someone kindly told her, that is an asp and don't touch it cause it will burn and hurt immensely. When we were kids our mom wouldn't let us go barefoot in August because of the asps. Whatever trees that were in the front yard held an attraction for them to congregate. 

Roy sprayed the firs yesterday for bagworms. Even got up on a ladder to get the ones residing in the top. He will probably spray the apples trees for Japanese beetles this evening. Just have a few more ginger gold apples to pick and we are calling it quits for the season. 

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Day 2 of keeping The Boys separated has started. Let's just say no one is happy and I will leave it at that. 

In 1987 the book A Southern Family by Gail Godwin was published. I've had the book for years and it has made many moves. Yesterday, I finally began reading it. I knew in that long ago, a day would come when not satisfied with anything I am reading that it would come to the rescue. It was a slow start for me but I told Roy all the thoughts on patterns of life and such, well I loved to read that kind of thing back in the day. Now, not so much but I can appreciate her ideas. I think the story takes place in Asheville or maybe one of the smaller towns. I recognized some places as the characters describe where they are going or have been. Now in 1987 I would not have recognized anything relating to NC. 

I woke up last night and could not go back to sleep. Quietly as not to wake The Boys, I came downstairs and read. Slept in a little this morning.

Well, we put the boys to bed. We are exhausted from them as well as work outside in the side flowerbed. Getting those sunflower seeds ready to plant next winter. 

Just Stuff For Now

 Roy is out running errands and then working out. The Boys are on the back porch behaving and Mike the Mower Man is weed eating both front and back. After a couple of weeks with rain included it was a tad overgrown and messy. This leaves me here with my own quiet and thoughts. Really, my thoughts should be on Sunday and Hezekiah. I'll get there soon enough though. 

We have found a new house to play our game, "Would We Buy This House if We Were Younger." This one is in Burnsville, just a little north of the city. While higher than what we would like for the flood zone, I think we have determined that we would purchase this house if we were younger...it is tempting now to tell the truth, but no go, we like where we live. The Burnsville house has a small, I mean cozy second building that has kitchen, bathroom, great porch and such. A small stream runs in front of the property and yes, I checked to see what the flood zone rating is. Just a tad below the extreme level of the Flag Pond house. 

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We had such an eventful yesterday. Our plans were to head out early to Barbers Orchard, Duckett's and Pigeon River Mercantile in Canton. Coffee on the back porch with Roy and The Boys. Roy went to feed the Feral Fam and that is when the morning broke open. Two big dogs and a toddler with a battery operated riding tractor were in the backyard. After all the events of the day, we reviewed the security camera and the boy and the dogs spent a good deal of time on the front deck off the front porch. With new neighbors moving in and after talking with the boy, they headed up to the house of new neighbors. I will spare details since I wrote about this on FB but the boy returned home after getting out of the watch care of a sister and finding out the two dogs were not theirs and protecting the Feral Fam from attack we were exhausted. The Boys were frightened by the big dogs, who seemed very friendly, and would not come out from underneath the day bed. Add to this, we found three dead kittens. We gathered them up and put them where flies and other creatures could get to them and just assumed they had been killed by the dogs. It was quickly becoming a situation where we both said, we need to get out of the house for a bit. So, without further delay we headed over to Haywood County like we originally planned, just a little later. When we got home we began preparations for the kittens we found and soon realized the dogs had not taken their lives but neglect of their mother, who we really didn't even know she had kittens. These were very young maybe not even a week old. I did some research why cat moms sometimes do this and have a better understanding. We have help coming, so that is good. The Feral Fam population has thinned somewhat due to the change in food, almost always dry food and less interaction with them. In the garage it is easy to pet them and such, but they lose the trust somehow in the great outdoors. 

Today we need to get the corn ready to freeze and start slicing and freezing peaches. Every year I order Amish peaches from Troyers and they are so good. Lots of work but it will go faster this year since I have a helper.   

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We got the corn done on Sunday afternoon. All packed away in the freezer.

Since it is taking forever for this post, I'll close it for now. Tomorrow is the big day for G Mo, a little snip snip surgery. 

Cool Temps, We Will Take Them

 The sound of progress and the fragrance of tar is in the air early this morning. Progress on repaving the road paused then completely stopped as we received bountiful and needed rain. The rain lasted into the early evening. Made for good napping weather especially on the back porch. It even had an effect on The Boys as their roughhousing slowly came to a close and ending with them on the day bed with me. This morning we all started out on the porch enjoying the bit of cool we experience in the morning and evening. A cold front is forecasted to come through tonight giving us less humidity and lower temps. Oh yes, for the weekend that hint of autumn. For this we give thanks. 

Last night I watched the hymn sing at Houston's First Baptist. Mark Lowry streamed it from his FB page. I sat here and sang along with every hymn. Deep and meaningful words and along come memories of singing these as a child and teenager. Those words came alive so many times to help but I have to admit there were many more times I just sang, without paying attention to the words, by rote because I knew verses 1,2 and 4. Interestingly, here when we sing a hymn in church, we sing ALL the verses. I told the pastor at the time, if Just As I Am was sung the Sunday we joined the church, we would make our way forward on the last verse. It was fun seeing long time friends singing in the choir last night. 

Yesterday afternoon, while studying for Sunday, I learned a lot about the division of the Samaritans and the Jews. When it all started, what made the situation worse and then the eventual breaking point between the two groups. One commentary said that after both the north and the south kingdoms being in exile, there was probably just as much Jewish blood in each group. The religious rift was, Samaritans only believed the Pentateuch, none of the poetry, history or prophets. They didn't worship in or acknowledged Jerusalem because it was not mentioned in the first five books. Push came to shove and they built their own temple and had their own priests. Both groups shared Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob though. It's kind of like when rivals in the SEC meet in grocery stores or sporting good stores. After both sides talking about the greatness of their team or school, we can agree on one thing, how much we both dislike Alabama. (apologies to Alabama friends...it is getting very close to football season.)

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We have changed our plans several times already this morning and I think we have finally decided what we will get taken care of first and what can be done next week. This has been an odd week but a good week. It is a week I have needed to get back on track health wise. 

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And here we are on Monday August 15th. Funny thing about the 15th, this was Roy's original date for retiring. That news popped up on my calendar this morning but we have been talking about over the past few days. We are glad, except for being robbed, that the timing of Roy retiring in December happened. Roy sensed that he needed to be here for me and truly, that is the truth. Someone said the other day to me, I was worried about you and having Roy here all the time might be a difficult adjustment. No, it really has been a smooth ride with just a couple of minor pot holes...like forgetting Roy has the deep pause before he speaks and such. The stress in the office was palatable in his voice when we talked and he was dealing with political issues more so than projects or work concerns. When the part of the project he was working on neared completion, he and the company saw the timing of retirement and he jumped at that chance. He clearly sounds better and the stress level is minimal. 

Now it is Tuesday. The bike repairman has been here and left. Roy is on the back porch with The Boys and I just finished up breakfast. The sounds of road work greets us this morning and having that smooth road is worth the noise and the wait one can encounter with one lane open roads. 

The next few days brings cooler temps, our highs in the upper 70s. That is a welcomed temp. Last night when Roy picked tomatoes and I went through the sunflowers leaving some for the birds and taking some sunflower heads into the garage to dry over the winter, we appreciated the breeze that made the work more enjoyable. More work later but today errands are calling and we must go. 

Usual and Unusual and Unexpectedly

 Good Tuesday morning! We slept in this morning while not unusual for me, it is for Roy. So, before going downstairs I checked on him to make sure he was okay. Yep, just stayed up a little later than usual. 

We went to Costco yesterday. Roy likes the Kirklands brand of Kind Bars, so he was out and was almost out of smashed avocado spread for his eggs. Not only did we pick up needed supplies, we also found a very limited display of Christmas items. The small pre-lit birch trees were a good buy and we will use them on the front porch during the holidays. On the way home we stopped at Red Hill Orchard which is on the same exit as Strawberry Hill but in the opposite direction and only two miles down the road. We picked up peaches and muscadines. Roy freezes the grapes and has them as a snack in the fall and winter months. 

Last week we both had eye doctor appointments. Mine, as usual, quick and easy. Roy, well not so much as he has an eye that always brings in other doctors and such to look at him during the exam. He was there longer than me, he went the next day, and he goes back sooner than me. In the midst of appointments there were the Wee Ones that we had rescued from fleas and flies. We kept the clean, hydrated, fed and loved but the internal goings on were just too much to overcome. Our neighbor had guidance from her friend who is a vet and Peanut did not make it either. So, it is sad to report that one of the ones who did not make it was Bear. Just about broke both of our hearts. 

In related Feral Fam matters, we have not seen Sweetie. This is not unexpected but it is sad. This afternoon while cleaning out pics on my phone, I saw several of her as a kitten and when she was a little older. It broke me, I cried. She was one of the most beautiful cats around here. She was compassionate and kind to the others. She did not deserve this treatment by that mean old King Herod. 

On Wednesday last week, I met my brother Doug at The Blue Rooster for lunch and it was yummy. We then went to Sylva to look at a couple of antique stores and the bonus score was finding Asheville Popcorn, Bourbon Cinnamon Pecan, at the cheapest price yet. We stopped at Barber's Orchard and then tried to go over to Duckett's and Canton but they had a pretty fierce storm come through knocking out electricity and with the flash and crashing thunder as we started to get out of the car, we decided it was time to leave. On Thursday, my birthday, we went over to Burnsville stopping in at Christy's Crafts first, then heading over for lunch at the Cast Iron Kitchen and a saunter through Lamp Post Vintage Market. Such a fun day and I will do a separate post on the surprise that Doug brought. 

Trying to be a good choir member, I went to choir Thursday night. Think we might start having choir on Thursday nights and that makes Sunday a whole lot easier. Nothing like the beautiful voices of a choir singing Happy Birthday. 

We are still trying to solve the unsellable house mystery in TN. I just checked the listing and I see it is contingent. Zillow gives more of the story than realtor.com. We are not interested in buying the house but the contract, not under contract thing several times in the span of weeks got our interest. Being over that way on Friday, we did a drive by. Beautiful home but no for sale sign in the yard. It had been taken off the market on 8/2 and listed again on 8/4. My brother being involved in flipping houses said it was probably an inspection problem. I thought the back part of the yard was not terraced enough to prevent massive amount of rain and water getting into the house. More detective work and I found it is in an extreme flood zone and flood insurance would be needed for sure. There is a small creek near the property as well. Soon, we will have to find another listing to play if we were younger would we buy this house game. If we see House Hunters on TV, we play the game that before they even see the first house, we guess which one they will choose. 

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The Boys are wild this morning with energy. Roy is trying to have his quiet time but I don't think they want him quiet timing. The fragrance of asphalt is in the air as our road is being repaved. Hallelujah! Last night we were watering plants in hope of rain taking over. I began going through the sunflowers and getting the flowers that were done blooming for planting next year. I share the bounty with the birds and leave some or take some of the heads and put them in the feeders for them. While we were outside I got the chance to see and then get the two of Mama Cat's litter. Off and on the past few weeks I have seen them and heard them, but we assumed they were no longer around since no sign of them in the last week. From a distance, I thought they might have matted eyes and they do. Got some antibiotics in them and cleaned out their eyes. A little squirt of peppermint flea spray, not too much since they are young, and took them back to Mama Cat. She was nervous that I took them but I think she knows we are trying to help them and her. Once you clean out those eye buggers and get their eyes open, it is such a joy to watch them realize they can see. They are not weaned but they are both boys. 

I made crock pot applesauce yesterday from some of Roy's apples. Turned out pretty good. Think he was surprised when he got back from working out and picking up a few items from Publix to see the crock pot fired up. An unusual sight in the summer but a regular for winter. 

The temps are forecasted to be cooler beginning tomorrow. We might see lows in the mid to upper 50s. July is usually the hottest month in the summer with hit and miss relief in August. Counting fog mornings to keep tabs on how many snow showers we will have in winter. It's an inexact science but fun. As of yet, no wooly worms have been around.

Updates on The Feral Fam and The Boys

 We are exhausted with all our cat and kitten care. The third day in a row we have punted our original plans and adjusted accordingly. When spending time with the boys on the back porch I have been writing out and working on tomorrows lesson. Hopefully, I will not say so Elisha, Mr Mo and G Mo went out into the desert. Just an example, no desert in the lesson. The boys are conked out in sleep after a vigorous morning of play. We are too but the luxury of a nap isn't in the plans right now. The first check of the morning was on the little one that I didn't think would last the night. He did. He was really bad off yesterday and we worked very hard to get all those things off of him. I brought him to the back porch to dry off and much to my surprise he took several syringes of milk. I put him in the carrier with Lamp Chop and some water. Such a great surprise and joy to see him moving about. So, food was brought to him and he ate most of it. A little later he joined his sibcousins for inspection and the bucket brigade. In the garage we hunted down the deadly foes, flies. Just some small ones so the weapons of our warfare are fly swatters. We took out about five of them. Think there might be one or two more for the hunt. So, set free a few played then they all went to the cardboard box. Then some ate. Like I said a lethargic group for sure. We will get more kitten milk on our errands today. 

Last night we had just fallen into bed and almost fast asleep, the electricity went out. I jumped up to check and see if it was an area thing or just us. Looked to be area. It didn't last long but the generator kicked in. Such a good investment that's for sure. Soon enough power restored and we checked around and in the garage to see how the troops were doing. They slept right through it. Now a funny thought came to mind. When I was in the 7th grade or so, we went on vacation to Cherokee Village, Arkansas. We stayed with my grandparents in their air stream, which is already cramped with just two people. My mom and I drew the lucky straw and we both had to sleep up in the bunk in the back of the air stream. It was like sleeping in a crowded coffin. My brother and father slept in the table that makes out into a bed below us. Can I tell you it was stinkin' hot. No AC, no breeze and we are up in the heat sleeping in the size of a little wider space than a twin bed. My mother asked that a fan be turned on to keep the air moving up there, but my grandmother was hesitant, she just knew if the fan ran, it would blow a fuse. Finally, she gave in to our request and wouldn't you know it, the power went out about fifteen minutes later. Not just the trailer but the whole area. My grandmother wasn't a bit too happy and she berated my mom for causing the whole camping area to lose electricity. Now, it wasn't the fan at all but I cannot help but tell you that last night this story of the fans came to me as we left them on in the garage. I asked Roy do you think the fans did this? Uh, no.  

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All this began on July 29th and now it is August 8th. What a week! It has been a hard week with good interspersed throughout. The saddest news is five of the little kitties did not make it thus forcing us to make the decision to take the remaining ones to the humane shelter to give them a chance. Our neighbor had taken one from the crew to see if she could help it and thus helping us know how to fight the battle of flies and fleas. She had help from the vet friend and Peanut didn't make it but like ours passed away clean and loved. We had put up two more playpens in the house to help them but the four who made it regularly ate both from the bottle and wet food. The kittens were weaned but took both kinds of food. Cutie and the cat who abandoned her babies to her sister finally figured out their kids were on the front porch from time to time. Cutie sat and watched and cooed to them. Tupac watched for a bit and she was off. Both Roy and I shed some tears over these babies. Wednesday Roy took Beulah, Busby, Bizby and Joey B to the shelter. At the same time Sweetie is declining. I think she has a bacterial infection and since she won't let me near her, never has let me, we are limited in helping her. This is the result and work of one KH with his signature hip injury but this time he went after her throat and that seems to be what has caused her decline. On Saturday she briefly let me touch her back in a petting way but it was one touch and she moved away. Several days earlier she did the kitty eye blink which is an honor to receive from a kitty. She did it over and over. Highly unusual because I never could get her to respond to my eye blink in all this time. The Feral Fam has taken a hit this summer. The Fam is not happy they are being fed outside and not in the garage. Insult to injury, we are mostly giving them dry food and we sneak wet food to Sweetie. In these summer months they didn't really use the garage and for one, I am happy to have a lot less flies around. 

The Boys are doing well and even sleeping and cuddling up together for some naps. They both fell asleep on my lap last night. We are introducing them to house life and freedom a little bit at a time, well hours at a time but I do want them to sleep at night in the playpen cause mama here, needs her sleep. That time schedule got pushed back when the kittens came in and so much of our attention was deflected. Mr Mo now greets me on the back porch after I place them down. He comes running with or to me and sits for a quick minute before he is off to eat or conquer the cat tree/condo. G Mo is a very healthy eater and is an equal rival for Mr Mo. They are so fun to watch. 

There was so much more to the week but since this has mainly been themed around The Feral Fam and The Boys, I decided to begin another post later today or tomorrow. 

Not For the Faint of Heart This Week

 Good Wednesday morning. Thankfully this is one of the few ease into the day mornings we've had in a while. There is always something that needs attention or needs to be taken care of. Oh, yes, there is still all those types of projects, right now they are not time urgent. Yes, for this we give thanks. 

Sunday night was a special night for Roy, well I guess for both of us. He had been asked several months ago if he would consider being put on the ballot to be a deacon. He and several others were voted in, only Roy and one other candidate had never been ordained. All the years at First Baptist, he had no desire to be a deacon mainly because he didn't have any time to give to it. In his thinking he did not need another business meeting to attend, having enough of those at the office. The service was touching and heartfelt. The other man's grandfather gave a short talk on the calling and service of deacons. The grandfather, a pastor over in the Piedmont area, was truly moved and blessed by his grandson's ordination. Our pastor spoke a few words and then the whispered prayer thing over the candidates. Pastor with heart and common sense, they let them sit on chairs for the prayers. Afterwards our pastor's wife was teasing me about being a deacon's wife now and we laughed because she doesn't always fit in the pastor wife box. Roy says we are so much alike. Hmmmm....I agree, except I am not organized. I still need to give her the book Roy gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago on goals. My goal is not to lose the book and so far I have met that goal.

There are kittens galore in the garage and on the driveway. This is an adventurous group or rather groups of kittens. Tupac and Cutie are the moms and the babies are probably days apart in age. We had some pretty good rain this afternoon and today, most of those kittens hightailed it to the garage. Yesterday, Roy was out there drying off kittens left and right. In the joy of these kitties is the sadness of Sweetie. I believe she is facing her last days. She, one of the most beautiful members of the Feral Fam. A good heart, spending time with Toupee, who didn't have many cat friends. Sweetie watched over her. Sweetie lost her kittens and I don't know how or when and that deeply affected her. She constantly carried about others kittens. She fed these kittens as well as some too old to be nursed. It seems the target of KH is a cat that is male or I have shown favor toward. Neither of this is true in her case. KH is lying low these days and only shows up at mealtime. So, to counter his timing we have been serving food at different times to throw him off and keep him out of here. 

It is not for the faint of heart to go to old people discount day at Publix, I mean Wisdom Wednesday. Focused and narrow focused oldies but goodies are out for the discount. Not that we aren't but you know....I would like to think we are not as bad as those observed. Add to that several Instacart shoppers as well as those shopping for a big trip or gathering. One cart of people, I called them the swarmers. It mattered not where we were in the store, whatever we were looking at was on their shopping list too. Roy made a slight adjustment on a turn to throw them off the path, we forgot bacon, and when doing so two packs of AHA water flew off the bottom of the cart and when I came around the corner, I tripped over one of the water packages and caught myself by the cart handle. So thankful that Roy was holding onto the cart or I might have sailed over to the bacon. Yes, I could bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and be in a cast from tripping over cans....cause I'm a woman! Old-woman who has been working on her balance. 

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Foggy Friday morning. While we wait for Waste Pro to deliver new garbage cans cause they wrecked the ones they gave us and while they make some excuse everyday that Roy calls, we will have to make a trip to the landfill this morning. Yesterday, the excuse was the delivery truck broke and is in the shop. That's a rather good excuse and so we shall see what excuse is used today. 

Last night we discovered one of the kittens who either wandered off or his mom toted him off from the others and he was in bad shape. From the look of things and after doing several hospice times with a few other kittens, he was not long for this world. He didn't need to go out in the shape he was in so we cleaned him up, tried to help him not be in pain and sat with him. I swaddled him in a couple of towels. He spent some time with his siblings who had sat with him in the past. I wrapped him up better and he pulled his paw out of the towel and touched my hand, then laid back his head. I am taking it as a thank you. Because of his condition, we got everyone out of the garage, cleaned it out once again and this time getting rid of anything we felt might draw flies and fleas. We sprayed Wondercide this week outside and inside the garage. We did it again last night for the garage and closed the door. Everyone had to stay outside last night but we reopened the cat houses for them. We also shampooed all the kittens and sprayed them with the lovely scent of peppermint Wondercide spray and put them in the heated cat house to keep them warm after a bath. They all cuddled together and we made sure their mama knew where they were. With all the work that we did, feeling buggy and sweaty, we threw our clothes into the washing machine with the extra strength, sanitizing detergent and got them washed. We both felt much better after taking showers. 

I had the boys out back on the porch for most of the afternoon and now I know why. While they played and then sat and then begged for treats, I worked on the lesson for Sunday. II Kings 7 and once again I thought, Lifeway, why did you pick this particular chapter but this week as I have read and studied, there is much more than what a first read through gives. It seems the right thing to do to compare Elijah and Elisha and how they were used so differently by the Lord. Elisha had a totally different background than Elijah and moved in society with a better understanding of people and systems than Elijah. 

Off to run errands and such. 

Wrapping Up a Blog Post and Elijah

 The long day of riding and waiting marked time till about 1:30 am when we both fell into bed exhausted. The thoughtfulness of Judy C being much appreciated because after dropping the truck off at church for Roy, they took me home. I was happy not to be out on these rural roads after dark thirty. This past week the state or county has been patching up our well traveled road but in the midst of the patches, the white lines on the edges of the road have been covered. 

Roy has made it downstairs and he is having his quiet time with the boys on the front porch. I love his telling of adventures this week. He did get to take a few pics of the area to share with me. Just so beautiful.

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Sunday morning. The coffee is brewing and the boys are stirring. Roy is still in bed. That's good that he is taking care of himself. Hopefully in this morning's lesson we will get to the part of Elijah under the broom tree, again with the theme of God using the miraculous as well as the ordinary, we just need to be aware of His workings. God knew he needed rest for the journey ahead and Elijah slept and God sent an angel to wake him and provide food and water for him. Since Lifeway didn't use a lot of last week's lesson to show how Elijah learned with the brook and ravens and the widow, I covered that and today we look at Mt Carmel and as much as we can with the aftermath of the big moments/big ministry times and such. If we have to go into this into next week's lesson, that is fine. This time going through the life of Elijah, I am seeing how much God's grace and patience is shown. The other times, the first time though while studying in CBS my eyes were opened to the very human side of Elijah. When we studied him in 2019 using The Gospel Project, I was halfway miffed with him. 

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It has been tougher than usual to sit down and write. I need to get back to my regular writing as well as blogging, if nothing else but for me to think through thoughts and prayerfully approach things I don't understand. 

I slept in a little this morning and it was much needed. Roy and the boys were already on the front porch and wrestling between the boys in full swing. Roy reading his Bible verses in between breaking them up when turning a little too vicious. I joined them on the porch for coffee drinking. We got the Fam fed. Dean hasn't been around for several days...thus you never know in their wild lives what happens. Truthfully, I don't miss him as he was a bully and a scardy cat at the same time. He picked on those smaller than himself. Now Blazey was gone for several days and I sure was happy to see him show up last night. 

The weather and my health has kept us from doing the day trips we had planned this week. I am hoping we can get another trip in. We are thrilled for the rain that's for sure. The trees were suffering a bit. We picked more tomatoes yesterday and a good amount of blackberries. Brenda said yesterday now y'all are fully entrenched in WNC life and there is no turning back. Yep, I reckon that there is some truthful words. I keep thinking of friends dealing with the hot temps back in Texas. The week forecast called for temps over 100° for seven straight days and the lows are in the 80s. Don't miss that at all. 

We will wrap up Elijah on Sunday. I didn't get as far as I wanted last Sunday. There is just so much with his life and experiences with God that we can learn from. 

This could go on longer but since time hasn't been made recently to blog, I'll go ahead and post this. 

Dear Diary

 Dear Diary,

It isn't even 8:30 am and already the morning has been a full one and an early one. Got up at 3:30 am to get Roy to church for their early morning departure. Had a difficult time getting Mojo to give up the comfy confines of sleep underneath the car. Finally, with that chore done, we headed over to church in a thick, misty fog. It was a slow go but a safe one. Upon returning home, there was Mojo sitting in the middle of the driveway waiting for her house to return. She wouldn't budge and since it was a little after 5:00 am, I didn't want to honk a lot to wake up those who still slept soundly in their homes. I hoped I had pulled in enough not to get hit by the gate closing. Whew, made it clear but only by an inch or so. Got inside the house and made coffee. Looked over notes for tomorrows lesson and then began the separate porch time for Mr Mo and then G Mo. Mr Mo, full of energy threw himself into all that involves play. Climbing up the tower, chasing an impudent stuffed animal, and generally getting all the ya yas out. Put him up and gathered their bowls to be filled later. The Feral Fam gathered and waited on breakfast which began service around 7:00 am. In the midst of the frantic wait for bowls, a very familiar face entered the garage, Radley. Radley looked a little rough around the edges as if he had been fighting. He did something uncharacteristic for him, he hissed. I talked to him like always, cause he is always a joy to see and he is HP's brother. I didn't go near him because we have been on polite distance terms, but when I went toward the cats waiting for breakfast, he hissed at me. Oh my spidey sense told me to close down the service line and get inside the house and that's what I did. Went out a little later and he had moved on. Now, it was time for G Mo to get out on the porch and he climbed up the tower to the next level. He's a growing boy. We moved into together time which went well. G Mo is getting a little more assertive in standing his ground and even initiated some of the scuffles. By this time, mama is tired, brought them inside, served breakfast and now they nap. Yes! Now to have some breakfast myself. 

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Dear Diary,

First night of VBS done and day three of being a single parent to two wild boys. Again, this morning, I find myself getting them fed and hopefully played out on the front porch. In a bit I will go feed the Feral Fam and then it is my turn. 

With extra activities this week as well as too many appointments, I am working on this Sunday's lesson earlier this week. We covered Asa as well as the background of Elijah being prepared by God for the big showdown on Mt Carmel. Some of my favorite verses on the brook, ravens and the widow. Asa, well his heart was loyal to God his whole life but he didn't finish well. For his life and study, when he and Judah had rest in the land for ten years. Seeing the things that Asa confronted and then restored, well, I wish we could have given more time to that. 

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Feeling the VBS hangover this morning especially in my feet and legs. Last night, I was so tired when I went to bed, I tossed and turned. Woke up around 1:00 realizing I had not taken all my meds, so it was a tip toe kind of descent downstairs as not to wake the boys.

I have seen Radley two more times. Once, he seemed like normal Radley but the next time he was hissing at all the fam but not at me. Got him fed but makes me wonder if he returned just like Big Daddy before crossing the rainbow bridge. Radley hasn't made an appearance since Saturday. I also think little Mojo might have crossed as well. She had a habit of sleeping out in the open on the driveway, she is more white than black being easily spotted by a hawk. Broke the news to Roy last night that it has been several days and Mojo was not one to miss a meal. 

There is much to be done before going to VBS, so with that thought I will close this post. 

The 4th, The Mr Mo and G Mo Saga and Lunch with Friends

 We celebrated July 4th very low key. In the evening we enjoyed the show that distant neighbors across the way put on and it almost looked professional. Off farther in the distance we could see the professional show done in the city. We could see the highest reaching fireworks. When we first moved out here there were hardly any shot, but as more houses are built there are more people shooting them. The nice thing is, they stop around 10:30 or so. We get a great show as well as a good night's rest. 

The 4th seemed to be a good day to go to TN. Another truly American thing we did, go to Walmart. Roy wanted to check the price of shot gun shells as well as pick up a few other items he needed. Since Mr Mo and G Mo like the feel of my winter bed jacket, we found pre-cut fabric of that same texture for the boys. It is kind of funny the things we had in our shopping basket or could have had. Shot gun shells, prune juice and a plunger, and to make the point, none of these items were related to each other. We decided to put one of the items back as not to draw suspicions checking out. We had other junk, but we were cracking up, although I am sure that Walmart checkers have seen a lot of stuff and could tell us some stories. Upon the conclusion of the trip we went to Sonic to get hot dogs for lunch and to celebrate the holiday. We were going to go to Pals in TN, but the drive through line, no indoor ordering, was what seemed to be a mile long. 

Last week our beloved coffee maker bit the dust and we put the next one in without a fuss. Several years ago we ordered the new coffee maker that was like the old one but the old one gave us two more years of semi dependable service. Back then, before any shortage of supply chain it took months for it to arrive. I can only think what it might be now. They might have quit making it too. Who knows? 

The exciting news around here has been G Mo coming inside to stay. Only one not too excited about that is Mr. Mo. We have them together several times a day on the front porch and their playpens are right next to each other. Their food dishes are mere inches apart with the mesh in-between them. We are reading all we can on getting these two to socialize although G Mo is holding his own. I have a feeling he is going to get much bigger than Mr. Mo, so there is that. G Mo right now is a low energy, laid back kitten. Mr. Mo is entering the teenage years. I will leave it at that. Next week G Mo goes to the vet to get checked out and hopefully get his snip snip surgery scheduled. Mr. Mo goes the week after that since we just have the one carrier and putting them in at the same time might not be the best thing to do. 

The gastro office finally called and my consultation appointment is in September, but I've also been put on the cancellation list. This has been a long journey and it seems it has a longer time to go. 

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Roy is getting ready to meet Kyle to shop for the Vermont mission trip. I have a few things to take care of this morning and then get back to studying Sunday's combined lesson. We didn't ger Asa covered so we need to have that taste of good king before we get to King Ahab and the rest of the doing evil in the sight of the Lord gang. 

Yesterday was such a fun day. We met CourtneyS and fam at Blue Rooster. They are in the area on vacation. Lunch was delicious and more fun cause four out six of us are kind of silly. We talked about our funny memories as well as new things that have happened along the way. Wish we had more time but they needed to move on out and see everything they could for the rest of the day. Roy and I went over to Robin Blu because they have the cinnamon bourbon popcorn I fell in love with last fall. We got the last two packages. I love the taste of bourbon but don't drink it. So, this is good. We went next door to the new bakery Farm to Cake and got a couple of things. Very tasty and the lady who owns it is very nice. They might have gingerbread cookies around Christmas and for this I am grateful. We tried to get over to Christopher Farms but the roads leading to there are all being worked on. With the skies growing ominous, we headed back home, in the rain. We were going to stop by the Les-ter farmer's market but rain. Came on home, then after the rain moved on we went to TJs for peaches and a stop at Ingles, cause they have creamer on sale. The kind that we like. Later in the evening we had the most successful yet porch session with Mr. Mo and G Mo. G Mo actually went after the Mr and it turned the tide a bit in the struggle to get along. Last night gave us hope we are on the right track. 

Weekly Reader or Writer?

 Being homebodies, at least in the evenings, we were out nearly to 9:00 pm last night. I was a bit wired from the fun of visiting with friends up at the picnic shelter at church and it took some time to wind down once we got home. We also took Mr Mo out to the front porch to get the ya yas worked out of him. He is so full of kitten energy and fights going to sleep with a kitten passion. Finally, all three of us settled down for a long summer sleep. Goodness, Roy and I slept in till 7:00 am...threw everyone off in the cat world. In fact, we got the stare down from the front deck this morning. 

Yesterday afternoon, we got a hold of NoMo. His eyes were crusting up again and he needed them to be cleaned out as well as a little dose of antibiotics. Once I got him he put up quite the fight and a quick transfer of NoMo to Roy proved to be successful as I got his stuff ready. When he hissed got the antibiotics in him, then as he tore up a paper towel with great teeth action, I was able to clean his eyes and then apply the cream to them. Saw him briefly this morning at breakfast but got a good look at his eyes and they have cleared up. He scooted right out the door when he saw me walking toward him, only the approach was more like going to the back door after serving breakfast. 

I love following South Main Baptist Church in Houston on FB. The devotionals written by staff are some of the most interesting as well as spiritually deep of any I've read. While the world is spinning out of control or so it seems in the natural world, there are sacred and meaningful moments to experience and thank God in. While Roy and I are no longer interested in long distance travel and love the feeling of being anchored at home and the area, there is a bustle to days in which we don't notice where the hand of God is leading and drawing our attention. Yesterday, Ragan Courtney posted this memory:

Ragan Courtney

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I remember very clearly writing this like it was yesterday. It is still my testimony.

He's the wind I soar on. He’s the grass I run through. He’s the one I turn to when I have to laugh or cry. He’s the light of my world. He’s my priceless pearl. He’s my answer to why He’s my friend even after I die. He’s the sun I sing in, He’s the sea I swim in. He’s the mountain I climb to when I want to reach a new high. Jesus, my Lord! Of all the things he said to me, the best was truth shall make you free! You shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you free. You shall know the truth. And love is the proof that the truth shall make you free!

-Ragan Courtney, 1972 (50 year celebration of Celebrate Life)

Just graduated from high school and looking forward to attending college and being away from home, the songs of the musical Celebrate Life along with the songs from God's People Give Thanks, Church of the Redeemer (Houston) seemed to be the soundtrack of life in that particular season. Anytime I hear the music of that time, I am carried back in memories, not of the difficulties of maneuvering and trusting God but how the words spoke deeply and gave respite when I searched for rest. I have always been a creation and nature girl. All the hymns like This is My Father's World, When Morning Gilds the Skies, All Creatures of Our God and King...live eternally in my spirit and soul and if I am feeling particularly adventuresome musically, How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place will be a song sung in the car at the glimpse of mountains upon returning from the flatlands. The reminder of God with us is a strong tower. 

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Wednesday morning held appointments at the Densc and Smash...the imaging center. Got a good report from my mammogram and still waiting for the bone density which will arrive on Tuesday. Glad to have those over for the year. Great people watching even though I brought a book to amuse me but when I read, almost everything gets tuned out and the need to hear my name called caused me to put down the book and observe. Years ago I had an irrational fear of storms, loss of electricity and smashed and trapped in the device and I would be left in the dark to fend for myself. Even back in the day I was too tall for the machine, so it was a rather uncomfortable position with knees bent and locked in. Now days, that fear doesn't even come to mind while in the midst of it all. 

The lesson for Sunday is coming together. We are combining two weeks since we had a speaker for Sunday School last week. The title of the lesson is These Three Kings and what we can learn from them in the mistakes as well as the right things they did. Some had a good start and finished badly while one was a tyrant the moment he took the throne. 

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Roy has gone to work out and in just a bit Mr Mo and I will be returning to the front porch. He's taking a nap and I do not want to disturb his sleep. He goes 100 mph and then zonks. When G-Mo came up on the front deck this morning with the other cats, well we knew he is ready to come inside to the good life. We are waiting on something to be delivered tomorrow for them and then the process will start. 

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Good Monday morning! Happy Independence Day! 

I will close this post out because it is Monday and been working on this all during the week. Feral Fam updates to tell but alas, that is for next time.  

Rainy Days and Mondays, Do Not Get Me Down

 The big highlight on this Wednesday morning is the A/C people coming to do our twice yearly inspection. Everything seems to be running right, but it is just a part of the territory, just as it is in Houston. I am so glad that even last and this week with our warmer than normal temps here, it is not Houston hot. Lord have mercy! *** Well, they changed the appointment to the afternoon. All is well but the guy broke the drainage thing and had to replace it as well as turned the attic chain light too hard or at a weird angle thus the light would not turn off. Roy kind of freaked out over it but we texted with Jon, friend and electrician, and he came by last night to look at it and then he fixed it. We are most grateful for him. As for the A/C guy, I kind of laughed about the light thing because he was not raised nor trained to never ever flip a light switch haphazardly, pull a chain too hard and while it is all being mentioned, who could ever forget the door and drawer shutting lessons. Those are things I rarely do unless I am mad and way back in the past slammed a few doors shut. 

Saw a few Japanese beetles while dead heading roses, so it is time to get out the traps before they wreck havoc on all the roses. Some of the transplanted four o'clock plants were a little droopy but they have revived quite nicely. The youngest peach tree didn't make it so this fall we will get another one but plant it in a different spot. The redbud tree that was there died too. The tomatoes are going wild and we hope to see some red ones soon. Our blackberry bushes are abundantly filled and we await the turning from red to purple any day now. So fun to watch all the growth from last year. Apple trees are doing much better than last year as well.   

Big Daddy is still around as of yesterday. His meow is pitiful, almost like he had stroke or something. He will not let you treat him special but wants to eat with the others and they are letting him do that. He does accept treats though. He is pretty beat up from his hard living. I am glad to feed him and talk to him in what might be his last days. 

Mr Mo returned to the vet yesterday for a quick check up for his bottom lip and first set of shots. He was out like a light for most of the day but he has rebounded quickly this morning. He and Roy were out early on the front porch enjoying the morning. We bought Mo a bed that converts from a covered top to a flat bed. Mo has flipped that bed upside down and he sleeps and hides underneath it. Quite a funny thing to see. We are gravitating to brining G-Mo in the house although he is a boy. MoJo is not that friendly and G-Mo runs to Roy when he sees him in the garage probably due to the high hopes that food is involved if Roy is present. But that helps. It is hard to remember Mr Mo acting so wild but he does love the creature comforts. Oh, and not sharing his food. 

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Ah Saturday. We loaded up the truck this morning and took a bunch of stuff to Habitat for the thrift store. A high school in the area had a car wash so we came home and brought back the Mustang. Since we were close to Publix, we ran in for a few things and then came on home. 

I haven't seen Big Daddy since Thursday. Don't know if he has moved on across the rainbow bridge or not but if he did cross I am glad he was around here to have a full tummy and soon enough the Feral Fam came around to loving on him. 

This week I finally have some appointments and I am still waiting to be scheduled at the gastric office. filled out all the digital paperwork but if I don't hear anything by Monday afternoon, I will make the call. Everything has such a slow pace to it around here. For the most part I am feeling good but just have little tinges of discomfort now and then. 

This has turned out to go much longer than anticipated so, I will close this to post this. 

Remember, Remember, Remember.....

 Yesterday and this morning we are experiencing those rare mornings in the summer...cooler temps. It was 49 when I woke up this morning. Mr Mo and I spent a good portion of the early morning on the front porch. He enjoyed the new cat condo/tower Roy assembled and I enjoyed morning coffee. Roy probably enjoyed a quiet morning even though the stock market is closed today. Surely, there still is financial news looming. 

We had a couple of storms on Friday and with one brilliant flash and a tremendous boom of thunder, the Wi-Fi went out. Nothing new cause it goes in and out all day long but this time it stayed out since repairs were having to be made until early Saturday morning. One does not realize how connected they are until Wi-Fi vanishes. The world could have experienced some major catastrophe and we would have never known. We enjoyed a quiet evening on the front porch with Mr Mo watching him and the cars whiz by. Just needed some beans to snap to complete the picture. Mentioning this in Sunday School we all took some time to reminisce over our childhoods on the front porch with grandma, aunts and various other friends and family. Oh the things you could learn. If one, being a child, acted like the bean snapping had all the attention, well you could learn a few things when the grownups decided to tell a story or two not meant for little ears. I tells ya, that was living on the edge. Maybe all the duplicitous acts I employed when much younger can be traced back to that fine balance of working just to listen in. 

Solomon and all his glory or maybe that should be all his bad decisions he made were the topic of the Sunday School lesson yesterday. He started off so good and as he grew more cynical and walking away from God, he gave us the gift of Ecclesiastes. I do like that particular book of the Bible for other reasons, but reading chapter 2 in NLT version opened my understanding to see the steps that can be taken to become old and bitter. As Solomon states, nothing new under the sun. Wine, building, pleasure, music and love could not fill the emptiness he experienced. He even included hard work which appeals to so many who love their careers, but at the end of the day, it was chasing the wind. His steps away hurt many. The people were heavily taxed and worked in monthly shifts to keep all the building going not knowing that Solomon had mostly lost purpose and interest in his projects. I remember a friend from tennis days who constantly had a building project going. She remodeled and she was not DIYing it, changing rooms on a consistent basis due to boredom and the feel of lacking purpose unless the build was on. We ended the lesson looking at Psalm 92 and being a Baptist the need for alteration kicked in. In our old age, we are to flourish, fruitful, and foliage. The last one being a stretch cause trees that are verdant are mentioned in Psalm 92. As people age the bad personality traits or at least the most irritating ones become harder to disguise. Thus, we can become self absorbed in everything, especially in everyday life. When working at the church, the hardest group to please was the older ladies and their Bible study. When they needed copies or if something was wrong with the room set up, they approached with that single focus in mind. Even if, I was involved with work and projects that didn't exactly include them at the moment, they didn't care. The minister I worked with was over a huge area of ministry and there was always something demanding attention. Their approach barking orders and threatening me with "I'm going to tell on you" mentality, made being compassionate a little more difficult. We always got their requests taken care of in a timely manner, but the bark and bite was ferocious. There were a few, kindly, gracious and easy to please ladies. Co-workers and I would usually comment, if all the older ladies were like her (them) I would like to hang around with them. But, I digress...back to Solomon. The theme to him in the beginning, remember. But he quickly forgot. An example I used to emphasize the point was learning the choreography to the song Fame in a long time ago aerobics class at the Y. Dance steps aren't that hard for me to pick up but the movement and steps on the chorus, major difficulties. A bunch of us went to the tutorial the teacher held and to this day I can probably remember most of the steps. Often tempted to try this in Ingles because Fame is on the music track for the store. Long aisles, yes plenty of room and no flash photography or videoing, please. So far, I have resisted the temptation. The key to life ending well, remember, remember, remember...the faithfulness and goodness of God. 

A strange yellow cat is hanging around. Looks to be older. I cannot tell if it is male or female, but orange cats tend to be male. Of course there are exceptions. Mr Mo is doing well and has several adventures on the front porch and a really good nap this afternoon on my lap. 

The strange cat hanging around, being watched by the other cats, keeping their babies close, although babies is an operative term. I decided to look back in 2018 at a picture of Big Daddy. Sure enough, this cat that is hanging around is the most revered and command demanding cat of the long ago. I remember him coming around, sitting on the railing of the once upon a time, poorly constructed back deck and watching his offspring. He took advantage of the lovely buffet and then one day he was gone. Haven't seen hide nor hair of him since that long ago summer. By the looks of it, Big Daddy has lived one tough life and just that little glimmer of recognition that he was in a safe place showed a bit here and there. While watching from the front porch and keeping an eye on Mr Mo, Big Daddy struggled down the stairs to the coolness of the front flowerbed and rested. Not knowing why he showed up or where he has been reminds me of Buddy before she died. She made peace with my brother when Doug was here and she sat in Roy's lap, something she never did. Maybe he was making a goodbye tour or he just knew there might be food. He remembered to stop by. 

Computers, Kittens, Breakfast and Danger

 Called yesterday to get Mr. Mo a follow up appointment at the vet for next week. What a difference a happy little kitten makes on the heart. I loved Buddy and she was an excellent pet for us but she was a bit cranky for everyone else, especially at the vet office. The tech asked how Mo was doing and she scheduled him for his appointment to be at the time when she was working so she could see him. I love that! He is recovering nicely and is a fun and morning energetic cat. Oh the adventures that await when he is older and doesn't sleep in the playpen. I'll enjoy these nights of rest. 

With computer issues and WiFi being noncooperative, I was finally able to submit my digital work to the gastrologist office. Even the submittal of history and paperwork did not go smoothly. Several questions were just yes or no but it felt like I needed some space to explain because it was not a yes or no answer.  

Had a Costco day this week. We are trying to gear our trips for once a month. As the fruit season shifts, so does our shopping list. A TN shopping trip will be next and we will do these until we cannot afford to do so because of the gasoline prices. Because the oil and gas industry put food on our table and to some extent still does, everyone ganging up on the big oil companies is nothing new. Like our friend Solomon said as he grew more cynical as he got older, there is nothing new under the sun. There are many years that cuts are made all through the oil and gas industry which means people lose jobs and their livelihood. After the 80s, it seems a lot of companies ran lean and mean hoping never to cut back on all the jobs they did. Even as a non math loving person, one can look and see if there was more production and refineries coming back online, people could be working and give the credit to this administration in charge. It reminded me of a situation when I played softball. One of the best players defensively in the field and a force to reckon with at the plate missed most of a season with an injury. We other players were united in how much we disliked the preferential treatment that she received. If we made mistakes, we were punished someway, lack of playing time etc...but in her slumps, she never bore a lick of reprimand or punishment. So that season she missed? It was one of the worst seasons our team experienced, but not because of her lack of presence on the field, no we were not united in whom we focused on with disdain. Now that there wasn't one person to direct that to, we were all over the place with ununited blame at foibles and mistakes.  That kind of feels like what our country is dealing with right now. The one focus isn't there to unite a majority. I feel sorry for those who are required to tow the company line when it seems so counterintuitive even in the fact their lives have been affected financially. I also feel sorry for those who have the slim advantage now and seem to over do it with pounding out their mantra and with energy just experienced from those there are differences with. It is beyond my comprehension all that is going on right now no matter what side we lean toward. I'm here in my usual spot, the middle.

We had a profitable TN jaunt. Got groceries, walked through Academy, had a delicious lunch and topped off the journey with a stroll through Barnes and Noble. We look at such different subject matters. Roy checks the sale books, then business books. I look through fiction and nonfiction first, then through the journal section looking for deeply discounted notebooks that would be great for putting Sunday School notes in. No such luck but did find a book that I had contemplated ordering a few weeks ago and Roy found a book on Technical Assets. Well, he saw the book and came home and ordered a different book, same subject matter on Amazon. Next week I hope to get a lot of reading done since we are having church wide gathering for Sunday School. But for today it is getting the lesson for Sunday in outline form. Solomon is one interesting King that's for sure. 

This morning Mr. Mo got to wander through the downstairs for a bit. Last night he and I sat on the front porch. Let me correct that, he ran all around the front porch and I sat until I had to chase him down and bring him inside. His sister BJ was under one of the rolling carts napping on the front deck. They saw each other. I tried to get her to come inside the porch but she wouldn't. Last night before we shut down the cafeteria, we did a looksee for a couple of our bunch that didn't show up for supper. Our presence scared a gray cat, not Frankie, out of the garage. MoJo and Tab Hunter are usually around because they are so little. Benny and Beanie are regulars that don't miss a meal, not in sight. Later just as dusk began overtaking the sky, Sweetie and two of the black cats chased off the gray cat from the backyard. They had been sitting with the little ones on a large flat rock, encircling them as in protection. We don't always know what is going on in cat world but this morning MoJo and Tab Hunter were present for breakfast as well as Beanie and Benny. Something certainly was up last evening, the sense of danger hung in the air.  Thankfully this morning that danger seemed to have vanished and the normal hunger for breakfast returned. 

We finally have a morning to be able to ease into the day. I've been waiting on this all week long. 

Updates

 What a week! Not a bad week, just one that took a different direction than what we had planned. Couple that with a few things around that house that took our attention as well and the days are filled with to dos and the evenings once all has been watered outside quickly turned to rest. 

Tuesday evening before feeding the Feral Fam, I gave some treats to hold their appetites a bit at the backdoor of the porch. Mama Cat came around to partake but before eating she took a couple of swipes at Monet. With them a bit distracted, we came out to the garage and began dishing up supper. Mo ran towards me and it was obvious something was wrong with his mouth. You could see bone and the tissue had been torn away. My thinking at that time was it happened during the day when I could not find him outside but he looked normal right before shaking out the treats. I realized then the injury had just happened. I got him into the house, gave him a bath and fed him by bottle because it was clear he could not eat normally. This all happened a little before 5:00. I called the vet office and after a bit of a conversation I was to drop him off at 8:00 am the next day. Fast forward to morning and the vet told me he had suffered the injury and she would begin that morning to fix his mouth and while there she could neuter him. You can see now I am referring to Mo as a him because they verified the evidence there-in. 

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Now it is a Tuesday week and Mr Mo has just eaten breakfast and hopefully got some of his kitten energy expended. I love yet don't like all the extra energy. It does mean he feels better so I am going with that good feeling. Last night, first night sleeping in freedom from the collar and he did well. We just fed the Feral Fam outside and Roy is watering plants because with this heat wave, it took forever to cool down last night and it was just too hot to take of anything outside. 

Last Tuesday after my haircut appointment, I stopped at Target and it just might be a last Target visit in person for a while. They have been revamping the store and it actually looked organized. Lately, Target stores are a mess. It was the next day after Target announced their earnings and the fact they had too much merchandise due to the changing of consumers feeling post pandemic. Y'all, the store was packed with people looking for discounts. I did score a skirt and shirt deeply discounted but all the other stuff was priced as usual. Here is the clinker, lots of people wanting to check out. Only self service was open. It was a mess. Not enough checkouts. Finally, they opened one line but I had already been the Target employee of the hour by checking out on my own. Again, I know they are combating not having enough employees but seriously, someone needs to rethink the process. 

Yesterday, we made the Costco trip. A couple of items we love had the asterisk in the right corner, so we bought up a few extra items. Stopped at a peach stand and bought some delicious peaches. Even made a Jack in the Box stop for me. Haven't had their tacos in over a year. They certainly were good. 

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This is taking way too long to write, so I will go ahead and get this posted. Roy got the new computer going yesterday and it won't be such a hit and miss of being able to get a post published. Thanks for being patient.