Smiles

I'm thankful my dear hubby has friends he meets and plays games with online.  It keeps him involved and active in their lives.  I sometimes wish we lived close enough to visit in person more often, but i'm so grateful the internet gives him the chance to stay in touch.


I'm thankful the internet gives me the opportunity to be in touch with friends, too, and to make new ones.  :)


I'm so very thankful for my friends.  I appreciate them, their love and support so very much.  I also appreciate that they not only listen to me, but that they trust me enough to share their lives with me too (when i shut up long enough for them to get a word in edgewise!)

I'm thankful for a little white cat curled up next to me.  :)


409

I've so much to do!

So much to do today, i hardly know where to start!

I'm 3/4s done with the front of the sweater.  It is knitting up quickly.  Part of me just wants to sit and knit and get that part done.  Sigh.


The sweater doesn't look like the pic, but i'm pleased with it so far.  I'm not finding cables difficult.  


Gena tells me i knit loosely because i knit Continental rather than English.  That's okay, i respond, because i adjust for it by using smaller needles.  "But then you are constantly having to adapt a pattern!" she said.  Yes, well, i don't mind.  Besides, i remember when i was a child and a neighbor was trying to teach me to knit.  Probably English.  I found that i was having a hard time for multiple reasons, but i know one was that i was knitting too tightly that every stitch was a challenge.  I soon gave THAT up!


I've said every year since we've lived here that i can "feel fall in the air" in August.  Don't know quite how to describe it, but there it is.  Today i'm feeling winter in the air for the first time.  I don't know quite how to describe this either.  It is not really any colder than the previous few days.  No snow is forecast.  Yet, somehow the wind that is blowing is bringing a winter chill that wasn't there before.  


We had the chimney sweep come a few weeks back.  Nothing in the chimney for him to do, although he told us that the fire had been burning too cool; the soot should have been black when it was pale grey.  He spent a lot of time with us troubleshooting why the stove has never been efficient.  He made some suggestions.  He cleaned out an air duct that was clogged (and i didn't even know there was that duct).   He didn't charge us a penny.  Said that he wants our business next year and all the referrals we can manage.  He said that this stove might just be a dud.


The darn thing has worked perfectly ever since he came.  I am pretty sure that it is working well because of the air duct cleaning, and i've been checking it daily since then.  The stove now works as it always should have.  Before, it was only putting out enough heat for a small amount of space near the stove.  Now it heats our whole living room and some of the upstairs well.  And it has been so much easier to start a fire, as well.  Before it was constant work, and took careful watching that the fire didn't die.


The chimney sweep made a couple of other suggestions.  One was to insulate and cover (with sheet metal) the area over the stove (because it is being used as an inset in the fireplace).  We've not done that yet, but plan to.  The other was to lay a few pipes on the the floor of the stove to increase air flow.  We have done that.  And we feel it helps, but i am sure the majority of the improvement is due to the air duct.  


Woo hoo!  Heat for the winter!  I'm excited.


I've been sleeping better.  Not more.  I wish i was sleeping 8 or more hours a night, but i usually average 4.5 to 6.  Still, i know i'm sleeping better because i know i've been dreaming.  Not that i remember the dreams, i usually don't.  But when i've been aware that i have been dreaming, i seem to manage better during the day.  I think they've been long, complicated dreams.


A couple of days ago i was dreaming long, complicated (conspiracy theory type, i think) when i got bonked on the head.  Opened my eyes and Duane's hand was coming down for the second time.  This is highly unusual, we don't usually bump each other too much while sleeping.  I asked him later if he dreamed he was stabbing me (for that was what it looked like, but part of that might have been the tail of my dream).  He was highly indignant!


We took N's 3 kids (and a cousin of theirs) to Oktoberfest yesterday.  As far as i'm concerned, it was wasted on the kids.  We missed all the fun inside, like the log cutting contest and all the dancing.  The kids mostly did carnival stuff outside (Sierra spent lots of time at the petting zoo).  Yeah, we spent money, but set some limits, too.  Sierra, the 8 year old daughter, has done ballet and some other forms of dance.  She didn't have much regard for the German dancing i enjoy watching.  We ate some nasty french fries (yes, i was bad and had a Pepsi).  


We were there about 2-1/2 hours.   Both Duane and i were pretty tired when we took the kids home.  But Duane was amazed to see me (he was with Sierra at the petting zoo, while i had the other 3 at the carnival attractions) carrying the youngest, Joshua, on my shoulders when we were separated from the other 2 for a bit.  I didn't carry Joshua much, but Duane was very much aware that 2 months ago i said i don't think i can do these events without a wheelchair.  :)   :)   :)  


When we came home, we both rested.  I think i only slept about 15 minutes (sleeping longer during the day creates a lot of problems for me), but i did stay resting for probably about 3 hours.  Still, when i got up i was fine.  Before, it would have taken me days to recover from such exertion.  I'm getting better!  I'm getting better!  :)   :)    :)  I also helped Duane stack some wood he had cut Saturday PM.  And i picked up twigs and bark for fire starter.  I did limit my work to about 45 minutes, and i rested afterwards, but my recovery time is so much less than it was.  I'm getting better.


I tried not to complain too much here, but i've seen my functioning decrease and decrease over the past year, especially since January.  I wasn't sure how much longer i was going to be able to continue our schedule at all.  I was scared, really scared.  


So this is more exciting than i can begin to express.


I am not fully WELL, by any means, but i am so much better.  I still have to limit my activity and monitor my energy.  Doing too much does mean relapse.  My new "normal" is probably still only about 30% of what a healthy person has.  But i'm able to do so much more than i did, with a far shorter recovery time.  Thank you, thank you God.  


Our cat Jazz wasn't well for a while.  The week i was home he was sneezing quite a bit (unusual for him, more common for Mac).  He was listless and didn't have much energy.  He didn't fuss as much (it seems he is always "talking" to us), and didn't struggle at all when we picked him up (usually he doesn't care for that at all).  I was starting to get worried when he wasn't much better after about 10 days.  Saturday i told Duane that if he wasn't better by today i would take him to the vet.  He either heard "vet" or his virus ran its course, because by Saturday afternoon he was much better.  Yesterday he was fussing at us like normal.  We kind of missed "sick Jazz," for we don't care much for "talky" cats.  However, i'm much relieved that he seems to be better.  Last night he was as playful as normal. 


I'm sure i had tons more to say, but i need to get up and start on my long "to do" list.


Is it beginning to be winter (or what you have as winter) where you are at now?



393

Multiple different pics

 Mac, making himself comfortable on our unmade bed.

I wrote of our time at the Art Festival & how tired i was.  When i laid down, this was my view.  

 Multi-million dollar houses on the hill across the street from the Festival of the Arts.

Duane sent this to me from his helitac training yesterday.  (He is not in this pic.)  He enjoyed it a lot & thought it was a fun day.  I thought it was a 4 hour training, but it turned out to be 8+ hours.

We bought this mat for the front door today.  We think it a fun thing, although i know from sad experience that it won't stay looking this bright & pretty for very long.

The art project i'm doing, in progress.  It is the "Around the World" quilting pattern but made with scrapbooking paper.  I'll put an image on it when this part is done.  I'm being very slow because it needs to fit well.  This has a lot of mistakes in it & is very imprecise.  I'm finding this is much more of an energy drain for me than simply knitting. 

The baby blanket i just finished.  The colors aren't quite true in this pic.  The lavender around the edges doesn't really match the colors inside, but it was the best i can do.  This is the first baby blanket i've made in a while that i actually like.  It is going to the daughter of a friend of mine.  Her baby girl is due the end of October.  I'm pleased with this blanket, although i don't think the border was the best choice.  

Mac & Jazz.  (They had wanted to sit on the baby blanket as i took a pic of it.  I didn't let them.)

This is where i spend most of my time.  Today we bought the wire thingy (used 2 of the shelves for something else) & i tried to straighten up my side of the bed.  It is usually a mess.  I don't really like this look much, but it is neater than it was.

Much of this was the mess where the wire thingy is now.  I need to put this junk away!

This is where we store the sheets & the basket on top is for dirty clothes.  I had 2 stacking plastic bins here with the summer or winter sheets inside (& the ones being used on top).  But i found that they absorbed a plastic smell while stored & had to be washed a couple of times, which seemed a waste to me.  After debating our options, we decided to put the sheets on shelves instead.  

Yes, the door to our bedroom has windows in it!  But it is just the two of us, & when we do have company, our bed can't be seen from outside the door.

Since i spend so much time in bed, & blog from bed, too, this is the view from there.  This is fairly late afternoon, with the sun coming in.  

We had a couple of really cool days here.  The lows were 24F & 26.  I think we broke a record on Thursday for the "lowest high" on record.  I think the high that day was 61F.  But it has warmed back up & the past couple of days have been in the 70s.  A few of our trees are beginning to have yellowed leaves.  Fall is soon to be here.  We'll have winter sheets back on the bed soon.  (Duane will be happy.)


Duane just rushed out the door a few minutes ago.  SAR had a call-out.  A hiker with a broken ankle needs to be brought in.  If he actually goes (sometimes he gets to the station & is told that the team isn't needed), he will probably be gone for several hours.  The call-out is in a valley at least 40 minutes from here.  He does love to be part of the team.  


Thank you for all the well-wishes for our anniversary.  We had a lovely day. 


377

Random bits

I've a new game to which i'm addicted.  Virtual Pilot.  I think i'm learning where some of the cities in Europe happen to be.  Some i miss consistently.  I'd do much better if my memory was better, i can forget things 2 minutes apart.  

I'm old enough that i learned in school some of these cities as belonging to countries that no longer exist, such as Belgrade, Yugoslavia (it is Serbia now).  My highest score has been 28,887 out of a possible 30,000.  However, even when i'm spot-on, it usually shows i'm off by 4-8 miles (and usually more like 12), so i'm landing on some poor farmer's fields or on an autobahn or something. 


I'm walking up the stairs more slowly these days.  No, not due to illness.  Jazz.


When Jazz first joined our family, he mostly wanted to spend time with Mac.  He knew people were good for only 2 things:  Feeding, and playing.  He likes us to play with him almost constantly.  Over time he has discovered that being petted is a good thing too, but he only wants to be petted on his terms, at his time.  He'd prefer me to follow him around the house, bent over, petting him as he walks where he wants to go.  That doesn't happen much!  But he has discovered that walking ahead of me on the stairs works too.  So i've slowed my pace going up the stairs so that he gets a thorough petting before we reach the top.  It is probably good for us both.


I've decided i need to work harder at the gardening.  I was out today and  cut all the suckers around the peach, apple, and (non-fruit) plum trees.  I started to clean out the roses, but got fatigued and came in.  We planted the dwarf tree we got last weekend yesterday, and we planted the one grape (i bought 3) that actually leafed out.  I also planted some mint around the base of the plum tree.  After all the roses are cleaned i need to do the lilacs.  And then i need to clean out all the grass that has come up in our rock border.  Oh, and pick up sticks and twigs for fire starter, too.  Also, a few of the trees have dead branches that need to come off.  We need to start some sort of compost bin, too.


N is the woman who has been coming since R moved.  I've only been having her come twice a month.  We are kind of figuring things out between us.  I'm rather discouraged about food in general right now, so we've not been doing that too much.  But she is a wonderful worker and very efficient with housecleaning.  Over all it is working pretty well.  It would be hard for anyone to follow R for we just "fit together" so well.

She is a worker!  Our back deck looks better than it has since we moved in.  She does a wonderful job not only cleaning the house, but helping me with clutter too, which often overwhelms me.  


We hired N's son to come do some clean up in our yard for us, although i think their whole family worked at it.  Weed abatement is very strict and no weeds are allowed to be bigger than 4 inches high.  I told her getting the weeds cut was my big priority, but that raking would be good, but only if they had time.  Over all it looks pretty good (they came Tuesday when we were away).  

But weed abatement was after us too because we'd never stacked most of that huge pile of wood from last fall.  So we asked if they could come help us with that as well.  We had to separate the wood into what will fit into our woodstove as it is, and what is going to have to be cut.  They came yesterday AM and helped us with that.  It looks good all stacked up, and we have a lot!  I'll have to take some pics soon.


They have 3 kids (and J has a son that is with them some too).  So yesterday N and her husband J with their three kids all came.  After we finished the work, which didn't take too long, we played some.  Duane pulled out a parachute he'd gotten for a good price at a yard sale.  We drifted it up and the kids ran under and out again.  And then we bounced a ball on it, trying to keep it inside.  A beach ball would be best, but we don't have one, so a tennis ball had to do.  We had a lot of fun with it and hope they come back again, not just to work!


I got another one of those ugly president-bashing email, again from the same person.  One of the sentences from this email:  "Our dictator jerk off just keeps on walking all over everyone."  This one is claiming that Mr. Obama is refusing to sign the certificates for the Eagle Scouts.  In about two minutes i found the report on this from Snopes.  It is not true. 


I love the person who is sending me these things very much.  I think, however, i'm ready to send a letter/email to her asking her to take me off of her list to send political things out.  She did learn to send her things out blind cc and also to remove all the names from previous recipients.  (It used to drive me nuts to see 50 or 100 names from many, many previous forwards.)  After one particularly virulent email last summer, i got frustrated and hit "reply all" with the Snopes info showing that it was not true.  I didn't get much static for that (tho i think the person sending it to me did), but a couple of ladies wrote and ripped me up over that.  One asked me "how did you intercept private mail between friends?"  ! ! !  I had to write and explain what sending an email without removing names and without using bcc actually does.  So the person i love learned not to send these things this way.  


I think i'll say that i've not written her about this because i was afraid of offending her, but that i'm being offended at receiving these email which are libelous.  (I always have to look these up.  Slander is spoken, libel is written.)  I'm particularly offended because these things most often are LIES and the person doesn't even bother to check it out before hitting the "forward" button.  

What is happening to Christian charity?  What happened to "Love your enemy and  pray for those who hurt you"?  I'm not saying that we have to stand by all that our gov't is doing.  Not at all.  I'm very unhappy with much that our gov't and elected leaders are doing.  In the coming election i plan to vote based on what our leaders have done, in order to try to change what i don't like.  I'd like to do (what little) i can to bring about change. 

But disagreeing with our president does not justify passing on such hate.  Particularly when it is libel.  Especially when it is a lie.

Now, i appreciate the email i get which informs me that our leaders are getting ready to vote on ______ bill and this is what the bill says and this is how that bill might be interpreted and that it would be a good idea to notify my elected leader of my feelings about such a bill.  That is fact.  That is useful info.  It is something i can act upon.  The email i'm complaining of is nothing but rumor, gossip, and lie.   I don't believe that lying, passing on such a lie, or the hate behind the lie has any place in the life of a person truly seeking to honor God and live in the example of Jesus.  


Sorry.  I'm just getting too much hate email.





363

Dreams/The Cats/What do you think?/A link

Last night i dreampt that Duane & i were living in an old farmhouse-type home in a small town.  Duane sent out a wide invitation for folks to come to a fish-fry/bake, but didn't expect many to show.  We were mobbed, & didn't have enough fish, so i went out to buy more.  Some people brought their own, but i said, "I won't eat that.  It is breaded."  Simply meaning there would be more for others, but i realized my comment probably sounded rude.

Duane's sister H came, but as the house was full, she & a lot of her friends (she has 269 on FB) went to a small park kitty-corner to our house.  Edward from Twilight was hanging out with them.  It got weirder.  Enough said.


It seemed profound at the time.  Huh.

____________________________

This is what we had after shaving the cats yesterday.  This is only about half of what we got the first time we sheared them, but before we got off the mats.  Still, this filled the vacuum canister.  I don't have pics of the cats yet.  Camera battery gave out yesterday.  They don't look great, but a little more even.  Not much worse than the job done on Jazz last time (i wasn't impressed).  It will look better as it grows out, & by the time the weather gets cooler/cold in the fall they should be back to normal.  


I notice they've been cuddling together much more than normal.  They are probably missing their sweaters!
____________________________


The class i re-took this weekend was CranioSacral (CSR = CranioSacral Rhythm) work.  It does have a physical component in moving the bones of the head & effecting the vertebra (especially the head & tailbone thus "Cranio Sacral") with very gentle pressure.  But this also has a huge energy component with it as well.  


The CSR is the circulation of the fluid that nourishes & protects the spinal column & brain.  Every animal with a skeletal system has this rhythm, tho at varying speeds.  It can be done on horses, dogs, cats, rats, etc.  


I've had some skepticism of energy work in the past, but even when i didn't "believe" in it, i've found it to be effective.


One of my limitations in using this work is that i haven't practiced it in various positions.  I pretty much only do it supine.  I think that it will just take practice to do it in other positions, but i haven't looked for practice often.


After being gone for almost a week, the cats were very cuddly on Monday.  So i used a small amount of that time to find their CSR & follow it for about a minute.  I also "gave the suggestion" to Mac that he didn't hurt below his shoulders & it would be ok for me to pet & brush him there.  I gave the suggestion to Jazz that it would be ok for him to be closer to me & allow me to hold & pet him.  


Mac usually cries or gets angry when he is petted anywhere but his head.  Even a light touch will elicit a cry.  Jazz didn't let us pet him when we first got him, tho he has gotten better at that in the past year.  Duane said that he has even let him pick him up & hold him on his lap & pet him.  I can pick him up & pet him some, but he has never let me hold him on my lap.  He will sometimes sit next to us, but doesn't like to be petted when he does.


That was Monday.  Yesterday we shaved them & i brushed them some.  Every time Mac came to me after that, i petted him on his head, but also lightly on his back.  Not once did he cry, although a couple of times he indicated some impatience.  Last night when we were watching TV, Jazz jumped up on my lap, settled himself, & stayed for half an hour, even allowing me to pet him some.  


What do you think?  Did the "suggestions" make a difference, or am i only noticing what i think i want to see?
____________________________


I did get my days mixed up, even tho i was trying.  I missed the Farmer's Market yesterday.  


Duane had a SAR fund-raiser yesterday.  He worked & i went for a while.  Nothing i could eat, so i ate before going.  A friend from church who works at the Sheriff's dept invited me to another fund raiser today.  I'm going, but it is a little harder for me.  To support Duane was a good thing.  This one i'm simply forcing myself to go to because i feel i "should be more social."  I want to be more social, but am uncomfortable with large groups.  


I need to go get ready for it, tho, as it is at noon.  (Of course, this means i have to drive that Jeep.  He left this AM.)


I like the blog Oh Me of Little Faith.  His post today, Is Doubt an Eraser?, is definitely worth reading. 

328

I'm so confused!

Normally we come home on Thursday afternoon.  So that made yesterday Friday, & today Saturday.  But it is not.  Yesterday i tried to do "Monday things" - like the knitting group at 9 . . . but i took the Jeep for smog too, planning to do errands.  Then i forgot the knitting, so just went to breakfast while the Jeep was being worked on.  Got ready to pay & discovered my wallet was gone.  ! ! !  Duane came & rescued me & we found my wallet had fallen out & was in the Jeep.  Profound relief.

So, today is not Saturday, it is Tuesday.  Normally we go down the hill on Tuesday mornings.  Duane worked extra hours on-site last week.  He also has a SAR event tonight he wanted to be here for, so he's not going down the hill until tomorrow.  I'm staying home this week.  I don't know if he'll come on on Thursday or Friday.  I think it is going to be a while before i know what day it really is.  
____________________________

More pics from the weekend.  The run was sponsored by the Navy, or something.  This last pic is of my sis (on the right) & her friends D & S who drove down from LA county to join the walk.  
_________________________________


I'm thankful Mac won't have to go to the vet.  


Both our cats are long haired.  We believe that Mac is some mix with largely Maine Coon, although he could also have Norwegian Forest Cat in him.  But he is definitely a mix as neither of those long haired cats tend to mat; Mac mats severely - if not taken care of.  Not quite as bad as a Persian, but close.  Jazz is of Turkish Angora extraction (we got him from the folks who raised him & know more of his parentage & history than Mac).  He doesn't mat a lot, but will have some eventually if not taken care of. 


It had been our pattern to take them in once a year in the spring & have them shaved.  Then it was always my goal to be "better" at brushing them & avoiding the shaving.  I've not done so well with this.  

The last time we took them for grooming, however, Mac wouldn't allow himself to be messed with.  The groomer said he tried to "eat her."  As he is a big, imposing cat, i'm sure it seemed so.  We had trimmed his nails prior to this, but he can use his teeth.  At that point we bought an animal shaving thingy & tried to do it ourselves.  We did, kind-of/sorta.  

By January this year, he was heavily matted.  I was afraid we would end up having to take him to the vet & have him anesthetized in order to do the work on him.  From shoulders to hindquarters seemed to be on big, solid piece, also quite a lot on his tummy & around under his tail.  I was worried to shave him then, however, for we keep the house at 53 F most of the time.  It just seemed too cold to have him shaved in January.


Mac acts as though it hurts him to be petted or brushed below his shoulders.  He also HATES scissors.  But he doesn't mind the shaver thingy, however.  About a month ago we got it out & did some shearing of both the cats.  (Rebecca asked Jazz if he had walked in front of a weed whacker.)  It was a mess & they looked a mess.  The shaver thingy doesn't work on mats very well.  But it cleared out enough of the extraneous hair that we could see the mats we needed to work on.


So, i was stealthy.  Here & there once in a while i'd get the scissors & just work at cutting out some of a mat at a time.  If i was very gentle, i could get 1/4 of one done before Mac got impatient & upset & moved on.  He is now 100% mat free!  I think i have all of them off Jazz too.  They both are very patchy.  We need to get out the shaver & clean them up.  That shouldn't be too difficult now that the mats are gone.  

But i'm thankful to avoid the stress & medical intervention & expense of taking Mac to the vet.

Jazz, pre- & post-shave a couple of years ago.

Mac, just being Mac.

________________________________

I posted a while back about home-made deodorant.  Because it is so cool in our house, it works well to have it in the stick dispenser, but in OC it didn't work at all.  I came upon the brilliant idea of putting it into the gel dispenser.  Wrote i was going to give it a try.

Ok.  Not worth it.  So not worth it.  


First of all, the top of the gel container is a solid piece with a mesh at the top.  I hoped that the mesh thing would snap off, but it does not.  Duane removed the bottom of the dispenser for me, which is the only way to get into it.  It was a real pain to clean inside.  I then covered the mesh at the top with tape, inverted it & filled it with the deodorant & let it cool.  When it was partway cooled, we put back on the bottom piece.


Except the bottom piece doesn't really snap back on.  So when i turn the wheel to push up the "gel" the bottom piece instead pushes itself off & i have to hold it down on something firm to keep it in place.  So, it works ok, but it is definitely not worth the effort.


Also, as things get warmer in OC, it may just leak out all over the place.


My motel room in San Diego was really warm this weekend.  Much warmer than i'm used to.  When i got back in i would run the air conditioning long enough for it to cool some, but i hate the sound of the thing & didn't want to waste too much energy.  The deodorant i took down was in a jar.  The type i spread on with my fingers.  At home, it is a solid cake & works well.  In San Diego & the heat it totally melted.  Very liquid; well, not like water, but oil with the solid making it gooey.  Also the baking soda/corn starch which was blended into it settled to the bottom.  That's not an issue i've ever had before.  If my "gel" container does that when it gets warmer in OC, i will have a mess of blended oil & other junk leaking everywhere.  
________________________________

Duane says the cats are being antsy because they want him to leave.  "Leave?"  


He thinks they know it is Tuesday & we are suppose to leave so that they get the treats we give them as we are going out the door.  


I don't think they're that intuitive, but Duane swears that they're going by the calendar.  :)




327

Cats, cats, cats

Pioneer Woman is having a new photography contest.  This time it is cats.  (It was dogs a couple of weeks ago.)  So, cat photos!  Of course, i think ours should win.  These are the ones i've submitted:

I think i took this one, but i'm not sure (all the others here were taken by Duane).  I like the quality of light here.  Jazz was about 3 months out from a lion cut.

This is so much a "Mac attitude" - him just being smug! that i had to put it in.  This was before we got Jazz.  Mac was also about 4 months out from a lion cut here.  Duane took this pic.

Duane took this of Jazz shortly after we got him.  Jazz was only 8 weeks old when we brought him home.  I love the look of this.  Duane said it looks like a "glamor shot."

Duane took this when Jazz was about 4 months old.  I think this looks like a glamor shot, too.  I love the two cats together like this.  And the colors.

But this was the sequence of events before that pic:  Mac, "Ah, a chance to relax!  No bothersome kitten around.  Sigh.  Just me."

"Hey!  Where'd you come from?  Aaaarrrggg!  Stop biting!"

"Okay, okay!  I'll clean your head.  Just stop biting!"

So, the caption on this pic should really be, "Ah, did you say something?" to the people, NOT "Peaceful coexistence."

I love this pic of Mac, taken about the same time as the ones above.  I'd submit this one, too, but i'm only allowed one per day.

 Jazz, of course, can't leave well enough alone.

 Seems he was always biting Mac in those days.  He still does some, but not as much.  I think Mac worked very hard at ignoring Jazz in the early days.  Jazz in response found that biting got Mac's attention!

A "Jazz in bag" pic.  

I just love this one of Jazz!  The expression on his face is hilarious.  :)

I have been a bit . . . i think one of my submitted pics should win.  Duane did some excellent shots.  Of course, there are over 46,000 entries!  Also, Duane pointed out to me that Ree (PW) really favors "bokeh" shots.  Those are the ones where part of the pic is in focus, & the rest is out of focus & blurring into foreground/background.  We looked thru the 3 days so far where she has posted her favorites, & the large majority are bokeh shots.  But, these that i like & have submitted are mostly in focus.  

Ah, well, i get to show them off here, anyway!

This is Minx.  Or rather she was Minx, tho i usually called her "Little Girl."  I had her from a kitten.  She is the only female cat i've ever owned.  A few months after my cat Bronson died, i brought home Mac thinking that she needed a companion.  Minx hated him & acted like prey, so he stalked her & things got really bad.  I was trying to find a home for Mac & having no luck.  I was running out of options & getting desperate when my dear friend J offered to take Minx.  

That was hard for me.  I've never re-homed an animal that was mine before.  Well, not since i was a kid, anyway.  I feel an animal that i've taken on is my responsibility for the life of the animal.  But it worked.  My friend J & her hubby renamed her "Sudoku" & she ran their household!  I never treated Sudoku/Minx like the princess she knows she is, & she is rather cool to me when i visit J.  But J's husband has developed allergies to her, & they are looking for a new home for her.  We, of course, can't take her.  Even if we didn't have Mac & Jazz, i think she would be very unhappy that we are away from home so much.  


So, if you happen to think on it in the next couple of weeks, please pray that she will find a good home that is a good fit for her.  She's a bit high strung & gets anxious easily, & seems rather fearful.  I'm worried, but can't do anything to "fix" this.  


Thanks.  :)


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