Yay Me!

I honestly can't think of anything I'm celebrating. But it seemed like a better mood to start on than I've come up with lately...

Work's predictably frantic...I'm pretty sure it's just all of us trying to figure out how to stress out about not having our usual slow season. We'll manage.

My personal pain patterns have rocketed. I'm sure it's the weather (barometer always gets me). Even still, it sucks!!! But I'm whining, and that's not cool. Most days I'm pretty good at blocking the ouch, and my life is exactly where I want to be. So I'm not gonna complain.

Sider is cuter than ever...every day he gives me a new reason to think maybe he's found his forever home. But he still isn't my cat...sorta funny that. He loves getting skritches from me, but when I'm not dispensing them he wants nothin to do with me. Scott's his people, and he'd rather sit and guard him than be near me. Guess it's fair. He's so much the punk kid brother to Yahzi & spazz, he'll mimic anything they do even when he doesn't understand why.

Happy Wednesday.
-m

Some bad days never mend,

Some nightmares never end, some tears will never dry, my day is done and no one died!
(channeling Don Williams here)

Fran had a panic this morning when people showed up to get flowers for a wedding we didn't know we had! We made it work, but you can imagine how that threw off the whole day. By 6:30, when we gave up on cleaning and searching for the lost piece of paper we needed, I was more than ready to just find a hole in the ground and climb into it.

My friend Tracy called me last night to let me know that he'd totaled his truck and trailer but that he was okay. He was in the midst of hauling his extra firewood home from his campground to use over the winter when something went wrong in the universe & he wound up in a head on collision with another truck. It's amazing he walked away.

Tonight I am mentally about the equal of a banana peel. Sorry, all the good stuff's gone, if all you need is compost I might be of some help eventually.

I have recipes - spinach alfredo and cheesecake chimis - to share, but not the mental acuity to write them down. But having promised them I will now remember!

blaaaaaaahhhhhhhh......zzzzzzzz.....ehm....huh
-m

Awesome Storm!

This morning around 6am the skies opened up and DUMPED on us! There was booming and flashing, and all sorts of excitement. I tucked the suddenly snuggly kitties under the blankie with me and fell back asleep listening to the storm. It was awesome!

Oscar's putting on new feathers and is all full of bawks and attitude! His "flappers" are coming in and he can ALMOST fly. It's entertaining when it's not terrifying. He loves snuggling and wants to be my buddy...until it's not his idea. Then he wants to bite my fingers off and make me miserable. So normal.

We started the new semester of college + they're re-doing the intersections surrounding our house, so it takes forever to get anywhere! Also the sidewalks are all blocked off, so I can't even bike/walk to work without a TON of hassle. Hopefully it gets better soon!

Worn out, boring life, but at least I've put together a few entertaining thoughts!
LIVE LONG & PROSPER!
-m

FULL OF GUILT

I am a bad blogger, also my spelling for some unknown reason has gotten worse than usual. Even so, I've had so many things not all of them bad going on, and I haven't shared. The pessimist says "no one reads this damn thing anyway", the optimist says "if I don't keep up on this my friends will stop checking". Therefore, I am going to string together the few thoughts I can gather and throw them on here! In no specific order. Hopefully things improve with practice.

New Kitty. Outsider the very snuggly porch cat who we've been watching/feeding for a month has somehow (we shall not name names nor place blame) become Sider...as in IN-Sider. He is a smart affectionate, cat who had some really bad luck in his adoptive family back in May. We found this out after we took him to the nearest vet & had them scan for a microchip...HE HAD ONE. The chip was still registered to the shelter, they gave us the number for his adoptors, and the vet tech called his people. When she showed up she had no interest in the cat and we got the vibe that she'd be dropping him into another neighborhood on the way to work...BAD PEOPLE. So we told her how cute we thought he was (she agreed but said he didn't care for her 3 year old, and wasn't a good replacement for her pit bull who had been "stolen"). I'm pretty sure they got him at one of the "free cat adoptions" they've been having and then when he didn't fit in they dumped him in our neighborhood. BAD PEOPLE. He's obviously not suited to being a wild cat, and in 100 degree temps dropping a cat in a strange neighborhood close to major traffic is akin to murder! However, he found us. I'm still not forgiving them. Once Sider realized it was either Out or In at our house he's shown a lot of appreciation for being ours, and may just prove to be the exercise program Yahzi desperately needs. He's four years younger than Yahz & Spazz & LOVES to play chase. Also he's learning that Oscar is not food...hopefully soon!

Speaking of the Bird Brain (his official title). His newest word is "Kibble". I stumbled into his room at 6:30 the other morning and the dialog went like this:
"...brawwwwk" (his version of my alarm clock going off)
"Good morning"

"Morning Baby Bird" (I try to be positive even though I'm not awake)

"Breakfast" this means his seed mix that also includes fruit and other noms, as I scooped seed into his dish and tucked back his blanket

"Drink-o-Water" so I took his water dish to the bathroom for a quick scrub and refill (all the while in zombie mode because I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON) as I'm tucking it back into his cage he hits me with his latest acquisition

"Kibble!?!" clear as day...his words usually start out as baby talk only I can understand, but apparently this one's important! So I scooped kibble into his bowl and walked away to realize I had just been completely bossed by a little green monster.

Last weekend was the Murray Family Reunion (Mom's step kids). We all camped at South Fork, and my friends the Rivera's came to camp with Scott & I. Despite a very stressful week for me (Fran took part of the week off to go on vacation & left Adda, Byron, Judy & I to hold the fort down) I had a good time. I actually got pictures of my Moose! Scott & I were floating in the river tied off to rocks when my pet river stick got away from me (yes the purple one I've hauled around for 2 years, it's a mini tragedy). I waded ashore & hurried down stream to where the Rivera's were camped in hopes that it might get caught on the shore & I could get it back. I had to hurry through a thistle patch in my water shoes, so I was watching my feet more than the river. When I hopped onto a rock and looked up, all I could see was Moose...AAAAAAHHHHHGGGGGG! At least that's what my hind brain said as I scrambled back to shore and the moose turned to nod at me. Either he recognized me (this is not our first or closest meeting, he's the same one that wandered past Royla & I while we were in the hammock and who came through camp every week last summer) or I didn't seem like enough of a threat. Either way I'm glad! My stick floated within a few feet of him. I decided at that point it was a reasonable adventure & went for my camera. As soon as I find my camera card reader there's gonna be a whole bunch of pictures!!!!!!!

I'm off to brown meat for my chile verde experiment, wish me luck!
-m

Only so many hours in a day!

Work's been busy, home's been hectic. I've got some awesome pictures, but can't find the camera card reader...so next time.

We've camped the last 2 weekends in a row. Had fun both times, but we're definitely staying home this week!

Two weeks ago was Monte Cristo. We camped on top of a mountain during an awesome thunder storm, burnt 100 lbs of hardwood, and quite enjoyed ourselves. Also found out my former supervisors are spreading malicious rumors about me...not a big surprise. Kinda telling that they feel the need to make up lies. Makes me wonder how much of the problem they've figured out was their fault or had explained to them by their superiors. Not my worry anymore, and we had a good laugh at the stories their making up and the OBVIOUS holes in them (like all the problems that I was inviting have now moved "across the road" when there's not another campground on the other side of the street for 30 miles either direction). Also saw our friends Jim & Jerry (the ones who have a pickup camper and cats) at Willows on the way home. While we were there we got a peak at the new hosts and their camp site. They seam like nice folks who will tell the supervisors exactly what they want to hear. Seeing all the kids toys and junk strewn across their site sure made me feel better about how things looked when I was living there.

This weekend was the Andersen (my Dad's family) reunion. It was great to see them, I haven't spent much time with that part of my family in too long. We all stayed (some of us in campers) at a cabin near Bear Lake. There was tie dye (yes, I'm plotting a way to wear tie dye in one way or another every day of the year now!) paper rockets, an adorable cabin cat who was an expert at mousing and knew how to spot a good skritcher people. Oscar had a good time socializing and even had fun while his cage blew off of it's perch and landed on it's side (thank goodness cabin kitty wasn't around right then). Saturday we all went to the beach. Somehow we catered lunch for 50 from mine & Mom's camper kitchens, and it was delicious(at least everyone said so). I even got Scotty to play in the lake(yay for SPF 100). Saturday night Scott & I headed away from the beach with no specific plan and ended up in charming St. Charles Campground. Other the site being a bit of a trick to park in & the fire ring (attached grill) tripping Scott and creating a few FANTASTIC bruises. It was pretty ideal.

I've got many other things that I would love to chat about, and I promise to do so soon, but I must go tuck Oscar into his bedtime cage now so that our newly adopted cat Sider & I can both relax (he still thinks Oscar's prey).

Keep peace in your hearts and minds.
-m

Finally back to a GOOD PLACE

I've had a hard time putting thoughts together and having much of anything good to say. But I'm there! Last weekend Scott and I went camping in Dry Hollow. Real Camping! We built our own fire ring, had no neighbors, watched baby squirrels, read books, and RELAXED. It was amazing. Kitties are settling back into the house and miss the smellavision but enjoy the chasing and playing space. Spazz caught a mouse in the garage last week...yay. Oscar LOVES being back at the Tulip Tree and spent a good part of today laughing with Fran and chattering all kinds of happy noises.

Life back in the shop is the same chaotic, delightful adventure that I'm used to. It's almost like I never left. We're settling into our new space, and trying to make it look like a flower shop again.

My fabulously talented and graceful mother has a broken arm. Poor girl had an unfortunate fall over the weekend and will be wearing a cast for the next few weeks. She's toughing it out and finding creative new ways to do her job with only one hand. Fortunately there's a whole family of florists up there to help her out.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Wendover with Adda & Ashlee. Should be an awesome day!

Having trouble finding the words.

Today I left Willows. It was hard. I love that place and the amazing people I've met and grown to love there. There wasn't much of a decision left for me. Rules and policies have been changing constantly for the last month. I suspect that I was the unwilling target of age discrimination. I might have been patient enough to put up with it all had there been a supply of water.

The water line started acting up a few weeks ago, and went completely dry last Wednesday. On Sunday my fresh water tank in the camper ran dry (I'M APPARENTLY A ROCK STAR AT CONSERVING WATER TO HAVE GONE THAT LONG) I've been hauling in drinking water from the lower campgrounds for myself and the cats since then. Trying to find time to swim or at least splash in the river in order to bathe. I came to a clear decision point when I was going to have to move the camper to go fill tanks (if you can imagine having to drive miles even to have water for flushing). There was no joy left in my job to make the effort worth it. So instead of loading water and returning we packed up camp. I'm gonna miss that place!

Fran as always has the best possible timing. She and the Coles came up this weekend and helped me remember a few of the reasons I loved being there and also why I'm gonna love being back home. We all floated the river (yay!!!!), I dyed my hair purple (I always feel better when I'm purple!!), and we talked about the flower shop and the people there whom I love.

I'm having a bit of an odd time separating my camp host life from my love of camping. I may not be in charge anymore (mixed blessing since the job had so many perks last year) but now I can camp wherever and whenever I want. The nasty situation I've been in (they tried to demand that I wear my uniform 24/7 including when I was all alone inside my camper at night with the doors and blinds closed, be on call constantly, cut my paid hours to 25 per week, force me to justify every movement of my day, and didn't want me to get to know campers) might sour me for camping. But I refuse! I'm gonna haul me Scotty and my hammock back out there and make it fun again! Y'all are invited!

I'm emotionally exhausted at the moment.

Be well, love without reserve, and never forget to be yourself!
-m