Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sunday-11am: Nostalgia

I don't know...talking about the barn swallows (the first year here-2005) and with Ruby arriving tomorrow (met Dagan and I when he was 12-he's 36 now-haven't seen her in 9 years)...was feeling a titch nostalgic. ;)
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Here's baby Karma! Born sprawler!
When I got her she was one sick little girl--bony with worms and terrible digestive problems. She would eat and eat yet you could feel her bones. Finally meds and lovin' fixed her all up, she was well probably for the first time, and she made up for that starving feeling--LOL!
She always slept with abandon...
...had that look in her eye...
...and claimed anything new that came into the house (like Jennifer's purse).
She loved to watch the sparrows for hours. Here she is by the porch door. (Note the wooden slatted floor of the balcony.)
And here she is watching from the bedroom window sill. (Borrowed metal furniture from Dagan and Leah and then couldn't sit out there after all because you'd be attacked by Mr. and Mrs. Swallow.)
One of the dutiful parents sitting on the railing.
The nest was on top of the porch light.
I think it was fall of 2005 that Leah helped me put up the mesh screen. Since it was an enclosed balcony, I asked at the office if I could do that. The person who gave me permission is long gone, so I hope they don't give me any grief when I leave. But you'd think whoever gets this place after I finally leave will love having their little "porch", right?
It was awesome! Now I could let little Miss Karma outside and not worry about her falling to her curious death from third floor. Flies and all kinds of crawly bugs can find their way through any crack, so I couldn't leave the porch door open much. And the mosquitoes!! Easily found their way up between the boards and drove me off the porch all the time, so Dagan helped me put down some indoor/outdoor carpeting in 2006. (Which I tacked down later because the wind popped it up so I almost couldn't open the door!)
Ordered the metal gliding chair and table that reminded me of grandma and grandpa's place when I was a kid. Got a padded chair & ottoman, chair cover, and a glass folding table from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Leah put some hooks in the ceiling...and I had a "porch"--tada!
Karma's probably even more thrilled than I am with our porch. Otherwise she wouldn't get to loll about in the heat out there day after day by herself. She would have spent most of her life looking through window screens and not have her own personal piece of the outdoors. ;)
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And just for nostalgia's sake...another photo. By 2006 they started plowing under the fields past the garages there. There was always standing water in the spring...a small pond...and later more like a marsh...where the ducks and geese stopped on their travels...and from which came a symphony of crickets, frogs, and toads singing away every evening. I loved it! I'd go to sleep thinking I was out camping. Have missed that wild music.
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If you click on this picture you'll see how much of that field they couldn't plow under. The guy got stuck in the mire out there and had to be pulled out...more than once He plowed all around it as close as he could get over on the left side there. It looks like a big patch of grass, but from way up here it is deceptive. It was very tall marsh grass...probably 4-6 feet high.
In the spring it looked like a pretty little pond, but as the summer went on the marsh grasses grew so high you couldn't see the standing water anymore--like in that picture.
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It took them 2 or 3 summers of hauling in dirt before they had filled it all in the best they could. Some geese and ducks still stop out of hope and habit, but they leave quickly now. Haven't been pond sounds for years. Rabbits used to cavort all over the field around the pond, white as snow in the early spring. Karma and I used to watch them roam and play, but we haven't seen any for a few years now.
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Things change. I'm sure they will eventually be able to sell off that land to some company for building. Especially now that there is even a connecting road--LOL! ;)
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Anyways, I'm not sure if I will have much computer time in the coming week. Just know that us two old Scandinavian women will be laughing and gabbing over coffee like we just saw each other yesterday! I can hardly wait to throw my arms around her tomorrow!!
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Have a fantastic week!!! :):)
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"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same."
Elbert Hubbard

22 comments:

DJan said...

Have a wonderful visit! Karma is certainly not underfed these days. Great pictures of her as a kitten. I am so glad that you will be having so much, as you put it, "laughing and gabbing over coffee" -- doesn't get much better than that. :-)

Toriz said...

Never mind us... Enjoy your time with Ruby... We'll still be here when you get back! :)

AliceKay said...

I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of Karma when she was little. :) She sure is a well loved cat. :)

Your porch is very cute. It's nice that the building's management let you put up the screen and carpeting, making it a much safer place for Karma to enjoy with you.

And yep, we'll be here when your visit with Ruby is over. Have a great time catching up with her.

Loved your quote. :)

Rita said...

Djan--LOL! No Karma looks like a big bear these days! Thanks! Ruby and I will have a wonderful time, I know. :)

Tori--Yup! See you when I have some time. :)

AliceKay--I'm the only one who has ever kind of made their balcony into a porch. One lady tried to put up a stiff screen and the wind knocked it down all the time. I used cheap mesh hang in your door to keep the flies out screens from a catalog and sewed three of them together--and it's held up for five years! Who knew! ;)
Thanks! See everybody when I can. :)

Desiree said...

Oh I have loved seeing Karma as a little baby! so cute! :D and all the changes and your friend will be here! YAYA! :D hope her journey has been safe!

Rita said...

Desi--Thanks! Glad you liked the old pics. I hope her trip is safe, too. It is a long one! :)

Carol C said...

That Karma has been a friend for a long time! What a cute little porch the two of you have, too. A pure stroke of genius to enclose it!

Rita said...

Carol--I was talking about how I wanted to close the porch off so Karma could go outside, too, and not have to sit at the door and cry. I came up with the cheap screens idea and Leah came up with the attaching it with outdoor velcro. We do make a good team! ;)

Dee Ready said...

You've claimed that porch for yourself and Karma and visitors! How wonderful to have a place where the air surrounds you.

I like your nostalgia--complete with photographs. Enjoy your visit and come back to your blog refreshed from the renewal of friendship.

And thank you, Rita, for commenting on my blog yesterday. Such thoughtful words you wrote. Dee

Furry Bottoms said...

Karma was so little!! I hope you have lots of fun with your friend this coming week!

Deanna said...

Enjoy visiting with Ruby.

I am flabergasted at how scrawny Karma was - but not any more! That screen was such a great idea.

nanke's stuff said...

I truly enjoyed reading about your loving cat and the evolution of your balcony into a porch! You made a great place for the 2 of you. nancy

Rita said...

Dee--Ah! Refreshed from the renewal of friendship--yes!! I hope to be!! :)
You're welcome. Easy to be thoughtful with a thoughtful person. ;)

Nikki--I know! Karma was just a gangly bunch of bones with a poochy belly full of parasites for quite a while. She was a bit older when I got her--over 3 months, I think. The vet said she was probably born with them. Took several doses to get rid of them. Poor baby. Now she's huge! We both are! LOL! ;)

Deanna--Karma's no sick, scrawny, boney cat anymore, that's for sure. LOL!
I know I'll have a wonderful time with Ruby! :)

Nancy--Welcome and thank you so much! I checked out your blog and I admire that you sketch people! I am really bad at humans--LOL! I see you do a little zentangling, too. ;) I hope you stop back--any time! :):)

Celticspirit said...

I hope you have an enjoyable time with your friend Ruby!
Karma sure was a lot smaller than she is now. I had a cat like her many years ago and she weighed about 20 lbs. She was hard to carry!
Thanks for the kitty advice. I may be asking you more things since it's been so long since I've had cats.

Serena Lewis said...

OH, how I loved reading your nostalgic post...MY how Karma has grown! Your porch is nice and cosy now with all you did to it and, yes, definitely beats worrying about Karma falling.

Have a wonderful time with Ruby!

Intense Guy said...

Goodness... a skinny Karma!!!

I hope you are enjoying your friend's visit more than anything in the world!

:)

Stephanie said...

Whoo hoo! for friends, creative solutions to tricky problems and wonderful four footed loves!

laurak/ForestWalkArt :) said...

aaaah, thanks for the trip down memory lane! karma was such a cute little kitty! and now she's a cute bigger kitty!! oh, the things we do for our little furry friends!!
have a wonderful visit with your friend!!

Cowgirl Red said...

Karma was such a cute kitten!!! Terah

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness I just loved seeing the pictures of lil miss Karma it was so weird seeing her skinny lol She is so lucky you came into her life and gave her a happy home. I sure hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Serena Lewis said...

Hi Rita,

I hope you've been enjoying a lovely week with Ruby.

Thinking of you,
Serena xo

Rita said...

Barb--I haven't weighed Karma for a long time, but she was about 20 pounds. Yup! Heavy to carry--LOL!
Hey, you can email me any time with kitty questions. I can share what I know or point you in the right direction maybe if I don't. :):)

Serena--Had a fantastic week! Just finished the post this afternoon!! (Monday) :)

Iggy--It was THE best! Thanks so much! :) :)

Stephanie--Hey! Hi! Whoohoo is right! ;)

Laura--Ha! Yes, I've always spoiled my critters--LOL! Dagan and Leah tease me because I nuke the tablespoon of cold canned cat food for her in the morning to take the chill off of it. Sd, but true. ;)

Terah--Karma was cute and bony. Now she's like a big old teddy bear. ;)

Lynn--Karma was so skinny and kind of just plain miserable till we got her healthy. She may not be the healthiest because she's too heavy, but she sure isn't miserable anymore--LOL!
Thanks! Had a great week!!!