Monday, June 11, 2018

Monday-1:30pm

Good afternoon!
Was 12 years yesterday since I started blogging.  Wow!  Time flies.  :)  I haven't been the best blogger so far this year, but I am trying to get back to regular posts.  Thanks to all of you who have hung in there and stuck with me.  I have met some of the best people, made new pen pal friends, and met people from all around the globe.  We really do live in the best time!  :)
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Well, I found out something this week.  Annie is afraid of thunderstorms.  Makes sense, I suppose, as she hates loud noises.  Last Tuesday night she was sleeping on my chair while I was watching the end of an episode of Poldark when suddenly lightning lit up the living room even with the blinds closed.  A crack of thunder ejected Annie from the chair like an explosion of black fur!  Out of the corner of my eye I caught a black streak darting into the pantry.
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I thought that since there had been no warning and it was like the storm had developed right over us that probably the surprise had caused the extreme reaction.  I finished the Poldark episode to flashes of light, snapping thunder, and the pelting of rain on the air conditioner.  When I was ready I went and found Annie huddled in a corner of the pantry--thinking she might want to cuddle with me on the bed for comfort.  I carried her trembly body into the bedroom but the second I set her on the bed she raced into the bathroom and hid behind the toilet.  I am no comfort to Annie when she's afraid.
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But the next morning the sun was shining and Annie was taking in the rays. 
I wonder if her fear of thunderstorms has something to do with being abandoned on the street when she was a young thing?  I imagine her being outside trying to find shelter in a bad storm...she had to have scary times.
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This morning I woke up to rain and I thought I heard some distant thunder.  While I got ready for the day Annie hid behind the toilet in the bathroom.  Apparently the thunder doesn't have to be right overhead.  Annie did manage to slink down the hallway and into the pantry so she could get her morning bit of canned food.  But then she wouldn't come out of the pantry long after it quit raining.  Finally she must have realized the danger was past (my telling her so had no effect whatsoever) and she finally made her way back out into the world...our world--LOL!
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So Annie is very afraid of thunder.  I learned something new about her this week.
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Right now she is sleeping in the chair next to me at the table here.  I think she had an exhausting night hiding in the bathroom, poor thing.
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Meanwhile, we've had critter visitors, of course.  You'd probably have to enlarge this to see the newest visitor--a red-winged blackbird.  Or orange-winged blackbird.  I grew up with them as a kid and heard them called by both names so I am not sure which is correct.
And this past week or so the ground squirrels have discovered the bird seed on my patio. 
I had Gramma Day all day on Saturday and Ian and I saw a ground squirrel out there every time we turned around.  We waited until it filled it's pouches and left before we went out to pull weeds around the patio (some of the bird seed had germinated).  Low 90s and about the same in humidity--awk! 
Turned out yesterday I saw one ground squirrel waiting for the other one to leave so it could get seed--so there are at least two of them!  I was just about thinking to stop putting out seed for the summer...and now I won't, of course.  I do love those thirteen-striped ground squirrels!!
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Ian and I were busy all day.  We watched the movie WallE, ate lunch, checked my mail, watched the ground squirrel(s), picked weeds, looked at old Bubbles laying about...
...and then, since Ian didn't want to paint, we tackled another project.  I took a picture in a text for Leah--not knowing that I could never get ahold of it to show you...and believe me I tried.  Even when I figured out how to download it to my laptop it will not let me open it.  *sigh*  Lesson learned.
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 Anyways, we misted 25 sheets of white cardstock for Christmas cards.  We used the red trays to dry them--stacked crosswise.  Ian couldn't manage the misting bottle (tried) so he was in charge of stacking the red trays crosswise.  He had to get a stool to he could reach high enough to stack them.  Did a great job!  So--one step done on the assembly-line and Ian can say he helped!  He was very pleased.
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I had Ian on Saturday because Leah's good friend, Amber, is moving back to Fargo and drove up from southern Minnesota to look for a place to rent.  She wanted Dagan and Leah with for a second opinion and Gramma was more than happy to take Ian for the day.  :)  I'll take him next Saturday, too, because they plan to clean house for Ian's birthday party the following Sunday.  (I volunteered!)
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When Dagan came to pick up Ian he helped me empty the big, old litter box.  He took out trash while I sprayed down the litter box.  Then--I decided to take the risk and have Dagan bring the old litter box out to the garage.  Annie would suddenly have no choice and we'd see how she did.
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She's doing just fine with it!!
I think it really did help adding more and more pellets to her old box so she got used to the chunky feel of the wood pellets first.  Anyways, I am delighted!  Good for Annie, the environment, and my pocketbook.  :)
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Speaking of Annie.  I went to take a picture of her sleeping on my leg last night...
 ...she gave me a look--what are you up to?
I had removed my hand to take the picture.  As soon as the hand went back on her tummy she conked out again. 
I may not be a comfort to her during a thunderstorm, but she does like my company now.  ;)  So much so that she often makes it difficult for me to write letters in my chair.  Her feelings get so hurt because she takes it as personal rejection...and I am a soft touch.  LOL!  :)
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Well, this week I am hoping I can go with Leah to a craft store (or two, if need be) on Wednesday.  We want to find 25 sheets of green card stock in a green we like.  It's been such a long time since we've been out shopping together!  I'm praying for a good day so I can go with.  :):)
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In the meantime, I have written another Monday blog and am doing laundry.  Even though it quit raining, it's a dark day--but the rain did cool it off.  Nice!   I hope you are having a positive day and it will be a really sweet week for you and yours.  Feels nice to be getting back into regular blogging again. 
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Life is good.  :) :)
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"May you embrace this day, not just as any old day, but as this day.  Your day.  Held in trust by you, in a singular place, called now."
Carrie Newcomer

18 comments:

pearshapedcrafting said...

A Gramma Day like that sounds so good! Mine are all older now - two teens and a coming up to 12 girl who thinks she already is a teen! I miss the days when they would happily watch a TV programme or craft with me! Changing times huh!!
Poor Annie - I hope you don't have too many thunderstorms! Well done for getting the litter tray to be accepted! I am hoping to get back to some regular blogging too and certainly some visiting caught up on while we are home for a little while this time! Hugs, Chrisx

Anonymous said...

Your quote is beautiful!!

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

A lovely day with Ian and Miss Anne is being so good about changing to the new litter box and contents. She is sharing a bit more about her fears and her ability to settle and depend on you too.

Hope you find the paper for your cards when you have a good weather day with Leah, shopping together.

Thanks for writing today Rita.

Hugs.

Joy

Rita said...

Dang it! I forgot I have to make a comment on my own blog before I will get comments in the email inbox I can respond to. Sorry Chris, Fran, and Joy! I read every word! Thanks. :)

Far Side of Fifty said...

Poor Annie. Chance is afraid too...nothing but escaping to the bathroom in a corner makes him feel better...go figure. I Hope you get to go shopping! I get to go to Hobby Lobby in Bemidji tomorrow while Far Guy has an appointment. I get to wander around for at least an hour!
It rained here today and was cooler so Chance got to ride to town with us to another appt. Seems like that is all we do some weeks.
Good to hear you had one on one time with Ian!! What ever you do is a good thing!
Hope you have a good week:)

jinxxxygirl said...

JinxyBoy is not fond of thunderstorms either.. He doesn't 'freak out' but he likes to be near someone.... lay next to you or on your lap then he is content.. If its bad enough he's not beyond abandoning you to hide under the bed...lol Enjoyed your post Rita! Look forward to many more! Hugs! deb

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

Some of our dogs and cats don't like thunderstorms either. A couple hide under the covers when they hear thunder. Happy to see, though, that Annie loves being close to you. She has made so much progress since you first got her.

The red-winged blackbirds have such a lovely song. We get quite a few around here because of the pond and marshy areas at our farm.

Ian sounds like he was a good helper with the Christmas cards. I bet he liked being involved in the process.

I'm finally caught up with what's been happening in your life, Rita. Sorry I've been out of touch for the past month. The fire at our farm has consumed many hours of each day with meetings, clean-up, emails, phone calls, and paperwork. By Fall, things should be back to normal.

You had asked in a comment on my blog how the fire happened. We weren't here at the time - the neighbors all saw our two-story hobby shed on fire and called it in. Within 20 minutes, it had burned to the ground. There was more damage (as you saw on my blog). The fire chief's thought was that a mouse or squirrel could have chewed through the wiring which caused a spark and then a fire.

It's frustrating - and sad - that mice or squirrels can do that much damage. Thankfully we have insurance. Although there will still be out-of-pocket costs, the majority of the loss of buildings is covered. What's not replaceable are the items that belonged to my parents, artwork the girls created, and personal items that were meaningful.

Anyway...sorry for the delay in answering your questions about the fire. It's been a crazy month!

Hope you have a great week, Rita!

DJan said...

It's nice to see you back in Blogland on a more regular basis. I think many animals are afraid of thunder and I shudder to think of the trauma coming up for the 4th of July. Thanks for the upbeat post, and your sweet Ian is sure turning out to be a treasure! :-)

TammyV said...

Wall-E A Favorite favorite movie!!!!
Love he pitures of Annie, relaxed, giving you the eye, relaxed. Funny.
Are ground squirrels the same thing as chipmunks or something different? You mention puches and they look like what I call a chipmunk. Wondering if it's regional or they really are different species.
Gracie can't hear anymore. She didn't like thunder when she was young but she doesn't mind now.

Carol said...

One of our dogs is terrified of storms... we even had to buy one of those Thunder Jackets which helps a lot but he will stay glued to my leg until the storm is over.
Hasn't been a problem lately because we haven't had any rain and it's dry as an old bone out there. So once again I am dragging Clyde the sprinkler and his 200 feet of hose around the yard and garden. I get a work out :(
So glad you had a good day with Ian ♥ I've been spending time with the new grandbabies and it is a delight.

Divers and Sundry said...

Poor Annie :( Some animals are startled by loud sounds and shake and quiver and hide even when they've had easy lives. I'm glad she has a safe space with you now. I've seen red-winged blackbirds out in the country but never here is the city. I love Wall-E. Such a sweet movie and fun to watch for adults as well as kids.

We're expecting rain later, but it's sunny and hot now. I hope your week goes well :)

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Thunder scares many pets and humans as well, my nan was terrified of thunder storms and would go to bed and hide under the covers as a child she would hide under her bed during a storm

My name is Erika. said...

Poor Annie. It is so hard to comfort animals. Too bad you can comfort them like you do a child. We had a dog who was really afraid of thunderstorms also. You couldn't do anything to calm the poor guy down. Maybe she will learn in time. Glad you had some time to be grandma too. Sounds like a decent week all in all.Hope the rest of this one is a good one also. Hugs-Erika

Jon said...

I'm glad that Annie has adjusted to the wood pellets - they really are much better than the clay litter.

As for thunderstorms - all three of my cats react differently. My two females are hardly bothered at all. Scratch will sometimes hide during a huge storm. Scruffy never seems to be bothered.

On the other hand, my male black cat Bosco (who looks an lot like Annie) is terrified of storms and always hides. Sometimes he darts under the covers on the bed.
I'm wondering if black cats are more storm-sensitive -- - or is it merely a coincidence?

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Congratulations on 12 years of blogging. Those were the good days before Google got so involved/invested with blogger.

All cats react differently. I'm not sure if it's because Annie had a hard life, or not. But I assure you, when there are tornado warnings, Bleubeard heads to the basement and finds the safest place, an inside room to hunker down in, while Squiggles could care less, as long as I'm near him.

Sounds like you are feeling better and loving Gramma days. Enjoy your time with Ian before he grows up and takes over the world (grin).

Lady Fi said...

Congrats on your 12 years of blogging!

Victoria said...

Yay, congrats on blogging! How time flies! AW, love your sweet cat..and your thunder story, I had a dog who was petrified of storms, I would just hold her! So many wonderful visitors..love that ground squirrel, too cute!Wishing you a lovely wkd, hugs!

Jenny Woolf said...

Poor Annie! But a lot of animals hate thunderstorms. I guess they have no way of knowing what the loud bangs mean, but also I think they might be more sensitive to electrical discharges in the atmosphere than humans are. Congratulations on your blogging anniversary. Or is it called a "blogaversary"? Wow, I don't know! Long may it continue!