December 14, 2025 Sunday

Greetings!

Well, my back is better...but now my jaw is swollen and I have pain until this Thursday the 18th when I can get in to a dentist.  Enough said at this point.  Fingers crossed.

Meanwhile...I did get the dresser drawers rearranged, did laundry, and worked on Christmas cards.  Almost done.  (Mouth pain slowed me down a bit.)  Dagan and Leah are going to try to come down this evening to put together the cat tree.  Again--fingers crossed.  :)

Allie loves being up on the dressers.  As soon as I am awake she wants me to open the blind.  She sits and stares up there until I notice her.  She even halfways cooperates on me lifting her up there even though she hates being picked up--lol!  When she wants to come down she sits at the end of the dresser and if I don't notice her she will finally meow at me.  She's up there every single day.

But my plan to put the little tree I ordered up on the printer...nope!  Allie tried to chew on it straight away.  I knew she chewed live plants, but she will chew plastic plants, too.

We got a bit of snow...

...and then some more.

I shuffled things around...moved the Charlie Brown tree over by the cactus...

...and put the little flocked tree where it had been.

It is small...

...but I am so happy with the tiny lights and this little bit of a Christmas tree.

Have always loved the way the wind sculpts the snow!

Can hardly wait for Allie to confront the cat tree!  LOL!

The winter scene shower curtain was too boring.  More pizzazz was needed--lol!

Since I am not feeling great this will be short, but if they can get the cat tree put together tonight I will add some pictures.

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Well, they put the cat tree together upstairs and carried it down.

Allie can probably get up there from the second perching spot by going around the back there.

She'd only have to make the first two jumps.

Allie wanted to go up after they left, but was scared of the cat tree.  So I thought I'd lift her up there and see if she'd try to go down using it.  Whenever I put her up there she wants to look for condensation on the bottom of the windows to lick, so she was really upset the blind was down all the way and paced back and forth until I opened it partway.

The she sat and stared at the tree.

But when she wanted to come down she wanted nothing to do with it.  I tried to kind of push her on to the back there and she was a little freaked out...so I half lifted her and kind of jumped her down to the next spot...which she barely wanted to touch and leapt to the floor.  Was anything but a success, but I am still hoping she will want to try it.  We'll see how she is in the mornings when she wants to go up.  But she'll be upset if she goes up and the blind isn't open--lol!  Cats!

Anyways, the boys were down and showed me all their pottery they have made from the pottery classes.  Wanted to know if I could use some for painting cups.  Yes.  Turned out when I showed them I could dedicate a bookcase shelf in my studio when it gets done...they both wanted them kept down here.  I said only one shelf, though.  If there were too many we'd have to have them keep some in their room or somewhere.  I am going to be cramped in there as it is.  But this way we'd have them right there on display all the time and we could use any ones we want when we paint down here once the studio is all put together.  Several of them would work for paint water cups and others would just be basically decoration on the shelf.  

At the last minute Liam decided to keep his bag in their room.  He doesn't have very many compared to Ian because he hasn't been going to the classes as long as Ian has...and he has a really well-done special cup that I don't think he wants to feel like he's letting go of just yet.  Not that he's letting go of it, but he can't look at it any time he wants to, you know?  ;)  

We put the bags of newspaper wrapped pottery of Ian's in the bottom of a bookcase in the studio.  They'll have a shelf that size to fill.  [I do think Liam will probably change his mind and they will both have their pottery down here eventually.  ;)]

So...the cat tree has arrived!  Time will tell as to whether Allie will use it or not, of course.

Have a wonderful week!  See you next time!  :)

December 7, 2025 Sunday

Greetings!  

Late last Sunday night Leah came down and worked on the blind in the living room.  Allie seemed totally perplexed... 

...as to why Leah was standing around in the living room and we weren't even talking because she needed to concentrate.  That remote just didn't want to work.

Meanwhile, I came across a box of the last things I had in the studio before I moved!  Dagan and Leah had packed up all the final things for me that week after Allie and I moved.

Put them in the art rollie carts, too.  So I even have my Tombow markers and a set of colored pencils to play with if I ever feel decent enough to play on my unpacking break--lol!  ;) 

Leah finally decided to put an app on my cell phone that I can use to operate both the blinds!  TaDa!  I had cleared off the dresser by the window, as you can see.

Moved the winter garland over with the other one under the TV and put the Christmas cactus up on the taller dresser.

Since Monday morning...I can see the sky every day!!  Whoohoo!!

I've had Christmas music videos on.  Caught Allie watching one.  (I do put on ones with birds and squirrels and such for her, too.)

 She always seems to notice when I am taking her picture.

But she was so amazed when I put her up on the dresser by the window--she didn't even notice me taking pictures.

I have no doubt she was hoping to see birds--lol!

But she contentedly fell asleep all afternoon on Monday.

I got a picture out the back patio door upstairs.  We have a little snow.

McFamily put the tree up together right after Thanksgiving.  I wasn't feeling very well so didn't go up to join them.

Every day since the blind has worked I've lifted Allie up to the dresser so she can snooze on her cat bed up there.  She goes along the bottom of the window to lick up any condensation she can find...but then she settles in to sleep.  I have to help her down, but she is up there most of the afternoon...every day!

I do think that is enough motivation for her to learn how to get up there herself once the cat tree is together.  (Came on Saturday--going to try to get it together one night this week, they said--so I need to get busy on those drawers.)

Finally got up another shower curtain.  Winter scene with snow seemed appropriate.  :)

I had two more calls from the front door of the old building to be let in.  Left another message earlier this last week with Goldmark to change the telephone number on the intercom system over there.  (Can never get a human being.)  But have had another call this weekend.  *sigh*  Was the usual week otherwise...laundry, dishwasher, cleaning, and the end of the month stuff (banking, bullet journal set up).  The new thing was Allie up by the window every day.  Even though they were mostly cloudy and cold.

But Friday I went up to spend time with the boys while Dagan and Leah went to the work party.  We watched A Christmas Story and then some weird game show on Netflix called The Floor Is Lava.  It was wildly entertaining, I have to admit!  LOL!  Ian was tired a little after ten.  They were told they could stay up as long as they wanted.  Ian went off to bed.  Liam helped me carry some things down to my place.  I thought he was going to bed, too.  A few minutes later--ding dong!  Liam decided he wasn't tired enough yet and wanted to spend a little time with me.  I think he wanted to surprise Dagan and Leah and be awake when they came home.  But Dagan texted me that they went off to play pool after the Christmas party...and Liam figured he wouldn't last.  So he went to bed close to 11pm.  We do have night owls in the making.  Figures.  It runs in the family--lol!  ;)

While he was down here he played around with the magnets on my frig...as he does almost every time he's here for any length of time.  :)

The main project for me this past week has been working on Christmas cards.  I don't know how I pulled the muscles or irritated the muscles in both sides of my mid-back--but I have been pretty well laid up.  I think I overdid it unpacking.  Carrying too much stuff, you know?  So I worked at the cards little by little.  Got out the satchel with the Christmas cards.  I do have enough leftover cards to last through a couple more years at least.  

I plan to use up the leftover birthday cards in 2026, too.  Keep using those up also.  That way what card energy I have I can finally get back to making sets of just because regular cards that I haven't been making for years!  Used to make them all the time to tuck letters into or to just have handy.  My health has not been great for so long that it was tough enough to just make the Christmas and birthday cards for the year.  Anyways, that is the plan.  Use up all the leftovers and just make regular cards for a good long while.  Whoohoo!!

So--baby steps.  First I addressed all the envelopes...then added stamps and return address labels...then picked out cards to use. 

 Used cards randomly from two different years this time...both from over a decade ago!  These were obviously made back when I lived in West Winds apartments and had gotten a Cuttlebug...my first die cutting and embossing machine--lol!

The other one.  

So those of you getting a card won't know which one you will get--lol!  Next time I may force my OCD-side to pick from more years--lol!  

I don't have as many leftover birthday cards, but maybe enough for a couple of years, anyways.  

Well, that's what I got almost done this week.  I still have about six cards left to get ready to mail, but my back gives out in short order.  

I am used to the lower spine type of back issues.  This mid-back thing is pretty new to me.  Doing a lot of rather painful stretching.  Doesn't seem to help much, but I do it anyways.

Been really cold.  Was -2F at noon and warmed up to 2F.  Thank goodness there were only 2-3mph winds today.  That's like dead air up here.  ;)  The boys were still outside playing in my window well as I was working on Christmas cards--lol!  

Leah's been so busy she has forgotten to send me pictures for like two months.  Like this weekend--they had the Christmas work party on Friday,  was first Saturday so Home Depot Kids Workshop and the Plains Art Museum had Kids Quest, and then today they spent the day reorganizing the garage so Dagan can get his electric car inside the heated garage this winter.  Now that it has been so cold the extension cord won't fully charge the battery when it's below zero.  They had removed the big metal shelving and all their stuff from the storage area down here and also they put all the other stuff from the basement in the garage...so there was no room for the cars.  This is the way things are going here--lol!  Move this and that and then move this and that again.  

They moved things out of the storage area so we could pile all the studio boxes in there when I moved in.  I can't work on unpacking the studio boxes until they finish setting things up in the studio.  There is stuff jammed everywhere!  I can't put everything away because I will also have some shelf space once the storage area is cleared out and set up again...and Leah is ordering more kitchen cupboard shelves and going to add a couple shelves in the laundry room.  I said--it is like that number puzzle slider game.  

The first thing I have to do this week is rearrange the dresser drawers so the stuff I don't need to get to very often are in the far drawers by the wall because the cat tower arrived on Saturday and Dagan said they are going to try to put it together for Allie some night this week.  But Ian has two after school Halley's Hope lessons and goes to three crochet classes this week.  There's some bingo event one night and a gingerbread ornament making thing at PAM (Plains Art Museum) another night...and then next Saturday at PAM is the youth pottery classes they've been attending and something about a free Japanese lucky charm after that and then a Manahem Steamroller Christmas concert that evening (not sure who is going to that)--but it looks like the next Sunday they might possibly have some free time.  We have a Google calendar we share.  That's how I try to keep up with all the happenings and events--lol!  

Me?  I am on the unpacking break.  Not in the best shape, but doing okay and working on Christmas cards.  I just need to rearrange those drawers while watching that my body doesn't get too awfully aggravated with me--lol!  Pop an Aleve now and again--lol!  I still have plenty of food in the frig and got the laundry done (carefully and slowly)--so I am good really.  Playing Christmas music videos or videos of squirrels and birds for Allie.  I am still just so happy I am here.  It will all work out.  I will get all settled in one day.  Things will eventually get back to normal.  Eventually.  LOL!  It is all forward motion now, right?  

This week the top things on the to-do list are finish the Christmas cards and move things around in the 12-drawer dresser that will be by the cat tower.  That's the plan.  Come on Aleve and Robitussin...we can do it!  LOL!  ;)  I can see the sky every day now.  Allie is loving the new window seat.  The boys are doing well.  Nobody is sick but me at the moment and I am not really bad sick or anything.  We can't find my other Christmas bag from my garage so I ordered a little tabletop tree that will be here this week.  Sorry if I am repeating myself.  Pain fogs your brain and that's the truth.  I'm just trying to remember what I have to do through the foggy brain--lol!  

I am in that Christmas state of mind I talked about, though.  Just happy and counting my blessings.  Hope you all are, too.  Till next time...   

November 30, 2025 Sunday

Greetings!

Was a very quiet week of R&R.  No painting...no Christmas cards...not even a new shower curtain hung.  Have been struggling with a kind of half-cold/cough.  It isn't full blown like I had and hasn't gotten any worse.  Keeping an eye on it.  Just enough to be fairly annoying and to keep me resting. (Which is probably a good thing--lol!)  Been a pleasant week, otherwise.  We had a snowstorm.

The blind works in the studio and I could now reach the remote on that windowsill.

Someone's living in my old apartment.  How do I know?  I have gotten three calls from the "Front Door" to be let in for packages over the last 10 days.  I called the office after the first one and left a message (never get an actual human) to take my phone number off that apartment's intercom for the front door.  Obviously not done yet, as just got the third call at 9am this morning.  It is hard to be free of that place, eh?  I'll try to leave a message again.

Meanwhile--searching for a solution as to how to help Allie get up on this dresser by the window.  Leah said she is going to try to fix the remote for the automatic blind next, so I want Allie to be able to get up to the windowsill and to be able to lounge on the top of the dresser.  I know she has felt closed in since we moved, too, after us having the patio and birds to watch every day.

She could never jump from this chair to the top of the dresser like all my non-fat cats could have.

I looked all around to see if there was anything I could use for her as steps.  At least she has learned how to use steps--lol!  ;)  Nothing that would be safe and solid.  

So I spent half a day searching online...looked at endless steps for pets, toddlers...ramps for pets...various stepstools...was taking measurements many times...nothing that would work.  That dresser is way higher than a bed, for one thing.  Most of the pet things are to help them get on a bed or a couch.  Finally I found something that I thought might possibly work...some form of cat tree!

Spent other half of the day looking at hundreds of cat trees.  Allie has no claws and can't jump far and is a large cat...so I wasn't having much luck. Until I saw this one.

The dresser would be about where that black and white cat is sitting.  Allie would only have to jump up three times to get there and, even though it looks huge, the drawers could be opened all the way plus have the width of that little platform down on the floor on the left side--and the bottom dresser drawer is up off the floor so that little platform should be underneath it when it gets opened.  I should be able to get into the drawers fairly decently.  Man!  Am I ever glad I purged off and on for those three years!  LOL!  I have empty drawers.  I can move over anything I don't need to get to very often.  

Anyways, it was also on a Black Friday sale and one third off--but still worth it to me.  (Don't have my check till the third.)  There was some texting and links sent back and forth between Leah and I.  They would have to agree to put it together for me because I doubt I could do it myself.  Yes, they would.  AND Leah said she'd order it so I could get it on sale and I can pay her back!!  Whoohoo!!

I was telling Allie all about it.  She knew it sounded exciting, whatever I was talking about--lol!

This is going to be so much fun!  May take her a good while to figure it out.  This was a cat who hadn't ever used steps before--lol!  Do you think she can do it?  I think she has enough motivation for getting up on the dresser and being able to sit by the window.  I can even put one of her cat beds up on the dresser.  It will open up her life, you know?  Make it more interesting.  Merry Christmas early to Allie, eh?  Way more exciting that a catnip toy!  Not that it is here yet.  And not that it is put together.  But it will be.  Eventually.  I have some rearranging of drawers to do soon.

Allie has no clue her life is going to change because of her learning to use steps--lol!

My frig had become fairly empty but this last week it was packed full!  They went grocery shopping before Thanksgiving and then Leah sent down things she had been making for Thanksgiving (potluck at her sister's)--ham and sweet potatoes.  I had made up some frig oatmeal and gotten out my electric frying pan for the first time here and made up some chicken breasts.  Still had hamburger stew.  Goodness!  

Leah even sent down some little pumpkin breads.

So I had a really nice Thanksgiving with Allie.  A quiet week.  Watched two period-based mini-series on Netflix.  Train Dreams is the entire life of an ordinary working man back when they were building the railroads across the US.  Hauntingly realistic pieces of a man's life.  Do not watch if looking for holiday fuzzy movies--lol!  Same with Death by Lightning.  I knew nothing really about President Garfield other than he was assassinated after only being in office 3 months.  Was also a compelling series.  To break up the seriousness of those, I am almost done with season 18 of Murdoch Mysteries.  Am still enjoying it a lot.  (Am still missing Vera, though--one of my all-time favorite detective shows.)  Also been keeping up with some of my favorite vloggers on YouTube and trying not to watch too much news, to be honest.

They're predicting that we won't get above 28 degrees for the next couple of weeks.  So glad we got a little bit of snow on the ground--for the plants and the critters.  Have to admit I've been thinking about the partridges and sparrows.  I do miss them.  But it was harder and more stressful to be told by the office I couldn't feed them (but I still did)...so I hope they find other people around town who put out food for them.  Or more just stay out of town.  There's been gradually less partridges over the decade I was feeding them. 

Anyways, I am looking forward to Allie's cat tree adventures in December.  I have quite a few things on my to-do list.  Hope to get to a lot of them this coming week, but I am not pushing it.  Winter is here.  I am content under my blanket, blowing my nose, and coughing once in a while.  Not feeling terrible.  Allie is feeling very independent now that she knows how to get up and down into and out of the red chair.  She seems much more content, herself.  Wait till she discovers the cat tree!  Fingers crossed, eh?  But I think she will figure it out and love it!  :)  

Meanwhile, I hope everyone is in the Christmas spirit.  Love and goodwill!!  That's what Christmas has always been to me...not presents or Santa...even when I was a kid.  It was that feeling off spreading love and joy and good will...of the best parts of us, you know?  We need to remember the beautiful, tender, kindest parts of us human beings.  We can shine like bright lights in the darkness when we choose to.  We may be sad, wounded, afraid...but despite that...we are capable of such flowing love and compassion.  That is the Christmas spirit to me.  A spreading energy that lifts the soul!  May you be filled with it...nourished by it...comforted by it...this holiday season.  With much love--till next time...shine!  shine!  shine!  :)