Now that I’m retired, I need a vacation. I need some time to move the furniture around in my brain as well as my house. I survived my last week of work. I survived a lovely surprise retirement party via Microsoft Teams. I was both humbled and thrilled by the outpouring of well wishes and gifts.
I did not realize I was so well-liked and for a brief moment (very brief), I was tempted to say “I’ll stay.” Good thing I didn’t because I am liking my new life.
I want to to spend the next two weeks getting reacquainted with you and your blogs (if you have one) as well as developing some kind of schedule so I can resume my writing and maybe even eventually publish that dang novel.
Comments are closed because I’ll be visiting you and we can talk at your place.
Here’s a photo of me feigning surprise at the delivery of presents by one of my coworkers. (She was kind enough to send me a text ahead of time.)
My husband doesn’t like my math. He’s argued that, with respect to a countdown, this should be week 1, not week 0. But it is the week in which I become untethered, set adrift. To me, it’s a 0.
In a perfect world, it would be a relaxing week, the last three-and-a-half days of employment spent tidying up my desk (or my desktop as it is), having casual chats with coworkers over Microsoft Teams, skipping down memory lane during a phone call or two. But we all know it’s not a perfect world.
I will spend most of my remaining days in meetings, either assisting in kickstarting new assignments or transitioning old assignments to new people. I will likely put in a bit more than my regular hours, but will stop on Thursday shortly after my surprise retirement party.
By the way, if you want to surprise someone with a retirement party, do not display “Marie’s Retirement Party” on your Outlook calendar, especially since Marie is often responsible for setting up meetings and, thus, is likely to see it.
About noon, I will shutdown my laptop, gather it and all its necessary peripherals and make the commute that I haven’t had to make in almost a year.
With any luck, the only person I will see at the office will be D. to whom I’ll hand over the state government property and engage in a brief exit interview. Then, weather permitting, I plan to take a walk around the ponds and see if there is any trash to pick up.
After that, who knows?
Well, I do know that I’ll be studying iPhone photography again, tending to my plants, and taking walks in my neighborhood and beyond. For now, there’s plenty catching my eye around my hood, starting with my front yard which hasn’t been mowed in months. (Greg wants to sweep for insects before he mows.)
Some might call this delicate flower a weed but I call it … a delicate flower.
Our azaleas are starting to bloom but in fits and starts. We’ve never taken the time to shape our azalea bushes as some do. They’re a bit scraggly right now but only for now.
A nearby neighbor’s Dogwood is in partial bloom. Years ago I was driving along a road lined with Dogwoods in full flower, all snowy white and surreal. This Dogwood has a ways to go, but it’s early yet.
Now, if anyone knows what the bush below is, please tell me in the comments! I think it’s gorgeous but I don’t know what it is.
I suppose since it’s on the street side of the fence, I could steal a snip and take it to my local nursery for ID. But I’d rather not. Usually there’s two yappy dogs in that yard. They put up a ruckus even when I’m way over on the other side of the street. I hate to think what noise they’d make if they saw me so close to their fence.
The next few days will be an emotional roller-coaster. We weren’t able to hire a replacement for me so I’ll be feeling some guilt at leaving my staff with no buffer between them and “the boss.” I know that guilt will leave me as soon as I leave the office building for the last time, but I have to get there first.
My staff are a tight team, dedicated, creative, and industrious. They will be fine. And I will miss them. These last few months as their section administrator was the first time in a very long time that I felt part of something, that I felt I was really making a difference, maybe not so much in the world of public health, but at least in the work lives of these truly wonderful people.
So I do feel some sadness at leaving and a part of me is wishing I wouldn’t leave, that I could stay and shepherd them a while longer. But I’d be breaking my commitment to my husband if I did that. What makes me truly sad is the knowledge that no matter how much my staff feel they need me (maybe not me personally, but the constancy, the continuity of my presence), I just don’t have the mental and emotional will to carry these responsibilities much longer. I’m not a weak person. I’ve proven that.
I just don’t like my job. It’s nothing personal, nothing to do with my staff as I obviously think the world of them. It hit home a few days ago when I was revising the job announcement for my position. I realized that I never would have applied for such a job and yet here I was, doing exactly what I had intended not to do.
And then there’s my husband who’s willing to live as simply as we need to in order for me to retire. Gotta love that guy. And this guy:
That’s right, folks! Time for a Raji update. As you can see, he’s become rather relaxed around us. He drives our other cats crazy during feeding time because he paces and rubs against each of them! He has no fear. Whenever Maxine or Wendy slap at him, he looks at them like, “What? Don’t you find me cute and adorable?”
Raji and Junior are now pals, chasing each other up and down the hallways. At some point over the past week, Junior’s bullying turned into playing. I believe Raji has helped Junior to discover his inner kitten.
My dear friends, thank you for reading. Thank you for still visiting me although I haven’t been visiting you. I might be soon set adrift (in a good way) from my job, but you all keep me moored. Love you to the moon and back. Stay safe, well, and embrace happiness.
Raji spent Friday night inside the house with us. The temps were in the low 30s and we were disinclined to heat the garage again. As you know, Raji has been spending more and more time in our house, eating his meals on the other side of a bookcase from Junior. He had gotten to the point where he’d dash into the house as soon as I opened the door to the garage in the morning. Although he still loves going into the garage and checking out his play cage on that side of the house, you just can’t beat a screened-in back porch for entertainment.
I’m happy, no, I’m thrilled to say that his first sleepover was successful! I was prepared to be woken in the middle of the night by blood-curdling screams and yowls.
Didn’t happen. Nope, I actually slept pretty good that night, and when I woke the next day, all was quiet. Mind you, the cat door to the back porch was open, giving the cats more personal space even if it was cold. And my husband left the door to his rooms open (after making sure they were more or less Raji-proof) so, again, more personal space. None of my cats like closed doors. They see a closed door and they will fuss and bang until it’s opened.
So he slept inside again the next night, and, again, all was quiet until about 7 am when Raji came into my room and briefly mewed. He’s a quick learner. I am the primary feeder; therefore, if he wants to eat, he has to wake me up.
I feel so very, very fortunate that everyone is getting along … or at least tolerating each other’s presence … well, except for Maxine, but she hates all other felines anyway.
I managed to get out for a couple of neighborhood walks this week. On one, I took the time to admire our somewhat small but still lovely magnolia. I love the blooms, but I might love the buds more.
Light is everything when it comes to photography, at least for me as a newbie. Our tree had plenty of buds to photograph, but the light had to be just right to get a good shot. If the light is not good, no amount of editing is going to improve a blurry image. I am really pleased with how the photos of the buds came out.
On Saturday I went for an early evening walk. I had been tidying up the house all morning, then ran a couple of errands in the afternoon. I almost didn’t make my walk because I was tired, but Greg was still out on his bike ride, so I just made myself do it. I’m so glad I did.
It was the Golden Hour and I was walking on an easement between two houses. I had been picking up trash and had a full trash bag; but when I happened to look up and see the light, I dropped the bag and pulled out my iPhone. I love these pictures but they don’t do justice to the beauty of the sunlight on the trees and the half-moon against a blue sky.
I’m down to nine days left at my job. We’ve been very busy so, for my staff’s sake, I’m glad I didn’t take the month off as I had planned. I was able to pitch in and carry some of the load, but at the same time I am learning to let go … as I should.
While I do worry sometimes about being on a fixed income, at least I know I’ll never need to buy expensive cats toys and beds.
Thank you for reading! I hope my friends in all the states that have been hit by these brutal winter storms are well and safe, and that spring will soon be here for you.
Raji snoozing on the screened back porch. I think he really feels at home now.
It’s almost spring here. We had a few days of warmer temps and the magnolia trees in my neighborhood loved it. I was only able to get out a little bit this week so this post will be light on photos.
Work is winding up instead of winding down, and I guess I should have expected that. The Florida legislature goes into session on March 2, and my department’s leaders have been relentless with demands for data. Fortunately I work with a wonderful team of bright and creative analysts and, so far, we’ve been able to meet the demands.
But I feel too old for this. While my younger colleagues can enter data, format graphs, read and write emails, and carry on a conversation seemingly all at the same time, my brain and my body resist. It’s all I can do to keep from screaming, “STOP!” Instead, I ease tension by making snarky jokes about the powers-that-be. (What are they going to do? Fire me?) If I can make my team laugh, at least smile, I feel a little better.
I’m known (for better or for worse) for noting when the emperor is walking around naked. I’ve always been that way. I’ve always had a difficult time dealing with authority, clashing with anyone who tries to rule me. It’s one of the many reasons why it’s time for me to retire. I’m losing my ability to balance my innate distrust of authority with meeting that authority’s expectations of me to do as I’m told without question.
Meanwhile, as I noted above, the magnolias are blooming. These photos were taken on different days, one with some blue sky and sunshine, the other with the threat of imminent rain.
Redbuds are blooming too, making my husband a bit sad. He had planted a Redbud in our front yard many years ago but it never ever bloomed. Fortunately we have neighbors who have been much luckier. The photo below doesn’t do the Redbud tree justice, even after I tweaked it to bring out the color more. Trust me when I say I first gawked at the gorgeous color before taking the photo.
And I can’t overlook our resident hawk. This guy really likes this particular spot. Pretty much every time I come down that street, he’s hanging out, making the squirrels nervous. I call him Cool Hand Luke. I can stand directly under him (but off to the side to avoid being pooped on), and he pays me no mind.
In my own humble backyard, a bromeliad that a coworker gave me a couple of years ago is now three bromeliads and is flowering for the second time.
I’ve never had a bromeliad before so this plant is a new experience for me. I’m hoping the flower will expand more. The first bloom did not.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little bit of neighborhood nature. On the cat containment front, things are pretty mellow. Raji hangs out with all of us from morning until night. Junior still bullies him but Raji just rolls with it (sometimes literally). He keeps trying to play chase with Wendy but she thinks his sideways galloping is too weird. Maxine just wants to be left alone, as usual.
Recently Raji discovered one of Junior’s favorite spots.
Junior likes to rub his face against a small sandalwood bowl that I put in there for him. Well, now Raji does too. It probably pisses Junior off.
From me, my husband, and our Gang of Four, we hope you all stay well, safe and happy!
Before I get to Raji and cheating, I feel I should explain the math in my post titles. Originally I had planned to make February 4 my termination date, my last day with my employer. But when I told my husband that I had a month of vacation time saved up, he suggested March 4 for my termination date and that I take vacation time for the month of February. By the time I agreed with him, I was already writing these posts about my impending retirement. So I adjusted the math.
And guess what?! I’m not taking the month of February off because, you know, I’m not very assertive when it comes to my own needs. Sigh. Well, I’m taking February 9th off. There’s that. And I’ve got my eye on a few other days so there’s that too. And so that’s the math. Because I should be on vacation right now.
I’m not complaining though because soon I’ll be on vacation for the rest of my life.
Life with Raji is going so well now. He’s spending more and more time in our house. Junior, Maxine and Wendy all take turns hissing at him, but they are tolerating his presence more. He still sleeps in the garage and has most of his meals there. He loves our back porch, as you know.
These photos are from today (Sunday). Raji is straddling the arms of two patio chairs to get a better look at whatever may be lurking in our yard.
And this is what gives me hope.
Raji and Wendy on the porch at the same time, in full view of each other. Granted, I don’t think Wendy was thrilled to see Raji, but she didn’t hiss and didn’t run away.
Even better is this photo from earlier today. Coexisting on the same bed! Hallelujah!
We’ve started calling Raji the Tundra Tabby or Arctic Cat because he doesn’t seem to mind the cold. Our other three will all be nestled on the couch, curled up with their noses covered, and Raji will be on the porch, engaged in watching the birds and squirrels.
Now the cheating part of this blog is I don’t have any recent nature photos so I’m stealing some that my husband sent me during one of his rides in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
The photo on the left is the Pinhook River when the tide was out. The photo on the right is the Pinhook River a few hours later after the tide came in.
Sunset. Need I say more?
And sunset with bike.
I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I enjoyed receiving them.
Raji and I and the rest of the crew wish you all well. Stay safe, healthy, and happy.
(this is my favorite photo of Raji so expect to see it a lot)
I’m very happy to say that Raji’s transport to the vet on Friday was smoother than I dared hope for. It only took several weeks of stoic patience (on my part) and routine before-meals petting and brushing PLUS one week of frequently feeding him in the new large hard plastic kennel PLUS dosing him with 100mg Gabapentin 2 x day for 3 days.
That’s all it took.
I had my heart set on taking him in the new kennel because I was afraid he’d rip the fabric carrier to shreds. The new kennel is “top loading” (click here if you want to see a picture of it; this is not an affiliate link). He got used to hopping into it and eating his dry meals. Eventually he’d even let us pet him while he ate, and a couple of times I was able to close the lid without him noticing.
It seemed too good to be true that morning, when he hopped into the kennel to feed and I carefully secured the lid. Sure, as soon as he realized he was trapped, he started mewing and pawing at the blanket. He was scared, but I knew he couldn’t get out of the kennel.
The vet inspected his powder puffs and determined that they had shrunk since his last visit. Between that and the fact that his penis was smooth and not barbed, the vet was able to confidently declare him neutered. Well, given that he’s more likely to run away from Junior than stand his ground and fight, I kind of figured the spay and neuter clinic had done their job properly after all.
He was also chipped and his nails were trimmed. Oh, happy day!
Here’s the little snugglebunny acting as if nothing had happened.
He really did bounce back quickly, even though he obviously hated being caged. He let us pet him as soon as he was out. What a relief!
Well, this weekend there were no walks on trails. However, I did walk around the perimeter of our house and “discovered” two blooming camellia bushes. Here’s one:
You see, this is why I need to retire. I don’t even know the flora around my own house.
Well, now I know more and I’ll be spending more time with these luscious flowers in the very near future.
As well as with this guy.
Raji is spending more time in the house interior. Our other three cats are grudgingly getting used to him racing up and down the hallways, sitting in their spots on the back porch, and playing with their toys. Most of the time they are sleeping anyway. Junior has “charged” at Raji a couple of times, but still no fighting, thank goodness. Raji stays cool, but he often seems perplexed that the others don’t think him as adorable as we do.
I can’t believe we’re still in January, that another whole week stretches before us. My wall calendar is covered with green X’s, but still a whole week awaits me and my Sharpie.
This weekend I was busy, busy, busy; again, playing at being retired (I’m not retired just yet). I bustled and hustled and wore my feet down from walking and standing. I feel that good kind of fatigue, the kind you get when you can finally check a few things off your list. Like vacuuming my house and even the garage since a live creature still abodes there. Vacuuming might not seem like much of an accomplishment but when you live with three (now four) cats and lots of books and magazines and you haven’t vacuumed in literally months … well, let’s just say I’m quite pleased with myself that I managed to (finally) get that house chore out the of way … for now.
That’s one of the things I don’t like about housework. Nothing stays dust- and dirt-free for long. Especially in a house with three (now four) cats.
Happily I got quite a bit of walking in this weekend. Saturday I had my first real caffeinated coffee since I started working from home in mid-March. A cappuccino, to be exact. I am quite sensitive to caffeine. A little bit goes a very long way. For me, that meant going for an hour-long neighborhood walk at noon and then an amble with my husband in the early evening.
We went to our favorite ambling trail, Timberlane Ravine, where my husband showed me the biggest mouse trap I’d ever seen.
I would not want to meet a mouse big enough for that trap. We’re not entirely sure of the history of this oddity, but my husband recalled a couple of former coworkers who loved to participate in geocaches, or treasure hunts. Apparently, someone built this trap and dragged it out to the park (we don’t know how) for the sole purpose of geocaching. Okay, then.
I’m still enamored with the panorama feature of my iPhone, as you can see by the photos below.
The photo above shows a 180 view of the trail. Below is a 180 view from a bend in the trail. The coppery color of the birch trees, perhaps not well captured in the photos, was a lovely contrast with the dark green of moss, pines, and bush.
As we continued with our amble, Greg demonstrated the patience of a saint as I stopped to take photos of tiny flowers, trillium, and unusual (for me) fungi.
A dandelion daintily pushing through.
A shy violet making an appearance.
Trillium abounds. The trail was lined with trillium, or Wake Robin, or more formally, Trillium maculatum. They are considered rare, yet we saw them in abundance. I am so looking forward to our next visits to see them bloom.
And my beloved fungus, although I know zip about fungi. These photos were tricky since the fungus was attached to a rotten log resting on the ground. I felt like a contortionist angling for a good shot.
We only walked one loop, as it was past sunset and the light was getting dim.
If you look very, very closely, you can see the moon just above the tree tops in the center.
Raji Update: I do believe he and the other kitties are starting to “acclimate” to each other. We’ve been letting him in the house where he runs up and down the hallways and over the counters. Wendy tends to avoid him by leaving whatever room he happens to be in. Maxine will hiss at him and Raji shows deference to the old lady. Junior doesn’t like the young whippersnapper at all. He’s all hiss and growl and posturing. For the most part, Raji defers to Junior as well. At heart, Raji’s a lover, not a fighter. We haven’t had to break up any fights, and when Junior gets really puffed up, I just remind him that he’s still my boy, but now my big boy (Raji’s my little boy).
With our temps being a bit warmer, Raji has discovered our back porch and really likes it there.
He gets a lot of pleasure from watching the birds and squirrels cavort in our backyard. Not surprisingly, while he’s on the back porch, the other three are checking out the garage and the play pen on the side. I’m confident that eventually the four of them will coexist tolerably if not amicably.
Now, wish me luck. I’ve scheduled another vet appointment for Raji for Friday morning. Remember, the last time we tried to take him to the vet was the time when he bit into my hand. So that visit was canceled.
This time I’ve got meds to mellow him out and–most importantly–I’ve been able to close up his big carrier with him in it while he’s eating. It will be an awkward transportation as the carrier is huge feels flimsy (it’s all mesh and fabric). I’ll take along a regular pet carrier along just in case.
I will be so glad when this visit is out of the way.
Thanks for reading! Stay safe. Stay well. Stay as happy as you can.
As of this writing, I’ve been off work for a few days, getting a feel for life after the job. It’s a good feeling. One day I spent several hours knitting and listening to an audio book (normally that’s my bliss, but the novel–Last Rituals by Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurdardottir–was so full of cliches I could only listen to it if I was distracted by something else like knitting or housecleaning).
But the first day of my long weekend was spent with my husband, on a bike ride at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. A bike ride that almost didn’t happen. It started off nicely enough.
First, just before we left, I took a photo of the trees from beyond the roof of my house. See all that blue sky? After a few cold gray days, the blue was a balm to the soul.
At St. Marks, the blue sky and green pines and palms soothe my color-starved eyes. We hopped on our bikes and started cruising down Tram Road. My husband had found an old pair of panniers to attach to my bike so I was a happy cyclist, toting my own lunch, hot tea, and wool sweater instead of cramming everything onto his bike. I like to be independent when I can.
I was soaking up the blues and greens when I heard a soft chafing sound. Must be the panniers, I thought. My speed slowed as if I were going uphill. Only I wasn’t going uphill. The sound got louder. I came to a stop at the same time that I recognized the sensation of something being dragged. I bent over and looked at my rear wheel. It was not only flat. Its guts were hanging out of it.
I called to Greg and in a few minutes he had my bike upside down and the rear wheel off. The tire had come off the rim, and the tube had somehow twisted back on itself. He was perplexed and not confident that he could fix it. “I think we need to call it a day,” he said.
“NOOOOOOO!,” I responded.
We had riden less than one mile. I had been enjoying myself for less than nine minutes. The thought of turning around and going home seemed unbearable.
For the next 30-45 minutes, I watched my husband first pull out a new tube that he happened to have in his pack, pump it full of air, and fit it and the tire back on the rear wheel. Then I watched him examine the old tube, pump it full of air, search for leaks, and apply two patches. He said we still have to have a spare, even if it is patched.
My husband is a cyclist. He’s ridden centuries (100 miles) in California, taken weeks-long biking trips, and generally rides one of his two bikes a few times a week. While I watched him work, he told me about how he once had a Peugeot bike with sewn-up tires. It was during his early Navy days in San Francisco. Every time he rode that bike, it got a flat. After a few times of sewing the tires back on, he started carrying a spare set of tires to spare him the agony of sewing.
A guy like that is going to be prepared but also open to taking chances. After his work was done, I asked if we really had to call it a day. He gave me a smile and said, if I was willing, we could go ahead. Worst thing would be I’d have to walk back.
Here are a couple of scenes from the trail.
You might remember our last ride to the Pinhook River (6 + 4 Weeks: Holiday Relief and Bad Cats #Nature #corneredcats). Our timing on this trip was roughly the same as the last. By mid- to late afternoon, we’re at the river. The sun is sinking and casting light in weird and mysterious ways.
For the first time, I notice the colors of the river’s bridge. Maybe it’s the sunlight playing tricks with me. Maybe it’s whatever chemicals were applied to help preserve the wood. Still, I was entranced by these lines and colors.
Eventually we headed back to the car, pedaling steadily, Greg asking about my rear wheel every so often. It was holding up just fine.
About halfway, I stopped to take this photo, shot in “pano” mode.
It looks otherworldly to me, the blues and greens so lush and vibrant. At St. Marks, I always feel that I’m stepping into another world.
And then there’s home.
By the time we get home, the light has faded. Those trees lit by the sun in my first photo are now sliding into shadow.
Raji update: We’ve been letting him into the house interior, trying to familiarize him with the layout and the other cats. Maxine ignores him for the most part. Wendy runs away, and Junior tries to stand his ground, but only if he’s awake and not in a primo sunny spot on the couch. Sometimes Raji acts like he’s right at home.
On this particular afternoon, Junior and Maxine could not be bothered.
Thanks for reading, friends! Stay well, healthy, happy as you can be, and doubly safe (as folks are saying around here, “Don’t go downtown!”).
P.S.
The day after our bike ride, Greg went to take the bikes off the car and found that my bike’s front tire was flat. Then he went inside and bought me new tires.
Camellia from a neighbor’s yard. It was the one perfect bloom in a large bush. Photo is edited.
I cannot pretend to be upbeat and positive. I want to be. I was at the beginning of the month but events–both national and local–have left me feeling sad and often scared. While I’m writing this post, I’m listening to a podcast that a relative (by marriage) publicly shared on Facebook.
Yes, I should know better. For months now I’ve read this relative’s public posts with the sinking feeling that it wouldn’t be long before this relative embraced all the most ludicrous and bizarre conspiracy theories shared by the mob that stormed the Capitol. Well, this relative’s slide into the abyss of disinformation is complete. And that makes me sad … and a bit scared because there are obviously plenty of other people who believe as this relative does and a lot of them are willing, perhaps even eager, to use violence.
So … kind of hard to feel upbeat and positive, but I need to get up every morning. My cats and my husband depend on me to do so. They are my welcomed distractions.
Here’s one distraction who probably doesn’t need an introduction. Things are going well with Raji albeit slow. My goal is still to get him into a pet carrier, but he’s fast and has great reflexes. We’ve tried feeding him inside a carrier, in the hope that he’ll relax and not notice us slowly coming up behind him. Eh, he doesn’t relax. Usually he keeps a back foot or two outside the carrier so he can quickly back out and get away. The least sense of movement from either of us and he’s off! So we recently purchased a pet carrier built for two.
The trick with this carrier is not in getting him all the way into it–he will do that when he’s eating–but in getting the “door” zipped up before he can escape.
Meanwhile, we continue with our before-meal-petting routines.
Can you see his sharp little claws in the last photo? Right now that’s the main reason I want to get him back to the vet: nail trim! Besides being such a cutie-patootie, he is still allowing me to pick him up, but only when I’m sitting on the floor and I follow this procedure:
put gentle pressure on his back until he’s prone
firmly place my hands on either side of his rib cage and under his shoulders
slowly lift up, making sure his back is to me at all times
hold for one, two, maybe three seconds
slowly lower down to the floor
loosen “grip” on his sides so that my hands caress him as he launches away from me.
It’s fun, and it gives me hope. For the most part, we do have fun with Raji. Recently we’ve allowed our other kitties to be around during his supervised visits to the house interior. No fights so far. Nothing worse than Junior hissing and Raji running back for the garage. He’s curious about the other cats, but leaves them alone if they get hissy (thank goodness!).
It’s been cold here and we’ve been too busy for Greg and me to go on a nature walk. So, here’s a few of the plants I’ve been tending the last several months. I am quite impressed by these lovelies. I do shelter them on nights when the temps are below or near freezing, but it still impresses me how resilient they are.
This bromeliad was gift from a coworker. I’ve had it for over a year now, and it’s already bloomed once. I’m thrilled to see that it plans to bloom again.
I purchased this Red Penta a couple of months ago, shortly before our temps turned wintry. Butterflies and perhaps hummingbirds are attracted to the red flowers.
This here is a white-flowered butterfly bush. What you are seeing are new leaves interspersed with old. I find it so fascinating that this bush is continually pushing out new leaves. The white blossoms won’t appear until spring.
I feel a lot pride in this Scarlet Salvia. My husband bought it a couple of years ago and then complained that “it never bloomed.” I guess it’s one thing to tend to trees and large bushes, but a potted plant is something else. By the time I took an interest, it was already quite “leggy.” The soil was bone-dry. I started to water it. It is a water hog. It requires twice as much water as all the other plants. After a month or two, red shoots started to appear and before too long we had blossoms. And it has not stopped blooming since! It’s a miracle! In spring, I plan to prune it back, once it has access to plenty of warmth and sunshine to spur new growth.
I am grateful for these distractions: my cats, my husbands, and my plants. I’m also grateful for all of you who bring light and love into my life.
Well, hello, 2021! So far, it’s looking good. At least for me since I’ve been living in my comfortable, do-not-wear-in-public, sometimes-wear-to-bed clothes since January 1. Of course, by the time you all read this, I’ll be in regular work garb. But only another 4+4 weeks of that.
I expect January to be a stressful month but I’ll try to go with the flow, reminding myself that I’m doing the best I can do. The challenge will be to take care of myself. As you all know, walking is a great stress-buster for me. Well, it’s been rainy this weekend so no nature trails. I did manage a morning walk in my neighborhood on New Year’s Day, before the rains came, and saw a bird on a wire.
Actually a big bird on a wire: the neighborhood red-shouldered hawk surveying his territory. A few days ago I saw two hawks on the same wire. We’ve had generations of hawks in my neighborhood, with this last generation seemingly at ease among humans, or maybe they’re just unimpressed.
Since we haven’t gone for a nature walk, I took a few photos of my micro-mini-rain forest aka my backyard. Here’s the wide view:
I love the Pano setting on my iPhone, but here’s some individual shots for a more up-close and personal feel:
I have all my plants on the deck because I was afraid they would drown if they couldn’t drain properly. A few of them love water, but it’s been raining steady for two days. Their cups runneth over.
Can you guess what my other great stress buster is? You got it! CATS! And now that I have four, I have plenty of opportunities for stress busting. Right now, though, Raji is hogging the camera.
Isn’t this little guy fricking adorable! Yes, folks, Raji loves to be petted AND brushed! (The other three have to be “in the mood” for brushing — “eye roll.”)
We’ve come a long way with Raji since we brought him into our garage in early November. Then he’d flinch and move away if we reached out to him. After about a week, he let me lightly caress his head while he ate. Fast forward to now, we have a routine of petting and brushing him for a few minutes before every meal. On his own, he started “flopping” down onto his side during this ritual, lying still while he’s being brushed or rolling on his back and being playful. He kneads and kneads and kneads and kneads. He even kneads his stainless steel food bowl.
I wish I knew Raji’s history. I can only imagine he was taken from his mother too soon and then neglected. We have not integrated him into our household yet. We’re rather anxious about that because he won’t be able to live in the garage during the summer. Even spring might be too hot. We have allowed Maxine, our oldest, to go into the garage to meet Raji. He is very curious about her and seems to want to be friends, but she wants nothing to do with him. She’ll hiss and then exit, probably pissed off that there’s another cat in the house.
When our three indoor kitties are sequestered for their midday meal, we let Raji come into the house proper and roam around. We’re thinking that as he becomes familiar with the house, he’ll feel less intimidated whenever we start the formal meet-and-greet meetings. At least, he’ll know how to find his way back to the garage. The most important thing is to never let Raji feel cornered.
Here’s another one of my stress-busters, the ever demure Wendy.
The look on her face means: “Stop taking pictures and feed me already!” Can’t you just feel the love … lol.
Marie at 1 Write Way 