tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52193592012-02-11T20:48:40.829-05:00Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.comBlogger24851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-48833884198533456052012-02-11T20:47:00.002-05:002012-02-11T20:48:40.835-05:00

I told my daughter today that I can't part with the iMac just yet. Maybe eventually, after I figure out why so many basic things I can do with ease here are a huge throbbing pain in the ass on that laptop. Maybe it's me. My work stuff works fine, and that's all that really matters, that's why I BOUGHT the damn thing, but I won't be parting with this lovely machine until I have figured out how

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-78434873409125485412012-02-10T19:37:00.001-05:002012-02-10T19:41:24.907-05:00

I have screamed some variation on the word more times in the last 48 hours than in the last 3 months. I am transitioning to Windows. It is incredibly, ridiculously "busy" and annoying. Every single thing I do takes at least 3 tries, as it helpfully decides for me that I really don't want to do that for myself and tries to do something I don't want. I have spent more time trying to figure out

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-67040745754020885602012-02-08T18:55:00.001-05:002012-02-08T19:42:29.425-05:00

First, the important news: the vet just called with the results of Murphy's blood work. He's doing okay! A couple of things were a bit off, his protein was a bit low, but she chalked that up to chronic intestinal inflammation and said nothing was off enough to be worrisome. We're going to double his pred dose for the next week and taper off from there, and start him on B12 injections, and see

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-25739282463513884962012-02-07T19:50:00.000-05:002012-02-07T19:50:29.782-05:00

The vet examined Murphy and said that she can feel a thickening in his intestinal wall - the near-constant irritation that is his condition causes this. We are doing full blood work to see how his other organs are functioning, he had fluids injected under his skin, he had a shot of anti-nausea meds, and we were sent home with the instruction to rest his tummy tonight - he had some chicken broth

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-4347996124252214232012-02-07T14:24:00.001-05:002012-02-07T15:01:33.560-05:00

So, every single freaking time I say, "Oh, Murphy's MUCH better!" that triggers a relapse. You'd think I would know by now, wouldn't you? I was awakened at 3:15 a.m. by the instantly recognizable sound of a dog horking. The dog was on my bed at the time. Poor little thing barfed up his entire stomach contents and then some before I could get to him to put him on the floor to finish the job.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-31766440302831231682012-02-06T19:54:00.002-05:002012-02-06T20:56:11.177-05:00

So, I'd tried Murphy on the canned version of the Royal Canin Gastrointestinal LF diet, and he LOVED it! LOVED IT!!! I thought, "Whoopee! No more cooking skinless, boneless de-fatted chicken breasts for the dog!" And fed him that food for the last 2 or 3 weeks. Sophie also loved canned, so I gave her Eukanuba chicken and rice. And she had gas, and got noticeably chubbier. And Murphy's poo got

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-72729002647127199532012-02-03T19:55:00.000-05:002012-02-03T19:55:37.148-05:00

I realized today that next week, after I am (once again) sworn in as a Realtor, I will have to start dressing professionally on a regular basis. "Professionally," in this sense, is really relaxed, think hot weather business casual. Last year I spent much of my client time climbing around potential homesites, and jeans and boots were the appropriate attire - and it was much, much cooler. I need

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-64909500664167949222012-02-02T09:52:00.004-05:002012-02-02T10:09:05.696-05:00

Higgins is making me crazy. Cray-zee. I swear he is running an experiment on me, testing how long it will take to break me down through sleep deprivation. He screams in the night. This is not a new issue, he always has been a loud, complaining cat, but lately he has perfected his timing. By "perfected," I of course mean "maximized its effectiveness as a form of torture." I go to bed at 10. I

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-25934297610823758842012-02-01T12:43:00.001-05:002012-02-01T12:45:57.999-05:00

What is the difference between goofing off and getting inspired? I sat down at my computer to research market statistics and went off on my usual tangent(s). A chance visit at a favorite blog I don't read often enough has launched me in a new direction. A Month of Letters. In my case, they will probably be more like notes, mostly centered around, "Hi, I'm back in town, what's new with you?"

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-37652996027845089282012-02-01T07:22:00.000-05:002012-02-01T07:22:20.526-05:00

Amazingly on target again. Last month's was so blah (yet relevant) I didn't even bother sharing it. It was a month of drudgery. This sounds exactly like where I am and what I'm focused on these days.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-20624032148446375692012-01-31T19:03:00.000-05:002012-01-31T19:03:43.444-05:00

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 By Rick Levine You are eager for your dreams to come true and wish that you could plan your life accordingly, but unrelenting demands on your daily schedule prevent you from pursuing your long-term goals. Postponing the non-essential tasks -- even if they support your overall life purpose -- is better than avoiding your obligations now. Rather than judging yourself too

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-47436538978252363882012-01-27T21:16:00.001-05:002012-01-27T21:19:30.196-05:00

It's Friday night, and time to par-tay. Or something. It's been a productive week - since Monday (which feels like a really, really long time ago) I: 1) joined a new office; 2) joined the local Board of Realtors; 3) scheduled important other stuff related to 1) and 2); and also did 4) through around 37) other things large and small that related to the above in some way or other. I

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-28429188380261852892012-01-24T18:53:00.001-05:002012-01-24T19:01:35.579-05:00

So, I joined a new brokerage office yesterday, and that means I spent today on this here computer setting up some new accounts and joining this and thats, and selecting one thing and the other and whatnots. And before I knew it, it was 5 o'clock and I was nowhere near done. It's a lot of set-up and organizing. At my last office they sort of strong-armed the newbies into using their new

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-8831869422050493212012-01-21T20:38:00.002-05:002012-01-21T21:00:52.782-05:00

Miss D is 3 months old. and I was reminded of this shot of Supergirl at around five months, I think: So far, I see the same eye color, which appears to be my contribution to their genetic soup. My son has my eyes but my daughter's are different - the only place we thought we saw her eye color was in a picture of her paternal great-grandfather. It's going to be fun to see how much (if at

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-26950660873600445792012-01-20T18:50:00.000-05:002012-01-20T18:50:30.835-05:00

I gave myself the day off today - I banished all thoughts of real estate (as much as I could) and spent the day resting my brain. I did assemble a small plant stand for my herb pots, go to the supermarket, and...that's about it. Oh, I walked a couple of miles. I hadn't walked since Sunday, because Monday I had baby duty early, then Tues-Thurs was exam cram and exam. I'm SO glad that's over - I

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-60486787649473040502012-01-19T16:23:00.004-05:002012-01-19T16:30:25.056-05:00

The license exam, I mean. And I passed, which means I am now a duly licensed Florida Real Estate Sales Associate (again). And as usual, the exam was far less harrowing than the practice tests in the review manual. I was mildly freaked out after doing the, oh, 600+ practice exam questions in the review book and not scoring my usual above 90%. (That isn't bragging - I've worked in real estate

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-60430041570486453152012-01-17T20:39:00.001-05:002012-01-17T20:41:19.508-05:00

I'm sad because a tree called The Senator is dead. Burned. At first the investigator thought natural causes, but now they seem to be reversing the cause to arson. Weird, because I feel a loss at the death of a tree. But this tree was incredibly ancient - this tree was old when Jesus Christ was walking the earth. It was a regular school field trip for Central Florida kids. I remember going to

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-32064933623060895542012-01-17T19:28:00.001-05:002012-01-17T19:39:26.188-05:00

I'm feeling more stress about this exam than the one last year, because, based on the prep questions in the exam manual, it's eleventy times more tricky trivia/stuff you will never really need to think of again, and if you ever do, you can look it up. And I'm even running into words I've never actually encountered in 20 years around real estate and real estate related corporate stuff. It's like

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-22225947496823076802012-01-15T20:56:00.000-05:002012-01-15T20:56:04.902-05:00

Because I'm losing interest in daily posting. It is an artificial construct, and right now I have to say I have not cat crap box update to share. And this is why I will never get paid as a professional blogger.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-44684058347342587362012-01-14T19:25:00.001-05:002012-01-14T19:30:57.841-05:00

I made for the Divine Miss D, in 6 month size, figuring they could roll up the cuffs if it was large on her? She is 3 months and a couple of days and that 6 month sweater just fits, no sleeve rolling required. It'll be skimpy in a month or so. Of course, winter will be over in a month or two and is barely a presence now, so this is not a call to make a new sweater. I'll make her another

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-25012096053878040492012-01-13T19:59:00.001-05:002012-01-13T20:01:31.872-05:00

That's exam day. I called today and had to navigate a really user-unfriendly voicemail that kept suggesting I use the website (IT DIDN'T WORK, that's why I AM CALLING YOU NOW, so QUIT DIRECTING ME TO THE WEBSITE, DAMMIT!) until I finally reached a human and scheduled the test and paid my thirty bucks and change. I'll start my three day review cram session on Monday. Not overly stressed. I did

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-82845995124804833132012-01-12T18:37:00.001-05:002012-01-12T18:41:22.856-05:00

arrived today. And I eagerly went to the website where I can schedule my state exam at the local testing center (mind you I just did this a year ago on this same computer for another state) and the LINK DIDN'T TAKE ME TO A SIGNUP PAGE FOR THE EXAM! It took me to some sort of "practice test" I was supposed to buy. I exited and entered again, I clicked on all the options, and nope, the drop-down

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-43681839774953846912012-01-11T19:00:00.001-05:002012-01-11T19:01:35.870-05:00

for the state to send me my letter allowing me to take the state exam. Word of my preparing to do so has gotten out - I'm getting called and getting letters from offices all over the area looking for fresh meat new agents. Yet, here I sit, waiting for the letter that just allows me to schedule the test for whenever they are offering it. If it isn't here by Saturday, I will be quite peeved. In

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-53568315616811091002012-01-10T19:16:00.002-05:002012-01-10T19:29:53.163-05:00

It was nearly 80 degrees today. We are supposed to get a "cold front" tomorrow, which will drop the temps to a brisk 74. Sigh. I spent the morning at a seminar scheduled by my future office. It was useful and it felt good to feel at least somewhat part of an office again. I am still waiting for the state to send me my golden ticket to sit for the state exam. My application was approved last

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-77845117472519533472012-01-09T18:09:00.000-05:002012-01-09T18:09:13.717-05:00

I often feel like I'm running a nursing home for old animals. Well, Sophie and I are - she's only 2. The other two are Grumpy Old Men. Higgins believes the litterbox should flush. He doesn't cover his crap. He craps like a St. Bernard, then walks around bitching until I dispose of it. Which I do, because ohmygawditstinks. Murphy still acts like a much younger dog, but his teeth are going

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-63429350532739390782012-01-08T18:04:00.001-05:002012-01-08T18:04:58.526-05:00

David Bowie. Still safely "older than me" - I've been a fan since my own teenage years, when he was still young and skinny and hot and I was even younger and also skinny and hot - but I'm definitely in the stage of my life when my idols are old enough for Social Security, if they're still alive. This is one of those, "Yes, you really ARE one of the older generation" markers that I generally

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-62929567332857274472012-01-07T19:19:00.000-05:002012-01-07T19:19:34.563-05:00

It's a bit shorter than I'd anticipated, but it needed some serious layer consolidation to adapt it to this humid climate. It looks mostly like the pic in the sidebar, but a bit shorter. And it cost an arm and a leg, and welcome home! Between Murphy and me, I better sell some expensive houses in the next year to support our grooming needs - though my cut will last at least 8 weeks before

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-87673259298260610752012-01-06T20:39:00.000-05:002012-01-06T20:39:52.819-05:00

very fast, to drop off the rent check and pick up a chocolate pumpkin loaf. And though Murphy watched them drive away, he clearly didn't know that the car leaving our diveway was her new car. He had never spent any time around it, and didn't associate it with her. We had all walked out together, they got into their car and the dogs peepeed as Girlmama and Miss D drove away. Murphy still came

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-43151515977381876312012-01-06T18:58:00.002-05:002012-01-06T18:59:48.264-05:00

what should I do with my hair? A quick trip to Asheville and my DiL's highly talented scissors isn't feasible, so I'm going to my former (for 3 or 4 cuts before I left town) hair guy. I like him a lot but we don't have enough history for me to trust him implicitly yet, and this is a critical step, because this haircut is probably going to be the one I'll be wearing in my new business photos. By

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-39184854973321773802012-01-05T18:39:00.002-05:002012-01-06T18:34:00.490-05:00

We have a fairly strong family loyalty to a most excellent Chinese restaurant, and I always order takeout from them. I placed an online order this evening and promptly received a confirming email. I did not receive my food - so I called, and a harried young man said, "We didn't get the order. We've had problems with our server." I said, "But I received a confirming email!" He said, (and it still

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-71687675518822850512012-01-04T18:54:00.000-05:002012-01-04T18:54:44.582-05:00

I was leaving the house this morning when I received a text. I didn't know the number, and the text said, "Hello my beautiful wife..." and went on to say that she didn't seem to know who he was. I texted back that apparently he didn't know his wife's number, because he had reached a wrong number. He immediately responded with an embarrassed apology about a new phone and obviously he had her

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-22888941841878341642012-01-03T18:45:00.000-05:002012-01-03T18:45:17.843-05:00

I've been awake since 4 a.m., when the sound of the wind combined with the power blinking on and off woke me up. It was like a cold, dry tropical storm - noisy, and I had an urge to find the flashlight and keep it within reach. By dawn the blinky power had resolved, and the wind has calmed down a bit, but damn, it was windy. And speaking of Windy - Sophie dealt with the chill in the air by

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-80684763941646012562012-01-02T18:56:00.001-05:002012-01-03T08:44:40.114-05:00

It's been really warm here, and now we are hitting a stretch of yo-yo weather - 85 degrees a couple of days before Christmas has turned to a couple of nights of freezing temps. It'll be cold for a couple of days, then warm to 70 by the end of the week. I tested the fireplace by firing up a cone of newspaper and it draws nicely, so later I will actually light a fire and get back to work on

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-59000161121156965292012-01-01T17:58:00.000-05:002012-01-01T17:58:38.768-05:00

Okay, do I go for another month of blogging daily? I could, I think - no travel on the calendar, etc. I'll go for it. My 99 cent book about goal-setting (see previous post) said several things that really resonated with me. I am paraphrasing a lot here, but what I got from it so far is: Your goal has to really make you feel PASSIONATE. You have to have a damn good reason for it, and it has to

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-17711770996142272652011-12-31T19:03:00.001-05:002011-12-31T19:03:08.259-05:00

I don't plan to be awake at midnight unless the neighbors' fireworks are really good.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-68319681788386699742011-12-31T18:23:00.002-05:002011-12-31T22:05:53.675-05:00

Working in Corporate America or independently in sales, I've been exposed to waaaay too much talk of Goal Setting. How it's IMPORTANT to have Goals! You must have them! You should sit down and write out your goals and study them regularly! I've heard this so many times I could freaking scream, because I never could articulate specific goals. Especially while in Corporate World - because the

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-85168186151259354282011-12-30T20:15:00.003-05:002011-12-30T21:29:45.194-05:00

True to my word, I went to bed very early last night. I believe I took my herbal tea and retired to "watch tv" at 8:30. The dogs were more than ready to go with me. We were crashing so early I expected to be awakened for a potty trip at some point in the night, but we were all asleep by 9 and they didn't disturb me until we all woke at 5. After we got in bed, the Ancient Cat came in to hang out

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-6252430222842049082011-12-29T17:16:00.000-05:002011-12-29T17:16:25.394-05:00

My visit with my cousins was very delightful, highly caloric, and obscenely alcoholic. We ate raw oysters, coconut shrimp and jalapeno poppers at our favorite beachside restaurant and watched shrimp boats (I think, they were pretty far out there) do their thing. The sky was cloudless and the ocean like glass. It was just drop-dead gorgeous. From there we drove down A1A to Best Buy in Daytona,

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-49274952626594174172011-12-28T08:13:00.000-05:002011-12-28T08:13:38.010-05:00

Murphy saw me take my overnight bag out of the closet this morning and is now watching my every move. He knows there's a road trip, and is farting with excitement. It's a gorgeous day - crisp and cool and cloudless, perfect for lunch at a beach restaurant. We'll be back tomorrow with pictures.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-21226989546974838592011-12-27T19:52:00.000-05:002011-12-27T19:52:58.546-05:00

I had a small epiphany of sorts today. A couple of things happened right in a row that pissed me off - just other humans being clueless, i.e. not behaving as I would have behaved in the same situation. And I had this urge to write about it, but then thought about the two schools of thought on "writing about it" - which is what blogging is, so go with me a little here. One school says write

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-4932016827385681802011-12-26T19:12:00.000-05:002011-12-26T19:12:32.231-05:00

The dogs have managed to stir to eat and potty, but otherwise have been laid out recovering. And they didn't even drink like the rest of us! I went to bed early last night. Murphy woke me at a quarter to midnight because he desperately had to pee - prednisolone, not his fault, I get it, he's a good boy who doesn't want to have an accident, so we went out and hoo boy, his little eyeballs must

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-89615175799881554192011-12-25T17:08:00.001-05:002011-12-25T17:11:06.175-05:00

It's not even 5 o'clock and I've had my week's requirement of booze, yet I can still tupye, I maen tyep, oh, fcuk, you konw what I mean. It was a delightful Christmas, though it both started and ended way too early. Murphy woke me at 4:45 this morning for a Prednisolone Pee. I knew he really needed it, so... I was a bit disappointed to see I didn't get what I wanted for Christmas - I didn't

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-2292593735707513442011-12-24T18:50:00.001-05:002011-12-24T18:59:30.279-05:00

Ahhh, eggnog. I remember now why I haven't allowed it in the house in years. I keep going back for "just a little more," with "just a drop" of very good rum - for "flavoring," you know. I do have a concept of how many calories I am consuming here, and now I'm just drinking to forget. Tomorrow we are doing a small-ish family Christmas - cousins and daughter and son-in-law and Little Miss D, and

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-60799951877632111732011-12-23T17:53:00.000-05:002011-12-23T17:53:39.675-05:00

My American Express bill somehow went AWOL this month. I use AMEX a lot, I have been a customer for decades and I always pay my bill on time. Always. But I don't have my billing cycle memorized and can't tell you exactly when the bill arrives in the mail, so while I idly thought early this week that I hadn't seen it yet no alarm bells went off in my head. I tried to use it online the day

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-86782832383540964362011-12-22T20:46:00.001-05:002011-12-23T14:19:17.765-05:00

In my half-assed attempt to cover a couple of issues before guests arrive on Sunday, I scheduled Murphy's grooming and vet visit for the same day. Normally this would be no problem - drop at the groomer around 7:30-ish, get a call to fetch him at 1, or 2 at the latest. Often, earlier. I made the appointment yesterday and then kind of wished the dear lady who owns the shop had just told me up

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-53010508343372129012011-12-21T19:25:00.000-05:002011-12-21T19:25:05.073-05:00

I said OUT LOUD that the dog - we know which dog we are talking about here, the elder one with the Prognosis: Poor - was not seeing the vet again until I generated actual income. I am not broke, but we are now approaching, Um, Let's Refocus. But, Girlmama brought Miss D by after Miss D had her first round of Baby Shots - which she shrugged off and was far more interested in the ceiling fans

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-87000891850236378392011-12-20T18:05:00.000-05:002011-12-20T18:05:27.134-05:00

I will write more than that, but that's pretty much the story of the day, so feel free to click on. This is going to be boring, but hey, I am determined to blog every day this month, so.... The scheduler called me yesterday to ask if the installer could come between 11 and 1 to install the new blinds. I probably overwhelmed her a bit with my enthusiastic, "YES! FANTASTIC!" but I would have

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-14904678551522138422011-12-19T20:33:00.001-05:002011-12-19T20:35:10.095-05:00

I attended my first, and possibly my last, condo association meeting tonight. Good grief, it was a Seinfeld episode without the yelling. Nice enough people, a little silliness here and there, but the entire concept of an "agenda" is unknown, and the management company guy didn't take charge as he should have. Back in Developer World we expected our professional manager to do, you know,

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-17230233497896175762011-12-18T18:05:00.001-05:002011-12-18T18:06:28.417-05:00

was laundry. Still doing that, in fact. Otherwise, it was a day of sloth - yesterday was quite exhausting. My daughter reports that Miss D was a grump today - apparently she feels we should go to a dog show every day. I am making this soup, which is terrific, without Italian sausage. I finished 11/22/63. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it - it started out gripping and amazing and I

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-69574872882645773572011-12-17T18:20:00.001-05:002011-12-17T19:30:20.442-05:00

Went to the AKC Eukanuba National Championship today, and had an amazing time. I am wiped out. Girlmama and Miss D picked me up at a quarter after 7 - we hit the Starbucks drive-thru (nothing for Miss D) and arrived at the convention center at 8. We parked and rode a bus from hither to yon, baby and stroller in tow. The shuttle bus drivers were very nice and stowed the stroller for us. From

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-86907017421228960612011-12-16T17:37:00.000-05:002011-12-16T17:37:03.690-05:00

Not The Bugle!! I just found them a few weeks ago, and now the Times has dumped them? Booo! I would pay a few bucks a year for a weekly shot of their smart, high-quality snark, but...damn!! I JUST FOUND THEM! I wonder if their existing podcasts will stay on iTunes, or will the Times yank it as their copyrighted material? The Big Box of Christmas Cheer left via UPS today, bound for Asheville

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-61694857063660827442011-12-15T18:51:00.001-05:002011-12-15T20:37:59.886-05:00

The fridge has been fixed for 24 whole hours, the icemaker is making ice that does NOT form a really ugly ice sculpture, and I am no longer worried that I'm going to accidentally prepare a lovely Food Poisoning Surprise for dinner. This afternoon I went to Publix and bought frozen things and fresh produce without wondering if they'd survive. It only took a freaking month. Oy. But it's working

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-78927653846440295712011-12-14T18:29:00.000-05:002011-12-14T18:29:57.768-05:00

"Fourth time is the charm!" Wait, that's not how that goes? So, I was a Prisoner of the Fridge again this afternoon, waiting for the "senior tech who can diagnose the issue once and for all." I was so happy when I got a call from the nice, straight-talking young man of the many tattoos, saying he'd arrive shortly. In all of this mess, he has been consistently competent and straightforward

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-36768250314555249582011-12-13T19:22:00.000-05:002011-12-13T19:22:09.675-05:00

and I think I feel it. Okay. So, as for "demanding a new fridge," here's the thing: I have demanded. I point out the unacceptability of this situation in every contact with the company, and have bitched and demanded supervisors and made them reconsider their career choice, but ultimately, the game is fixed. I have been a thorn in their side from day...15ish, when it was obvious that this

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-63072444349582430822011-12-12T19:21:00.000-05:002011-12-12T19:21:48.991-05:00

I keep forgetting about the screws in my forehead. Ow. Shit. The same nice and very tattooed guy sent last time, the one who gave up in frustration when he was sent out with a part that didn't fit, came today with the right part. It took him about 20 minutes to install it, and he left me with his best wishes that this was indeed the issue, and things would be okay again, because neither of us is

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-81604930088582527532011-12-11T17:22:00.005-05:002011-12-11T20:36:06.820-05:00

Lentil loaf is in progress. I am taking a basic recipe for ingredient-proportion purposes and messing with it my way. Mine will have sauteed garlic and onion and finely diced green bell pepper, and a heaping helping of chopped sundried tomatoes, because dammit, everything is better with sundried tomatoes. I also have asparagus for roasting, so I will throw it in a flat baking dish and let it

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-70155033458115738902011-12-10T19:38:00.000-05:002011-12-10T19:38:03.763-05:00

Saturday, December 10, 2011 By Rick Levine It's challenging to understand your own feelings today as the Gemini Lunar Eclipse polarizes your 12th House of Fantasy. Although your emotions may be quite intense, frustration is high because words can't express what you want. Don't try so hard to get your message across now. It will be much easier to say what you want tomorrow after the Moon enters

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-54154364220215027082011-12-09T19:24:00.002-05:002011-12-09T19:34:45.427-05:00

in the 31 days of blogging I have vowed. Fridge repair is scheduled for Monday morning, and they swear it is the right part, honest!! Passport renewal as well as voter registration and other legal-y things were launched. I am on track to take the class test for my Florida License 2.0 by Monday. (That just means I can then apply to take the actual state exam, so don't start your applause yet,

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-31524238107297002522011-12-08T18:55:00.000-05:002011-12-08T18:55:30.104-05:00

Because this situation is not worth stressing myself further. Stress is very bad for me, and I am not going to compromise my health over this bullshit. So, I called the not just worthless, but actively awful warranty company late this afternoon, because OF COURSE they didn't contact me. Once again, I got some perfectly nice, perfectly clueless customer service person - I do not go off on

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-3920321414074502122011-12-07T19:03:00.000-05:002011-12-07T19:03:46.285-05:00

I think it ends on the 13th, and then maybe life will make more sense. Today was the end of the Holy Three to Five Days! of the Warranty Company. Did I get a triumphant call or email that Yay! They Found the Discontinued Part! -oh hell, of course not. If my phone doesn't ring by noon tomorrow, I will be even less tolerant of corporate system failure than I have been so far. Warranty company

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-88207975193204398982011-12-06T18:24:00.002-05:002011-12-06T18:25:58.708-05:00

Particularly if we are talking about my passport photos. I had to do them twice, because the first ones made me look like a homicidal prison matron. Seriously Scary Shit. The second I can live with - not as nice as my driver's license, but I'll be damned if I was going to carry a passport that would make a customs official shriek and drop it in horror - those passport photos are around for years

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-62173855192120428212011-12-05T18:38:00.003-05:002011-12-05T19:55:10.562-05:00

My car is re-registered in FL - in fact, it is wearing the same license plate it wore when we left, they just issued me a new sticker. Easy-Peasy. Cross that off the list. Figured out online that I am just under the wire to not have to apply for a new passport in person, so that renewal is on its way via Express Mail tomorrow. I was at my desk filling out my passport renewal application online

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-26491165786058254402011-12-04T17:55:00.000-05:002011-12-04T17:55:33.585-05:00

Our community association throws holiday events for children a few times a year, and today was Santa's visit. Delaney was in a good mood, so my daughter and I walked over to see if we could get a photo with Santa. We missed Santa's arrival - I heard the sirens blaring for a good 15 minutes, as Santa was delivered to the park on a fire truck. He definitely made an entrance, and next year we will

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-69001789844877916762011-12-03T18:18:00.002-05:002011-12-03T19:53:52.553-05:00

The weather has hit practically perfect - cool enough to sleep comfortably at night, upper 70s during the day. A perfect afternoon to sit on the balcony, enjoy the breeze, and do my nails. I am not a nail polish person and I'm too antsy to sit down for a professional pedicure very often, but every so often I get the urge to look well-groomed. I went with a sheer nothing on my fingers, but went

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-2666805518187814992011-12-02T19:23:00.001-05:002011-12-02T19:28:50.711-05:00

Though some days it may be heavy on pictures and few words. Higgins is adjusting to his new home very nicely. Yesterday I came home and found Sophie and Higgins on the back of the loveseat together. Not snuggled, but sharing the same surface. This is a huge step forward for the Ancient Cat, as he spent the last year trying to avoid sharing the same horizontal surface as my daughter's dogs.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-64822372406120495232011-12-01T17:04:00.002-05:002011-12-01T20:50:00.265-05:00

I went to get my Florida driver's license today. I did not have to take any tests - they checked my driving record in NC, saw that it was clean, and don't waste people's time with that silliness the way North Carolina does. But Florida has added its own special kind of crazy. Effective January of last year, you now have to prove you are still you, by producing documents you probably haven't

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-16433340130130321222011-12-01T16:32:00.000-05:002011-12-01T16:32:27.854-05:00

For Cancer. Not sure what to make of it - I'll have to reread it more carefully when I have time. The opening paragraphs did sound familiar: It can be maddening when the planets send mixed messages. This has been going on since last month, so it is no wonder you may feel anxious and on the horns of a dilemma, unable to see the road ahead clearly. On one hand the eclipse season is upon us, and

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-46781588925216655392011-11-30T18:40:00.000-05:002011-11-30T18:40:35.435-05:00

to the sad, sad story of the Fridge, Special Warranty Victims Unit, I started my search for new blinds for this place yesterday. Actually, I'd started it earlier, but am now ready to get it done and needed to search in earnest. I visited a couple of stores and ended up in Home Depot, where I was promptly greeted by a nice woman who knew her stuff and offered good advice. We sat down at her desk,

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-84806789023514497812011-11-30T17:28:00.002-05:002011-11-30T22:46:04.756-05:00

In this chapter, I'm ready to bring the "war" to home warranty. To recap: I moved in here on November 1, no 2. I soon noticed that the fridge didn't seem to be keeping things cold enough, and fresh produce in particular was spoiling much faster than it should. It is an intermittent problem, so it took me a little while to convince myself that it really was the fridge and not my imagination.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-9830620616155286442011-11-29T19:50:00.000-05:002011-11-29T19:50:04.154-05:00

My son texted me yesterday morning - it was a somewhat accusatory text: "So, we just had a sad moment. I thought you said that ad's blanket was washable, but it got destroyed. :(" Okay, there are few things that would cause me to dial the phone faster. Actual injury to a human would have done it, but a close second was "WTF happened to her blankie?!?" Turns out that poor Supergirl has a virus

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-20069704721535014492011-11-23T20:40:00.001-05:002011-11-23T20:41:43.055-05:00

I was dutifully working on my license class stuff (finished the class today) this morning when my daughter texted me to ask if I wanted to tag along to Delaney's six week check-up. Of course I did! Delaney's pediatrician is the same doctor who took care of her mother. (He claimed my face was familiar, which I find hard to believe, as my kids were only there for the usual shots and check-ups

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-38459874724822812412011-11-22T19:15:00.000-05:002011-11-22T19:15:04.795-05:00

Okay, so today, finally, what, 8 days after I first asked someone to look at the fridge, appliance guys showed up. Only one of them could speak - the other stood stock still and didn't even grunt. I'm not sure he was breathing. (I assume he was a trainee, but he wasn't even trusted to go down to the truck and look for the parts they didn't have, so maybe it was his first day.) The one who could

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-2806663811824564942011-11-17T16:18:00.000-05:002011-11-17T16:18:00.964-05:00

Remember the fun I had with Sears, when I called them to get my dryer fixed? The fridge here isn't keeping food cold enough. The freezer is almost, but not quite, freezing. The fridge is just a notch above properly cold. Both are on the maximum coldness setting, and it's just not cutting it. Food isn't staying fresh, and when you eat a diet very heavy on fresh produce, this is an issue. Stuff is

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-64213386986918757502011-11-16T12:33:00.000-05:002011-11-16T12:33:34.881-05:00

This blog has been around a long time, and for months now I've toyed with the idea of getting more serious/organized about updates. I think about things to write about quite often; I sit my butt down to do it not enough. (Kind of like my knitting lately, now that I think about it.) Anyway, I've mentioned this before, but I'm an audiobook addict. Listening to audiobooks changed my life, or at

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-88719280973873446582011-11-14T14:41:00.002-05:002011-11-14T14:41:49.902-05:00

I wish I had real HTML skills instead of knowing just enough to be dangerous. I also wish updating the look of the blog didn't end up eating a big chunk of my day.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-13930617679117947442011-11-14T10:03:00.000-05:002011-11-14T10:03:13.976-05:00

Higgins has decided that this new home may not totally suck, and I'm pleased with his rapid adjustment. For one of his advanced years and crankyness, he's being quite a good sport about it all. He's particularly fond of the balcony, and as I type this he's sleeping in a chair in the sunshine. I encouraged this by ignoring his moping and cheering on every sign of progress. Little by little, I

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-81523517895613854382011-11-10T11:45:00.001-05:002011-11-10T11:45:17.362-05:00

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-17863725310904636892011-11-10T11:43:00.001-05:002011-11-10T11:47:01.467-05:00

Over $200 later, we still have no idea why Higgins is the way he is. His thyroid is fine. His kidneys aren't perfect but aren't terrible yet. The vet said she had no simple explanation for his weight loss (he's down to barely 7 lbs) and our choice is to proceed with more tests $$$ - or put him on the kidney disease diet and just see how he does. I'm going with that option, because (sorry if this

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-31497875083729307302011-11-08T07:14:00.001-05:002011-11-08T07:17:33.926-05:00

I hate Daylight Saving Time. Okay, I guess I don't mind it when it gives me longer summer evenings, but I hate the transitions in spring and fall. It takes me a week to adjust. I have been exhausted by 8 p.m. and awake at 4 for the last couple of nights. This morning I managed to get Murphy to hit his own internal snooze button so we could stay in bed until after 5, and by the end of the week we

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-31765691644661731952011-11-04T20:02:00.000-04:002011-11-04T20:02:40.418-04:00

The red furniture goes a long way to break up the Unbearable Whiteness. Plz ignore tower of boxes by the door. I wasn't kidding about replacing those white cabinet knobs first thing - the new ones make a huge difference: There are three holdouts - I just can't get them off. I entertained many fantasies about what I'd do to the guy who put them on so tightly (they are on non-functional,

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-58266417382362467202011-11-03T18:49:00.001-04:002011-11-03T18:56:16.204-04:00

This move has been a slog. I thought last year was crazy, but this is somehow worse. Maybe it's because I'm a year older, maybe it's because baby/wedding/three drives back and forth to FL were really too insane, but I'm sooo damn tired right now, I will be asleep by 8 on my air mattress of semi-comfort. The movers arrived at 9 a.m. on the 1st. I was somewhat concerned when there were only two

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-60198022662706544532011-11-01T05:16:00.000-04:002011-11-01T05:16:12.742-04:00

OMG the moving van will be here in about 3 hours and I am NOT as ready as I should be. God and Bright House Networks willing, I'll have internet again on Thursday. Time to disconnect this machine and stick it in the closet (it rides with me, with the dogs, coffeemaker and air mattress, I am prepared to camp while awaiting furniture). I plan to get on the road before noon. If I am delayed much

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-39774258541007079632011-10-28T21:49:00.000-04:002011-10-28T21:49:09.052-04:00

The newlyweds brought Supergirl for a visit today. I locked Murphy in his crate as a preemptive measure, because he's awful. Supergirl came in, observed him in his crate, and pronounced, "In Timeout." Yep, you got it sister. She's not even 20 months yet but has figured out that crazy little dogs need to go to timeout. Her other grandma taught her to say, "I'm FABulous!" - I love it, and she IS

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-13412999849860364102011-10-27T19:49:00.000-04:002011-10-27T19:49:56.703-04:00

of My New Condo. with bonus 1985 light fixtures: Sweet Baby Jesus, even the knobs on the cabinets are white and clash horribly with the cabinets and countertops - they look like crazy little eyeballs: I am Itching to Decorate. It's the best blank canvas ever! Everything is in totally livable condition now, and as blank and clean as a fresh sheet of paper. Nothing major and expensive will

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-73848569369791409842011-10-24T06:50:00.001-04:002011-10-24T07:43:38.841-04:00

The wedding was absolutely fantastic, from the beautiful setting to the very personal and charming ceremony, and the reception was just amazing - the food, the band, every bit of it was perfect. I had a fabulous weekend and have the dark circles under my eyes to prove it. Today I pack up the car and Cousin C (who is under the weather, think good thoughts/say a prayer for her if you can, she's

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-26486136441141100102011-10-22T07:51:00.000-04:002011-10-22T07:51:12.501-04:00

The weather forecast is practically perfect. (5 degrees warmer would be completely perfect). The rehearsal went well, and the rehearsal dinner last night was a rousing success. The caterer was great, but the true hero of the night was the Groom's employer. We held the dinner in a private room at the top of the old building housing the Famous Beer Bar where my son works. It's a terrific space

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-58063276946395869222011-10-18T19:13:00.001-04:002011-10-18T19:13:48.733-04:00

My quick list of big tasks has been knocked down quite a bit: Arrange for homeowners' insurance, review title on the condo, confirm details with mover and schedule closing. Confirm guest count for rehearsal dinner. Fight with the local Board of Realtors for the hefty key deposit they freaking owe me - they are neither answering the phone nor returning my calls. (Still working on this one.)

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-39044962663264268022011-10-15T08:07:00.000-04:002011-10-15T08:07:23.915-04:00

I'm leaving for AVL today and shifting gears to celebrating my son's wedding. Delaney is home, safe and sound, eating well, sleeping for some decent stretches now and then, and insanely cute. The intro to the dogs went very easily - they've both seen her, sniffed her, wagged and wiggled, but aren't obsessed with her or jealous. They are getting lots of praise for being good, and my

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-24832653581379782422011-10-13T22:27:00.003-04:002011-10-13T22:33:34.604-04:00

because, yup, guess who forgot the cable for the camera? Heavy Sigh.... She is not Piper. She is Delaney Elizabeth. And the jury's still out on the amount of curl in her hair - after today's bath the nurses spiked it up into a Mohawk.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-4520202949647011972011-10-13T03:10:00.000-04:002011-10-13T03:10:50.009-04:00

On Tuesday my daughter called me to describe "feelings" she was having, and I said I was packing up and heading her way. She wasn't in labor at that time, but we both just thought it was going to happen in the next 24-48 hours, and there was a full moon, and I told her I was coming down. I was babysitting Supergirl at the time and didn't get as much advance packing done as I should have, but

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-61450413294792190892011-10-11T09:04:00.000-04:002011-10-11T09:04:48.271-04:00

Wedding, baby, moving, lists, lists, lists. I wake up at 3 a.m. thinking of things I must remember to do. But it's all coming along nicely, I think. I've started packing up things I won't need between now and the end of the month, which turns out to be quite a lot of stuff. The books are packed, a lot of seldom-used kitchenware is, too. I will not be baking anything between now and the end of

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-85549997476653920112011-10-08T17:29:00.000-04:002011-10-08T17:29:10.332-04:00

Today's diversion from the craziness of October was lunch with friends at the Pisgah Inn. The view from the deck, as seen by my little ole camera, which cannot even begin do it justice: Today was the kind of day that makes tourists pack up and move here (I know a few days like this swayed me). Cloudless skies, 70 degrees, a light breeze, fall colors are coming in a little more every day at the

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-28396129605454281642011-10-03T18:33:00.000-04:002011-10-03T18:33:06.881-04:00

Instead of responding in comments where stuff tends to get lost, I'll answer a couple of things here. Linda - I was exactly like you. I really couldn't imagine giving up meat, eggs and dairy, and thought I'd be too hungry/cranky/miss them too much. I decided to experiment with eating this way because, as I said, self-employment and crappy insurance led to researching ways to keep my heart

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-39966867197360251742011-10-01T20:36:00.003-04:002011-10-04T16:28:32.288-04:00

I hinted a couple of posts ago about the dietary changes I made lately and then didn't follow through with actually talking about it. One of the Few and the Loyal asked in comments, so here goes. First, the backstory - my medical history (aka the brain thang) is of record. I am now self-employed in the good ole US of A, where health care is a privilege, not a right, and I was lucky enough to

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-77919525356515985742011-10-01T08:00:00.002-04:002011-10-01T08:14:02.987-04:00

Ms. Miller seems to have nailed it for my October horoscope.Choice tidbits:Depending on your individual chart, you may be making an important decision concerning your living or real estate situation, or if the mathematical degrees of these orbiting planets in Libra are not close enough to touch off your natal planets, you may take only small actions. I cannot see your entire chart from where I

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-31827080813817551932011-09-29T20:00:00.000-04:002011-09-30T06:16:36.751-04:00

Why yes, it has been almost another week since I've posted! I know I've driven off a lot of readers (based on now having a hit count that could fit in my living room at times) with my lazy-ass Bad Blogger crap. I'll attempt to make up for that with another long-winded catch-up epistle. First, because of course this used to be a knitting blog:That is my first sweater for the second granddaugther

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-31220310448260776242011-09-23T10:33:00.000-04:002011-09-23T10:34:08.884-04:00

Okay, so, another long lapse into blog silence. If only thinking about writing actually made words appear on the page! I swear I write a lot of really good stuff while driving, cleaning, walking the dogs, but then sit here and it's all a blanking blankness. What was I going to say? It was really good stuff when I wrote it in my head three days ago, I swear!It is raining here in Asheville. It

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-88869108571309278202011-09-23T09:31:00.001-04:002011-09-23T09:32:33.513-04:00

is both funny and wise. She also makes me sort of glad I'm not a High Profile Blogger, because I would hate having people pour our their troubles to me and ask me for advice.

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-43223556148928051202011-09-21T20:04:00.001-04:002011-09-21T20:04:07.304-04:00

Damn, crap, shit. Both Blogger and Facebook decided to spring new crap on me at the same time. I'm suddenly feeling very old and confoozled, and am hating both. I think I hate this one even more than FB, where I'd become numbed to the endless cascade of annoying Wonderful New Changes that somehow never include spell check. This feels even more like a betrayal - I'd grown accustomed to your

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219359.post-44776388863049620112011-09-15T20:00:00.009-04:002011-09-15T21:40:34.484-04:00

If anyone is still out there, I'm sorry for the long blog silence. No Drama was responsible for my posting lapse. This is going to be a long one. I promise there will be pictures.Last Friday the dogs and I drove to FL to be there for my daughter's baby shower. The shower was a lot of fun. Her friends are truly terrific young women, and her MiL and SiL were there too. I haven't seen them since the

Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16862784896982818464noreply@blogger.com6