Musings on a Small Life

So said a woman who passed me by yesterday, walking in the other direction. I have no idea if she was talking on a cell phone (didn't notice one in her hand, but she could have been hands-free), if she was talking to one of the voices in her head, talking to me, or if it was a comment on the paramedic SUV and ambulance that were trying to find the right driveway to turn in. But I wondered how many of us echo that sentiment. "Toes are the worst" is another quote, overheard on the last bus last Friday afternoon, spoken by a young girl/woman who could have been anywhere from mid-teens to late 20s. She was in the seat ahead of me, talking about mangled toe nails growing back in. Eeewwww. Some things just should not be discussed in public, IMO, whether that be via cell phone or face-to-face. I really do my best to ignore most things being spoken around me, but sometimes you just can't tune them out. Toby came for supper last night, surprisingly. He normally doesn't. ...

Yes, the neighbour with the scary dogs is in the process of moving out today. I was 98% sure she had sold the unit, as I hadn't seen it advertised when I looked the other week. I'm hoping for a few days' grace before the new owners move in. And I'm hoping--but not at all expecting--that they'll be good neighbours.  Other than that tidbit, all is quiet, figuratively and literally. The boys currently are sleeping, the snow has started (again), and it's a typical grey, January day. In our green space yesterday afternoon...complete with frozen lump from the plow. LOL. I was bitten by the cleaning and tidying bug this morning, so spent several hours clearing out stuff, reorganizing things, and doing the normal weekly house work. I need several boxes to pack up the remaining items for donation--I've used my spare boxes already. Maybe this is a harbinger of an early Spring this year, this "premature" urge to de-clutter. It certainly feels good! And may...

Maybe I ought to adopt this Thursday theme on my own blog, particularly since I'm not in the mood to blog much on the Fuzzy Tales site. Just my usual winter "blahs," coupled with the anniversary of Chum's death, and of course the first anniversary of Annie's passing looming on February 16th. So, for today, here's what I'm thankful for, in no particular order: A decent full-time job with a great boss An excess of food A home of my own Reasonably good health, I think. Hope. LOL. The boys, who by times drive me nuts, but always give me a focus beyond my petty self. Annie and Chum--they blessed me with their presence, even though I still keenly feel their loss. Dark chocolate with caramel chunks. Parents who still are alive and who love me. That we have "only" 54 days till the Spring equinox on March 20th. God's teeth, I can't wait for GREEN again! A coupon for a very small amount off the admission fee to the Canadian Cat Assoc...

January 24th five years ago was a freezing Wednesday. I went down to the Lake on my lunch hour and snapped a few ice pics, some of which follow. I went home after work and did my usual routine. I distinctly remember Chumley, who was a string guy, watch with great interest as I flossed my teeth that evening. Not long after I had gone to bed, the blood clot in his heart let go and cut off the circulation to his lower body. I will not go back in my memory, more than I already have, because that truly was a terrible, terrible night. But it is a good reminder that life can turn in a split second, a reminder to us all not to take anything for granted, especially the lives of our loved ones or even our own lives. Because in an instant it all can be taken from us, leaving us bereft of a true gift. My memories of Chumley are dim now, partly from the passing of the years and partly because I choose not to recall them vividly, especially those of that last night. But the lesson remains. ...

Getting close to Friday, yay! Still freezing weather, boo! So I guess I'll play catch-up on the "boring business of life." My bank currently is offering a mortgage rate of 2.99%, fixed for five years. I emailed my mortgage advisor to ask if it was worth breaking my existing mortgage, but she said no, as the penalty would be $4400. Yikes. However, she can do a blended rate, extend the term back out to five years (I have three years left on it), and shave 0.55% from my existing rate, thus cutting my amortization period by 9 months. Not a huge savings, but it's a win-win as far as I'm concerned, and it is my money after all. Anything I can save is great. As it is, I'll be in my early 60s before it's paid off. I thought about remortgaging to clear my ever-present credit card debt, but decided it's not worth it. Every time I clear my debt I run it up again within months. So I'll keep what I owe and pick away at it. It's my fault anyway. I had ho...

Does anyone have any recommendations for beginner dance DVDs? Something fun and upbeat, Latin rhythm maybe. It was too cold yesterday for me to venture out (-29C/-20F windchill in the AM), so I stayed home and watched a few movies, while working on the kitty blankets. The last one I watched was my copy of "Shall We Dance" with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon. Love the dancing in it, and he certainly can dance. And even though I never learned how to dance, I was still up and bopping around my living room--only the cats know how ludicrous I look. BTW, is there a female on the planet who doesn't melt into a sobbing, romantic puddle when he comes up the escalator dressed in a tux and carrying that single red rose for his wife (played by Susan Sarandon)? OMG. ::SIGH:: Ah, but I digress. I was on Amazon.ca this morning, have noted a couple of possible dance DVDs. But it's always hard to judge whether this kind of DVD would be suitable until you get it and try it a few t...

Absolutely pouring rain this AM when I left for work, quickly turned to snow. Snow, snow, wind, snow, wind, wind, and more snow. Waiting for the bus after work; the bus I wanted was running about 15 or so minutes late. Looks tamer than it was, I assure you. BTW, you ever have those mornings where you stand in front of your closet, feeling like a gross blob, and can't even seem to find a simple long-sleeved top, cardigan and pair of jeans that you feel good in? That might have been partly why I was running a half hour late today. The other reason might have been trying to clean up the mess that the broken garbage bag, filled with litter, caused. (It wasn't a big hole in the bag, but it's amazing how quickly litter can pour out of even a small tear.) You ever have days when you fall asleep under your desk? Yeah, I had another one. Curled up this afternoon for about 15 minutes. Or so. Was dreaming. Crawled out and wondered if I had pillow marks on my cheek (yeah, I have a p...

By and large we've been really lucky so far this winter. Milder than normal temps through November and December and even into January, with a handful of days being the exception. But today it's been plain nasty out. Not cold. Freezing rain all last night and early AM, then rain, a bit of snow, and back to rain/freezing rain. There was a terrible multi-tractor trailer pile-up on the #401 highway very early this morning, rigs on fire, etc. Miraculously there were no fatalities. And if you saw the wreckage of one of the transports, you'd say it really was miraculous that the driver escaped. We all made it in to the office, though. Even my physiotherapist was only a couple of minutes late for my 7AM appointment, which surprised me greatly. I snapped lots of ice pics with my little Canon Elph, most of them from inside our building, a few while standing just outside the main entry door, huddled under the narrow overhang. Tomorrow's forecast is for 5 to 10 cms of snow and...

I read and comment on the blogs I follow and subscribe to via the Fuzzy Tales account, using Google Reader. I took time yesterday and this morning to go through all of the subscriptions, one by one, and delete those that haven't had a new post in at least several months (barring a couple of favourites, with the hope they'll return...like Trish's. Hint hint.). One blog hadn't posted since 2009, several since sometime in 2010, many since spring/summer 2011. And quite a few cat blogs no longer exist. I also deleted a couple of subscriptions to active blogs that I've routinely commented on, with never a comment from them in return. That's okay, we can't be appealing to all. But I'm not going to use my commenting time on theirs anymore. So I've gone from about 430 or so subscriptions to 336, though I don't think this counts the blogs I actually follow via Blogger (and still keep up with via Reader). Still, I feel a bit lighter in spirit, if not in...

You'd think 25 minutes in the grocery store, in-between buses, would be enough to pick up a handful of items. But noooooo....I get in the line up where the poor clerk has to call for two overrides on the cash register, because of some customer-caused problem. Honestly, if she had had to call for a third, I think I might have screamed.  I was lucky to just make my bus, and only because I ran and because the driver was kind enough to pull up, as he'd already pulled away from the curb. Yeah, it's a full moon tonight. Snapped last night, almost full. I want to say how much I appreciate the comments, both public and private, on yesterday's post. Really great, thought-provoking stuff, and definitely terrific suggestions/advice. At least we're all in the same boat--all of humanity, I mean. Non-humans are blessed to live without the anticipation of suffering and grief. There certainly was a lot to reflect on. I think it comes down to less thought and more action.  :-) ...

I just read that one of my favourite blogosphere cats, Lolo (Lautrec) , has died. He'd been ill, but it turns out he was full of cancer. His human is devastated and I feel devastated along with her. There is no end to suffering. What is the point? What is its purpose? I don't believe in a personal deity that has a "plan" for humankind, or for all Beings. Many do, and can reason away suffering, can believe in a joyful afterlife to make up for the crap in this reality. Others say that our suffering leads to spiritual growth, that everything is a lesson, that we progress through spiritual levels until we achieve some sort of enlightenment. Yeah, I used to feel that way till I bottomed out in clinical depression about 8 or 9 years ago. Now I pretty much think that all of life is meaningless, that when you're dead, you're dead. Yet I'm not so arrogant as to think I'm correct, that I have the answers to life's mysteries. Frankly, I find it r...

Of course you all know that means Value Village.  :-) I had a "spend $10 get $3 off" coupon, so toddled off this morning. Come to think of it, though, the clerk might have forgotten about the coupon! Well, it was only $3. Anyway, I got all excited about the heavy-weight table runner (seen in the collage). It's bright green and I have a hard time resisting things in the shades of green I like. Then I saw the Scottish label and thought, wow, I'm getting a good deal for $3.99 on a very well made runner. Because nothing from the UK/Europe would be crap, right? Only to get it home and notice the small label that states, "Made in China." LOL. The top and pendant are actually more turquoise in colour, and I splurged on that pendant--it was $4.99. I also bought a pair of navy knit lounge pants, some wool leftovers (enough, I hope, for a couple of kitty blankets) and a novel. So no big haul, just a few things, but it was fun to look anyway. Almost bought a cute c...

I'm very happy to say that while Derry is in between stage 1 and stage 2 periodontal disease, he doesn't need a cleaning at this time...because there's very little tartar to actually clean (just a little bit on the left upper jaw at the back, on a couple of his few remaining teeth). He's also down to 4.89 kg (just a shade under 11 pounds), down about a pound from his fall check. Of course, as soon as he got put in the carrier he started to sing his warrior song, which isn't nearly as loud as Nicki's and sounds rather plaintive and desperate to me. Then, when we got home after the "ordeal," he zoomed out of the carrier, and lay down on the floor in a sauve and debonair pose (rather akin to Clooney's ), as if it was nothing at all. Never mind that he had been shaking like a leaf on the exam table.  :-P So, I'll keep rubbing his gums with the pet toothpaste I have, and see how things go. The vet surmised Derry might need a dental in a year or ...

Must I be at the office all day? I need a nap. Getting back into the routine is fine, it's the leaving the house at 6AM that's not so fine.  :-) Must I really take Derry in for another dental? I'm dreading it and he would be too, if he knew. I've got a Thursday AM appointment for a check of his mouth, because he does have chronic gingivitis, though so few teeth and little, if any, tartar. But if there's another problem brewing, I don't want to wait. So I'll see what the vet has to say, though I'm 99% he'll recommend a cleaning. Sure, because he wants the $1000 or so, give or take. I know February is pet dental month and there's a 10% discount, but my clinic jacks up their prices annually, just in time for the "discount." Clever of them, eh? I'm envious of the bloggers in the States who have commented about how "expensive" their cat's dental was, at $250 or $300. Gees. I'd take that in a heart beat. Though Derry wo...

So far the first two days of January 2012 feel just like December 2011. Huh, what a surprise. I wonder why we make a big to-do about January 1st. Even when I was with my ex, we never made a big deal out of the "new year," would just go to a house party or stay home. Certainly most of us don't keep the resolutions we make, which is why I don't make any. I think if I were inclined to do that, I'd want to do it on my birth-day, the true beginning of a new year of my life. Anyway, I'm back to work tomorrow and content to get back into a routine. I've been off since the afternoon of December 22nd, and I made it through to New Year's day without getting bored or having my mood plummet. Usually I don't make it this long, puttering around on my own and not having much human interaction. But this holiday has been very enjoyable, lots of reading, some shopping (mostly necessities), and of course the knitting, knitting, knitting. I'm only on kitty blank...