What to do on a rainy day

Dark skies in the desert behind my house

Naturally, I would like to curl up in my favorite reading chair, wearing my sweats, and grab the nearest book.  What a great   luxury this would be as I listen to raindrops hitting the window.  I’m off today, so no work to get ready for and customers to deal with.

Raven helping me with the litter boxes

But there’s always housework and laundry staring me in the eye.  And my two cats scolding me, as if to say, “mama, when are you going to change our litter box?”  So I changed the cat boxes, did four loads of laundry and changed the sheets, etc.  Now there’s just all the dusting and vacuuming to do, which will have to wait for another day.

I ran to the store for a few items just as it was beginning to drizzle.  It’s windy and chilly here today at 44 degrees.  I’m counting the days until spring.  I’m very tired of being cold, although I know there are many places in the country that are colder than this, but I don’t live there either by choice.

I hadn’t done any Valentines shopping either, so I got that finished before the last minute.

I’m also filling out job applications to see where that goes.  I love the people I work with, but wearing four layers of clothes to stay warm is really getting old, along with cooking from a stainless cart and serving the hundreds that come by daily for free food.

McLean Falls New Zealand courtesy of Joshua Scripps Photography

On another note, my neighbor has gone to New Zealand for a month.  I’m glad she found another friend to house sit and take care of her cat.  I have my hands full at work and with trying to heal myself from the flu and pneumonia.  I feel so sorry for her cat who is alone a lot of the time.  At least this time around she has someone in the house with her.  I know my neighbor has wanted to go to New Zealand for the longest time, so I’m happy she’s able to cross this off her bucket list.  I look forward to seeing her pictures when she returns.

Until next time, stay warm and well everyone.

We’re in for a stormy week

As much as I hate winter, it’s on its way.  I wish we were getting ready to start February instead of December.  Big sigh…

There’s not much happening here except work and more work, but I’m not complaining.  However, it seems like the older I get the more difficult it is to do repetitive things for six hours at one time.  I’m talking about the cheese demo I had on Friday.  It’s now Sunday and my arms feel like they’re falling off and I feel like I did about a hundred sit-ups.  I had to cut hard cheese wedges into small cubes.  I bet I cut approximately 900 cubes of cheese with a pastry cutter.  The only way to do this was to rock it back and forth and lean into it.  I probably should have taken a big, sharp knife instead and will try that next time.  Anyway, needless to say, after Wednesday and then Friday I’m glad to have a couple of days off.  The holiday season is in full swing with shoppers.

 

Sunrise in the desert

 

A lonely bird surveys the desert

 

I managed to get this beautiful sunrise the other morning and also one of a lone bird sitting on a tree branch in the backyard.  Then yesterday the storm clouds came in and I got these pics at sunset.  Today it rained and then the sun came out but it’s a chilly 45 degrees right now with upper 20’s expected tonight.  I’m not at all excited about that.

Storm clouds gather out back as the sun is setting

I’m not in the holiday spirit at all this year, but at least I got my ornaments and will get them in the mail in the morning.  My sisters and I exchange them every year.  We have quite a collection now.

How much is it worth?

Okay guys, I shouldn’t even admit this, but I bought this dress using my change.  A lot of my change. 

I stumbled upon this dress a month ago when I was out looking for black pants for my upcoming job.  I was having no luck at all.  As I was driving down the street contemplating what to do on the pants issue, I spotted my friend’s car across the street from one of the thrift stores in town.  This gal loves to shop at the thrift stores and seems to find the nicest stuff in those places.  Sometimes she turns the items by putting them on consignment at another store in town and actually making a decent profit.

It’s no wonder she knows so many people all over town.  I don’t have the time to do this sort of thing, but I stopped to run in and surprise her.  I think I was the last person she was expecting to see because she looked shocked when I came in the door.

She suggested I look in the thrift store for pants and had even called me a few days earlier wanting me to meet her at a different thrift store because she found some black pants for me.  That didn’t work out, but I looked around anyway and didn’t find anything.  She suggested I go down the street to a newer consignment place that opened up a few months ago.

I didn’t find any black pants there in my size either, but I did spot this dress hanging up on the back wall.  I couldn’t pass up trying it on.  Of course, it fit perfect because I had little cash on me.  I ended up giving the older woman behind the counter a few dollar bills and counted out about $10 in change.  She grinned the whole time.  I doubt she ever had a sale like that one.

The dress was displayed with a necklace that matched it perfectly. I couldn’t afford that and was hoping it would still be there in a month after I had more cash. 

I guess it was meant to be because I went in there last Wednesday and the necklace was waiting for me.  I called her beforehand to make sure it was still there.  Yes, she remembered me from all that change I gave her last month.  She was happy to see me and we had a quite a chat about several different subjects.

I’ve done a few crazy things in my life lately, so I’m unforgettable in a couple of places in town.  So far, that’s been a good thing.

Kitty Goodies Shopping Day

Sunni's Photo's



Once a month, we usually go and stock up on cat food and cat treats, etc. Of course, this is fun for me to shop in the cat section of the pet store, almost as fun as going into a bookstore. It takes a lot longer if I go and do this by myself. This is because I find all sorts of toys to look at, along with food and treats and all the gadgets they have these days.


Some of the names on the cat treats are hilarious and make me giggle. The people who work in the marketing and packaging dept for these companies must have a blast, letting their minds wander out into fantasyland.

My husband gets right down to the shopping, and away he goes to the register while I’m still mulling over everything on the first isle. Today I saw such names as “Backyard Cookout,” “Catnip Fever,” “Surfers Delight,” “California Dreamin.’” Seriously, is this for real?

Of course, the bags are just as cute with pictures of cats on surfboards, or in a barbeque apron at the grill. There are the usual flavors too like tuna, turkey, chicken, salmon, and cheese, and varieties of these mixed. These are crunchy treats, which the cats like better, and not being the moist kind, they should clean their teeth too.

Naturally, as I’m looking these over, mental pictures flash through my mind.  I can see my big girl, Tootie, in her barbeque apron at the grill, a spatula in her paw ready to swat the others out of the way before her gourmet meal gets ready.  Comet and Koki like water, so they would be on surfboards riding the waves, but since they hate each other, their outing could turn into a homicide investigation.  I laugh to myself, as I watch this movie in my head, and hurry to the register, where my husband is now waiting for me.

Once we are home and drag the bags of food in, within minutes three pairs of eyes are watching with tails swishing in anxious anticipation of what we got for them this time. They always seem to know, as if they have a calendar somewhere.

We keep the dry cat food in a sealed bucket, keeping it fresh and other things out. This bucket will hold about 25 pounds, so we always mix three different bags together, always adding something new, but nutritious to the mix.

The cats don’t get that much excitement in their lives, so this is always a fun day.  My furry darlings purr in agreement, as they dig in to taste the latest assortment.