It’s Up and It’s Down

Is that a line from a song?

I realized I haven’t blogged in a while, then I realized I haven’t done a thing in a while. I am recouping from Christmas.

I got the chair reupholstered. Now that was good. But I don’t have  a picture as of yet. Well, I do, but it doesn’t do said chair justice. Suffice to say, chair is feeling it’s stuff right now. The guy brought it in and put it down and I oohed and ahhhed and immediately threw a blanket over it. Upholsterer looked a little crestfallen, and I’m not sure he took that as a compliment.

Dave said “Cover it up and beat the first animal who throws up on it”. Good in theory but seriously, can you really, without sophisticated DNA testing, tell who laid down a barf? Jack’s thing is to dry heave loudly while the other cat runs over and throws up in secret under the bed. They work it out that way. So, we covered it up. But it looks great. Trust me.

The sadness was that, after 15 years of life, Elvin, aka Yeltsin, aka Yeltsie, aka ad nauseam**, had to be  put to sleep (terrible term) because she was end stage kidney failure. I knew it was coming because Fuzzy, who was just about 20, died of the same thing.

The problem is cats never die. They fight and linger and look terrible. So before the worst could happen, I decided, at the vets office, to have her euthanized. I actually, at one point, thought she had died because she was so still and was doing a face plant in the blanket. When you can barely tell the difference between life and death, you have to let go. But here’s a little memoriam.

Look, I have no tail. I used to have a tail, but then I broke it and then it was gone. But it’s all good. Don’t miss it at all. And, by the way, this is the best pose you will get today so take the stupid picture and be done with it.

I still don’t have a tail but I’m much more compact. I can get under this chair because you irritate me with that camera.

Seriously? I get no peace.

I will mess up your computer, leave me alone…

Really? I’m old, I’m sick, get out of my face.  But thanks for setting up a blanket with a heating pad so I can relax here with you. Now, go away.

I hate to admit I took a last picture at the vet while we were waiting. Sad but true. She was like-I will play dead to get you to quit taking pictures of me.

I surely miss her little standoffish ways, and then her insistence on being in my face when I was busy eating, working, writing, sewing, knitting. I’m sure you get the point. She was a little cat with some attitude. Jack was scared shitless of her.

Sigh. I had her cremated and she will join the others I keep here with me. Hey, like none of you have ever kept a cremated pet around. Don’t judge.

Anyway, it’s sad and a little lonely here. Jack is treading lightly and keeps looking around for her to jump out at him. We try to take up the slack now and then just to keep him on his toes. Chat doesn’t care at all.

Laura, my ever faithful blog muse, sent me this yesterday. And, if you knew Laura, which you must if you have read this blog more than once, is so true to form I must post it.

Sometimes, when I tell Laura something, especially something that involves cattle, cows, or calves, I can FEEL her eyes roll. Feel it. That’s the power of her eye roll. She’s a little famous for it.

Monday is Grampa’s birthday dinner. Yay for fun. I got a cake. I’ll take a picture. Of the cake. Before I eat it.

Otherwise, there’s things happening around here, but not things that are in a sure enough mode to be anymore than a nebulous cloud that is following us around. We are almost there, but not quite yet. By next week we will have plans.

I hope.

**This is the meaning of ad nauseam because I had to look up the spelling.

“Ad nauseam is a Latin term for a discussion that has continued so long that it has continued "to the point of nausea" “

And besides making me laugh a little, it struck me that I reach the point of nausea after only brief conversations with the general population. I can’t even get to the “continued so long” part because I am already nauseous. May have to adjust tolerance so I can continue to use this term correctly.

Happy Birthday Dave

Dave had a birthday on January 4th. It’s too close to Christmas in my opinion. I am awfully tired, and probably a little hung over from sugar and all the other stuff I put in my body that was bad for me over the holidays.

It was a big birthday-six-oh. He went through a little depression and kept saying how old he was. Unfortunately, he was barking up the wrong tree on that one because I absolutely agreed with him.

Please, never look for sympathy here. You think you got problems? Nuff said.

Anyway-to celebrate we went to the beach on Friday.

“I’ll thank you to give me privacy to decide if I will be carsick.”

 

It was like the highest of high tides (in the middle of  King Tides week-it’s like Shark week only more fun-unless you’re a shark)

So we really couldn’t walk on the beach because there wasn’t much beach to walk on. We only realized this after Beta was almost sucked into the drink. You can tell he’s feeling a little nervous in this picture.

This looks like a lot of beach but it’s not. Ask Beta.

So we walked on the paved path up above the beach which was also very nice. And we took lots of pictures of the same thing over and over again.

There’s a LOT more like this. I’ll spare everyone and leave it at two. You’re welcome.

Trixie also had a good time. 

 

We drove the long way to the beach-by Hood Canal which was also beautiful and was a lot of pictures out of the car.

The long and winding road (I didn’t make that up-no copyright infringement here)

I’ve posted this guy before, but he never fails to amuse

The Taco Bell rodeo sculpture bronco buster. I don’t know why.

And, of course, a birthday selfie.

Yeah. Crazy people at the beach. I wonder if I had longer arms if these would turn out better.

On Dave’s birthday, we went to Point Defiance and took the dogs-again. We are turning into the PNW people who take their dogs everywhere-to the beach, to the park, in the store, at the farmer’s market (you are weird if you DON’T have a dog at the farmer’s market).

Happy Birthday!

The view was pretty nice there too.

Fog spilling out of the harbor.

We came home and watched football.

Enjoyed delicious cake.

Dave got a Kindle. He knew he was getting a Kindle because he told me he wanted a Kindle. Then he changed his mind. Then he said-you already ordered it didn’t you?

In other words, he ruined his own birthday.

There’s a lot of cats around him too.

We all spent the rest of the evening watching TV. You know what’s great about being a bird? You can watch TV AND pose for the camera.

 

Are you looking at me?

Happy Birthday.

Happy New Year 2014

Another year.

I was feeling pretty good about it until I had to go back to work. 1 1/2 days every two weeks was just about right. I’ve been back two days and am feeling the burn.

However, on New Years Day I was still on vacay and blissfully ignorant of days to come.

I tried to be Mona Lisa. (Not so much)

I ran a race

Look-my bib number is my age.

Run run run……5K. 4th in my age division. Who are these fast old women?

I gave my sweater a bath and blocked it out-

I worked on my quilt. Oh man, I am already sorry I even started.

 

Pin that, suckah!

While watching football….

Ugh. I have one row plus one done. 41 “blocks” to go.

I cleaned out the bird feeders.

Did some laundry

And watched more football.

Go Badgers.

It was exhausting. But a happy new year just the same.