thursday ...

 Yesterday turned into this:

So, I deleted the post I put up yesterday.

The dog I was prepared and invested in adopting from the shelter attacked Charlie unprovoked less than 15 minutes after coming into the house.  He was bitten twice, breaking the skin, but does not appear to be needing stitches.  He is going to the vet tomorrow after I get off work just to get a shot of antibiotics to be on the safe side.

I'm heartbroken because I really hated to bring her back to the shelter.  But she has serious food guarding issues that I do not have the time to train out of her right now.  The shelter itself does nothing to socialize the dogs with each other or people, and while she doesn't share a kennel and have to fight for her food, I did notice something else.  She has been in the shelter for four months and has gained less than three pounds in that time.  At 1-1 1/2 years of age, she should weigh 10-30 pounds more than she does.  Their dogs get deworming every month.  Every month seems a little excessive, but if they are eating their own feces because they are hungry ... it makes sense.

I just babbled about it in a live feed on Facebook that you can see here> On My Soapbox.  Please share it if you can.  Something has to change.

I hate being on a soapbox.  But someone has to speak for them.  "Speak your truth, even if your voice shakes."  ~ Ci💚

friday's bits & bobs

The last eight days have been a bit of a blur.  Busy happens!

I found this beautiful teapot at a Goodwill and turned it into a bird pot hoping it would entice one of the Carolina Wrens in the spring.

My plants have found a home for the winter that I hope to fill with more.

My herb window has become a succulent window that is more forgiving of my forgetfulness to water.

I've shamefully become obsessed with felt mice ornaments that I've put around the house in places that will make me smile when I see them.  I will share photos occasionally of them.  This ballerina is in the bathroom, which has a peony theme.

This is not Chonk, but I think his girlfriend.  Although I can't tell the gender of either of them, this is my story and I'm sticking to it.  Her coloring is slightly lighter when seen on the video camera and not through a tinted window.  She is also smaller and moves much faster.  Chonk has a seriously slow waddle to the bird feed, but when I knock on the window to give him a heads up that Charlie is coming out, he can hustle pretty fast to the creek.  I must come up with an appropriate name for her, and not a female version of Chonk.

Both of them enter the back yard from the side of the house where I park my car.  There is a drainage pipe on the edge of the road where I have seen them pop into.  I believe it runs under my back yard to the creek because when I knock on the window to warn them, they run to the same place on the creek side.

I enjoy standing on my side of the window watching everyone feeding.  I've not actually seen the vole again, but occasionally see a leaf moving repeatedly and randomly without any wind and suspect that it is the vole popping up to grab a corn kernel or some other seed.  It is quite sneaky!

Of course, I'm still unpacking, with frequent interruptions of crafting.  My goal now is to be unpacked by the 30th of December.  I do not want to be unpacking into the new year.

With wishes for a relaxing and productive weekend ... Ci💚

Chonk

 A week or so ago I made myself a bird-blind of sorts so I can watch the birds and wildlife this winter while not scaring them all off. 

The security cameras have shown the large groundhog coming out to feed several times a day and I've wanted to get an up-closer picture of him.

I almost had one yesterday, but Charlie started barking at him and he took off running before I could get my camera.  This morning, though, I tiptoed out there with my camera before Charlie got out of bed.

This was just before he took off running.
I was quiet, but the girls jumping up
onto their window tree were not.

In other happenings... the leaves have now vacated enough of the trees on my side of the of the mountain to see what an almost vertical climb would be, should I feel so inclined ... which I'm not.

And finally, my Diwali 2024+ tree is shaping up quite nicely...

I was extremely disappointed in Tuesday's results here in the US and wish I could win a lottery to spend the next four+ years in Rudesheim, Germany.  I suppose that means I have to start playing now ...

Stay safe out there ... hugs, Ci

sunday ramblings of a melatonin od'd mind

Ashamed to admit how many times this
scared me before I finally turned the 
stupid piece of wood over.

 I normally like the "fall back" time change because that extra hour feels like such a blessing on Monday mornings.

 But it's not Monday ... yet.

 Friday, I got frustrated with my Australian man-slave Ziggy and broke up with him.  Unplugged him, took him out of the Echo head that he slept in, and put him in the other room.  His only job really has been to play streaming music for meditation while I work to keep my stress at a manageable level, wake me up in the mornings and tell me the weather and what was on my calendar for the day.  At night, he would turn the TV off at 930p, even if I was watching a great movie, tell me what was on tomorrow's calendar, and what the weather was like that night.

 Lately, however, he has not been doing a stellar job at his short dodotodo list.  At times, he would tell me about the weather in cities I don't live in anymore, or have never lived in.  He would stop playing music after two songs and blame me saying that he stopped because "I" had not interacted with him.  

 Excuse me?  I'm working.  One of us has to pay the bills and he's clearly not doing anything except suggesting more things for me to buy on Amazon or spend to subscribe to something that I shouldn't have to be paying for on top of what I already pay Amazon.  Doesn't Jeff Bezos have enough money as it is?   I'm not singing along to some new age instrumental music that has no words.  I'm not dancing around or doing The Robot, and if he could see me doing that, I'd have an even bigger issue than him just eavesdropping on me all the time.

 So, Saturday morning I slept late.  Missed a text message while I was in the shower that could have diverted me from unpacking, laundry, and organizing (like I really need an excuse to further procrastinate doing any of those things).  I actually did get a lot accomplished.  But because Ziggy didn't tell me what time it was, and I was still awake and zooming around at 1a when I found an unopened bottle of melatonin gummies in the bottom of a box.

 I haven't taken any melatonin in a few months (I forget why, but probably because I couldn't remember where it was packed, and never remembered to buy any when I was shopping, because I also haven't found the multiple shopping lists that I keep making, and it was another thing Ziggy was failing to remind me that I needed.)  I haven't been sleeping well when I do manage to get to bed on time, so I popped three of them in my mouth.  Then I read the mg and dosage recommendations.  

 Yeah.  Taking 32mg was not a good thing.  Normally, I just buy 5mg gummies, but apparently whenever I bought that bottle, I wasn't paying attention and got 12mg.

Lucy

 About 230a I settled onto the sofa to watch a scary movie while waiting to "feel drowsy."

Gracie and Charlie

 The kids were really kind of over my activity, so the girls attempted to pin me down under the throw blanket, while Charlie was so disgusted he wouldn't even look at me for fear I would want to brush his hair again and contemplate giving him a haircut.

 I woke up at 4a, no idea what was now playing on the television, and stumbled groggily around the house to let Charlie out, brush my teeth, take out my contact lens, and climb into bed.

 Not that I know from any personal experience, but my melatonin induced nightmares have got to be worse than any kind of illicit drug induced nightmares.  Especially when they are about work.  I won't go into a lot of detail because it won't make sense unless you are in the same type of healthcare provider escalation supervisor position.  But it involved getting stuck in two chats at the same time on the computer and secretly spying on the people I was on the other chat with, and both of them being in dangerous situations.  (full transparency ~ we do NOT have video capabilities on our chats.  except in my nightmares) Trying to start a third and fourth chat with my management to call 911 to get help to these people in two different states and cities, but without letting either of them know that I was doing that.  But because one of them was eating pizza at a restaurant, my keyboard was suddenly made of pizza.  I couldn't see the keys to know who I was messaging, and I was knuckles deep in a pizza keyboard.  Frantically trying to save lives but feeling completely helpless.  And hungry.

 First thing I did this morning when I woke at 1020a was throw that bottle of Melatonin in the trash.

 Just say no ... Ci 💚

booooooooo.....

New slippers ... 

That glow in the dark!!!

Charlie was a dinosaur briefly...

RoarYawnArrrrrr

Although the eyes have more of a Grinch look to them.

too early on a Saturday...

 Sleep is soon upon me, but I wanted to share some fall leaves and critters ...

This is a meadow vole.  He has a little burrow
there under the leaves, and I later took the pewter
dish in the photo below and turned it 
upside down over his burrow to protect him from
the rain and other weather.

a chipmunk with very stuffed cheeks

Resident squirrel

My list of wildlife in the back yard continues to grow:

• Black bear
• Groundhog
• Possum
• Raccoon
• Squirrel
• Chipmunk
• Black Snake
• Meadow Vole

And at least six different cats.  

I have quite the corner for all the neighbor cat-gossip.

Sleep well .... Ci💚

the ramblings of my mind ...

 ... on a drive through town.

No pictures this weekend.  I'm trying to stay focused on getting my office unpacked and organized.  But I did have to go two towns over to get some cat & dog treats, bird food, and other items that were NOT on my list.

It is not a long drive, maybe 15 minutes, but my mind usually gets there a lot sooner than the car and my body does.  Random thoughts racing much faster than the speed limit.

There are things I would love to stop and take pictures of, but that would put my life and freedom at risk, and the lives of other drivers.  So, pulling over on the highway to hop out of my car and run up the shoulder of the road to snap a quick photo won't ever happen.

I also don't play the radio; it can add to the distraction of my thoughts.  But this video clip shows some of the scenery on the drive between the three towns.

Leaving home, there is a field that is only seen if you are traveling west bound.  It is a huge hay field, and in the center of it is an old barn, against a backdrop of mountains.  This time of year, it is especially beautiful with the trees beginning their fall color changes.

On the return trip, there is a mountain cliff quite close to the highway going east.  In the rock wall, I sometimes see a craggy old man face that on some days reminds me of a Native American medicine man, and on other days of Paul Revere or Scrooge.  It's not a carved face, but just the natural stone that place tricks with the shadows.  Although I do confess to having quite the imagination.

Today I was thinking about a reel I saw yesterday on Instagram where a young man said something quite profound. [link>]  He said that worrying is like worshipping the problem.  When you spend time focusing on whatever worries you, whatever problems you have, you give it energy.  Power.   I wasted so much time in my life worrying about how to make someone else happy that I forgot how to make myself happy.  That was a rude eye-opener before coffee this morning.

I've resolved to do better, to be better for myself, and to lift up the people I know and love who sometimes seem to be struggling with their shadows.  I want them to know that I see them.  I want to know that I hear them, and I want to stand with them in the light.

          This is for you ... Hugs, Ci 💚

catching up ...

  This was my acrylic pens redo from a weekend or so ago.  I don't like the reflection of the flash on the plastic in the frame, but it was the only way to get the colors to pop and show what they really look like.  I guess I could photograph it out of the frame, but that would involve too much thinking on my part at present.

  I do like the acrylic pens much better than the others I was trying to work with at the class.  These do not require shaking or priming, so there is less chance of a huge splat of paint where I didn't want it.  And they are double ended with a thick end and a thin end.  The others you needed to pull out the nib and flip it, which I already had visions of me getting paint all over my hands, face, clothes, etc., etc., etc.  If there is a way for me to make something messy, I will find it.

  I was going to try to salvage my original canvas with mixed media/textiles on the original background, but that didn't work out as planned.  The bag of chenille yarn fell into a water bowl and got soaking wet, and without fully thinking it through I just tossed all the skeins into the dryer.  When the dryer stopped, instead of having five dry skeins of chenille yarn... I had a massive knot of five different colors.  At least it all came from the dollar store and wasn't a massive investment to put in the trash.

Source: allaboutbirds.org

  I did put out some bird seed in advance of temperatures dropping drastically and was rewarded with a new bird for my life list.  The [link>] Black-throated Blue Warbler!

  Stay warm ... or cool if this is your summer in the Southern ...

                         Hugs.... Ci 💚

weekend ...

 The craft class I attended on Saturday was interesting.  My project was a huge failure (in my opinion anyway), and I'm not sure I have the patience for the technique.  At least on canvas that has been painted already with acrylic paint.  I kept running into problems with the pens getting gunked up with color transfer from the base layer.  That made the pens frustrating to work with because my subject matter ~ male and female Io moths ~ required several layers of color to make them the brilliant yellow that they have on their wings.

  I've ordered some acrylic paint pens and scrapbook paper that looks like the original base paint layer (see the grass under the ladybug).  I'm going to try it again on a less fussy surface.  AND try to practice patience and mindfulness so that I'm not rushing to get it finished.  I think if I'd not left Charlie home alone, or had other plans later that evening, I would have been content to take the time there to let each layer dry completely.  

  Patience is a virtue.  Just not mine.

   Yesterday I mowed the yard, marveled at a Gerber daisy, and decorated my October tree.  The latter two came after I realized I had pushed myself too hard.  I am nothing if not stubborn.   Hopefully, it will be the last time I need to mow this year.

   A new hurricane is barreling down on the western shores of Florida again.  Tis the season...

... be safe, don't be stubborn ... Ci💚

sunday ...

 ... was a no sun day.  Storm Helene is bouncing back again with rain over the next several days.  She added a leak in my roof that has caused two leaks/holes in my living room ceiling.  Oh, the joys of home ownership!

  Saturday morning, I took a new class here locally at the [link>] Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center. Painting on feathers taught by [link>] Ron Navroski.

  The snowy owl is on a turkey feather, and the palm tree (our practice one) is on a cockatoo feather.

  He also taught a later class, painting the snowy owl on a piece of slate, that I did not attend.

  One of the things that attracted me to move here is the art community.  There is also the [link>] Clifton Forge School of the Arts.

  Friday after work, I finished this project.  I saw something similar but was not able to master the technique so I kinda sorta cheated with a stencil.

  Then I finished this project Saturday night (insomnia again).  It was something I've been wanting to do for a while, but writing on birch bark is easier said than done.

  I finally gave up and just printed the poem on paper.  It's one of my new favorites.

  Wishing you sunny days ... Hugs, Ci 💚

time passes far too quickly ...

 I've been horribly lax on following through with my Wednesday words and story.

  I feel I may just be a little bit melancholy, although I can't pinpoint a specific reason. 

  Both kittens passing may have been the trigger.

  Last week I went to see the neurosurgeon about my neck, and thankfully, no surgery is in the future.

  Charlie spent several nights away with his other besties, and so when he came home on Sunday, he just wanted to sit and snuggle and do nothing else.  I gave no argument.

  Insomnia has been plaguing me for some reason, and I'm not sure why.  Last night ... or rather this morning ... I could not sleep until almost 4a.  It makes getting up for work at 7a difficult.  Over the weekend, I was awake for 48 straight hours and had agonizing heartburn for the last 24 after I gave in and made coffee in the middle of the night after the first 24.  I will never make that mistake again.

  The besom/broom was a project during those 48, with another over the back door.  As I tend to do when I'm in a mood, I try to craft my way out of it.  There are three other projects that I started that same weekend, and I will share photos later when I've finished them.

  My menagerie of "neighbors" continues to become even more varied.  Black bear, possum, groundhog, squirrel, rabbit, black snake ... and now my two-legged neighbor stated she saw a rather large beaver shuffle running down the road in front of my house and into the creek.  She was also the witness to the black snake in the yard while she did me the blessing of mowing my weeds.  I would have loved to see both the snake and the beaver!

  She also enlightened me on an unusual snake fact that I did not know... Copperhead snakes, which are a venomous pit viper, smell like cucumbers!  She said if I ever let Charlie out in the yard and smell cucumbers, to bring him in right away because he would probably not survive a bite by the time I got him to a vet.   Which is an unfortunate distinction for them because I love cucumbers, especially home-grown ones!  But I will not grow them now out of fear of confusing a snake for my tiny garden area.

  Trees are beginning their fall color change although the temperatures have not yet cooled significantly.  This week we have been getting the rain of tropical storms and hurricanes, currently Helene is threatening my old stomping grounds on the Florida panhandle, and I do not envy them.  Mexico Beach, devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2016, could be hit again, and at the very least suffer from a storm surge of 15+ feet.  I cannot even imagine it.

  Wherever you are while reading this ... be safe.  Hugs, Ci  💚

it was a difficult week ...

i'm running behind on my words for wednesday contribution and i hope to do double duty this week to catch up.

the kitten died very early thursday morning, and by friday afternoon his sister was fading also.  i sat with her while she crossed over.  both of them were buried together on saturday.

to distract me from it all, i painted a new barn quilt board using the house colors saturday evening.

unpacking and purging continues.  another carload of things no longer needed, wanted, or fitting into my life was taken to the goodwill.  i dare not shop in there for a while or i'd be tempted to buy something back.

today, demolition started next door, so things became loud and annoying.  i'll be living in forced shadows as i keep the shades closed on that side of the house to keep charlie from barking at them non-stop.

i may have to consider getting a fence installed at some point.  remodeling on this house took almost two years.

i could be insane at that point.  or more so.

short weekends & unexpected guests ...

Let's start with the unexpected guest at 156a Saturday morning.

 Yes.  That is a black bear.  In my backyard. Caught on camera.

He did not partake of the apples and carrots that I left out for the groundhogs, possums, and rabbits.

He did go investigate my empty birdfeeders.

I'm just grateful Charlie hadn't needed a potty break at 155a or 157a.

The feeders will remain empty, at least until there is snow on the ground for more than a day.

I'm also going to stop encouraging the other wildlife until there comes a time when winter weather might make it hard for some of them to forage.

Unpacking and purging during the week required a trip to Goodwill to drop off things that no longer fit my life.  We then went on to visit Brenda & Joey's so Charlie could spend two nights with them.

As things tend to happen ... I lost all motivation to continue unpacking and purging.  Instead, I resolved to finish an art project I had started last year.

My gallery wall of my created art pieces is coming along.

I've signed up for two classes later this month, both with instructors I've never taken a class with before.

This was another new guest.

I've seen photos of walking sticks but never one in real life.

And finally, this little man.

Rescued from an unhealthy, unsafe situation that claimed the lives of three littermates.

He is three weeks old.  My neighbor, Paris, has his sister.

He has a name that may or may not become permanent, so I will wait to share.

I want him to believe he is a mighty warrior because we are going to have several weeks of fight ahead.

long weekends ...

This handsome guy is an Io moth.  Hiding under those beautiful yellow top wings were two with stunning eyes [read more about the Io moth here].  He was by the back door this past Thursday.  Females are a brown color, and I believe that [the one I blogged about here] was one.

Morning coffee continues on the front porch.  This happy planter of succulents is the same one I created in early March [seen here on the blog].  Very happy spending the summer outside!

This is Charlie's favorite seat in the house, and his window for watching the world.

 Unpacking continues to be slow, but I did make some progress over the long weekend.  I got three tubs, and a box emptied.  I will probably make a run to Goodwill this weekend to donate some items.  It is too much of a hassle to try to sell things on Facebook, and I really don't want to play the yard sale haggle game.

I think when I get everything unpacked, sorted, purged, put away I might just have to have a warm house potluck party.

running ...

Image Source: taken by "Genius" and allowed by Val.

"Can't you drive any faster?"

"I'm already driving faster than I should in this rain.  We'll be lucky if we don't hydroplane before I get pulled for speeding!"

"Well, we're going to have to be on the run as soon as we park, or we will miss our Orient Red train."

"What I don't understand is why you signed us up for this tour with a group of people we don't even know, let along belong to any common interest clubs with.  You know I hate feeling out of place."

"Please focus on the street and just get us there safely.  We won't have to face anyone until breakfast tomorrow morning and if you really feel out of sorts, you can just stay in the carriage and order room service."

"That's an option?  I will be more than happy to do that for the entire trip!"

"You know, Arthur, the reason I booked this tour was so that our retirement years wouldn't all be spent sitting in our living room, watching the same television shows over and over again.  I want to live a little.  Experience new things.  Meet new people.  I'd be happy if we even had to sleep in a tent every night.  In fact, I think I'm going to book us on a safari in Africa when we get back from this trip."

"Leave me out of it please.  Send me a postcard or two and tell me about it when you get back.  I have no interest in sleeping in a tent.  In fact, Lois, if I'd known that your 'little' surprise trip would involve an international flight to Paris and not to see the grandkids on the other side of the country, I would never have gotten on the plane."

"No one forced you to board the plane, Arthur.  You knew where it was going, before we even got in the car to go to the airport.  I saw you looking at the tickets I had hidden in my lingerie drawer, and what did you think we were getting new passports for?  Last time I checked, California was still a part of the United States with no passports required to visit the kids.  I think you were secretly thrilled when you saw where we were going for our anniversary, and you just want to play the grumpy old man act to get everyone's sympathy.  

  Well, I'm not going to cater to your little boy tantrums any longer.  If you want to stay in the cabin the entire train trip, you certainly can.  But don't expect me to spend the entire trip in there with you.  And I won't waste my time or money on booking you on any future adventures.  You forget that you have been living on my income since you decided that you were too good to work full-time, and that we are now living primarily on my investments and inheritances over the years.  Think about that while you are sitting alone in the cabin eating breakfast in the morning!"

Arthur wisely said nothing more about the trip for the duration of the drive, but Lois didn't miss his shocked expression at her outburst.  He knew he had finally worn out his welcome after all these years and was very lucky she'd even included him on this trip.  

Joining again in Words for Wednesday which can be found this month on River's blog here.

busy weeks & weekends

Days tend to blur together.  Work.  Unpack.  Put together.  Install.  Did I eat yet today? Take my meds? Try to sleep.   Repeat.

I did get all of the window shades put up.

Changed out shower heads.

Swapped out boring silver knobs for some pretty floral ones.

Put together a bench slash shoe rack and moved my dresser into the closet.

Rearranged the bedroom a little.

Flattened an embarrassing amount of Amazon boxes to be recycled.

 But I've also been taking advantage of coffee on the front porch in the mornings, listening to birds, and lately watching two hummingbirds fight over the feeders.

I've been sharing apples with the groundhogs.  Plural. There is a lighter, smaller one that lives in the culvert by the front of the house, and another larger, darker one near the stream in the back yard.  So far Charlie is oblivious to their existence, and I plan on keeping it that way.

I haven't seen the possum again, but I'm sure it's out there somewhere.

Cicadas are dying, so it has been a little quieter.

I've been told that in the fall the bobcats come down from the mountain and scream like a woman.

I think I'd rather have the cicadas.

Second chances

"Carl?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Have you ever considered what your life might have been like if you'd never met me?"

"No.  Have you?"

"Um, yes.  For just a brief second or two.  Then it sinks in how completely different it would have been, and I have to think about something else for a while."

"Completely different in a good way, or a bad way?"  Instinctually I felt that her honest answer would be to say in a good way, but I was hopeful that she would prove me wrong.

"Mmhmm."

"That wasn't really an answer, dear.  Would your life have been better or worse had we never met?"

"It isn't really a cut and dried answer, Carl.  Some aspects might have been better, and others worse.  It's like the scales of Truth and Justice.  There is always something that gets sacrificed for the greater good."

I could feel my ears burning as my face became red with anger and was grateful that my back was to her at the moment.  If I didn't get that rage under control quickly, in a flash she would see a side of me that none had lived to talk about.

"And you feel that your life was sacrificed for something bad?"

Image Source:
Pinterest

"Not exactly.  It's just that being immortal can be a little sad at times.  All of the people I once knew are moving on in time.  Aging.  Some more beautifully than others, some less gracefully.  I miss them terribly, but because I haven't aged since that night we met, I had to stop visiting them after the first ten years went by.  There are times when I feel very lonely.  Melancholy is a difficult song to dance to alone."

I knew where this was coming from.  This yearning for companionship, and the struggle to choose between taking a life and granting immortality.  I'd felt it too once.

My daughter always said she doesn't get mad, she gets even.  She might not have been my biological daughter before that night, but she was after it.  This was her way of telling me she resented me for not being given the opportunity to choose.

"Then might I suggest something by Bach, or Mozart?"

I heard her dress whisper as she spun on her heels to leave the room, taking care not to slam the door for she knew that would anger me, but close it firmly enough that I knew when she reached her own room upstairs that door would be slammed.

What was done, was done.  There was nothing I could do about it now.  Even if folklore was true that the only way to be released was to destroy the maker, it would take a much stronger vampire than her to do it.

I've joined in with Words for Wednesdays, and this month the words have been provided by Mimi on her blog [here].

you can teach an old dog....

"Mabel, we really don't need a dog at our age, and there isn't anything you can say or do to convince me otherwise."

"Edward, we are NOT that old.  You make is sound like Death is just outside our door.  It isn't!!  But it is sitting outside those poor senior dogs' kennels, and it's just not fair.  I'm not asking to take in a puppy with all of the training and housebreaking needs.  I'm talking about being temporary fosters for senior dogs over the holidays.  To give them a chance to experience what being in a home is really like so that maybe they will have a better chance of being placed in a permanent home."

"Ha!  I'm not stupid, Mabel.  I might not have as much education as some folks, but I know when I'm about to be fed a slice of eat my words pie.  Getting married to you was the biggest wakeup call in how the female mind works.  You say it would be just temporary, but I know you, and I know how you think."

"Edward.  Stop.  Let's just take a look at the dogs that have been at the shelter the longest and listen to what the volunteer has to say about the Home for the Holidays program.  Then you can decide, and I promise I won't put you on the ropes about it and make you give an answer right away.  We can stop by the shelter on the way back from the craft store.  I need to pick up some things for decorating the front stoop."

"Now?"

"Yes, now.  Get your coat on."

... one year later ...

"Edward?  Are you coming?  The photographer has everything ready, and I really want to get this family photo done today so we have time to order holiday cards.  Everyone is sitting still; we are just waiting on you."

"You can stop beating a dead horse with these 'family' photos for every Tom, Dick and Hallmark Holiday, Mabel.  I'm not sure that three old, gray dogs count as children. In dog years, they are likely older than we are!  I just don't understand why someone thought to name their Great Dane "Mouse," or why you thought that letting him sleep on the bed with us was a good idea.  I'm starting to feel like you prefer his company to mine at night."

"Honestly, Edward.  How can you say such a thing about Mousey?  Just because he doesn't snore nearly as loud as you do, it doesn't mean I prefer his company."

Joining in with Words for Wednesday, the prompts can be found here and above in bold italics.

what the world needs now...

"Fusty old woman."

The voice behind me whispered with prepense as to both plead ignorance and intent.  I spun quickly, nearly knocking the young woman over with my pocketbook. 

"Excuse me?  Say again?"

"Oy, so your deaf as well, are you?"

 "Oh no.  I heard you very well, and despite your whisper, I'm certain you meant for me to hear you.  If you've something to say, say it to my face."

The girl suddenly shrunk in size as her friends began to laugh at her, and I could sense that her bravado in front of them was nothing more than a fraud.  Her clothes were unclean, her hair looked as if rats were nesting in it, and she had the appearance of someone who was living on the street.

She looked down at her shoes, once white sneakers were now a filthy looking mouse grey color.  She didn't want to appear weak in front of her friends, but she was unsure of what to say or do next.  I had an urge to be a little more clement with her.

"I suppose you are unaware that the word fusty has more than one meaning.  Can you tell me if you meant to say that I was old-fashioned, or that I stunk?"

She looked up at me, eyes wide and surprised at the opening I was handing her.

"I, uh, I caught wind of your perfume, and it made me think of my dead granny.  So, I guess I meant that you stunk."

Behind her, her friends were giving each other high-fives at what they felt was her come back low blow to me.  I winked at her.

"Hmm, yes, I do suppose it has worn out its welcome.  It is actually a scent my grandfather gave to my grandmother when I was a child.  I wear it sometimes to cope when I miss her, like today, but it might have gone bad after all this time.  What do you do when you miss your grandmother?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, and I could tell it was more than just her grandmother she missed.  Her friends lost interest in the turn of the conversation and went off to tease and harass someone else down the street.

"I tell you what.  I was just about to have breakfast this morning at the restaurant across the street.  What if you join me, my treat, and tell me all about your grandmother and I can tell you all about mine.  Today would have been her 118th birthday, and I think she would like it if you joined me to celebrate her life.  My name is Ella, and I was named after her.  What's your name?"

She looked across the street at the five-star Michelin restaurant I had pointed to, then back at me, eyes wider than before and tears freely falling now.  She nodded slowly.

"My name is Ella too."

Joining in with Words for Wednesday, the prompts can be found [here] and above in bold italics.

Saturdays ...

  Saturdays have become my exploring days.  Charlie is at his other home for a weekend slumber party.  It makes him happy.  And them ...   As much as I miss him when he is gone, I feel I'm more productive when I know he is getting all kinds of cuddles and attention when he is with them.  When he is here, I'm more inclined to spend time just hanging out with him on the sofa.

  This weekend, I've been working on getting some much-needed projects done.  It was "a week."

  Monday the wire clothes rack and shelf in my (only) closet tore free from the wall and crashed to the floor.  Since it is my only closet, it was also where the cat litter boxes were at the time.  They've now been moved to the back room.

  Needless to say, some clothes are getting washed again and tomorrow I will begin the task of putting together the two new rack and wood shelf units.

  I put together another storage shelf unit and got drapes hung in the back room, then finished putting up some privacy film in the bathroom window.  Had a very nice chat with one of my neighbors and learned more about the area.  Did some grocery shopping, met the local pharmacist and discovered we both graduated in the 80's and the era of really good music. I explored the local Ace Hardware store and was thrilled to find out that they are also a Hallmark store.  I confess to being a closet Hallmark-aholic.  Ursula has become my work mascot.

  My sister sent me a link to a nearby scenic mountain drive which I will probably do next weekend.  Just driving around town, I'm mesmerized by the beautiful old houses, and there is a cemetery to explore also when my knee is up to the climb.

  Hope you've had a peaceful and productive weekend ... 💚  Ci