Category: Everyday Life

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Decorating the Porch

Saturday morning Dave and I decorated the outside of our house for Christmas.  In past years this consisted of sticking a wreath on the front door and calling it a day.  It just didn’t seem worth taking the time to garnish our exterior with anything else.

This year my huge front porch with white spindled railing seemed to beg for greenery.  So Friday afternoon on my way back from town, I stopped by the Corner Store and picked up two rolls of white pine roping to be ready to decorate first thing the next morning.

At first Dave wasn’t as enthused about the project as I was.  I don’t think decorating the porch had been on his agenda for the day.  Things went from tenuous to dicey when he attempted to unroll the first bundle.  We both misunderstood how the thing came to be rolled up in the first place and spent a good half hour untangling the thing before we could be started with the actual “fun”.  After watching Dave fumble with the knot for awhile, I decided that with my expertise in untangling yarn, that I was better suited for the task.  Wrong.  The tangle of wire and cording caught and twisted in the evergreen boughs was no match for me either.  Finally we decided to make a cut and move on.

The tangle behind us, we debated artistic vision for a few minutes and then moved on to the actual winding the greenery around the porch rail.  Eventually we achieved a rhythm and finished up in no time.  I took a left over piece of roping and wrapped it around the light post while Dave added some clear twinkle lights to the greenery.  He plugged in the lights and miracle of miracles; they worked!

Later that evening as we slowly backed out the drive on our way to the company Christmas party, we admired our handiwork.  It was beautiful and oh so welcoming later that night when we returned.

I’m glad I decided to go the extra step this year, tangles and all….. on to the inside!

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To B&B or Not to B&B

There have been times in the past when Dave and I have fantacized about opening a B&B in the mountains.  We imagined it would be a quiet life, welcoming travelers to our home, offering an oasis of peace and serenity from the world.

Well, that part of the deal is rewarding as well as a lot of fun.  The flip-side is that there is also a great deal of work involved!  This past Thanksgiving weekend provides a case in point.

Because we are beginning new traditions in our new home, we invited Maggie’s boyfriend, Jan’s family to join us in our Thanksgiving celebration.  Invitations accepted, menus determined and the “who’s bring what” negotiated, our guests arrived last Wednesday evening.  There were Jan’s parents; Arwed and Teresa, his sister, Isolde, Maggie and Jan and their two cats; Rupert and Ivan.  Total in the household – seven adults, four cats.

The holiday celebration was awesome.  The weather was unexpectedly warm.  We spent most of Thanksgiving Day sitting in the backyard listening to the birds and watching Izzie and Rupert explore.  Rupert discovered tree climbing in a big way.  Izzie was just delighted to have a playmate to share the outdoors with.

The relaxed atmosphere took me a bit off course in terms of meal planning so we ate dinner several hours later than planned.  In retrospect, I am happy to report that instead of spending hours in the kitchen to produce a perfect meal, I spent a relaxing day with family and friends and produced an acceptable meal.  The nourishment of the soul was so much more rewarding.

That evening we built a fire in the yard and sat around it, watching it blaze, our stomachs pleasantly full.  When the fire died down, we retreated to the family room where we huddled around the TV, the modern “fire” and watched a very odd movie.  It was all very cozy, the way Thanksgiving evening should be.

The rest of the weekend followed in step.  We were all very relaxed with each other and enjoyed the absence of any type of schedule or itinerary.

So you’re wondering, where’s the work?  It sounds like a vacation, doesn’t it?

Well, it is if you’re not the person responsible for making the coffee, taking out the trash, cooking, loading and unloading the dishwasher and keeping the bathrooms stocked with TP.  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t that bad, but it was work.  Then there are the mountains of sheets and towels to wash and beds to remake.  The truth be told, although I enjoy a clean home, I don’t really enjoy cleaning  my home – at least not to the level I like it to be when guests arrive.

So, I guess I’m going to scratch the whole B&B idea off my list – at least owning one.  I would love to do some travelling and stay at one, or two….

Oh, there goes the buzzer on the dryer, gotta go!

 

 

 

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Kitten Rescue

Last night while Dave and I were catching up on the DVR, Andy called with a question only his mother could answer.  “Mom, a kitten showed up on my doorstep.  What should I do?”  In the background I could hear the quacking – mews of a kitten mixed with loud purrs.

I know how much he loves cats.   Except for the three years we lived in Hawaii, we have always had at least one cat member of our family.

When he was home in October, he went with me up to the SPCA to look at dogs.  Seeing the wall-to-wall cats, we decided we really wanted another cat instead of a dog.  Andy and I fell in love with this little guy, who we were going to name “Ralphie” (because it looks like he shot his eye out.)  When I went back, Ralphie was gone, and Purrl came home with us instead.

Knowing how irresistable a kitten can be.  I told him that he really should look for its owner.  He is already caring for two cats in the apartment he sublets and will be moving back home next months for an extended stay.  He suggested he could leave some food for the kitten on his porch but was afraid a coyote might get it.

I pushed for finding the owner.  “Okay,” he said, “I’ll call you back.”

About fifteen minutes later, he called back.  He’d found the kitten’s home.  While he was walking through his apartment complex he came across a guy and his kids.  The fellow didn’t know where the cat lived, but the kids did.  They ran off to the kitten’s home with their dad and Andy in tow.  Andy said they found a door cracked open with a dish of cat food on the stoop.  A very relieved young woman and toddler met him at the door.

Andy was very happy about the reunion.  He definitely had to go outside his comfort zone to go door to door looking for this kitten’s home, but his desire to insure the safety of this little creature out-trumped his shyness.

I think there is a lesson there for the both of us.  Sometimes leaving our comfort zones can lead us to great joy.  Carrying a fuzzy kitten certainly helps…. Maybe that’s where the idea ov

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Chilling with Izzie

Today is a bonafide gorgeous day.  I am feeling just a bit under the weather; trying to get the better of a cold that is trying to get the better of me.  My workout this morning with Lorenzo was tough, but not as much of a struggle as it was to just get up and get going out the door.

When I got home from the gym, Izzie was waiting for me at the door.  Sounds cute, except she wasn’t waiting at the door I was entering – she was by the back door waiting to go out.  Lately she’s shown signs that her fur is being rubbed the wrong way by having Purrl around.  I think she was under the impression that the kitten was merely visiting and in Izzie’s mind has long outstayed her welcome.  I decided to go out with Izzie and spend a little quality time with her.  As I headed out on the lawn behind her, she turned and flopped down on the grass in front of me.  I sat next to her and began to pet her.  Soon I was totally sprawled on the grass, just like Izzie, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the view of the sky.

I was a little concerned that one of my neighbors might catch a glimpse of me and worry that I’d taken a fall or just plain croaked in my yard, but not enough to jump up.  I made sure I moved occasionally, just enough to let an on-looker know that I was on the ground by choice.  I wish I’d had my camera, to take some shots of the yard from Izzie’s perspective.  Together we watched some leaves fall and a tufted titmouse land on the feeder.  Then Izzie spotted something in the distance and was off to the woods.

I decided I’d better get up before the paramedics arrived.  Next time, I will grab the camera when I go out.  It’s an experience too good not to share.

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Sunday Traffic

What a difference an extra hour of morning light makes! I guess I just didn’t realize that the dark beginnings of my days were dragging me down.  Now the world is awakening when I am.  Best of all, I can let Izzie out earlier in my day (although to her I’m sure nothing has changed.)  No more caterwalling at the back door while I drink my coffee!

Yesterday morning as we were driving out of the neighborhood to Mass, Dave abruptly stopped the car.  I figured he’d forgotten something and we were about to turn and head back to the house.  Then he said, “Well, are you going to cross or what?”  I looked out the windshield and there, on my side of the car stood a beautiful doe.  After we all shared a moment of “deer in the headlights”, she turned gracefully and disappeared in the brush.  That’s the kind of traffic I like to see on my way to church!

 

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First Frost

Jack Frost arrived this weekend!  Sunday morning I looked out the front window and was treated to this pristine view across the crisp lawn.  The photo doesn’t do justice to what I saw, but Angela has trained me to grab my camera when I see something worth sharing!

Monday afternoon I finally put out my Halloween decoration – a resin jack-o-lantern with built in light bulb I’d picked up at Target.  For weeks  I meant to pull out one of my pretty fall wreathes but wasn’t able to scale the mountain of stuff in the garage to pull them out.  I’m afraid the same held true for my ceramic pumpkin.

During my morning walks  I’ve admired my neighbors’ porches, beautifully decorated with pumpkins, straw, and corn stalks.  I knew I had to do something to alert trick-or-treaters that I was going to participate in the festivities.  No way was I going to be stuck with four bags of yummy candy!

I really enjoy Halloween.  It’s about the only night of the year when you can go to a stranger’s house and be welcomed without question and likewise, open your front door after dark and not be afraid of who might be there.

Dave and I usually sit outside with our candy.  We enjoy watching the parade of trick-or-treaters and especially the parents as they call out to their witches, cowboys and princesses to slow down, say thank you, keep off the grass and watch out for cars.  They bring back so many memories of the times we said the same to our kids and even before when we were the ones being reminded of our manners.

Yesterday I put my jack-o-lantern on the top of the pile in the garage, bagged up the left over candy to send to the office with Dave and went to the gym to work off some of the treats I helped myself to.  As we turned down our street, I noticed that a house across the street already has snowflake lights hanging above the door and a group of illuminated white wire deer are arranged around a white wire conifer.  Really?

 

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Still Falling

Yesterday afternoon as I sat in the family room in a mild coma with the evidence of an Orville Redenbacher’s snack size popcorn and a Tootsie Pop wrapper and stick on the table in front of me and the mesmerizing sound of the the dryer running upstairs lulling my head ever closer to the pillow on the sofa, the phone rang.  It was my friend Angela.  “I’m going drive around the county for about 40 minutes and take some pictures.  Want to come along?”

I was tempted, but the spell cast by the sugar and appliances was great.  I began to list all my reasons for staying a body at rest.  Angela, who after four months of living next door to me is already immune to my whining and excuses, said “I’ll pick you up in ten minutes, grab your camera.”

Our first stop was the parking lot behind the Advance Auto Parts off 29S.  Not only did it prove to be an excellent vantage point for the mountains in their resplendent autumn beauty to the west but also, to the north, out of nowhere, a rainbow appeared in the distance providing an excellent photo op.

 

Our next stop was Lowes.  We parked in the lot and then headed into the brush to get the best vantage point; Angela with her professional camera and assorted lenses, me with my Nikon CoolPix.

Our last leg of our afternoon adventure was down Fredericksburg Rd.  where we pulled off in a couple of places to capture the scenery, to ogle each vista and spot of color.

This fall has been almost like an extended Fourth of July fireworks display; each brilliantly colored tree is more striking that the last.  We ooh and ahh as if each were the first and last we’ll ever see.  Nature has gone HD and we didn’t even have to pay extra or get a special converter box.  It’s all there to see, if you just pick yourself up off the couch and go look.  Oh, you might even want to bring your camera!

 

 

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I Got Rhythm….

Today is the first rainy day we’ve had in a while.  The rain in steadily falling filling the house with a faint hissing sound.  I have the windows open just a crack to let in the clean fall air.  As I sit here writing, I’m delighting in watching water bead up on the deck outside the window.  We just finished sealing it on Monday.

It was a three day process to actually complete the job but it seemed like it took months of planning and preparation.  “When do you want to do it?”  “I don’t know.”  This was how the conversation went.  Then, Saturday morning we decided we would go to Lowe’s and get everything we needed to complete the job.

Unlike other projects, where we assemble the required items and leave them stashed in the garage for several months, we set upon this task immediately.  In no time we were clearing the outdoor furnishing down to the lawn and Dave began to spray on the deck cleaner from our new handy dandy pump sprayer.  It didn’t take long to realize that we were going to need more than we bought.  I was a little annoyed since I wanted to buy the big bottle in the first place but, grabbed my keys and headed back to Lowe’s before the conversation of “Do you want to go, or do you want me to go?” progressed any further.  In half an hour I was back and the cleaning continued.

Sunday we decided we would go on a mini “date” before hitting the deck again.  So, after Mass, we headed over to Green Hills to hit a few buckets of balls on the driving range and then grab a sandwich at the clubhouse grill.  It was a glorious day!  The sun was out, the sky was blue and the temperature was just right.  Taking the time to stop and enjoy the day before working was a wonderful idea.  If we’d tried to work first, we never would have made it to the driving range and would have grumped about it all week. Instead, we went home, rested a bit and got back to work on the deck.

I have to say I enjoyed sealing the deck with Dave almost as much as enjoyed our time on the driving range.  Working together towards a common goal, our hands rhythmically guiding our brushes back and forth, provided a kind of intimate sharing.  Sometimes we chatted, others we were quiet in our own thoughts.  But all the while, we were together, working, sharing and just being.

We have come to know just how special our life here has become.  Aside from the house, the neighborhood and the spectacular views, our new life here has given us more undistracted time to be “us”.   We have fallen in to a rhythm here that is pleasing and easy to follow.  Anyone want to sing along?

 

 

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Snow White and Rose Red

I am the oldest of six siblings.  This fact is generally only mentioned in passing these days, and then only rarely but is such a major part of the fabric of my being.  From the moment my parents brought my sister Ann came home from the hospital when I was the ripe old age of seventeen months, I have been “the big sister”.  I have been programmed to be a helper, to look beyond myself to others and assess needs.

Since we were so close in age and I was puny and Ann a chubby thing, we were also pretty close in size.  This lack of age and size difference, compounded with the rapid additions of other brothers and a sister, allowed me to pretty much share the role with Ann.  Until our sister Barb came along years later, we were simply “the girls”, co-big sisters to our younger brothers, “the boys”, John and Scott.

Here we are in 1960 – I was 4, Ann was 3.  Did you notice the kitten squirming on my lap?

Ann and I were like Snow White and Rose Red; I had the light hair and eyes, Ann the dark brown hair and eyes.  I was shy and easily frightened, Ann was outgoing and seemed to have little fears.  We shared a bedroom for seventeen years.  She was tidy, I was a pack rat.  We spent almost every hour of every day together until I went to school.  Because of her birthday, Ann had to wait two years more at home until it was her turn to board the yellow bus.  It seemed so unfair.  Of the two of us, she was probably more ready to go to school.

My school age years ushered in a very awkward time for me.  Along with exposing me to reading, writing and arithmetic, I was exposed to a new set of bacteria and viruses.  In kindergarten I contracted the measles and spent two weeks at home on the couch.  Ann and the boys were rushed to the doctor for shots of gamma globulin.  Subsequent years offered me the full line of childhood ailments from mumps to chicken pox.  Each assisted in maintaining my bony waif-like appearance.

My next step into self consciousness was the addition of eyeglasses in first grade.  Although I could see better, I also felt limited by what kind of physical activity I could do.  I was forever afraid my glasses would fall off my face and break.  Once time they did and in those days prior to super glue, my dad repaired them with some electrical tape and a piece of coat hanger – not so attractive, but effective.

At the end of first grade, after my first holy Communion, my front teeth which were hanging my the tiniest of fibers until the photos were taken, were allowed to come out to make way for my permanent teeth.  Sadly, only one tooth came in.  It’s partner finally took its place almost four years later following a couple of surgeries and the addition of braces. This completed the look – I was a shy, skinny pale kid with glasses and braces and one front tooth.   Comparatively, Ann was the poster child for good nutrition, with beautiful glowing skin and perfect white teeth.  To me, she was the epitome of beauty.

In many ways, she still is.  Ann exudes grace.  No matter what challenges life offers, Ann is not a whiner.  In fact, when I talk to her on the phone, I can actually hear her smile.  We don’t get to talk as often as either of us would like, living on opposite coasts makes the timing tricky.   I think of her constantly, probably more now because the noises of my own life have quieted and I have more time to reflect.  Ann was my first playmate, confident and sparring partner – yes, of course we fought! But most of all, Ann is my sister and together with our other sister, Barb, we share a bond that can not be broken by years or miles.  For better or worse, we are tethered tightly together.  No spoken vows are required, just the bond that is sisterhood.

 

 

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Adventures in a Cat-A-Tonic State

Well, it’s been one week since the addition of a kitten into our household and for the most part, the adjustment period is going well.  Like any other home where there is a young one present, our family room carpet is littered with a variety of toys and household items that have been found to be amusing.  Much of our daily routine revolves around the little one, answering its cries, feeding, cleaning and comforting as required.  Unlike the addition of a new little human or canine baby however, there are no late night events to interrupt my sleep.  This is a good thing

Our first order of business in our early days with our baby was to find the perfect name.  The papers we received from the SPCA referred to our baby as “Sterling”; a three month old male kitten.    We weren’t crazy about the name, a little pretentious in our opinion.  I also was beginning to have my doubts that we indeed had a male kitten.  Aside from the total lack of evidence of any male paraphernalia, there was an incision scar on the tummy.  Our first visit to our new vet at the Ruckersville Animal Hospital, confirmed my suspicions and our kitten was declared a very healthy female kitten.  I’ve heard people say that kittens are difficult to sex, but honestly, you’d think they would have noticed when they spayed her and corrected their mistake.  Not that gender really makes any difference to me, she’d be just as cute as a he.

After much deliberation, we decided on the name “Pearl” which I soon modified the spelling to “Purrl” – a triple entendre referencing her color, her wonderful “motor” skills and my love for knitting.  I believe Purrl is destined to become a knitting enthusiast as well, trying her hand at assisting me with a pair of socks I was working on last night.

So far Izzie is accepting Purrl with great kindness.  I was so concerned that she’d been an only cat so long that she wasn’t going to be happy sharing the love.  After all, Izzie is the Queen and Dave and I her subjects.  But, the other night as Izzie sat perched on the back of the couch, Purrl approached her, wailing her baby cry.  Izzie extended her front paw and laid it across Purrl’s shoulders and began to lick her head and face.  It was a such a sweet moment.

I don’t know why I need these fur balls in my home, but I do.  They fill my house with activity and sometimes even mayhem and most of all love.  Izzie may not want to be with me all day, but she had set times when my presence is required – and it’s not only at meal time.  Lately, she’s made it known that she would like me to come take naps with her on my bed.  The funny thing is that I’ve been trying to get her to curl up with me on the couch forever (in her life terms).   The compromise is acceptable.

Since our move here, Izzie has been spending most of her daytime hours in the back yard.  She becoming quite a hunter.  At first her prey were the house finches at the feeder which was not a happy things as far as I’m concerned but the other day she caught a mole and brought it up to the house to present it to us.  She was ever so proud, and rightly so.

I know that there are a great many dog people who believe that their relationship has taught them much about God due to the characteristic traits we’ve bred into those animals since the first tame wolf came closer to a fire for some warmth or a scrap of meat.  Dogs are known for their loyalty, obedience and most of all, unconditional affection.  Cats, however provide insight into relationship with God that dogs, by their nature, just can’t.

Did you ever hear the expression “It was like herding cats”?  Cats provide a good workable image of free will.  You can not make a cat obey you, the cat must choose to do so.  Furthermore, in choosing to do what you want, the cat has decided there is something in it for her.  How human is that?

I’m not trash talking dogs.  I love dogs.  I’m just saying that a cats can provide a glimpse of what is must be like to be God.   This first week with Purrl has given me a little more insight in just how frustrated and disappointed God must get sometimes.  Like God, my intentions are all good.  All I want to do is insure that Purrl eats properly and is safe at all times.  In return, it seems like not too much to ask for her to at least acknowledge that all the blessings of sustenance and entertainment flow from me.  What do I want in return?  Just a little love – is that so wrong?

Maybe instead I’ll try to be more God like and patiently wait for Purrl to come to me. In the meantime, I might try curling up on my heavenly father’s lap for a while.  I think he’d like that.