Pawprints From Space

Don't you hate it when relatives fight? When two best friends beat each other up (verbally or otherwise)? When companies rip into each other? How about when two organizations whose mission is to serve their membership, the public, and/or the greater good suddenly get ugly? For no real good reason. Let's say you are Organization #1 and you are in dire financial straits. Your group has one regular source of income - a weekly event. People like this event, nearly 200 attend every week. However, there aren't enough volunteers to run it properly and it has been in steady decline. Organization #1 doesn't make much from it as costs keep increasing. Some months they don't make anything at all and actually come out owing their vendors more than they took in. Eventually the Board of Directors decides this can't continue and votes to shut the event down. It'll be hard but they will get by, God willing. So they get out the contract they have with Organizati...

The 2011 elections are a mere 19 days away. Local elections have generated a fair amount of silliness - incumbents who are indignant, challengers who are clueless and issues that confuse the populace because, really, who is going to read the massive insert in the paper this week that attempts to explain it all? Those of us inclined to read it already understand the issues. Those not so inclined will not read it, remain confused or ill-informed and vote whichever way the wind is blowing. This is not merely an Ohio affliction.  If you thought it was an Ohio affliction I call your attention to the hoopla over the so-called GOP "debates". Can you call it a debate with no set questions, no real moderator and a bunch of people on a stage who just yell at each other for a couple of hours? That may be an ordinary day in Congress but it isn't a debate of the issues by well-informed candidates. It is instead that aforementioned "every which way wind" blowing across T...

Imagine if you will sitting in a church - a nondenominational congregation with great music and charismatic preacher who goes on for nearly two hours about forgiveness and God's love and it is a really, really great sermon. Now imagine that you're a person struggling in life. You've been through some horrific things as a child. Things that have turned your world upside down. Things that have (perhaps) led you down a certain path. Perhaps it wasn't those things you experienced. Perhaps your DNA is such that you were born with a certain preference for same gender relationships. However you got there. There you are. Someone who is struggling with who they are; someone who has studied the Bible. Someone who has it bookmarked and highlighted and knows it inside out and backwards. Okay so after listening to nearly two hours of how God loves us no matter what, who will forgive us no matter what - who, like our parents wants the best for us and who will never turn His back ...

So I got to thinking about stuff today - it was too nice to be inside at work so the mind tended to wander all over the place. Fortunately when it does that it does find its way back home... eventually. One of the things I was thinking about was the whole Occupy Wall Street brouhaha. Now granted I haven't been paying too much attention I admit it (which is SO not like me) but I have had other things on my mind - work's been busy, the Humane Society event I am trying to put together for next week is in the panic phase, kitties are nuts and two of the five now have ear issues (one has mites, the other an infection). Anyway, lack of attention to the Occupy Wall Street and the 99% thing. From what I gather this appears to be the left side of the fence's version of the Tea Party "uprising" of a couple of years ago. They got all fired up about taxes, etc. and the so-called left pretty much sat back and thought they were nuts. Now of course Congress is nearly be...

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We have a mandatory recycling program here in Lima Ohio, have had for a while now. It took quite a while to get it up and running - to get the City's residents to use the recycling bins the City provides. But now everyone is pretty good about sorting their recyclables from their regular trash. We have nice, large rolling trash bins for our recycling items (having graduated from the small brightly colored curbside boxes a few years ago).  We aren't asked to separate clear glass from colored, paper from the various levels of plastic, fold cardboard a certain way or even thoroughly wash out the jars and cans as I had to do in Connecticut. It IS nice not to have to run the dishwasher just so you can put things out to be recycled. Very simple here, if you can recycle it, put it all in the same bin. We even have separate bins you can buy (for a mere $20) for your yard waste. We get yard waste clear bags from the City as well (just have to show your utility bill), so long as ...

It's been a while and folks are wondering (yup, all 2 of you) what's going on so it is time for some randomness and catching up... The trip to Dallas was great! Very comfortable meeting the rest of my family. As my sisters and I noted on that Tuesday (our Sister Day) even though we didn't grow up together, it feels as though we've known each other all our lives.  All the calls, emails and Facebook postings since "first contact" no doubt helped. Connected well with the nieces as well. Wonderful young ladies all! The older girls have wonderful guys in their lives and little great-niece Presley Elizabeth is an absolute doll! The younger two girls are fabulous young women as well. One still in high school has a great deal of energy about her, which goes well with her spunk and freckles. Her older sister is a deep, gentle soul who has had more than her share of troubles at so young an age but her compassion outshines everything else she is struggling with ...

Purrcy is enjoying full run of the house, basement included. So much so in fact that he missed the big excitement in the breezeway. Excitement that kept the other kitties occupied all day (I assume). A small female sparrow somehow managed to fall into the wood stove's chimney and get herself stuck. I did not hear her this morning as I was rushing to get out the door to a client meeting (although I did wonder why Honey and Rumba were fixated on the stove) but I did hear the poor little thing when I got home fluttering around.  The kitties, including the clueless Purrcy were shooed out of the room and both doors and the windows were opened wide. The little soot covered bird flew out of the stove and spent the next twenty minutes flying around perching on everything but not finding her way out the door. Finally I was able to shoo her in the direction of the door and off and out she went. Her tail feathers were slightly damaged but she flew well and straight so once she gets all the ...

There was this neighborhood association garage sale thing that sucked up all the time to keep everyone updated about Purrcy and Company. Now we are in catch up mode... The "big kitties" are being to play with Purrcy more regularly. Honey is prone to giving mixed messages. One minutes she wants to play chase and the next she is lapping and hissing the little guy. Rumba got annoyed yesterday at being prevented from doing something she wanted to do so she decided to slap Purrcy quite hard and repeatedly. All he was doing was napping in a chair. Unfair! Big sisters are mean!! Lucky has fallen back into her habit of "ohmygoditsisakittenwhowantstoplaywithmytailRUN!!" which of course means that the kitten in question will give chase thereby increasing her sense of panic. Sigh. She never learns. Bon is presently pissed off at everyone. Although he has been seen touching noses with Purrcy when he thinks I don't see him. This weekend the basement will cease to be Hone...

I don't have the cats wear collars being as they are inside babies. However, when they are little they are belled. Considering how kittens get into everything can seem to be everywhere at once and get themselves into all sorts of situations it's best to at least be able to hear them when you otherwise can't find them.  Of course the ding-ding-dinging at 2 a.m. during the Kitty Olympics is annoying. What you ask are the Kitty Olympics? Games that have been going on since 1986 when Pouncequick and Chaos launched the wee hours romp through the house at break neck speed. Yup in 25 years I haven't had a night of truly uninterrupted sleep or a meal in peace. Not complaining exactly ... except for the meal thing. That's really bothersome. I have always tended to wake up around 2 a.m. for no apparent reason anyway. And now when I do I get a kitty cuddle.  Purrcy is quite upset over the motorcycles and large trucks that roar passed the house. Poor little bug has no idea w...

Since the big kitties have yet to master the fine art of cornering when racing through the house as if their tails were on fire it is no wonder that little bitty kitties have a hard time with it too.  Of course little bitty kitties aren't real good at stopping either and the take off is funny when the back feet can't gain a purchase. It is like watching a cartoon. You know, the sort where the feet blur for a few frames before the character zooms out of the picture. What I really like though is the straight up in he air kitten-got-startled by something. In this case it is usually Rumba zooming by that causes the boing! straight up, spin about in mid air and land all puffed up.  When you take a sharp corner when running on hard wood floors you have to be careful that your front paws don't end up going one direction while the back paws go in a completely different direction. When stopping try to use the paws not the head that slams into the footstool, sofa or anything els...

When Bonzai was a kitten his nemesis was a broom (he still hates that broom by the way). Purrcy has decided that the dust mop deserves to die. He has pounced on it, attempted to shred it and basically rode the thing around the room while Mama tried to use it. It made for an interesting bit of house cleaning. Unlike Rumba, Purrcy is not waking me up every two hours for something to eat. But once I do get up he stuffs his whiskers.  All in all this is a MUCH easier integration than any since Pouncequick met Chaos WAY back in 1986. Today he tried to get Bon to play by doing the boing! boing! boing! kitten dance followed by a pounce right at the big guy. Bon just sat back and looked confused. Should he bop the kitten, play with the kitten or... he chose to walk away. Probably the safest thing to do... for Purrcy.  Lucky's tail was eyed from the safety of Purrcy's "fort" she caught on and dodged the paws reaching for her tail. Purrcy's "fort" if you recall...

Around 4:00 a.m. today the power went out briefly. I know this because the phone in the bedroom beeped, the dehumidifier in the basement beeped and Purrcy pulled everything on the nightstand down on his head. Thankfully I tend to wake up all at once and have fast reflexes and was able to save the lamp a tumble in the wake of the clock, a photo of Les (wooden frame) a small Yankee Candles jar candle, my cellphone, glasses and inhaler. The little stinker's claw had gotten snagged in the Japanese handkerchief I use as a sort of tablecloth and he pulled, it slid and down they all went. The beeping may have startled him also. It sure did me. Purrcy then spent the entire rest of the day wanting to be carried, held and basically not have his paws touch the floor. Go to put him down and he clings for dear life grabbing hair, clothes, skin whatever he could dig claws into to hang on, even when very nearly asleep.  Like a the member of the rag doll breed we suspect his daddy was ...

There comes a time in every kitten's life when cold hard reality sets in and he has to learn that his human is NOT something to be climbed, used as a scratching post or a launch pad. The first clue is usually the shriek that erupts when claws dig in. This was the lesson of today. Not that it has in any way sunk in. Tonight the craziness is in full bloom. The little fella had to be bopped (hard) several times before he would stop chewing on the cell phone charger's cord. He is having a obstinate evening for some reason. It was bound to happen eventually but some of the crap he is pulling could get him seriously injured. The word "brat" does not begin to cover it. It is chew on everything and bite whatever moves night here. I knowing he's "teething" but really! And yet this behavior doesn't phase the big kitties at all. Rumba still wants to play. Honey gives a growl when he gets too close but nothing more than that. Bon is ignoring him being more con...

Mama took a leap of faith and let Purrcy stay out among the big kitties last night. Being a light sleeper I figured that I'd hear it if anything got ugly. I didn't hear a thing and everyone was calm in the morning. So I took another leap of faith and let him stay out all day today. Unable to get home over lunch, I asked Mom to check on him at noon and she said that everything was fine. When I got home everything was still fine. Nothing broken, no one hiding, screaming or bleeding. This is huge progress, the first day out in the general population so to speak is typically a day resulting in upheaval. Once again Purrcy's low key personality wins the day. Although he is trying to eat the lap desk at the moment and I'm getting grabbed and nibbled while I'm trying to type. Someone is over stimulated and about to get the old "oh look a chicken" toss of a toy to distract him from eating something he shouldn't. In that aspect at least he is a normal kitten. I...

This morning Mr. Purrcy Paws didn't want an early morning cuddle. He'd much rather zoom around the house at top speeds thereby annoying the big kitties and yet the annoyance didn't show all that much. Oh sure, Honey snarled some and hissed a little but saved the majority of her vocal displeasure for Rumba, the normal morning brouhaha. It was a shame to lock him in the bathroom but it was going to be a long day without being able to come home over lunch to check on him and unfortunately thanks to a last minute addition to the schedule that won't be possible tomorrow either. Hopefully Friday. The integration process continues to go well overall. Purrcy's food is on the top level of his two story Hide, Perch and Go carrier during the evening so that he can quickly have an energy boost and (mostly) the big kitties have no idea it is there. Until tonight. Bonzai figured it out. An Purrcy got protective. A quick pounce and growl and the little bitty stared down the huge...

Monday and Tuesday this week were days three (3) and four (4) of Purrcy's integration into the household. While all this craziness is going MUCH more smoothly than Rumba's arrival two (2) years ago there are, of course, issues. Day 3 - Monday: Purrcy Sees the Vet & Meets Grammy . In the morning Purrcy decided he hates car rides and thus whined about it all the way to the vet's. Once there he charmed everyone in the place including Dr. Joe who scooped the little guy up and showed him off to the staff including Dr. Wendy who commented on how big he would end up being (big feet) as well as how cute he is (and she's more of a dog person so this praise is significant). Everyone was surprised that he was a shelter kitten, having not known that there were any kittens at the shelter.  Mama came home for lunch and let the little stinker out of the bathroom for a while. Bedlam ensued as usual. Mom stopped by in the evening and met her new "grand-kitty" and prompt...

Purrcy (as with all new kittens in the household) spent the night in the bathroom - bed, bowls, potty, toys all the essentials. Unlike every other new kitten he didn't cry this may be because after spending about a month in a two foot by three foot cage he's pretty used to confinement. He had to retire to the room a few times during the day today as I needed to get things done without him underfoot - the other four were enough to wrangle.  Today the little guy decided that he was going to growl back at the big kitties or growl first in some cases. So he puffed all up to his full size (not much bigger than my running shoe) and growled and hissed back at everyone bigger than he is. Lucky was most perplexed since she hadn't hissed at him at all but she gave him a wide berth. Honey got into an ever bigger snit and spent the majority of the day in the basement. Rumba puffed up right back and there was at least three hissing contests as a result most ending with Rumba backing do...

Purrceval joined the household this afternoon at around 2:00 p.m. He did not have a nap until about 7:00 p.m. - has to be a record for kittens everywhere is certainly a record for kittens in this house. He still hasn't truly slept. It will be a long night methinks. Bonzai is taking it well, minor hissing and one good bop has the little kit in line already. His survival instincts are better than Rumba's were at this age. Rumba still doesn't take anyone seriously when they hiss at her, or growl, or slash, or bop.... Purrcy on the other hand, knows when not to push it. At least so far. Lucky is giving him a fairly wide berth after a couple of nose touches, actually he seems more afraid of her than she is annoyed by him. Which is amusing since she's the least threatening and similar in color to him and his mama (a gray tuxedo).  Honey hates him. But then Honey hates everyone. She's still not entirely thrilled with Rumba although they play together and on occasion sle...

You see a LOT of "crazy cat lady" items out there. Just visit CafePress and search for crazy cat lady the results are staggering. I am not fond of the phrase myself, it isn't cute, it isn't funny and it conjures up images of the little old lady with a house full of cats at the horder level.  I have four cats presently and will be bringing home another kitten on Saturday. His name is Purrceval. Purrcy for short. He is at the Humane Society presently and was dropped off there with his mom (a beautiful gray tuxedo) and his four brothers (black tuxedos). Purry thought isn't black and isn't a tuxedo. His markings are more Siamese or Ragdoll in nature. He is just gorgeous. And that purr motor will not stop.  Why Purrceval? Well of course the spelling is feline friendly but... Perceval was a Grail Knight. A rambunctious boy who (in some versions) became the Knight who found the Grail and cured the Fisher King. Also he purrs non-stop. We need more male ener...

The weekend will be here soon - not soon enough for most of us I wager, me included. So that got me thinking about having a social life and why it seems rather difficult after a "certain age" to achieve. Disclosure - I have been single since 1995. I became single not by choice but by Fate. Prior to that I had been in a relationship on and off with the same guy since 1980. We got married in 1994, he died in 1995 and that was that. So over the last couple of years I have finally felt like exploring the possibilities. Here's what I have found... men over the age of 40 seem to think they are 16 and "have to have it" right away. There's something called a "third date rule" that doesn't apply to not kissing the guy until the third date but actually means one is expected to sleep with him on/by the third date. Hello! Even in an over-exposed, social media driven world I don't know enough about someone by the third date to share my french fries le...

I must be nuts. I have allowed friends (and at the moment I am using that term loosely!) to talk me into doing a 5k walk/run. Granted I will be walking but for the last couple of years I have been stuck deep into couch potato land. Far behind enemy lines, trapped by the numbing allure of TV news, lulled into comfy purring kitty company... just a little over 3 miles or not, I am doomed.  So I pulled the bike out tonight and only rode a couple of miles before the butt and legs screamed "Uncle!" Pa-thet-ic. On the up side... no asthma attack.  Did I mention this bit of insanity takes place on July 4th? As in a week and a half from now. 12 days. That is all. No one is able to go from couch potato to healthy in 12 freakin' days. Now my friends and I are all of an age, no more than a year-ish apart, okay maybe two. One of them walks fairly regularly. The other last I checked does actually go to a gym. Me? Nope. Nada. Not so much.I keep meaning to get out, get up and DO somet...

It is April in Ohio. This does mean rain, after all: April Showers Bring May Flowers. All I have to say is that there had damned well better be a HUGE flower show in the wings. It is typical here to get around 2.5 inches of rain in April. So far we've had over 7 inches of the wet stuff. I am used to my back yard being under water in some places, and just "squishy" in others. It is 90% under water the rest is way more than "squishy". The front yard is "squishy". Consequently even if this stops falling from the sky God only knows when (if) I will be able to mow it.  And you MUST mow the lovely green stuff (and the weeds thank you) because of a few things: The neighbors appreciate it and I am the VP of the neighborhood association, The City's code enforcement people have rulers and they aren't afraid to use them and we are approaching the limited height, If it gets much taller the mower is not going to be able to cut it, and I do not have a ...

Long story short... I have been reunited with my father's side of the family with whom there has been no contact since around 1962-ish. My father and his family live in the Dallas (Texas) area.  A friend mentioned that this discovery was coming at this time because now I am ready to deal with it, as opposed to when we were in high school and contemplating trying to find my father. She's right it is better now than it would have been then. Another friend mentioned today that this new family discovery was all the more special as it had come during the Easter season. I hadn't thought of that. But it is the fact that this is the Easter season is where the symmetry comes into play. In 1995 in early March, during Lent, I was in Fort Worth Texas for a work related conference. I had not wanted to go. I had a horrible feeling about going. On Saturday March 11th I was a wreck. Couldn't sit still, kept trying to call home and getting no answer... just knew something was wrong. ...