Cat-flicted! & happy birthday to me.

 

“Go away!  This is my house!”

My heart got lost a couple of days ago after discovering this critter in the back yard.  After two nights of intermittent sleep and two trips to the vet, it looks like I have a new baby!

Although my heart is in a good place, my head is reeling!  What have I done?  We have worked so hard to eliminate the obstacles to traveling….. quit the part time job, turned the rental property over to a management company and found a part-time home for the two cats we already own.  Why can’t I just be logical, pull up a cold heart and continue simplifying our lives?  I did try….closed the door on him at least twice!

Been so distracted….could not even remember if I put on the rinse while shampooing my hair, missing my turns while driving.   Completely lost my piece of mind, going crazy, letting the little cat’s presence disrupt my flow.

Now, four days into this process, I’m slowly feeling sane again.  It will all work out somehow as the compulsion to rescue him was just too  strong. 

Princess, our 9 year old rescue

New cat…still unnamed…9 months to a year old

I’ve had a birthday during these upsetting few days….now 64 years old!  Can’t help but think….if the new cat lives 20 years, I’ll be 83!  Hope I don’t turn into one of those COCL…(crazy old cat ladies!)…….who am I kidding, I’m already there!

Proud to report that the reflectix project is completed and hope to have a dark trailer while sleeping in Alaska.  I cut out the material larger than the windows and bound it with metal tape.…hope to hold it in place with curtain pins and cubicle clips.

The long one will go above the side dinette tucked behind the overhead lights. (That’s Sheba, the Siamese, caught in the picture.)  The reflectix has great insulating properties but hope we won’t ever need it to protect us from cold.

Besides working on the windows, we have been enjoying the spring weather and playing in the yard.

New bird feeder!

New figs and leaves forming on the fig tree.

Thrift on the driveway wall….

Lots of our flowers came from the former owners.  This looks like a ruffled jonquil…name unknown.

It’s been a week full of birthdays.  Ice cream and cake this afternoon at my mom’s  celebrating 3 generations of birthdays: stepfather, age 87, niece, age 5 and yours truly. 

We should be on the road by the middle of next week heading to the Townsend rally.  The weather forecast looks troublesome but it could always change.  Looking forward to catching up with everyone and seeing the spring wildflowers.

 

 

Maybe I’ll call him Sir William.  He needs to be of royalty to co-exist with a Princess and a Queen Sheba.

 

I’m not the only one smitten.

Happy!

 

This morning I awaken happy….and then wonder why?

Is it because we are planning our “trip of all trips”?  Is it because spring is really coming?  Is it because we are healthy enough to enjoy exercising?  Not sure what the answer is but I will take these happy feelings anytime they want to show.

We are simultaneously working on the house, yard and Casita.  Doing some clearing of surplus kitchen wares, chucking out the unused items.  How did we ever manage to collect so much stuff?  When traveling, the Casita kitchen drawer has 6 spoons, 4 forks and miscellaneous knives.  Not paring (pun) that far down but attempting to drastically reduce unnecessary items.

Our yard is alternately a source of joy and a crushing burden.  Twelve years have been spent playing in the dirt…digging, planting, weeding.  Now, due to our traveling, guilty feelings over plant mistreatment are emerging.

Spending the afternoon trimming bushes and pulling weeds reignited my plant passion.  Underneath a layer of leaves, sticks and vines were tiny shasta daisys, black-eyed susans and larkspur.  My once prized day lilies were smothered in weeds, their nametags bent and crushed into the ground. 

Dear plants…I promise to take care of you for the next 8 weeks.  Then you are on your own again!

Yesterday involved a trip to Lowes looking for unnamed items  needed for the Casita.  They were unnamed because we saw several things at the rally and did not know what to call them.  Every time a clerk would say “May I help you?”, we would start describing a product, they would scratch their head, lead us to an aisle, leaving us looking.

Trying to figure how to easily cover our Casita windows to block out light.  We still have our blinds and not interested in making another set of curtains….been there, done that and got the T-shirt when we had the 13 footer!

Remembering someone discussing Reflectix and not paying attention ‘cause of having no intentions of being anywhere cold.  Found it a Lowe’s and guess we’ll try it to darken the windows.

Another project will be converting our solar panels to a more user friendly arrangement.  While in Arizona last year we purchased an inexpensive Harbour Freight 45 watt solar kit.  Rather than getting rid of it and buying something new (and more expensive), the goal is to find a way to store and set up it up easily.  Thought about putting hinges on two of the three panels.  Does anyone know the results of putting screws in the sides of solar panels?

Can’t quit this post without showing some pictures.  Took a walk down memory lane when I found these old pictures from 2010 to 2012. 

They will need to bloom without us this year!