Oh What a Beautiful Day!

 Well, here we are, thought that since it's Saturday I could give y'all a little update on how life's been the last couple of weeks...

I'm proud and happy to say that it has been quiet, peaceful, and drama free.  

My sister's 2nd car is completely repaired and road reliable!  First time in almost a year that she has dependable transportation.  

My little family in Germany are doing so well.  A busy, normal family, blessed and grateful.  Young Son and fam are doing well, making progress and learning!  They too are blessed and grateful.  

I am so proud, blessed and grateful for them.  

My immediate neighbors in the complex I live in are so chill, we wave and be pleasant, but I am not in the mood to get to know or to chit chat with them, and it seems they feel the same.  Perfect.

Greg and Brad are cool.  Brad is growing like a weed, and the past 2 mornings Greg has not woke me up, and both have been on my bed with me when I wake up.  I still wake before 8 am, but it's so nice not to be woke up with a startle.  

Right now they are in their rambunctious time.  All the morning chores are done, they've been fed, used the litter box, and soon each will find a comfy spot, they both have their favorites, and they'll be napping for about 3 hours.  That will give me time to do some crafty things that I can't do while they are up and about, because everything is a plaything!  

My naptime goal today is to get my peg-loom threaded for a rug that I am going to start for my sister.  She has given me some of her old clothes, thinking she's donating to me.  I know a pair of those jeans were Dave's.  

He's been gone almost a year now.  I think back to where we were this time last year...I was still living there, he was so sick...it was so awful and sad.  She's doing fine, better all the time.  The truth will set you free.  

Looks like the boys have calmed down, and I've been sitting here long enough.  Hopefully I will have enough string to get this next project started!  

Play Nice!  xxoo

Big Boy Brad (black) and Good Boy Greg (in the box)

Blooming

 

Making the best of where you are.  That's my goal every day.  

 

Where I used to live was never home.  Even after 20 years.  Where I live now, this is my home.  It's not a fancy place, and I am certainly no interior decorator, but when I walk in my front door, I feel at home.  

Most of the places I've lived in my life, they've always felt temporary.  I knew I'd be moving on someday.  Usually sooner than later. 

I was starting to look at my new home in this way, but changed my mindset to "maybe I'll hang around here for a bit."  That really changed my perspective.  

Although it's not allowed, I'm probably going to paint the walls this winter.  I'm always on the look out for the quirky and unusual to hang on my wall or put on a shelf.  

Little by little, this is becoming my space, and I am so thankful that I finally got here.  I didn't do it by myself, and I always have the Good Lord on my side.  

Play Nice!  

Hello September

 2 weeks yesterday since Brad came to live with us.  I am happy to report that he and Greg get along as well as I had hoped!  

Miss Petunia, the bedgraggled, gone to seed petunia plant I found in the dumpster, is thriving well on my front porch.  She gets 2 good drinks of water every day.  Most all the dead leaves have been removed, and she has new growth spurting out of her everywhere.

As I sit here this morning, there is a nice, cool breeze blowing in the window.  I have some relaxing music on.  Sipping my coffee, thinking my thoughts, watching the boys play...

It makes me so thankful for where I am in my life right now.  So Thankful. 

My big regret is that the part of my heart that lives far, far way isn't here for all of us to enjoy this time.  I don't have anyone to do things with.  I'd love to go to some thrift stores, or estate auctions, or street festivals...events, activities, and I know full well that I can go by myself, and I have before...but that just makes me feel alone, and vulnerable.

So, before I start winding my way down that rabbit hole, I will say that I am happy where I am, and with the reality of my life at this particular point in time.  

Everything happens for a reason, and it all works out exactly as it is supposed to.  I believe in that, and for the past couple of years it's been working out pretty well for me.   

But, If I could have just one wish, it would be that my kids could "kiss and make up."  I can't do it for them.  

Not sure if anyone is reading this yet, if you are and want to leave me a comment, that'd be cool.

I think Greg is the only cat I know that doesn't seek out a patch in the sun.  Brad sure does, though.  

Play Nice!  

xxoo

Expanding

 My life expanded by one last weekend.  Greg so needed someone to play with.

This is Brad

He is 11 weeks old.

No problems at meal time.

Big Boy Brad

I really thought I would be enough for Greg, but he clearly needed someone to play with.  Luckily my niece is the pet finder of the family.  All I had to do was tell her what I wanted that morning, and I was home with Brad by 6 pm that same day!  She's amazing!

 

She's 21 years old now.  

The first night was hard for me.  My brain knew that Greg needed to do his cat thing when introducing a new cat in the family.  My heart, however, didn't want him to be too "rough."  

My sis and I chatted a bit about it, and by the next day, Big Boy Brad was stalking Greg, and Greg was just chill laying there twitching his tail.  He knows, he's cool with it. 

There are no more plans for expansion around here, unless...well, you never know what's going to happen on any given day.  I mean, if a sweet little Chihuahua needed a home...

Play Nice!  xxoo

Mornings

Lately, like in the last month or so, Greg has decided that I no longer need to use an alarm to wake up.  He is more than happy to take over that position.  He is a most annoying alarm.  

He has a battery of methods, each one more annoying than the other, no matter which order he decides to do them in.  

Knock items off dresser.  
Jump on me.  (Bladder area = bullseye)
Get up on the night stand.
And the new one.  He hooks one single claw over the handle of my jewelry box, and slowly pulls it out.  

The first couple of weeks I was, "Ok, we'll get up, a coffee sounds good."  I usually try to get to sleep around midnight, so I was still getting a good amount of sleep...

But then, he started doing it earlier, before 6:00 am.  He knows when I get out of bed I'm gonna feed him.  

So I had to try to shut that down, once a cat get in a routine, it's hard to convince them to break that habit.  I have started putting him outside my room and shutting the door, so I could grab a few more moments of sleep.  Usually, though, once I am awake, that's it, my brain quickly begins to assimilate what day it is, what I get to do that day, what's the weather, and on and on...but I still stay in there with the door shut for as long as I can, "to teach him what happens when he wakes me up."  Ha ha.  

I say my morning prayers, and by then I gotta use the bathroom, and away we go!  

I start my coffee, feed Greg, check my phone for any breaking news while he sniffs his food and walks away.  Like that isn't even what he wanted.  I do a little computer work, breaking to do our morning chores of making the bed and cleaning his litter box, or to play with him now and then. I like to put his toys in different places every day for him to find.  

He usually naps from 1 pm to whenever, he'll get up for a little bit in between naps, always coming to find me and snuggle on my lap before he goes back to his fur on the bed. 

I keep hearing that I need to get another cat, for Greg to play with...I'm not ready for that.  Double food bill, double litter box duties...I'm gonna have to be enough for this cat.  We'll be fine!  

Play Nice!  xxoo 

Ami right?  I know I'm right.  

Another Decade Has Passed

 Since my last writing here, absolutely everything has changed.  

I guess it doesn't really matter how I got where I am now, because there's nothing I can do to change it.  The things that happened that got me here, well, I am a firm believer in that based on the choices you made, you will be right where you are supposed to be.

I live alone now, well not alone.  My cat, Greg, lives with me.  We've been together for 8 months now, which is exactly how long I have been in my own place.  

Lately my days have been full of creating, I'm discovering more about myself every day.  I mean, I knew I craved, prayed for, wished for, and dreamed of the day that I would have a little place just like this.  And while it started off as a completely blank slate, with the bare minimum of possessions, it is becoming just what I wanted it to be.  

Even just going to the kitchen to get another cuppa coffee makes me feel so happy.  I look around at this wonderful hodge podge of furniture and what not, old possessions and new possessions, and I feel so happy.  

This truly is my Little Slice of Paradise and getting better every day!  

xxoo