High Beams.

Mom asked why I don't take more pictures of Ding with her face showing.  I have to work on it...

Husband recently took a picture...

And this, boys and girls, is why you don't use flash when shooting photos of the cat.  

And Husband has now started saying her breed is a Blue Siamese Flycatcher.  I have had to race ahead of her, and kill said fly, or she tries to chase the fly where ever it goes.  Over the couch, behind the table, THROUGH THE BLINDS, generally making a minor disaster, possibly not so minor...

Oh, well.  

SECOND post of the new year... eep!

So much for getting off to a good start with my blog.  Hmph.

I have been doing "stuff" for which I can blog, though.  I have been working on a "selfish" project, I am making simple garter stitch squares for a blanket, with the fancy name of "100 Square Afghan".

I have 21 random squares so far, that's why they sort of clash at the moment.  I just grab whatever scrap skein that is close and start working on it.  I also am using a rather unique set of needles...

 Yes, they are chopsticks.  Take a pencil sharpener, point the end a bit more, a little sandpaper for any rough spots, a dab of nail polish on the tips for making it a bit smoother, and a rubber band finial, ta da!  (And for any knitters out there, they are very close to a US #8.)  And very nice to knit with.  I am going to make a few more.  In fact I have some that I've made up but not used yet, that are more of an oval, I want to see how they do...

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In other news, Schrodinger is fitting in.  This is her, finding a favorite bird watching spot...

Why does she have a collar on, you ask?  Well, two reasons.  We are training her to be on lead when we take her outside.  With no front toenails, she is not armed.  And she has surprisingly taken to it pretty well.  I think it's from being raised around dogs her whole life, she doesn't know it's not a 'cat' thing...  :)  She loves going outside to visit Rudee.  She, however, hates Buzz with a passion... Odd little thing, which can make outdoor trips eventful, if nothing else.

And the second thing?  Well, we have to put a leash on her IN the house sometimes, because:

She tried to eat the blinds. I tried repairing them, she then ate the repair tape off the blinds... While eating more of the blind!  (She is more chewing and tearing them up, I haven't seen her actually dine on the blinds, but I don't want to take chances, we are keeping her away from them, and eventually getting some vertical blinds.  We suspect she just wants to see out.)  This has led to my Husband's nickname for her, Miss Chevious...  Except for when she was a bit gassy, she was then dubbed Hellstinky.  Husband is nothing, if not creative!  I even nicknamed her Dingus, when she acts up.  She seems to take this is stride, putting up with humans like us seems to not bother her too much.  I am pleased with how my Husband has been with her.  He always said he isn't much of an animal person.  

Don't you believe it...

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I won an award for volunteer of the year from the Sheriff's Office.  It was a ceremony in front of a large group of deputies and volunteers, and I had to stand up front while my doings were pronounced. I had this suave, casual, "panicked deer in headlights" look going on, I am sure.  I was pleased to be recognized, but I have trouble in front of groups.  At least I didn't have to speak! (Except thank you!!)

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And I have been working on cleaning out my craft room.  It has become a storage room for just anything, so I have been really ruthless about sorting and throwing things out, (2 large bags of paper and trash, so far).  I sorted all my spinning wool, which was a good thing, I had some that was, uh, not so good, and I had to toss it, along with some anti-moth doings for the stuff in with it...  You know you are a spinner, when you have to check if you have enough room in your freezer - because of wool!  Husband has become somewhat inured to this, I ask him to get a bag of peppers, or some such out of the freezer, he just looks at it oddly, and gets the aforementioned item.  

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I am also planning on building a trailer.  Mostly to see if I can.  Husband has said he will stay out of it, unless I specifically ask, or do not have the technical skill to do something.   Or if I have something built wrong to the point of being dangerous.  I figure that works.  Right now I am in the 'cost and weight analysis' part.  I want to make a vardo/gypsy style wagon that will be small enough for me to use with my tiny truck or jeep.  It will be more for summer stuff that I go to, but who knows, if I get a wild hair to go be alone with my thoughts, it could do that, too.  I will probably have it more "modern" than a lot of vardos, it will have fan vents, and solar chargers (the plan anyway), and will be able to be extra "dry" storage for things in the winter, if I do it right...  We shall see what happens.  So far, it's been doable, but I haven't been out to see what is available in real life, it might just frighten me to death!  

And, I am looking at the veggie p*rn for this year's garden, getting things set up for some chicks later in the season, going to meetings for the Neighborhood Watch, among other things, and generally just staying busy!  

With any luck, I will have at least a couple more blogs this month, one a month is much less than I want to do!  Oh, and messymimi, thank you for the lovely card!

~Halloween double feature~

Haven't seen The Shining, and figured the other would be a good laugh...

(And yep, VCR tapes.  Rockin' it old school...)

Hoping you have a fun, and not TOO spooky Halloween!

Boo! Uh, I mean, meow!

(This is what happens when Schrodinger catches sight of the dangling strap on my camera.  The next photo is even better...)

Attack!!!

Above and beyond.

Sometimes you just know when someone loves you.

Husband is allergic to cats.  We both have allergies, and when we were checked, the doctor made it clear that he has a big time allergic reaction to felines.  I have one to dust and hay.  (Gee, and I live in the Willamette Valley...)  I have been out and about, and on the go, and was finally home for a few days, when Husband said, look, there is a cat on Craigslist.

Um, yeah, that's sort of like saying there are leaves on a tree, in this area, so???

Just look at it.

I did.  A blue point Siamese.  It looked so much like the Jack cat I had.  I smiled, it sure is a nice one... Husband said, call on it.

HUSBAND!  You have allergies.

Call.  So I did.  And she was adopted out.

sigh...

I didn't think too much more about it, until a day or so later, when Husband snorted, then piped up, it's in there again, and grabbed the phone.  Now, "it" was a bit of a mystery, I hadn't seen what he was looking at, and what "again" he was talking about.

"So, I saw the cat is available again?...  Uh huh.  Uh huh.  Where are you at?  Oh?  Is this Sam, perhaps?  Ok, well, we know where you are, and we'll be out to get it in just a few minutes."

Turns out, the cat was called on by someone, who in typical Craigslist flake fashion, said they would take her, then called later and said no, they found one they liked closer, and didn't want that one.  So we headed over.  I thought I recognized the name, it was someone Husband had worked some contracting for some time ago, and we'd sold a tiny bit of property to.  We arrived, and Sam rather unceremoniously dumped the cat into my arms, saying, "You can name her, we just call her Cat."

Oh.

Cat wanted down, so we chatted with he and his wife for a bit, found out there was a family member that was violently allergic to cats (i.e. she would swell up and be sneezing for days...), so they had to get rid of her.

We took her home, and I slept on the couch that night, so she could get used to me. I had a cat on my feet, on my shoulder, tried to sleep on my face, on my back, and curled up by my stomach... It was a long night.  Husband decided we'd try letting her sleep outside the bedroom, that didn't work well, HE could hear the low pitched thump as she'd paw the door.  I didn't want her all over the bedroom.

What to do...

She was fine, if she could see us.  So, we compromised.  She is in a carrier, at night, facing our bed.
She can see us, we don't have to listen to yowling, or pawing all night, and everyone can sleep.

Husband said it was a "just because present".

Yeah, I know, I got a good one...

Presenting, Schrodinger, or Ding, for short~

She loves sitting in the window, and is transfixed when the turkeys go by.  We put one of those painting stepladders by the other door, so she can watch the llamas and the chickens the other direction.  Have to be a bit careful, she is declawed, so we don't want her falling off things, but she seems to fit in fine.

I will have her spoiled in no time.  Oh, wait...