A Trip to the Beginning of Time

Ok - not THAT supernatural, but that would be cool.. An old friend of mine and I went down to Plymouth last weekend so he could get a taste for the early days of America. I hadn't been since I was a kid so it was really neat for me too, actually. And of course, as an adult, one has such a greater appreciation for history and the people who came before us.

Most interesting was the cemetery on top of the hill where the graves were soooo old. There were a few of the pioneering Pilgrims whose names we studied in school buried there but also so many of the original families who landed at Plymouth Rock and who started civilization as we know it here in America.

I always love the houses in Massachusetts that have placards from the National or State Registry of Historical Places. When I see when they are built I can always envision the wide, dirt roads and the horses and carriages they must have used then. I took a few pictures with my cell phone; I'm not quite sure why I chose not to bring my camera.

A Post for my father who misses my blogging

Really this should be titled, "Meeting the Neighbors".
I have met my neighbors, no worries; I'm not some kind of hermit who runs between the car and the house to avoid conversation with the people who can ostensibly see into my windows. I don't even know how I came up with such a detailed scenario.
Now Milo and Stella on the other hand, don't have the chance to meet the 4-legged neighbors because they are 'sequestered' (if you will) on the deck when we are outside. But the occasional romp in the yard has given us access to the neighborhood pets. Typically I scuttle them back upstairs to avoid any sort of scuffle and potential blood drawing.
Today we were outside for a long time and I realized I was more ensconced in my book that I should be because I lost track of both of them. I got up and rounded the corner to find the both of them having a staring contest with another cat. I've seen this cat before and don't know if it has a home. But it really just wanted to play. Milo and Stella were generally just interested in it, though if I weren't there I'm pretty sure Stella would have shown it who's boss.
I mediated the meeting and caught some funny pictures on my phone. Here Milo assesses the cat on the other side of the tree. What you can't see is Stella observing from the third edge of the triangle they made around a tree.

I know Milo looks 'fluffy'. Let's just call it that. I'm trying to cut down on his diet.
Here is Stella meeting the kitty. Thankfully she responds well to NO STELLA.

Stella has to wear a collar and leash outside because she's wily and manipulative. The other cat wanted to play with the leash. You can imagine how well this went over.

And Stella escaped:

And here she is. I took her senior photo:

Her blue leash kept her from camouflaging with the fallen leaves. Unfortunately we were in a fight for the next few hours because she wouldn't let me take the leash OFF. She definitely has an inherent ghetto attitude sometimes. Apparently she's over it though because she's curled up next to me taking a well-deserved nap.

Update on life

It's true that with Facebook there isn't a whole lot of burning desire in me to write on my blog. But at the same time, I can understand how you just can't get enough of my snarky comments via Facebook or my feelings about the constant ridiculousness of my life (what my father has referred to as my 'life in a Far Side cartoon').

First I want to talk about the new Whole Foods in Dedham. I love Whole Foods - really I do. Just walking in makes me feel healthy no matter what garbage I have consumed that day and no matter how flabby I'm currently feeling. Maybe it's the setup of the store or the word 'organic' flying everywhere. Even though I'm so skeptical of the word organic it still makes me feel healthy. I was a little disappointed with the lack of free samples (helllooo cheese cubes!)when I was there but with the hoards of families with kids just out of soccer practice running through the aisles I guess I can understand why management might not want to put out fancy cheese cubes and pita chips. I did get a burrito for dinner whose price was extremely reasonable ($4.99) but it didn't spin my wheels as much as the local Guatemalan burritos or Ana's, both of which are the same price. I was going to get ice cream too ( I know what a night, proposed cheese cubes, burritos, and ice cream!) (oh and don't forget the bottle of wine I bought!) but the 365 everyday brand was $5.00. Come on Whole Foods! That's actually what I consider unreasonable. So I won't be getting Whole Foods anytime soon I'm sure because they certainly don't want to build where the average income is probably lower than federal poverty level. Alas, it is good that I am often traveling in areas where it is not and where Whole Foods likes to open new stores.

The are exciting things on the horizon including the arrival of a new baby girl very soon into the village. I might be more excited to see how the parents acclimate to being parents than I am about meeting baby girl. Maybe the excitement is equal.

A trip to the beach is also on the horizon. Book suggestions welcome! I'm excited to get out of what has become pretty routine as of late.

And finally, because my sister is a star and has been able to stick to Weight Watchers, I think it's time that I dove in and tried too. It's not just for physical health but for mental health. I have never had to try hard to do anything in my life and I think that this will require so much discipline that I've been avoiding it for that reason. I just don't like to work hard. So wish me luck. The goal is to go to a meeting tomorrow!

I Have a Lot On My Mind

But I have neither the energy nor ability to put it into words as of now. However, it would seem as though the furballs have found some common ground. We're getting somewhere!


I can't get enough of this video of them (I parsed it together from 4 I took on my cell phone with clearly, not enough light). It was so sweet.

Girlz

Lots more girls in my life than there were 9 months ago. In this picture, Amy and Molly and Marcia and Ava.

Number One

He'll always be my number one furry fur ball of goodness:

Kitty Condos

Ok, so it is clear that I cannot escape my family for too long. I have officially become addicted to most things CAT. I am trying to keep it in check, but with the anticipation of Stella's arrival, things in the penthouse are changing.

I have spoken with Savory Man about the construction of a kitty condo because the ones out there are nice, but expensive. I'm not sure that it will really get constructed but it could. Otherwise, I'm on the hunt. In the meantime, I wanted to have something 'exciting' for both Milo and Stella to play in together. Mind you, Milo has taken great interest in what I call his 'subsidized housing'. He was sleeping in a shoe box but when I introduced him to this smaller box that my bathing suit had arrived in, he took a bigger liking to it. So here he is in his subsidized housing:

All stuffed right in there. Someone should tell him he's not the svelte kitten he used to be!

So anyhow, I go out and lay down $25 for a kitty condo for them. Savory Man puts it all together:

And like a child at Christmas, he wants nothing to do with it. Had we not put treats in the bottom he would have ignored it altogether. In his defense, when I did put him on it, it slipped a little and that scared him. He might be a little big for it. But of course, when Savory man took a steak knife to the cardboard box that's been sitting in the hallway for 2 weeks, Milo exalted in its amazingness:


So it goes. He remains ultra lovable in his subsidized housing during sleep time. I suppose he has moved up from subsidized housing to his own penthouse, but imagine he will still prefer his tiny quarters.