Sunday, August 3, 2008

Odds and Ends

Sorry for the lack of posts. It seems my symptoms from the pinched nerve I had in my neck over a year ago are back. Working on the computer seems to exacerbate them--tingling in my fingers and lower arm but the worse is the painful feeling that someone is squeezing the biceps of my right arm. I can type for a little while, then the pain comes and I have to take a break. I had six weeks of physical therapy last March and April that really worked and they gave me exercises to do at home, mainly stretching of my neck and shoulders. Well, I did the exercises regularly for about two months, then slowly stopped doing them. I guess I'll have to start them up again.

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I had rather a scary episode early yesterday morning. Something woke me up around 4:45 Saturday morning. As I lay in bed I started to see a few flashes of light, then the gentle rumble of thunder. Oh, I love thunderstorms. When I started to hear my windchimes I decided to watch out of my bedroom window that faces the street. As I watch the storm approaching I start wondering if I should let the outside cats in. I can see them from my window all curled up on the porch wicker furniture snoozing away. It was then that I saw someone walking down the sidewalk and stop at my driveway. He then proceeds to walk up my driveway to my car and start to look in it. I freeze and realize I should call the police but I'd have to walk away from the window to grab the phone and I didn't want to lose sight of him. He never touches my car, just looks at it for a while, then takes a few steps and looks towards the side of my house. He then casually walks back down the driveway and down the sidewalk. I make sure he is past my house when I quickly call 911. The dispatcher calls back about 10 minutes later saying the police are looking for him and they would stop by my house shortly. By this time the storm is in full swing, making it seem like something from a bad TV movie. The police arrive and I give them a description of the guy and they take off again. I never heard back after that.

We have a neighborhood listserv so I put out a warning to everyone. I heard back later in the morning that two neighbors' cars had been broken into to get their GPS systems. Obviously, it must have been the same guy. Luckily, I don't have a GPS system in my car. Needless to say, I did not sleep well last night. Our neighborhood went through a rash of burglaries during the holidays in December when a lot of folks were out of town and I think this must be the same thing. Lots of folks are gone on summer vacations.

What a way to wake up on a Saturday morning!!

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I think I may have made a color mistake in getting a new rug for my living room. My old rug was just a plain darker sage color synthetic from LL Bean. It worked well and I was able to keep it clean with spot cleaning for a number of years. But, with so many cats who vomit, scoot across the carpet (I won't even go into that!), and Greybeard (RIP) urinating on it, after eight years, the thing was just getting too nasty. I decided to get the same rug because of its durability, but in a natural color to brighten up the room and also in case I wanted to change the color scheme of my living room. Of course if you get anything new in my house, everyone has to check it out.




Here is what the rug looked like after about a half hour....

You can see Sweetpea's head in the lower left corner surveying his handiwork.

Since the cats rarely just sit or lay on the rug, I'm hoping the newness will wear off and it won't be so bad in the future.

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I was looking through my old photos and came across this cute one of Greybeard.




This was taken on a cold March day when I was off of work. I know many folks can't understand my taking in so many cats. Especially, dealing with Greybeard, there were many times when I couldn't understand it myself. But, I came across this quote shortly after Greybeard died and it made me feel glad that I was able to take care of this old man.

You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

12 comments:

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Christine- That last photo of Greybeard amde my heart glad. He looks so content and comfortable, so SAFE. You gave that to him.

Tha't so scary about the man by your house. I'm glad he left your car/house alone. We all ned to watch out for each other.

Mary said...

Christine, thank goodness that man didn't hang around. My neighborhood has experienced tire slashing and thefts... Take care and be extra vigilant.

When you live with and love animals, you can never have nice stuff! We live with vomit, hair, and occasional feces and although it makes you mad, can you imagine life without them? I'll just have torn bedspreads and stained carpet for the rest of my life. Period.

May your dear Greybeard be with you, always.

Mary

KGMom said...

Ewww---creepy about the driveway walker.
Maybe you need to get a BIGGER cat, say like a lion?!?
No need to explain taking in so many cats. I love them!
I especially like the Science Diet bag in the background--yup, gotta feed those kitties.

Dorothy said...

Oh Christine...we're getting rid of our carpet and putting down wood flooring. Your new rug is pretty and I'll bet once they all get used to the newness of it, they'll hang out somewhere else.
That is very scarey about the guy walking up your driveway. Maybe some 'motion detector' outside lights might scare away any further attempts! I sure hope they catch the guy.
PS..Love that picture of sweet Greybeard!

possumlady said...

Thanks Lynne. Yes, Greybeard so loved to be in the house. He could sleep anywhere (but also could pee anywhere!).

Mary, you make a good point. There are so many patterned rugs out there that I would love but they are all wool and need to be professionally cleaned. That would just not be possible with all the cleaning my rugs need on a very frequent basis. Just yesterday, Apu made it known by a low meow/howl that he was about to throw up. I jump up and run into the living room to find him smack dab in the middle of the new rug!! I quickly yet gently lift him up and put him on the wood floor just as he vomits a 3-inch long furball! Yuk! It's only a matter of time before this new rug gets "christened"

Donna, maybe I should have a motion sensitive recording of a lion roaring! Yes, after I took that photo, I didn't even notice the cat food bag until I uploaded it.

Dorothy, good luck with your new flooring! Is it real wood or Pergo? I would LOVE to get new wood floors. Mine are the original wooden floors that came with my 1927 cottage. Since they are pine they are not hardwood, but soft wood and while sound, they are in such bad shape.

Greybeard was never one of those "cute" cats but I do think he is adorable in this photo.

Anonymous said...

What a cute picture of Greybeard and I love that quote. That was a scary incident Saturday morning. Thank goodness he walked away. I'm sure it continues to make you a little uneasy. This is when it would be good to have a dog! Our carpet is a mess, too. It is very light and now is stained all over, not to mention that it is constantly a mess from the dog hair. We are thinking about getting new carpet in a darker color. Hope your pinched nerve gets better soon. Being in pain all the time can make one cranky!!
Cat59

possumlady said...

Hey Cat59! Good to hear from you.

Glad you liked the photo of
Greybeard. I forgot to mention that the little pink thing he is laying on is called a Catnip Body Pillow! The cats all love it as it has catnip sewn into it at both ends. It is long enough for them to grab ahold of and give it good rabbit kicks. Unfortunately, I have had to throw away the pink one (I bought three) because...you guessed it.... Greybeard peed on it!!

Anonymous said...

That's too much! You were a saint with Greybeard. He was lucky to have you.
Cat59

Ramblings of a Villas Girl said...

Hi Christine! I know this is a week late, but I hope this finds you feeling better. Have you been doing your exercises for you neck & shoulders?

I hope that the police caught the guy. It is scary when you live alone and something like this happens. Just make sure your doors and windows are locked and your phone at the ready.

Are your kitties done with the newest of the rug? It is a very beautiful rug by the way. With or without cat hair.

Greybeard was a very lucky cat to have found you. What a beautiful quote and how true it is. Lisa

possumlady said...

Hi Lisa. Thanks for the kind words. Yes, my neck is slowly feeling better. They have yet to catch the guy I saw and more cars have been broken into in the last week but the police assure us that they have stepped up patrols of both police cars and unmarked police cars. I'm not holding my breath though.

Dog_geek said...

I just went back to get Greybeard's story, and it brought a tear to my eye. I'm so glad that he was able to spend his golden years safe and loved. Cats are so funny when they make a decision about something - clearly once he decided to put his trust in you, he never looked back.

Margaret Cloud said...

Your post is amazing, you have a big heart and I am sure your cats know they are loved, I would of been scared of that man to, glad you called the police.