Moving Forward

Yesterday started off a little crazy at work, with several new patients coming in from the ER, but slowed down as the day drew to a close. I'm glad we only had two providers yesterday (I had thought we were only going to have one, but the doctor maddest in after morning surgery), because if we'd had all three, it would've been a really hectic day.

We only have two providers again today, so I may not have to do x-ray. That would be good, as I can continue to work ahead and get every little thing done before I take off a few days for Spring Break. It'll be nice to go down to see James and relax and have fun for a few days. Joe also wants to go down to see James (and bring a friend) the weekend the Saturday and Sunday before he leaves for CA, so we'll probably do that, too. James said there are a few of the escape places down there, so we'll probably do one of those.

I hear Aidan laughing up in her room right now. It's 5:00 am. Lol, how odd that she's awake this early, lol.

You know what bothers me about Trump? Well, besides everything? I don't know how he can deny climate change and global warming. It's just crazy. And what the heck is wrong with his brain? And who gives him his facts? Bozo the Clown? Or the neighborhood ice cream man? And really? He didn't think to check his facts before he said he got the most electoral college votes since Reagan? LOL.

He really must be making SNL gleeful, because their skits are soo easy to write right now.

And why are his supporters so silent? Where'd they go?

Oh, this meme has nothing to do with what I'm talking about, but it made me laugh really hard.

Reminds me of this time when... Lol...won't go there. :)

I gotta change the subject...on the news just now, they said that SpaceX is hoping to send the first two private citizens around the moon next year. The two people have not yet been identified, but reached out to SpaceX and probably payed a pretty penny to orchestrate their suicide.

It'd be great if the mission is successful and I really hope it is...but I have friends who work for SpaceX, and I'm pretty sure the rockets are not space-worthy enough (well, maybe they're space worthy, but landing them safely back on Earth seems to be the problem) to haul a couple passengers for a joyride around the moon. I mean, the rockets they plan to use for this haven't even been tested yet!

You can find see a news article about the trip around the moon HERE.

However, I do wish SpaceX huge success. And I hope our first space tourists have an amazing adventure and return to tell us about it.

Well, wow...it's already time to get ready for work...mornings fly by sometimes!

The Missing Terribles

James came over this weekend, and arrived Saturday evening (he has to work most Saturdays). When he got here, we went out to the living room to see the kittens, but they were...gone. Apparently, the Momma cat had moved them in the last hour or so, because I'd seen them then, sleeping. So, we started searching. Upstairs, in the disaster area of Aidan's room, and the entire downstairs yielded no kittens. We had no clue where they could be.

Then James said, "Wouldn't it be funny if they were in there?" And he pointed to this:

We walk over and I peek in, and see this:

We started laughing, trying to imagine how the Momma got them down in there. We figured that now that the Terribles are starting to wander, the Momma Terrible decided to put them somewhere where she could keep an eye on them.

So we pulled them back out, two by two, and put them back on their blanket. Here's a couple recent pics of how cutely alien they look.

Anyway, we had a nice weekend...even though we didn't do much but watch movies and eat and play with kittens.

James just left a few minutes ago to get home in time to meet the pool guy. And of course, I have to go to work, but it should be a relatively easy day. I think we only have one provider in the office today, so that'll let me work ahead on surgery stuff.

Joe is going to California for Spring Break, so I want to take advantage of some off time and go down to James's house for a long weekend while Joe's gone. Hopefully, I can work far enough ahead to make getting the time off easier.

Not much else is going on Things are going pretty smoothly and I'm pretty dang happy. I haven't thought too much about the chase lately--there are many, many things more important than that. But I imagine I'll go through my usual ebb and flows of chase stuff.

I did scan over the newest SB at Dal's and looks like the poem purist theory has been shattered to pieces. Of course, I knew all along you could solve the poem from home, and it's obvious you have to  actually go BOTG to find/retrieve it. I wonder how the poem purist's will try to rationalize this new blow to their flawed theory?

It doesn't really matter, though. I feel sorry for those who live, eat, and breathe the chase. It's a fun hobby, and it's fun to get outside and hike, and it's a fun puzzle. But it's not life or death. It's not my all in all or my everything.

Life is a wonderland--every aspect of it, and balance is key to enjoying it. Don't let anything consume you, and you'll be more easily contented. It's a great feeling, contentment. :)

The Joy of Friday

Fridays. Oh, I love Fridays. Things are relaxed at work (usually) on Fridays. Fridays we close the office at noon.

Fridays, after work, I stop by the grocery store and get a big rotisserie chicken, then come home and make a chicken and rice casserole. I use medium grain rice, which is fluffy and delicious, and cream of chicken soup. I bake it in the oven and it's just so delicious, I could eat it forever.

I also bring delicious doughnuts to work on Fridays. It helps to lighten the mood even more, and I love a good Friday doughnut.

Fridays, I wrap up anything I didn't get to do during the week, and that makes Fridays even more satisfying.

Sometimes I even take a nap on Fridays when I get home, and that's very nice, too.

And now I love Fridays even more, because I can look forward to James on the weekends. This weekend, he's coming here (tomorrow after he gets off work), and we'll work on the house a little.

What I find creepy is ice cream truck drivers. When I was a kid, I used to love the sound of the ice cream truck, with it's wavering siren call of "Pop! Goes the Weasel." Whenever the kids on the street heard it, no matter what they were  doing, they'd drop everything and scramble inside the house for any loose change that was lying around. And if their parents were easily accessible, they'd cry out , "The ice cream man! Momma, hurry! I need fifty cents!" And then bounce up and down like they had to pee with their hands out.

I usually got one of those rainbow snow cone things, even though, unlike Fridays, they weren't very satisfying. I'd suck the red and blue juice out as best I could without touching the yellow or green, then toss the chunk of rock hard ice in the sink.

When I was a kid I thought the ice cream man was a nice kind of Mr. Rogers-type guy. My memory of him is sorta like this:

But as times changed, the ice cream man grew creepier and creepier. When my kids heard the ice cream truck when we lived in a gated community in Albuquerque, they'd do the scramble-for-money thing, but I would wonder how the guy knew the gate code, and follow the kids out to keep an eye on them while they made their purchases.

But now, creepy ice cream men seem to abound, and they, thanks to guys like this, can't be trusted to be the innocent bringing of joy they once were.

And now, even Satan, in creepy clown disguise, has invested in the ice cream truck business.

It's sad how this nostalgic memory has been perverted into an accessory to crime and nightmares.

But what's sadder, and creepier, is that it appears many of these ice cream truck drivers, complete in creepy clown disguises, have added "treasure hunter" to their resumes.

I don't buy my ice cream from creepy clowns. Maybe Gucci should start selling ice cream. But why buy Gucci when Wal Mart sells Haagen Das?

That's a little scoop of heaven right there..or I guess maybe three scoops.

Oh, I will say something good about one ice cream man today. You remember Ron Weasley from Harry Potter? He bought his own ice cream truck, and drives it around giving free ice cream and lollipops to kids. Before his rocket to stardom, he wanted to be an ice cream man. Now, he's the ultimate ice cream man. Go, Ron Weasley!

Well, that's my Friday blog about nothing in particular. Have a great day! :)

The Photoshop Thing

So, Forrest put out a new featured question saying he's never PhotoShopped anything. Remember, people, PhotoShop is a BRAND. And I believe I've recently corrected myself when it came to using the term. I said his photos and drawings were MANIPULATED, not Photoshopped. It's all in calling a tail a leg. LOL.

The answer was another "non-answer." Why can't someone use a term that precludes ambiguity? "Forrest, have you drawn on, altered, or manipulated photos and drawings in ANY way?" THAT'S the question I want answered.

Here's what I posted recently...so, you see, FF was CONFIRMING what I've said. See comment #25, posted on February 6th.

http://www.chasechat.com/showthread.php?tid=6925&page=3&highlight=manipulate

All right, since that's resolved, I'll leave that pretty much worthless answer from FF behind.

Today is looking to be pretty busy at work, but it's all good, since I slept well last night. Anyway, time to get ready for the day!

The Greatest Fear

I've gotta admit, it's nice when the greatest fear in life at the moment is whether James will take one look at the terrible miniature cats and decide he wants one. I may hide them when he comes over this weekend.

They're sorta funny, in a terrible little way. They sleep in a little cluster, spread all out and tangled around one another like a loaf of monkey bread. And they always seem to be in the same cluster, in the same positions, which is sorta creepy. Sometimes, something comes over me (probably part of their evil magic) and I go over and watch them sleep. And that same sinister magic compels me to reach out and pet them, which gets them all squirming and opening their huge, alien-like eyes.

One of them is terrible in it's cuteness. He or she uses it in the most evil way by looking at me and shakily crawling toward me. Then when I pet it, it flops over and exposes it's belly, which likes to be pet. Then it'll do that stretchy thing with it's  claws and it's just so tiny I can't help but forget that it will grow into a terrible cat.

I am much stronger than James in my dislike of cats, so I fear he will be fooled by their temporary smallness and cuteness.

I should probably hide them. In the lake. (JUST KIDDING.)

Other news: Last night was a non-sleep night. It sorta stunk to be woken up by the Momma Cat purring into my hair and kneading my head at 2:00 am.

I was looking through my phone at pics from the weekend, and found one that must perplex the aliens that some people believe visit our planet.

Yes, apparently an RV is not enough...you must also have a magic carpet to carry you in your RV. Maybe because RV's tend to break down a lot. Or when old people buy them, they find out they aren't so easy to drive and need a magic carpet to help them out.

Wouldn't that be fun--to ride in an RV on a magic carpet? You could go into the fridge and make a sandwich, and surf the internet, and paint your toenails, and pet little awful kittens, and take a nap while the magic carpet whisks you away to your destination...which would be off the edge of a cliff, because magic carpets aren't real.

But this sky is real...I found this awesome pic in my phone, too...sorta reminds me of hope.

And this is another one in my phone:

Well, that's all I got today...life is good. :)

Feels like Monday...

What a great weekend...

I woke up still happy...I think it's very close to giving my three months notice to my work and landlord, which means I have to kick it up a notch sell, give, or throw away almost everything I own. Lol.

I am very blessed...I love so much about him...like how he's not afraid to use emoji's...after every single text...lol

Can anyone guess why I answered "7?" :)

Anyway, I love seeing those emojis throughout the day, and even more, the special words that precede them.

But I've got to phase back into work mode and concentrate on helping people today. And I've got to devote at least an hour after work every day to sorting through the stuff I've collected over the last 30 plus years and the stuff my mom had collected (mostly clothes) over the last ten years or so.

I should be in pretty good shape to move in a few months...and I'll try to get a part time job when I move, so I can devote more time to our business and the kids as they transition to college. Aidan wants to move down with us if she can get a good job down there, and an apartment. She's itching to break free of the family home and live on her own. I'm good with that, as long as she takes the cats. Lol. I'm glad she wants to be near me. She's an amazing kid. And Callie will also be with us. :)

Joe is also eager to move. But a little torn about leaving his friends. However, his friends go to another school , and he rarely sees them in person, anyway...the days of going over to another kid's house to play are becoming a thing of the past. Now they all hang out online, where they play games together and talk via headset. I didn't like it at first, but it's one of those things that go with the times.

Even when they do come over to our house, it looks like this:

It'll be good when we move because Joe likes to hang out with James and they share a lot of interest, like telescopes, drones, and nerd stuff. James has this little globe that floats via magnetism. Joe loves this kind of stuff.

Anyway, I knew the right guy was out there, somewhere, but was beginning to wonder if I'd ever found him. I'm so glad I did...or rather, he found me...and I'm so glad he did.

It takes me a while to warm up to people, and this weekend I think I finally realized how wonderful a gem I've been blessed with. Everyone's been telling me how great he is, and I knew he was, but the hurt and betrayal my family suffered at the hands of my ex left a lasting impression and manifested itself by an invisible wall I'd built around myself, and my kids. I would do anything to prevent them from experiencing that kind of hurt again.

But I trust James; that man would never knowingly hurt a soul, and that makes him very, very special.

Well, I guess I gotta get ready for work...

The BEST and Most Amazing Weekend...

After work Friday, I headed down to James's house, and it turned out to be an AWESOME weekend. We hardly spoke about the chase at all, and didn't read any of the forums or blogs, and it was, like I said, awesome. For those of you who live, eat, and breathe Forrest Fenn and this treasure hunt, I say stop...take time and enjoy your loved ones. Don't look at the forums for a weekend, and just concentrate on pleasing your significant other.

That's what we did, and it was awesome..I'll say that over and over!

Here's me--on my way to James's, not even taking the time to change out of my scrubs before I hit the road:

As I grew close to James's house, the sun was beginning to set. It was like a premonition of the beautiful weekend in store for us...

Friday night, we went out for dinner at a little Italian place, and I remember looking into James's eyes and just seeing this amazingly sweet heart.

Saturday, we spent the morning assembling furniture and nearly killing each other with clumsiness. Then, we went to see a movie and had dinner brought to our theater seats. We held hands, not feeling the slightest bit of impending doom. It was so much fun. And the food came in a little box, and it was indeed "YUM." But not more YUM than my date...

On Sunday, we woke up a little early and did some business related things, then decided to go for a swim in his pool. It was awesome. His pool is solar heated, so it was a little chilly getting in at first, but not nearly as cold as you would expect for the middle of February. We acted like kids for a while, splashing and dunking and other stuff, then got out to dry off in the sun...it was awesome. We didn't talk much, but we kept in constant communication...it was awesome. Lol...

Then we finished our Italian leftovers for lunch, and did some other stuff, and then James set up his telescope while I secretly admired his athletic form from the upstairs balcony. Too late, I thought of my prank to sprinkle water on him during one of his many trips back and forth below me from the telescope in the backyard and into the kitchen. I was ready and waiting for him to return outside via the path directly below me when...he didn't come out. I went downstairs to see where he was and found him as he was about to ascend the stairs to check on me. I was foiled...

But I did get the sneak on him when he went to use the restroom and I snuck out of the room at night. I hid in the theater room, in the darkness and in plain sight as he roamed back and forth looking for me and laughing. Finally I started knocking on the wall, and he eventually looked my way...

As we waited for night to fall Sunday, we played a few rounds of high stakes pool...and it was awesome. I didn't do too terribly, and I think each game I was down to one ball left when he would win, sinking the 8 ball like the champ that he is...

When it was dark, we went out back and admired the perfect star-laden skyscape. We focused James's Meade telescope with 12 in mirror/lens on Venus, and I was in awe. I never realized Venus had phases just like the moon, and we glimpsed Venus in its crescent phase. James tried to capture a pic on his phone, but couldn't. He said he was going to get the camera attachment soon. He showed me this pic of the moon he'd taken once before. Amazing!

Here's me in a shirt I found in James's closet, so I stole it. It's so comfy and when James saw me in it, he laughed and said I looked like a jailbird. I told him something probably really dorky then, but I don't care. With James, I can be my total geeky nerd-self and he still loves me...lol...

Anyway, we had absolutely the most amazing weekend. James is one in a billion...so caring and sweet, and we get along so wonderfully well that I can't imagine life without him. I'm proud to be his girlfriend, and I want the world to know how amazing he is. He could live as hobo on a train, and I'd adore him all the more... I would give my life for that amazing man in a heartbeat. No one can cheapen what we have, no matter how hard they try.

This is the real deal, and I am blessed beyond belief!

Let's talk about legends...

Wolf initiated an interesting set of predictions on ChaseChat yesterday. I agree with most of his predictions, which you can find HERE.

It caused a lot of talk, both on ChaseChat and some other blog known mostly for it's lies and haters.

For the record, I think Stephanie is doing a great job weeding out the multiple negative personalities on ChaseChat, making it a more user-friendly forum. I never had a problem with the moderation on Dal's (I just liked ChaseChat's format better, as it's easier to read and keep up than endlessly scrolling on Dal's), and some moderation is needed on ChaseChat when trolls just can't stay away. I think it won't be long before we see ChaseChat reappear as a link on Forrest's Old Santa Fe website.

Anyway, it made me think about boldness, and carving new trails. Chuck Yeager carved new trails in the sky, and Forrest, like Lewis and Clark and the early explorers like Coronado, carved new trails in the wilderness, forever leaving their footprints for those with an interest to find them.

And so are we, when we go "off trail" and explore places where man has not walked in a long time. We, the searchers who take the road less traveled by, are carving new trails as we search...trails that one day, future generations may follow, too.

In a way, that's how legends and legacies are created, aren't they?

And speaking of legends, how are they created?

Often, by talk. Lots of talk. People create legends when they talk, and talk, and talk. If certain people are the subject of every conversation, they never fade into irrelevancy. I never talk about "bubble top" Reeboks sneakers--they went out in the 80's. No one talks about them. They're irrelevant. I guess the point is, if you don't care, certain subjects bore you, and you just don't talk about them.

And then there's the whole concept of the golden rule...if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

What amazes me sometimes is that I'm still important enough to be trending in every conversation on certain blogs. And as long as I'm trending, I'm relevant. What's hilarious is that the people saying I'm irrelevant are the ones talking about me the most.

How contradictory.

Okay, back to Wolf. I'm glad he stepped out of his "political correctness," and posted a bold statement. He's a smart guy, and if I don't find the treasure, he probably will. Of course, like most bold and confident searchers, people either love him or hate him. I think he's an original thinker, and we share a lot of theories about how F's poem works.

Of course, someone made the statement that Wolf "attacked" mdavis, who can't defend himself on ChaseChat. How duplicitous is that? I can't defend myself on the hater's blog, yet am lied about and attacked every day (not that I care, because the attacks are not only lies, but laughable lies). How is that any different? And I'm sure if Wolf posted on the hater's blog, he'd also be quickly banned.

And how duplicitous is giving kudos to someone for getting under someone else's skin enough to provoke a response? I must deserve a LOT of kudos, because everything I say provokes a response. My posts are cut and pasted all over certain blogs. No doubt my blog today will provoke a response! Kudos to me! LOL. I bet this blog post gets about 5 or so pages of response on a certain hate blog--watch and see!

Anyway, why are they so scared? Are they afraid that by allowing us to post on their blog, they wouldn't get away with so many lies? Are they afraid of losing even more arguments than they had on ChaseChat? Are they afraid I might get them banned on their own blog? LOL. And no, that was NOT an admission that I played ANY part in getting ANYONE banned. I didn't have a say in who was banned or who will be banned in the future. Stephanie simply wants to kick the trash to the curb and get her forum cleaned up from the trolls who use multiple screen names to attack others.

Mdavis has a blog--he can use that to defend himself if he wants, just like I have this blog to defend myself when I feel the urge. It's not my fault, or Wolf's, that no one reads the mdavis blog.

Since we're talking abut making legends, I say...keep on keeping me relevant...the more you talk, the more my legend will be cemented in the sands of time. Every legend has it's detractors, and it appears Wolf and I are no different. But when the Fenn treasure becomes a legend, I am sure to become one as well, as long as people continue to talk...and those who desire to know the truth, will find it.

Woo whee, what fun this has been. I've gotta get ready for work, then I'm heading to James's for a movie tonight and art showed looking at the Q7 tomorrow. It'll be a fun weekend full of smiles. :)

Looking Forward, Ever Forward

So the last couple days after work I've been attacking the clutter in my house, and Joe and I did a walk through of his room, deciding what to keep, sell, give to charity or toss to the curb. I feel like we're making very slow progress, but any progress is better than no progress.

I'm looking forward to going to James's house this weekend, but not looking forward to the 4 1/2 hour drive there and back. Lol. I'm thinking about asking for Monday off because James has a three day weekend.

Things are good. Really good. Everything is coming together for the new business. James is going to help me fill out the paperwork to fix the name this weekend. We're planning on checking out some estate sales, and I've spent time researching the various types of collectibles we want to focus on. The trick is finding a good deal, and I've found that if I search more vague descriptions on eBay, like instead of searching for "Thomas Moran painting, " if I search for "early western painters or paintings," the gems are more likely to pop up. Someone listing an "ORIGINAL THOMAS MORAN" in all caps likely knows what they're selling, and the price may not be that great a deal.

We have a few Fenn items, and a couple of items from the Buffalo Bill Gallery from when FF was a more active member. We have stumbled on what FF really meant when he said "Sosoko is here," in TFTW. Very interesting to say the least!

We also have some things that will sell well in the Florida market, like an original Highwayman painting that I like so much I want to keep, but I got it for such a good deal that I could make a nice profit on it. James wants to buy a few Chuhily glass things to sell down here, because the name is big in Seattle, and the glasswork is so original and beautiful that Florida buyers would probably gobble them up.

I didn't realize the glasswork at the Bellagio in Las Vegas was a Chuhily creation.

So, we're gaining some inventory, and hopefully will have a web gallery soon...

Today, I've gotta pull double duty at work since my boss is taking the day off, but I'm ready!

Midway

I'm tired...

But it's Wednesday, and things should be relatively easy today at work. Yesterday was hectic. I think we had more broken bones yesterday than we've had in a while. In fact, we're scheduling more surgeries than ever, and my boss and I can hardly keep up.

But it's all good. I'm part of a greta team.

I'm going to James's house this weekend, I think...that should be fun...

But today, I'm pretty wiped out and am hoping the kids do some cleaning around here so I can relax when I get home...

Oh, and I'm not going to participate in the raffle for "poopy money" on Dal's site. I'm just not comfortable after some have questioned the legality of it. I'm all for donating to charity, but I don't feel comfortable with this, and not sure why. Just not a good feeling, I guess.

Naples Weekend

So, Joe and I went to James's new home for the weekend. We had a great time, and the 4.5 hour drive, once we made it through I-4 rush hour, was not too bad.

Once we arrived, we had the grand tour, and I was impressed. It's a beautiful home, and by the time it was time to head back to New Smyrna Beach, I didn't want to leave. His home is full of natural light, and large sliding doors that lead out to the pool area to give it an airy, open feel.

This is a pic from the Master Bedroom:

Here's a short video I did the next morning:

Joe got to pick out "his" room, and he chose the one I thought he would--the downstairs bedroom at the end of the hall that offered lots of privacy, and a little nook where he could set up his computer center.

We were pretty tired after working and driving all day, so we didn't stay up too late. The next morning, while Joe slept in, James worked on getting the sprinkler system working, and I set up the "theater room." The prior owners had left all their movie posters and I was delighted to see many of my favorites on the wall. James bought a 4K curved TV before he moved, and that thing is super awesome.

I predict this is the room we will hang out the most in...and yes, we'll do something with the wires, possibly wall mount the TV...

After Joe woke up and we had breakfast on the patio, we drove into town for some necessities, like some filet mignon and chicken to bbq by the pool later that night. We also went to an outdoor mall and had ice cream and macarons. I think I saw more Maserati's in the parking garage than I've ever seen in one place. But maybe the coolest car was this BMW. Never seen one like it!

Speaking of cars, James and I decided against the Dodge Hellcat. Instead, since we are new business owners and have to project a certain image, we decided to look at Audi. I don't know for sure if that's what we'll get, but we're looking at that type of car now. James likes them, and I think they're nice too.

After the mall, we decided to head to Big Lots (I know--the Wal Mart of HodgePodge) to see if there were any already assembled desks that would fit in the nook for Joe's room. On the way, Joe spotted a two story Barnes and Noble, so we had to stop. We picked out a family-type trivia board game for ages 15 and up to play later.

Then Joe started to feel a little carsick, so we turned around and headed back to the house, butstopped by Target for dinner fixins and a small poster board and markers for a school project Joe had to work on.

When we got back, we went upstairs and watched some 4K nature stuff on the TV while playing our new game. I won but it was a close game. Joe technically won because he got the 20 chips needed to win first, but we extended the game to 25. James had led the game at many times, but I'm too competitive to let him win. Lol. He made up for that by skunking me in a game of pool, later. Well, the first game he skunked me, sinking the 8 ball before I could even get three in. The second game, we were each down to the 8 ball, and my shot was set up perfectly, and I sunk it easily....along with the cue ball. Lol. So, James won again.

I also got to teach Joe how to play pool (he's never played), and I think he'll be good at it.

James had received an Amazon Alexa gadget for a housewarming gift from the realtor, and we all had fun playing with that. For the pool games, we had Alexa play different kinds of music. I was impressed with the sound quality.

While we played pool, the BBQ grill was fired up, and we made teriyaki bbq chicken and filet. It turned out yummy. We also had rolls and corn on the cob, which Joe loves.

We'd picked up a basketball for the hoop in the front yard, but by the time dinner was over, it was getting dark, so we went back upstairs and watched YouTube videos while Joe worked on his project.

The day went by too fast...

The next morning, we woke up, had breakfast by the pool, then walked a few houses down to the community pool and gym. The neighborhood also had tennis and basketball courts, and the gym was really impressive.

When can I move? I really didn't want to leave, but I still had to do laundry for work the next day, and Joe had more homework. So, we said our goodbyes and drove home. Joe REALLY enjoyed the weekend and wants to invite a friend to come with us next time.

Before I move, I'll have to give three months notice to work and to my landlord, and get rid of nearly everything in my house. That's gonna take some time...and I'll have to help Aidan either get a new apartment (she was going to move out this month, but that fell through), or help her get established at a new job in Naples. There's still a chance she might take a job in Arkansas, too.

And I'd have to have at least a part-time job lined up in Naples, too. I could work full time on our business, but it will take time to make enough profit to do so, I think. We're looking at our options...

Anyway, it was a great weekend, with great warm weather, and great company. It felt like we were a family, and I've missed that feeling. I'm hoping Callie will also move back in the summer...

But, it's back to work today, so I've got to switch out of daydreaming mode and get focused. Lol. Oh, and here's a picture of the Terrible Kits...

Tiny Terribles Have Arrived

SO, Terrible, Aidan's cat that's really still just a kitten, HAD KITTENS OF HER OWN YESTERDAY.

I'd noticed she was fat, and even thought she looked pregnant, but I just didn't see how it was possible, because she's a house cat, and our other cat, Zuri the Tolerable, is also a female (spayed, thank God).

Well, it turns out that one night when Terrible was in heat (Aidan was actually planning to get her spayed that week, but for some reason didn't), Aidan put her in the garbage for a few hours in the early morning so she could sleep.

It turns out the garage wasn't all the way shut, and Terrible must've squoze her little freakishly flexible body under the 4 inch gap.

And found a male cat happening to be wandering around our nearly outdoor cat-less neighborhood. I guess the stars aligned for love that night, and yesterday we welcomed FOUR tiny Terribles into the house.

Aidan called me at work, with an edge of panic in her voice:

Aidan: Momma! Trappy is having her kittens! What do I do? OMG OMG OMG!
Me: Stay calm, lol. Where is she having them? (I'm imaging right in the center of my bed, out of spite for calling her Terrible)
Aidan: On Monet's pee pad (Monet is pee pad and outdoor trained, but has stayed away from them and having occasional accidents on the tile floor as Terrible seemed to be making a nest there). I wonder if Terrible had somehow communicated to Monet that she had claimed that spot to have her kitkats.
Me: How many?
Aidan: Just one so far.

Well, four or five hours later, there were four kittens.

Last night, before I went to bed, I went to check out the little terrible things. They're so tiny are weird. I rubbed Terrible's tummy, because Karen at work said that she had a friend that said cats can sometimes give birth to another last kitten up to 24 hours after.

I felt another kitten in there, but it wasn't moving. I'm afraid it may be dead...so I haven't really looked into what needs to be done about that, but it hasn't been 24 hours yet, so I'll wait a little longer.

Sometime around midnight, Aidan came in my room, almost frantic with worry.

Aidan: Trappy is in my room, away from the kittens and trying to sleep with me.
Me: It's your terrible cat. Figure it out (I didn't really say that. What I did say was: So, move them all into your room).
Aidan: Okay.

So, Aidan carried the blanket I'd provided and carried them up to her room.

At 4:00 am, I heard this awful mewling noise that sound like a tiny cow lowing in spurts. Muaw, muaw, squeak, maw.

Despite the grating sound, it served as an alarm, because I was still sleeping. I got up and noticed Terrible had a kitten in her mouth, in my room, and was trying to squeeze into my closet.

"Oh, no you don't," I said and picked them up and gave them a gentle shove out my door before closing it. So Terrible took it back up the stairs. Lol.

However, I know Aidan will go into my room after I go to work to "borrow" something like my shampoo or a tee shirt or a host of other things (I have to constantly buy bags of socks, because she constantly "borrows" mine, and they're never seen again.

And she will leave my bedroom door open, and when I get home today, I have a feeling there will be kittens in there.

So, anyway, Aidan has a big job on her hands to find homes for these things. And she's moving into her own apartment on the 15th, so I hopes knows she's taking the Terrible Family with her. Lol.

According to her FB post, she's named them.

But on second thought, maybe their names should be Kabob, Sushi, Fried Chicken, and Cake, because that's what the hawks would call them before they swoop down and pluck them from the side of the road. KIDDING...I'd never do that.

The whole cat thing reminded me of this coloring book I almost bought for James, because he actually loves cats.

Anyway, that's the big news here. I guess Aidan has already found homes for 3 of the kittens, so that's good.

At work, reps have been bringing me and Karen candy. I got this yummy thing (now eaten) yesterday:

And here's a pretty Florida sunrise from just a few days ago.