Friday, December 29, 2017

Roses That Sing

"Maybe there's a whole other universe where a square moon rises in the sky, and the stars laugh in cold voices, and some of the triangles have four sides, and some have five, and some have five raised to the fifth power of sides. In this universe there might grow roses which sing. Everything leads to everything."

~Stephen King

"IT"


Alan bought us some roses for Christmas! They weren't just for me, they were for Hendrix too! Hendrix has always loved the taste of roses, and in fact, cries for them if he sees them anywhere in his line of sight! It all started one day, when we were living in the cottage in Berkeley. I had a rose garden, surrounding a Japanese Maple tree. There were roses of every color! Of all of the different kinds, I think my favorites were the white ones, followed closely by the Hot Cocoa roses. As it turns out, the white ones were his favorite too, because one day he decided to take a big bite... CHOMP... of the prettiest white rose in the garden! He ate those petals with such glee, that it was hard not to laugh, even though I had spent the better part of a year, caring and shaping them!




 I checked with several online sources to see if he was in any danger from that big bite he took, and as it turned out, roses are not one of the flowers that are fatal to cats. That was a huge relief! So, from time to time, we buy him some roses, and let them dry slightly, so he gets to eat them like potato chips. Taking that big bite was all it took, for him to form a lifetime taste for rose petals, which he now eats like potato chips! He only gets 3 petals every few days, as I can't go out and buy them as often as I would like to, but watching my little cat enjoy them over Christmas, has inspired me to put more thought into getting him a rose bush this spring!

He loves them so much, that's not a lot to ask for, considering how well he takes care of us! I only use organic soil and plant food, so he never gets exposed to anything that might harm him. I don't know for sure what type of rose I might get, perhaps I will try a new one, but my goodness, I sure do miss the Hot Cocoa roses, and truth be told, I miss all the varieties that I had in my garden. But there was a pumpkin colored rose that I had always wanted, but could never find, maybe this is the year to search for it! Regardless, I know my little boy will be happy with any rose I choose!

From The Archives
My Rose Garden

Apricot Nectar
Hot Cocoa


 Mood: Happy
~Me :)

Thursday, December 28, 2017

The Cold Hard Truth


"You start with a darkness to move through, 
but sometimes the darkness moves through you."

~Dean Young

True Story...

One time, way back in the late 80's, I dated a man who wasn't right for me, but I was head over heals in love, or so I thought, so nothing was going to sway me. He was a minister, and a republican, and I thought we could face it all, and still be true to ourselves. OH. MY. GOD. How naive was that? My father, the great progressive that he was, told me, "you'll change your mind about him" and sure enough, Dad was right! It only took the guy's mother, deliberately giving me, and everyone else at the dinner, including my future husband, Alan, food poisoning, to make me wise up!

 I felt so much better when I finished purging, not just the under-cooked turkey dinner she made us, but the man as well. See, his mother would poison every girl who dated her little boy, just to find out who had the "strength" to conquer adversity. The lady he finally married told me, that she had been poisoned as well, with some bad clam chowder his mother served her, but she married him anyway, because, as it turns out, she was strong enough to deal with not just the motherly stress test, but she was a republican, and she understood what kind of strength it took to be the wife of a minister!

 How could dad have been so right? How did dad know that guy wasn't right for me? In any case his family wasn't right for me, and his being a republican, really wasn't going to be right for me! And all it took for me to see the light, was 24 hours of vomiting, and finally realizing my dad had been right all along! It was a hell of a thing to have to admit to, but I wouldn't change the circumstances for anything! It was the cold, hard truth, that I probably knew all along, deep down, that I needed to deal with! Dad was very good about buying me all the ginger ale I needed and not laughing out loud at me, when I admitted to him, that he was right.

 Alan and I began dating 3 months later, and we were married about 2 years after that! Here we are, after 27 years of marriage, and we are not only still in love, but we exchange love texts several times a day! I married the right man! And in our 27 years of marriage, not only has his mother never given me food poisoning, but she understood when Alan saw the light, and became a progressive! I wonder if dad saw that coming too? He was very happy when he found out we were getting married, so I still wonder if he knew Alan and I were in love before we did! Unfortunately, I never asked him, but somehow I think he did.

All those memories came back to me the other day, when I saw this funny little snow machine, at the Sacramento Holiday Ice Rink. It's funny how it all became a cherished memory. You wouldn't think that it be something one would want to ever think about again, but that is one of my best memories of my dad. That was when I learned my dad was pretty damned smart, and he had a wonderful sense of humor, especially when he was going through a difficult time. So I think he would have loved this little snow machine, as much as I did, because he probably has a memory of a time when his father had been 100% right about a particular life experience too! I just hope dad's memory didn't involve 24 hours of vomiting to come to his senses!

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Holiday Leftovers

"What happens when you pray for an angel
 and get a vampire instead?"

~R.E. Mullins

I have always loved that quote! It kinda celebrates
 Halloween and Christmas in one shot!
 Tis the season!

Capitol Christmas Tree
Sacramento, California
December 23rd, 2017

New Year's Day is still a few days off, so I think it's okay to finish up the season by showing a few more holiday sights from here in the Central Valley and Sacramento. This is the Capitol Christmas tree, that usually goes up around Thanksgiving, and disappears sometime just after the start of the year, like in most towns I guess.  Sacramento actually has two holiday trees, this one, and one in Old Sacramento, which is traditionally lit on Black Friday! Of the two trees, I think the one in front of the capitol is my favorite! The lights seem more calming and nostalgic to me. Shrug. I guess holiday decorations are in the eyes of the beholder!

Christmas Tree
Old Sacramento
December 23rd, 2017

 

Mood: Happy
~Me :)

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Wintumn

"There is October in every November and there is November in every December! All seasons melted in each other's life."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

Alan and I took a ride up to Sacramento last week, and on the way there, I was lucky enough to find some autumn leaves still clinging to the trees! It was very late in the day, on December 23rd, and the sun was obscured by just enough bluish clouds to make a coat necessary, the lighting outside breathtaking! A rare occurrence in the Central Valley! It sometimes feels like the seasons here, turn on a flip of a switch! They don't seem to move in gradual motions from one season to the next, like in the Bay Area, so I guess I imagined that all the trees would look like stick skeletons, and all signs that 2017 even had an autumn would be gone, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't the case.

Winter is being kind this year. It's taking it's time this year, rather than hitting me over the head with frost, and bone chilling cold. While some trees were beautifully bare, other trees seemed to be defiant of winter's intrusion. I suppose they will give up their leaves eventually, but for now I have scenes like these, to keep my daydreams of a perpetual autumn, to keep me alive! And with any luck, maybe we will have another year like 2012, when I could still find autumn leaves, next to trees with beautiful apple and Quince blossoms, side by side! I would really love that! Another 2012 would be nice!



"Live in moments that consume your heart and mind,
 but be distracted by the music from the leaves,
 birds, wind, rain, sun and people."

~Val Uchendu

Live. In. The. Moments. That. Consume. Your. Soul.




Mood: Quiet/Happy
 ~Me


Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas


"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

~Norman Vincent Peale

From Our House To Yours...

Merry Christmas!

Mood: HAPPY
~Me :) 

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Magical Little Gifts



"The Christmas spirit
whispers softly in my ear
to be of good cheer."

~Richelle E Goodrich
 Being Bold


It wouldn't be Christmas eve, without a video of my little furball's, annual Elf Yourself video! They're adorable, aren't they? But I'm their mommy, so of course I think so, but the thing is, I know if they were human little boys, they would be the best players at their school concerts, I mean just look at them, they never miss chance to be adorable, and talented, and just the happiest little people! Dylan is one of those cats, that believes everything has to be just so. Hendrix takes care of his brothers, and Joey tries really hard to be a good child. If he thinks we are mad, or disappointed, in him, he does everything he can to fix his naughty behavior.

 I guess that goes back to the fact that he was discarded, when he was a baby. Someone gave up on him, which is very sad, because they threw away a sweet, intelligent, and considerate kitty! I wish they could know, what a wonder gift Joey has been. We got Hendrix, on October 29th, 2008, Dylan, on November 10th, 2008, and Joey on November 30th, 2013, so they all came along on holidays, in autumn, Halloween, The Presidential Election of Barack Obama, and Thanksgiving weekend, and they are my little autumn treasures! Good things always seem to happen for us in autumn, but with the sweet comes the bitter... we lost our Elvis just a few weeks before we adopted Hendrix. But deep down, I have always felt like he personally chose who would look over us, the way he did. I can see it clearly, Elvis told Hendrix it was time to go and take care of us, because, without him, we would need a little extra help.

Dylan and Hendrix did a very good job of filling our little cottage with love and laughter, but when Joey was thrown out, by his previous family, Elvis told him, about a family that would always have room in their hearts, for little cats who need a little extra help and a little extra love. And we haven't had a loveless day in our lives since! Hendrix and Joey became friends immediately, and Dylan, who wasn't thrilled there was a Joey, came around after a while, because Joey showed him that he knew his place, and he wasn't trying to steal our love away, now Dylan has a cuddle pal, and is less jealous than he was before! He has learned that I have plenty of love for all three of them!

 Dylan is a more self-assured kitty, but when we moved a couple years ago, he was frightened, and unsure of where he was! But Joey stayed right with him, and they bonded as, not just cuddle buddies, but best friends. Alan and I were lucky to find three, magical little gifts! Or did they find us? Or did the best cat in the world, send us three little bundles of joy, that fill our hearts with a lot of love? So much love, that even on days when nothing seems to go right, we always know, and count on, that there are three little people who love us unconditionally, and are each just a little bit of magic! Some of the best gifts come in tiny packages! 

Now matter where the 3 little boys came from, I always remember to thank Elvis, the heavens above, or whatever spirit or guardian angel, who sent them to us. I believe it wasn't just simple luck, that brought us all together, someone had to have planned for us to be a family! That's why, even when I am at my saddest, or during the stressful holiday season, or when Trump scares me breathless Hendrix, who is the family caregiver, seems to, know and he gives me a little extra attention, and love. He is an amazingly compassionate, and empathetic soul. Life is good! I have a loving husband, and the best children I could ask for! I guess Alan and I have become crazy cat people you've heard about, but so be it, we are happy and we wouldn't trade it for nothing!


Mood: Grateful
~Me