Cocoa -- With Pictures

The pictures I took of our beautiful guest really don't do her justice. She looks almost like a black cat. In fact, her fur could probably be described as mahogany. It's almost the same color as my hair.

She is feeling well as she recovers from her surgery. Her preference would be for us to stay in the bathroom with her and hold and pet her all day. When we leave she tries to escape. She is also a somewhat chatty little girl. Tomorrow I think I'll put her in the carrier and give the family room a try or two. She can hiss at the big kitties and let them know she is secretly a very ferocious cat. She has already had a chance to try her growl out on the Red Prince and he can't figure out what he has done wrong.

Cocoa

Not the light color of hot chocolate, but cocoa beans. Her fur is actually about the same dark, reddish-brown color as mine. She is approximately nine months old and when they performed her neutering operation today they had to abort five babies. Maybe that's why somebody dumped her. She is very beautiful and very sweet and very friendly. She would be quite content to curl up in your lap, purr, and just be with you. Aaawww!

After she recoups here, she will be snapped up quickly and I'm thinking we will miss her. We expect to have her for just a week.

She wandered into the Towe Ford Museum this morning and they called our Kitty Social Worker. I understand that the museum director is considering taking her already. Good choice. We think she may be a pure Havana Brown.

Another Lovely Spring Day

When I went outside to take trash to the container and the spent daffodils to the green waste bin the sun was mild and warm and felt so very good. I just leaned up against the side of the house and closed my eyes and soaked it all in. It was really great.

Once again, as I type this, the playground is full of beautiful little children. Their happy screams (squeaks, really) and very busy activity reminds me of a popular bird feeder. The people watching them are not wearing jackets today. They must also be liking the spring sun.

Alex is feeling great today. Up and about, had his first cup of hot coffee in two days -- and a peanut butter sandwich.

Himself is Much Improved

After all of the drama and gore yesterday, Alex greeted today not even showing much swelling in his cheek -- far less than when the offending tooth created an abscess recently. I was expecting to be married to a guy who looks like Alvin the Chipmunk. He is eating a bit, and not what I expected him to want. We have pudding and ice cream and applesauce, but he chose the refried beans (lunch) and cottage cheese (dinner). Didn't eat much of either of them, so he may emerge from this a skinnier husband. He is still taking it easy and sleeping a great deal.

The Bella Mafiosa has been spending much time in his lap, purring and comforting him. It's hard to want to move when you are holding a snuggling cat.

We have a little local scandal that is proving quite interesting to my Curves coffee/tea buds. Our City building permit office has issued permits and failed to collect fees from some prominent Sacramentans. At least two of the incidents come directly under the auspices of the son of a long-time City Councilman who happens to work for the building department (wonder how he got his job?). Everybody is claiming that they know nothing about the situation. The Councilman is a close ally of Mayor Hoopster. The City Attorney is spearheading the investigation. The City Attorney has been at odds with the Basketball-Player-we-call-Mayor for some time because he thinks he is still a professional athlete and can do whatever he darn well pleases and she begs to differ. This is almost as good as San Diego politics!

Hee Haw or CSI

Alex had a tooth extracted today. It was a molar he has been having trouble with for some time now. There was a root canal a couple of years ago, an infection a few months back, and he and our dentist finally decided it needed to come out. His brother told him that if he had a front tooth pulled he could be on "Hee Haw".

The procedure was quite smooth and he was in and out in less than an hour. All went well. Until we got home. For some reason the bleeding that was supposed to last up to three hours lasted longer and the gauze dressings that were supposed to be changed each half-hour needed to be changed about every 15-20 minutes. I wrote the times down, just like timing labor pains. I left him only briefly to get more gauze pads and tea bags. Tea bags? Yup. He needed regular tea for the tannic acid. You moisten a tea bag and clamp it over the hole in the mouth and it helps to stop the bleeding. His tea-drinking wife doesn't have regular old tea in the house.

The bleeding finally did stop. In the meantime, however, we had blood all over his clothes, the family room and kitchen, the floor, even a bit on the chair. If a Crime Scene team were looking for mass murderers in our neighborhood, they would never believe we are innocent.

He is better tonight. Risked a couple of pudding cups at dinner (one chocolate and one butterscotch). I will put a towel over his pillow for the next two nights. And -- oh, yes -- he will avoid operating heavy equipment for another 12 hours or so.

Spring Sprung a Leak

We have had a few days of temps in the low 70s -- really glorious spring weather. This evening the wind came up and some clouds blew over and Mark Finan (our Channel 3 weather man) tells us that winter is back. Snow in the Sierras, rain in the valley predicted.

Although we have lots of critters, there are no Groundhogs in Sacramento, so we never know what to expect. Our weather in March/April and October/early November is very unpredictable. Two days ago I attended a meeting where several of the women were wearing cropped pants and sandals. Hope they kept their sweaters and cords handy.

I am pleased that cooler weather will lengthen the bloom season of our azaleas, grateful that we aren't going into the long hot summer early, and aware of the fact that California doesn't have enough water and all of the rain and snow are a good thing. I'm also glad that I filled my gas tank yesterday. I hate to do that when it is raining.

Tuesday

It strikes me that my life is really very routine, and I am grateful for that.

This morning I attended an FA (Food Addicts) meeting, had my half hour meditation, ate my three planned meals, finished some laundry, visited with my Mom (and returned her little bit of laundry all clean), talked on the phone, had a friend drop by, took a nap (lovely), read, and watched television. How boring. How nice to have so little excitement. Not a crisis in sight. The weather continues to be pleasant. My cats behave as well as cats can be expected to behave. My husband ditto -- maybe even better in his case. Life is calm and good.

Excited or Angry

MSN asks us f we are excited or angry over the passage of the Health Care legislation. I voted excited, of course. I think that more needs to be done, but our guys in Washington took a giant step today. The majority of the respondents, however, voted in the "angry" column. Some of my friends would have been among those votes (if they even bothered).

Most of the people I talk to did feel that something needed to be done. I have several friends who aren't quite old enough for Medicare, who lost jobs this down economy, and who are currently without health insurance. One friend had a super high deductible until she hit Medicare last year. These people worked hard most of their lives and did nothing personally to cause the economy to crash. Those who didn't want the legislation to pass tend to be people who have the same great CalPERS insurance Alex and I have or Medicare and a good supplement. I'm not quite sure why it's OK for the taxpayers to pay for our insurance, but not for that of people who were unlucky in the private sector.

Maybe only Republicans and rich folk vote in those polls. As for me, I'm very pleased that we have joined several countries much further advanced than the United States in saying that we care about all of our citizens. Alex's Aunts and Uncles in Scotland get great care on the public plan. May we all be just as lucky.

More Spring

Our house, as I am sure I have mentioned, looks onto a green belt. Just outside our window is a playground. Today was Pocket Area Little League Picture Day and we had a great view of the event. Lots of cute kids, young families, and happy noises made our office a nice place to be. This morning the tents were set up at about 8 am, and the kids started arriving not much later. One picture shows the orange team playing on the playground, the other the blue team lining up ready to have their pictures taken. The dog-walker is an elderly lady who lives across the park. Both she and her (equally elderly) dog walk very slowly. She is out there twice a day, rain or shine, caring for her best buddy. I think she is pretty cute too.

The azaleas are from the first shrub to bloom each year. Previews of coming flowers are showing on the other plants and there will be a riot of reds, pinks, and oranges in about a week if the weather holds. The daisies and dandelions in the grass just show that spring really is everywhere you look, even if you don't plant anything.

A Closet Clothes-tastropy

Today's big project was starting to sort through my spring/summer clothes to see what fits, what I will keep, what needs replacing, etc. I don't really think I'm going to have to buy anything. Shoes, maybe. My summer shoes are pretty old and ratty. The big issue will be getting rid of about half my closet. I'm a clothes hoarder! I try things on and they really don't fit or flatter and I still can't bring myself to get rid of them. I set aside a small pile for Goodwill and there are still probably 30 tee shirts left. Nobody needs that many tee shirts!

I have pants and shorts that bag, tops that look like I stole them from the rag bag, and I still can't get myself to discard them. They are about as chic as a disco suit (and some are nearly as old) but I'm attached. Some of them aren't even good enough to donate to the thrift store, but I still hang on. I remind myself that if I try to store all of these things in my closet and drawers I won't be able to find the good stuff, and yet they stay.

I think the clothing thing is a symptom of my life. I just can't get rid of things that don't work for me any more. If I can get past the polo shirt with the big stain on the front and the baggy lavender shorts (Alex says they take a crease beautifully) maybe I can get the office organized. Or, maybe not.

Another Great Spring Day

A friend and I met for a picnic in Crocker Park today, then went over to the museum to see the exhibit of the family possessions -- said to feature Aimie's jewelry. What can I tell you? We're ladies and always ready to look at jewelry. There were actually only three brooches on display (I'm sure she had lots more than that) but there were dresses, shoes, and bonnets from the turn of the century and some household furnishings. The lady at the front desk said that articles in the Bee and other media mentions misrepresented the collection. They all made it sound mostly about the jewels.

There was one black lace dress described as an "afternoon dress" that I would have loved to have. It was really quite formal for afternoons, and I would have to have the servants to go along with it. This lady wasn't mopping the floor or cleaning the oven.

It was a great day for a picnic. There were even a few people in shorts in the park. I didn't think it was quite that warm -- maybe if you were careful to stay out of the shade. I think it must have been a Furlough Friday (State employees are furloughed two Fridays a month, without pay, to save the State a bit of money and it feels like a Saturday on those Fridays) There seemed to be quite a few people there. Maybe they are just all out of work and the parks are free. We didn't see a singe person in an afternoon dress.

A Visit with the Doctor

I saw my allergist today and we talked about this sinus thing. He isn't in the office full-time any more (a little older than I am, it's time for him to retire) but tries to be in during allergy season and that is right now. I'm to continue to take the anti-inflamatories and to add a generic antibiotic (horse pills) every twelve hours with food for three weeks. I haven't had to take antibios for years and had forgotten how much you have to schedule your life around them.

A more frightening part of our discussion was the talk about asthma inhalers. I rarely have to use my Advair inhaler these days, but he is advising his patients not to use them any more. These popular and very well advertised drugs have been found to cause asthma to worsen, not to improve. It makes one wonder what the FDA is doing with its time.

You can't buy groceries with.....

When I got ready to leave the house this morning to work out/have tea with my Curves buds/go grocery shopping I grabbed my purse and a plastic bag with the scoopings from the litter box and my car keys and a water bottle. I made a quick stop at the trash can outside the garage, tossed the soiled litter, and hopped into the car. Something made me look to my right, and there on the car seat was (you guessed it) a sand-filled plastic bag. Ick! Can you picture my surprise if I had arrived at my destination with that in tow? Can't imagine the clerk at Bel Air or Brad at Peet's accepting cat droppings for my veggies or a cup of tea. Luckily we do bag and tie our trash, so the purse was just fine. I was also feeling grateful that we have our own trash can and I didn't have to fish through a community dumpster.

I have just been a space cadet lately. Started my corned beef about an hour later that I planned (undercooking it by half an hour actually works very well and it tasted great)so we ate a bit late, had a couple of phone conversations today that I'm sure convinced friends I am losing it, and generally acted as though I have had too much green beer. Unfortunately, it's just too much ibuprofen.

I did wear a great deal of green today, including my shamrock socks. No green beer, but we did have great Irish food for dinner. Alex got corned beef twice this week and he is in hog heaven. When I was a child corned beef wasn't just for St. Pat's. My Dad loved it and we had it often. It's hard to find these days, except in March.

Soroptimist Service

Tonight was the night that my Soroptimist Club gives away money. From 27 grant applications we selected the nine that we thought most deserving. While it would be nice to fund all of the non-profit projects presented to us, our funds are finite. It is always nice to hear what these great groups will be doing with the money we raised through the crab feed, golf tournament, and a garage sale. Most of the funds will be used to help women and children.

Cynthia and I shared a table with a couple representing the Discovery Museum and Science Center. Our money provides scholarships for girls to attend their science camp (boys in science programs greatly outnumber the girls) but we also learned that they are getting ready to build a new facility near the Sacramento River. The base will be a fantastic old WPA building that Alex and I have been talking about for years. It has sat empty in the 30+ years we have lived in Sacramento. Now it will be a science center and museum for children that will include a planetarium and all sorts of wonderful things.

There were six other great local groups and two international ones represented. Money is tight, but volunteers are still working to keep charity and the arts alive.

Spring has Sprung

Today was really a lovely day. Neighbors were out front in tee shirts or polo shirts. Dogs were truly enjoying their walks in the sun. It was expected to be about 70 degrees by late afternoon and I do think the thermometer really did make that number.

Spring begins officially on Sunday, but it may have snuck in a few days early in Sacramento.

If the weather is this nice tomorrow I AM going to make time to sit on the patio and read a book for a while.

Ouch, it hurts!

Now that Mom seems to be getting better, I have managed to acquire a really nasty sinus infection. Yes, I do have an appointment with my allergist (who is an expert in these things) on Thursday, but I'm hoping it abates a bit before then. Most of the time it's a dull ache (wakes me up at night) but from time to time it hits about 8 1/2 on that 1-10 pain scale they talk about in medical facilities. The only pain I can compare it with would be childbirth. After labor pains you get a baby. Today and last night were pretty bad. Since it is manifesting itself in my left ear, I'm thinking a really smashing pair of earrings would be appropriate.

Rain

Winter is reminding us that she is still here in all of her cold, wet glory. It rained today, and rained, and rained. I spent the day with my big, fluffy fleece top over workout clothes and under my raincoat. No coat inside, but I was out quite a bit. The hair, overdue for a cut, was tucked under a baseball cap. Such an attractive look.

I did venture to Davis this afternoon for that much needed salon appointment and decided to go quite a bit shorter. The new coif is chin-length, tapering to just a squidge longer in the back. It rained all the way to Davis (Kristin cuts hair there and she is worth the trip. I keep thinking that maybe if she cuts my hair I will look like a 1950s movie star as she does. So far it hasn't quite worked out, but I do get great haircuts.) and all of the way home. Traffic at 5:00 back into the City was nasty and I can't quite figure out why. There surely aren't that many people who live in Sacramento and work in Davis. Cows maybe, but they don't drive.

WalMart

I'm not sure what it is about men that makes them want to wear the same old thing even though they have perfectly nice clothing in their closets or drawers. I've tried buying Alex cool henleys and Eddie Bauer "sweatshirt sweaters" to wear around the house, but he persists in wearing an aged navy blue sweatshirt that is frayed at the collar and cuffs. He dresses as though he gets his supper at the soup kitchen.

His birthday is next week and I really have no idea what to buy him. In an effort come up with something he will actually use, I went shopping for an old fashioned sweatshirt that is at least not falling apart. Nobody seems to carry such a garment any more. Finally I ended up at WalMart.

Now, I am not usually much of a WalMart shopper. Last time I was there was in December -- I had been told it was the place to buy a bike for our Christmas Child. That time I just popped in, bought the bike, and popped back out. This time I wandered around a bit. You really could simply move into WalMart. You can buy anything there! You can put together a coordinated Easter Basket with matching M&Ms, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Peeps, and stuffed animals. They have things arranged by color in yellow, pink, blue, and lime green. Can you imagine? I will still probably prefer Target for my basic everything store, but you never know. After all, WalMart does have old-fashioned crew neck sweatshirts in navy, grey, and burgundy.

Short Note

Today my life seemed very involved in health issues.

I spent the middle slice of the afternoon taking my Mother to Kaiser. She is supposed to go weekly because they are trying to get her blood pressure medication just right. For the past two weeks she has had a terrible cold and hasn't left her apartment (Merrill Gardens staff brings her a food tray or I take her soup or something). She also has not been taking her medications because she just hasn't felt like it. Her blood pressure (systolic) was down from 180 to 158. It makes me wonder if she wouldn't be better off just dispensing with all medication.

I also have an appointment next week with my own allergist. I've had a sinus infection, the second in about six months, that is causing me a lot of facial pain. My own PCP can give me something for it, but Dr. Cloninger is something of a specialist in sinus issues, so I will wait until he can see me. I'm hoping he can fix it so that it won't come back again. In the meantime, if you see me and my mind doesn't seem to be tracking -- it probably isn't.

My reaction to the whole day -- I really wanted a chocolate chip cookie.

Spring

The images that accompany these words are: camellias and vincas from our front yard, the king of the feral colony surveying his domain from our roof, and the three torties taking the sun from inside the patio door. It has been cold but dry here for several days now. Spring has come, even if you need a coat to enjoy it.

Spring and fall are both beautiful times of year in this very green city. I could do without the often hot summers, but these two seasons make me so glad we have spent a large part of our lives here. We also have good restaurants, a substantial local arts scene, and lots of parks. We are known as the City of Trees and the Camellia is the signature flower. Unfortunately, we are also famous for perhaps the most dysfunctional legislature in the world. Guess you can't have everything.

Fruit

Had you told me at the beginning of 2009 that I would come to think of fruit as a wonderful dessert, I'd have told you that you were nuts. Chocolate cake, almost any kind of pie, brownies, creme brulee -- they are desserts! In a pinch I would mix peanut butter with Splenda (the non-sugar sweetener makes it perfectly OK) and nuts and dried fruit and eat it with a spoon. Store-bought cookies are dessert in a pinch. Ice cream certainly works.

I haven't had those things in ages. They do still sound good, but not that good. A perfect pear, some melon, even an apple (I used to practically dislike raw apples) sound quite good to me. I had some Kiwi tonight, and can't say that it is my favorite. It's good for me -- lots of potassium -- but is missing something. In just a few months we will have really good peaches, plums, and nectarines. White nectarines are worthy of the fanciest restaurant to me these days.

Alex still gets the richer stuff. He recently bought three packages of brownie mix and I made one for dessert Thursday evening. It made a good sized pan. The extras got frozen and he had a little zipper bag of them tonight. Blueberries, bananas, or oranges for breakfast and other fruits for lunch and dinner really are great!

Friday

Pam's second day here held no great adventures, no wild animals, just lunch with my Curves buddies -- Don't be silly! Of course they aren't wild animals! -- and shopping for books before a visit to Mom. All a great experience.

My friends were honoring one of us who turned 69 today. I think I may be the second youngest among this group of ladies who are just what I want to be when I grow up. They look great, have a wonderful time, and are strong intelligent women. They are dealing with life's little and not-so-little issues with courage and humor. When all of your friends are over 60 you accept that they won't always remember the word they are looking for and, if you can find the word for your bud, you know what she means anyway. You grow comfortable with the way you look. You enjoy a bit of bling and can carry off a rhinestone-studded shirt with a certain aplomb. You don't have to wear goofy hats and certain colored dresses to demonstrate that you really no longer give a hang -- but you know you can wear them and get away with it for the first time since you were about 10. I LIKE being a little old lady.

Visitor Inside and One Outside

My Sister is here for her monthly visit to Mom. Pam, Alex, and I were sitting finishing dinner when we heard a crash from the back yard. I looked out the window, but couldn't see what had fallen -- knocked over by one of the feral cats who call our back yard home. A few minutes later we heard the sound of something being moved around back there. There had been talk of a 7 to 9 burglar in our area, so we were more than mildly curious.

I flipped on the patio lights and tried once more to see what was causing the disturbance. Suddenly a face appeared just outside the window near the table. A large round face wearing a black Halloween mask. A furry face with pointed ears attached to a good sized body.

We prefer that they not hang out in our back yard (although we know they do) so I bravely ventured out there, armed with my trusty broom. One doesn't accost wild animals unarmed. By the time I reached the patio the four legged bandit was gone. We will have to remember to feed the ferals earlier so that no food remains to attract nocturnal visitors.

Spring, then not

This morning we had sunshine and "it's almost spring" type weather. I took pictures (to be downloaded tomorrow) of cats in the sun, and flowers -- you know the drill. Then this afternoon the clouds darkened, a bit of thunder was heard, and the heavens opened. Maybe Ma Nature just isn't quite ready. Still and all, the Dogwoods are blooming, the daffs are out, and spring can't be far behind. I know I'm about ready. We need a nice long spring before the heat of summer.

La Traviata

This is a very late blog and, since it's nearly midnight, may well not make sense. Every night (except I can take Sundays off) -- that was my vow.

We went to the opera tonight. This production, number two in this year's series, was La Traviata. I must confess to having mixed feelings about operatic music delivered via CD or radio or whatever. I do like to go to the opera. I think I need the theatre to make it all happen for me. This evening we saw an excellent production. Even though I knew Violetta was going to die at the end, I was on the edge of my seat and dropped a tear or two.

Opera attracts a mostly older crowd, but there were a few young couples in attendance. One 30ish guy in the row behind us had on a tux and his wife/date was wearing a smashing red cocktail dress. In previous years we saw folks in jeans. Not so far this year. I think with the economy in the tank people are looking for something to make them feel special. Our seats are in the second balcony so I can only suppose that hose in the grand tier and on the floor get really gussied up.

Getting Ready for April 15

OK. This daily bit is harder than I thought it might be. I was so certain that there would be something funny, or a gem of wisdom, or some treasure each day that I would want to put into words.

Not so much. Most of my days are really rather routine and dull.

This morning we met with our tax guy. Jim and Alex chatted about lots of things, but taxes were never mentioned. We had all sorts of documents saved and sorted for him to take away and I also had a similar bag of stuff for Mom's taxes. It is in his hands now. When he returns all of our information we will just have to sign, possibly write a check, and send it all off to the IRS.

I don't mind paying taxes. I know that so many people think we are taxed unfairly, but we really do get a lot for our money. We have local and national security, good roads, some of the best water (here in Sacramento) in the country, schools, parks, and emergency services. Even after taxes, Alex and I are in no danger of starving or sleeping on the streets. I'm grateful for that.