The Return of Snowball, the Cat

Remember Snowball, the cat I accidentally and with no malice stole from my neighbor, the cop? Turns out I needn't have worried that Snowball would cease to exist in my life. As fate would have it, the furry little bugger camps out on our back porch daily.

This causes immense dismay to Lucy, our eldest cat. Lucy hates cats. All cats. Frankly, we're not quite sure she recognizes herself as one of the species. If she ever pays attention when she passes a mirror, she's in for a nasty shock.

Lucy stares down her nemesis, Snowball. (Click to enlarge)When Snowball appears at the screen door, Lucy launches an all out attack. Back arched, hissing, growling, swatting and charging at the screen, giving out prolonged growls... this is one fired up cat.

Not that it matters in the least to Snowball. Lucy outweighs him by a good ten pounds but he seems to recognize she can't get at him and presses his nose up to the screen as he looks in and mows. As I sit upstairs typing this, I can in fact hear him at the back door like a low-level siren: "Moooowww.  Mrrrooooooow. Mmmmmmmoooooowwwww...."  Thank God I didn't keep him. I can't fathom having two cats in the house that never shut up.

Olivia slinks to a corner of the sofa and ignores them both.

My poor Lucy. I don't want to close Snowball out, nor do I want to deny my cats fresh air which is why I open the door in the first place. I'm trying to hug and love on Lucy when Snowball is around so she associates him with good things.

Given the blood she's drawn from me, we have some work left in this area.

Hugs to you and your cats.

What People Don't Know About Me

My life is an open book.  A leads group I belong to asked everyone to write down one thing about ourselves that people don't know about us. Then at a future meeting, we'll try to match the events/details with the correct people. I can't think of anything to submit. People know I've written books, know I ran a half-marathon, know I used to be a librarian. What else is there?

I could submit that I met my husband on a blind date on Halloween, or that I used to be a blonde, but those seem rather ho-hum compared, for example, to a business broker in our group who used to play in a band that was the opening act for Ozzy Ozbourne. Now there's some trivia.

It's tempting to make stuff up. "I bungee-jumped in Brazil" or "Julia Roberts was my best friend as a child." Frankly, I'm feeling a bit dull and not at all "Carpe Diem."  I need to put some excitement in my life.  Suggestions???

Stop the Clock!

"No time! No time!" is what I feel like yelling from the rooftops. Three new (unsolicited) projects popped up this week, it's one of those weeks where I've scheduled an appointment for GYN, dentist, hair, and any other bodily function I may have, and I've got three projects all due on Monday that are gasping their last breath, begging for my attention. Add to that I need to get my feet out and pound some pavement with some miles and drive time to and from Greensboro  5 TIMES this week, and I feel like I'm running on fumes.

And yet... I'm not really. Time always appears. Life goes on.

I got my hair cut (okay yes, fine, and highlighted too) today and as I was pulling up to the shop, I reflected that hairdressing may be a nice job with little to no drama. Then I walked in the door and my poor stylist was running around like a chihuahua on speed, her helper who answers phones and shampoos clients and sweeps floors having called in sick with what my stylist suspected was less the flu and more of a major hangover.  DRAMA.

I really have low stress in my life... and am grateful for it. I spoke to a friend in Utah yesterday who's life has blown up in her face and I could feel her near hysterics on the phone.  Listening to real problems always puts mine in perspective.

And here's a bit of good news. I won our Toastmasters area impromptu speaking competition last night and will proceed to district finals on April 14th. The question asked was, "If you could travel to any point in time, whether it be past or future, what point would you travel to and why?"

My response was that I would travel 20 years in the future to see if the approximately 5 billion dollars I've spent on skin care throughout my life has been worth it. Forget visiting historical figures and bringing back wisdom for the ages. If I don't have the dewy complexion of a 15-year old in love when I visit the future, I am kicking some Arbonne butt.

Who says you have to be serious to win at speaking? Bring on the laugh track. I'm ready for the big time...   ;)

The Cabin Diaries - Installment 1 - "So It Begins..."

A big treat for my longtime readers... a new "Diaries" series, this time focused on our quest to build the perfect log cabin.

Creek on propertyWe bought 38 1/2 acres of land a couple of years ago with a view overlooking Hanging Rock State Park. Last weekend we had the area where we plan to build our cabin cleared of all brush and Blair and our builder staked out a few options on where to situate the house. (Funny side note: We're all excited to have the main view be of Hanging Rock, but our contractor--who lives a few miles up the road from where we're building--pointed out a nice view to the left of fields and meadows and said, "I'd have that for a view. I'm sick of looking at the other one." Chalk that up to 'small inner sense of foreboding #1.')

I've included a couple of before and after pictures (click on pictures to enlarge). The next step is to have a designer help us develop a building plan. We're aiming for small (under 1200 sq. feet) but unique. We selected a designer in California because we saw her quoted in several of the log home magazines we subscribe to and her voice is always the one talking about wasted money and wasted space and how to spend funds to get the most for your dollar. We had a phone conference with her last week and have a (as of yet, unsigned) contract in hand.
Land before being cleared

Land after being clearedIt's all a bit scary yet exhilarating. And lengthy. We probably won't be able to start building the cabin until next spring. And you all know what a patient soul I am... this may kill me.

Although Blair is very excited, I've been dragging my feet about committing to the project. Ever the pragmatist, I fretted about the time involved in keeping up a second home, costs, would we use it enough to make it worthwhile, will having it prevent us from taking longer, international trips, now we have to buy furnishings for a second home, blah, blah, blah. A real killjoy, I've been. But taking the actual steps and seeing the land cleared has me excited. I will write books in the cabin! I will watch deer from the wrap-around porch. I will become a gourmet cook and start canning... things (whatever the hell it is people can when they are deep in the woods with no access to cable TV. ) I will haul brush and learn the names of fauna and become one with nature.

Our cabin view of Hanging Rock. We'll need to take down a pine or two...Okay, maybe not. But it is fun to dream (apparently of being a totally new person I've never met). But it would be fun to write in the cabin and it would also be fun to bake a pie or two. I've got a year to practice. I should be ready by the time the walls go up...