We have had the kitties for seven weeks already. Both have their distinct quirks and personalities. Sam is a big stocky guy with very, very short grey fur. Steve refers to him as our tennis ball, as that’s what he feels like when we pat him. He is the worry wart of the two – making little sounds as he wanders around the house, as if to say “how you doin’?- is everything ok.?”  We don’t know his history, but he has made a great adjustment with us, and we love our Sammy! 

Indy is the instigator, and the little devil. When we got him he was so skinny there was a bony ridge along his back, and we dubbed him SKINDY.  Thankfully, those days are over, and he has filled out to a healthy weight. He has a soft silky butterscotch coat with watermelon markings. He has long gotten over his fear of, well, pretty much everything. We do know some of his history. He was rescued after someone witnessed him being thrown out of a moving vehicle in Keene. When I first saw him at the shelter, he was very timid and shy. I was still grieving the loss of Willow, and remember leaving in tears that day after seeing him. He was kept there for an extended time due to his circumstances. I kept an eye on the website, but he was never there. I wasn’t aware of his history at the time. Weeks later I paid another visit and inquired about the little butterscotch cat. I was told he would be going up for adoption the next day. The rest is history. It took him about 2 weeks to purr, and come out of his hiding spots to eat. He still has a heart murmur, but otherwise is active and healthy. There is a special place in Hell for those who tried to harm him. We have gotten into our routines over the weeks. My favorite time with Indy is when he jumps up on the couch, purring like an engine, puts both paws on my neck, and rubs his head across my cheek. I call it the Indy Hug, and it brings me to tears every time.

Love all the wire!

I have always loved Jack in the Pulpits. These beautiful, yet almost mysterious plants pop up in wooded areas without any seeming rhyme or reason. Over the years I have reserved a little shade patch in the back of the garden and planted several without much luck. With the exception of one, none of them have come back. Ever the optimist, I started looking for my elusive Jack about a month ago. It never pops back up in quite the same place, so I vigilantly scanned my little shade patch, hoping to see some sign of him. Nothing. Just this past week, I finally resigned myself to stop looking- the season is getting on, and maybe Jack was just not going to reappear. 

This morning I was out there planting, and not really looking for him anymore. A quick glance at the shade patch, and there he was, sprouting about three inches out of the ground as if to spite me. I laughed. “You win Jack, but glad you’re back”

On this raw, rainy afternoon I am daydreaming about our upcoming visit to Quebec City in the fall. This will be our third trip, and it has become one of our favorites. The first year we booked a room at The Chateau Frontenac. This place is not cheap even cutting corners, but I tried by booking a ground floor room – view of the courtyard – no frills whatsoever. When we got there they surprised us with an upgrade @ no extra cost to a 7th floor suite with views of two sides of the city. It was fabulous! The best view of all I discovered in the middle of the night when I got up to use the facilities. The bathroom window over the bathtub had a wide bench-like sill which was perfect for sitting to view all of Quebec City, lights galore. Each night I sat there like a mesmerized cat, taking it all in. That trip was great, And the only casualty was that our camera accidentally got dropped in the toilet. We were able to save the disc, but the rest was a flush. 

Once spoiled by the fabulous room, we requested it the second time we visited. Still a great suite, but at a much higher cost. We decided to book a bus tour to visit several landmarks outside the city, one being Montmorency Falls. These are large falls, comparable to Niagara. There were 2 ways up – 1) About 500 steps one way leading up the side of the cliff  or  2) A ricketty gondola on a thin wire that would take you to the top for 11 bucks. We chose #2. There was a wooden boardwalk at the top which spanned from one side to the other. It was heavily enclosed with wire, luckily, for clutzes like me. About halfway across I tripped over some heavy air and went sprawling across the boardwalk.  My purse flew open and all its contents went in every direction as well. I did suffer some bruises, not the least of which, my pride, but we carried on. After we got back to the city, and after considerable walking, we returned to the Chateau. By this time every bone in my body hurt. The bathroom had one of those deep soaker tubs, and offered all sorts of oils, lotions, and potions. I set about drawing myself a nice hot tub for my aching bones. I filled most of the tub with very hot water, and then had to add cold to make it doable. By the time I was done, the water level was about 2 inches from the top. Yeah. I guess I was absent from science class the day they talked about water displacement. I proceeded to get in the tub and slipped again. Next thing I know, I am underwater, and a great tidal wave is pouring from the tub onto the bathroom floor. At the sound of my screaming, my good husband appeared, and started mopping the floor with all those fluffy white Chateau bath towels. It took 4 or 5 to clean up the mess. Sigh.

I wonder what’s in store for us this time?

I started out yesterday with the very best of intentions. For various reasons, I have been away from home nearly every day since the middle of last week, so things have started to pile up. My list was long and lofty. First, a Monadnock sized pile of laundry that needed to be folded and put away. The sunroom in need of a major tidying up was next. Annuals to be planted out back, along with the ongoing task of finishing up the spring raking and of course, those sheds still in need of attention. That was my pre- lunch agenda. After lunch I figured I would start the chalk paint project I have been procrastinating about, and then go to Zumba. In addition, there were the obvious daily tasks of doing dishes, cleaning the cat box, etc. WWIT? I apparently thought I would put on my Wonder Woman costume and zoom around the house doing chores with the greatest of ease.

So what actually happened yesterday was quite different. I went outside and planted some annuals, after which, my knees were killing me. Cleaned out the cat box. Had lunch. Cleaned up the kitchen, and tried to stick with my schedule. It wasn’t long before I realized I had been overly  optimistic.  My knees hurt, I ached all over, and felt exhausted. I asked myself for permission to take a furlough for the rest of the day, and permission was granted. Took a long nap under my duck down comforter, and got up in time to slap a coat of chalk paint on to my project before happy hour. Sometimes you’ve just gotta do what you gotta do.

End of May blues

My friend Pam took me on a mystery junk trip on Wednesday in celebration of my birthday. This time out we ended up in Barre Mass and had time to hit a couple of consignment stores before lunch. One in particular was a nice mix of antiques and vintage, and was run by a young dad who was doubling as shopkeeper, dry cleaning proprietor, and caretaker to his adorable 4 month old daughter. I found some very nice pieces at good prices, and went away smiling. One piece was the checkerboard pictured here. The coloring was perfect, and will be a great backdrop for my summer vignettes. After our antique excursion, we enjoyed a long lunch at the Jenkins Inn and Restaurant. The food was Fabulous! Went home happy and full!

Been out in the yard planting. Steve said the black flies wouldn’t bother because it’s windy. This is a myth. Those black flies rode the wind right into my ears, eyes and hair. I got in a half dozen little plants and went running for cover. Will have to go out later to water and do a few more. How can something that small be so intimidating? Next will be the mosquitos. At least you can see those. But then you have to worry about West Nile virus, EEE, and several other nasty diseases. And there are the ticks, offering lyme disease and more. One can hardly venture out into nature anymore without heavy armor and insecticides. I don’t remember all these bug diseases when I was younger. We just went out and slapped mosquitos as they landed; worst case scenario we got some itchy bites. By late August the mosquitos will be dwindling down, and I’ll have yellow jackets swarmimg my chardonnay.
Maybe the black flies aren’t so bad after all.