Tag Archives: Cats

Still Here

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Greetings, friends. I just wanted to pop in and say I’m still around even if I haven’t been present here for some time. My days are currently more mentally taxing than normal and the thought of writing even one more paragraph feels like too much most of the time.

This is a season and not a permanent way of life even though it does feel like it will never end.

My No Spend Challenge kept me mostly at home, resting, reading and turning inward this winter. That’s officially done now but I unofficially haven’t changed much. It’s an act of self preservation at this point but Adventure Season will start in about six weeks and I’m looking forward to it. There are several day trips I would like to take, some new-to-me bookstores and diners and maybe some longer adventures too.

Life will eventually return to normal and I’ll get back on some kind of writing schedule here too. I actually have a ton of travel stories to tell you from last fall but simply haven’t had the mental energy to do it.

Last November I announced that I wanted to hike as much as possible this winter. I had big plans for hitting the local trails.

And then reality set in.

The weekends were too harsh for hiking with frigid temperatures, icy trails and hazardous road conditions that kept us away. Then the snow melted into mud and ice. And then the wind moved in, making it unsafe to be under trees where a falling limb could land on your head at anytime. And then the rain came, ushering in a period of flooding.

Such is life in Ohio.

I did get to walk the Moonville Rail Trail a few weekends ago and then made it to a nearby trail at Old Man’s Cave in the Hocking Hills yesterday.

Fresh air and a good stretch of the legs will change your outlook on life.

The wind is back today but it’s about 65 degrees right now so I turned off the heat and opened a few windows to air out the house.

Sunday is always a reset day for me. Laundry, a little food preps and some small chores help to make the week go more smoothly. Some rest, reading and lots of hydration will help me feel like facing it.

I like habit and routine to keep me honest. I like adventure days for keeping me happy and fulfilled. I also believe in listening to my body and mind and in giving them what they need especially when in a season of challenges.

Through it all Scout has remained my steadfast companion and perhaps the only one in my life with no demands other than dinner and no judgement of me except when dinner is late.

We all need someone like that in our lives!

Go forth and adventure when you can. Dream of better days when you can’t and remember that rest is importantly to feeling well enough to face your day.

I’ll be here taking it easy and gearing up for better days!

A Good Supervisor

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Life here has been exhausting lately so I really didn’t welcome the time change and the lost hour that came with it this weekend.

Since I was already tired, yesterday was not the ideal time to rearrange my living room. After all, I had been procrastinating this project for some time. It clearly could have waited one more week but I decided that this was the day.

You don’t realize how much is packed into a room until you have to move it all.

But I wasn’t alone! This guy supervised the entire operation. He kept a watchful eye as I pushed a 150 year old steamer trunk that I use as a coffee table and tugged the couch across the room. He wasn’t sure what was happening at first but quickly discovered there was great fun to be had.

In fact, it is possibly that Scout rode on every single piece of furniture and rolled up area rug as they were dragged, pushed and otherwise forced into position.

He weighs seventeen pounds. I didn’t need the extra weight but who can say no to that face?

He’s a good little supervisor.

Sleeping Late

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I slept late this morning.

Yesterday started in Colorado at 3:30 am. One short car ride, a flight, airport train ride, another flight, airport shuttle, and rides in two more cars brought me to my Ohio home on the ridge by about 8:30 pm.

Easy peasy!

As I turned down the bed, I couldn’t shake the sensation I was still in motion. Luckily, Scout curled up next to me and I was out like a light, sleeping through the night for the first time in longer than I can remember.

When I awoke this morning, I knew I was home before opening my eyes. The sound of the heat pump and even the feel of the bedding are unmistakable elements of home.

And when I opened my eyes, Scout was sitting at my right arm, staring at me. It’s hard to tell how long he was there. He didn’t make a noise and wasn’t asking for anything.

He just sat there watching me as though confirming I was really there. I scratched his ears and he settled in next to me for a nap.

I tried to go back to sleep but the dry nose I always bring home high western elevations made that impossible. But I have stayed in this spot, hurkle durkling for a while and luxuriating in the solace of my own home.

This is partly for me and partly for him. While he didn’t go on a journey, he’s had a rough week too. My parents take good care of him but that’s not the same as having me there and he doesn’t understand where I go or why I would want to leave him.

Our pets are our family but we sometimes have to leave them. Whether it’s for a few hours or a few days, they are left alone and wondering why you left in the first place.

They miss us. He misses me. It doesn’t hurt me to lie here with a stuffy nose for a while longer just so he can luxuriate in the moment of having his person home.

And The Horse I Rode In On

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Scout went to the vet yesterday for the second time in a week. He sang the song of his people all the way there and most of the way back. He clearly knew where we were going and he was not having it.

You see, we went for a routine annual visit last week but the dr found a heart murmur. We did blood work and it luckily isn’t cause by a heart condition. Instead, they are concerned about his high blood sugar and wanted him back for a glucose test.

So, in case you’re counting (because Scout sure is), I dragged him from home last week so he could be prodded by strangers who would stick him with a shot before sticking him with a needle to take his blood.

This week, things were less dramatic but he did get stuck with another needle.

Unacceptable.

He let me know that he would be speaking to Santa Claws about all this. He had some choice words for where I could go and what I could do with the proverbial horse I rode in on too.

He gets so anxious in the car and at the vet. Even his little paws are sweaty and clammy so that undoubtedly impacts his bloodwork. Poor guy.

Our pets are like our children and it’s hard to help them when they can’t verbalize how they’re feeling. So we just do our best and hope to not be murdered in our sleep after a vet visit.

Shop Cat

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I met a shop cat yesterday. I wish I had a picture to share with you because she was the sweetest little kitty you’ve ever met with the ideal temperament for a store.

Her name is Rue and she’s a tuxedo cat with beautiful markings for a little girl. She seemed full grown but small boned.

She was curled up asleep when I first encountered her but you know I couldn’t just walk past without giving her ears a good scratch. She stretched and purred, lazily opening one eye before amping up the purr to a light buzzing noise.

She meowed when I stopped scratching so I stayed a minute longer before walking away. By then she was wide awake and followed me. After rubbing around my legs and talking to me softly, I asked to pick her up and she let me!

It was the best time as she let me hold her like a baby, stretching and reaching, kneading the air and occasionally letting out the tiniest, most satisfied little mews.

The store was not great but, like any good employee, she convinced me to reconsider leaving and stay a little longer.

All shops should have such good employees!

Big Eyes

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I tidied my writing table over the weekend so Scout had to check it out. I’m not sure why but his eyes were big as saucers as he investigated the lack of pens and scrap paper lying about. People say that cats are aloof and without personality but my experience is that they are little characters with big personalities and emotions as valid and worth expressing as any human I know.

I’m grateful for my house panther.