Scout has spent most of the last 36 hours or so either sitting next to me or resting where he can keep me in sight. That’s fine by me. You see, we’re both a little paranoid after something that happened Saturday night.
He’s a house cat. I found him as a baby, roaming the streets of the village where I work. He’s never been outside uncontained and unsupervised since that day and is quite happy to be secure here at home.
After a long day out and about Saturday, I came home to find my back door hanging wide open and Scout was not waiting for me in his usual spot.
They say that when you think you’ve been robbed or that someone’s in your house, you shouldn’t go in. I was conscious of this but I had Adam for backup and I didn’t think twice about barging in.
Luckily, Scout was waiting for me to find him in his safe space, in the bedroom, and purred loudly when I picked him up.
There were no signs of anything missing or moved. No signs that anyone had tampered with the door.
Something had come loose in the door knob and it had come open. I don’t believe it was open long. Actually, Scout has a habit of hopping up on the stool next to the door and stretching his body over to rest one paw on the door knob and the other on the window. I’m pretty sure it came open under his weight and he very smartly ran to safety.
Regardless, things could have turned out much differently. I could be telling you that my little Scout was missing.
The last eight days have been hard for a variety of reasons. I am tired, frustrated, angry, and tired of feeling put upon. But yesterday, I habitually reminded myself that no matter how annoyed/angry/tired I may be, at least my Scout isn’t lost.
This is what matters. The rest is beyond my control.
I know it freaked him out too because he’s staying close and letting me pick him up anytime I wish. In fact, I periodically pick him up and pack him around, telling him what a good, smart boy he is and how proud I am of him for being so brave and smart.
He’s humoring me but will eventually get sick of all the extra affection. Until then, I’ll give him extra ear scratches and will fly him around the house like Superman as much as possible.
It’s January 31 and that means my No Spend Challenge is officially coming to an end. However, I’m retooling the rules for February. That means I’ll continue a variation of what I’ve been doing only with a few exceptions.
Meanwhile, January went well. I mostly stayed within the confines of my rules with a few exceptions including dinner out with my cousin who I haven’t seen in ages and coffee shop drinks when I met a subject for an interview at work. That coffee shop is a local business and I didn’t mind at all spending a few bucks to support them. There were also some grocery items that I didn’t technically need but were on sale and I will use. With the rising cost of groceries, I’ll take a deal on staples when and where I can.
The fact things went well doesn’t mean there weren’t unexpected expenses. For example, Scout developed an issue that required a vet trip and an allergy shot. I would never make my cat suffer for want of a vet visit just because of my challenge. I injured myself that same day, winning a trip to urgent care and to the pharmacy for meds. However, a No Spend Challenge isn’t an excuse to avoid seeking medical care for myself either.
Of course, I did stop at Dollar General on the way home to grab something I needed. In a fit of feeling sorry for myself, I bought a Diet Coke and some sugar free candies. This was purely off script and outside the rules but it sure did taste good after the stressful couple of days I had endured.
There were other things I learned and that I noticed this month. In addition to cutting out shopping, I have seriously reduced my exposure to things and people that influence my thoughts and actions. The more distance I put between me and social media influencers, the happier I am.
I figured out that it took precious little to transform my bedroom. A fresh coat of paint (purchased in December) did wonders and I shopped my house for things to bring it all together. Three dollars worth of craft paint updated picture frames for a gallery wall. There are things that I want to find for that room but I’m going to be very particular about buying exactly the right things. In other words, there’s no rush.
Values based spending isn’t something I have talked about here yet. This has been intentional because I suspect this will open the door to some political commentary that really isn’t welcome here. However, I will say this. I value money in the bank more than stuff on my kitchen counters. I value supporting small businesses and those that support my worldviews more than big conglomerates that lack any hint of moral character. I value the promise of adventure and travel in the near future more than I can say. I value my peace more than anything else and how I spend my time and money help me to protect that.
We have talked a lot this month about my No Spend Challenge. Why have I brought you on this journey? I suppose I just want to encourage folks to think about spending and accumulating stuff in a different light. I have wanted you to see that when you shop, you’re also choosing how you spend your time. In that moment, you’re investing precious time. More importantly, how much time did you spend earning the money you’re trading for things? Do you want to take a vacation or retire someday? It’s easier to do these things with money in the bank instead of clutter in the closet.
I’ve had a wonderful month of sleeping in on the weekends, purging stuff from my home, working puzzles, reading and feathering my nest. While I have missed adventuring, the weather hasn’t been good for it and I have no regrets. I’m going to continue focusing on these things with a couple of small adventures along the way in February.
One question people often ask is what I’ll buy first when this is over. It’s like they think this challenge is something to endure and just get past. I do have a little list of things to buy for my new blue bedroom. There are a couple of books and I’m starting to think about freshening up my bathroom with paint and new floors. My aim is to sort out the bathroom updates before summer. Nothing is urgent. I won’t be out shopping anytime soon.
Tonight’s agenda includes a regular scheduled haircut and a few groceries and supplies from the store. When I tried to make a grocery list yesterday I thought it was interesting that I couldn’t think of a thing to write on it other than water, cat food and sunflower seeds for my birds. I do have a better list than that now but it took a while to figure out.
We will keep talking about this No Spend Challenge and how it will evolve into February. I have some more practical tips to share so stay tuned.
Yesterday was a busy one for Scout. As Mother Nature dumped several inches of snow on our ridgetop home, birds of all kind flocked to our feeders. I worked in my home office, natural light filling the space and setting the stage for a calm day.
But it was not to be.
Scout enthusiastically worked a rotation that involved bird watching in the office window, bird watching from his perch near the back door where he can see two feeders, AND sitting on top of anything I was working on.
He particularly detests the sound of pen to paper so I was reprimanded any time I tried jotting down some notes. Eventually he had to be removed from the office which resulted in him crying woefully to be let back in until he was a jerk again and got put out once more.
Of course, I didn’t take pictures of the bad part. I just want to remember how excited he was to see so many birds today. His wide eyed wonder at the world afresh with snow always makes me happy as well.
When life is busy and stressful, as it has been lately, I like to dig in when it comes to practicing gratitude whenever possible. That’s usually easiest early in the morning.
Today I am thankful for yesterday’s beautiful sunrise which is pictured here. It was well below twenty and so I could see my breath as I carried out the trash and readied to leave for the day. I was grateful for an effective defroster in my new car and for the sturdy scraper that allowed me to clean my windows efficiently.
I’m thankful for the book I’m reading – a fascinating piece of non fiction gifted to me by my fella – which I will write about soon. If you enjoy book culture and history, you may find it interesting as well.
I’m thankful for grilled cheese and tomato soup and for Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough which make warm and happy companions on a cold, windy night.
I’m thankful for twinkle lights and Christmas trees, for warm throws and for colorful pjs.
As always, I’m thankful for the good job that allows me to have these creature comforts and that helps me give my cat the life he believes he deserves. His tastes are rather refined for a former street urchin.
Look at those sleepy eyes. I disrupted his slumber by pulling back the covers on Thanksgiving. As he laid there blinking and stretching, it occurred to me that we all can benefit from channeling our inner feline.
We all should listen to our bodies, stretching often and snoozing as long as possible. We should get some Vitamin D by seeking out the warm, sunny spots. We should hum loudly when we’re happy and take another nap just in case the first one didn’t help us feel rested enough. Most of all, we should be satisfied that we are enough and that we are purrfect exactly as we are.
And if anyone tries to make us feel bad, we should hiss and put them in their place!
Scout watched with interest last night as I finished decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments from my travels. This is a fun tree because most of the ornaments come with a postcard featuring a vacation memory. It’s wonderful reliving my travels while looking forward to the holiday season.
For some reason, this is a fun tree for Scout too. While he simply naps beneath the other Christmas tree, he enjoys removing the ornaments from this one.
On the one hand, I’m glad he ignores the other one but would love to discuss with him why the decorations on this tree are so appealing.
If only cats could talk.
I fully expect to find ornaments all over the house tonight. He has a few favorites to knock down and bat around the room but he’s pleased to grab basically all of them if I turn my back!
I keep telling him he should be good because Santa Claws is coming to town but he thinks he’s already a purrfect angel and doesn’t understand the fuss!
