“It” started about two months ago. “It” is for itch, a full-body, no-rash itching – what I imagine our cats felt like after we adopted number three, Catsby, who in addition to disturbing the equilibrium established by the resident cats, Cody and Cayce, turning the once good-natured Cody into a hissing, angry ball of yellow…Continue reading The Itch in Cocoa Beach, Florida
Waiting for Dorian
Tuesday, September 3, 7:46 a.m. Weird weather. Squally one minute, sunny the next. Gray sky, blue sky. The wind flings palm fronds down on the driveway. I slip into Jim’s office, plop on the bed and pull a couple of pillows under my neck. Even under normal circumstances, there’s only one chair in the room.…Continue reading Waiting for Dorian
Line Dancing on Thursday Afternoons
Once upon a time long, long ago my parents danced. This rare event took place in our home in the room downstairs that we called the playroom. This concrete-block room, cool in the summer, cold in the winter, was the site of a multitude of activities, some play-related, some not. For at least part of…Continue reading Line Dancing on Thursday Afternoons
Another Worst-Case Scenario (in my mind)
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to hold up on the runway for about 20 minutes. Weather has moved into the Albany area…” So, hold up we did on the runway in Orlando in our commodious Jet Blue seats, Jim on the aisle and me on the window, luxuriating in the empty middle seat between…Continue reading Another Worst-Case Scenario (in my mind)
Thoughts On Turning 65 and Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault
My friend, Nedra, texts, “So what are the BIG plans for your birthday?” There are no BIG plans, at least right now. I don’t want a cake this year. The thoughtful husband usually buys a lovely cake, and while quite delicious, chocolate topped with vanilla icing, sprinkled with tons of coconut, it is not vegan…Continue reading Thoughts On Turning 65 and Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault
After the Rainbow Bridge: Mending a Broken Heart When Pets Die
It is a little after 3:00 p.m. and Cayce just ran up the stairs to the third floor at a surprisingly fast clip for a chubby boy, after standing in the middle of the living room bellowing his guttural two-part meow. He’s been doing this strange meowing several times a day since Cody left us…Continue reading After the Rainbow Bridge: Mending a Broken Heart When Pets Die
Cat-Love and Getting Ready to Grieve: Valentine’s Day 2019
Wednesday, 2:30 p.m. Cayce, our plump middle cat, rolls his big body back and forth on the throw rug in front of his favorite spot in the house—the open doorway between the living room and the second-floor porch (this is a cat that likes to keep his options open.) Despite being “very sick,” (the cancer specialist’s…Continue reading Cat-Love and Getting Ready to Grieve: Valentine’s Day 2019
Art at FIT, French Kiss, and The Final Straw
A raw day. Cold, windy, soaking rains on the way. Got a warm cat and a good book to read but there’s an interesting show opening today at the Ruth Funk Textile Museum, a big, tan block designed to withstand gale force winds, smack in the middle of the campus at the Florida Institute of…Continue reading Art at FIT, French Kiss, and The Final Straw
Fear, Surrender & One Sick Cat
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 Okay, so my original idea for this final blog post of the year was to write about a couple of really stupid things that I did this year. But then Cody, our oldest, one-eyed cat (his cancerous left eye enucleated in August) barfed. So what you may ask? Don’t cats barf…Continue reading Fear, Surrender & One Sick Cat
Thanksgiving Gratitude: A Colonoscopy is Better than Cancer
Jim and I were supposed to have follow-up colonoscopies in 2010 and 2012, respectively. However, we decided to ignore this recommendation, to practice conscious denial, if you will, partly because of the explosive elimination involved (what Jim calls, “peeing through your butt,”) but also because of the odious prep solution, a hideous concoction tasting like…Continue reading Thanksgiving Gratitude: A Colonoscopy is Better than Cancer