Currently Stealing Like a Sunday Morning

It's been a quiet, but productive weekend. Tim has worked both days and our daughter's family has been busy. Left to my own devices I've been doing some decluttering, as in I sent 5 lawn and leaf sized bags of clothes and nearly as much miscellaneous junk off to Goodwill. Every last bit of it had been stored in the three main closets in the house. Yikes! I love how much room is in them now. I can actually get to things without a tsunami of "stuff" falling out on me.

I plan to be just as busy today, but this morning I'm giving myself a bit of a break...at least until I go to pick up the grocery order at Walmart. What better way to pass the time than with Currently and Sunday Stealing? So, here we go!

Currently...

The weather... is a cool 64 degrees with sunshine. We should see a high of 82 this afternoon.

Reading... I just finished The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane and started Wrapped Up In Christmas Hope. Three days in and I'm doing well at my pledge to read everyday for the American Cancer Society's fundraiser.

Watching... a lot of new (to me) things on Prime. At the moment I'm watching Almost Paradise, a show about an ex-DEA agent who retires to the Philippines only to end up fighting bad guys on behalf of the local police.

Listening... my own heart at work rather than the negative garbage flowing from some of my coworkers.

Thinking... about the things I want to accomplish today.

Celebrating... we celebrated our daughter's birthday on the 25th of July and our granddaughter's on the 29th. There's nothing now until Mom's and my birthday on the 15th.

Grateful... for a quiet weekend and that my leg is cooperating in letting me get things done.

Sunday Stealing

This week's meme is swiped from If By Yes, a Canadian blogger who describes herself as a "left wing left hander with two left feet." It's a shame she doesn't update her blog anymore. Anyway, she participated in a meme that she tells us was popular way back when.

About Blogging

1. When are you at your blogging best – a.m. or p.m.?  Probably in the a.m., but due to work and other obligations blogging usually happens in the p.m. That may explain why I don't post very often these days. I'm just too tired to think about it when I have time.

2. How many blogs do you have? Please include the links in your answer.  Just this one. Some others from the past may still be floating around, but they aren't in use.

3. Do you prefer silence when you compose your posts and write your comments?  No. I have always preferred to have music or the tv on when I am working.

4. What's the grossest thing you've ever spilled on your keyboard?  I don't think I've ever spilled anything on my keyboard.

5. Ever posted while intoxicated?  Nope and no chance of it happening, either. I haven't had enough to drink to be considered intoxicated since long before blogs existed.

Now to leave you with what currently has me giggling...

Is This the End? Maybe.

A long time ago (it's been more than 20 years!) a young-ish wife and mother discovered the world of blogging. Blogging was in its infancy back then. It was exciting and new. It opened a whole new world of possibilities and friendships to that young woman. Blogging gave her a voice and a creative outlet and she loved it from the moment she first sat looking at that flashing cursor and wondered what to write.

The years that have followed have been filled with ups and downs. Friendships have formed. People have come and gone from the blogging world and from her life. Some people moved into the realm of Facebook friends or even "real life" friends. Her heart has celebrated great moments in the lives of her blogging friends, prayed and cried through their tragedies, and smiled through the everyday moments. At the same time, she has benefitted from the support, love, wisdom, and prayers of those same friends.

Something has changed. It's been brewing for a while now, but the thing that once gave her such joy, that she couldn't wait to get to each day...it stopped doing that. It became just one more thing on her to-do list and thus felt more like a chore. It became a burden. The blank page that once excited her with its possibilities began to depress her as she struggled to think of anything she felt like putting down in words. In other words, her blogging mojo packed its bags and left.

That's where I find myself tonight. The thought of leaving blogging for good leaves me feeling anxious after all these years so I am not saying a hard goodbye. I am taking a break and saying goodbye "for now." Will I be back? I can't say. The blog will stay up so I can find all of you and visit from time to time and many of you are Facebook friends so we won't lose touch.

Thank you for all the years of visits, support, laughs, advice, insight, and friendship and love. 

 

Cats On Monday

Good morning and welcome to my new blog home! It's nothing fancy, but I hope it will be more reflective of me and my life. The old blog was created in a hurry in response to the one before it freezing up and it just never really was what I wanted. Previous content tended to be mostly memes and that's not what I want. The memes will still be here, but I hope the fresh start will shake loose the writer's block that's plagued me for quite a while.

So, come on in and visit for a bit!

I am feeling like it was a long day already and it's only 11:00. Megan, Leah, and I had to drop the Maine Coon kitties off at a mobile vet clinic at 7:45 this morning. They are both getting neutered, vaccinated, checked for mites, nails trimmed, and chipped. I really hope it goes well, but it was the best option financially. Our vet wanted close to $600 for the same things vs. $100 through the clinic.

Megan's cat, Oakley, is my Jasper's older brother. They have the same parents, but Oakley is from the litter before Jasper. He is massive. A real tank! He weighs in at 22 pounds and is at least 32 inches long not counting his tail. And he's only 10 months old! 

He was in a BAD mood this morning because of not having any food since 9:30 last evening. He was sure he was being starved. Then he got shoved into a carrier that wasn't big enough or strong enough to hold him. He yowled halfway to the clinic then pushed the door off the crate and escaped into the car. I had to pull over so Megan could corral him and get him back in the crate. When she did, she discovered that he'd broken the clips holding it together. Surpisingly, we made it to the clinic on time and they had zip ties to put on Oakley's crate to hold it together. Jasper, by the way, was a very good boy.

Once the cats were dropped off we decided we were hungry and went for breakfast at Valley Dairy. From there we went to Walmart "just to get Colton a pair of overalls he needs for school" and ended up wandering around looking at St. Patrick's Day and Easter decorations. Both kids got new sneakers, a couple of outfits, and a pack of St. Patrick's Day beads.

I'm not working today. My Monday client has a doctor's appointment. Actually, my schedule is pretty light this week...winding down to my last day on March 9. I'm feeling sad, I really love my clients and will miss them, but I can't justify the time and expense when I don't get reimbursed for mileage and expenses and claiming them on our taxes helps but not that much. 

I will still see a couple of them now and then as friends and I will be working privately for a couple of weeks for one client in the next month or two. His grandmother is his caregiver and she is having some surgery done and won't be able to roll or lift him for two weeks afterward. She asked me if I would come for 2 hours every morning to help get him ready for school. I'm not normally an aide and admit I'm a little nervous about it, but he is very excited I will be coming to help.

It's a beautiful day, clear blue skies, lots of sunshine, and temps in the 30's...but there's no wind today so I'm not complaining. I am, however, going to go enjoy it. 

Happy Monday, everyone!

Have a wonderful week!