Fri SEP 8


Opie is the perfect cat.

I've said it before and I stand by it. He does his business outdoors; we haven't had to change a litterbox in three years He doesn't claw the furniture. He comes when he's called, and he understands "No" the first time. He's great with the kids, and the kids love him. He wants to please.

I also said we wouldn't get another cat.

I didn't want to push my luck by introducing another cat into the house. Would Opie remain the perfect cat? Or would there be hissing and spitting and territorial squabbles? I've seen Opie confront the neighborhood felines when they venture into his territory. Would his personality change?

So the thought of bringing home a 5-lb. cat to be terrorized by the Mr. Hyde portion of our 18-lb. perfect cat as it tried to adjust to new surroundings was discomforting.

But the new cat (C.C.) was just too cute. So we are keeping C.C. in separate quarters (the garage) while we're not home, and introducing her gradually to the house when we are.

When I told my 5-year-old niece that we had a new cat, after I had told her we weren't going to get another one, she asked quite seriously, "What happened, did you forget?"

Apparently my worries were ill-founded. The little one shows no fear of the much larger Opie, and Opie shows only a passing interest in the new stranger wandering around (as long as she doesn't venture too close). I think it's going to be okay. Opie is still the perfect cat.

Fri SEP 15

Fifteen years ago we had a large cat named Momma, and we tried to introduce a small cat named Squeaker into the family. Momma wanted no part of it and Squeaker wasn't too thrilled with Momma either. There were frequent squabbles that had to be refereed (it was all posturing; they never drew blood). This went on for two years, until Momma finally got too old and tired to care.

This is what I feared with the addition of C.C. But like I said last time, Opie is the perfect cat. Things are going so smoothly it's scary.

Not that I'm complaining.

And it's not just Opie that's making our lives easier during the transition. C.C. has no fear of the much larger and territorily-dominant Opie. I worried that she would spend months cowering under the furniture in fear. Heh. Not this kitty.

The first few days C.C. was with us, she would constantly (and loudly) meow for food. And we would constantly feed her, so she knew she never had to worry about having food. So she spent last Friday throwing up. I found it difficult to believe that much food came out of that tiny cat's stomach. We began feeding her small portions of baby food and fortified lactose-free cat milk (which she loved). She's fine now, and becoming finicky about what she is served.

We're having her spayed at the end of the month. That will mark the end of the indoctrination period. She will then be an official member of the family.

It's going to be all right.

Wed SEP 20

Saturday we celebrated my sister's and her husband's birthdays together (the actual dates are three weeks apart), and I hosted. I spent a hectic morning housecleaning and preparing a wide variety of snack foods. I had not factored in the new cat when that much food was around. Opie knows that people food is not for him unless it is offered, but C.C. would not stay out of the kitchen. She was constantly under my feet, meowing annoyingly and loudly the whole time. When I caught her squatting in preparation for a leap to the counter, I assigned her to the Husband. But she wanted no part of anything outside the kitchen. The Husband would carry her out, but she would be back in seconds. He finally took her out to the back yard.

She hasn't been outside since we brought her home, and being a cat, curiosity reigned. She was checking out everything. I was a little concerned that she would take off into the woods, which is so overgrown that the Husband wouldn't be able to follow her. But she followed at the Husband's heels, never getting too far from him. The Husband pointed out that she had been living in a large woods for nearly a month, but never ventured far from the spot where he originally encountered her. Still, I couldn't help checking on their whereabouts periodically.

After she is spayed (in less than two weeks) we will begin introducing her to the outdoors gradually (as we introduced her to the indoors). We're doing everything by the book, and the book seems to be working!

She is no longer being kept in the garage in our absence. She and Opie, while not best buds, are tolerating each other without antagonism. And I couldn't be happier.

Yes, I could. If, once she gets used to going out, she abandons the need for the litter box, I would be very happy. :)

Wed SEP 27

We're spending a traumatic evening consoling the new kitty. Tomorrow she gets spayed. Which means tonight no food after 6 pm, and no water after 10 pm.

C.C. was served a delicious (that's what the can said) turkey dinner, which she consumed in her usual voracious manner, after which, in her now usual fashion, she would normally return to her exploration of the great outdoors that is her backyard. But the cat door was locked. She was a bit bewildered by this, and after scouting all the other doors in the house, began meowing to be let out. This eventually turned to much louder meowing, demanding to be let out.

So when a cat can't go out, he eats. But we had taken up all the food after dinner, leaving only the water dishes. This led to more meowing, demanding either food or egress, or both.

Poor Opie is even more bewildered. We had to take up his food too, and while he isn't complaining, the look in his eyes is bewilderment.

The Husband has taken C.C. into the spare bedroom, where she will be isolated without food or water all night (she will have a litter box). He's talking to her and keeping her company before he shuts her in. I feel bad for her; she has such a plaintive meow. And I have a feeling we will be hearing it all night.

It's just one night. But I'll be glad when it's over.

Sat SEP 30

It's a new era. All the weddings we attend now are for the offspring of friends and acquaintances. The daughter of long-time friends from high school got married today, and it was the standard wedding, made special by the little touches and the people involved. We laughed, we got teary, we ate too much, we had fun.

And in the tradition of new eras, I chose to leave my film camera behind and do all my magic with the little digital camera. I upped it to high resolution so I could make large prints, which gave me 65 shots per 32Mb card (of which I have three), which I figured was plenty. I got some great shots, and the wedding party (and everyone else) got a kick out of being able to see them right away on the little viewing screen on the back of the camera (digital cameras are still a clever novelty to the general population).

As the long day was winding down I was approaching my 65th picture and figured that the one SmartMedia card was going to be just perfect. So with ten minutes to go and all the ceremonies concluded, I wandered around using up the last bit of memory. On the last picture I got a beep from the camera, and a card error message (I'd never seen that before). Nothing would clear it. I tried reinserting the card with no luck. I put in a new card and everything was fine. That's when it hit me. I had lost all the pictures of the wedding and reception. The SmartMedia card was damaged. There was a possibility that it would work in the computer with the floppy disk adapter, but I wasn't optimistic.

So with minutes to spare before the caterers kicked us out (and most of the guests already gone), I rounded up the wedding party and the parents for as many pictures as I could get (they were happy to oblige).

The floppy disk adapter did not save the lost pictures. They are gone. New eras don't always begin smoothly.

The Opie Project's new era (the addition of C.C.) is progressing smoothly, by contrast. C.C. was her old frisky crabby self when we got home. She wanted to go out more than she wanted food. All is well.

Fri OCT 6

I wouldn't admit it then, but last week I was sort of walking on eggs. I was so pleased with how Opie and c.c. were getting along, that I was sure it had to be a fragile arrangement, and the slightest situation would bring its collapse.

So when we had to restrict both cats' access to the great outdoors (while c.c.'s spaying healed), I was sure there was a confrontation in the making. Cabin fever was setting in. The two would frequently pass each other on the stairs, the one coming up being frustrated from not being able to get through the cat door. They would both stop and stare intently at each other until one (usually the one headed down) would proceed. It happened often. I wasn't sure we'd get through the week without one of them lashing out. In the evening, both would meow to go out, but only Opie was permitted. This meant constant meowing from c.c., and I was wondering if Opie found it as annoying as I did, and what he intended to do about it.

The day finally came (Thursday) when c.c. was sufficiently healed and in good health that we made the cat door fully functional again.

Now both animals have access to the outdoors, c.c.'s constant meowing has ceased, and both cats share the bed at night with no squabbles. They are happy kitties again. I'm kinda relieved myself :)

Thu OCT 12

Yesterday was our anniversary, and we decided just to take the day off and go up to Sleepy Hollow (famous for Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman), for no particular reason.

We were barely on our way when a dog (a cute miniature schnauzer) darted in front of our car. He wanted to get in the car. He was wearing a tag with his address, and he was more than a mile from home, so we took him home. His distraught owner was overjoyed.

We continued on, feeling pleased with ourselves. It was a two hour drive and it was a nice day and it went by quickly. We toured Washington Irving's house (author and creator of the aforementioned characters). I learned that Washington Irving was well-to-do but not wealthy, and he was the first writer to make a living solely from writing.

Sleepy Hollow has an annual "Legend Days" festivity the weekend before Halloween, celebrating the Headless Horseman, among others. Halloween is a big deal there.

We also toured a working 300-year-old farm that grows wheat and grinds it in their own 300-year-old mill (water-driven). They also have sheep, from which they spin and weave their own wool. Among the other farm animals was a pair of oxen, weighing one ton each.

Both the tours were well done and informative. And fun.

Before we knew it, the day was gone, and there was lots left undone. But we settled for a delicious meal at the Santa Fe Restaurant and headed home.

It was a lot of fun. Happy Anniversary to us.

Tue OCT 17

The Husband pretty well covered c.c.'s weekend hunger strike, the defining moment being the fact that she decided to start eating again ten minutes after we got an emergency appointment with the vet. She was instantly better. Amazing.

Our shrubbery has gone pretty much unattended for years (we both sport the brownest thumbs in the neighborhood), and Sunday I decided to do something about it. Which was a little like going shopping when you're hungry. I mowed down everything on one side of the house (have you ever seen a wild TREE in a garden? It was twelve feet high!) Except for the wild tree and a holly tree, the garden was mostly weeds. The day lilies were dormant and in hiding, as were the bulbs (56 planted ten years ago - four still bloom).

The evergreens at the front of the house have been diminished so that we can actually see out the windows now. And I fully intend to plant flowers in the spring (someone please remind me).

The Husband dragged the severed branches and evergreens to the compost heap (effectively tripling its size - the mice will have extra warmth this winter).

Speaking of mice - we caught a previously unknown mouse this morning. We have suspected there are a few in the walls, and this kinda confirms it. We don't think it's the population explosion that it was last year (although it could be if we're not careful). We keep the trap out full time now, and we get the occasional surprised mouse wiggling his nose at us from within the green box. And he is escorted post haste to the new and improved compost heap to begin anew.

Life is all cat 'n mouse, isn't it?

Tue OCT 24

Life sometimes gets to be overwhelming. But then the feeling passes and you're back in control. Now suppose all those feelings of overwhemingness get together and come visiting. They're like the house guest that refuses to leave. Except in this case it is the house. We've been here sixteen years, which means a decade and a half of clutter.

"A place for everything, and everything in its place." You've heard that. Well, we've got too many everythings and not enough places. I bundled up bags and bags of clothes I haven't worn in ages to donate to some place worthy. And we have two rooms in the house that are catch-all "places" where "everything" ends up that we don't know what to do with, and we're starting on a third. The Husband joked that we should rent a dumpster. It's not so much of a joke any more.

Our front steps are crumbling, the wilderness is encroaching on the house, all our appliances are over fifteen years old, and don't even mention the roof or the heating system (they're okay for now - shh). Or menopause. But that's a whole other rant in itself. We've begun getting "retirement" junk mail. And I used to think my job was aggravating at times. But humans are adaptable, and we will prevail.

In contrast is the new tv season. Now that's underwhelming.

Mon OCT 30

Twas the night before Halloween, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring ...

Except c.c, who's always getting into something. And me, being unprepared for Halloween. Oh, I had all the candy bought for the trick 'r treaters (although I did pick up some more tonight, just in case), but I wasn't prepared for visitations from the well-costumed nieces and nephews (and kids of friends - they always find their way here for special treats). So this weekend I made Halloween cookies, but that wasn't enough. So I made up special bags of treats for the aforementioned special ghoulies. None of those miniature candy bars for them!

It's like a mini-party - they show up and proudly display their costumery while I take pictures for posterity. Then while I chat with their parents, they take over the trick'r treat duties by passing out the candy to the kids at the door. I think they get as much of a kick out of being on that side of the door as they do receiving candy. Well, maybe not quite as much.

And daylight saving time has ended for the year and it's dark earlier. And the temperatures have dropped considerably. I love it.

And I'm as ready as I'm going to be.

Happy Halloween!

Wed NOV 8

It's the morning after and we still don't know who the next president is. This kinda puts the "party" in political party - we're living a moment in history. Right now Bush appears to have won Florida, but a recount is under way. But recounts almost never change the results, and if they did, there'd just be a scream for a new recount (best 2 outa 3 or something). What's interesting is that Gore leads the popular vote (who'da thunk) by a coupla hundred thousand votes (more than the difference between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960), while Bush's lead in Florida is less than one thousand. But it's the winner in Florida that counts.

I'm sure everyone has heard by now that there were three previous instances of a presidential candidate winning the electoral vote while losing the popular vote. What is not usually mentioned is the fact that those presidencies were horribly ineffective and unpopular and one-term, and in 2 of the 3 instances, the popular vote winner came back 4 years later and beat the crap outa the electoral vote winner. So this is definitely going to be interesting.

I fell asleep before midnight with the tv on, and there was no decision then. I woke up around 4:30 am (cc decided she wanted to sleep in my face) and heard the tv claiming still no decision. But when they reviewed that Bush had been declared the winner and that Gore had conceded, only for him and the networks to take it all back when the returns went the other way, I was wide awake. So like many good Americans, I will be functioning on a minimal amount of sleep today. But I know what the topic of any conversation will be today, and that should keep us all awake.

Wed NOV 15

Forty days 'til Christmas. This has to be the fastest six weeks of the year. I've already got a lot of my Christmas shopping done (much of it online). But it isn't real yet. That won't happen for another nine days, on Black Friday.

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving (which is the fourth Thursday of the month, not the last Thursday, as many believe), and is the biggest retail business day of the year. It's called Black Friday 'cause it can determine whether retailers finish in the black for the year (i.e. make a profit).

To me it's the day my sisters and I visit every mall we can, drop hints as to what we would like to receive ("Ooh, I like that!" generally works) and usually wrap up the bulk of our shopping. I have a new feline on my Christmas list, but c.c. will be easy to buy for. It's both exhausting and fun, and we all feel like we've gotten the heavy-duty portion of our shopping done and can enjoy the rest of the Christmas season.

And following the Thanksgiving weekend shopping frenzy is my birthday, my sister's birthday, my father's birthday and my brother-in-law's birthday. Lotsa celebrating there. Last year at this time I was becoming a bit apprehensive about the Y2K bug (remember him?) and how it might affect me at work. It all seems kinda silly now doesn't it?

I wonder if this year's presidential election is going to seem silly next year. Sillier than now, that is.

 Thu NOV 23

Today is Thanksgiving, my sister is home from South Carolina, her birthday is next week but she won't be here for that, so we're having a birthday breakfast for her this morning at my sister's house.

I am making a taco breakfast ring (no time to explain), plus several desserts for the Thanksgiving meal at my sister-in-law's in Delaware, where we'll be having the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

So everything's hectic already. Why not?

Gotta go. Enjoy your bird!

Fri NOV 24

As promised, I am shopping today, Black Friday, with my sisters - all of them, including the South Carolina sister (she made it home for Thanksgiving after all).

I did a lot of online shopping this year, before Thanksgiving, and managed to have everything bought for the nieces and nephews. And with today's master plan (every mall along fifty miles of interstate), I expect to have all my shopping done by the time I get home this evening.

Thanksgiving was celebrated with the Husband's family this year. It was a traditional Thanksgiving feast, and we had a lot of fun. My sister-in-law always adds a surprise dish to the Thanksgiving meal - not always to the delight of the participants - but I give her credit for being innovative. This year it was carmelized onions and prunes in cognac sauce with water chestnuts. Different. And not bad.

None of the Husband's family lives in New Jersey, so we don't see each other that often, and it's a big deal when we can all get together.

Needless to say, we ate well, but now it's time to shop! See ya soon, when I'll have all my holiday shopping wrapped up. Though not wrapped :)

Thu NOV 30

I am sick. I have a fever, and I get chills, and I ache everywhere. But there are only certain times during the year when I'm allowed to get sick, and this ain't one of them. Next week, maybe. But not now. So I'm going to work everyday, infecting as few of my co-workers as possible.

I came home early today, but I still had the weekly grocery shopping to accomplish, so it was still after five before I got home. I then curled up on the couch with a blanket and fell asleep before the tv had warmed up.

I have my younger sister to blame for all this, I'm pretty sure. She had the symptoms all last week, but with three very active children, she doesn't have the luxury of lying down for a while, so she concealed her malaise fairly well.

Unlike me - when I'm ill, I let it be known.

Tuesday was my birthday, and I was just beginning to notice the symptoms then. But when you are feted to food and gifts at work, you tend to ignore the telltale signs of pending maladies. I got Christmas tree ornaments (having a birthday in close proximity to Christmas and loving ornaments tends to make gift selection a no-brainer) and other Christmas decorations. The Husband gave me a suede bomber jacket with a Mickey Mouse logo emblazoned thereon. It's really cool.

I have to rest and drink lots of fluids now. Stay well.

Gesundheit.

Wed DEC 6

How can it be less than three weeks 'til Christmas? I feel like some Grinch has a stranglehold on me while all the Christmas preparations lie unattended to. True, I have most of my Christmas shopping done, but the house remains without Christmas cheer. The neighbors are putting up more decorations daily, and we still have the Halloween pumpkins on the front steps.

I've been busy at work. I'm always busy at work. But I can't really use that as an excuse. I think because Thanksgiving was early this year, I was lulled into thinking I had more time. We had two cars fail the state inspection in November, and time was spent juggling vehicles while repairs were made. Then my birthday fell several days after Thanksgiving this year (instead of right after). My sister in SC has her birthday 4 days after mine, but she's not usually home for it - this year she was, so that was an extra celebration. And my father's birthday and brother-in-law's birthday both fall on the same day (which was yesterday), and we usually celebrate them together, but this year the bro-in-law turns the dreaded 40, so we're having them separately, which adds yet another party.

Last year I had so much remaining vacation time in December that I worked only two days a week all month. But thanks to 2+ weeks in Alaska this year, I have very few days off remaining this year.

But this weekend will be a major step toward sorting this all out. We're getting the tree early Saturday morning, and dragging out all the seasonal paraphenalia to accomplish as much as possible by evening, when we celebrate the aforementioned bro-in-law's 40th b'day. Then it's a last blitz of the outlet stores. That leaves all next week for decorating (evenings, anyway), so everything will be complete a week before Christmas. In theory anyway.

Geez, I hope so.

Sat DEC 16

This is the happiest time of the year, and simultaneously the most frustrating. I had to take a day off from work to clean the house so I could have the weekend free to trim the tree. Which is what I'm doing now. Well, not now - I'm taking a break. I have boxes of ornaments and decorations all over the living room, dining room and hallway. I have dragged out tons of Christmas dinnerware and place settings for the season and stowed the everyday stuff. Of course, this is all too intriguing for c.c.; she's been into everything. I never know if I'm going to reach into a box of decorations and come out with a small, noisy feline.

Much to my amazement, c.c. has shown no interest in exploring this rather large tree that has suddenly appeared in our living room. For a cat that has to inspect every tiny space she encounters, it seems out of character. Not that I'm complaining. But, to her, the tree seems perfectly natural being there. Good enough.

The Christmas cards are beginning to pile up as we hear from scads of people we haven't heard from since last Christmas. We still have our own cards to send out, and we better be doing that pretty soon . The Husband is out Christmas shopping (he just started today), leaving me to do all the tree-trimming (and I prefer it that way).

Last summer I spent a week down the shore with my sisters (as we do every year), and there was a restaurant that I had never tried that was highly recommended, but the one night we decided to dine there, there was a 2+ hour wait to be seated (they don't take reservations), so we ate elsewhere. For my birthday (3 weeks ago), my sister and brother-in-law offered to treat us to dinner at the aforementioned restaurant, and to drive us down there (3 hours round-trip). Which is what we did last night. And it was wonderful (it came highly recommended, after all). So that was a bit of a change of pace during the Christmas season, and a nice diversion.

Speaking of which, this one is over. I think I hear c.c. getting into something. Nine days to go. Enjoy yours :)

 Thu DEC 21



This was my favorite Christmas card this year:

Tue DEC 26

I got a Palm-Pilot-compatible device for Christmas, from the Husband. I never really had a desire for one, but there is talk about getting them for the execs at work, and I'll be the one that will have to train them, and it'll be me they come to with the questions, so I might as well get familiar with it early. The brand name is Visor, and it allows for third party plug-in modules for upgrading to almost anything (games, wireless communications, modem) and it runs Palm Pilot software and OS. The Husband also got me the digital camera module, which just snaps in, and it's definitely cute, but it's no match for my wonderful Olympus digital. But cute is a plus.

I also got:
DVD: Chicken Run
DVD: Somewhere in Time
DVD: Fantasia 2000
DVD: Anna and the King
The Bambi snow globe (new this year)
A Mickey-shaped stapler and tape dispenser 
Mickey-embroidered socks
A 1.5 qt. saucepan to replace the one the Husband tried to heat soup in but fell asleep
And the usual chocolates, CD-R's and photo paper for the photo-quality printer, plus lotsa clothes.

And as he does every year, the Husband made be a calendar. This year's theme was Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. Using his PhotoShop prowess, he put me in scenes from the show as a contestant, and the questions were all about Alaska. Then he scattered small pictures from our vacation around the calendar that were clues to the questions. It was clever.

We've been going non-stop since Friday. I was off today and made lunch for my family and all their kids, and that was the usual zoo. Tomorrow I get to go back to work and relax. :)

Merry Christmas to all!

Sun DEC 31

Tonight is a New Year's gathering at my sister's house. Last year I was working (remember the Y2K bug?). It'll be the usual get-together with food and fun and nieces and nephews. I made some dessert stuff to bring.

Every year a bunch of us get together for a Christmas Pollyanna (also known as Secret Santa and other names). We toss our names in the hat then each draw a name. You buy a gift for the person whose name you drew. You know how it works. Then we have a party to exchange the gifts. The party is held at a different house each year. This year's hostess decided on a sit-down dinner for twelve, plus hors d'oeuvres. She had bought tons of food and prepared it all herself. Then, on the day of the party (yesterday), a major snow storm arrived. The forecasters kept changing the amount of snow and duration of storm throughout the day. First it was supposed to end around noon. It did. Then it started again around one. Then it was supposed to stop around five. It didn't. My friend was going bonkers. She thought about moving the party to the next day, but too many of us had other plans. We assured her that the snow would stop and they would have the roads cleared in time.

The snow did stop around seven, after dumping more than eight inches of the fluffy stuff. The salt-n-plow trucks were out all day, and they managed to keep the roads clear, and because it was a Saturday, traffic had not gummed up the process. We headed out in my recently-acquired 4-wheel-drive Bronco and had no problems. All our non-4x4 friends made it too. The dinner was a success, and everybody made it home safe and sound.

The Husband was kept busy shoveling snow (he did it twice, first when it started getting really deep, then again right before the party. He was joined by c.c. who seemed totally amazed by snow. She would step gingerly through it one minute, then dive headlong into it the next. The Husband made snowballs for her to chase.

Opie and I stayed inside.

All four of us wish you a Happy New Year. We hope '01 is a good 1 for you. See you back here then.