Granny race to the finish.

Time to put  feeder out  . Flowers have run out of juice. Dennis feeds the birds, hummingbirds being his favorite. Peg has not been on the deck for over a week and a half. Could be that  her luck has run its course. Stumpy comes to the window, I open the door and he steps in about four inches, looks at me and waves his stumpy arm. He is brave, and bold.  
 

Coming from the eye jab place, blinded by  the  intense  investigative lights and deep into- the- soul photos,  drops, goo  and jab- After three + hours I come out into the world of wonky visuals. The leaves are the only thing I see, They are so bright.  My eyes need to calm  before I drive all the way home. I go to Target, a place I have not been in  at least, ten years. Of course it has changed quite a lot. I buy  parchment paper. Halloween bags of chocolate  $16.00 each, gets a big NOPE from me. I wander until my eyes equalized somewhat for the drive home. 

The windshield- Not helpful.

 

 I've not yet taken the cat in to be checked. I do not see any emergency in doing so and don't want to freak her out getting her into a carrier , into the car and over to be prodded by the vet. She is very happy at the moment. A little angel of a cat. Her eyes change in different lighting  modified by  color of mat she parks herself on.  Talent! 

I really could not ask for a better cat in this world! She is the dreamiest. Cat magic!

While sitting in the waiting area of the Retina Specialist's  , I very nearly passed out from lack of air. I am pretty sure there is an air purifier humming along but the air is foul. Too many hygiene challenged old folks slumped in chairs or hovering over walkers. Dang- I have arrived! How we fall apart and leave this existence is , I suppose, curious. No one chooses to go bit by bit. 

A race to the finish-
 

A fallen granny, a boost from the hand of god, a few more steps....

Faster than a speeding slug! Look  at her GO!
 

 

eye in a tea cup, Amy in Italy, kitty in a pouch.

                                          -  inside my tea cup-

 

When Judy Dench was interviewed recently, she was asked how aging has changed  her. "terrible, everything is terrible", she replied, and then went on to list the many things  limiting her life and capabilities. Losing her eyesight has been the worst. I agree . Losing vision, having depended on it all of one's life ,is an unpleasant adjustment. I would rather stay home than go out into the world just because I feel more sure of what I am looking at. That is a shite choice and it is a tricky choice. I think that I am doing just fine- but when I  go out in the big world and realize that I can not see as well as I see at home. I am fooled.  

Amy is in Italy, She sent this picture  from  a flea market. Famed model for Lover's eye portrait. 

"Lover's eye", a painted portrait of the eye of your beloved, carried as a token of luck, love  and protection,   trending  in the eighteenth century. It took off like wild fire- eyes all over the place, sometimes with a lock of hair behind it. Charming and creepy, and , I reckon, ineffective since everyone died anyway, loved or not.   

Amy and David bought a house, three actually, joining them to create one magnificent property in the  Italian alps, perfect for skiing and  hiking. There is much work to be done. They have a head start. Part of it had  been renovated.

They spend  five weeks at a time  working on the house, come home , gather some  money, and fly back - three times a year.  They reckon it will take about five years at this pace. It is a huge project, in the meantime, while not putting the houses together,  they travel - France for the week end- great stepping stone to Europe.  Many flea markets and antique shops - where Amy finds furnishings for the house. 
 

Shall we pop in for a sweet treat? My lord! What is this?

I have not  taken the cat in to be checked- Might do that next week,  I have posted her all over the place, including the Humane society. 

I bought a carrier- do you think I may have misjudged dimensions?

I have been putting Temptations in the carrier -  uncertainty  about it  more trustworthy? Will it work. Not at this point. Cat is not yet 100% onboard with the confines of staying in the house. "For your safety, Darling." , I do understand  though, I feel same same. What will be her name? Not sure, she feels like a "May Bee" because maybe she is our cat and maybe she isn't. 

It is becoming less likely that I will ever go back to London. I do keep in touch. I keep up with the "news". One gigantic stupid expensive venture of turning Oxford street into exclusively pedestrian is  so dumb. A soft "opening" of the concept takes place this week end to see if it might work before  zillions of pounds are invested in the transformation.  . Traffic is going to be insane in Marlebone, which is quiet and narrow. Traffic will be nightmarish. Traveling beneath the Christmas lights on the top of the bus no longer possible. Getting to Selfridges from Regents street out of the rain , on a bus- Nope. Leave it the way it is, I say. Curb traffic somehow on Oxford  but do not close it! 

Dumb move.

-leaving you with the cutest Italian pooch- looks like a painting. 
 

 

 

Cat in the house, thrift store crazy, Health insurance woes

She decided to come in. Not so much for our kindness and charm  but for "Temptations"  the number one treat for cats on the market. The name is not a lie. She has been with us for three days and two nights. Very affectionate and mellow, this cat!

I have contacted  every service  and social media, except the humane society because they are off line at the moment. Clearly she is somebody's darling. 

I bumped into a woman who fosters cats and  helps the alternative humane society in the county. I was shopping for the best food available for kitty in the feed store. She gave me multiple tips and advice. I must get the cat to the vet ASAP to be chip searched and given a once over. 

I need a cat carrier. she offered to drop one off next time she is in town.I am not in a hurry as you can well guess I love this cat. She is a gem of a girl, anyway, that is being selfish, I know. 

Dennis is fond of her as well. She slept on his bed one night and he didn't even make a fuss. He even had a tray and litter in the garage "emporium"  where everything under the sun is housed!

She follows us around too closely - accident- I  flipped her with my sock this morning while sorting out leggings and the sock flew out .  Flummoxed, she looked at me like WTH  unpredictable human?  I  also tripped over her in the kitchen not realizing that , in her ninja silence, she was at my heel. I remember Joanne having to get rid of her cat for that reason. Old people tripping over quiet  pets can end up in the worst health "care" system  this side of the Rockies. Especially this year- the year of insurance companies bailing. We are going to go straight to medicare alone. Heaven forbid we trip over a cat  or if we get ill - hope to just  die. The odd thing for me would be that medicare would cover my eye treatments, Medicare advantage insurance did not. Might be the best move.

We are keeping cat  indoors. With cougar and coyote, and mad dogs out there in nature she is  vulnerable.  All cats are -not to mention the murder  of birds  by outdoor cats .  Indoor living for her .

Be careful where you sit- she likes to nestle  in the cracks.

While out of course I stopped in for senior day at the thrift store. I met an artist friend there having not seen her for a while. We have the same problem. Mental...We create and  see possibilities in everything . We create more "stuff" on the planet that is not needed. I am trying to reassemble nature, which can be composted after the thrill is gone. Like the little twig chairs. 

That said, however, I can't seem to be able to resist the "possibilities" in the thrift store. My friend is same same. An addiction I would say. Of course the dolly bin is a serious downfall for me.
 

the freakier the better. Creepy dolls sustain me. 

Bisque head with glass sleepy eyes and little porcelain teeth from the late 1800's. Her fragile threadbare silk dress barely clinging to her. Her jointed limbs loose enough to fall off. I will dismantle her , keep her head in a jar , and her limbs  for   assembly art.

This weird little home made doll in the style of  Kathe Kruse German dolls  did not get left behind but I am not particularly taken - just the work of building this doll is admirable.  I may try to improve her wool felted face, mend her frock and then send her on her way.

In the fabric area I found an Afghanistan belt in perfect nick. exquisite beading and coining- on silk with silk cord. Two bucks with a senior discount of 30%- which is- I dunno, math? Nearly free.

A large-ish   framed fashion watercolor signed in pencil with  tiny sketch at the bottom. I tried to find the artist online in the "SI" library - no luck. Anyway, I will remove from frame and send to my friend in NYC. Just because we were all about fashion in high school. She sort of resembles this model without the bulging rib. 

 There was an entire nativity , four sheep, two bovine, a goat, the three wise guys,  an angel, an adobe manger, (mache), All of the usual characters . Caught and released, put back on the shelf, several times. Finally ended up in my basket , because , in full addictive behavior, there is no stopping me.  I got the lot for a pittance and I must admit- not sorry. Partial to Mexican art.

I especially like Mary with her antennae looking sensational having just birthed god, blond white Joseph , sleeping larva baby, and the  all important midwife. I could not put it back on the self a final time.  The workmanship is great, tiny birds painted on their backs.  Probably Jesus doves. Anyway, this is a photo of the main characters.  I won't bother you with  photos of the entire work.The bovine and sheep look like album graecum so , not all that pleasing, the adobe manger resembles a bad cake made by thumbs.

I bought things for others who may curse me for it. That is the price one much pay, having a broken ,mental , addict friend. 

The cat found her happy place this morning- there will be no brushing of teeth or washing of hands in this little bathroom off the hallway. I can hear her purring from the other room! All is well with this one. 

Today is a day of not wanting to do what I must- clean poopy rain water bucket, take kitty to Human society for check, gather my wits. I think I will just cuddle up in a throw and read. I am reading  a rough draft of a memoir a friend has written, asked for  possible editing,  so far- it requires more than I can  possibly offer. 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Lil Stumpy, new kits, and a day of poop

Glass trumpets in the garden from my day with our Stella.

They would be great for collecting rain, I suppose ,with large enough mouths to allow  for bird bathing or bug drowning.

It is time to clean up the deck, put the flowers to bed, plant bulbs and find surprises left by the wild life .

Raccoon poop in the tub of rain water must be dealt with today.  

 

Lil Stumpy came right up to me in the morning light, showed me how proud he is of his limb minus hand. He is with his family but is the only one who is  quite so friendly. He must be responding to my concern , my  raccoon wishes, after the amputation and bloody nub , looking like there would be no hope for little him to survive such an injury.  He must have felt the vibes, the prayers to the raccoon god .

The stray cat is becoming a little less skittish, as well. Charm the animal kingdom with biscuits!The cat is such a gorgeous  little freak. I would love to have her come in sometime for a comfy  snooze on the sheepskin. Pretty sure she would appreciate it.

Later in the day, another surprise! A new mother with her three babies arrived to romp on the deck, I gave the mother an egg. The babies are still nursing. Is this the wrong time of year for a batch of newbies?

They have a 60 day gestation period , generally in the spring. El Nino is mapped  across the USA- predicting  a mild warm winter up here in our corner, Maybe the raccoon moms feel the shift and reckon this winter  to be a pleasant childhood for their kits. 

Raccoons know things.

One of the squirrels decided to tackle the sad sunflowers on the deck- toppled them for  little reward. Disgruntled.

Disappointed  blur.

So, that's all the news here at Animal Kingdom . After the new babies left I cleaned up the deck a bit. I need more Parson's ammonia to really get to the heart of the sludge left behind by forest creatures.  ICK, I know - not my favorite cleaning solution but gets the job done. 

The day is not entirely devoted to cleaning- I finally have an appointment with the skin guy to see about the hole in my arm that has healed over the past four/five weeks. Maybe I won't need to have anything burned or slashed. It is a mystery.  One would think that a diagnosis from the lab saying the C word would spark some measure of  immediacy?  Guess not. Must not be much of a big deal.

Pumpkininny

giant rosehips

gourds in a spider plant.

Have a beautiful autumn day - unless , of course, you have other plans. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

chunky buck, a free man, glass in the garden

He is a chunky dude- watching over his girls who are grazing in the yard.  The fence around the back hasn't done much to discourage the animal folk.

The days have been sunny and bright, my sun glasses measuring up to task. I bought some tea from India that claims to be good for eyes, it tastes lovely actually so even if it doesn't reach my eyes I like it.

I finally met up with Damen, my prison boy no longer , a grown up man having spent the last couple of decades in the slammer. He came up  north to work with vets at a veterans farm where they EE I eee I O with a chick chick here an oinker there-huge organic garden. A place to work and heal  damaged goods. Damen is offering a counsel service and a strong body to help hoist them bails, tote that barge. 

We met at the harbor for lunch and a stroll around, catching up a bit. Remember when he was just a lad of 22, on trial for murder, we, the jury, found him not guilty but responsible for manslaughter. Accidental shooting of his best friend. We kept in touch, he wrote many many letters and sent hand made leather journals for me to draw in. Lovely guy. He has landed well.
 

Today Stella  and I  went downtown to eat waffles for her birthday. We each got a coin to put into the dino machine to collect our dino. They used to put them on top of the waffles when they only had a food truck,  but now that they have a cafe they can have a dino machine. Maybe children were swallowing them before- better to have a vending machine.

We walked around the corner to the art shop where I bought stuff that I love- gold pigment, sloppy glue, a couple of cards and some modeling clay. My eyes may do better with that than trying to draw or paint. 

The gallery was open, we looked, we left, we went to another gallery/shop  on chuckanut drive.  Perfect sunny day to stroll through the garden art outside. The gallery inside is just as captivating. 

Loads of  (large) blown glass , pottery, metal statues /ornaments/benches/swings.

One would have to be civilized to have glass in the garden, I reckon. I am not that person.

Today is also another No Kings rally downtown, Dennis will go but I am not going. The orange thug is not going to dominate another  rare sunny day for me. He can just bugger off!  Time to start thinking about what is next, especially since the old toot is looking more like death every day. So, JD Vance? Anyone? 

Midterms are already being messed with of course, they will try anything and everything to keep the ball in their court. 

Leaving you with sunshine warming your back-  happiness- be glad that you are not in U.S. prison, carry on. Freedom is relative, they say.

 Love ya!