Speed Blogging

 Or Stream of Consciousness for 14 minutes.

In an attempt to post more often and not overthink things, I will be doing some speed blogging from time to time. I will blog for however long it is on my timer. Currently, that's 14 minutes and 5 seconds. I have been using that amount today to move me along from task to task.

A recent puzzle Ward worked of Dolly Sods,
a beautiful area in eastern West Virginia.

Last week, our cat, Annie, died. Our last one. It's amazing how quiet and lonely the house feels now that she's gone, even though she was only a small cat who slept most of the time. Yet, Ward and I both feel the loneliness. Oh, well. It's all part of life.

We have started to go through our cat stuff since we won't be getting any more cats (allergy problems). We have thrown away some things, donated others, and cleaned others that will be donated soon. I've been calling around to rescue organizations to see what they could use. I know it's soon, but I want to move on and just remember the fun times of 40 years of having cats in our family.

Annie

In the meantime, we have been having major car problems to the point that we are buying a new car. A process that I find very stressful. We narrowed it down to three models, which we shopped for on Friday. After much discussion, we decided on what we wanted, and Ward was going to buy it on Saturday while I was at work. However, the three cars we saw on Friday were all sold by the time Ward got there on Saturday. We've put a deposit down, and they should get another one in a couple of weeks. BTW, car prices are ridiculous these days and are selling over the MSRP!

Today, we've had a much-needed quiet day working around the house. I am hoping to do some major decluttering this winter. We've started with our bathroom and plan to move on to our bedroom. I've been working a little at a time, cleaning out a drawer here and a shelf there. We're making progress and plan to continue. By doing it this way, the task doesn't seem so overwhelming. Ward went through his shirts a few days ago and found 20 to give away. He hasn't gone through them since he retired and only needs a few now. 

On the fun side, Ward and I signed up for 6 weeks of samba and rumba lessons at the local rec center. We had our first lesson last week. It was fun because I didn't worry too much about not getting it right. My main goal (as with exercise classes) is to generally move the same way as everyone else so I don't bump into anyone. The instructor has an accent that is hard to understand but is nice. The classes are a fun diversion.

We recently watched an excellent, feel-good movie called "Bank of Dave." It is about a rural Englishman who starts his own local bank and is the story of the little guy pitted against the big guys. It is based on a true story. Netflix made the movie, but we watched it on Amazon Prime for $3. I highly recommend it.

Okay, I just checked my timer because it seems like my time should be about up. Guess what? I forgot to press start. Oops!

Well, that's it for my speed blogging today. What have you been up to?

Until next time...

And Then There Were None

Annie, a few months ago.

 When I started this blog, we had four cats. Now we have none. Yesterday, we had to put Annie down. She had taken a turn for the worse, and it was time. Several years ago, I found out that I was allergic to cats, so we won't be getting any more. After 40 years of having cats, it is going to be a hard adjustment to make.

Annie (left) and her brother, Leo - the early days

We got Annie over twenty years ago when we adopted her and her littermate, Leo, from a pet rescue organization. They joined our other two cats, Lucky and Lucy.

Annie came into the household adventuresome and bossy. Among other things, she tried to take over the favorite spots of the older cats. This had mixed results. After a few months, the pecking order was finally established, and much to her chagrin, Annie was the Number Two cat.

When she didn't make gains in territory, she focused on eating. She soon figured out that I usually did the feeding, and she stuck to me like glue. Annie would always be the first one eating, pushing others out of the way if necessary, even though they each had their own bowl. She would bump my hand as I was pouring food so more would spill into the bowl. Then, if any food was left from the other cats, she would finish it. 

Annie in her heavier days.

Her competitive eating soon made her rather Garfield-like, but her size did not slow her down, however. She was still the loudest cat and the most aggressive hunter. She was always first on the scene when anything new came into the house. But she also loved her lap time and a scratch under her chin.

Annie slowed down over the years but was still eager to let you know when she wanted something. Her very expressive meows let you know that you should fill her food bowl or come sit down and pet her.

Annie still getting in trouble in her old age.

A few weeks ago, we discovered a rapidly growing tumor on her leg. Because of her age, removal was not an option. We watched as she kept going despite the discomfort she was having. However, yesterday, we found her having difficulty with her bodily functions and clearly in distress. We guessed that the tumor had spread to other parts of her body.

Making the decision to end a pet's suffering is always a difficult one, but Wally said something that helped. He visited over the weekend and noted even though Annie was definitely showing her age, she still had her personality. So when yesterday, she wasn't showing her "listen to me now" ways, we knew it was time. 

Goodbye, Annie. You were a great addition to the family, and you are sorely missed.

 

Ward's Been Busy

Ward has been interested in woodworking since he was a kid. However, most of his life he has not had much time to do more than read about it, but he always hoped that would change. And because of that hope, when we were shopping for houses before our last move, one of the requirements was that it had to have something he could use as a shop or a space where he could build one. This house came with an extra garage, so as soon as he saw it, he said, "Sold!"

Fast forward to a few years later, and Ward has been spending time in his workshop upgrading his equipment and honing his skills. Retirement has helped with that. He's happy, and I'm happy. And he's getting pretty good.

Here are some of the things he made for Christmas gifts this year.

This is a console table he made for Wally and Theo. They have a niche at their place where this table fits perfectly. (Painted pine base, maple top.)

A cutlery tote. (Cherry)

Kindling box filled with hardwood scraps. (Pine)

M&M dispenser. Ward's father always has peanut M&Ms around for visitors to enjoy, so Ward thought this dispenser would be fun for him. Peanut M&Ms are irregularly sized and shaped, so he had to go through several prototypes to find the best design. (Fir)

This was one of the earlier prototypes. It works great with regular M&Ms, but he is redesigning and putting a different base on it. I told him I wanted to keep this one. (Pine)

Next up, Ward is building a kitchen island for a friend. I want to get on his list because I have several things I want him to build.

Until next time...

2023 in Review, the Second Six Months

 

 As has become my tradition, I will look at what 2023 was like for me, according to my blog. Here it is, 2023- the second six months. (In case you're interested, here's the first six months.

July

We picked blueberries at Uncle Billy's house this month.

I began the month with a 4th of July post about when Ward's mother got her US citizenship. Later, I talked about a baby shower I was having and about Wally and Theo getting a new place. I ended the month with a travelog about the trip Ward and I took to Pennsylvania. And, as always, I featured what was growing in our yard. 

The highlight of the PA trip was a visit to The Ruins, an abandoned coal mine adorned with hundreds of mosaics.

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August

A volunteer sunflower planted by the birds.

I did six posts in August. In August, we took a day trip to Pennsylvania to visit Camp Micheax and found other interesting things along the way. I chronicled the odyssey of trying to find a new rug and did a meanderings post in which I talked about an eye patch I had to wear and tomatoes that needed to be processed. In addition, I did two focused posts - one about my perfectionism and one about coping with the overwhelming bad news we hear every day. And no month would be complete without some flower pictures.

One of the few structures still standing at Camp Micheax. 

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September

We had a surprise iris bloom in September.

I did seven posts in September. We began the month with a trip to West Virginia and Ohio for a family reunion. While there, we explored Marietta, the first settlement in the Northwest Territory. At the end of the month, I was chronicling a trip we took to Peaks of Otter Virgina. In between, I talked about singing and a broken apple tree branch. 

Flat Top Peak at Peaks of Otter.

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October

We hiked along Smith Mountain Lake during our VA vacation.

I did eight posts this month. The month began with a continuation of our trip to Virginia. Back home, Ward and I hiked at a local Audubon Sanctuary, and I blogged about being inspired to do more outdoor things in the cold after seeing a TV show focused on Maine. (BTW, still working on that goal. I don't like cold!) And I did a couple of posts where we were beginning to see signs of autumn.

The fall mums were blooming this month.

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November

Beautyberries were providing some November color in the yard.

I did five posts in November. Several of the posts this month involved the planning we did for our Thanksgiving dinner with 30 people. We had our credit card stolen, and we bought new furniture without fretting over it for a long time, as we had done in the past. Kris did a post telling us about her new cats.

Kris's cats, Pippa and Stuart

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December

It was short-lived, but we had our first snow of the season in December.

I finished up the year with 10 posts in December. Most of the posts this month talked about Christmas, including four posts featuring ornaments from our tree. On Christmas Day, I did a tribute to my mother. And on a non-Christmas topic, I mentioned the extremely long false eyelashes I had been seeing and wondered if anyone had any insights into this trend.

Ward sent me Christmas flowers at work.

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So there you have it - my Blogging Year, 2023, in review. I would call it a year of maintaining the blog posting about once a week. I didn't have regular features, but I did post many flower pictures, which may be my favorite kind of post. I continued to have writer's block as I was conflicted about rambling about my mundane everyday life and wanting to say something more meaningful or clever. And that resulted in me not posting anything at times. 

What does 2024 hold for Live and Learn? We shall see. Maybe I'll spend more time on the blog and write some meaningful regular posts here. Or perhaps you will get to hear more of my everyday ramblings. Tune in. :)

Until next time...

2023 in Review, The First Six Months

 As has become my tradition, I will look at what 2023 was like for me, according to my blog. Some day, if I give up on privacy issues, the review will be a more accurate picture of life as I know it. And sometimes, I wonder why I even bother about online privacy. I think Google already knows everything about me, and what they don't know, Amazon probably does. Anyone with a bit of time and inclination could figure out anything they wanted. But I digress. Here it is, 2023, according to my blog.

I didn't do a lot of posting this year, with a total of 73 for the year. Over the 12 years I've been blogging here, that number is just above my lowest year in 2017 when I did 70 posts. My highest year was in 2013, with a total of 278 posts. 

January

This is what I thought for most of my posts this month.
Source?

I did six posts this month, two of which were a review of 2022. Most of the posts were This and That with no central theme. We took a hike on New Year's Day, I worked on my Storyworth Stories (an autobiography of sorts), and I tried speed blogging to stop procrastinating and post something. That worked for that one time. I should try it some more now that I've been reminded of it. The one themed post I did was about being left-handed and directionally challenged.

This was the sign that inspired the post about being directionally challenged.

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February

Snowdrops were the 1st spring flower in our yard.

I did six posts this month, also. I was excited about seeing snowdrops, our first spring flowers, but I lamented that none of our crocuses were blooming like I had seen elsewhere. Ward and I took a trip to West Virginia and Virginia, and we celebrated Valentine's Day by doing couples yoga for something different. We visited our first parks in our quest to visit all of the parks in our town. 

A pocket park we visited in our town.

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March

I did four posts this month, and they mainly featured spring flowers. I was excited that spring had finally sprung.

The crocuses were blooming this month.

So was the ornamental plum.

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April

This month, I did five posts. There were a lot of pictures of the continuation of spring blooming around the yard. We celebrated Wally's birthday with a hike, and I was sprouting beans in baggies on a window in preparation for a STEM program I would do. I also summarized the driving trip that Ward and I took to Georgia and South Carolina to visit family and friends.

Our trip south included hiking to various waterfalls.

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May

Rhododendron were blooming.

I did four posts in May. I continued to feature the blooming flowers and the hazy skies we had from the Canadian wildfires. I did a review of Crumbl Cookies, and there was a tribute to our cat, Leo, who passed away this month. 

Leo

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June

Bee with pollen sac on tomato plant.

I did five posts in June. Along with the flowers, I showed vegetables that were growing. Also, I did a Father's Day tribute to my father and presented my father-in-law with a book I made for him chronicling his life. We took another hike with Wally.

Apples were growing for the first time on a tree we planted a few years before.

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Tune in next time for the next six months.