He’s Probably In Heaven

 Today while taking my walk I met a woman named Shelly. She too was taking a walk but with her little dog, Buttercup. I gave her dog a treat that I carry in my pocket to give to dogs that I meet as I walk. So Shelly and I made small talk and then I realized that Buttercup was a dog I was introduced to as Butter by his dad Keith. I met Keith when I first moved to this house. He was a double leg amputee who drove around the neighborhood on his scooter device. He was a very pleasant man that I took to right away. We would chit chat on many days. He liked to talk, and I liked listening to him talk.

I was sad to learn from Shelly that Keith passed away back in June. Shelly asked my name and informed me that Keith would come home and talk about his friend Sandy..  that made me smile. I’m sure he’s in heaven. I’m glad I got to meet his wife. She says she’s doing okay.

Wednesday

 I quit nursing. I’ve been a licensed nurse for 40 years. This past March I resigned from my job. I was finished. I couldn’t keep up with it anymore. The load was so incredibly heavy. It was impossible. It felt so good to leave it behind. I didn’t even re-new my license this year.

 I’m not sure what I will do from here on. I will figure it all out I guess. 

For now I’m getting ready for the Christmas holiday. The house is decorated and looks warm and cozy. I finished wrapping the gifts yesterday except I still have a few bows to apply. I worked on my Christmas dinner menu the past couple of days, and My Christmas cards are ready to be mailed. I’m looking forward to celebrating my adult children.

I continue to walk everyday. I think I’m on my 80 th consecutive day. I love it. It gets me out of the house and some of the time interacting with neighbors. But mostly I love all the animals I meet. They’re so cute.

11/13/24 Wednesday

 I’m sitting on the couch with Ralphi. He’s taking a bath. lol so freaking cute. Mr. Bojangles is doing the same thing except he’s in my bed. I love my kitties.

I think I will clean my kitchen cabinets, and do a little touch up with paint. I’ve been planning on doing it for months so I think today is a good day to get it done. And then if I feel like it I might clean my ceiling fans and floors.

Every once in a while I drive past my old house. The new owner doesn’t take very good care of the yard. He has weeds growing everywhere…….tall weeds, and grass coming up through cracks in the driveway. It used to be one of the best yards on the street……now not so much. 

I’m happy I moved. I like my neighbors, and neighborhood. It’s a nicer place in general. 

Walking. Voting uncertainty.

 Day before yesterday I completed my 30th  consecutive day of taking a walk around my neighborhood.  Along the way I’ve met Sassy the overweight hound dog who wears a sunflower on her collar. Stretch, the long black and white cat who rubs her head against my hand, and Momma the multi color pregnant cat who rolls to her back for me to rub her belly.

They all make my day. I used to call Stretch, Cookie, until I met her human dad who told me her real name. I cracked up at the name Stretch. I love that name. 

Turns out that Sassys human mom used to babysit me and my sisters when we were little bitty ones. Small world, huh?

Watching Trump pretend to jack off a microphone and then pretend to give it a blow job just repulsed and embarrassed me for our country.

 Of all the amazing, bright, intelligent, competent people we have in this country I don’t understand how it is that we have Trump and Kamala as our choices for president. I feel so discouraged.

Cleaning and Stuff

 Always around the anniversary of boyfriend’s death I plant bulbs, usually tulips. This year I planted tulips and daffodils. The yard will look pretty this spring.

I’ve been busy cleaning my basement. When we moved here I was too busy to even unpack a lot of my stuff. So I just recently went through a bunch of boxes in the basement and then placed a lot of the stuff in my driveway with a sign “free stuff” and hopes that people would take it. Luckily it was all gone in a few hours.

I also had boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations that I don’t use. I don’t want my adult children to have to deal with it all when I die so I finally dealt with it. My neighbor took three large bags of stuff. lol. I’m happy to see it go, and to see someone else happy to have it.

Lastly I threw away so much medical stuff from boyfriend, and the last of his clothes. I felt relieved to let it go.

Most of boyfriends ashes I sent back to Colorado with his son but I kept a big bag of them here with me. I put them out in my garden where most of my tulips grow, and where our cat, Woody, is buried. I kept a very small pinch of the ashes in an urn ring, and then I have some in a little wooden heart to be buried with me.

My basement looks great. So does my garage. I feel like I can breathe better having them all clean and organized.

The vet wants my oldest cat to have the iodine treatment for his hyperthyroidism. It’s about two grand per treatment and might take more than one tx. My cats almost 16 years old. I’m back and forth between doing it and not doing it.

I hate my vet right now for messing up, twice, the dose of my cats medicine and for lying to me about my cats thyroid level. I’m looking for a new vet, will talk to them about treatment for hyperthyroidism for my cat and then make a decision.

He’s Home!

 My cat Ralphi came home! Yay! He smelled like an old damp basement. Other than stinking he seemed to be just fine. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to have him back home. 

On the anniversary of boyfriend’s passing I always plant flowers/bulbs. This year I planted 50 Tulip bulbs and 30 Daffodil bulbs. The yard will be pretty next spring I think.

Missing cat

 I found the tackle box in my closet. I don’t remember putting it there but I guess I did! I’m just happy I found it. I keep my back pack from camping tucked in that closet. So I guess it makes sense that the tackle box was in there.

I sold my camper. Boyfriend bought is several years before he passed away. He loved that thing. I’ve only used it twice since he’s been gone. I offered it to my adult children but they didn’t want it.  I just wanted it out of my garage. . I’m glad it’s gone.

My cat Ralphi has been missing for two and a half days. My stomach and heart aches. I hope he’s ok and comes home soon. I love that little fur ball.

The Missing Tackle Box

 I lost my dad’s fishing tackle box. I looked for it yesterday because I wanted to clean it. I called my son to see if I left it in his truck last time we went fishing. It’s not there. I went back to my garage today and found a tackle box I’d never seen before. It’s filled with fishing gear and my dad’s fishing license. I don’t know where it came from. It’s not the one I’ve been using. The one I had was a metal box that opened at the top and bottom of the box. It was dad’s for sure. WTF.

It’s been three years……

 Oh my. It’s been three years. I’m not sure if I’m back or not but I thought I would give it a go. 

I quit my job. My work called asking me to come in for a gift they got me for having longest tenure with the company. They got me a new IPad. It was nice of them but they should have saved their money or got a much needed new phone for the nurses station. Or much needed new computers for the med carts. I resigned the day after they gave me the IPad.

 Quitting my job felt so amazing…..like leaving a crappy marriage  or relationship. I felt like I could breathe again, and like a ton of weight was lifted off my shoulders. I quit this past March after 24 years and not for one day or one second have I regretted it. 

My dad passed away two years ago. It was very unexpected. He was admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of an Ileus…..ended up being a cancerous mass in his colon not an Ileus……he aspirated while vomiting….ended up in respiratory failure…..was intubated……then started to improve enough to be extubated…….and he told them not to intubate him again…….and so when his oxygen saturation started to drop again he said his goodbyes to us and asked us to not stay to watch him die.

. It was all so heartbreaking. My dad was my best friend in a confusing sort of way. He was the smartest and funniest person I’ve ever known and he was the strongest person I’ve ever known. I was proud of him in many ways, and very grateful for him.

Mom and dad had red birds come to their house everyday to eat food set out by my parents. They loved their  Red birds. On the morning after dad died I had two red birds on my picket fence, never been there before that I knew of,  sitting just above my cat Ralphi. Dad loved Ralph. Thought he was the cutest cat ever. Mom never met him. I’m sure those two red birds were mom and dad. Dad probably introducing mom to Ralphi.

Today I’ve been trying my hand at putting in a bathroom floor. So far I suck at it but it’s fun trying…..sort of….

Ralphi and Mr. Bojangles are doing well. Mr Bojangles is my best friend, Ralph is my best bud. I call them the Bengals. 

That’s it for now……..