Rainy days … and books!

There are rainy days and then there are good rainy days.

I love a good rainy day. They’re usually in the Fall and involve a good book and an ample supply of chocolate. We haven’t had enough rainy days this year and I’m hoping that 2020 will bring us a healthy increase in the number of “book days.”

You see, my pile of books-to-be-read is about to overload the little table I store them on. It’s skinny little legs are looking a bit shaky these days. It’s not my fault, really. Between the lack of rainy days in 2019 and the fact that many of my favorite authors just keep on writing more books (a huge thanks to all of you, by the way), my little table just can’t keep up. What to do?

I know. Get off this post and go read. Silly me.

But first, if you haven’t already, try great reads from the following authors:

Jodi Taylor—especially The Chronicles of St. Mary’s series, starting with Just One Damned Thing After Another
Genevieve Gogman—start with The Invisible Library, it’s outstanding
C. J. Archer—start with The Palace of Lost Memories or The Watchmaker’s Daughter
Petra Durst-Benning—The Century Trilogy, starting with While the World Is Still Asleep
Cathy Lamb—All About Evie, Henry’s Sisters, Julia’s Chocolates, and many more!
Abbi Waxman—The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
Fiona Davis—The Dollhouse, The Glass Ocean

I could go on about this forever, but my rainy day awaits. Enjoy!

Bossy britches

Posted by goodoldgirl

I have a bossy cat.

There, I said it.

The first step is admitting the problem.

The second step is a choice. It can be digging one’s heels in and refusing to be bossed around by a four-legged fur ball. It can be an adventure in feline behavior modification (see Cat Whisperer). Or it can be good old-fashioned whining.

Katie isn’t a bad cat. She’s even quite affectionate from time to time. But mostly, she’s just bossy and very vocal. I mean she meows—a lot.

Some of the time she emits a soft little mew. Other times she lets out an ear-splitting MEOW. In her defense, she usually only caterwauls when I’ve neglected her for more time than she’s willing to be ignored.

You see, one of the things I like most about cats is that they’re very self sufficient. As long as their box is cleaned regularly and their food is where it’s supposed to be when it’s supposed to be, they’re pretty happy critters.

Not Katie.

First of all, she has to be in whatever room I’m in. She follows me everywhere and it’s really annoying. She has learned to not get underfoot (after having her tail stepped on a few times) but wherever I am, there she is. When I go outside, she sits in the window and watches. When I go into the kitchen, she sits in there and watches. When I go to the bathroom, she sits in there and watches. If I shut her out, she sits outside the bathroom door meowing louder and louder until I let her in.

Yes, she’s in here with me right now, watching as I type. It’s kind of creepy.

Back to the caterwauling …

There are three primary reasons why Katie screeches at me …

When her food dish is empty
When her box needs attention
When she wants to play and I’m not taking the hint.

Her ‘food hint’ is to walk back and forth from the kitchen, meowing louder and louder until I go replenish her dish. Now, let’s be clear. It’s not that she’s hungry even. She just doesn’t like for her dish to be empty.

Her ‘potty hint’ is to pace back and forth right in front of me. You guessed it, meowing louder and louder until I get up and tend to her box.

Her ‘playing hint’ is to drag around whatever she wants me to dangle at her as she follows me all over the house. If I’m planted in my favorite reading chair, she sits on the end of the couch, a mere three feet away, with said dangler hanging out of her mouth—staring at me.

I find it very hard to enjoy reading, even a really good book, with a cat staring at me.

She doesn’t blink.

Blooming

Posted by goodoldgirl

What is it that we love so much about spring?

Is it the sense of rebirth? The glory of a new beginning? The birds chirping?

For me it’s getting in the dirt. I plant flowers mostly, with a veggie here and there just for the adventure.

I can’t crawl around on the ground like I used to. Well, I can get down there but I’d never manage to get back up. So, I have this neat little wagon/chair/trolley (you can find one on Amazon.com) as my planting buddy. It serves me well.

I also have a really good landscaper. He does a great job as well.

I spent 15 years living in a townhouse with very limited growing space, mostly in pots on the patio, but now I have a house again and can enjoy all the planting Spring has to offer. Not to mention Fall, which is great for planting shrubs and trees. See that pic up there? All those beautiful azaleas were planted last Fall, along with a dogwood and a redbud tree. They already bloomed this Spring and I really should have taken pictures. Darn.

Here’s the other end, in front of the porch.