The Other Side of My Life

Getting out my Green Thumb

2008-05-23T17:55:00.003-05:00

For years, I have wanted to garden. I did try a few years ago, but my yard has a lot of chiggers. Man, I hate chiggers. They seem to love me, though. Not like my husband - they don't like him at all. It is not fair, I tell you. So, I gave up after that first season.

I have also been needing more exercise. My problem is that I do not like exercise that is just exercise. I like to have an activity that I can get involved in while I get my exercise.

Now with rising food prices, I thought it might be a good time to try gardening again. I decided to start with containers. Then, I began to clear out my flower beds as they didn't have much in them anyway. The chiggers are mainly in the back yard, so I am safe up front.

But, with the rising energy costs, I wanted to reclaim my clothes line. It is in the back yard...with the chiggers. So, I have begun a campaign to get rid of them. Wish me luck.

Also because of rising energy costs, I bought one of those "reel" type lawnmowers. It requires no gas or electricity. And, it works pretty good. I used to pay $25.00 per month in the summer to get my yard mowed, so I will now save that and the lawnmower will pay for itself after 4 months. Then, I can apply that savings to those rising food and energy bills.

Well, with all this earthy activity going on, I became excited to be outside and playing in the dirt. I have been having fun. I am sore and tired, but happy. Of course, I don't know much about gardening beyond the basics, so I also have a bunch to learn. And that is a good thing - keep me from getting bored.

I better go read "Gardening for Dummies" now...

Master Beggar

2008-03-04T12:01:00.005-06:00

Rorschack is an inveterate beggar. I admit I do spoil him and give him tidbits. He loves beef and chicken of course, but also goes crazy for black-eyed peas! . Don't worry, I don't give him many tidbits...and the ones I do give are healthy ones.

I can't help spoiling him...Rorschack has the most pitiful voice I have ever heard and he knows how to use it...and he has the most soulful eyes...and I am a mere human...how can I not spoil him? To maintain my illusion of dignity, I try to teach him manners...but, alas, we have only made progress in small steps.

My husband is not quite the soft touch that I am...and refuses to give tidbits from his plate until after he has finished eating...and only if the kitty can behave. Rorschack just cannot seem to behave, so he rarely gets a tidbit from "Dad".

Last Friday night, my husband was eating his dinner in the TV room on the day bed. I was sitting there with him, but had eaten earlier. We talked as he ate. Rorschack was sitting in front of me. I noticed after a few moments that Rorschack was looking at me with soulful eyes and occasionally glancing at "Dad's" plate. He did this several times...it finally occurred to me that he was asking me to get him a tidbit from "Dad's" plate! My husband and I both seemed to get the message at the same time...we were both impressed. So, since we believe in reinforcing cleverness in our household, "Dad" gave me a tidbit for Rorschack. Rorschack seemed happy with his success....hmmmmm.

By reinforcing cleverness, we do open ourselves up for exploitation, but the entertainment value makes it worth it.

Long Lost Army Buddy

2008-02-19T22:41:00.002-06:00

When I went back in the U.S. Army in 1984, I went to Terrain Analysis School in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. In that class, was a young man I was immediately drawn to - it seemed we knew each other, but we had never met! We became fast friends and were happy to both get stationed in Germany when class was over.

He got posted in a town about 2 hours away from me by train. I obtained an apartment off post for awhile and whenever I made eggrolls, he showed up on my doorstep. His theory was that our plants communicated telepathically and when I made eggrolls, my plants told his plants and his plants told him. Silly, but it was weird that every time I made eggrolls, there he was.

When we were discharged from the Army, I went to Austin to be near my mother, and he went home to his mother's house in Rhode Island. Shortly thereafter, I obtained an apartment in Austin and he moved to Austin to be my roommate. We were roommates for some years and collected a couple of other roommates as well.

We all used to play Canasta and Clue as well as other board games. It was one big happy family. Well, life events took us in separate directions and we kept in touch for some more years. At one point, several years ago, we lost contact. I tried to find him, and apparently he tried to find me; as he just this evening found my website and contacted me!

We have spent this evening on the phone and in emails (my phone's battery ran down) getting caught up with each other's news. I am so excited and happy to be back in touch with this very dear friend. He is on my list of "Best Friends for Life".

Many are the times when I needed a friend and he was there for me. He saw me through some tough times. We also saw many a silly moment together. Such a wonderful reunion - it seems he lives only a few hours away from me now...I will get to see him again!

Help! I have a cat on me and I can't get up

2007-11-29T10:40:00.000-06:00

Miss Pouffie (Puff the Magicat) is a lot of cat. I say she is fat, but my husband insists she is just round. I have tried to put her on a diet, but then she just goes out and eats a bird or a mouse. How do you put a cat on a diet when she is an excellent hunter? No, I cannot keep her locked up, she would tear down the house.

She does make a warm cuddly ball on my lap, though.

Lazing the day away

2007-11-23T13:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, I have some some work today, but I am now blog surfing. I went to check out one of my favorites and found this:

I'm Moving My Recipes

2007-11-19T14:15:00.000-06:00

I have decided to create a blog just for my recipes and related topics (i.e. good eating habits, tips, etc). So I will be moving all the recipes here over to "KnotGypsy's Kitchen Chronicles".

I am not sure if I will even keep this blog going. When I discovered blogging, I fell in love with it. I created several, but apparently bit off more than I could chew. I have recently had to simplify.

I have already begun to integrate "KnotGypsy's Journey of Creation" into my new website "KnotGypsyDesigns.com". I think the new site is off to a good start and the integration will certainly simplify blog maintenance.

So, that leaves me with two blogs that I definitely want to keep.

We'll see about what I want to do with this one, I may keep it and change the focus a little. I am still thinking about it.

Blast from my Past

2007-11-08T08:58:00.000-06:00

I mentioned on my other blog that a friend of mine bought a space at the Wimberly Market and invited me to share it with her. We set up for the first time this past weekend. This friend is my ex-husband's Lady.

Background: I married young (at 19) back in 1978. I was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. He was from Britain working as a portrait photographer traveling around Germany. We hit it off immediately and were soon married. I met his family and loved them as well - lovely people. Well, unfortunately, the marriage did not work. We seemed to bring out the worst in each other. But, we both valued the friendship and worked hard to save it. We remain friends to this day and are very glad we did.

I have missed his family as they still live in England. His mother, sister, and nephew came for a visit this month; so I got to see them when I went to Wimberly this past weekend! It was a wonderful reunion. We had fun reminiscing about the past and I dragged a couple of old photo albums with me to help us.

Bella is getting better

2007-10-08T10:59:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick report on Bella for those who may be tracking her progress. I know there are cat lovers out there just like me.

We took her to the vet last Friday. There seems to be no infection from her "bite" wounds, they seem to be healing up just fine. She still has some inflammation in her gums, though. The vet tells me this is a common problem for cats even after getting the teeth cleaned. Perhaps it is due to a particular bacteria that cats have in their mouths. It is perhaps the same bad germ that gives cats abscesses when bitten by another cat. So she got another steroid shot and we must continue squirting that evil tasting (according to Bella) oral mouthrinse into her mouth.

Otherwise, Bella seems fine. She has returned to her normal routines and is returning to her usual loudness as well. What a relief. We will just keep watch and take her back in 3 weeks (per the vet's instructions) for another steroid shot (if necessary).

Some of My Favorite Books

2007-10-06T21:44:00.000-05:00

I joined Amazon.com Affiliates program yesterday. I need to increase my income so I won't have to get an outside job. I really, really want to work for myself and pursue my dreams.

At some point, if I ever get the time, I want to write reviews on my favorite books. I do love to read, why not get paid for it?

In the meantime, check out "KnotGypsy's Favorite Books" (at Amazon) for some of my favorites.

Bella's Bad Luck Continues

2007-10-01T09:45:00.000-05:00

Bella was doing good. She was up and about - even playing again. She was eating solid foods, so after a while, I let her outside. She is experienced with the outdoors. Last Friday, she did not show up for breakfast, then she did not show up for dinner. I was a little worried, but it is not that unusual for her or any of the cats to stay out late. After all, she is experienced.

Well, she came home later Friday night with some wounds. Sort of puncture wounds (as if she got bit by a dog), but the areas around the wounds appear scraped - she is missing her fur in these areas. I am baffled. Perhaps she got in a tangle with a dog, and scraped her fur getting away through a fence????

She does not seem to have any further injuries. She walks fine, her tail works, and when I probe her abdomen, she shows no signs of tenderness. I got right on cleaning her wounds (they were not very dirty), and applied antibiotic ointment. She is already on antibiotics from her previous problem, so that will help.

Poor kitty, she has had an awful summer. Seems her luck has run bad this year. She has been an indoor/outdoor cat for nearly 10 years with never a problem until now. She did disappear once when we first moved here. She was gone for a couple of months and we though we had lost her. (Yes, we asked around here and in our old neighborhood - no one admitted to seeing her). Then one day, she reappeared. She was in great shape; she had not lost any weight, and she was well groomed. We think someone must have though she was a stray and took her in.

It has occurred to me that perhaps she was bitten by a dog and someone shaved the fur around the bite marks in an effort to treat them. Maybe she has a good samaritan in the neighborhood.

At any rate, she is confined to the house for now...

Bella's progress

2007-09-20T11:18:00.000-05:00

We took Bella in for a recheck visit. The doctor extended her course of antibiotics, and added an oral mouthrinse. He also gave her a shot of steroid for the inflamation in her gums.

What a challenge it is to get medication into a cat! She seems to be doing allright as her activity level is average for her. Although, she has become very persnickety about eating. Sometimes she wants to eat on the chair, sometimes the bed, sometimes in another room. I seem to spend much of my day chasing her around trying to feed her! Yes, she is spoiled rotten.

Then, on Monday, I had a migraine. It took 2 1/2 days to recover. I am so glad I only get them occasionally. Those of you who have them more frequently have my absolute sympathy.

Well, back to work as I am way behind in work.

Update on Bella

2007-09-13T13:22:00.000-05:00

It has been a trying week.

Bella completed her antibiotics (following her dental surgery) around the end of August. She continued to sneeze occasionally, but otherwise seemed fine.

Last Friday evening, while eating, she gagged and jumped away and ran. She hid in the bedroom. I tried to offer her some diluted food, but she would not even try it.

She continued to hide in the bedroom. All day Saturday, I tried to get her to eat. She did a little, but not much. In the afternoon, I added a couple of drops of lemon juice (for the vitamin C) to some diluted food. I used a syringe to feed her some. Later that night, she began to perk up. She even voluntarily ate some.

Sunday, she continued to stay in the bedroom, but was eating. I fed her diluted food every 4 hours. Later in the day, she came out and sat on the back porch for awhile. She returned to the bedroom after about an hour.

Monday was much the same. She ate, but stayed in the bedroom. I called the vet.

We took her to see the vet on Wednesday afternoon. He tested her for FIV and Feline Leukemia. Thankfully, both tests were negative. He thinks she may have allergies complicated by remaining infection in her mouth. He gave us a different antibiotic which we are now using. Perhaps the infection had become resistant to the previous antibiotic.

So now we pray.

Random news

2007-08-31T10:10:00.000-05:00

Bella continues to do well. I am weaning her off being fed by hand. She is resisting. She is now able to eat without my diluting her food. Still no crunchies for her, though.

I have been getting even more intimate with my crockpot. I just love it. This week I made cabbage rolls in the crockpot. I adapted my old family recipe and it worked great. My finicky husband loved them as did two of my cats, GiGi and Rorshack. (Don't worry, I don't give them much at all, just a couple nibbles. They certainly want more, but I don't believe that food prepared for human consumption is always good for kitties.) My husband even loved the gravy, which he usually ignores.

We have had a stressful month as have a couple of friends of mine. So, we are planning a "Girls Movie Night" soon. We will be watching "E.T." It has been years since I have seen it and my friend's 13 year old daughter has never seen it. I think it is just the thing - a modern day fairy tale. We need a little something light hearted. Now, we just need to decide on what we will be eating...

Bella on the Mend

2007-08-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

We took Bella in for her appointment on Monday. They had to remove her two lower back teeth as they were fractured. No wonder she was having difficulty. The doctor reports that her pre-surgery bloodwork all looked good; that her heart, liver, kidney functions, etc were good. That was a relief.

Bella is now recuperating and I am spoiling her rotten!

Once she finishes her current course of antibiotics, we will see if she has further, more serious problems. Will she get another upper respiratory infection, or were the previous ones all related to her teeth getting infected? Wish us luck.

Bella Gets the Brush Off

2007-08-17T12:55:00.001-05:00

Bella loves being brushed by "Dad". I took this photo last night to show you she is actually doing pretty good. She is socializing and eating if I feed her on her terms. Of course! She is a cat and demands everything on her terms. We do spoil her rotten.

Claiming a blog on Technorati

2007-08-16T14:33:00.000-05:00

This post is solely for the purpose of validating my claim on Technorati for this blog.
Technorati Profile

A Promising New Writer

2007-08-16T12:38:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, I like to go blog surfing purely for the fun of it. Some time back, I came across a blog by a young woman who loves to write. Her first blog was "Blush". She talked about her life in a sort of journal style. She showed quite a sense of humor and an ability to laugh at herself in spite of some difficult times. I bookmarked the blog, and have been back several times. She started over with a new blog "Blush Take 2" where she played around with the layout and focus. She was definitely growing in her writing by this time; I kept going back.

Now she has 2 more blogs (at WordPress),

"Baby C's" where she (in her own words)

"Baby C’s is dedicated to bringing you the best the web has to offer in trendy home decor, fashion and accessories to fit your lifestyle. Ranging from the traditional to the downright eclectic Baby C’s will have something for everybody and with links to the individual sites shopping is a snap. Please enjoy your visit here and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions. Thank you and happy shopping!"

She has excellent taste and although this blog is a fledgling, it shows promise.

And "Sweet and Sour", where she writes articles on a wide variety of topics. She draws from her own life, but in such a way as to make it near universal. I love her wit, passion, and her search for answers to questions that plague us all. I think this one is my favorite, but I like them all.

I think you will find an enjoyable read on any of her blogs.

I think we all need a chuckle

2007-08-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

If you have not found "I CAN HAZ CHEEZEBURGER?" you really need to go there. There are pages and pages of photos of cats (and a few other critters) with funny captions. If you need a chuckle, that is the place.

Here is an example. Just click on image to be taken to the site.

Bella's Doctor Says...

2007-08-16T09:57:00.001-05:00

Bella is still scheduled for her appointment to have her teeth worked on.

As I reported to her doctor:

She has not gagged since I began diluting her food,
She is not hiding out, but socializing with us,
She is sneezing occasionally, but it has been raining a lot and there is mildew,

He says:

That it is possible the sneezing is an allergic reaction not related to the infection she had.
That tooth problems are the likely culprit on the gagging.
That the tooth problems are likely to be the culprit of her previous infection and fever.

So, we continue as planned. I will continue to dilute her food, and take her in on Monday for the teeth cleaning and possible extractions. The doctor will perform blood work prior to anesthesia to rule out any problems she may have with the anesthesia. So we wait.

I do have a lot of confidence in this veterinary clinic. The good folks at Connover Veterinary Hospital are some of the best I have seen. I have had cats for 46 of my 48 years, so I have lot of experience for comparison. They treat the pets like family. In fact, they are so good that there is often a waiting list to get routine appointments. Emergencies are handled any time of day or night as they always have someone on call.

I will try not to worry so much.

Worried about Bella

2007-08-12T11:43:00.000-05:00

Little Miss Princess Charming Bella de Trouble may be in trouble. Back in May, she was treated for an upper respiratory infection. She had been sneezing and wheezing with a fever. A few weeks ago, the symptoms returned and the vet gave us another course of antibiotics to administer. Per the vet's suggestion, we also made an appointment to have her teeth cleaned (and some pulled if needed) in about 10 days. He says the toxicity in her gums may be spreading. We finished the antibiotics last Thursday, but she is sneezing again and her wheezing is returning. She also gags occasionally when eating. She is about 9 1/2 years old.

I have been diluting her food and feeding her small amounts several times a day as this seems to help her be able to eat without gagging. I will certainly be calling the vet tomorrow, but I am worried...

Anti-Freeze, Cats and Kids

2007-08-10T11:11:00.000-05:00

I mentioned anti-freeze poisoning in previous post "Malingering Cat?" I said that it takes very little to kill a cat or a child.

I think this is important enough to go into further detail in a post all its own.

My understanding is that it takes less than a teaspoon to kill a cat and about a tablespoon to kill a child. Again, it is a painful death involving kidney failure.

Anti-freeze (at least the older types) tastes and smells sweet which is very tempting to cats and children.

They are now coming out with types of anti-freeze that do not taste as sweet and that are not as toxic.

I encourage everyone to buy the less toxic and non-sweet tasting types. Sure, it costs a little more, but isn't it worth it? And please be very careful about accidental spills. If you do spill some, please, please, please clean it up.

A Malingering Cat?

2007-08-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

Some years ago, we had a cat (son of Bella) named Prince Albert "Boo Boo" Einstein. When he was born, we thought he was "slow", as he seemed to need help finding the nipple. So we named him Albert Einstein in hopes of metaphysically imbuing him with some smarts.

As he grew older, we taught him and his siblings how to play "Cat Fishing". It is a game where I (or my husband) would hold a long stick with a string tied to the end and entice the kittens to chase it. All of Albert's siblings jumped right on it. Albert hung back. We watched him a little more closely. His eyes seemed to be following the string up to the stick, then up to our hands holding the stick. Once he "had checked it all out", he began to chase the string just like the other kittens. Hmmm...

When he was about a year old, he came home with a badly broken hind leg. The vet performed surgery and installed a pin. (This is when "Boo Boo" was added to his name.) During his convalescence, I spoiled him rotten. I built him a cage under the day bed in the living room so he could be around us without being harassed by the other cats. I would bring him liver (his favorite) and feed him by hand. One night, I crawled halfway under the daybed with him and placed my hand near his head. He laid his head on my hand and purred. What else could I do? I spent the night under the bed with him.

After the pin was removed and he was up and moving around, we allowed him increasing freedoms. Eventually, he was let outside. One day, I opened the front door to look out. I saw Albert walking across the front yard without a limp. As soon as he noticed me standing there, he began to limp! A malingering cat, hmmm....

A few days later, my husband found Albert flinging a freshly dead squirrel against the front door. We were then quite certain he had recuperated.

He was my special kitty for only a few years. He would always purr when I kissed his little head, and would look at me with his beautiful blue eyes. (Somewhere along the line, "Prince" was added to his name as he was very royal in his bearing.)

Albert came to a very tragic end. Albert, his father "Taz", sister "Samantha", and nephew "RockyMoto" were all poisoned by antifreeze poisoning in the spring of 2004. We will never know if it was a result of an accidental spill or if someone deliberately poisoned them. We did search the neighborhood, but found no sign of spills. We notified the local newspaper in hopes of informing the community of the dangers of antifreeze. It takes very little to kill a cat (or a child). It is a painful death involving kidney failure. I still miss them very much...

Be Careful What You Teach a Cat

2007-07-09T01:49:00.001-05:00

Or, More on "Cats Learn What They Want To Learn!

Many years ago, I had a cat named DesiMunda. Another very intelligent (in my opinion) cat. She was beautiful as well. Of course I think so, I am biased. I have had other people tell me so, though, so maybe she really was beautiful. She certainly liked people who told her she was beautiful.

We got her when she was about 2 1/2 months old. We lived in a neighborhood where there were a lot of strays with ringworm, fleas, etc. So we decided to make her into a house cat. We forgot to consult her. She had decided she would come and go as she liked. She developed a very flexible strategy of positioning herself in a wide variety of strategic places from which to dash to the door as soon as it opened. We never knew which direction she would be coming from. Sometimes, she succeeded in making it out the door. Then, of course the game of "Chase" ensued. She somehow managed to always stay about 3 steps out of our reach. Then, she would head under the car and find the exact middle. Nothing really too amazing about this, I admit. I merely provide this as a little background flavor.

Then we moved to a better neighborhood (one where we could let her go out). I had a nice overstuffed chair in the living room. I Iiked that chair. Well, when Desi began sharpening her claws on it, I had to do something. I always like to provide consequences in as non-violent a method as possible. I put her outside. What was I thinking? She liked to go outside. She learned that whenever she wanted to go outside, all she had to do was scratch on the chair. It took me awhile to catch on. It took her only once. Yes, once I figured out what had happened, I changed strategies, and escalated to the squirt gun. She was stubborn. She continued to try the chair technique on me, and we had many an argument about this issue in the coming years.

She was very loving, and I miss her still. She died of old age related illness some years ago.

A story about her compassion. Sure, I may be anthropomorphizing a bit, but the facts are as I report them. Desi was not a lap cat, and did not like to be picked up! She did like to snuggle next to me on the couch or in bed, but NO PICKING HER UP! One day, I came home from a hard day at work. I was very stressed out. I went to my bedroom to change my clothes and Desi went with me. She jumped up on my dresser and hollered at me until I picked her up. She began to purr. I petted her. After awhile I felt so much calmer, at which point, she demanded to be put down. I don't know how else to explain her behavior except to say she seemed to want to calm me down.

Oh yes, there will be more in the weeks and months to come. I told you I have a lot of cat stories. I am 48 years old and have lived my entire life with cats except for the 3 years (total cumulative) I spent living in the barracks (U.S. Army). That is a lot of cat years....

Another Argument for The Intelligence of Cats

2007-06-06T16:54:00.000-05:00

GiGi Beans "My Hollering Cat" is obsessed with me. I call her my hollering cat because she hollers at me. Constantly. She hollers when she thinks it is time for me to go to bed, and when she wants something. She hollers at me when she is getting what she wants. I have tried every method I can think of short of strangling her. I love her, I don't want to strangle her. Really. The water pistol works when it is in range, but she knows where it is and more importantly, she knows when I don't have it!

In fact, that is one of my arguments. Dogs can often be trained to do or not do something, and they will (mostly) remain consistent even when the owner is not around. A cat, however, knows who is squirting them with the squirt gun, and they know that when you are not around, you can't stop them from doing what they want to do. I have tried to hide the squirt gun, but eventually they figure it out.

As I go further with GiGi as my example today, I know you are not going to believe this. I am not sure what to believe myself.

A few years ago, we lost her brother "Albert". She was very close to him, and he was the only one who could keep her in check. I'm serious, with him around, she was not nearly as loud and obsessive as she has become. Well, she seemed to take his death to heart and seemed at a loss. So, one night, I went to find her on the porch and said "Come on, let's go to bed". That is the first time I had ever specifically said that to her. She got right up and went to bedroom ahead of me!

But wait, there's more. As I said, she is obsessed with me and has become very possessive. This is difficult as we have 7 other cats who also want attention. GiGi is not a lap cat! She wants to be near me, and will stand half on my lap for scritches, but no more. Well, some of our other cats are lap cats. One night, one of our other cats "Momarella" got on my lap. GiGi gave me such a look! I told her "Well, you won't get on my lap!" I'll be darned if that cat did not start trying to become a lap cat! After Momarella got off my lap, GiGi tried to get on my lap. She did accomplish that part, but could not seem to relax into it. For several days, she kept trying, and still tries every now and then. It seems she really is not a lap cat, but she tries.

I am not sure what to think.

Cats Learn What They Want to Learn Episode I

2007-05-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

There are some who think dogs are smarter than cats. They tell me it is because dogs can be trained, but cats, not so much. I ask you, "Who is smarter: The dog who often works for his living, or the cat who gets free room and board just for looking cute?"

I argue that trainability is not necessarily a sign of greater intelligence. Certainly some intelligence is necessary for training, but I don't think it is the main factor. Consider "acceptance of authority" and willingness as two (perhaps more important) factors.

Dogs are pack animals, and as such have a sense of hierarchy. There is the alpha, and the followers. A human owner can substitute as the alpha. Dogs are then willing to be trained. They want to please.

Cats on the other hand are solitary creatures. The do not accept anyone else's authority but their own. In fact, they have a tendency to train their owners to give them what they want! This was exemplified in an episode of "Star Trek Next Generation" titled "Force of Nature". In this episode, Geordi had borrowed Data's cat "Spot" so he could see what it was like to have a cat. The cat of course did not do as it was told. Geordi told Data the cat needed to be trained. Data proceeded to try. In one telling scene, Geordi is visiting Data in Data's quarters. He asks Data how it is going. Data admits "I have not been entirely successful". The cat then meows at Data. Data gets food for the cat. A little while later, the cat meows again, and Data gets a ball of string to play with the cat. Geordi says "Well, I don't know about the cat's training, but yours seems to be coming along nicely!". Like I said...

Some years ago, we installed a cat door. We were tired of the game "In and Out". You cat owners out there will know what I am talking about. First, the cat wants in. Then she wants out. Over and Over. So we installed this cat door. Bella (photo at top) caught on right away, going in and out, showing off to Taz (sadly, no longer with us). Taz just looked at it and her as if to say "What? I don't get it". A few minutes later, he went to the front door, reached for the door knob, looked at me, and meowed. Cats learn what they want to learn.

As we like to say at our house, you have to convince the cat it is to his or her benefit to learn something. Usually, they just choose what they want to learn in spite of our input!

I will write on this topic again. I have lots of examples! For now, I think I will just go pet one of my cats...

A Brand New Shiny Blog

2007-04-26T23:02:00.000-05:00

Right out of the box.

I started a blog back in January "KnotGypsy's Journey of Creation" for the purpose of documenting my journey on the road to my dreams. My heart's desire is to do what I love; designing and making beaded jewelry; and making a living at it.

Well, that blog is coming along fine. I have had so much fun with it, I really wanted another one. I keep thinking of other things to write about. So here I am with a fledgling blog to do with as I want. It is one without a specific focus, except for what I bring to it.

I like cooking. I like it a lot. I want nutrition & economy (most of the time). I want it to taste good! I get bored with the same old thing, so I am always trying something different. Of course, I do have some favorites that get repeated whenever I get a craving. I like to try new recipes, I like to make things up. I like efficiency, and frugality. I know, I ask a lot from food and cooking. I am stubborn. I want what I want. So, I will be sharing what I discover and what I come up with, here on this blog.

I have cats. Probably too many by some standards, but my partner and I love them all. You will be seeing some news and photos of my cats on occasion.

I'm not real sure what else yet, we will just have to wait and see.

I may not be able to post a bloggerie here very often, since I am working hard on my dream. I will treat myself when I can, though, and write something here. A guilty little pleasure. Writing just for fun! Who knows, a poem might pop out. I used to write poetry, and short stories many years ago. Sometimes the muse just hits me. Sometimes for long periods of time she does not. She has been particularly busy with jewelry lately.

So bye for now. I need to get a look at this blog and see what it needs next.