Been scrambling like mad with writing, playing catchup with same and trying to make deadline. Been a little behind in communications, but gaining on it.
Sorry about the long silence. Re-hi!
by CJ | Feb 23, 2020 | Journal | 141 comments
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Hi All,
Been very quietly reading along here, kept busy by husband’s 2 very successful cataract surgeries, followed by the incredibly time consuming, anger inducing saga of a broken laptop, and research, replacement, rebuild, try to fix the phone it broke … try to disable and dismantle every automatic “take over your life in order to “HELP YOU” thing I can find …. still working on that, as well as the feel of the new keyboard, sigh. Forgiveness requested for typos and spell check that may still be lurking. MOSTLY, better now, but I still can only receive email on the phone, but not send. The “solutions” to these issues, offered by various “tech support experts” have left me alternately astonished, amused, angered, and wanting to blow things up. Ah, well, it’s getting better 🙂
BlueCatShip, I was sorry to hear of Curry’s passing, but am confident you gave him the very best guardianship a feral cat could have had; rest easy on that. The KITTEN reports are delightful. I truly miss having a cat … or 3. But the son-in-law is highly allergic, grandson maybe a bit as well.
Grandson, based on photos from his 4H Reptile Appreciation Club finale meeting last night, indicates he is NOT allergic to reptiles … even if they’re in his lap, draped around him, covering him, slithering through all the hair on his head … SHIVER. I do not share this fascination, nor the meeting thank goodness, and my daughter advises me not to look at his cell phone photos LOL.
Liked the discussions on “formal dress”! I’ve always thought mens’ formal dress especially, was so much more interesting in other cultures than western “tuxedos”. A black tux and a little black dress hold little appeal to me … 36 years as a social worker meant my husband wore the equivalent of a shirt and khakis to work all that time, but he has the usual closet of a few dress suits. Being of the “grizzled, bearded fisherman” style, still he cleans up pretty nice in a tie and suit, or even a wedding tux, but only when necessary out of respect, ie. funerals, weddings etc. But on retirement, and a lot of visits to New Mexico to see family, he quickly adopted the New Mexico dress wear Bolo Tie, and if it’s formal, a really great shirt and a Pendleton vest :). He takes great pride in choosing such for events, and has a small, quite nice collection of turquoise and other stone bolos. He’s usually the only one here in PA at an event in a bolo, and it gets attention … and jealousy from his tie-choked friends lol!
Hanneke, another site that has a good selection of various braid and leather cords is Rio Grande Jewelry Supply, out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Not better than GoodyBeads, but a bit different selections. They have extensive website, and ship everywhere. Here’s their website address:
https://riogrande.com. just search for Bolo Cord, Braided Leather Cord, or even just Leather Cord. Some of hubby’s bolos have braid, some have smooth leather. Be sure to measure the thickness of the openings and/or existing cord on your dad’s bolos; there are some pretty significant size differences. Looks like both sites have pretty reasonable USPS shipping to Netherlands, but if you run into any difficulties give me a shout. I do more “receiving” from Netherlands than shipping (pearls!) but would be glad to help.
Stay safe and well, folks.
Cathy, thank you. yesterday, I found myself thinking of Curry when I checked for packages and went to the dumpster. On one hand, I was relieved not to have to juggle cats trying to go in or out, not everyone amicable, and missing Curry’s smiling, “Happy to see you! Proud cat!” self, that inimitable, indomitable, complicated self of his. He puzzled and challenged me in ways I hadn’t had before from cats, and I will miss him. Still getting past it. I made the best decision I could from choices that weren’t good. In a few weeks or months, his quality of life would have been too burdensome for him, and was, right then, bearable but not great. Quite a cat. I’m glad to have had him around, but wish it could have been better for him start to finish.
Grandson’s interest in reptiles: Oh, my! LOL, I can sort of understand the boyish devil-may-care aspect, but yeah, when it’s your grandkid doing that, you sort of tense up. Who knows whether he’ll broaden that to wider biology / wildlife interests or go on to other animals. Or, hmm, some folks do like reptiles or other unusual critters. Also, Galveston’s Texas A^M branch for marine biology, oceanography, and their sea cadet program points out interesting choices there, if he decides he likes scuba or likes marine sciens and boating. There are surely some comparable and very fine programs in New England. Brave kid, good he’s enjoying himself and learning.
(I’ll be interested to look at those links too.)
I miss a very nice turquoise ring I got in high school, from my parents, while we were on vacation. The ring was Hopi or Navajo, IIRC, but sold at a shop, I think it was in Cherokee, NC, before it had become even more commercialized. The ring was a rounded, irrregular triangular chunk, greenish turquoise with inclusions of gold and brown in three places. I lost the ring when I was in my old house, and will always wonder what happened to it. It was simple, fine craftsmanship, and a good size tfor my hand.
—–
During the night, Peppercorn has been chirring, meowing a lot. Not sure why. I’ve given her food and attention. She seems to be calling to the kittens or calling me. Her kittens are doing well, and as I think I posted, their medicine dosage was, LOOL, a mix of success and battle. But they seem to be mostly OK with me now, only a little more wary. So giving them attention that doesn’t involve medicating them should help. Goober is feeling a little left out, and I need to make time for him.
Today will be appointments to look at two homes that might maybe be chances for rent-to-own. My friend assures me we can work this out for around half of what I am paying now for rent and storage space fees. If it is close to that, it would sure save me some per month!
Meant to post last night, but fell asleep and slept late. I noticed last night that C,J, posted some pictures of their cat Finity on her Facebook page. Technically she only posted a link to some pictures that Jane posted in Her page back in January. Loved Jane’s comment about being remiss posting, and apparently it’s because a certain black cat had her pinned down by sitting on her hands.
That would mean she had a… hand-Shu. Haha.
I’m not a Facebook member, so I’m not sure non-members can see photos.
—–
Oh, what a wacky morning it has been. The appt. to see two houses is postponed to tomorrow, because the owner of one didn’t get the key to my friend this morning, so they’re supposed to connect tonight. I really hope that one will work, even though I haven’t seen it. It sounds like a good deal. I still don’t see how this will work, long-term.
So as usual, I got all dressed up and no place to go. LOL.
—–
Apartment Living: The New Management From Heck Edition.
The new management do not have their act together. There is humor value. Wait for it, I promise there’s some humor involved.
However, I really, really want a rent-to-own home now, and out of here. I am not angry, just, wow, this is nutty.
I’d paid in person as required when the new mgmt took over last month. They had no card payment setup and no online setup yet and no business cards. Whee. Also, they had not yet received documents from the old mgmt, so they knew only residents’ fixed rent and other costs, not any varying month-to-month costs. I paid over, to cover this, and had a credit of $12+. Cool. I reported repairs needed, because that too was not copied forward to the new mgmt. I got only two phone calls that day, but missed. I had told the new mgmt I would be out all that day on appts with my friend, but I would be avail. any day after that. I also cautioned that I had one cat, but that I authorized them to enter the premises to make repairs. Nothing was ever done.
By the week prior to the end-of-month, they had their online system up, including auto payments. It allows one-time payments, or recurring fixed-amount payments, or recurring full-amount, current due balance payments. I set up to pay the 1st of the month. (I had previously set up end-of-month payments underr the old moment, and only twice did they bill in two steps, so that I had to pay again, but this was not a problem.)
So I set up auto-pay for the full current amount due on the 1st of the month, expecting this would cover it fine. I didn’t check on Sunday the 1st and was busy at the vet’s nearly all day Monday the 2nd. I was home all day yesterday, Tuesday the 3rd, and there was no knock or anything. and no call from the new mgmt.
Today, I checked the door before going out. A note was crumpled through the door knocker, no tape, no envelope to seal against the weather. It rained last night. The note was damp. This is, however, no different than the poor mgmt. Nevermind it’s sometimes technically legal notice; no envelope or anything.
The new mgmt says I owe a small balance due of $48+, and threatens eviction, legal fees, etc., if I don’t pay the full apt. due in three (3) days. Huh? I have a good record under the prior mgmt. I’ve leased here over 3 years now. My first and only prior payments to the new mgmt had that credit forward, and was paid promptly, in person, in hand paid. — And I suspected they must have billed in two or more steps, for there to be any amount due, as there would not have been if it had been billed all in one, as it was supposed to be.
Sure enough, I check the online system. They do not show the prior credit from last month or how it was applied to the current month’s bills, even though it did show up when I had setup the monthly payments. Their system shows that on the 1st, my auto-payment did indeed pay everything except one charge at the end of the list, for the $48+ some oddd cents. OK, so that must have been billed separately, later.
Well, fine, it’s not worth the trouble, and I do owe it, and they’ve given legal notice, so — I paid the one-time charge, it’ll be recorded up to 24 hours / one business day later. It shows paid now, 0 blance due, and oh, you bet, I printed out the Account History, which shows no credit from the prior payment, only the list of recent payments, which went through on the 1st as needed. And today’s payment of the $48+ cents and zero due.
Good, that should satisfy them .That should be fine.
I wanted to call to give verbal notice that I did indeed pay, that it would have been far, far nicer to give a call or email or less threatening notice, in an envelope sealed against the elements, and not to threaten legal action over a tiny amount, when they knew they had received payment for all but that, a much larger amount. In other words, I’m good for it, why threaten me, it’s not worth their time or mine. Be nice. Also, don’t scare or anger good tenants. An apartment where the tenant is paying rent is worth more than a vacant one not bringing in any money.
My lease is up in June. I so want to be out of here before then. Under the old mgmt contract, I’m supposed to give notice prior to moving out and cancelling the contract, but as long as I am completely out before then, any succeeding months are not due. But I would have to be out, the place clean and ready to hand over completely, and notice given and accepted, the premises viewed and agreed, before the end-of-month for whatever month.
I did say there was going to be humor involved. Here’s the fun part:
So, now paid, with their system acknowledging it’s paid, I tried to call the mgmt office.
“We’re sorry, that number has been temporarily disconnected.” — This for both the phone numbers I had for the previous mgmt. I have no new business card for the new mgmt and nothing with a more current phone number.
I then called the phone number listed on the printed notice at my door. This was dated yesterday, March 3rd. That number also reports Temporarily Disconnected.
Oh yeah? Hmm… I guess they’re expecting a lot of unhappy tenants with the same problem as mine? Or is their act so not together that the numbers are disconnected because of some glitch between the new mgmt and the phone company? (Be it noted, it’s a new owner / landlord / investor, not just new mgmt of the apts.)
The email address is from the online service, not the apartments, as far as I can tell. No luck there.
So my only option would be to go over there in person. — I am not one to get irate and start yelling and get violent. That leads to something known as jail, or legal suit, at least, or if not those, then bad feelings which would carry over. While my temper is a little quicker than it used to be, I am more prone to be angry and frustrated, and not prone to cuss, yell, or hit anyone. (Even if some carefully crafted fussing might be in order to get service.) I have never been one to handle physical fights well. Bad eyesight and I’m sensitive, as has been noted previously.
In other words, I tend to clean up well, look presentable, know how to act in civilized company, have some measure of courtesy and manners, and perhaps more tactful and less assertive than I should. I’d rather be nice, even if it gets my goat. At least until it’s obvious someone else is going to be an idiot or deliberately make trouble. — I wish I could think on my feet and be as sharp-tongued when needed as my mom was. She was skilled at that. My dad was mostly mild-tempered and thinking, even in a crisis. It took a lot to make him mad, and when he did get mad, he was not someone to cross. But even then, he was reserved and not physical unless absolutely necessary. He was big, and people wouldn’t want to mess with him anyway, generally. My dad grew up knowing how to behave in formal, legal settings, despite growing up on a farm. My mom did also. So I am not too practiced, but I’m OK, in such settings. I wish I had their skill with it.
I called my friend, who’d brought me to make that in-person payment when the management had changed. Aha, he had another number, unrelated to the numbers, old or new. So I tried that.
Here’s where the fun part really kicks in: The other number brought up a voicemail menu system, a phone tree, robotic voice and all. Aha, success! Current Residents Press 2. This call may be recorded for…. — I pressed 2. It transfers me to the number it has on file.
“We’re sorry. This number has been temporarily disconnected. Goodbye!” Click.
Whaat…? Hahahaha! — So it was set to one of those old numbers, or the new number on the letter.
Absolutely anyone who calls in for any reason will hear that the numbers have been temporarily disconnected or are no longer in service. There is, as near as I can tell, no way today to reach them by phone.
I wonder how long it will take them to realize this. Surely by now, someone has panicked and has tried to do something about it, but as of when I called, shortly before noon, no luck for them.
There’s that saying that karma is a ?itch. Or karma can be exactly fitting.
I am not sure what to believe about karma, but it often does seem to work that way.
I called back my friend, laughing, and said what happened. So after we see the houses tomorrow, he’s going to bring me by the apt. mgmt office. I need to pick up any packages, one or more from one day last week, depending on if Amazon, in its infinite digital wisdom, mailed the order in one box or more.
I’d asked him to check the numbers I gave him, including the new number from the letter from yesterday. I reported to him that the number he’d given me switched over and then also came back as temporarily disconnected.
So as it stands, I should be good in any event, I paid the disputed amount and their system says so.
I wonder when their phones will be working again. I wonder if they are just that disorganized, if it was an honest glitch with the phone company and changeover, thus not their fault, or if the new owner and management caused it, to avoid a raft of calls from residents who paid like I did, expecting no problems, and who got notices like I did, when it is NOT my (our) fault. Ah, I am fairly sure they can’t legally, knowingly disconnect contact like that. It’s bad legal and business practice, discourteous, even cowardly, if the knowingly had the phones disconnected temporarily. — But it’s not any more comforting if there was some glitch with the phone company, or if they really are just that disorganized still.
I don’t know where the new owner / landlord is based, in town or elsewhere. I presume the local manager has responsibility and acts as an agent for the owner, and it’s then technically on that manager.
This sure doesn’t bode well for the owners or the management. It’s nutty and a needless hassle for tenants.
Except for closets and cabinets, I’m essentially packed, but not labelled. I will start putting things in some order.
I hope I can be in some better situation by the time my lease is up, or maybe by the end of this month or next.
This might only be a one-time hiccup with the new management, growing pains. But this is more than a month since they changed hands to the new management. So possibly this is must how it will be. Two people in that office were former employees of the old owners, or returning. I wonder how fast the turnover rate will be.
I’m still baffled. The disconnected phones, I find highly humorous but also kinda worrisome and ominous, not boding well. The writer notice over a small amount, when I’d paid the vast majority, and it isn’t my fault the other was not paid, since it was separate somehow, I find outrageous, annoying, needless hassle of a tenant who wants to be a good tenant and neighbor.
But it tells me for sure, I want somewhere else to live, some chance I can live there permanently, and have my payments go toward ownership, rather than perpetual loss to someone I never see. And meanwhile, I need that to work out so I can have a good future.
It’s sometime after noon, maybe after 1pm by now. Nothing I had planned to get done has been done. Website, fonts, any looking at houses, nada. I still have to order groceries delivered, but that can’t be tomorrow, given that I’ll be out on appts.
Hmm. The cost of the amount of business they will lose while the phones are down, versus the total amounts due from tenants, who paid in good faith, but were billed in more than one stage, the bad feelings that will generate, and the number of tenants who will decide they’d rather move than be hassled further, like me…. Yeah.
I want this resolved. I want business cards and phone numbers for the new management. I want some assurance that if they bill in more than one stage again, they will not then threaten eviction and legal fees when it is not MY fault, it is THEIRS, with no way to phone them to report I paid the disputed fee.
I wish I could be as skilled in how I deal with them as I would like to be. But as long as I get my point across, good. What a needless hassle, and what a comic, ironic situation it is that their phones are out.
(I have a two bedroom apartment. My cats, old and new, unfortunately do not contribute toward the rent. So I paid quite a lot more than the $48 bucks, and I find the letter to be the wrong way to deal with tenants in good standing.)
I looked back through my email to see if I could find a payment confirmation from the apt. mgmt. I didn’t find anything for March 1st. I did find a Happy Birthday note from the automated system, which thinks it’s being sociable. I found a confirmation for my payment today, which made me more sure I should find one for March 1st. So I used the email provider’s search, and boom, there it is…dated Feb. 29th at 2:14am, in the amount that does not equal fixed or total rent costs minus the credit I had, and also must not equal the amount plus the disputed amount.
I don’t recall the exact time I registered with their online system, but I don’t believe it was that close to the first of the month, and it does show in their site that I have it set for the 1st of the month, recurring.
So as best as I can tell, they processed it early and then billed the other, disputed amount soon after, such that it wasn’t included in the automatic payment I had set up, which was to include all current due charges. And when I set it up, nothing was due or posted yet besides that credit.
Something like 20 to 30 minutes or more this afternoon was sidetracked from that, by spotting the email about my eye appt. and then going through filling out forms online.
—–But nobody was scribbling on books or stealing supplies and the only poop involved was sifting through the cats’ litterboxes. Meowing but no snoring. The kittens can be sorta scary when they don’t want to take their medicine, but can kinda sympathize with that, and mama kitty only fusses at me if she thinks I’m about to step on her or her kittens. I can kinda sympathize with her on that one too.
Besides, she’s getting to where she wants attention and purrs. I think I’ve gotten attached, darn it. I like her a lot. I want to keep er if possible. If I do get to move into a house, she can absolutely come with. If I still have her kittens then, they’re coming too. So is Mystic. And Goober has rights if anyone does. He has put up with me all these years.
Is there a way to have a talk with the lady who’s scribbling on the materials to ask her please not to do that, and perhaps not to take the supplies? If she’s scribbling on more than flyers for the library’s programs, such as books, periodicals, then that would make me think yes, there’s some dementia going on. Stealing supplies is at least a poverty and boundary issue, but could be a dementia thing going on. Poor woman.
I don’t know if the other issues, vagrant street people or mentally ill folks hanging around the library is common here, but I’d guess, unfortunately, it might be. At least maybe some of them read or look at the pictures. When someone is reading or studying or researching, good. If they get sleepy and nap, well, OK, s long as they don’t overdo it, heavy snoring.
I guess it’s a telling sign that the day I was having trouble as a college student, I displaced by going to the campus library and looking for SF books by CJ Cherryh, nd getting into a quiet seat / nook off to the side, not quite a corner, was my solution. I sat and read for an hour or two, checked out, and went back to m dorm with the two or three books I’d found. Looking ack on that, the seating was 70’s style, designed to provide places for library patrons (students) to sit or lounge and read a while, relax, and be quiet and slightly secluded, or seem that way. There were also study carrels.
If a library or other public place gives shelter for someone at risk or in need for a little while, well, that’s public service too. Who knows how many kids or younger adults benefit from the library as opposed to a home life not conducive to study or, hmm, home life itself.
But ick about the human waste left outside. Yeah, that’s too much. Trouble is, I suppose there’s nowhere for homeless folks to get to, at least some hours. Or they don’t think they can. Or it’s just, they’re abusing the place, or they are so far down, they don’t care. Tough to know what’s going on.
Healing those needs for people is even tougher than helping a couple of stray cats. Man, Chondrite, that’s tough. I’m glad you and the library are moderate about that.
Hmf. We are having a certain amount of friction with the security company that is supposed to be supplying guards for our library system. The local manager is not someone I am impressed with, although he may be having his own troubles. Over the past year, the company has been losing experienced guards and unable to hire new ones, once they find out the compensation is not as good as other places. Since the beginning of the year, most weeks we have not had full time coverage. Consequently, unless the company has a ‘come to Jesus’ moment, they will likely lose the likely lucrative state contract for the library system.
We need guards because, while most patrons are fine, there is the 2% who make things ‘exciting’ for everyone else. There’s the disabled lady who is also suffering (we believe) from dementia, who steals all the supplies we put out for patrons to use, staples trash to books, and scribbles on materials from our Friends of the Library sale table. There are people who camp behind the building, leave trash, personal belongings, and *ick* human feces. A number of patrons have ongoing mental health issues for whatever reason, which sometimes leads to conflicts with other staff or patrons.
My take is generally live and let live; as long as you don’t disturb your neighbors, you’re welcome here. This includes people snoozing at the desks or waiting out the occasional nocturnal rainstorm under our eaves. Once you block people from returning books at night because they’re scared to come near you or start snoring loudly enough to shake the light fixtures, you are on our radar as a potential problem. Hence the need for guards, at least during open hours. Sadly, we haven’t found a good workaround for some of these issues.
Dunno about you, but I remember ’67 when I graduated, there was “The Six Day War”, and then Governor Reagan reduced funding to state mental institutions because local agencies were allowed and expected to manage the mentally ill. Did they have the resources to do an adequate job? Not unless local taxpayers were willing to pay for it. Almost immediately we had the discharged mentally ill out on the streets, and it’s never gotten any better. “Yer gets what yer pays for.”
I was going to post something, too personal and too long, about my current situation.
I so want that eye appointment to go well. I want to get reestablished with Social Security and state aid status, so I have a chance to get my eyes treated and get disability income, while I get back on my feet. Before I can’t get back on my feet anymore.
I want to be able to get a rent-to-own home and keep it, without running out of money entirely. I figure I have a year to a year and a half or less for that. My friends think they can help me get a home and get aid so I can stay stable.
I haven’t said it in so am nay words, only piecemeal. ut I’ desperately worried, and that is probably why I am so emotionally off-kilter lately.
folks, if you pray or if you send good thoughts, please do. the past few days, today too, have been really beyond weird.
I had to fill out online forms, spotty and inconsistent though they were, to confirm and prep for my eye appt. on the 10th. Those forms were self-defeating and nutty by any human’s thinking.
But nothing I had on my to-do list got done today. It all went to nonsense not of my own making.
I still don’t see how I can get a home and keep it. I don’t see how, even if I get aid, I can keep going for more than about a year to a year and a half, and I think I’m overestimating thee.
Tomorrow, I get to look at two houses. I get to deal with the apartment office in some way. And on the 10th, I get an eye appointment and maybe later a referral for a retinal specialist, and if aid and insurance go through, I may have a chance to get cataract surgery, and not lose my sight. Maybe.
So yeah, I have been very up in the air emotionally. This is why. It is also why I’ve been over-sharing. My social outlets are almost noon-existent.
I am frustrated and I’m going to spend time with the cats, to remind myself that some part of the world does not revolve around greed, politicians, businesspeople, and healthcare ; insurance nightmare nonsense.
I hope I can get through this. I am not perfect at all. I screw up at least as often as anyone else. I try not to but I still do.
I am so tired of things screwing up that I have no control over. I can’t do anything about that.
I hope things will go better so I can get into a better situation and stay there, lasting and tenable.
Anyone with good thoughts or prayers, I’d appreciate it, as unlikely as it is.
I am still trying. I hate getting knocked down for no reason. I don’t like it when I screw up. But life is just that way. We all go through it.
I am going to eat and relax with my cats.
I spent a long time filling out online forms this afternoon, and wrote a too-long post here I thought better of sending. — I am OK. I am aggravated. I want something better that’s all. Our system keeps narrowing in ridiculous ways to weed out anyone hwho does’t fit in conveniently. I don’t fit in much. I mess up. I am still trying, and that’s about all I can say for it. I just want something better, something livable.
Blue,,,, Cat,,, sometimes I want to call You that too, there’s a lot of that about you. I understand about the online forms thing, personally I hate them, I really need to talk to someone, form filling is a thing that needs to be done in front of an interviewer, by the interviewer, with our feedback of course, but in a face to face exchange, where phonelines, or WiFi, can never comprehend. I can’t offer you easy answers to your financial concerns, we live in different countries, in different circumstances. Not so long ago I held a mortgage on a house, but I had a collecting obsession that not only got me into debt but when the overtime that I was relying on dried up, saw my debt spiral out of my control. Got made redundant, and went through a number of jobs none of which lasted, still with this debt hanging over me, until I took a job closer to home which resulted in me eventually having to sell the house, and live with my parents again. Not an easy thing to do, especially as I hadn’t came out as trans yet. Still, with the loss of my house, and with it the separation from my friends, helped me to realize that I wanted to start that transition process, yet even that has taken me too long, mired as I’d become first with my dad and his ( I still can’t find the words to best describe that relationship, not without writing a book about it ), anyway he died, and I took on more and more of looking out for my Mother. The thing with change Blue, is that sometimes you get difficulties, sometimes you get opportunities, but mostly you get a bit of both. As I started upon my early approach pre transition, I also saw the necessity to wear ( and I really, Really hate this ) wigs, I’m on medication for my hair, as well as the hormones, but to function in society, as female, to have any chance at all of being absolutely Not a freak, I needed to start wearing a wig. I’m lucky in having found an understanding specialist, who arranged that I could access them financed by the NHS. Not all trans folk, even in my country have been as lucky in that regard, still, I wish I was one of the luckier ones still who can still grow their own hair. At the start of this year my car died and I was forced to borrow so I could get another one. kind of makes one look at finances all over again. I pay for electrolysis and it can be pricey, the amount of money spent on the last ten years for hair removal doesn’t bear thinking about. And then there’s the percentage of my wages spent simply on fuel for the car, eek. I don’t have the answers to your concerns, I’m agitated enough with my own.
Rat
Honor, a character from David Weber’s Space Opera, the Honor Harrington series, lives on a planet that has a home grown religious belief. To the inhabitants of the planet Grayson, God is known as the Tester. Events and Circumstances, are there to test you, Growth, Spiritual Growth coming from the facing up to Tragedy. Of overcoming the difficulty that faces living on a planet where the air and soil are poisonous to human life.
There’s also the books of Richard Bach, his most famous book being Jonathon Livingston Seagull. His others include A Gift of Wings, One, Nothing by Chance, and others that I’ll spare my hand ( fore finger Tyler that I am ) from listing. His work boils down to this, we are all immortal beings, and we owe it to ourselves to continually make ourselves better beings.
My own belief system is closely linked to that, despite being raised in the Congregational Church of Scotland, I had already rejected Christianity while I was a young child, seeing in it the hostility to anything not Heterosexualy Normal !!! mind, that might have been the root of my problems with my dad ( ya think? ) but then he was hostile to a lot of things.
damn didn’t mean to hit submit at that point. but I have been writing this a long time.
Anyway, I think of myself as a Child of the Universal Is. It’s not really a religion so much as a cosmology. I believe in Reincarnation, in as much as we are all born, so we must all eventually die ( but no committing suicide as that would be cheating ourselves – that Tester thing ) So when we die, our spirit becomes one with the Spirit ( all life ) and eventually ( strange concept as Spirit exists outside Space & Time ) we are born once more , a different body, a different time, thus does Life grow and develop.
An idea that I wasn’t actually working upon before I came across Richard Bach or his Seagull book.
Comment I just spotted a couple of mistakes there, I have no idea where the word rat came from, wasn’t intending to have anything there. also that bit at the end? my reincarnation ideas Were actually being worked out Before I saw J,L, Seagull. I blame this software that keeps trying to second guess what I’m saying.
Deesha, thanks for the kind words. Hah, don’t worry too much about the typos. My iMac’s spellchecker wants to make hash out of what I type, and I’m a good speller and pretty good typist. What it does with non-English words can be truly phenomenal. Haha.
@WOL, I’ve asked my friend to get two sheets of pegboard cut to the needed size, two halves of a full-size mattress. I also asked for two small hinges, and am going to try this. I haven’t yet bought the new box spring. I may simply cover the underside of the old one. That needs some kind of upholstery fabric, breathable, and a staple gun, likely.
Just a tidbit, off topic, but from a “Books read in February” article by Jo Walton on the Tor.com website:
The Book of Swords, edited by Gardner Dozois (2017)
So you’d think, wouldn’t you, that I’d enjoy a book of space operas more than a book of sword and sorcery, but in this case you’d be wrong. This was terrific, hardly a dud, wonderful Daniel Abraham, K.J. Parker (must read more Parker), a delightful C.J. Cherryh Beowulf story—it’s all thoroughly enjoyable. Loved it to bits.
So the Fantasy V`s Sci-Fi thing ? tricky. So there’s an author who’s known for his Sci-Fi, David Weber has quite a collection in his Honor Harrington series, with additional series set in the same universe, the Crown of Slaves series, Saganami series, Star Kingdom series ( a particular favourite of mine – it’s where we meet the Treecat`s for the very first time ) ,and the Manticore Ascendant series. There’s also the Safehold series set in a different universe, though I haven’t read that one yet. I’m working my way through the James S.A. Cory series of books set in the Expanse. But if your looking for a few more sword type fantasy books, David Weber has a short collection of four books in his War God series, they follow the story of Bahzell Bahnakson who is of a race of people called Hradani, they’re not human, and the other races that live in their world, the Humans, Dwarfs, Elves, & Half Elves, aren’t best happy about having Hradani anywhere near them, for reasons that come clear in the books. There’s also Wizards, Sorcery, Demons, Gods, an eons long conflict, and an amazing race of Coursers. Now there’s only four books in this series, but he started a new series set in that same realm, although it only has one book in it yet and I’ve not read that one yet, and in addition there’s a short story somewhere in a book collection where a military vehicle and it’s crew are magically transported into that realm because a hero can face down a demon or two, but the odds facing Bahzell in that tale are a little more one sided.
Slight Kittens and Cats Update:
Between around 4 and 5 am, one of the kittens, I think Undecided #1 (Boy #3), climbed onto the bed and settled down to nap by my ankle. Goober was there, chittered slightly, whether that was faint protest or greeting, or oh, there goes the neighborhood, I don’t know, but he let the kitten be with no other fuss, near him, and after a little while, investigated the kitten, then settled back down with me. At the end of it, Mama Peppercorn was calling for her kittens, and finally Boy #3 got down and rejoined the others. One other kitten nearly got on the bed.
They’ve been exploring more fully. So any day now, I’ll have kittens anywhere in the apt. they can get to, including sharing the bed, a possibility. I’m glad to see Goober’s willing to share if he has to.
I’m supposed to be off today to look at two houses and go by the apt. office to pick up any packages left last week, discuss the bill a little, and then back here. So at least my morning and maybe much of my afternoon is taken up. I’ll try to look over my grocery cart online, see what I’ve missed, and set delivery for Friday or Saturday, depending on how things turn out today.
Quite a week! But maybe better in the long run. At least we have the kittens and cats getting their medicine and on the way toward being well.
Verdict: Feline Pine litter seems like a fine idea, but don’t work well for me in practice. A brand of clumping litter, Nature’s something-or-other, works too well; thought I was going to have to throw out the pan and litter, it had set like wet concrete. — I will be using the rest of these, then trying the Yesterday’s News litter, but I may be back to Tidy Cat if I can get it delivered reliably again. Good luck on that. Despite this, I’m keeping up with the letterboxes OK.
Tired this morning. Hoping to catch up on rest tonight or over the weekend. Still 3 to 5 more days for the kittens’ medicine, with them protesting it.
Oh, if the house can work out, that would be so much better. Hoping I might like the one that’s cheaper and that it can work out.
Man, gotta fix some food when I get home, but lunch or supper is likely my remaining frozen dinner or a frozen pizza. Maybe ramen with veggies added. Meh, but doable.
I am glad I did not give up entirely on those friends, back when I was so irked about things. I am glad they didn’t give up on me either.
After a couple of heart-to-heart, meeting of the minds conversations with the one friend, I think he has a better understanding of how I’m feeling and what my situation is, and is more primed to help me through things. Because of the weird twists and turns my life has had, and my handicap and the resulting limits that has had, I feel so unprepared and inexperienced at things most people half my age would probably take for granted.
I still am not sure about this, but I feel a little better about it. The eye appt. and getting aid worked out should help with a most basic need causing me much stress, the worry/fear about my eyesight, and then some financial help, even though it’s likely only a little, to help my income.
Meanwhile, we looked again at one house, and that’s a no. It’s too big unless I had roommates, and right now, that seems unlikely. The other, smaller home is nice, though not perfect, and it may be doable. My friend is going to see about negotiations and email me, and we’ll go from there. This could be the right place at the right time, as my lease is up for renewal in mid-June.
It fronts on a major road. There’s a locked gate, a covered porch, and it has a wheelchair ramp besides steps. While I don’t need the ramp, friends might, and I’m 54, so hey, thinking ahead. Also, I think I may be, for now, OK with thinking this might be a stepping stone for something later, if I can get my income up and have more choices. The back has a nice sized yard, a lone tree that has been been trimmed way down, and no current landscaping. No flower beds, etc. The neighbors have chain link fences, so it’s hmm, a bit open, yet delineated. The previous owner was elderly and had used a wheelchair. The property owner is likely a relative but I missed if that’s so.
It’s two bedrooms and one bath, a small living room / dining room, but that’s workable, and a nice kitchen and utility room. There’s no garage, but room to build one or a shed, so potentially, I can empty out my storage space and save on that.
The home has been completely renovated, new fixtures, carpeting, etc. I am not keen on grey, but OK, if this goes through, I am not going to quibble on the colors.
The stove and oven are not in yet but are gas, so a flat surface stove top is unfortunately out. I dislike cleaning the open burners on my apt. electric stove. But I don’t think that can be redone. I’ll have to get a fridge, washer, and dryer. And I want a small deep freeze. I liked Chondrite’s suggestion and still remember it.
I’m going to write up a small wish list of improvements for now or down the line.
There is a shower or a recessed walk-in tub. I discussed with my friend how I’d asked a handyman friend, since retired, to put in safety bars for my grandmother’s bathtub and toilet. While I don’t need those currently, I talked with my friend about how it’s a good improvement for the future that people don’t think about when they’re younger. But, for example his mother-in-law stays with them periodically, and has had at least one fall, so maybe it might help them. With more families living with multi-generational homes, it’s a thought. I’d like plexiglass door for the shower/tub, swing-out or sliding. This is, by the way, additionally handy if you have to bathe a difficult cat: stick cat in shower enclosure, turn on shower, close door fast, voilà , it is not quite your fault that the cat is now soaking wet. Shampoo, lather, stick cat back in for a rinse, let cat out and dry him/her. This is not the ideal method, but it is workable, if the cat freaks out with any more recommended method, even the gentlest. Heh. But I like the door better than a shower curtain, which always seems to leak.
The little home would be about the size of my apartment or a little bigger, and suitable for one or two. It gives space enough for the cats and myself, and a chance for me to reduce down from what I have left over in storage and in my apartment.
My heart is not set on it, but it looked like a good enough choice to try for it. If it works out, good, if not, I still have until June.
If I can get treatment for my eyes, and that (cataract surgery) solves the problem and gets me back to almost my previous level of vision, then I can do fonts and be set-supporting, and I may be able to get back to graphic design and web design. (I still don’t know PHP and mySQL, or Java, but I’m good with HTML5 and only need to brush up on some recent changes to CSS3.) But if my eyes are back to my previous level, then I think I can be self-supporting again, more able to get around and do for myself without so much trouble and uncertainty, do things faster too. It would sure feel better. And I’d be able to read printed books again more readily, which has become much harder with my reduced vision. Oh, I long for that. Even legally blind as I was, I could still stick my nose in a book, fairly literally, and read most printed books, albeit at a far closer reading distance, funny-looking as it is.
I am still concerned about getting and keeping a house, but I have to be somewhere, and if I can own and keep it, this is a better option than an apt.
My friend thinks we can do this for close to half the cost I am paying for rent and the storage space per month. If so, then that would let me extend out longer than a year or year and a half, which I hope will be enough to get me going again. With that in mind, I think I can chance this.
So…we’ll see.
Hah, I got a burger and fries and a shake, coming back for lunch. Sure, it’s unhealthy fast food, but it’s the first meal I haven’t cooked myself in some weeks, so it’s a treat. There must be something burned in the American psyche about a burger, fries, and a shake. LOL.
When I got back, Peppercorn and two of her kittens were waiting to greet me. This was so sweet, especially the two kittens latching onto my shoes / pants leg, meowing, greeting but wanting the (late) noon meal. — Goober hung back, and then he and Peppercorn fussed, which meant his collar detached. Poor Goober was not bothering anyone. All he wanted was to greet me too, like he always does when I get back. I was disappointed in Peppercorn for this. I don’t know what it will take for her to make friends with Goober, but it’s her issue, not so much his. She is making him unhappy with her, though, the longer this goes on. He’s a patient cat, a nice cat, but antagonize him too much and you’ll make an enemy out of someone who wanted to be a friend, and that is not a good enmity to have engendered.
I enjoyed the fast food; I was plenty hungry by the time we got back.
Mystic appeared in time to get fed outside, before I left. His collar and tag were missing. I didn’t see him when I got back from the dumpster before leaving, so he missed out on getting in. Poor guy, he hasn’t had good luck lately. I hope I don’t lose him to this.
I had a chance to talk with my friend and catch up a little. His daughter will be going into her senior year of high school next year, and then off to college. She wants to become a teacher now, and is still interested in music too. He was to be sure she can have the option to live at home, save up while in college, and get a home of her own, before being totally on her own, building up for her. She is lucky she has that support. I was lucky in that too, if my parents had not then compounded it by being too overly controlling in a few things they should not have been, which have hampered my adult life in unforeseen ways. I am sure they thought I’d have enough to live on for a good long time. They could not have foreseen my grandmother living so long and needing so much care, such costs, or the economic and social upheavals following 9/11, which they didn’t see.
Thanks to these friends, I may get the support I need to get back on my feet and stay there, with some chance for support along the way while still getting through it. — And friends here have helped, just by being nice, supportive, giving advice and listening, and a few times with care packages. I have not forgotten that.
A few local friends have dropped off the radar since I last checked, and I hope they’re OK, even though we hadn’t seen each other in years.
I don’t know when my old family doctor retired, but his number is disconnected. There’s an old listing for him still online. He must be in his upper 80’s or 90’s now, if he
‘s still living.
A family friend, husband and wife, I recently tried to get, but as usual for the last few years, all I get is a recording, and no call back. So they or their son are still around, but alas, no contact. I looked up to them, and I think it’s likely that I won’t know what happens when the time comes; I probably won’t find out.
Anyway, I am cautiously excited and cheered by the visit today. I may be taking the giant step back to being in a house, renting to own, not yet owning, so not a mortgage. But this would be a big step up for me. Oh, the present apartment is not bed, but it is not as good as I had first thought, and I would love to have a home again.
The chance to have something green, a back yard with a tree, flower beds upcoming, a place to sit out and relax occasionally, with that green growing bit around, would be most welcome. A fence is likely a future item, beyond the bare chain link fence now there.\\If this one doesn’t work out, maybe another will. But oh, do I want my sight to be treated and to be self-supporting again, not living off savings, which cannot last too long.
Cross your toes, everyone, please. I would be thrilled if I can do this and pay less per month while dong so. If it can work permanently, or at least long enough for me to be truly OK again, then good.
And for those out there who don’t have that either, I know how you feel.
I haven’t had a roommate since my college dorm. If I could find a winning roommate, someone so we’d get along so well we actually like living together and want to keep on doing so, that would be great. I don’t know anyone at present, and I think they’d have to be truly special to put up with me lately. So for the foreseeable future, it’s the cats and I.
I’m supposed to hear something tonight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s tomorrow or the next day.
Oh — Gotta give the kittens their meds. Hoo boy….
Fingers and toes crossed that the smaller house turns out to be A Thing. Your current situation is difficult because getting anywhere has gatekeepers (friends with their own lives, cabbies that can’t get into your complex, deliveries and repairs that wait, and wait , and wait…) A small shed should cost under $1000; maybe you could prevail upon those friends to spend an afternoon helping assemble one, should the house become a reality. You could take in as many cats as you wanted!
LOL, I’m up to my ears in cats already! Mystic is still staying out, and now needs a new collar and tag, plus another vet trip. Goober, Peppercorn, and 5 fast-growing kittens, I have nearly enough to crew their own ship!
(After some thought, my two concerns about the house are, it’s very close to a road that may be pretty busy, plus I wonder how needed the gate is; and two, I really would like the stovetop to be a flat top, I am so tired of cleaning the frelling burners. But the setup there is for a gas stove and oven.)
These kittens are determined to test my intelligence and patience, I swear. Two had gotten free of the plastic medical bracelet tape the vet techs used to ID each kitten. I was pretty sure I knew which was which, so we were good.
Right after I’d dosed the two unlabelled kittens, but hadn’t put their collars back on, expecting kitten collars via mail — I go back in to get another kitten and — Girl #1 who is a feisty little one worthy of any Guild, hani crew, PK unit, what have you — was playing with her collar, which she had, very cleverly and conveniently, just pulled off. Hahahah, oh no! Naturally, she darted off so I couldn’t get her, and with three sans collars, I wasn’t too sure who’s who. I couldn’t get to her, so I dosed the two still with collars. Then I guessed who’s who, and hope I have guessed right. The three without collars are Boy #2, Unknown #1 (the boy with undescended balls), and now Girl #1.
Hmm… you know it’s harder than it seems to guess by eye, with my eyesight, a young kitten’s sex, and well, by feel is not much easier. I am fairly sure I’ve got it right, but I will recheck those three periodically to be sure.(Boy #2 is beefy like Boy #1. These two will be big tomcats, I think.) Un #1 (Boy) is more thin and graceful. Girl #1 is somewhat so, but has shown a strong, very flexibly gymnastic self, and the other girl, Un #2 (Girl) is thin too. But these are relative enough to make it not easy t to tell.
I _think_ I got them all dosed right this time, without double dosing one and missing one. But because of the mix-up, I am not certain.
I am going to look on YouTube tonight. I could swear that Kitten Lady (Hannah) had a suggestion of lipstick or something else that was non-toxic for both humans and kittens, to mark one ear or the other, one or two dots, and so on, to tell kittens apart.
The order of kitten collars was, naturally, delivered to the office since I was away most of the day to look at the two houses. So I still don’t have anything to mark them besides the temp plastic. I have only two colors of Sharpie on hand, but I am likely to mark the collars for easier ID. — I discovered a need for a white marker, too.
I got velcro cable ties, supposedly 6 inch, thinking that might do in a pinch. Nope, those are not quite big enough to go around and fit together securely, plus they are prone to stick together. So the kittens would get all velcroed together while playing, or stick to other surfaces, so… LOL! no, it was a good idea, but not workable. I thought maybe I was being smart. (that also would not be breakaway, which I do want.)
Turns out finding kitten collars on Amazon, something 6 to 8 or 9 inches, but not too much bigger, to keep from way too much looping, is not so easy.
The Petco order, kitten collars, landed at the office, as noted
And why can’t the suppliers put together a mix of colors and patterns to easily tell kittens apart at a glance? But they don’t. My color perception is way off now, so being sure of some colors is no longer easy like it used to be.
Anyway, I ordered a couple of sets that I hope will work and arrive quickly to my door.
They are diligently eating me out of house and home. But now I know the one dry food will (sort of) work, while the other, they won’t eat. This should help.
Two rather bigger boys, one thinner boy, a bit late developing, two girls, one more feisty than the other, both of them on the gracile side like the delayed boy. All black, the lot of them. And cute as anything.
Mama and two of them were waiting to greet me when I got in, as was Goober. He is feeling very outnumbered and limited.
If he and one of the kittens will make friends, maybe mama will decide he is a gentleman after all, or at least a potential good egg and babysitter helper. She still wants to fuss at him. and he wants as little of that as possible.
I keep reminding myself the kittens have to be given to good homes, all of them.
So far they are not as socialized as some I’ve had, and still not quite into everything above my waist height. I am surprised they are not by now.
I recall saying on here that I hadn’t had a female cat in a long time, and the odds were odd, that I hadn’t. Of course, the universe heard that and laughed and said, OK, Ben, you asked for it, boom! Mama cat and kittens! Hahahah. The universe has a weird and ironic and twisted sense of humor.
I am thoroughly enjoy ing them. Even the less than glamorous parts.
Oh, and when I got a package that had been delivered last night, picked it up and brought it in — apparently, I also got dosed with male cat scent on my shirt, which I sorely wished I had changed before I’d left. — That friend is allergic to cats, but loves dogs. I apologized to him a few times. It was bothering me, it probably was bothering him, but he was gracious enough not to say so.
A hectic but OK week after such a downer last week. Maybe heading for a good outcome while I still have a chance to get out of this situation and improve my life.
Deesha’s friendly advice, like that of several others here, including those who may get tired of my comments or style, but who still mean well, I have appreciated, and haven’t said so enough.
If I ever do get a chance to see y’all in person at a Shjicon or other, that would be nice.
Deesha, it’s also no secret, I’m Ben. So BlueCatShip or BCS or Ben, either way. Most folks learn that once they’ve been here a while. 🙂
I hope CJ and Jane are doing great and so are their cats and the koi and other fishes.
Awaiting an email tonight, but oh, I’m bushed. I will be glad to get some sack time tonight.
:O There is not an emoji or an internet abbreviation that adequately covers this. My head is still spinning.
I was expecting a month or so of negotiations back and forth, closing, and so on, in order to get the house. I was expecting a month of worry whether this could happen and work or not.
I had invested a small amount (a big amount to me) with those friends, who had purchased my house before and flipped it. That investment amount had grown a little and then sat.
My friend talked with the owner of the small house we’d looked at today, and — negotiated some for a quick sale. Rather than rent-to-own, I can buy it out and pay a mortgage, and thereby I won’t be worrying with rental. This is doable, and it may be possible to start with that investment amount.
My friend also suggested what is to me a scary risk, withdrawing about as much from long-term savings, nearly wiping that out, but investing it, so that it grows within the remainder of the year to return what I’d put in, and then builds thereafter. Along the way, this lets me put back into savings towards living expenses, house payments, eye and dental work, health insurance. And it still lets me keep investing, so that I build up over time.
If my eyes can be treated and that gives me back my previous level of vision, I think I can work faster and get back to where I have an income from my own work on fonts and maybe back into graphic design and web design, if my vision and color perception get back to approx. where they were.
But the investing, and having my own home, paying toward that rather than renting, gets me back on my feet, mostly, still in a precarious position for a couple of years, but far more livable and sustainable. It gets me into a place where I have enough building up that I don’t have to be so scared I’ll run out of savings, like I have been so scared of lately, for months.
This is two big leaps for me, but it beats paying out rent with no return, and it means I get more gain than keeping it in long-term savings as I had been. — It also means I will be running very tight for the next few months before that first investment returns. It’s a big deal for me, a chance to get back to a livable life, a future that doesn’t run like a train into the side of a mountain, like in some Road Runner cartoon.
The biggest surprise of his is that if my friend and the owner of the house agree on the negotiation, then this can start next week, and I can start the investment next week. The eye appt. is next week, which starts the process toward treatment and toward federal and state aid.
If things go as expected about the house, then I may be moving this month into the new house, and getting a return on investment in a few months. So this month or next may be my last in this apartment, and later this year, I may get to put some back into savings, pay some additional toward a mortgage, and have most of it back into investment. A few times doing that this year, and I’d have recovered my current savings, plus have money for current living expenses, tax on the new house, and so on.
I’m in shock. One minute, I don’t see how I’m going to get past a year or more. The next minute, instead of rent-to-own, I may be owning a home again and starting toward rebuilding savings, able to look past a year or so, no longer so scared it will all come crashing down.
Hah, my friend is going to come by with…boxes! to pack up here. (Eegad.) But aside from labeling, plus putting some things into bigger boxes instead of how they are now, plus packing things in closets and cabinets — Essentially, it won’t take a whole lot to get ready to move out.
I’m excited. I’m also shocked. I had no expectation that was possible. I’ll be running tight for months, but that’s OK, it’s livable.
My friend is going to walk me through the process so I know what to expect. We have to work out the transfer for the investment to start, aside from the home.
The owner is going to put in a fridge as well as the stove and oven alreadyy promised. — So I’ll still need a washer and dryer and some furniture, later or now, that deep freeze, and I’ll need to be on premises once I’m the owner, to get utilities hooked up, as usual.
But unlesss there’s a sticking point with the negotiations, this is likely going to go through by the end of next week, a move by the end of this month or sooner, and on from there.
Lots of legal paperwork, title company, and moving, and so on. But feasible, apparently.
I will know more tomorrow and Monday.
I may be a new homeowner by the end of next week.
Oh, wow.
Huzzah! If it’s better than your current situation, even if not ideal, then jump all over it!
What are the chances you could clean out your storage unit if you get the house and move it all into the new place? You might rediscover enough things to furnish your new digs, sell or discard the rest and get rid of that monthly outlay.
the plan is to get a shed (prefab, I presume) and move the storage unit contents into it, with furniture I want to keep going into the house. Furniture to see or donate, I need to discusss with the friend again. The idea is also to reduce down to (ahem) 0 or 1 storage spaces. (There are two.) The estimate on the mortgage payment is less than my current apt. rent. If you factor in monthly insurance and security service and saving aside for year-end taxes with homestead exemption, then it may be roughly the same cost, but hey, it goes toward owning more of the home each month. Yup, saving the storage fees will help a lot, as will any savings on the payments and upkeep. Yard work / mowing fees should be good, as my friend and/or the current owner know someone. Heh.
Walt, yes, if they refuse it, definitely worth it for me to see a disability attorney.
It may be possible for me to establish health insurance with vision and dental coverage, single person, but we’re not sure yet of the cost.
—–
Side Note: That Nature’s Miracle cat litter is not so miraculous. It stays wet and forms a wet concrete-like mass that the cats can’t / won’t budge and is problematic for the pooper scooper when I sift the litter. Plus tonight I managed to tip over the litterbox, then had to sweep up and scoop up and…ee-yuck…and wasted some litter. But then filled it with the last of that pail. Nearly done with one bag of the Feline Pine litter, but two small bags to go. I have ordered more Tidy Cat, and if it doesn’t get here over the weekend, I’m-a call that friend and ask if he can pick some up on our outing Tuesday (eye appt.). Plus, gotta go by and get pkgs from the office still.
I think it’ll be the week after next to establish utilities and move, but that may get done sooner or later than that. Ideally, before the end of this month, since I may be a new homeowner by mid-week next week, or by the end of the week.
Supposed to have a walk-through on what to do tomorrow, with the friend. I still feel like a whirlwind it, but in a good way.
Hah, looks like I may be moving three adult cats and five growing kittens into the new home. — Gotta call the vet and ask about boarding fees for one, two, or three days for the whole passel of ’em. (Note for international readers: “passel,” an Old West American word, is likely a rural / naive / dialectal pronunciation of “parcel.”)
Er, it’s a good thing they are eating more of the dry, but I have just ordered more moist and kitten food, because I’m not sure if one box is missing or unopened. It has been that kind of a week.
I am likely to buy groceries anyway, despite that I’d rather avoid it so I don’t have so much to move. Too busy to cook today, so hopefully tomorrow after things simmer down.
LOL, another update to my non-driver’s driver’s ID, mailing address with post office, etc., bank, everyone, will be happening.
It’s after midnight. I’m finally hitting the sack.
BCS, if you get SSDI (not SDI) then Medicare is included, deducted from your monthly payment. From what you’ve said, your medical problems are serious but routine. If so, the best choice may be a Medicare Advantage plan, an HMO where you just have minimal co-pays. But you have to get SSDI first.
SSDI may open some doors for state assistance if Texas offers any.
At this point, Ben, I believe you have officially moved into ‘clowder’ territory!
What Hanneke said about the clothesline is a good point, and you have one additional factor: a covered lanai/porch. You can string up clotheslines there, either fixed or retractable. and dry clothes even when it is raining. I have 2 lines on my own back lanai which I use almost every time I run laundry; for items that need to be hung on hangers, I attached spare clothespins a couple of inches apart and can hang up to 10 items separated by the pins on the hangers for extra drying
Maybe BCS could start a side business raising pearls with a clam clowder, or for less maintenance and vet bills, it is notoriously easy to care for a corn clowder.
💫
😵
I’m expecting to board my cats at the vet while I move. I suppose that’s this newfangled Clowder Storage I keep hearing about….
If I were up north, and a sports-ball fan, then I guess I’d be a clowder-head.
Heheh.
(One problem: Looks like the vet’s office can’t board the kittens without their shots. So Peppercorn and kittens may have to weather the move with me. Their follow-up is on the 16th, so we’ll see again how much the cost is for shots for 5 kittens.)
If I did have a clam clowder for pearl farming, surely I wouldn’t have a tight budget and could get the kittens vaccinated before they get owners.
I could go for some corn clowder right about now….
The Mac’s spellchecker keeps wanting to respell that.
Hey, all. “Clowder?” I am sure I am missing a reference there. Whazzat, please?
Walt, I’ll make a note. — Texas used to have the Texas Commission for the Blind, but it got absorbed into the Texas Workforce Commission, where the expectation is to gt very able-bodied worker into the workforce and…uh, their slogans and aim sounds very…yeah, you’d think it was a certain other country, the way they make it sound. — However, the goal is to get folks who can work into jobs, including if they are handicapped and can work. Laudable, but with difficulties.
At least before the restructuring, they used to pay things like one eyeglasses prescription (but not a spare pair), some vision aids and mobility aids, all or a portion of routine eye exams, and a few other things. I don’t know for sure now what they do, but they require you to have your status set up with the SSA in order to get you through their system. I was part-way through the state process, and we’ll pick back up from there.
But yes, that advice is needed. One of the friends does certain kinds of insurance but not others, and one had recently started to change insurance for his family to get health medical, including vision and dental, having seen my example and heard me about it. Plus his MIL is about 10 years older than I, and stays with them at times. I think it was his mom who had fallen last year. He and I talked about safety bars for the tub and toilet, but I forgot to put two and two together about his mom and mom-in-law, so I was just thinking out loud regarding the house we were looking at. I don’t need those bars yet, but it’s well worth the expense to put them in later. I recommended not suction cups, but drilling into the tile to secure the bars. — So he is supposed to hook me up with his ins. agent to see what kind of deal I can get for a really comprehensive health insurance coverage, since yes, I need that coming up. (I am most concerned about my eyes, but my teeth are a concern too, both practical and for appearances. It looks bad and gives a strange impression, and I’m conscious of that whenever I meet anyone, including friends.
My previous health insurance went haywire during and after when my parents had passed away, such that I ended up dropping it. (Billing shenanigans after I’d needed coverage once, increased rates, and so on. I’d had the policy since college. It became infeasible.)
——
Word is, we are going forward on the deal. We may close at the end of next week. This will be toward ownership, rather than rental. My head is still spinning. I had no idea this would work out, certainly not this well, nor that I had a chance to invest that could begin to recoup savings, so I have some future past a year or so. I’m flabbergasted. But this is a thing. It is also a big leap of faith and a risk.
The front porch fronts onto a fairly busy road, but not a major road. So I am not sure about this part. But the property is gated, fenced locked. That front porch has a wheelchair ramp on one side and steps on the other, and I’ve asked to put a railing on the open side with a drop-off, so I or any guest does not accidentally fall off. I had asked about getting it screened in, then realized, no, that’s on the front, I’d rather build a patio, screened, in back. (Future item.) There’s room for a shed or garage, so I might get most or all my storage space moved to the property, to the shed. (To Do item.)
Since the home was older, there is, aha! 🙂 a clothesline pole in the back yard, not covered / roofed; much like my grandmother had. So I will likely use it in good weather. My friend can get contractor discounts, so we may be able to get a clothes dryer for an affordable price. He and I (or his wife or brother-in-law’s wife) are likely to look for deals and choose. Dryer, futon, and a table for four, breakfast or dining, are to look for, and a price check to see how much a small deep freeze is. He had a guess, but wanted to check.
I wish I could use my existing dining table, inherited from my parents, a full-size 50’s era Spanish style which has an expandable leaf and chairs. The top needs refinishing now, due to crackling in storage under heat. But I think the given space will only fit a sofa (futon) and a couple of chairs and the smaller, still nice-sized, round table. (The one my parents had split in half, or I would have loved to have used and kept it. It didn’t get moved.)
A check with the vet’s office gave me prices for boarding the cats, but the kittens aren’t vaccinated yet, and that’s a sticking point, maybe to board ing them. So if I can’t board them, then they and mama will need to weather the move, or else I will have to decide to pay to get all 5 vaccinated. Their follow-up is on the 16th, so I can check pricing to see if I can afford it. (I would much rather board them than have mama and kittens have to put up with all that. Goober and Smokey got moved without boarding, and I felt so bad for them. — I am not sure I can get Mystic into a carrier again, either for his vet appt. or to move him. The vet’s office suggested a strategy that should work, though, so I’m hopeful for it.
Hah, so this weekend is going to involve hasty boxing up and labeling to get ready. Everything today took twice as long as expected, so I am only now back home to do anything, such as cook for tonight.
My friend took me out for some very good, dry filling Mexican food. I am still full. I should have brought half home, but I was hungry and overate.
Also to do this weekend is to get my utility bills together so I can set up the transfers or add a location, then cancel this one after I move. (Water and gas will be new, electric will be transferred, as apt. tenants pay that and phone and internet / cable for themselves.) So I’ll have a day or two camping out at the new place for utility hookups, another day for any appliances and furniture. Then the apt. move, then the storage unit move when the shed is ready.
Alll is supposed to happen before the end of this month, to avoid another month’s rent, but if we get any delay it could be into April. Either way, I have some assurance this gets me into a home I own and pay for. Hot dang!
There is a double entendre, but entirely clean, in the street name. I have no idea where it came from. But I’m going to enjoy that, I think. — I also get to change my ID address and every dang important contact, plus postal service. All the typical stuff.
Yup, got to get groceries, since it’s going to be at least a week or two more here. — I have a big igloo cooler, and anything else will have to make the ride, less than an hour, I think, so it should be fine.
—-
Kittens and Cats: Haha, oh my! This morning after I got up, three and then all five kittens got on the bed and the dresser and other stuff in my bedroom, though not on top of the test of drawers. Yet. I’m sure it’s next! I am not sure if I got the right collars back on the right kittens. Then I got their new collars on, and when I came back this afternoon, one has slipped out of her new collar, but only one that I saw.
Goober, however, is feeling exceedingly outnumbered and put upon, and went so far as to give a light hiss and bat a paw at one kitten who had the temerity to approach him. Even Goober’s patience has its limits, and Little Mama has fussed at him so much, plus the kittens are so active and encroaching on his space (and me) that he’s not happy about it. Poor guy. So far, Peppercorn still is not letting up on him to make friends. If she’d make friends, I think he’d still be friends with them and with her. I felt bad for him: He was “hiding” somewhere, rather than waiting to greet me when I got home. Mama and kittens have also started waiting to greet me when I get back. I wish they could become friends, so there’d be no problems there. Goober would otherwise happily greet me. That mama and kittens have started doing this is sure endearing. It shows a level of trust and love and belonging. So I want them all in the same pride.
Something worthy of Sandor from Merchanter’s Luck; a measure of how out of circulation I’ve been: A casual sports jacket was in the other closet, blocked by “stuff” and by kittens underfoot, so I didn’t get it. I then was going to get one of my two remaining suit jackets, now single items. But hmm, they’d been in the hallway closet and there had been evidence of bugs. The jackets looked fine. But I opted to ask my friend to get them dry cleaned and give me the bill. In one, I found business cards from when I used to volunteer for the former church’s website, which I’d started, plus other items from before my grandmother had passed away. I also realized I don’t have a blue or black jacket; both those are brown and taupe. So…at some later point, a new suit is needed, the first in years. But I’ve lost back down to a better size, still a little heavier than I’d like (all along the equator). — For someone like me, that it could be that long since I’ve worn a suit and tie…wow. It was a quietly world-spinning moment in itself. (I default to yuppie business casual anyway. I was used to suits for church and anything more than daily business when I was out in the work world. I (used to) clean up nice. 😉 I’m a bit out of practice, but putting on the suit jacket again was…it felt odd to know how long it had been since I’d last done something I used to think nothing about, as normal dressing up for business, church, or other dressy occasions. And I’ve been following the formal dress discussion, even though I haven’t chimed in yet.)
Well, so, back in the swing of things, almost. — Last time I’d had any legal / home / property business, I was way overdressed to wear a suit. This time, it won’t be needed. But I would have, for the bank visit today, if I had been sure they were presentable. — Nand’ Bren’s concern for proper appearances, for making a good ipression, showing one’s best, is something I understand. (Yes, I was one of those boys who showed up to elementary school once in a suit, because I wanted to. hahah. I went to ordinary public schools, not prep or boarding schools. When I went, kids didn’t wear a school uniform. Now, at my old schools, they all do.) So I default to this, and going more casual was something I had to learn to do. Ah, at home, sure, t-shirt and sweats or jeans. For work, casual, sure, I would also wear jeans. LOL, I’m funny about it, or old-school, but I gather others here are the same about that.
Glad to be back at the apt., and I’m going to rest, ,the res of the evening, cook tonight or tomorrow.
It has been a whirlwind week. I never imagined that things might, at least for now, be so uncommonly positive, so looking toward a future with possibilities again. — I have given some idea here before that I was really worried, scared, freaking out, but I have tried not to say how truly on edge I had been So the news yesterday and today, such a drastic improvement when I had no such hope it cold be so — I am still wrapping my head around this.
Everyone, thank you all, old friends and new, for your advice and goodwill. This means more than I can say, even though I’ve never met any of you in person before. This includes a few folks who have not been posting much here lately, whom I miss hearing from, such as Joe, among others.
And I hope everyone gets a good improvement in things soon.
‘Clowder’ is the term for a group of cats, aka the herd which has taken over BCS’ life! 😀
Comment – see also Clutter, or my favourite. Pounce 😉
Hee — I can definitely see a ‘Pounce’ of kittens!
Congrats on the house, BCS!
The way SSDI used to work, if you got refused for SSDI you could go to a disability lawyer for the appeal and all charges would be at the end and paid for by SSA, win or lose. I don’t know the current state of things, but it might be worth at least talking to a disability lawyer on the phone.
You might consider just keeping your money in cash until the COVID-19 thing clarifies. The markets are really scared of production and business disruption.
As the famous philosopher Yogi Bera said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” It ain’t over.
And they give you cash, which is just as good as money!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS83HdpzxDU
I went through it a few years ago. Unless you have something really, really serious like being in a wheelchair full time, they are almost always going to deny benefits the first time around.
I’m still having problems getting money my daughter is owed two years later. Fill in a form. Wait 3 months. They request a different document. Supply new document. Wait another 3 months. Rinse and repeat.
From my understanding the most a lawyer can charge is $6,000 and it comes out of your SSI but the SSI payment is back dated to when you got disabled. They cannot charge you if your appeal is denied. Most of the time the government is just looking for the paperwork to be filled out properly and half the things they want to see aren’t in any of the documentation an average person gets to see.
The markets are up and down. It’s going to be a while before it stabilizes. I’ve moved some of my money to short term bonds. Government bonds are paying less than one percent. You have to go municipal or corporate to get any type of interest but that entitles some risk. Stocks are a total crap shoot at this point if your looking at profit in the short term. If you’re 25 and plan to leave it in for 40 years the risk is lower. Even if you lose 20 percent in a week, you will eventually earn it back.
Comment – Yes, I remember investing in some shares that I thought were perfectly safe. I bought into an electrical goods company called Alba ( I had an alba TV at the time, plus it’s an old world name for Scotland ) I paid about £ 6 per share and wasn’t too worried when it dipped for a while, but then the share price crashed drastically. so something to consider there Blue, investments can go down as well as up.
@BCS, wow, that sounds like a turn your life around sort of week coming up!
Very good news about the house, and the eye appointment too.
If money is tight the first year, you can always save the money for the dryer by continuing to air-dry your laundry. With your own chain-link fenced back yard, you could string up a clothesline to dry them faster than on the smaller racks indoors (unless it’s raining).
I see the seller is going to install a gas cooking range, so no urgency for you in arranging that. Once life settles down and your finances recover, if your kitchen electricity wiring is up to the load and you still prefer the smooth glass top, you might want to look into what we’re doing for my brother.
He has a microwave and still eats at dad’s and isn’t much of a cook, so he hasn’t needed anything else.
Now dad wants to make sure he has somewhere to cook and bake stuff.
To avoid the risks of fire and gas, and burns from an electric range, we went with a small induction cooktop – not built in, but one that he could put on top of a kitchen cabinet or on the counter. Those exist in 1, 2 and 4 cooking zones; we got him a 2-zone one like this (but a different manufacturer).
The big advantage over an electric cooktop is that the cooktop itself doesn’t get hot. If a cat jumps onto the controls the surface doesn’t do anything unless there’s a metal pot on it – that will get hot, but neither you nor a pet could get burned by an accidentally hot zone.
It does need new pots, as a pot with black burns from use on a gas cooktop on its bottom won’t work well with induction.
We’re also getting him a small electric oven, just big enough to bake a frozen pizza in – for a single guy who doesn’t want to cook that is large enough 🙂, and a kitchen cabinet with two drawers (but no door to the large central opening) to put the oven in and the cooktop on, to replace the gas range that’s been installed (but with the gas turned off) since he moved into his own appartment.
@bcs Even though the houses are set up for a gas range, it is possible to close off the gas line and use an electric range with glass cooktop. Ask if you can substitute an electric stovetop/range for the gas. Most kitchen gas lines have a cut-off valve, and since even gas ranges now have electronic ignition rather than a continuously running pilot light, you should have electrical service to the cooktop/range and any microwave in the kitchen. Not having an open flame seems to be a smart idea with limited vision. You do have to pay attention to the lights that warn that the stovetop is still warm, but once you figure out where to look, it shouldn’t be a problem.
When I was little, I saw my mother’s robe catch fire from a gas burner, so I was traumatized at an early age. Gas stoves cost a little less to operate, but the few cents a month extra for added peace of mind seemed worthwhile to me. A lot of people sing the praises of cooking with gas because temperatures are easier to adjust, but once you are used to a particular stove there is very little difference in the quality of food produced.
@ready, that’s why most people over here are switching to induction cooking when they need new kitchen fittings. It’s just as responsive as gas, so you don’t have to learn to adjust your cooking habits to the long wait between turning down the heat and the cooking surface cooling down.
(That, and our government intends to shut off gas mains access to homes between 2030 and 2050, so people are anticipating that. From 2030 on, new homes will not have gas mains access built in, and by 2050 the gas mains access to older homes will be shut off. That gives everybody enough time to switch to electricity-based appliances for cooking and heating.)
Plus the added safety feature that if it gets turned on accidentally, it won’t create a dangerously hot surface that can create burns.
Grandma did discover (nearly 20 years ago already!) that stirring a pot on high heat for a time, on an induction cooktop, while wearing a big, wide, metal bracelet, could make the bracelet heat up. But as that takes a little while, you have enough time to remove your arm and the bracelet from right above the range before it get too hot.
One point to be aware of when buying any glass cooking top (whether electric or induction), when your eyes are not that good, is if you can see the little lights and digital numbers if it is controlled by a touchscreen, or if it has turning knobs that you can adjust by feel.
With a knob, you can stick those little silicone bumps (or something like that) on the knob and the glass at the zero point if it’s hard to see those marks, so you can be sure it’s off; and it’s less likely to be turned on accidentally by a cat walking over it.
@BCS, the advice I’ve seen is to keep kittens out of your bedroom at night, at least for their first year, if you want to be able to get some sleep. From my own experience, I concurr: at three months (when they came to me) my two would set up vigorous playtime with chases across the bed and me, and batting at my face and meowing for attention, at least three times per night. Now, at 13 months, it’s down to once a night, so the bedroom door is still closed while I’m sleeping (unless I fall asleep reading while they nap with me, which is how I know they’ve still not quite outgrown their nightly shenanigans).
If you’re getting them adopted out at two to three months, you might be able to endure the interrupted nights that long. Just, be aware that that is what will happen if you let them sleep on the bed with you.
Three months is better for them, though there are still people who let them go at eight weeks; but it means you need to get them their first vaccinations (at about 8 weeks IIRC), which here also meant a pet passport. You can ask back the vaccination cost as the price of the kitten, when you put them up for adoption. That works as a sort of guarantee for you, that the new owners will not neglect them but take them to the vet when they need it; and for the new owners, that the kittens have been properly taken care of and have been seen by a vet and vaccinated.
The second dose of vaccinations is due at three months, and the new owners can take care of that.
At least, that’s the way it usually works around here for responsible pet owners, i.e. not the ones that pin up a message at the local supermarket “kittens 8 weeks old, free to a good home”, and hand them over to the first person who comes around asking, never mind they might be awfully irresponsible as a pet owner …
I really appreciate all the advice.
@Hanneke, I will talk with my friend about an induction stovetop or separate appliance. That’s a good idea, and I haven’t seen anything about it.
@Ready4More, I had cooked on my grandmother’s 1950’s era huge gas oven and stove, and actually got used to that thing. You had to light the burners with a match. It was a huge old O’Keefe and Merritt. But my parents, and then myself, have always had an electric oven and stovetop, and so I’ve used both the electric burners and the flat glass top.
My preference is for electric. It looks like, to expedite things and save money, we’ll go with the gas for now, then later have it serviced to switch to an electric one. Not my ideal choice but it gets us in faster and lets me pay that later.
My vision was still at my old level during Hurricane Ike’s aftermath. It was a good thing the gas stove worked. That allowed me to cook for us, so minimized some of the effects of the long wait until utilities were back on.
@scenariodave, Oh, sadly, that matches other people’s stories of what happens about SSI. My friend is downplaying this, as if it won’t happen, but I keep saying I keep hearing this, so that he’s at least humoring me in saying OK, hire a disability lawyer to handle that if/when it doesn’t go through. But from everything I har, it’s a miracle if it goes through the first time with no hitch. Our government inaction; spacing there intentional.
@Chondrite – ohhh. hahaha, uh-huh. I could swear the number of kittens has doubled or quadrupled. They’ve all climbed the bed and anything waist high, though not yet the kitchen counters or higher. But I’m sure within a week, they’ll be everywhere. Haha. (Eek.)
Tonight, I tried to nap. As many as all five kittens played, scampering around on the bed. Two settled down with me. Goober braved it briefly and settled down closer to me with no one fussing, so there’s some hope he can get along with the kittens and vice versa.
(Pause while I rescue a box with envelopes from a kitten exploring. Heh.)
Little Mama got a claw caught in my sleeve tonight, and before we’d both untangled, she got anxious and almost dinged me, but did not bite down enough to do real damage. So I applied anti-bacterial soap and hot water and I think I’ll be fine. — And possibly, this will help her see further that I don’t want to hurt her, even in a scary case like that, and that she can keep from hurting me too.
The kittens are doing OK with seeing that, even though I’m giving them meds, which they protest, we are still friends, they can play with me or rest. That and they are maturing more and socializing better with extra attention from me. Going about as well as can be.
I still need to give them this does, I had tried to nap instead.
But they’re recovering faster from being upset over getting meds, so this is pretty good.
I’m expecting to do some packing tomorrow. — I am very tired and sniffly. Hoping it’s not a cold or worse. I don’t need to get sick now. Too much to do.
I’m thoroughly enjoying the kittens, even with the extra work and expense. But man, I’ve got to make time to find a place that can take them and adopt them out. I’m expecting they will get moved with me to the new home. Their follow-up vet visit is the 16th, so they’ll be here until then, surely. Since I’m getting a home, Peppercorn’s coming with us, and if I can bribe Mystic into a carrier and a vet visit, he’s coming too. I want him and he wants to be with me, he just is set against the carrier.
Lots to do! But at least moving from an apt. is not as involved as from a house.
Re: Garments
I feel that there is a correspondence between formal and restrictive.
The little discussion we had regarding formal clothing, especially where it impacted the Atevi culture was interesting. About the same time I was rediscovering , well not filk music exactly as I’ve never lost my love for that. Rather I came across the Masterharper of Pern music on U-Tube. Now Anne McCaffrey wrote more than just the Dragonriders series of books, but they’re the only ones of hers that I recall seeing her song lyrics, or rather, her characters song lyrics. I started to wonder, now on U-Tube I’d seen a lot of her company wars songs, and some of her other stuff there too. I got to thinking however, that although there was one episode where Been watched a play ( in Defender ) I can’t for the life of me recall any music or songs feature in the Atevi books. Given the nature of Machimi, I can almost understand that. Music speaks to the Human Soul, to our Emotions. Atevi however, while it would be unfair to say they don’t have any, their emotion works on a somewhat different level. It’s only reasonable that their creative processes are too. Still, I’d like to hear an atevi song sometime, or even just a song about them. I’m reminded of the Finisterre books and of the way manchi works, things never being quite the way we thought. Hunter becomes hunted, the victim and the aggressor not being who we thought they were. If you’ve not read rider at the gate, or clouds rider, then I’m not going to spoil them for you. I just think the Atevi would Appreciate them in a way Humans might ‘ve surprised to recognize.
If ever any of CJ’s works get put on video, I’d love to hear Greg Edmonson (Edmundson?) and Bear McCreary do the music, or maybe the people who did the Farscape music.
Bear McCreary did the BSG Reboot music, and Greg Edmondson did the Firefly TV music. The duo who do the Stranger Things music might also be good. My reasoning for Greg E. and Bear McC. being, they used unusual instruments and combined old multi-cultural styles with new ones, sometimes with voices, to create really rich music for those shows. The music for Farscape and Stranger Things is likewise especially fitting.
So I figure they might be good talents to tackle CJ’s aliens and future humans, with really exotic and rich stuff going on.
—–
I was so tired last night, and sniffly, and keyed up. There are times I wish I could get a massage from a partner or friend, when I get like that. I was so full from the late lunch, I went to bed a little early.
Yes, the kittens clambered onto the bed again and played, one, two, finally all five, I think. I eventually drifted off to sleep, not so much bothered by them as being overly keyed up and not feeling so great. I think it’s only fatigue, though.
I woke up to a “Rrreee-OOWW!!” from Peppercorn, I think it was. Goober had tried to get on the bed to be with me as usual, and must have gotten Peppercorn’s ire or startlement instead. When I got my wits enough to get a light turned on, Peppercorn and one kitten were still settled, quite firmly so, on the bed, with the kitten between her and me, and what must have been Goober on the chest of drawers, still twitchy from the encounter. Poor Goober. I admonished all and sundry that Goober is my kitty and he’s welcome and he was here first. Of course, that had no noticeable effect. My translator microbes must have got that wrong. 😉
So Goober didn’t sleep with me last night and is feeling very besieged and neglected. Peppercorn is still having none of it, instead of seeing Goober is a mild-mannered soul who doesn’t mean anyone any harm, unless perhaps they keep on so much that they make him an enemy. Mama as yet doesn’t seem to have any room in her instincts and thoughts and emotions to brook the possibility that some other cat, even one as nice as Goober, being male, might be a friend and helper, rather than too great a risk to her babies’ safety. I have not yet figured out a way to encourage them that doesn’t meddle and feels good and natural to them.
But sometime around dawn, the kittens were playing again, Peppercorn had gotten down off the bed (it was her first time on the bed, btw) and Goober had been on the bed the night before with one kitten, briefly, without incident from either.
I was still too tired, and tried to get back to sleep. I did at some point. I woke to find four of the five kittens all cuddled up with me and each other, lined up and in ones and twos.
I got up to get my camera, but of course, they got down, sensing food would be in the offing, as mealtime was overdue. Heh.
After a bit of cleanup, and setting a load of laundry to wash, all was fine until I heard one kitten calling for help. I could not at first find the kitten, but knew, after a moment’s panic, that I’d only opened the lid on the washer, so no chance a kitten got in. After some searching, I finally found the one errant kitten had joined the others in the bedroom on the floor, in various spots, snoozing away, all of them, happy with their world.
Goober and Peppercorn were both also snoozing in separate rooms. Heh. Mama is increasingly taking breaks away from the kittens and has begun, I think, to try to wean them.
Due to collar mixups, I am nt altogether certain I have the right names with the right three of the five kittens. Either one or two may be swapped as to identity and known gender. (And I think the late-bloomer boy is still behind schedule.) I had bought collars that might be neutral enough, and yet the options didn’t really strike my fancy too much. So at the vet appt. follow-up, I want to be sure I still have them identified right. A collar switch and name switch should work. They still don’t have true names, and now go by their collars. One has a black stars-and-moons collar (because of course, fan that I am), but I’m tentatively calling him Wizard. (That may be the delayed boy, if I have them right.) A couple of collars, because I wasn’t happy with two of these, are on their way.
So everyone’s doing fine.
I’ve gone through the one pail of bad litter and am nearly through one bag of the feline pine litter. — And naturally, a pail of Tidy Cat got sent to the apt. office with other items, offices supplies and kitten / cat supplies.
Be it noted, the apt. mgmt. / leasing office phone numbers — are still “temporarily disconnected” and I still have no valid phone number for them found. I find this comic, tragic, and worrisome, all in one.
I still have to cook and do some laundry, and haven’t packed or labeled any today. — I am dragging around, wanting to sleep or rest, so I am going to listen to that. I don’t think I’m sick, just fatigued. Possibly, my sinuses are stressed from being out so much more than usual lately, plus lots of litterbox duty. (Eek.)
The thing with the kittens has me thinking some on identity and gender. Cats are a bit different anyway, and our ideas don’t really fit them. I’m not one to think that boys must be hyper-male and girls per-female. As traditional as my family was on both sides, they tended (and tend) to be a little more open-minded on the roles of men and women. For the most part. But being not so sure of whether I have gotten the kittens mixed up, and having collars that are loosely clues to gender, hmm, it’s making me think. Plus, I am not used to having a kitten at this age who is delayed like that, although the vet says he’s still in the normal range. I sympathize with him because of it. He’s likely to be a different sort of male cat because of it. But that suits me fine anyway.
Possibly later today I will be more motivated. I also need to get some papers together, so I can prep for utilities changeover with the move. I’m getting some things done, just not hung-ho like I had expected of myself.
Also — I need to give Goober some quality time. Having him feel left out and put upon is not what I want for him. He deserves better.
I still have to get my websites straightened out. So, back to it.
Comment – Have you heard of Clamavi De Profundis ? I came across them on U-Tube, but you can find them elsewhere too, Twitter, Spotify, Patreon, & other sites too. What they are, are a family that love to sing together ( their words ) drawing inspiration from classical and fantasy sources, Song of Durin for example is a track that really has to be experienced to believe, it’s also far superior to the material that was actually used in the Hobbit film.
On a slightly different take on music, check out Damn The Bard, who does some really great stuff with Wiccan Inspired Music
Music gets some interesting and varied suggestions here. I’ll check for those.
You might be thinking of Leslie Fish, regarding the Company Wars filksongs. I also love her “Banned From Argo” track, and a few others of her original stuff.
Years back, someone suggested I listen to Sigur Rós, and I really like their ethereal, almost elvish sound, mixed with other post-modern elements. Their videos are unusual and a couple are controversial. Two, I had seen before I knew about the band. One of these has dancers who are Down’s or other conditions; it’s very loving and meant to be. The other is either Agætis Byrjun or another track from that time, and in the video, there’s an unspoken, shown story with two boys who kiss. When I saw that the first time, I was very surprised, one sleepless night.
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I would guess the atevi would have strong musical interests, since their hearing is acute and they’re good with numbers. They might use a different scale or timing, or combine things in ways humans wouldn’t, plus I’d guess there are a few things outside human hearing. They seem to favor retaining ancient traditional forms along with adopting new ones. I wonder if they have something like a harpsichord, which just seems to fit with the style of court dress, which reminds me of the Baroque and Enlightenment periods, the Revolutionary era.
I’ve never asked if atevi women have something like gaucho pants as an option, since mecheiti are still ridden, and some inclusion like that might fit the courtly dress style or mode.
A while back, I’d suggested the atevi might do weaving and needlecraft in some three-axis way, for triangular and hexagonal patterns. That’s just a fannish thought, since they prefer odd to even numbers.
Almost 5pm already? I feel like I’ve barely done anything. I still don’t feel moved to cook, but I should. Must tomorrow, if I don’t tonight.
I don’t think anyone has ever improved on Donald Swann’s settings of Tolkien songs. And Tolkien himself liked them.
Fair enough, but he would never have had the opportunity to hear Clamavi De Profundis, or their powerful version on Song of Durin, just to list one of their tracks.
I listened to their version of the Song of Durin, and I’m sorry to say that I find it boring and unimpressive. It’s just a bland chant, with some background acoustics. There’s no life in it.
In fact all their songs seem to be similar, slow, and bland.
Compare Clamavi’s version of “I sit beside the fire” with Donald Swann’s version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXYvBUw5chc
(Just listen to the audio, ignore the graphics that someone has added.)
The difference is that one version is dead and one is alive. Sorry!
The more you talk about the aftereffects of the management change at your apartment complex, the more I believe that the new house is a moral imperative!
I’m quite sure that cats are not as fixated on gender as humans seem to be. One of our outside trilogy, Spot, is nominally female, but is quite the tomboy. I even see her occasionally boxing Little Brother’s ears!
Comment – I’ve been watching the film Passengers tonight on television, it’s a film about a man who wakes up prematurely on a Starship that still has about ninety years left to complete it’s voyage. The ship is dying and in an effort to save it he finds himself outside the ship trying to open a hatch that will dump the reactor core, there’s no more time for alternatives and he has to stay by the hatch holding it open. Reminded me of the filk song Ballad of a Spaceman. The version I know best is by Julia Ecklar, and you can find that on U-Tube too.
Comment – Today, Sunday the 8th of March, is recognized as International Woman’s Day. Given that I’m posting here on CJ`s own Blog page, I just want to thank her for being a great example to us all. She began writing at a time when the market was saying that this was a male world, that only men could write about a subject that it was claimed was only understood by men, that only appealed to men. That wasn’t true. CJ and others like her proved it too. She broke into the printing world in the 1970 s and went on to have over seventy books published, sorry CJ I’ve not read all of them, but I know I’ve read most of the ones I know about. She’s gained awards and recognition with her work. I personally hadn’t came across her work until I found a copy of Downbelow Station in a newsagent bookrack, so that would have been in the 1980s it was paperback and had been in print for a while, don’t ask me how long though as that particular detail eludes my recall. Her Faded Sun books I never found as individual books, but as a single book with all three books within it’s pages. ( Similar to the Lord of the Rings Book by Tolkien, three books within one volume ). Merchanters luck, not just a filk song but one of CJs books, Rimruners, the incredible story of a woman, living destitute on a space station. A woman with a past, one-time Space Marine from one of Mazians Carrier’s, but cut off when her ship had to run. Talks her way onto the deck of a quasi military ship called Loki, and finds a new future. Cuckoo’s Egg, one of my favourite books of all time. Story of a boy growing up amid a great mystery. They called him Thorn, he was supposed to be a person just like his guardian, born into the elite caste of warrior-judge’s. Somehow though things weren’t adding up, he looked nothing like the other’s in his world, he was bare skinned, not furred, nor did he have claws, his eyes, his eyes were so different. The doctor’s came and tested him regularly, and he never met anyone else, but things were about to change, event’s he knew nothing about were coming to a head, his world was just about to be turned upside-down. Other books, I can’t list all of them here.
Before finding CJs work my main reading love was Anne McCaffrey, not just the highly acclaimed Dragon Riders books, but the first of the Doona books, Decision at Doona, The first of her Helva books, The Ship who Sang, The first of her Telepathic Talent books, To Ride Pegasus.
A poem barely recalled, but very powerful. It was barely touched upon at high school, it was by a woman called Mary Jessamyn West, and was called Live Life Deeply. My school preceded to spend an entire year analysing the hidden meaning behind Animal Farm. It was an interesting enough book, but an entire years English Class spent discussing the ramifications about a book, and its Communist Symbolism? Seriously?
A story first found in an Encyclopedia for children, story was called Deliverers of their Country, by Edith Nesbit. I’ve since found other material of hers, and have some on my Kindle.
These were the books I read, not in my childhood, I hadn’t found them then, but in my twenties, thirties, My childhood was not something I care to recall.
This post isn’t about me anyway, it’s about how I love that the women listed above, these and others like Mary Shelly though I was never a Frankenstein fan, reached out with the written word to shake the complacency of the western world, and it’s Patriarchal Inclination.