I have been taking photos and videos and planning!!! to blog or edit or something … every single day/night, but here we are a week later.
I have also had two Christmas cookie recipes on my list …
AND, work and house chores and walks and belly rubs, oh my!!
Well, work and walks and belly rubs happened. And a modified cookie … more on that this weekend … I hope.
Meanwhile…
To the accompaniment of the above fire (with sound) and music, the halls got minimally decked:
And stockings hung.
So far, kitten and dog have left the minimal deco as it was – hurrah!
A few nights, a very few nights have been clear enough to see the moon.
But sunshine and a bit of clearing today … maybe a view of tomorrow’s full moon. Even if not, even with overcast, our nighttime walks with moonlight through the clouds and snow on the ground … my favorite!
Inside, all is hilarious!
Nap by/on the computer…
Nap on and by me…
Naps all together – evening quiet time.
… after I got up.
On a different subject … the “smart” coffee maker after its update. Well, yes!
l love Christmas Eve day almost more than Christmas Day … it is the anticipation. And even though I no longer do gifts, it is still a lovely, lovely day of remembering the joys of childhood Christmases.
But today, end of the work week … but probably a working weekend so that I CAN enjoy Christmas time … this Friday, two weeks before Christmas Eve day, started with beautiful sunshine…
Above is a just before sunrise walk on my property … below is the start of a long walk on the state land. We have not walked on the state land since late Spring … first it was high vegetation and spring bears and then hunting season this fall, but now … it is our season to be out there!
Today, Friday, is actually our 2nd walk out there and we added a loop to our first walk. I am the weak link having not done longer walks over hill and dale since late Spring,
Gorgeous!!
Almost home.
A good outing! As recorded, .66 miles, 24.51 minutes of activity, heart rate at the finish = 112 , speed 1.9 … hope to improve THAT!
A stick … always bring home a stick.
It is a good thing that we made the most of the morning sunshine. By afternoon, when Emmett and I walked down the driveway to collect the mail … back to gray skies.
Time for a fire …
And naps all around!
The herbs … the herb grow lights are working well … hard to see, but all of the herbs are currently thriving – YEA!
Happy, Happy Friday this two weeks before Christmas Eve.
My sweet boys!! Honestly!!! It is three weeks since Oscar joined Emmett and me and it is pretty incredible how well he has settled in to the Fambly Summers! A lot of credit goes to Emmett. Emmett persevered calmly through the initial hissing and spitting … respecting Oscar but never giving up trying to be friends.
I am so very happy with how they are interacting.
Baby portrait!
That little face … looks so innocent and sweet, doesn’t it???
Well, mostly it is, but Oscar has his moments :) And I am glad for those also – he gets the “kitten crazies” and zooms around the house or plays with his toys (he only has a few … ) and HOLY COW … how does a 4.5 pound kitten make so much noise???
I know he is 4.5 pounds because we had our first vet visit on Tuesday. Oscar was pronounced a well adjusted kitten: a little shy as befitting his home, not crazy scared … in the middle of the kitten spectrum. Dr. Jim, whom I’ve known for 26 years!! came into the room and said: “Was this planned?” … which sent the tech and I into gales of laughter …. it was kind of like he asked if it was an unplanned pregnancy. Anyway, I got to tell Oscar’s story and Oscar got high marks for demeanor and health plus his first vac.
Another vac in a month and then the BIG OP in February and on we go. It was good. The first vet appointment with a new family member is always a bit emotional for me and it was helpful to start with a laugh. Kudos to Dr. Jim and all of the Bigfork Animal Hospital staff and techs. They are so very kind. And I was extra anxious as I had to take a 5:20 p.m. appointment which meant toing and froing in the dark. I do not drive at night very often and it is challenging for me, but obviously, I did it and all’s well that ends well and mostly, I am thrilled that Oscar had a good first visit with no ramifications from his shot or the car ride.
Onward!!
Meanwhile.
At home.
That first cat tree … history. I didn’t like how it looked. I didn’t like that it didn’t have staggered levels. Oscar never went beyond the first level and mostly ignored it.
I got the same tree that I had for Auggie.
Everyone is happy!!
For me, it is “nose to the grindstone” … next week is the last full work week of 2021. I will work a bit after, but not a lot so I want to get my task list in shape and hours in (hired gun programmer = paid by the hour!) so we all eat in January.
It helps to have helpers…
So much sweet!
I can help ??!!!
Like his brother before him, Oscar is a “programming kitten” :)
And we are a technical FAMBLY !
This year, my black Friday splurge was a Keurig coffee maker. And not just any Keurig coffee maker. As befits my I.T. professional status, I bought the new-ist Keurig: K-Supreme Plus Smart.
Hee.
It connects to Wi-Fi and my phone and my Alexa. So, I have phone and voice control.
I.E. I can start the darn thing from bed in the morning so as to have a cup of coffee waiting for me when I get to the kitchen. DREAM.COME.TRUE.
The previous three images are screen shots from my phone.
I am so happy!!! And it is 2 days and all is working well and I have a first cup of coffee to get me on my way with Emmett for our first out … AND an easy afternoon decaf.
Life is sweet!
Sweet stuff at my house!
***re the recent AWS (Amazon Web Service) outage … which did affect Emmett’s GPS collar, but not my home Alexa stuff. This kind of thing happens. I am not concerned. All parties will review and consider/implement redundancies. I stand by Internet reliant apps!!!
Oscar has gained almost 2 pounds since he came home … he is up to almost 4 pounds :)
He has gone from hissing if Emmett just looked at him to playing hide and seek and toy keep away.
Oscar has the run of the house day and night and is constantly exploring spots to climb and hide.
Thankfully, he is so far, sleeping all night, i.e. no middle of the night kitten crazies. He has chosen to sleep on top of one of the big pillows that I use in lieu of a headboard.
Meanwhile, last Wednesday, a new cat tree arrived: assembly required. I planned to put it together Thanksgiving day. I also planned to do a bit of work Thanksgiving day to make up for the previous Thursday and Friday that I did not get much work done between getting Oscar and helping us all get situated.
I put the cat tree together yesterday, Saturday … “best laid plans”, etc., etc.
But it went well!
The carpeted board on the chair and those 3 bags on the floor are all of the parts.
Naturally, I had plenty of help …
Bits and pieces…
Fortunately, everything had a number or letter label – YEA!!
I started at 9:15 a.m.
About 1/3 done and I took a break …
Oscar started having fun even before the tree was assembled.
Back to work … another level and then I assembled the “condo”. Oscar is lying on the cover for the condo … and went to sleep … AND the sun came out, so Emmett and I went for a walk.
Blue sky, fresh air … it was wonderful to stretch my legs and putter about in the woods for a bit. We had an extra long outing to give Oscar plenty of time for a long nap … and for me to procrastinate!
Assembly complete. PLUS, I took apart the giant dog crate that Oscar was no longer using … the office is back to mostly office except for the tree and a lot of new cat toys…
I am sharing my mini-trampoline with the cat cave and a feather toy … so far, the cat tree is a bit lonely …
I started the day with joyful and thankful remembrance of Auggie … photo is from last Thanksgiving. Thoughts also of all times spent with Bear, Bob, Karl, Gus and Zack … they all came to mind and I enjoyed looking at photos of all of them and remembering their antics and the beautiful times we shared.
When a pet dies, that special place in our hearts feels so empty. But we realize, as time passes, that animals have a way of teaching us about loving, about loyalty, friendship, and joy.
And whatever we’ve shared in their presence can never really be lost.
Writer unknown
From Irving Townsend … these words have helped me when I’ve been in that place of “how/when”…
Another cat? Perhaps. For love there is also a season; its seeds must be resown. But a family cat is not replaceable like a wornout coat or a set of tires. Each new kitten becomes its own cat, and none is repeated. I am four cats old, measuring out my life in friends that have succeeded, but not replaced one another.
And so, this Thanksgiving I remember all that I shared in the presence of Auggie, Bear, Bob, Karl, Gus and Zack … and also embrace a new season of Emmett and Oscar.
Oscar is settling in very well and Emmett and I are adjusting :)
I took over 20 photos to get one of “morning with Oscar” where he was not a complete blur. Emmett is on the floor because Oscar is here, there and everywhere, i.e. a wiggle-worm! I told Emmett that it was payback as in Emmett’s puppy days my vision of him snuggling next to me with Auggie on my lap did NOT happen for a long time … Emmett was the wiggle-worm, then.
I am so pleased that Oscar is now ok with Emmett getting close and even some light play. Emmett would love to play chase, but Oscar is not quite ready for that. They do play hide and seek around the crate and curtains in the office.
Once again, I have to negotiate with a feline for my office chair …
Ha! I got MY chair and Oscar has the spare … but mostly, I was on the spare :(
Last night, we tried a bit of all of us in the “grown up bed”.
More wiggle-worm, but he finally settled and almost went to sleep. I gave Emmett one of the bones he likes, which he only likes to have at bedtime … if I give it to him in the daytime, he will hide it and then get it when we go to bed. Anyway, I thought a treat might help him ignore whatever Oscar got up to and it did … Emmett paid no attention to Oscar’s shenanigans on the pillows.
I decided that we will try overnight this weekend when I don’t need to work the next day.
