Friday, October 31, 2008

My Furniture Builds - 10/31/08

I decided to post pictures today of the two furniture builds that I had done.  One for the office/guest room and one for the den/computer room/guest room.  When you live in a condo, every space must serve multiple purposes.  Overall I am quite pleased with the furniture.

Den:

The office:


I'll be leaving later this afternoon for a weekend women's retreat.  Its a wooded location so I'm looking forward to seeing the leaves and just being in among the trees on what should be a beautiful fall weekend.

Have a good weekend yourselves.

p.s.

For Bennett who wanted to see the "painting" in the first picture.  I think Megan forgot the "cool" color rule for a few minutes when the red crept in.


Thursday, October 30, 2008

How to Give a Pill to a Cat or Dog - 10/30/08


How To Give A Cat A Pill

1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from back yard.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat.  Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rod, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink one beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door onto neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw Tee shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.


12. Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie the little bastard's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.


How To Give A Dog A Pill

1.  Wrap it in bacon.

2.  Toss it in the air.

Meet Max - 10/30/08



This is Max.  He came to me through an in-family adoption (my future daughter in law is allergic to long haired cats).  He's 14 and very affectionate.  If he wasn't he might be in trouble as he insists that I get up at 7:30 every morning.  Anyone who knows me well, knows I am not a morning person.

I just love this fur baby.

Friday, October 24, 2008

At Five Months and Three Days - 10/24/08

It occurred to me today that the 21st slipped by and I didn't remember that that marked five months since Warren's passing. I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Its not that I didn't think about him that day, I do every day. I just forgot that it was the anniversary.

I called the cemetery office this week to inquire as to when the grave marker would be placed on the grave. I guess they give the ground time to settle some. I was told (surprise, surprise) that his was the next one scheduled to be put in and it would happen this week (it didn't) or next and that they would call me.

There were times this month when I felt a real need to be by myself. I still need that quiet time but this week I've been out more. Next weekend I'll be attending a women's retreat from Friday evening through Sunday at lunch. I'm hoping that I'll be able to be fully present for that and not feel a need to withdraw again.


On the plus side I've learned how to use an electric drill and even how to use it as a screw driver. I'm sure that will come in handy some time although it didn't help me much trying to put those new kitchen chairs together. I did one but its not quite right. I'm going to get some help to finish those up.

I tried "Freecycle" for the first time and got rid of the metal filing cabinet that I had. It just got picked up a few minutes ago. I've got the Salvation Army coming again on Tuesday to take the old computer furniture away. Things are moving along on my never ending remodeling of the apartment.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

What Cats Do When Humans Aren't Looking - 10/23/08



They use up your minutes.



The read your emails.



They dust your mini-blinds (well sometimes you actually see them do this).



They fight world terrorism.



They dress up for Halloween.



Wednesday, October 22, 2008

My Questions for the Day - 10/22/08



My Questions of the Day:

1. Why did the roomba stop working under the middle of the bed????

2. Why do the new kitchen chairs have to be assembled? by me?

3. Why can't the Salvation Army come pick up the extra furniture in the living room before my dinner party Friday night?

4. Where does all this dust come from?

5. How did I get a cat, and why does he think I need to get up at 6:30 a.m.?

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Please Read the Order Before Staining the Furniture - 10/16/08

Yesterday I finally got a call that my furniture was ready for delivery. This is the furniture I was having built for the den and the office. The man said, "you're black furniture is all done." I said, "I had two separate furniture builds. Is the other one ready too." He said, "I only see one order." I said "they're both on the same order form." He looks and says, "yes I see that now." Let me call you back in a few minutes. It was more than a few minutes, but he did call back and "Houston we have a problem!" It turns out that indeed that piece of furniture was built and ready too, but the fabricator hadn't noticed that the second build had a different finish specified; an antiqued oak finish. The good news is that they tell me it won't take as long to rebuild it because they've done it once before. The bad news for them is, they'll have to try to sell the custom piece to someone else, and of course I have to wait longer to get the office finished.

Tomorrow the den computer furniture will be delivered and then I have to figure out how to reconnect all the components back up once they are moved to their new locations and Megan will be here as there is no school. She's not going to be happy that she won't be able to play on the computer in there all afternoon. I think I'll get her to put all her video games away in their new drawers.

After her Mom gets off work, we're going to my son's for dinner so we can meet Jen's kids who are visiting for the weekend and also see the new paint colors and flooring. Jen and Dave have been very busy sprucing up the place. I did get a chance to meet Nicholas (Jen's son) last night when he and David came and picked up the diabetic cat Scamper (the cats were here again while the flooring was being done). He is a very nice young man! I was impressed by him. The other cat, Max (the long hair), will be here until the kids go back home. One of her daughter's is very allergic too.

Scamper did allow me to give him a shot yesterday evening. I think he was feeling really bad and knew the shot would make him feel better.

Have a lovely day.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Drowning - a metaphor 10/12/08


Drowning

I am sleeping with the fishes. 
I'm underwater. 
I am drowning. 
There is no air to breathe; no hope of air. 
Going down and down,
falling further from the light
towards a darkness that invites me in.

Everything that ties me to the land
weighs me down in my descent.
Helping hands can't quite reach my own.
I don't try to reach for them.
I don't want their help,
I seek only one hand in the darkness below.


by Cheryl J 10/12/08

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Autumn's Changing Colors - 10/1/08

Yesterday I decided I would try to paint the office since I'll have a new piece of furniture arriving for that room in another week or so.  After starting the job, it quickly became apparent to me that my painting days may be over.  I wasn't able to climb on the ladder above the first step; it just didn't feel safe.  So I painted what I could reach and called Mr. Handyman (a franchise) to come in today and finish the job for me.  He will also paint the guest bedroom that the office alcove is part of.  It will be in a slightly lighter sage green.  I suppose tomorrow's job will be putting the room back together and washing and hanging the curtains again.  I'm beginning to think this house makeover I'm involved in might never end. (Despite how it looks color wise in this picture, the throw on the bed actually does match the green on that wall).


I recently purchased a new bed for the other guest room (seen below here).  I love the bed but it does overpower the room a little.  I have not decided on a color for this room yet.  The spread on the bed is a giant "granny square" that I crocheted when my daughter was a little girl.  I'm liking all those colors right now.  I am thinking of painting that night stand black and taking the one on the left out of the room.  The chest at the end of the bed belonged to Warren's Grandfather.


If its not too late in the day when the painting is done, I'm also having him drill some more holes on the inside of my TV armoire so that I can put the shelves in it that came with the thing.  For some reason the manufacturer didn't drill the support peg holes the whole length of the inside.  Then at least the shelves won't have to go sit the garage, they'll be in the cabinet and out of the way; plus I'll get an extra little shelf at the top to put CD's or something.  Perhaps I'll take a picture of that and post it later today once its done.