It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Beware

You know those drops you buy at the vets , to protect your cat from fleas and ticks ?
Where are the drops to protect your cat from the drops ?

Thank goodness Merlin has long hair .. and it is already coming in .. white and soft and his scar will hopefully be covered ..

He and the others will wear flea collars , they are house cats, they won't be outside .. I will never do this again to any of my cats or dogs ..

Friday, December 29, 2017

The Cold

It is very quiet here but that is partly due to the fact that it is very cold for Florida ... like 7C .... the world is coming to an end ..

The cats have all gotten the best warm spots and I am drinking hot tea by the gallon.
It is very quiet here too ... the birds all froze.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Spike

Have a seat and I will tell you a story ~

A long time ago, when I was just a baby, we lived in the US where there was a large desert.
My grandfather, a Marine Sgt, had a large pit bull named Spike .. yes, Spike.

I was about 3-4 years old and my mother got busy with something in the house and I crawled off the porch and wandered out into the yard with my doll.

My mother heard the dog growl and looked out the window, in time to see me sitting on a little rise
in the yard , with that huge dog coming at me, snarling and growling ...

Mom ran as fast as she could to get to me before the dog, it was a lost race, the dog got  there first ...grabbed the rattlesnake that was coiled and about to strike me and the dog shook it to death.

Grandfather rushed the dog to the vet , thank goodness for anti-venom shots ..
Spike lived to be a really old dog, constant companion to his little girl.









Monday, December 25, 2017

From Me to You

Christmas for me today was made very pleasant, cheerful and full of silliness because my daughter came to visit.
No big party, no big deal cooking thing .. just the two of us  and a few cats hanging out and talking and giggling.
She made my day.

All that waiting and planning, all those lists and mailing and shopping and hoping everyone likes what they got ... over .. sigh ... relax .. be a cat ..

Yes, that is what I tell myself when I notice how tight my shoulders and back feel, how stiff my neck is getting ... Be A Cat ... relax ... take a bath ... take a nap .. have a nice snack with some hot tea ..

Tell me how your Christmas was , was it all you expected it to be ? worth all that work
and shopping ?
Are you full and wishing there was someone who would come in and do the dishes for you while you sleep ?
Will you be at the stores tomorrow bright and early, returning, exchanging , shopping ... ?

Are you away from it all ? lying on a beach ? napping in a hotel room ? sightseeing ? hiding at home ? shoveling snow ? planning the party for New Years ?

Christmas and New Years , time for partying, celebrating, planning and remembering ...

Enjoy ... Be Happy ... Remember what is Important ... Remember Who is Important ..

Happy Holidays to you from me ...





Christmas Time in the City- Buenos Aires

Summer Time in Buenos Aires ... everyone who can leave town.. does. Christmas is quiet ... mostly silent and the parks are mostly empty .. we loved it .

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Memories

So .. to help or worsen my Homesickness for Buenos Aires, I read an online travel forum.
And usually it is like most forums, some people get along, some are cranky, some are super annoying and some are just plan obnoxious. And there are thankfully, some really nice people posting.

Today I am feeling blue and homesick for Buenos Aires... where my husband and I owned a home and lived for 7 years.

And while reading and posting on the forum .. some person who is awful in so many ways, was arguing about the politics etc of living in BA when someone said something about My Not Living in BA.
Well, you know that made me feel just great.

I tried to be calm and cool and I corrected that knuckleheads mistake then I was reading the other people with their silliness.
One woman moves to a new country and becomes a citizen.
Then she meets a man or whatever and moves somewhere else and ... becomes a citizen ..


So I am listening to ... Argentine Tango CDs and fondly remembering how my husband used to love to go to Milongas with our NY friends, the ones we met in Argentina lol and while we did not dance, we enjoyed watching so much !
The music is great .. the dancing is gorgeous .. a nice memory.

Sometimes a person has to dig a little to find those nice memories .. the current and not so nice sometimes get in the way ... but dig .. its there .. waiting to be savored again ..
Our home on a Summer day

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Home ...

"You can't go Home"  ... remember that ?
I think of Buenos Aires as home , often.
NY is home and where I would go back if / when I decide to leave Florida but Buenos Aires was my home .. my husband and I were happy there, we had Tate, our dog and even though Tate died while we were living there, my memories are always of the three of us .. walking all those streets, the parks, the people all wanting to touch him, pet him, talk to us about him.
He helped so much with those early months, settling in to our new home, new life .. he was our Good Boy.
I am so thankful that he was with us as long as he was ..

Some dreadful person on a forum I used to participate on when I lived in Argentina made a snarky comment about where I live ( not in BA)  .. making me think of how nice the people were in Buenos Aires  .. how good mannered they were .. I miss that .. although people in the South are pretty nice and well mannered .. actually, most people everywhere are nice and well mannered ..
Just the rotten apples who  try to spoil things ... a bitter woman makes snide remarks to someone who was actually nice to her ... and she wonders why she has no friends ~

It is late, the stars are falling or something like that .. and the cats are asleep.
I guess it is time to turn off the lights and go to bed.

A Christmas present shopping spree will happen tomorrow ... 





Sunday, December 10, 2017

Friday, December 8, 2017

Psalm 53

Psalm 53 Sung in Aramic



I find this  to be just so beautiful .. soothing, calming, perfect ..

Sleepy, Chilly, Catty

It has cooled down to what I think is Florida Winter .. but my air conditioner went on at around
4-5:00 am and we were freezing until I got up at 6:00 am and turned it off.
I thought it was off anyway ... I am going to learn the ABCs of Florida air conditioning today.

I only used to get up at 5 or 6 am when I was going to be leaving for an airport .. or if the baby woke up for a bottle.
Look what my life has come to ~

We have a change of scenery , of a sort.
Dark grey skies , wintery looking .. I don't mind.

TGIF ....what are your weekend plans ?

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Lost Cat

                                             Lost Cat ... Bartram ... Stonefield  ... Jacksonville Fl

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

This 'n That

11:00 pm, Tuesday night , the cats are in bed waiting for me to come and turn off the lights.
I am tired but restless.
I have all these ideas and plans running around in my head and no one to discuss them with, the cats fall asleep as soon as I start to tell them .. sheesh.

It is getting chilly in North Florida .. I like that .. it feels a bit more normal.
I keep forgetting what month it is .. this sort of weather is not the middle of Winter , not Winter as I know it.
Summer was nice .. Fall.. nice ... Winter ? nah .. I am not complaining, just remarking on the huge difference . And yet ... I miss New York, I miss real Winter, I miss getting ready for Thanksgiving when the trees are losing leaves and it is chilly, getting ready for Christmas when it is cold and wondering if it will be a white Christmas .. or just a flurry ..

I am more isolated here than when I lived in NY.
I am alone as much or more than when I lived in NY ..
This is not a complaint, this is just what happened .. I left NY to be away from snow and utility bills and being alone.
I live where the utility bills are the same, I am isolated and I am alone.
Don't tell the cats I said that .

So now more decisions have to be made.
There have been some real disappointments .. people I never expected to treat me in a nasty hateful way, shame on that person , my daughter is a champion .. she has been so very thoughtful and helpful and caring ..
But she has her own life and home and a new puppy .. ( adorable does not describe it ) ...

I am feeling more like finding my own life again .. where I want to be, doing something more than sitting here day after day ... if I get to live so long, there will probably be a day when I will sit and do nothing all day long .. but for now, I would like to do some Living ... around People ...

I am not going to get lost finding a mall here, so I am shopping online for presents ... it is nice.
I like shopping this way ..

For myself as well, Sephora is one of my favorites .. Amazon, music, books ... even gardening websites .. and I never have to deal with crowds and traffic .. online shopping is a Good Thing.

What are your Good Things ?
How are you managing the holidays this year ?
Are you staying home ?
Do tell ...

I want to take this bus !


Monday, December 4, 2017

Oh Christmas Tree



Why is it that I cannot get a tree to look the way they do in magazines ? Ever ?
This is a little over the top ... ok, it is way over the top but still ..
I think more lights are needed ... not here, but on my tiny tree.
And tiny sparkly ornaments.

You see, since I am alone with 3 cats and all, there are some things that are difficult/impossible.
1- getting a tree ... as big as this one .. or even slightly shorter .. Trees are heavy !
2- keeping 3 cats out of , off of a huge tree with cat playthings ( ornaments) all over it.
3- I am the only one that would see the tree, unless I start inviting strangers in for a viewing.

So as I did last year, I put up my tiny fake tree which is sort of a topiary in its own iron pot that weighs a ton .. covered with tiny lights and small ornaments .. I put it on a chest, hoping a cat or 3 would not manage to get to it and chew things, knock over things, get electrocuted, etc.

That sure is a pretty tree ... but mine is Special ... it is a tree for one human and 3 cats .. Score !

                                                    This is not my tree but exactly like it 




Sunday, December 3, 2017

Merlin , Weather , Cooking .. ho hum

This is Merlin napping. He has this thing, he looks uncomfortable to me but he tucks his chin in and kind of curls up and off he goes to Sleepyland.
I adore him.

His wound ( made by the vet) is healing nicely .. I had the awful thought that it might be scar tissue and his hair will never grow back .. being on the back on his neck .. it will be noticeable.

On one hand ... as long as he heals and is well, I don't care how it looks.
On the other ... he is a gorgeous long haired cat and he should have hair on his neck ..
but however he looks .. as long as he is comfortable, pain free, itch free, I don't really care how his hair looks.
I am working on thinking that way about my own hair too ..

It is a grey and cool day in Florida .. most likely long and boring as usual but that's ok .. I have good books and plans to make and something I might cook .. maybe a walk to take with the camera .. maybe not ..

Wishing everyone a lovely peaceful Sunday .. will you be Christmas shopping ?
Got lists ?
 I do ... too many ... I have to start working on who has been naughty and who has been nice.

I was thinking about cooking something that takes hours to cook, fill the house with yummy scents, but then, when it is only for me ... I lose the urge .. I am thinking a good hearty soup made from leftovers might be just the right thing ..

Any recipes, feel free to leave them in the comment section .. thanks !

Have a quiet peaceful day ... tell me about your holiday decorations too !! send photos .. I will publish them :)



Saturday, December 2, 2017

Candice Cooks ... or ... Mama Mia !

1 box of Penne
Cook in one large carton of Chicken Broth
1 bunch of fresh Broccoli , sauteed in olive oil and garlic.
Add Cherry tomatoes sauteed in olive oil and garlic  to the broccoli.

When pasta is tender, add broccoli sauce , stir, leave it to soak up the broth.

Small peices of cooked chicken can be added or cooked fish. ( salmon is always good with pasta)

Bon Appetit !


Saturday / Merlin

Merlin has lost a large patch of hair on the back of his neck/shoulders where the Frontline drops burned him ..
It was almost immediate .. god knows what is in that product but believe me, I will never use that product again on any of my pets.
He seems to be doing ok ... the vet said it was a bad chemical burn and not the first he has seen from using Frontline drops on dogs or cats.
And I barely used any because I am so aware of his being older and perhaps more fragile.
But then vet said he is in as good shape as Minette who is just out of kittenhood although he is a little arthritic , but hey, so am I ..

I know anyone out there who has a beloved pet or even a child, knows how I feel ... a person who should know what they are talking about .. tells me to put these drops on my pet so there will be no fleas .. and what do I get ?
A gorgeous old cat with long hair and the most gentle disposition, with a huge chemical burn on his back, from the poison that I put there .... noooooo I don't feel terrible ... I cry every time I look at this sweet gentle old cat who just wants to nap and snuggle and eat a nice dinner in peace.

I am seething. I keep putting soothing ointment on his burns and hope for a very quick healing .. I have no idea if he will be scarred and if his hair will grow back ..

As a Public Service Announcement ...

DO NOT USE FRONTLINE TICK AND FLEA DROPS ON YOUR CAT AND MAYBE NOT YOUR DOG EITHER .

The negatives outweigh the positives in a terrible way ... you don't want to lose a beloved pet or burn and scar it for life ... there are other ways to prevent fleas on a cat ... a flea collar is one.

Have a good weekend ... I will be here, apologizing to Merlin ..
                                          Merlin Before the Burn

Merlin after the burn .. ugly and painful.

https://78.media.tumblr.com/6b838cc1e1a38599baae001b4733b800/tumblr_p0cd64FXRc1qgju3co1_500.jpg

The Morning After the Night Before

I am not quite sure where and how but I am figuring out what the cats do at night while I sleep.
Certain little cats don't handle it well, good thing she doesn't have to get up and go to work in the morning ...


Friday, December 1, 2017

Florida - You Never Know Who Is At The Door

Ha ! and I thought all I had to worry about was the green snake that wants to come hang out on the lanai .. Yes, there are coyotes and large and small birds and everything else you imagine might live in Florida ... they do warn us that there are alligators that get into our pond ... right in the middle of a gated community in the city .. but apparently, alligators have no respect for gates.

This makes me rethink the cats alone on the lanai during the day - makes me rethink walking to the mailbox ! sure there is a paved road .. sidewalks .. but also a forest and lake and well ... maybe a gator  or two ... shudder.

Can you imagine ?

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sunset in Buenos Aires

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