Time Out?

I have no idea why Willow appears to have put herself in time out. But she doesn't seem all that pleased about it.

Dinner Out

Dinner with friends is often more about the company and conversation than the food. Though in this case, the food was wonderful too.

Home

Rose is back home! Her surgery didn't turn up anything abnormal which is great, except that we still don't know why the vomiting and other somewhat related troubles persisted for so long. But she's eating again. And she'd obviously like to take a nap, if only that human with the annoying flash would leave her alone.

Rose Update

photo by Phil

Yesterday she ate (a little), but I spoke too soon--she wasn't on the mend.

At this very moment, Rose is on the operating room table and we're waiting by the phone to hear if the vet has discovered what is causing her such trouble.

On the Mend

On Wednesday evening we had to take Rose to the emergency vet. She'd vomited repeatedly in a very short period of time and we were worried. Wednesday night was rough (and extremely messy) and we kept all the leftover turkey for ourselves since even the smell of food seemed to induce additional vomiting yesterday. We took her to our regular vet this morning and from what Dr. Zakos can tell, Rose and a virus had a tangle and for 48 hours or so the virus had the upper paw. But this afternoon she finally kept a teaspoon of food down and we're all doing the happy dance over here.

Gratitude

In this fourth week of November just a few weeks beyond the anniversaries of three devastating traumas, I am grateful for the gifts of noticing, stopping, and marking, none of which I would have learned in quite the same way if my journey had been different.

Snow Day

The office is closed again today due to icy roadways and below freezing temperatures, and so begins a long and very welcome Thanksgiving holiday break. I lingered over my coffee and then thought it would be fun to play with the cats, but they

were

all

asleep.

Except for Theo, 

who was on watch duty and couldn't be bothered.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Glazing and steel. Shadow and light. Pattern and form.

In the midst of the noise and activity of the weekend, I had a brief moment of solitude. It passed too quickly to allow me to settle back into myself, but I am grateful for it nonetheless.

Snow!

We got our first dusting of snow this morning. Those from less temperate climes will find the evidence paltry, but it was pretty exciting there for a few minutes.

100 high school students. 2 days. That would be FLI, and what has occupied most of my waking moments this past week.

Slinky Rose

I'm going to apologize right up front. I never intended GraceNotes to be a cat blog, but it appears to have become one when I wasn't looking. What with the advent of Standard Time, the cats outnumbering us 2 to 1, and the general lack of creativity that hits me in late fall, I can't see another thing to photograph (it's just too dark and I don't have a good flash) or think of what else I might write. But they are cute and always up to some shenanigan or another, there's no doubt about that. And this one, well, she stole my heart the moment I picked her up that very first time.

Distractions

Oh look! A birdie,

a birdie on a stick!

I love the birdie on a stick!

Oh look! A foot,

a foot on a Rose!

Mmm, I love this foot on a Rose!

Oh look! A birdie!

This evening, I came home to Willow emerging from a cozy spot on the couch. I could do with a cozy spot of my own right about now.

Buried

The state of my office of late. Even I have no idea what's at the bottom of those piles. Hopefully nothing important.

Thankfully someone else seems to be watering the greenery because I forget more often than I'd like to admit. It may yet survive the remaining 15 days of its sojourn with me.

Caught

Do they look guilty to you? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Love

One summer I met a boy, a boy who loved chocolate. The following Christmas I included a batch of these brownies with his gift. They're still his favorites.

Still Life with Cats

TWT, I know what you're thinking. I fear it may be true.

On an almost daily basis I rush around in a frenzy trying to get just enough done to keep the uncompleted tasks from suffocating me. I wonder if I am actually going anywhere.

Lightweight

Rose captured a toy and brought it up to our bed to give it a good mauling at 4:30 this morning. The very same behavior exhibited by any of the other three cats would have resulted in an insistent nudge off the edge of the bed. But she's still so little and light, I let it go.

Lately every time I see evidence of the sun I wonder if it will be the last time until next year.

An Apropos Word

from Brene Brown, author of I Thought It Was Just Me, The Gift of Imperfection, and Women and Shame.

It's the Weekend

and we're ready for a nap in front of the fire.

Play

Peek-a-boo.

I see you.

It's surprising how easily joy can get lost in the gray.

The ride up should be the easiest thing in the world, but it's too difficult to just stand here, waiting.

Tonight while one hand held open Deborah Madison's What We Eat When We Eat Alone, the other delivered Life cereal straight from box to mouth.