Giving Thanks

Nearly a year ago, I began a personal journal. At that time my father had passed away, my mother was still alive and I was not sure where I was going or what I was doing. I left full-time practice in January of 2020 and knew I did not want to go back.

At first I made entries every day, but at this point I haven't made any for several months. Nevertheless it served its purpose. I made the decision to keep working part time; I sold my house and moved into my parents' home; I weathered the loss of my mother; I committed to moving out of state. So for now, I have a new normal. The only thing I really haven't accomplished is to start writing on a regular basis, but I no longer have any excuses. My big test is over and done with (I passed the Boards recertification, hooray!)

I am grateful for where I am and what I'm doing. Grateful for my good relationship with my siblings and their families. Glad that I've made the effort to see my friends more often and that I have the time to help them when they need it.

I'm even grateful for that cat. Gazebo still won't come near me but seems to be slightly more at ease with my presence, and I feel good that I've been able to make his/her/its life easier. And I want to end this post with my holiday advice to you all: Sharpen your knives. 

No, really. The kitchen knives here were the dullest things you've ever tried to work with. Finally I found a sharpener, got them taken care of, and now kitchen prep work is so much easier! It's made a huge difference and I am more inclined to cook now that I don't have to wrestle with trying to chop vegetables. This will, as they say, change your life. 

Happy Thanksgiving and Advent.

Labels: Changes, Holidays, Random Thoughts

The Cat

Cats and I - well, I won't say we've never gotten along, but they haven't been a presence in my life the way that dogs have. Plus, my mother was allergic to them so I had very little interaction with cats as a kid. But I seem to have acquired a more-or-less constant resident of the gazebo in the back yard: a black-and-white feline which I have named Gazebo. (I have no imagination.)

When my parents were alive we did have a shifting population of ferals in the backyard, in spite of my father's best efforts to eradicate them. Now I'm down to one, and I hope it stays that way; but over the very hot summer I began putting water out for it. Then I started putting out food, which as we all know is an ironclad guarantee that the cat will stick around. Then I added a makeshift shelter as we had a hard rain last week. As far as I know the cat has not yet used it, but the nights are cold and I worry less knowing there is a warm place available for it. 

Gazebo still won't come near me, and occasionally hisses when I show up with food, the little ingrate. But it's rather nice to have a semi-pet, and at least I don't have to clean the litter box this way. I still don't know whether Gazebo is male or female, but I am hoping he/she will become more comfortable with me over the next few months. Meanwhile Gazebo continues its reign as Monarch of the Backyard.  

Labels: Kitty