It's been awhile since I've posted anything... This morning the odometer on my '06 Prius looked like this

And for a laugh and a reminder to drink decaf there's this...

For my hopefully forgiving horse enthusiasts

a Lap cat for Xmas?

I have not had a lap cat since 22 year old Michaela died 5 years ago. She came up to me on a street out at the coast as a kitten and rubbed up against my leg. We took her home (we found her "family" and they were more than happy to send her out into the world) she rode on my lap all the way home (and shit on it as I recall)

We had a number of cats during her lifespan, at the end there was Lily, a stray siamese kitten that appeared on our front lawn. During her first year she broke her femur and cost us $4K. She is still here, quite the character, extremely polite but let's us know what she wants by standing by the door, her food bowl, or the gooseneck faucet in the bathroom, or bumping my leg until I follow her to what she needs.

Then we adopted Lenora, a "Torty" from the shelter. She had been abandoned and in the shelter for about 6 months. A bit skittish. She has had trust issues for the several years we've had her. She's very territorial and doesn't like going out to the coast and doesn't like change or flea treatments. She pouts. She sometimes eats too fast and pukes, less now than before.

During our reno we moved out to the coast for a month and Lenora seemed to become more comfortable there, but was still happy to come "home", even though it looked and smelled different.

We spent last weekend at the coast and she seemed less uptight, and didn't cry on the trip home. The next day she was due for her flea treatment (We tried Frontline instead of Advantage) She hated it, and ran and hid as she always does. Normally she pouts for a day.

An hour later she came into the back room wanting attention. (I forgot to mention that she is EXTREMELY vocal, unlike Lily who is quiet). That night she slept on my hip all night. She has slept on my hip every night since. And I toss and turn a lot, make trip to the bathroom, and she always gets back on. The next day while sitting on the couch with my legs up on the coffee table, she jumped up, walked onto my lap, something she has done only a very few times, but then laid down on my lap for an hour until Moonrabbit came home.

I can't wait to see if I actually have a lap cat again.

How I spent my weekend

Friday and Saturday actually

Home at last!

Tonight will be our first night in our house since the redo began. A few things left to be done, but it's livable. Art to be rehung, new window "treatments", and a lot of stuff to put away.

Before

The TV cabinet came back from storage with a damaged panel, bottom left door, so the door is at the wood doctor getting fixed

 After

1 room down, 3.5 to go

The bathroom remodel has been substantially finished for some time, just awaiting an over the toilet cabinet. After some hassle, we had one made, patterned after a no longer available model from Lowes. At least this is real wood/plywood, but at substantially higher cost, but made locally.

New floor, paint, granite counter top, painted the oak vanity, added a beadboard wainscotting.

Next we move out for about a month while the wallpaper in the living room, hall, dining room and kitchen is removed, then the walls painted. After that, the oak floors get redone. A moving and storage Co will be here at the end of the month to put most of the stuff from these rooms in storage for the duration.

Who's that knocking on my....skylight?

So last night, left alone with the cats, the buzzer on the dryer indicates it is done. Shortly after that I hear a frantic scratching. I dash to the dryer and fortunately find nothing out of place, and the scratching has stopped. I looked around the house, nothing. Then I hear it again. Eventually I find this.

We're in the middle of updating our bathroom. Step 1 is removing the wallpaper. Step 2, after looking for interesting patterns in the glue, is it's removal.

Step 2.5, it turns out, is repairing the damage from removing the wallpaper.

My coronation-next a delicate extrication

   After numerous delays & miscommunications ad nauseum, my crown was installed this morning. All that's left is to visit my future dentists office and make an appointment,and fill out forms, including a release to get my records transferred from now former dentist to new guy.

  (Change of subject)  At the memorial yesterday I learned that the deceased had worked with horses on a ranch as a young man. I commented to several people that this explained his ability to spot and call out a horses' ass when he met one.

   Everyone have a nice weekend.

Dental saga drags on

   I had my "final" appt Wednesday (23rd) for my coronation (Installation of my crown). I arrived a bit early and the front desk person looked surprised to see me. "Oh I called and left a message that the doctor woke up this morning with a fever, so he didn't come in"
   I had looked at the message machine before I left home and there was no message, but maybe I just missed it. So we rescheduled for Friday. I got home, no message.
   Thursday I was out videoing a train and I got a call from my lovely bride who relayed a message from the dentist office, the crown actually had not come in yet and wouldn't be there until the 30th. This meant I had to cancel an appt for the 31st for a final check with the truly wonderful periodontist who just wants to check the final outcome.
   The good news I suppose is that the temporary put in 2 weeks ago (#4) when they did the impression, is still in one piece in my mouth.
   And if you're wondering, yes, I am SO changing dentists after this.
 
   On an unrelated note. Thursday morning on my walk I found an open pocketbook on the street during my morning walk. It had a checkbook in it, and it was slightly singed as though someone had tried to burn it. I got an address, which was about 6 houses away, off the checks, so I dropped it off. I then found a wad of paper, recpts, business cards etc in a pile next door, so I added that to the pile. I knocked, but no one answered and it WAS early, so I went home typed up a note explaining things with my phone # and dropped it off. Later I got a VERY appreciative message from the owner.

   And to put it all in perspective, a former co worker, who had just recently gone into hospice, died, so I have a funeral to go to next week. He was a bit of a curmudgeon type. You knew he liked you if he didn't tell you how much he disliked you. He also coordinated our monthly FOG breakfast for retirees. What others call ROMEO's. (F...g Old Guys=Retired Old Men Eating Out)

How I spent my weekend (not on a bike)

We become patrons of the arts

We are fortunate to have a talented neighbor out at the coast. The larger of the two paintings is our most recent purchase. I advised him that if we bought a few more, we might have to kill him to increase the value of our estate.

Cholesterol Festival!

Or as we call it here abouts, the annual Butter and Eggs day Parade. My latest 15 minute Utube opus. 
Traditionally followed by loud drunken brawling in the streets, a period we are just now entering.

Tomorrow is the huge antiques street fair.

A criticism makes my day

I'm probably oversensitive to criticism in general. I recently got a comment on a utube video I did which was so out there (the comment) that I just had to laugh and share with all (both) of you.

"The United States is the only country with the archaic dating system of month/day/year. Everywhere else in the world it it day/month/year. So, your dates should read 17/04/12; or, to keep everyone happy, April 17 2012."


(The date was in the title of the video)  I feel any response would just spoil it.

Last big missing piece

     In what may be another sign of the apocalypse, Tim Lincecum getting shelled, Barry Zito pitching shutout ball being another two, the long gone cupola for our 1899 caboose has returned after being "rebuilt" by a master craftsman over the last 4 years. Darn few original pieces left, but he didn't have a lot to work with.

     I propose to name it "Francis Ford"

Here it's sitting on a dolly on a trailer