Thursday, September 10, 2009

Project 365: Day 252 -- Notable Progress on the Paint!

Finally making some notable progress on the house painting. For quite a while there, the weather just would NOT cooperate. Every day that Cole could be here to paint, it rained. But now we are really making some progress. Still have to paint that frame on the glass in the door, but it's definitely looking good. The front porch will be a challenge, as we have not yet figured out a way to keep the cats off it while it dries. Any ideas?


Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Project 365: Day 251 -- Errands and More Books!

Today was the dreaded day of errands. So many! Grocery shopping (which was quickly becoming a desperate situation, with only two 16oz bottles of Coke and one roll of toilet paper left), Target for more storage containers (still trying to purge the storage--I mean Parrish's--room) Best Buy (returning/exchanging that crappy Motorola Blue Tooth Headset) Staples (pencils and folders) and Books A Million (for more Dark-Hunter novels.)



Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Project 365: Day 250 -- Chillaxin'

If anyone knows how to chill and relax, it's a cat. Let's face it, your typical house cat sleeps 13 to 16 hours a day--2/3 of his life is spent in dreamland. Well, it's no surprise that I'm very much a cat person, and I too can sleep up to 10-12 hours a day on a regular basis. I try not to, mind you, but that requires an outside force (i.e. alarm clock, husband, or a hungry cat) to wake me up. Left to my own devices, I would sleep 10 hours a day, every day. I can function on 8 hours, though.

I can also sleep, at least briefly, almost anywhere. Probably not on a rickety antique table, but certainly in the car, on the sofa, or even at my desk if I get desperate enough. One place I have a really hard time sleeping though is an airplane. That's miserable. When I was young and skinny and limber, I could curl up in the seat and rest my head on my knees to sleep. Not physically possible anymore! This, among so many other reasons, is why getting old sucks.

Woofy sleeps in the most odd places and positions. Sometimes he has all four legs up in the air. Seconds before I took this photo, his head was hanging upside down over the side of the table. He moved when he heard my lens focus. When he was a kitten, he loved to sleep in a dish of potpourri on the table. Made him smell pretty good, but made a mess when he climbed out. Some times he actually sleeps on the bed, with a pillow. He tends to have cycles of favorite spots. This week it's this table. Last week it was my lap every time I sat down. Before that it was the arm of the sofa.

Humans should take a lesson from cats and just relax. Our lives are typically so busy and over-scheduled that we never rest. Especially Americans. If we have an hour a day without something scheduled or designated, we feel that we are wasting time and being lazy. But we need down time. Time to let our thoughts wander, to contemplate, to just be...so take a cue from a cat. Chill...

Monday, September 7, 2009

Project 365: Day 249 -- Turtles

We've had so much rain this summer that we keep finding turtles in our yard and on my front walk. Cute little guys.


Sunday, September 6, 2009

Project 365: Day 248 -- Too Many Books

Yes, I've said it before. Books are taking over my house. Kelly finally reached a breaking point with it this weekend, and we started purging books. Most will go to Goodwill, but some will be RAK's on 2Peas and some will just be boxed and stored in the attic. I love my books, and it's always difficult to part with them...



On a different note, Kelly went under the house to change the water filter this afternoon, and discovered this:

It appears to be a Cauliflower Mushroom, but if someone out there knows different, please tell me. I had no idea how many species of mushrooms there are in North America alone (close to 30,000) until I started trying to identify this. It's pretty in a strange way, and reminds me of something you find at the bottom of the sea. It's kind of creepy, too in an X-files sort of way...



Saturday, September 5, 2009

Project 365: Day 246 -- Critical Care


We were planning to go to Chattanooga this morning for a big BBQ at Zach's mom's house on the river. But last night we learned that Kelly's grandma had been hospitalized after a massive stroke, several smaller strokes, and a number of seizures. We spent a good part of the day today at the hospital, in the Critical Care Unit. The prognosis is very grim, so prayers for her and her family are much appreciated. She's a wonderful, giving woman who adores her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Project 365: Day 245 -- Lobster Bisque

Rebekah and I love the Lobster Bisque in the French Bread Bowl from City Limits Bakery. They only serve it on Fridays, so when we plan lunch out, we shoot for Fridays. I've been trying to get an appetizing photo of this soup all year. Something about the color of the soup and the color of the bread just don't make a real appetizing photo. But this one is better than previous attempts. And the soup tasted as good as always!


Thursday, September 3, 2009

Project 365: Day 244 -- Homemade Seafood Pizza

Kelly made homemade pizza dough again this week, and I made seafood pizza, with shrimp and crab meat. It was delicious!


Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Project 365: Day 243 -- The Dreaded Little Room

I had to take my poor baby Woofey to see Dr. Lewis today. He's been vomiting and acting really strange for a few days now. Dr. Lewis always says he's the best patient, and I tell her it's because he's completely paralyzed with fear. She was concerned that he's been steadily losing weight for the past couple of years, and in total, has lost 7 pounds! I knew he'd gotten a bit skinny, but never realized just how skinny. He only weighs 10.4 lbs now. All of his blood work came back good, so we think it might be his food. He's been on a special food for urinary tract health, and I don't think it agrees with him. So we are switching it to something for sensitive stomachs. Hopefully, he'll feel better soon, and be back to his Chunky self.


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Project 365: Day 242 -- The Baxter Family

I returned to the Baxter Farm today for more of Maggie's senior photos, and for the whole family. Maggie and I had a lot of fun creating some portraits with her horses. This is just one of them.








Meanwhile, back at home...
There are few things in this world that I hate more than spiders. I know they perform a valuable function in the ecosphere. I don't care. They are creepy, crawly, and scary. I hate them all. This was taken through my bedroom window with my longest lens. Even through the glass, they give me the heebie-jeebies.