Welcome!

I've finally decided that I am a writer - all the other things I do just pay the bills. Someone eloquent once said that if you do what you love, the money will follow. Well, let's just see about that.

RIP Aggie

RIP Aggie
Aggie was my fifteen-year-old cairn terrier - or maybe I should say I was her 55-year-old person! She was my faithful companion, spoiled rotten and I am still trying to figure out what to do without her.

Peter the Cat...

Peter the Cat...
This is Peter the gingersnap tabby! He's seven years old and has just been promoted to Peter the Very, Very Good. He is working his way up to Peter the Great...

Bee - the Cat Who Came From Somewhere Else...

Bee - the Cat Who Came From Somewhere Else...
Bee is Peter's buddy. He's eight years old and has made himself right at home. I guess cats really do come in pairs or sets of three!

And Jasper makes three!

And Jasper makes three!
Jasper is our new guy - the Cat From Another Place. He's four years old and we think he likes it here - so far, so good!

Buzz about...

Monday, April 30, 2012

I have always suspected...

that crying did actually relieve stress - but it is apparently a verifiable, scientific fact.  And I could use a good cry right about now.  Seriously.  I don't know when I have felt so overwhelmed and so ill-equipped to deal with everything.  I am frantically trying to catch up on all of the work I let slide during tax season, my house is a disaster area and I am emotionally drained listening to people who seem to feel comfortable revealing their deepest, darkest secrets to me.  I tell you - that therapy chair has got to go.  People feel better when they leave here - having dumped all of their troubles on me, but consequently I feel like crap.  I honestly don't know how mental health counselors and psychotherapists do their jobs - or if they burn out after a few years of listening to other people's problems.  Maybe they just cry a lot.  Or change the subject.  I'm not looking to open a psychotherapy practice and unfortunately, I don't know a nice way to tell people that I don't want to hear their tales of woe.  Really - is there a nice way?  I have suggested professional counseling to the person who is currently spending a considerable amount of time in the chair, but that suggestion has not been acted upon as of yet.  I know that the main goal of therapy is to help the client work out his own issues, but I can't sit here and do the nod and repeat-the-client's-thought-in-different-words thing.  Sorry, Dr. Rogers.  I can listen sympathetically up to a point and then I end up doling out good, sound Lucy VanPelt-style advice.  And dang it, if you sit in my therapy chair and ask for my opinion on your situation and advice on how to deal with it, then you dang well ought to take said advice seriously - or at least give it some consideration.  And therein lies the problem; the tale of woe continues and the what-should-I-do question is reworded - hoping for the answer the occupant of the chair wants to hear - but I'm wise to that ploy.  I am not going to listen to the whole megillah only to give someone permission to continue the same destructive behavior.  And so I repeat the same advice: do the right thing, sh-t or get off the pot, as my grandmother would say.  Of course, no one is really going to listen to me - people just want to put in the chair time so they feel better.
As for me, I think I'll just have a good cry.


Friday, April 27, 2012

Upgrade time...

This is my old faithful Canon digital camera.  It has 8 mega pixels and takes pretty good photographs.  It's also the last birthday gift my soon-to-be ex-husband gave me and I realized that I thought about him nearly every time I used it.  Silly, I know, but there you have it.  And since he's apparently decided that it's time for an upgrade, I thought an upgrade was in order, too.
Meet my new friend: Canon PowerShot SX130.  He has 12 mega pixels and a 12x zoom lens.  I resisted the temptation to go with the popular Canon Rebel because I don't really have the need for a DSLR camera.  The point and shoot with automatic settings is just perfect for me and my little blogs.  And for photos of Aggie, Peter and our cozy nest.  The best part was a really reasonable price since the newer model is about to be released - more mega pixels, I guess.  You really can tell a difference in the image quality; the top photo was taken with the new camera and the bottom photo with the old one (obviously!).  I haven't had a lot of time to do much experimenting, but soon.  If Aggie and Pete would only sit still!


Thursday, April 26, 2012

It really has been a while...

since I posted!  This new Blogger set-up is a little unfamiliar, but I am sure I will figure it out.  Tax season and that horrific allergy episode I had didn't kill me, so I guess I've come out stronger on the other side.  I have also discovered the brew-over-ice cups for my Keurig - wonderful!  Fresh tea in every glass - I am in heaven.  I am also thrilled with the ability to have just one cup of coffee - flavored or otherwise - and not throw away the other seven or eight cups.  Lord, I am thankful every day for caffeine...