As Snowdrop hides behind the couch, sometimes the easiest way out is under the lamp next to me on the coffee table.
He’s becoming more social, letting us give him belly rubs on occasion. Other times, like this, he’s more standoffish.
Given we yanked him inside just three months ago, we’re getting along remarkably well.
Filed under Personal, The Dog Ate My Homework
With four pets, our household now has quite a few.
Filed under Personal, The Dog Ate My Homework
A year ago, I felt a lot more upbeat on my birthday.
It’s not that my personal life has gone sour. It’s going well. Snowdrop’s an indoor cat, I’m getting out socially more, my books sell (albeit not in large quantities) and my health is good. TYG and I grow, I think a little closer every year.
A year ago, though, we were under a competent, decent president, Biden, rather than the corrupt, evil triumvirate of The Felon, Musk and Putin (I used to think the idea of Trump as a Russian asset was too over the top but as I said yesterday, the evidence is persuasive).
Last year I was optimistic the year ahead would be good. I was confident both Savage Adventures and Southern Discomfort would be published by now. I had hopes we’d beat the fascists and stay a functioning democracy for another four years. But neither book is done and the election did not break that way.
While President Snowflake will definitely not usher in a golden age or make America great again (Russia, maybe), we’re not necessarily doomed. I’ll keep speaking out, writing GOTV cards and donating to activist groups and groups that simply help people. As David Rieff puts it in A Bed for the Night, applying a bandage to one person’s wound doesn’t feel adequate, but it’s important — sometimes people need bandages. Or blood
And I’m still writing. Both books will come out, as will my Jekyll and Hyde work.
For today, I’m taking the day off as I usually do. And doing takeout at Cheesecake Factory because I can get a free slice of the tastiness along with my order. Beyond that? Well, we’ll see.
And for the year ahead, who knows? Because every birthday is, in a way, a new genesis
Art by Frank Brunner, all rights to image remain with current holder.
Filed under Personal, Southern Discomfort, Writing
Snowdrop is way more of a climber than Wisp. Here he is, exploring behind our TV.
He hasn’t knocked anything off the counter so far. I hope that holds true.
And here’s Plushie, looking goofy but cute as he often does.
Filed under Personal, The Dog Ate My Homework
Snowdrop is settling in, though he’s warier about us petting him than when he came in only a little while each day.
He’s also started sleeping on the cat scratching post of sisal we bought last year.
Wisp likes to sleep there too but so far no arguments about it.
And here’s our neighbor’s cat, Sparrow. The bright color is supposed to make him more noticeable to wildlife.
Despite the grumpy face, he’s a sweetheart.
Filed under Miscellanea, Personal, The Dog Ate My Homework
While Snowdrop is increasingly hanging out with TYG, me and our other pets, he still likes his bolt-holes. Here’s one he discovered last week.
Here’s another shot from back when he was an outdoor cat.
Despite being much more a tree cat than Wisp, he so far hasn’t climbed anywhere that causes problems. I hope that keeps up.
Filed under Personal, The Dog Ate My Homework
Plush Dudley during the recent snowfall.
Trixie in the same snow.
Wisp exploring her cat tower, though she’s yet to go above the ground floor.
Snowdrop.
And here’s three of them together.
Filed under Personal, The Dog Ate My Homework
Monday night, we had a guest on our back deck.
Cute guy (or girl, we could hardly sex them). After eating he scrambled under the tarp on the right, which is where we keep the heated shelter for Snowdrop. It was getting down into the teens that night and TYG, already worried about Snowdrop in the cold, became more worried the opossum might seize the shelter for his own. So when Snowdrop showed later in the evening and came inside for food, we shut the door on him.
It was like Spider-Man trapped by the Spider-Slayer only, you know, not.
Snowdrop has not been pleased with this development. On the other hand, he’s adapted better than we hoped. Outside of pissing on the couch once, he’s been going in the litter box (Dr. Elsey’s brand cat-attracter litter works!). He sleeps, occasionally snuggles with us and doesn’t constantly whine to go out.
On the downside, he does meow loudly a lot. Sometimes to be let out, sometimes for attention, sometimes for food (we’re barely starting to learn which is which). And he does it most in the night, so for the past week, regular as clockwork, I’m jarred out of my sleep at 12:30 AM. This morning I put down food, which satisfied him (I’d put some down before going to bed; it was gone when I got up), but after I returned to bed I’d hear these erratic meows from the living room, strong enough to be heard all the way upstairs. I tried a couple of naps during the night but one or other of the cats made enough noise that it was impossible.
It’s a relief when Snow goes under the coffee table and hides, as he’s quiet there. It’s sweet to have him snuggle next to me, but it’s hard finding a position I can sleep in.
Overall I was too tired to get a good work week in. I even gave up most of Tuesday’s writer’s group zoom meeting — I was worried Snowdrop would attempt to bolt while TYG was wrangling dogs for walkies, so I came down to watch him.
Plus no matter how early I got up, the cats seemed to distract me enough I didn’t get any extra time in. I also got distracted by umpty-zillion little tasks. I set aside Monday to do a bunch of small things — bills to pay, subscriptions to cancel, items to order, paperwork to sort, contractor appointments to make. Wednesday I worked on The Local Reporter, planning to watch the Carrboro town council meeting and write it up, then use the afternoon to watch Jekyll and Hyde movies. Turns out it was a three-hour council meeting so that sucked up a lot more time.
Thursday morning I did something I’ve had on my To-Do list since I upgraded my blog-hosting plan, putting PayPal buttons on my Behold the Book page. WordPress makes it simple but reconfiguring the layout and doing the work still required more time than expected (hopefully I got it all right).
(Figured I’d throw in an extra photo of Plushie for your enjoyment)
In the end, all I got done on my own writing stuff was spending Tuesday working on The Savage Year. Cat or no cats, I’ll have to do better next week.
For reading — well, you could buy some of my books direct from me, couldn’t you? But if not there’s an article on the Carrboro Film Fest and one on that town council meeting. At Atomic Junk Shop I blogged about the debut of Sesame Street —
— my perennial MLK Day topic of “getting out of Egypt” (and what the Silver Surfer has to say about it) and blogging about the new DC Finest’s Legion of Superheroes reprint book filling a gap in my collection.
Hopefully by the time next week starts we’ll have figured out how to keep Snowdrop quieter during the night. Or I’ll have come up with some other workaround. Stay tuned.
Art by Steve Ditko (Spider-Man) and Nicholas Cardy (Legion). All rights to images remain with current holders.
I have known TYG 16 years. When I met her I was convinced I’d never find love (my history argued against it) and I’d never have real financial comfort (the newspaper chain I worked for was one cheap mother).
Now I have a wonderful wife, two amazing dogs, two cats. A house instead of an apartment. I’m more thankful than I can say.
I have no idea what shape we’ll all be in after President 47’s tenure. Even without that, nothing is for granted: one fall, one blood clot, the wrong virus getting into our systems and blammo, it’s done. I’ve come close enough often enough to appreciate that.
While I have no intention of checking out any time soon, at my age I really appreciate that I’ve been blessed (or lucky, depending on your worldview). I don’t take it for granted, ever.
I hope all y’all reading this have something wonderful to be thankful for in your own lives.
Filed under Personal, The Dog Ate My Homework
Wisp and Snowdrop say hi during Snowdrop’s recent morning feeding.
And Trixie and Plushie sack out.
#SFWApro.
Filed under Personal, The Dog Ate My Homework
