I didn't mean to neglect the old blog for two days, there, but I'm back now with this week's What's Hot and What's Not.
What's Hot
-- House Plants. I can't imagine not having green things in my home, but I suppose that's not really surprising, given my love of gardening during the summer. I don't keep any very exotic house plants, but I really enjoy taking care of the ones I've got. There's a pothos that I bought back in college, and it was only a tiny thing, then, but now it's in two pots and is pretty sprawling (I clip the vines, root them in water, and then add them to the plant pot, rather than let them get long and gangly). And that spider plant above was a stolen baby (shh!) from a B&B a couple of years ago.
-- Spot Stealers. Sometimes the cats are really persistent in trying to steal my seat on the sofa for no good reason, but this time it was just because of the afternoon sun. I hadn't been gone more than a minute, and they were already curled up and sleeping as if they'd been there all day. I should be annoyed, but they're just too cute.
-- Awesome neighbors. I don't know mine very well, though my publishing 'wisdom' is called upon from time to time. But one of the people on our block has a snowblower and often clears off the entire sidewalk in front. And after our latest batch of snow, somebody (next door, I think) even shoveled my front path. That's heart-warming, although it makes me feel a little bit guilty.
What's Not
-- Nagging Cats. I started giving the cats tinned food every evening, in an attempt to bulk up Booty (he actually gets kitten food). They quickly caught on to the pattern of getting the special food when I'd finished doing the dishes after dinner, but it's spiraled out of control. Now, any time I wash dishes (or stand at the sink) during the day, I suddenly find cats staring at me. And, even worse, I more recently started giving Booty tinned food in the mornings, as well (Beany doesn't need it), so now he starts nagging me as soon as I'm awake.
-- Building up endurance. I won't say that getting back to running after a month off is exactly like starting from scratch, but it's definitely disappointing/annoying (though not surprising) to not just pick up from where I left off. I did two slow miles yesterday, so I reckon it won't take me too long to make up for lost time, but still. January Anna was a jerk for not keeping up with cardio of some sort, even with the lame foot.
-- Stalled plans. Progress with the Great House Overhaul has ground to a halt recently. There's no real excuse (I even finished the quilt, so that's not it); I just can't muster the enthusiasm to finish the bedroom. Maybe I'll get to it tomorrow. I think it might be my subconscious trying to delay getting to the kitchen. There's a lot of junk stowed away in all those cupboards.
I should get some houseplants. I have a couple orchids from IKEA, but they are remarkably forgiving when I forget to water them for days ... or weeks ... yikes. This is why I'm not allowed to have a proper pet.
You are so right about cat's behavior. They are way ahead of us in the behavior management business. Mine stopped eating last weekend and for 4 days, I was tearful, planning the funeral etc. Turned out she'd associated feeding with the thyroid pill I gave her in the am just prior to feeding her. Once I caught on and once I'd given her several helpings of a kibble not on her diet and almost a whole can of tuna, I've rearranged the pill site and time. Takes more thought than I used on my kids!
Nagging cats... totally! My cat YELLS when its nearly time for her to get canned food in the evening. And if her bowl of kibble is empty. I had to start free-feeding her dry because she became super annoying the morning, before I even woke up, wanting her breakfast. She's got some lungs on her too... none of that guilt-inducing staring, she just lets you have it!