Cool cats

My husband grew up in the country with a barn and chickens and a garden, plus lots of dogs and cats. He loves to tell the story of how his mother would go out on the back porch steps and bang a spoon at feeding time; the cats would coming running from every direction. Some tame, others not so much, he said, but it was fascinating to watch.

So last night I had to show my husband Cathryn's blog, Chile Cats. She tells wonderful stories about her colony of feral cats and shows photos of them all. They each have a name and as Cathryn so delightfully describes, their own personality.

Yes, I'm the dummy that asked if Swirly (my favorite, pictured) was huggable. Cathryn said her husband spurted out his coffee when she passed that question on! These are feral cats, remember?

If you're a cat lover (one is enough for me) or just enjoy looking at photos of pretty felines, check out Cathryn's blog. And by the way, she makes lovely beaded jewelry, too!

P.S. - Cathryn, where did the name Chile Cats come from?

It's back....

Blogstipation.

Let there be light

Hope you had a beautiful day today! Our weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm after three long days of Ida's rain and wind. I still am not used to the short days, however. Dark by 6 p.m. is not my thing. I need light therapy.

I searched Wikipedia to find the date of the winter solstice (Dec. 21), also known as the shortest day of the year. I wanted to know when I could look forward to the days getting longer.

This passage described my mood perfectly: "Insufficient sunlight in the short winter days increases the secretion of melatonin in the body, throwing off the circadian rhythm with longer sleep. Exercise, light therapy, increased negative ion exposure (which can be attained from plants and well ventilated flames, burning wood or beeswax) can reinvigorate the body from its seasonal lull and relieve winter blues by decreasing melatonin secretions, increasing serotonin and temporarily creating a more even sleeping pattern."

I'm off to find some negative ions!

The ladies of Steinmart

Funky Friday is my favorite night of the week, as you know. Put on some Eagles, some JT, some EWF, and bead away while the laundry does its thing.

So tonight it's even better because I got such a nice note from a customer in Ohio. She purchased some lanyards a while back and said all the ladies at the Steinmart in her town admired my work. So she returned to shop again.

"Hope you remember us... we're the ladies from Steinmart." she write. "Back for more. One for me and another gift! I looked through ALL 75 pages of lanyards and still didn't see anything better. Thanks!!"

This made my day! I could never forget you ladies :)

What the heck?

I checked the calendar to make sure, and it is Nov. 12. More or less a month away from the winter solstice. So what the heck is up with our weather?

For the last two days we've endured hurricane-like conditions: heavy rain, gusty winds, falling trees and blowing leaves. While the temperatures have been mild, the incessant rain and wind are not welcome guests.

Apparently we've gotten a visit from what's left of Tropical Storm Ida, and she has decided to stay over an extra night. I wonder if she'd get the message if I told her to make her own breakfast and lock the door on her way out.