Max Is Home!

Yes, you read it correctly. I'm very excited, and a little nervous, but mostly excited to have Max back in my home. We went over to the apartment building for our regular, daily visit, but it was anything but normal. One of the neighbors (actually, she's the one who called back in November, to tell me Max had been found) came over to deliver a message to me from the maintainence man. He has been a special friend to Max, as well as many others in the building. Anyway, he had given her a message to tell me. I don't know when this occurred, but he saw a little boy (about 12 years old or so) getting ready to hit Max with a big rock. Of course, he yelled for him to stop, and went to inform his mother, only to discover they don't speak English. He told a friend who does speak Spanish and English to talk to them, but he doesn't know if she did.
Now my first reaction was to bundle Max up and bring him home, but I have a tendancy to over react. I called Dave over for her to repeat the message to him, and Dave's reaction was the same. So I stayed behind with Max, while Dave went to get the pet taxi. I called Sis JoAnn to explain the situation to her. I was nervous about the call, because I was worried that she'd be as sad as I was when I gave Max up. I also worried that She'd think I was implying that she wasn't taking proper care of him, when in fact, I know she was. She told me her feelings weren't hurt at all, and that I should do what I feel is best. She also said she appreciated me letting her know so she wouldn't wonder where he was.
When we got Max into the carrier, and were headed home, the nervousness really hit me. I was so afraid my other cats wouldn't accept him back. We walked in, and I put the carrier down, and let them smell it (and him). Then I held my breath, and opened the door. I expected him to run for cover, and hide for the rest of the day, but he didn't. He simply walked through the house, refamiliarizing himself with the smells and sounds. The other cats have been sniffing him, and one little face off with Morty occurred, but all in all, it's gone surprisingly well. In fact, he's now laying in one of our back porch chairs, napping. It's as if he'd never left. So far, he hasn't begged to go out. I'm praying he never will, but I know that if he does, we'll have to let him. Since he's become an outdoor cat, it would be cruel to cage him in. Please pray Dave and I will know the right time to do this. If we let Max out, and he runs away, I'll be devistated.

Stinky Cats

I'll just let the first photo speak for itself. I don't know who did it, and I'll probably never know, but such is the life of a multi cat owner.
I cleaned up the mess, trying to leave as much soil around the root ball as possible. Then I wrapped a moistened paper towel around it, and put the whole thing in a plastic baggie. Hopefully that will keep the plant alive until I can get some potting soil. If not, I guess it's not tragedy. Ivy is pretty plentiful after all.

Hydrangea Pictures

The seemingly endless clouds and rain, have given me a terrible case of the blues. I was looking thought the garden pictures I took last week (I like to take lots of garden pictures, then save them for future posts). I was hoping these shots would remind myself of why I should appreciate this rain. It worked. Not only did it improve my mood, but it also provided me with today's post, because I found a couple I'd forgotten to share.
These are my hydrangea shrubs. The second picture is the one that was already planted and established by the previous owners of the house. The first picture, I'm especially proud of. This is the small bush we bought last year. I'm simply amazed at how much it's grown in such a short amount of time. If you'd like to see for yourself, click here to see the picture I took last year of the same plant. I'll post another comparison after it blooms.

Stormy Pictures

The good news is that I did get to visit Max after all. There was a break in the storms, and I got there around 3:30pm. He was waiting for me on the concrete wall behind the building, and I got to sit with him for almost an hour, before it started clouding back over. I called Dave to ask him if this was just a little cloud cover. He told me another storm was moving in, and I should wrap things up and get home. I sure didn't want to leave Max, but since I didn't think I'd get to see him at all, I couldn't be too disappointed.
After I got back home, I turned on the radio, and began to tidy up the house. The storm blew in around 5. Wow, it was a big one. I'm glad I got home when I did, and I'm sure Max had plenty of time to finish his food, and hunker back down. I took a couple of pictures from my front porch, and one from the back. I just couldn't believe it was this dark at 5pm...

Rainy Day, Rainy Mood

This is not one of my better days, so I probably shouldn't even be writing. It's raining and dark, with no end in sight, and Dave, along with the other DJ's have to be at the station to cover it. Normally, I'd put on some music, or sit outside with my knitting and watch the storm, but not today. All I can think about is how unfair it is that I'm not going to see Max today. He's probably snuggled down in some dry spot, and it would be unfair of me to draw him out so he can eat wet, soggy food in the rain. I've been hoping for a break in the storm, making a quick visit possible, but I don't have much faith it will happen. Dave just called to tell me that storms will continue in their listening area, and he wouldn't be home for lunch. I had to eat tuna salad all by myself, while I sat on the porch missing my husband and Max. Please, somebody feel sorry for me. Just a little. :(

Easter Blessings

After enjoying a great Easter service and dinner at the church, I just wanted to pop in and wish all me readers a very happy and blessed Easter.
As the old song says- Jesus is Alive and well!

Obsessiveness?

It all started one night, probably about 3 weeks ago (give or take). I was unable to sleep (I know you're so surprised). My mind was wandering, making it impossible to read. Finally, after reading the same paragraph several times without understanding it, I decided to put my book down, and get up. I got on the computer, but couldn't get interested in neither web surfing nor games. I started looking though my pattern books, which put me in the mood to crochet. I was happily working on my blanket, when I noticed my shoulder making a popping sound everytime I did a treble crochet. It didn't hurt at all, but the sound began to annoy me to the point I had to put down my crochet. I don't know how long it's been doing that, but ever since that night, I notice it more. Even when the TV is on, I can hear the popping sound in the background. Sometimes it's impossible to ignore, causing me to put my work away, and just sit there. I never "just sit there." Why, oh why, do I get these crazy obsessions that prevent me from enjoying things I love?