Crazy Cat Lady?

Okay, I admit it.  I love cats!  All shapes, sizes, colors.  I think there have only been a few of my adult years that didn't have a cat in it.  I also don't think I ever had just ONE cat at a time.  Two at a minimum.

When I moved to the Long Beach Peninsula in August of 1992, I had 6 cats.  I didn't add to the herd, but through normal attrition, when we moved to our home in Ilwaco, two slightly elderly cats made the move.  Charlie looked at the size of the house and said that it was too big for Milo and Zack and that we needed a kitten, a black kitten.   I insisted that we needed TWO kittens, whatever the color.  So, after a few trips to the South Pacific County Humane Society there were finally two 8 week old litter mates in the preferred color.  I fell in love at first sight, of course.  Charlie was instructed to go check them out for himself before signing the adoption papers.  Imagine my surprise when he called and said we'd take the two kittens as long as he could have the big, grey one in the other cage.  So, in one fell swoop, Jake & Elwood (the kittens) and Smokie (8 months old then) arrived in their forever home.  Needless to say, things were lively!

Milo and Zack lived long and happy lives (17 and 18) but crossed the Rainbow Bridge within a year of each other.  Frank joined our happy family after I visited the shelter to pick a cat to sponsor for adoption.  He grabbed me from his cage and when I opened the door to see him better, he wrapped both front legs around my neck and just held on for dear life.  After a very short discussion with Charlie, the handsome white cat with Sinatra blue eyes came home.  And then there were 4.

Next came Gabby (her real name is Andeer Gabriella of Seahorse) and yes, she's a purebred.  She's a silver tabby but has a bit of a defect (that no one would notice except a breeder).  What an incredible personality she has.  She immediately became the queen of the household and when her cousin, Julie, came available, we didn't hesitate.  In fact, we didn't even ask to see her first, just told the breeder to bring her over.  Her defect is more noticeable.  She has one eye that doesn't open all the way and I think her depth perception is off.  She's now a full-figured gal, happy to be part of the family.

So, that's how we ended up with six cats.  They're like potato chips - you can't have just one!  I hope you enjoy the slideshow!

Everyday is Caterday!

Ho, Ho, Ho

The whole Diehl Family wants to wish the rest of the world a Merry Christmas.  If Christmas isn't your holiday, then we wish you a merry holiday of choice!  It's unfortunate that Christmas has become a mostly commercial holiday, beginning before Thanksgiving and now, apparently, continuing well into the new year. After Christmas Sales seem to be the big thing now.  So, save your pennies and take advantage of sales.  Or save those pennies and come see me in the new year to purchase real estate! 

iRobot, iMac, iHeadache...

Charlie bought me a Roomba (iRobot) a couple of weeks ago.  What a neat surprise!  Although I like it a lot better than poor Porsche the dog does.  She heads for the door the minute "Bridget" starts up.  The cats, after watching it closely for awhile, now just ignore it.  Bridget starts her vacuuming duties at 10:00 each morning, picks up the accumulated cat and dog hair, bits of fluff, stray dog food and then heads back to her docking station to wait for the next day.  Each evening I empty the container of enough cat hair to build another cat!  Of course, having 6 cats might be the cause of that.  The funniest thing was when she accidentally shut herself into the bathroom.  I can picture her vacuuming her little robot heart out, trying to return to her docking station, and finally expiring from a dead battery.  Almost makes you cry.

The next "i" in my life is a new iMac computer.  Been a PC girl since my first computer, lo these many years ago.  I was already hooked on my iPhone and iPad (even have an iPod Shuffle) so this seemed like a logical progression when I needed a new computer.  I have to admit that I'm loving some of it but the learning curve is what's causing the "iHeadache".  I have the PC sitting beside me for emergency use only, but am trying to muddle through with the Mac.

I'll keep you posted.

Getting healthy

So, the year is almost gone and I used the pain in my hip as an excuse to slack off on exercise and stress as an excuse to overeat. After my two week vacation, which included mass quantities of food and drink, I have less clothing that fits and my hip still hurts. I told my Chaumont Girls that I was going to lose 10 pounds by next year's reunion in Tulsa. That's less than 1 pound per month. I can do that, right?

Working on the hip pain at On Your Mark Fitness with Priscilla Moore. She hurt me! And that was just the evaluation! I've been to doctors, physical therapists, chiropractor, had x-rays, arthritis blood tests and MRIs with no definitive ailment or cure. I'm hoping getting some muscle tone and strength will help.

So, in addition to cutting back on my portions, saying no to the chocolate I ate during the day, working with a personal trainer and thinking good thoughts, tomorrow I start wearing the pedometer again. Porsche will love having to walk more, although she's not wild about the rain.

We'll see how it all goes!

The Rest of the Story

Wow, I really fell down on the blogging job. I thought it would be so easy to sit and write my thoughts every day or so but it seems like we were busy all the time!

We arrived back in Jacksonville on Thursday and started the "meet and greet" with our old friends. People came from Alaska, Tennessee, Oklahoma, California, Minnesota, Texas, Kentucky, and Washington. We spent the next 3 days, eating, sightseeing, drinking, and catching up.

After the official reunion, some of us stayed to do a bit more in Jacksonville and then Charlie and I headed for Charleston. By then, the weather had really taken a turn and the wind and rain chased us north. It was still hot though. Enjoyed a couple days in Charleston, one in Augusta and then made our way back to Atlanta. Turned in the rental car and did our exploring on the MARTA system.

I was able to get together with my cousin in Atlanta for a long lunch and catch up. We hadn't seen each other in about 10 years. He's my only first cousin and there's sure not many left in our family.

After lunch we took in "Bodies" which was a fascinating exhibition. A margarita followed, since it was Friday, after all. Couldn't hold a candle to the ones Charlie makes.

Today it is sunny and cool. Our plane doesn't leave until this evening so we have plenty of time to try and fit everything back into the suitcases. This shouldn't be so difficult since it appears all my clothing has shrunk in the past two weeks!

The saga continues...

Monday was a travel day. Once we finally got in gear and left Monroe, we decided to head to Savannah. For some reason, it sounded like fun. Maybe it would have been if it hadn't been raining and so very windy. There was also the little issue of me not eating when I should have. Charlie and I both know that I get cranky if I don't eat, even if I'm not hungry. I did my best, but I wasn't the little ray of sunshine I usually am!

Headed to Jacksonville hoping we could check in a couple days early. Wrong. So, we headed down the coast towards St. Augustine. Found a nice hotel right on the marina.  Here's a picture of the view from our balcony: 

Oktoberfest!

After another sleepless night, this time in Atlanta, we enjoyed our motel continental breakfast and met the nicest people from Germany. Andy and Susanne were just finishing their 2 wwek vacation through the SmokY Mountains. Really enjoyed chatting with them.

After waiting in an extremely long and slow line at Hertz, we got into our brand new Toyota Camry for the trip to Monroe.

We stopped at Stone Mountain Village for brunch/lunch  the restaurant was very German and the sausage was great!  They were just starting their Oktoberfest celebration and we were able to listen to some music and watch some dancing.

After that, we were off to Monroe to visit Charlie's sister, Renee, and husband David.  Lots of food and good conversation.  Bed didn't come early enough for me, but even so, sleep eluded me. 

This morning we're off to Germantown (I sense a theme).