Life List #11: Chinese New Year (Year of The Pig)

Wanted to get this in before February ends (tomorrow)

This month (6th) began the Chinese New Year. 

The Lunar Year of the Pig.

The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is based on a twelve-year cycle, each year in that cycle related to an animal sign. These signs in order are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. 

It is calculated according to Chinese lunar calendar.

More information about what years correspond with which animal sign is available here: 

https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/

The year of the pig (the 12th Chinese Zodiac Sign)  is associated with health and wealth. Luck, Fortune and Pleasure. A very good sign indeed.

Celebrating Year of the Pig throughout Asia  (video)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/lunar-new-year-2019-asia-china-pig-celebrations-beijing-a8763601.html

 

Life List #10: Yosemite Falls- Firefall

Nope. It is not lava. It is an optical illusion at Yosemite Horsetail Falls. It only occurs annually in the late weeks of February- as the sun strikes the falls for a few minutes just before sunset- turning them liquid golden red.

Although I have traveled several times to, and seen these falls...it was never during this phenomena.

Today we will enjoy it virtually.

This is the way it looks the rest of the year...

Firefall

https://youtu.be/OMv84ZUhFFw

Documentary

https://youtu.be/8dPF3ulvOz0

This year's Firefall is said to be the BEST in recent memory.

Now we've seen it, too!

                   More Anon...

A couple other shots of the Falls I thought were outstanding

A rainbow off the mist

 and a moon-bow.

Yosemite Falls Webcam Live

https://www.yosemite.com/yosemite-webcams/yosemite-falls-webcam/

Life List #9: Dandelion Wish Pendant

A field of thousands of wishes!

A while back I saw a pendant that I knew I had to have.

Enclosed in a glass bezel was a single dandelion seed...with a silver rope chain and a tiny oval tag that simply said "wish".

Contacted the Etsy shop owner and voila...

It arrived today!


Already...my wish came true.
(...with the assistance of Paypal...)

                                                  More Anon.

This Week...

Sofi and Shel after a game of Kitty Tag.

Having a lot of difficulty dealing with it all this week. After a particularly rough
"exploding cabbit" on  Monday I made the mistake of being completely overwhelmed and calling the kids.

(...she is a special needs kitty...but then with FRED, I guess I am a special needs human these days...)

Long story short...my  beautiful baby is now at their house.

And I'm not sure if they will ever bring her back home.

It feels like losing my child.

The hardest part is Shelby wandering around the house still looking for her. And although she was admittedly a huge challenge...she was my baby.
 

 

It is impossible to

make them understand

that amidst the challenge once a week 

there was the day to day joy

she brought to my life.

Brought to our home.

Every day playing with Shelby...creating new games. Tag or Hide and Seek. Just like kids. They had finally really buddied up.
 Her endless game with me of FETCH.

(...the first morning she was gone I found her ring (hair tie) where she has laid it on the table...which she did to get me to play...and completely lost it...)

The afternoon nap that we all took in a snuggly heap every day. She situated at the curve of my hip and Shelby laying at my side or on my chest, Them purring me (and themselves) to sleep...and waking up to tiny pads and giving them ear rubs...which they both loved.

Evenings watching a movie or catching up on the computer and her curling like a cinnamon roll beside me by the keyboard...having found the exhaust vent when she was tiny...and claiming it as her own.

We had almost 7 months together.

I have cried so hard it has been hard to breath...I have begged...I have demanded...by the end we had all exchanged horrible words and nothing will ever be the same between us.


It all falls on deaf ears.

They know what is best, they say.
For her. And me.

And she becomes just one more cat for them.
Amidst the cats and dogs and kids.
And I have lost my baby.

It is my fault...losing her.

I should never have called.

sigh~


The rest of the week has been pretty much a blur.

More Anon...

Life List #8: Hydrangea Propagation

Cuttings can be rooted in potting soil (with cut ends dipped in hormone powder or cinnamon) 

Or started in water by removing bottom leaves, and suspending until roots form.

I chose the water method, and will add photos as roots come and they are transplanted this Spring outdoors!

I had enough cutting to make 6 plants from the original.

This summer I'll have my Green Hydrangeas!

Life List #6 & 7: Cat Island & Fox Village (Virtual) Japan

While checking out Japan's Rabbit Island

Imagine my delight and surprise

that nearby they also had

Cat Island!

A Crazy Cat Lady's

Nirvana.

(...there is also a Fox Village..we will get to that in a bit...)

We will begin with 

The Cats

Tashirojima is a small island just

off the coast of mainland Japan

Only about 100 people inhabit

Tashirojima

in contrast the cat population

is currently

around

600

The island was once used

in the production of silk

and silkworms

and cats were brought here

to deter the rodent problems.

Though the silk production ended

here...the cats remained

and thrived

Partly because of the Japanese held belief

that feeding stray cats

brings wealth and good fortune

(...since this is primarily a fishing village now...I have

to quietly wonder if the cats maybe started this rumor...)

Anyway,

it does seem to work out

quite well for them.

Unlike Rabbit Island

which tends to be peaceful and quiet.

600 feral cats

can be 

noisy

https://youtu.be/5f-6XXgGe6s

Tour

https://youtu.be/rHLLDOyZepY

A Shrine built to/for the cats

is located in the center

of the Island

Still 

Paradise to

Cat Lovers

(...and possibly how mice envision hell...)

but wait there is

MORE

Introducing Japan's Fox Village

With not only Red

but the occasional

Black or White Fox

And aren't they gorgeous?

Fox Village is located 

in  Miyagi Zao

Japan

Unlike Rabbit or Cat Island

this is more

of a planned tourist attraction.

Nearly 200 foxes. Most of which roam free

through the village.

For $10 USD you

                                                 can tour the Village

and feed the foxes.

https://youtu.be/92wtDKCtOiU

Tour

I think the best thing

for me on this video was

hearing the groups of foxes.

I had never really considered what

several together interacting

might sound like

(...much cuter than the angry cats..I might add...)

So there we have it

Cat Island

and 

Fox Village

(virtually)

Japan

Hope you enjoyed

the 

Adventure!

Valentine's Day...This Week...And Anticipating Spring

Love in the Age of Arthritis!

An amazing Valentine's Day filled with chocolate...bears...balloons...my favorite tea room...brunch....and US.

Especially us!

Who would have believed it...after all these years?

Gizzy gave my little bear the once-over and her seal of approval before John even left his house.

and we foiled Sofi..who has now killed two (count 'em) 2 USB corded mice
(crazy kitten) by going wireless. Thanks to John and his gadgets!

Now all I need to remember is to switch the thing on...

Yes...LIFE is just one big learning curve.

And my favorite chocolates from J. Evelyn's!

Life is Good!

(...and yes...it is so wonderful to be each other's Valentine...)

We even had a quiet moment dozing with the Pride (Sofi & Shelby) when we came back from brunch.

And because he is such a romantic- he got the tea room staff in on the whole surprise...and almost made me cry!  
It was the best!

You got me.

More weather by Sybil this week.  It's rainy...it's icy...it's snowing like crazy...it's sunny...it's nearly 60 degrees...now it is 5 degrees...

Welcome to Almost Spring in Indiana...where Winter frequently says

"Hold my Beer...and Watch THIS."

Quiet, Warmer and Sunny today...and contemplating Spring...and Spring Projects.

Found my mini green hydrangea...and going to learn to propagate it before warm weather.

Making several from one original plant.

Doing my Spring list for things that need painted, repaired, refinished, tossed, replaced or just acquired before the season change.

Most of this year's centers around repairing  the chips and scuffs and such from last year's "learning to navigate the wheelchair".  Necessitating a bit of touch up varnish for the end-tables and coffee table.

And learning to spackle.

How can I have never spackled...in almost 60 years?

I know, right?

But watched several Youtube Tutorials this morning...and it appears do-able by mere humans- so I'm off to get a 4 inch spackling knife and a small container of ready-made "mud" and fine grit sandpaper.

I have the touch up paint.

The gossamer sheet from the Inn arrived this week as well. Still working on my room...which seems to become a staging area and a catch-all far too easily. Trash Bag Therapy may be in order.

As soon as I get everything together and my wall art hung...there will be pictures...promise. The new bed-set is beautiful. 

This week's book: Becoming Michelle by Michelle Obama- finally arrived.

Well worth the wait!

Detailing her life from abject poverty (she and her brother...Mother and Dad...living in 2 small upstairs rooms provided by her Aunt throughout her childhood) 

Her schooling, her dating life, meeting Barack and eventually his proposal, their marriage, his political career leading up to the White House, the birth of both of their girls...the White House years...and after.

Well written.

Sometimes laugh out loud funny.

Sometimes terribly sad.

Best Book I've read so far this Year!

Give it a try.

Saw this the other day

and felt some comfort that there are OTHERS out there like me...

~laughing~

So, Roger Stone is now under a judicial gag order...

And I am in a pool with a group of like-minded politiphiles speculating on how long he will remain unincarcerated.

My prediction- maybe 2 weeks.

We will see.

Paul Manafort was found GUILTY on 5 of his 7 new charges and is awaiting sentencing. Mueller has suggested 25.5 years.

Paul is looking pretty rough already...and this may amount to the rest of his natural life once the additional charges are sentenced.

I feel bad for his wife and children...and hope he reflects from time to time how Trump really wasn't worth it.

And Trump.

What can you say about the man?

Seriously.

Even Ann Coulter is calling him an IDIOT now.

(...and when I realized that I had agreed with Ann Coulter...well...it left me feeling like I needed a hot shower and to scrub a layer of skin off...)

But here we are.

Where he stood in the Rose Garden and declared a National Emergency on the Southern Border to circumvent Congress (who has repeatedly said NO in both the House and the Senate) and fund his WALL...

It was a crisis.

Then on public television he stated

" I really didn't NEED to do this."

and proceeded to explain to everyone how doing this would expedite the matter.

(...in case you are wondering...everyone but Santa Claus...including some land owners who will lose property...and the ACLU have immediately filed suit...) 

Trump will live to hear those words, on video no less, over and over...I'm thinking.

I really didn't NEED to do this.

When you are too damned stupid, to even realize you're STUPID.

And because it was such a National Emergency...because it was such a horrific crisis did he immediately leave and head to the Southern Border from Washington D.C.  after the speech was over?

No.

But he did leave on Air Force One to Mar-a-lago where he immediately did some golfing and is doing more today and tomorrow.

sigh

Because isn't that what EVERYONE does when there is an Emergency?

Especially when they are suppose to be in charge.


More as it unfolds...


Have a Great Weekend!