Downtime

When I have a nice block of time for myself I like to escape from reality. Whether I have six hours or two days, I always indulge my need to decompress from the demands of friends, family, the Cat, society and such.

Sometimes it's a Jane Austen movie marathon in my pajamas. Other times it's a sci-fi oldies weekend with a great chicken Alfredo pizza. Oh-yeah, I know how to indulge my senses and being a creature of comfort it doesn't take me long to zero in on what my needs are for that decompression to take over and seep into my bones.

A long bubble-bath and a glam magazine, a nap in the middle of the day, a drive around lake-country listening to my favorite music or just a great book.

The last great book I read, I devoured it in 24 hours. I stayed in my jammies on my couch with that book and read, ate, sipped coffee, nibbled on cheese cake, and took little cat naps. It was one of my favorite weekends alone. I think Cat managed to snuggle briefly with me but he knew his competition was tough. If he had misbehaved during this little downtime festival, I may have locked him in the bedroom, I think he behaved because he knew that this was not about him for once.

I find that most often my best decompression time is in my pj's. I am not sure why, maybe because my senses require my pj's to be to softer than cashmere and it soothes my soul. Maybe it's psychological in the sense that I am now in my private downtime clothes, I am not going to go anywhere or answer the door to unannounced visitors, it's me time. I guess in a sense it's the way I issue permission to myself to relax and just be and unplug from everything.

Cat didn't get much of a blog mention today, but he is usually the center of my universe and today it's just about me and that's okay.

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the book was: The White Queen, by Philippa Gregory. This is the first in a new trilogy in the time period of the Cousin wars. I had not been a huge fan of her previous books, but this one is really amazing.

The details of my relaxing regime.

No braziers allowed during downtime, actually anytime I am at home. I don't even want to see one!

I usually wear thin brushed cotton t's and pajama bottoms. They have the feel of having been washed 100 times and just float on your skin. I can't stand anything scratchy, lacy or frilly.

No make up, just a lil moisturizer. And my hair is a free for all, let lay where it may.

I often turn on the AC unit in the summer or a fan in winter(on hi) to drown out any outside noises. I really don't want to hear the neighbors lawn mower or snow blower while I am trying to escape reality.

I often turn off my phone and computer and devote this time to me. I want to be absorbed in my books or movies. Good-bye reality.

If I am going to drive through the lake country, I usually do it about an hour before dusk. The lowering sun in the sky let's the colors of the trees and water be richer and less harsh. Also at twilight the the frogs, birds and crickets are all singing. The heat of the day starts to give way and as I drive through the rolling roads I catch the cool patches of air that are filled with a heavier/richer scent of the water and the fields. -Temperature changes how things smell, try it. -

Bubble-baths are one of my favorite escapes. I have stayed in them so long I have gotten heat stroke. Not good, I don't recommend it. But I like it hot in the winter time and surrounded by the smell of sandalwood incense or candles. Earthy tones tend to make me more relaxed than perfumed or flowery scents. A bath pillow is a must and a beverage. I like to bring a bottle of icy water to sip on. I also use this time to try out homemade bath teas and such. After a long soak I always feel renewed and this is usually my first step in my decompression process.

Movies! I usually go with my mood, NEVER just what's available. If they don't have Casablanca or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, I move along to another video store. I know what my soul needs and I want my downtime to be as close to perfect as can be without getting stressed about the perfect part.

I really won't answer the door if I am not expecting someone. I don't care if this inconveniences others, this time is mine. Come back later or call ahead. Deal with it. I am not being rude, I am setting boundaries to take care of myself, if others cannot accept or respect that then that is their problem, not mine.

Sofa, bed or recliner? Pick your comfort zone. I almost never decompress in my bed. It's just not as comforting to me as the sofa. My couch is my cozy zone. Know your zone!

Once I am in downtime mode I almost never leave the house. So I always make sure I have everything I need to just chill and unplug from the world ahead of time.

I always feel better after a good downtime party. I can slip back into reality again and feel like my batteries are recharged and give the people I love and the Cat, the best part of myself and not just what's left over.

Pretty Sleeper

Cat dozes thoughtlessly on my coffee table. The grayish sky makes me drowsy and I click off the television set and pull up a chenille throw and curl up to the sound of nothing. Wrong, Cat is snoring. Ahhh, how cute.

When Cat sleeps he surrenders to it and goes limp, leg hanging off the table, whiskers twitching, paws twitching. So sweet , but when he snores, he's even more adorable. So why is it then when I snore I'm not a pretty sleeper also?

I am envious of the pretty sleeper. They can sleep anywhere and never disturb a soul, airplanes, car trips, camping trips, beach chairs and so on. The pretty sleeper even gets the occasion memorialized with a snap shot when they are just too cute for words. The pretty sleeper never has anyone shaking them awake and telling them to roll over because they are snoring. The pretty sleeper never has to listen to complaints about how someone else didn't get any sleep due to your snoring. And then theres the drooling, scary hair, puffy-eyed creature in the morning. Nope, not a pretty waker-upper either.

Cat hears me clicking on the keyboard and stretches his famous yoga stretch and sits up and looks at me. He's also a pretty waker-upper, looking pretty much the same as before he sprawled out on my coffee table for a cat nap. For a split second I think I should take a picture and reach for my phone/camera, then I remember how unfair it is he so dang cute already and go to put it down, missing the desk, the phone falls on the floor. I turn my chair around to retrieve the phone and catch the cord of the desk lamp and down goes the lamp to the floor. CRASH! Cat is now standing up on the table, eyes wide, back slightly arched, and fur puffed up. I have the camera now and click a shot of his less than adorable state.

Broken lamp- 20$

Banged up phone- I'll just live with it- 0$

Snap shot of cat all puffed up and freaked out- $Priceless

Take that pretty sleeper~

Perpetual Bliss

Anxiety is something I unfortunately have to live with everyday. I am anxious, nervous, and more often than not, freaking out about something. Bills, health, family dinners, holidays- you name it, I have obsessed myself into a frenzy of nerves on edge. I am doomed to never feel relaxed, ever!!

It occurred to me that Cat's anxieties are pretty limited. How wonderful to only become unglued over being put into the cat carrier ( the cat carrier means only two things, vet and car ride. Both will put Cat into a ball of nerves for a day or two) or having your peace of mind undermined by the roar of the vacuum cleaner.

I imagined the life of Cat, his perpetual bliss of no concerns, only his demands. I watched him laze in the middle of living room carpet in a patch of sunlight. He blinks at me, that blink that seems so serene and happy. He looks up at the dust particles illuminated by the suns rays, floating above him, he gazes and then sneezes. I watch him flip onto his back, letting his legs go limp and curl softly. He doesn't move for several minutes, then he draws in a deep breath and yawns. He rolls to his side and does a full body stretch, his little toes spread on all four paws, his tail lax , his back slightly arched.....

Then it occurred to me the selfish little beast is doing yoga without me! No wonder he's so frigging happy. I'm getting the vacuum........

Food Glorious Food

I will eat pretty much anything. I have lot's of quirks about how what I eat is made or prepared, but other than that I'm just happy to be fed.

Cat will not eat anything other than one certain brand of dried cat food and one brand and only one flavor of cat treats. This has always baffled me. I have had many other cat's and they have had a wide and bizarre range of strange food cravings, but not the Cat........

I have tried to tempt Cat with everything imaginable; Canned cat foods, milk, real fish, cooked chicken and turkey, greens, eggs, chips, hash browns, ice cream and anything you can think of. I guess Cat is happy with his usual fare, but as a pet owner, you know part of the fun is feeding them treats or spoiling them on occasion with no-no foods.

I had given up until recently when he found a piece of cooked white rice and ate it. Maybe he thought it was a bug, those he'll eat. So now the quest or ummm my obsession to find those people foods Cat will eat is going full force again.

Here is a list of strange foods that previous cat's of mine have taken a liking to:

1. Cold cooked sweet potatoes- That was nearly the only people food this cat would eat.

2. Saltines, bread and chips. This cat would tear through the plastic on a loaf of bread to get at it.

I had to put the bread in the fridge the moment I took it out of the grocery bag.

3. Pasta water - cooled off of course.

4. Watermelon

5. Mac n cheese- the box kind

6. Hash rounds -salted only.

7. Taco's.

8. Green beans- canned only.

9. Toaster pastries

10. Corn

and so on...

anyone else have strange foods their pets crave?

Happy Mothers Day~

Happy Mothers Day~

Cat did not come up with anything clever or amusing to post for Mothers Day. Sorry.

So left to my own devices, I will pull up my soap box and make a serious statement, something I do not intend to do often, I feel there is a far greater need for humor in this world than ranting and raving on soap boxes. ( But I do encourage you too use your voice for change when facing injustice)

Please remember that your pet's cannot go out and pick up a pack of contraceptives for themselves. It is not cute that your critter is knocked-up and THOUSANDS of shelter animals will lose their lives. To all the animal lovers out there, you know how sad this is; you probably adopted your precious, furry, family member from a shelter or maybe right off the street-

So today celebrate your Mom weather she is with you, across the country or has gone to a better place..then take a moment to help the critters who had no one to love them.

Spay and neuter your pets- Consider a donation to -

Homeless Animals Lifeline Organization.

H.A.L.O.

Women, Cats and Revenge.

I am thinking revenge is completely natural, which is why women, especially women, like cats.
I'll explain in a minute, but first let's fess up to our darker urges to retaliate. I have had many a dark thought in the revenge department. Most, if not nearly all, I have stifled and instead practiced the art of letting go, and letting go of wrongs done to you has to be an art form because it truly is a 'bitch' (bad dog pun here) to 'master'.

I once had a male friend tell untruths about me to a very close female friend of mine. My female friend and I sat dumbfounded over coffee in a restaurant as to why he would say such things. We drank more coffee and mulled over the options. Confront him, ignore him, repay the nasty talk favor and so on.. after numerous pots of coffee and fueling the fires of revenge we made our pact of vengeance. How sweet it is, even sweeter served cold?... well yes!

We procured a bottle of honey, that's the sweet part, next we went to his house about an hour before he had to leave for work, his car sitting in the drive as we had hoped. This next part is priceless, the served cold part, 35 degrees outside and one bottle of honey over the windshield.

Let me tell you, it was the so cathartic. No damage to the vehicle and a ton of work for him. He wasn't late for work but he did have to spend a lot of time to completely remove the nearly frozen honey from his windshield.

He later told me he knew it was us. Of course you did I told him, because you knew exactly who you had wronged.

So onto cats, women and revenge.

Cat had managed to swipe his tail across a plate full of syrup, this happened because he believes everything is for him and would not get off the table. (We are working on this) He then begins to whip his syrup covered tail around like Zoro. Now we have syrup on his sides, back and tail. I let him attempt to clean himself off and he discovers he doesn't like syrup, so I now have to bathe the beast. Have you ever had to bathe a cat?! They need to put a clause in life insurance policies to cover "death by cat bathing". You know it's true if you have attempted this.

After about twenty torturous minutes of yowling and claws of the demon we are finished. I dry him off and let him skulk away to pout.

I go about the rest of my day and night without seeing Cat, figuring he is still extremely ticked off with me and will show up when he's hungry.

Bedtime: I turn off the lights, lock the doors, brush my teeth,put jammies on and go to my room to climb into bed. I turn on the bed side light and there in the middle of my "dry clean only" comforter is a little gift from Cat. Hairball? Nope. A fragrant pile of cat poo.

Cat hid for two more days, but that was the only revenge he took. After spending sixty dollars to dry clean my comforter from his little retaliation, I'm thinking cat treats are just not in the budget this month. Revenge is natural, right?

Things that go bump!

I hate it when things in my apartment make noise that should not. Something shifting in the trash can (clink), or an object placed to close to the edge on top of the refrigerator and when the compressor kicks in (crash), a stack of books that topple over suddenly??? No, that is all Cat.

Living alone, well almost alone if you do not count the Cat, you learn the difference between what is normal "house noise" and "call 911" noise quickly, unless you have a cat. Then all noises require investigation. And who get's to investigate all alone armed only with a baseball bat and one fifteen pound eating and sleeping machine?
Yep, me.

I have found it helpful to compile a list of sounds ( compiled mentally, I do not have OCD yet, though Cat may drive me to it.) that do not require investigation. They are as follows:

1.The scraping sound of sand against an object. It is not the undead climbing out from under your bed. It is Cat in the litter box.

2.Meow- all forms. It is merely the Cat and his deluded self thinking the world revolves around him and his needs at two a.m. ( sounds like a man a little?)

3.The sound of paper being ripped, shredded and pulverized. (This sound I unfortunately have to investigate, only to make certain it is not anything of value, like tax forms!This is the only exception to the "do not need to investigate noise" rule)

4. The sounds of kitty kibble spilling onto the linoleum and being batted around for an hour.

5. The very distinctive crash of aluminum vertical blinds that have been displaced by the torpedo covered in fur in my bedroom window, now stalking shadows in the yard. ( Mighty predator..not!)

6. The distinctive sound of fabric, carpet or furniture being mutilated. Cat, once again, not using his scratching post and lowering the value of my possessions.

7. My favorite- Cat bouncing the lower kitchen cabinet doors open with his paw for no apparent reason other than to force me out of bed to secure the child safety lock on the cabinet door. Yes, I have child safety locks on my cupboards for the Cat. Not because he likes to go into the cupboards, he just like to bounce the doors? thump-bump-bump..pause...thump-bump-bump...pause. Is he composing something?

Seriously....It's as if I am living with a mental patient off it's med's. One of us is going to need medication soon. I wonder who's would be cheaper?