Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty (Kitty?)

My garage doore has been giving me problems for the last several days, and the repair man is supposed to be here today to fix it. So Saturday and yesterday I went out to do a little straightening and cleaning. Yesterday I attacked the plethora of cobwebs, and while using the broom over by the garage door, happened to notice movement in on a shelf in the back corner toward the house. I was thinking, "rat" and shivering over that prospect of having one so bold as to be out while I was in the vicinity. However, when I stopped to actually focus on the identity of said movement, I found a CAT...and 3 babies. I was pretty surprised, as I don't leave the garage door open very often even when I am home. However, L has only been gone for about 4 days, and would leave one or the other open for the rest of the day once he had been out through them, and these babies are about 4 weeks old.

Mama Kitty was very friendly, obviously having belonged to someone at some point in her life. She let me pet her and handle her babies without fuss. There are 2 females and 1 male. Cute little things, but not something I really wanted to find in my garage. That Miss Puss is a smart mama is evident. L hates cats, and had he found her and her family, they would probably be dead. As it is, she is safe and I am now dealing with how to let her in and out to her babies since I am gone all day and the garage is sealed off to her. This should be interesting.

It's Not Nice to Mess With Mother Nature!

I don't know if the storm that hit Grape Creek this evening hit Angelo or not, but WOW! I went to church to spend some time looking at a couple of the music books there and pray for awhile. I left there at about 7:00 pm. I decided to stop at the little market on the other side of 87N and pick up a couple of things, spending maybe 10 minutes getting things and getting through the checkout. It was 10 minutes too long. That storm really hit as I got to the grade school, and just pummeled my poor car. I was afraid to go faster than about 25-30 MPH, wishing I dared go faster, and praying I could just get into my garage without a broken windshield. I (finally) turned into my driveway, only to slide precariously on the ice pellets which totally covered it. Made me feel like I was back in Maryland! I grabbed my camera and took pictures of the mess, but it was pretty dark, and I have no idea at this point if any of them show just how much hail was on the ground. I think I will stay home for the rest of the evening, read a good book or something....

Not Much New

Well, I'm about to be a grass widow again. L leaves sometime this week to start training for the job at Love Field. I don't particularly like being by myself. The first few days are ok, but after that, well... Maybe it's because it reminds me too much of the times I sent my son to be with his dad during his growing-up years. He was usually gone for 3 weeks at a time. This will be quite a bit longer than that.

I spent all last week working 1-9 and missing the normal things I do in the evenings--like church and Bible study. It'll be nice to be able to attend this week. I really miss it when I can't go. The first part of this week I am working 9:30-6. I much prefer those hours, even if I do usually walk into a madhouse at that time of day. Sure makes the time fly. Not to say that it doesn't on the other shift, but in reality, it is 1-close, because we can't leave until all the patients leave, and they can't leave until the Drs. come and dismiss them. We didn't do too bad last week, considering. The latest we closed was about 9:45, and we did get out at 6:45 one evening (a rarity.)

The church sponsored a wildflower/picnic trip on Saturday and I got to go on that. We didn't see very many wildflowers, but the walking tour of Ft McKavitt was interesting. I enjoy seeing historical places, and this one is actually pretty well preserved. Sure am glad, though, that I was just visiting, and it is 2008, rather than having to live there in those conditions. I have experienced a few of those things as a child (like the "little shack out back" and "chamber pots") and have no desire to revisit them other than the way we did this weekend. It was a beautiful day, sunny and breezy, but not too hot. It began to be a little more than breezy during our lunch, making us have to hang onto our plates and anything else that didn't have substantial weight. and Kitten said, "God, make the wind stop!" I agreed with her and so did doonecookie. A short while later, I noticed that the breeze had returned to being just that: a gentle breeze that made the day quite pleasant. "And a little child shall lead them..."

I got this from my sister-in-law and thought it was cute...

>1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
> Not that I know of, but the meanings are: Janet=God/s gracious gift; Louise=battle maiden
>2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOBBY?
> Sewing, crochet, blogging
>3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
> Not particularly
>4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
> Turkey
>5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
> Yes, one biological, one unofficially adopted
>6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
> I think so
>7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
> Yes, but it can get me in trouble
>8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
> Yes
>9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
> Now why would I want to jump off a perfectly good tree, building, bridge, platform, etc?
>10.WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
> Great Grains with Pecans
>11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
> No.
>12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
> Yes, but not as strong as I used to be
>13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
> Blue Belle Triple Chocolate
>14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
> Their faces--smiling or frowning?
>15. RED OR PINK?
> Red
>16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
> My fear of what others think of me
>17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
> L
>18. WHAT ANIMAL ARE YOU MOST LIKE?
> A cat
>19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
> Black pants, cream-colored sandals
>20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
> Blue Belle Caramel Turtle Fudge ice cream (They didn't have any Triple Chocolate)
>21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
> The silence. No TV, no radio, computer muted.
>22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
> Magenta
>23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
> Anything cooking with garlic in it
>24. WHO DID YOU LAST TALK TO ON THE PHONE?
> L's stepdad
>25. GOLD OR SILVER?
> Silver
>26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
> Not a sports fan
>27. HAIR COLOR?
> White
>28. EYE COLOR?
> I call them hazel, but they tend to change with the clothing I wear: gray/blue, green w/flecks
>29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
> No. I can't stand to wear them. Tried them once, lasted about a week
>30. FAVORITE FOOD?
> The cheese ball that one of the girls at work makes and insists on bringing in to make us all fat
>31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
> Happy endings. I won't watch a horror movie
>32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
> The Lake House
>33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
> Red
>34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
> Summer. I don't like the short days of winter
>35. HUGS OR KISSES?
> Depends on who's giving (or getting!) ;D
>36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
> Ice cream!
>37. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
> The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
>38. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
> An ad for the company where I bought the computer
>39. WHAT DID YOU LAST WATCH ON T.V.?
> Don't have TV
>40. FAVORITE SOUND?
> The pan flute
>41. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
> Neither. Herman's Hermits!
>42. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
> Iceland, the British Isles
>43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
> Sewing, singing, used to do calligraphy
>44. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
> Cumberland, Maryland
>45. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE AGE?
> Now.
>46. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?
> Home.
>47. WHAT BRAND CAR DO YOU DRIVE?
> Hyundai Sonata
>48. WHAT IS YOU FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE/PASSAGE?
> Ephesians 6
>49. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER?
> Gideon
>50. EARLY RISER OR NIGHT OWL?
> Used to be a night owl, now I've flipped and am usually up by 5:30 AM

It's Official...

L chose to take the job at Love Field. He left today to go apartment-hunting. The training is about 9 days, and then an orientation period of unknown length. He should be back Monday or Tuesday to begin the process of gathering up the things he wants to take to Dallas with him. Training starts on the 28th.

That means I am back to handling things here by myself. Birds, yard, house, work, plus trying to at least attempt to start sorting and planning for an eventual move. It looks like it's gonna be a busy summer.

Big Decision Ahead

When I got home this evening, L told me that he received a phone call from the HR dept at Dallas Love Field offering him a job as a Transportation Safety Officer. He has been in the application stages of this for several months now, and we are finally down to the wire on whether he really wants to take this job. It is a federal position, and it will mean moving to the Dallas area at some point. The training starts 4/28. There is a possibility of waiting until the end of May, but I am not sure there is a job offer at the end if he waits that long. So...we are talking, trying to weigh pros and cons. Would really like some prayer support here, so that we don't make a wrong choice. Thanks.

Today was mowing day...and laundry day...and kitchen cleaning day...and bird banding day...and get-ready-for-Sunday day. Does it sound like its been a little busy? Not really. L did most of the mowing, I just did the trim work. The washer did the laundry. All I did was trade it from there to the dryer, then hang it up or fold it. Kitchen cleaning consisted of sweeping and mopping the floor, and doing up a handful of dishes. Bird banding was about 30 min. worth of work, tracking down the babies, checking to see if they are old enough to ship to the race on Monday and slipping a snap band on the other leg--9 babies in all.

The bulk of my day was spent getting ready for tomorrow (and Monday). Finish up Sunday School class, pick songs for worship, slip off to church for a little prayer time, finish the study for CBS on Monday evening, and practice my "devotional" (just for this week) for same. I really enjoy this aspect of Saturday. I get to dig around in the Word for myself and for what the Lord might give me for others, and dig around in other study books when a question pops into my head. I have a lot of "I wonder what..." questions. They get saved for Saturday because I usually don't have time to do that much on the other days of the week. Prepping for class also teaches me something new, and many Sundays I come to church almost as wound up as PM because of what I saw in the Word that week. I have been surprised by how the lessons for SS and the lessons for CBS have seemed to dovetail this semester, each one feeding into the other. So both classes get some spillover from the other one. Kinda neat.