Kitty In An Igloo

One of our resident feral cats. The white spots on the photos are snowflakes falling!

Ah, Winter!

Here we go again! It's snowing today, it's supposed to snow more tomorrow, and more this weekend. It's only January, and we have already had four times the snow than in a "normal" winter.

I'm not complaining, though. It's much worse in the deep south, where they don't have the road-clearing equipment that we have here. It's going to be much worse on the east coast, where they are expecting blizzard conditions (again!). It's also worse in Australia, where they are having serious flooding, with a "tsunami-like" wall of water sweeping through the country.

I'm retired now so I don't have to worry about getting to work. I feel sorry for people who are out there, fighting traffic on the interstate because they have to get to work. If there is an accident that blocks the road, they can be stuck for hours. I used to take the train to work, so I didn't have to worry that much about driving. I lived a couple of miles from the train station so it was easy. Sometimes I would worry about getting back home, if the trains were delayed by the weather, but that didn't happen very often.

Now I have to worry only if it's Tuesday. My sister works on Tuesday, so I have to drive across town to pick up my nieces after school. If they have a snow day I have a longer day with them.

My husband works at home when he isn't traveling. He travels about fifty percent of the time. Then we have to worry about flight delays and closed airports. The last time we had a big snow, he was in San Diego. While I was looking out the window at seven inches of snow, he was talking to me on the phone while he sat at a table outdoors, eating lunch in 60 degree weather. Of course, people in San Diego thought it was chilly. But I did wish I were there with him at that moment.

I have lived in snowy places all my life. I have lived in the Chicago area, and in northern Ohio, and in Philadelphia. They all get their share of winter weather. Some day I would like to live in a place where snow is a rarity. Oh well, just rambling on a snowy day... but, as I said before, I'm not complaining (much).

Rhetoric

Well, by now I guess most of us have heard about the shooting in Tucson on Saturday. One Democratic congresswoman shot through the head and left in critical condition. Six people dead, including a Federal judge and a nine-year old girl. Twenty-some wounded. The gunman acted alone. He is a young man who was seriously disturbed, according to those who knew him before. Pundits are asking: "how many more deranged individuals are out there? How many of them have guns? Are they inspired by negative political rhetoric?

Now you can't listen to the news without hearing theories about what caused the tragedy. The pundits are being very diplomatic, refusing to place blame for this incident. They are calling for greater civility in our political discourse, while being careful not to place the blame on the increasingly divisive rhetoric that has been rampant in recent years.

We all know about the divisive rhetoric. Republican vs. Democrat; Liberal vs. Conservative; name-calling; personal attacks. Remember the town halls during the last election? Remember the shouting down of speakers instead of listening? Remember some individuals coming with guns on open display?

I am not trying to blame one side or the other. Pundits have been pointing out that "toxic" rhetoric comes from both sides. What about "shock jocks" who spew negative rhetoric about the other side? What about politicians who question each others' patriotism? What about putting gun sites on home states of those with whom you disagree?

No one is saying this is what led this individual to do what he did. But, isn't it a good idea to stop and think about the effect words can have? Both in the political arena, and in the schools and playgrounds where kids are bullied. I think we need to bring about civility. Stop calling each other names. Stop demonizing each other. Stop the negative rhetoric. I hope this tragic incident can stop us in our tracks and brings us back on the path of civility.

Kitty Love and Color Love

This is Munchkin. She was a feral cat that we adopted (note that they clipped her left ear when she was spayed). She is the most lovable cat we have. She loves to snuggle up with us.

The photo below is Tiger, another feral cat we adopted from our back yard, along with his sister, Tinkerbell. Tiger is my "zen" cat. He is a sweet cat, very laid-back and meditative.


This is my holiday tree. I love the colors. They brighten up the dreary winter days.


These are our stockings. They reflect two of my loves: Hawaii and my cats!

Happy New Year!

This is what I was doing at midnight on New Year's Eve.

My husband told me this morning that not only did I sleep through the ball dropping on TV, but I also slept through 30 minutes of firecrackers and gun shots going off in our neighborhood!

Movie I Loved

The King's Speech.

This is the kind of movie I love. Not a Hollywood blockbuster... no "action" shots, no car chases, no violence, not a gun in sight. Based on truth, with a sense of history. It has a low-key humor, touching in a subtle way. I love Colin Firth, always have. After seeing this, I love Geoffrey Rush, too. They both played their parts so well. Amazingly well, if I may say so.

Thank goodness for movies like this!

A Single Flower...

One morning in Hawaii... the beauty of a single flower. I came out to sit by the pool. It was early and not many people were there. I sat down in a chair, and on the table next to me there was a single flower. The flower inspired me. I took a photo of it as it lay on the glass-topped table.


Next, I placed it on the ground to see the color against the volcanic rock:


For this photo, I just propped it up on my knee so the ocean was in the background:


Then I placed it against my shirt:


That flower was my focus for a pleasant twenty minutes or so. So many pleasant hours spent in Hawaii. So many simple joys, like a single flower. I find so much beauty there. I feel blessed when I'm there.