Mostly Reclaimed Kitchen

 

Tulip won! 

I'd largely given up cordoning off most of the kitchen countertop. Of course, half my magnets were moved onto a cookie sheet, now hanging in my bedroom. Although I TRY to keep Tulip out of trouble, she continues to:

• Walk on any clean or dirty dishes.
• Nibble on the paper towels.
• Jiggle the toaster's lever. 
• Disturb the "coffee bar" atop the microwave.
• Mess with items on the stovetop shelf. 
• Those things now sit inside the blue cabinet (one of her favorite perches).
• Now she walks on the shelf, unimpeded.
• Just like she planned all along.

Tulip is the living dictionary definition of a curious cat.

Telling Our Stories 2/27/25

The prompt our little writers' group received is: "I'm Looking At."

I'm looking at my friends gathered at the Telling Our Stories table. I did not know any of these people when I joined the JoCo Writers Group. I mean, maybe they're just acquaintances. But it seems to me that we've each shared so much of ourselves. That makes them friends to me.

I count myself lucky for having known you for the past five-ish years. How you-all feel about me matters, too. Not how you feel about my writing, but how you feel about me as a person.

I'm looking outward as well as inward.

I can hear Dr. Wanda's pen scratching as she writes the assignment. Sherwood is clearing his throat as he considers what thoughts he can't write down due to his broken arm. The rest of our group is diligently scribbling down what they are looking at.

I wonder if our stories will be alike, or the usual mix of unique perspectives. "It's all good."

#writingprompt 

#friends

Fugged-about-it!

There are two well-known phrases attributable to New Jersey (my former stomping grounds). 

"Crazy Eddie's prices are In-Sane!" and "Fugged-about-it!" They were often used together in the same television commercial.

What I have forgotten is: 

• Where in the heck did I put my composition book? I remembered our homework assignment (whatever it was) is due today. 

• Where is that medical bill I need to address? This will be the third month I need to call.

• Which writing conferences have I registered for? I know that for one, I need to make hotel reservations. Both are happening in May.

#memory 

#writingconferences 

#debts

#gettingold

Friday

After a few days of sub-zero weather, I ventured outside for a walk. I needed to put my Senior Games application in the nearest mailbox. Hopefully, it will arrive on time.

Can't remember when I last took a walk. My body told me it's been too long. Man, my legs felt so tired when I was halfway to my destination!

I'm still wearing PJs for much of the day (underneath my jeans). 

So...what am I going to do at the Johnston County Senior Games? I'll submit a poem and sing a Linda Ronstadt song.

#coldweather #pajamas #seniorgames

Catch up with Tulip

Cat-proofing efforts have stopped over the last few days. I picked up more metal racks that I'll put behind the TV when I have a chance. Lately, I've ignored her obnoxious attempts to feed her NOW. I just worry that the whole television set will end up needing replacing. If I ignore her antics long enough, maybe she will give up.

Patience is a virtue I rarely have an abundance of.

It's been peaceful while Tulip is napping on the back of my recliner. Since I started typing this sentence, she woke up. 

I tried to video Tulip, but the file was too big to attach. That is something I need to learn how to do. Some other day.

Interesting News

Tuesday, February 11, 2025 www.mydailyrecord.com

It’s not every day that I pick up a local newspaper. 

• In The Week in Review, for example, you’d get four pages of old news (history), local sports, religious dinners, and slews of public notices for the Benson-Four Oaks area. In other words, there’s seldom anything in the rag that I would spend (waste) fifty-three cents on. 

• The Daily Record at least reports salacious happenings in and around Harnett County. These public records made for fascinating reading this week.

The Record lists restaurant health inspections, DWI arrests, real estate transactions, marriages and divorces, among other categories. While perusing the public records for Child Support, two individuals stood out to me as the worst offenders. It left me scratching my head, wondering what was so appealing to multiple women about these men. (Low standards?)

Reginald M’s name showed up four times. He obviously likes to get around.

• Betty was owed $11,777.66

• Monica was owed $1,171.18

• Trynika’s past due amount was $6,363.22

• Lastly, Rhonda was owed $2,287.76

Grand Total of $21,599.82

↓

Next is Joey P. He only had two women trying to get child support.

• Kimberly had $9,064.39 in past due payments

• Linda was due $4,046.32.

Grand Total of $13,110.71

↓

Weren’t any of these women aware of each other? 

Of course, there were plenty of other individuals named. One Baby Daddy to one Baby Mama; you can bet each man shirked his fatherly duties. Apparently, publishing these records holds no shame for them. If they get sent to jail, the kids would still suffer. Can someone please find a workable solution to this commonplace dilemma? (We know birth control and abortions are out).

↓

Where is Jerry Springer when you need him?

I'm Slipping

Ordinarily, I react quickly to the sounds of something falling to the floor. Tonight I came home from the grocery store with three items: a ream of copy paper, a piece of pig pickin' cake, and another item I've forgotten already. I left the full shopping bag on the kitchen counter to use the bathroom. While there, I heard something land on the floor.

It wasn't until I re-entered the kitchen when I found that Tulip tried to get to the cake. I'm sure she would have figured out how to open the plastic clamshell container. The cake and frosting were a jumbled (but delicious) mess.

Now, is Tulip smart, or am I dumb? 

Both statements may be correct.

Write On!

Today was the inaugural meeting of my weekly class, Write On! at the Benson Center for Active Aging. The four women and I had a great time discussing a wide variety of topics. Some differences were raised between a country mouse and a city mouse; which sparked further discussions. We discussed our origin stories: where we were raised, our religions, and our favorite foods associated with a special time in our lives. All of this was food for thought: fodder for how we can write about anything.

In fact, that was this week's class assignment. 

• Write about a food that connects you to a special memory in your life.  

I brought copies of my two novels, Merilee's Journey and Liberty's Scrapbook. Without any attempt at marketing, four copies of the latter were sold. (Thank you all!)

The public is welcome to attend each Tuesday from 1 to 3PM. If you have something to read, please bring it to the class. Expect a ten-minute writing prompt, reading what we wrote, and free-wheeling conversations and writing tips.

How do you write? Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you know the difference?

A plotter uses outlines to plan what they write. A pantser writes by the "seat of their pants." Whichever way works for you...just go for it!

Book Launch

Last night's book launch was fun. I had the support of my fellow writers and my Scrabble friends. For a few people, this was the first time they visited Sisters II Ice Cream. 

I was happy to mail a check for a third of the night's proceeds to benefit Harbor House. While I'll never get rich being an indie author, my writing will have made a teensy impact for the deserving women's shelter.

I don't mean it in a derogatory way, but..

 Tulip is a wetback.

Daily, I arm myself with a spray bottle of water to scare Tulip away from messing around the television. Well, she'll step aside for a moment or two. Then she's right back at it. 

So she gets a little wet, but not enough to make it mean anything. My jumping out of the recliner is the most of what you might call EXERCISE I've gotten lately. 

When I think about it, I should really wear my smart watch. I'm curious to see if it's added to the number of steps I take each day....

Suggestion for DC

Please ask your representatives to begin the impeachment process against Trump / Vance / Musk. 

Since Day One, it has never been clearer that we are poised to become a much crueler US version of Hitler's regime. This time, there are so many "others" who will be targeted for extermination. The "enemies list," Jews, Muslims, atheists, Democrats, judges, Independents, non-whites, the handicapped, the homeless, the poor, and any persons who are Anti-Trump. 90% of the country might qualify to be the next list to "disappear."

Decent Americans of every race, religion, sexual orientation will become victims of the new police state run by the January 6th vigilantes just freed from their well-deserved jail time. 

Trumpers want the USA to be white again. Does that mean a return to slavery? Are all poor and middle class citizens going to be rounded up, along with refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants?

Will our new country's motto become The Rich Rule; The Poor Drool?

Weary of Daily Wiring Battles

Tulip looks so innocent when she's sleeping. No one would believe she can be such a little devil when she's hungry. 🙀 And when she's awake, she is always hungry.

When she's not rearranging my stovetop (yesterday inverting my black pepper shaker), Tulip is forever on the lookout for more places to explore.

Among the electric cords I try to hide from the cat are: cable modem, cable box, internet television wires, Amazon Alexa, my two Blink cameras. (Unplugged for now are my boom box and CDR player).

Tulip goads me into brandishing a water bottle when she gets behind the TV. She'll go through either side to walk amid the wires. She tries going under the television in a two-inch space; the plastic spikes there don't totally forestall her attempts to crawl through. If she sees an electric wire, she will play with it or bite it. (Bad kitty!)

Many times Tulip stretches her body across the whole height of the TV. Although I try to spritz her with water (without also dousing the wires), she often hops quickly over the top.

I'm completely frazzled by my kitten!

More Tulip Tales of Destruction

Seems that I should be mindful about things around the house when I'm talking on the phone. 

Last night I took a call; usually when Tulip's at her worst "feed me" obnoxiousness. This time, all was quiet. Granted, I did feed her. When I hung up and turned around, I didn't realize that I left her (covered) food container on the kitchen counter. She was chowing down to her heart's content.

I do more floor inspections after I hear something land on the floor. In less than two minutes, she knocked over a tape measure, then a screwdriver I had put on the kitchen peninsula. Don't know where the tape measure landed; it may have ended up under my recliner.

Tulip knocked off a mini basket of four spice bottles from its perch on top of the stove. Luckily, nothing fell behind the stove.

My cat loves to mess with the living room venetian blinds. Once the sun goes down, I wrap a  blanket over the lower part of the window. That way, she can't paw her way through the slats.

Tulip has taken to clearing my fridge of all papers and magnets. First, I emptied the left side of everything she liked to play with (or should I say, EVERYTHING). I tried moving the magnets a bit lower, but man, my kitten can s-t-r-e-t-c-h her body to reach farther down than I'd thought possible.

I'm using an old cookie tin to make "art" out of the relocated magnets. Right now, a pillow sham covers them. I need to pierce holes in the top to affix a string to hang it. Wherever the finished product goes, it'll need to be placed really high up or in a closed off room for safekeeping.

Dang! What won't I do to appease this cat?

While attempting to complete this blog, I'm hearing a succession of objects drop, meeting the floor behind me. A couple of containers "fell down." A tube of incense sticks and a spray bottle of STEM ant killer. Should I become incensed by this? Tulip keeps knocking over my canned citronella candle that's kept near the stove (unlit, naturally).

See the tall blue cabinet to the right? Tulip likes to jump on the top to rub against the three glass vases stored there, which concerns me. This mantra repeats; "That's why we can't have nice things." I am already thinking about alternate storage places for them.

If nothing else, this cat is keeping my mind sharp. It's a battle of wits that, for now, she is winning.

Zoom Interview

🎙

This morning I was interviewed by Rose Cushing on her Carolina Writers Speak podcast. Although I flubbed some parts in it, those instances will get edited out (hopefully). I will update my readers when the interview becomes available (roughly three weeks from now). I'll add a link to it on various social media.

In my first podcast with Rose (two years ago), I was too jittery to speak fluently. There were plenty of "Ers" and "Ums." Although I knew the topic for discussion was my beloved polydactyl cat, Liberty, I was too new at being a published author to overcome my nerves. 

Once the new interview is aired, I'll see if my speaking style has improved over the last two years. This time around, I felt comfortable talking about myself and my books. That may be due to these facts:

1. Since reaching the ripe old age of 71, I have matured (somewhat).
• Some may find this to be debatable.
2. I was speaking with an old friend.
• But I'm still older than Rose.
3. This interview was held on Zoom. Egad! How will I look?
• Rose assured me that it would be a voice recording only.
4. One of us was still wearing her jammies. 
• Which successfully broke through my bundle of nerves.

Brrrr! Today's Notes

It's time to get your long johns on, bundle up your overcoats, and turn on your space heater! This bitter cold reminds me of life in New Jersey and Connecticut. Both are lovely states, but too cold for comfort. I'm not used to being this cold in North Carolina. Granted, it's January...

Shh - Tulip is sleeping. If I dare leave my recliner, she'll start begging for food.

My contractor visited today; Tulip gave Connie the once-over. My first Temu purchase (a bathroom rack) was assembled. It was definitely worth the cost of a service call to have her do it for me.

The next two house projects are:

• Have a box custom-built to keep the various cords in order while discouraging Tulip from messing with the TV.

• Placed another order with Temu for an extra-wide retractable gate. The directions for assembly seemed reasonably simple. Of course, I may change my opinion once the package arrives.

Happy New Year

Although I haven't written about certain events as they happened, it should surprise no one that my sweet Tulip has gotten into more trouble.

• While in my bedroom for a few minutes, she played with my styrofoam wig stand. Bits and pieces were taken out by the chunk. 
• I don't think she was into the hairpiece itself.

• In the office, Tulip started to chew on the cloth-covered boxes that hold my books. Also loose papers, blank envelope boxes, et cetera.
• If doing this doesn't get my attention, suspicious noises often start emanating from the other end of the house.
• In other words, FEED ME NOW!

• Regarding the cloth bins in the living room, I'm pretty sure Tulip will conquer them all someday.
• Therefore, I placed an order with Temu for six lidded plastic boxes.
• Also ordered a collapsible hand truck which I'll use to cart materials back and forth to the Benson Center for Active Aging beginning in February.
• All items are slated to arrive in the next week or so.

• Lest I forget, Tulip is fascinated by the venetian blinds in the living room. I try to close them once it gets dark outside, but nothing can keep her away. 
• I've tried yelling, but that doesn't faze her.
• Shooting streams of water her way is an iffy proposition (have to watch out for electrical outlets.
• While I could do without the blinds, I don't want to be on display.
• If you want to offer your suggestions, please do (so long as you don't recommend re-homing her).

Oh - the picture below shows where the home phone is located now. Up a wall (which is where my cat drives me). This messes up the symmetrical placement of two sconces. Don't know if I should move them to another room or donate them to a thrift store.