How My Life Has Changed

 

Before Tulip, I…	Until…	Now
Kept an unopened bag of Kitten Chow on the kitchen table.	Tulip shredded the bag to get at the food.	Cat chow is stored in Tupper- ware on the kitchen table.
Had a floor lamp in the living room.	Tulip attempted to climb it.	The floor lamp sits unused in my bedroom.
Slept with my cats.	Tulip, who was wide awake, wants to play at all hours.	My bedroom door is shut at bedtime.
Used a regular cat food bowl.	Tulip scarfed the food in seconds.	Bought a fast-eater bowl shaped like a fish. It now takes Tulip minutes to eat.
Kept two rows of pills on the kitchen bar-height moved.	Tulip kept walking on and rearranging the vials.	The pills are now in a closed plastic box. Tulip has dropped the box, trying to get at three cat mobiles hanging above.
Kept two potted plants on the kitchen table.	Tulip wouldn’t leave the plants alone.	Removed two bar-height stools; Tulip still got into the plants.
Moved the same indoor plants on the kitchen counter.	Tulip kept eating the plants.	Blocked off access to the plants with other items.
Put clean dishes in the drying rack; dirty dishes go in a dish pan in the kitchen sink.	Tulip jumped right in the sink, taste tested everything.	Placed a car window shade around clean and dirty dishes.
Left the main bathroom door open 24/7.	Tulip explores everything; the roll of toilet paper fascinates her.	Close the bathroom door when not in use.
Let bills and other paperwork pile up in the living room.	Tulip started to rearrange and chew loose papers. Bits of paper littered the floor.	I had to file everything away. Unread magazines now sit in a paper tray. So far, so good.
Had dozens of cat toys which sat unused by Spooky and her predecessors.	Tulip picks out her toys from their bin. She has tried everything at least once.	All toys are available and used regularly. They show up in every room.
Cat-proofed my bedroom for my previous cat, Spooky.	Are you kidding me?	Cat-proof measures still in effect, with the added step of keeping the door shut.
Had two bar-height stools flanking the kitchen table.	Tulip kept jumping up, getting into everything.	Moved the stools under the kitchen peninsula.
Placed a wooden cat statue overlooking the kitchen peninsula.	Tulip knocked it down twice.	Moved the statue to a higher shelf (Tulip hasn’t found it yet).
Displayed framed photos in the living room.	Tulip knocked two pictures down, breaking the glass and its stained glass frame.	Moved two pictures to the spare bedroom within a plastic tray.

JoCo Senior Games

Last night I learned that a poem I wrote, HANDS, won third place in the Johnston County Senior Games, in the Silver Arts Division. Not bad, considering the fact that I was a No-Show. If I went to the event,  I might have scored higher.

Tulip's Latest Escapades

Tulip, my kitten, is teaching me well;🌷

I've accepted her foibles (which can be hell).

My floor lamp's was moved once she started to climb it.

Unused, in a bedroom, is where it now sits.

A car window shade keeps her from noshing on plants;

clean- or not-dishes, and pizzas while thawing;

each case invites ants 🐜🐜🐜🐜

to survey the counters in my kitchen.

She re-arranges loose papers; Tulip deems them as tasty.

Snippets of paper continue to "snow" the indoors

unless I can stop her habit of redecorating

my living room, bathroom and kitchen floors.

Then there's my stash of morning and night pills.

She walks on top of two rows of my meds,

upsetting the vials each day. Now she just

walks on the bottle-covering bin instead.

Instead of clay litter, she uses a Breeze box, 

but Tulip ends up playing 

with loose pellets, batting stray pieces

all about the hall floor.

Tulip plays with endless fascination 

and the occasional toy mouse. 

Seriously, her energy has no limitation

as she ZIPS through our house.

My lack of experience - or talent - 

for taking pics with my phone -

means you will just have to imagine

Tulip's star quality. ★★★★

I'll keep trying to capture my cat's humorous side

which disprove my typed comments, so snide.

Unlike past felines, this girl does not hide.

She likes meeting people, skinny or wide.

Sometimes I rhyme; often I don't.

Tulip talks to me both ways.

To ensure her next mealtime, she'll repeatedly say 

"It's time to eat NEE-OW."

VERSIFICATION

 Talk about a wasted day...

Would you recognize depression if you saw it?

Is it something you could write about - or maybe draw it?

Folks often tell me to “snap out of it” or “don’t have a fit”

but it takes more than THAT to overcome this shit.

---

Friday morning’s hesitation to arise; 

My bed is ideal for relaxation.

Nearly noon; I’ve come to the realization

that I missed taking Thursday's medication.

Depression raging, my observation’s

that even one day without psych medication, 

depriving myself of a day’s allocation 

has now become my pre-occupation.

Instead of weeding my yard’s vegetation,

I focus on every indication 

that I, in pure desperation,

have reached a new low: stagnation.

Where is my former dedication 

to work out of doors? Edification 

to strive for my planned migration 

from indoors to a garden location.

The frequent recurring indication -

that nothing serves as inspiration -

when I get this way. Such frustration 

to waste a whole day in self-recrimination. 

Despite the clear day - no precipitation -

becomes a true revelation. Where digging in dirt 

was once met with wild anticipation -

it’s now Null and Void; a cancellation.

So what will I do for recreation? 

It would not be a wild accusation 

to call me lazy. Verification 

is easy to admit; a confirmation.

Now half-past three, my affirmation 

Is: Today resembles a stay-cation; 

by going nowhere plus de-celeration, 

I've reached Couch Potato Station. 

It all comes down to my avocation 

(or hobby) of writing; a transformation 

from this sloth-like permutation 

to a dedicated occupation.

When depression yields self-recrimination, 

it's hard to find the determination 

to move past this ennui situation

and seek much-needed motivation.

Until I reach the point of illumination -

that I wasted a whole day - reaps indignation. 

Informs me through this notification

that TIME, once lost, equals NEGATION.

Liberty Merchandise

Liberty’s Scrapbook Prices

	Liberty’s Scrapbook Second edition	$10.
	White Ceramic Mug Limited edition, while supplies last	$20.
	Cat Flip Keychain 6 designs, while supplies last	$ 2.
	Cat Notepads 15 pages each 8 designs, while supplies last	2 for $1.

More Tulip Tales

My kitten is talkative, especially on mornings when I sleep late. She tries to wake me up to feed her Meow.

Tulip keeps jumping on counters; e.g., walking amongst two rows of my medicine and supplements. I have to consider how to cat-proof that space.

Yesterday I found a black plastic suction cup below the fridge. I have no idea where Tulip found it or what it went to. In any case, I 86'd it.

Tulip's front paws still bear the strings from her declawing. I tried to cut them off, but she wasn't happy about it. Yes, she told me so.

¡Pobrecita!

(poor little girl)

Tulip Trick

I am lucky to have a medical alert necklace. Last week, while Tulip got comfortable sitting on my chest, I was surprised to hear an AI voice say, "Barbara Crowley, this is Medical Guardian. Do you need help?"

I wanted to say "My cat called you," but I gave my usual line. "No; just testing."