PRETTYING UP THE PLACE

Riding around yesterday, we went by the water department. Don't know who had the idea of painting the water tanks and buildings, but the view certainly added enjoyment to our ride.

Note the big humpback whale in one of the pix!

Gotta admit, the county does a bang-up job in keeping things looking good!

FERAL CATS

Turns out the reason the squirrel population isn't so much in this neighborhood is the feral cats. They're gorgeous, all of them, but still wild. I think one we saw prowling through our back (fenced-in) and tiny yard before we made the move was feral.

Seems like there wouldn't be as many birds, but guess they're more observant than the squirrels. I was following my guy out of the neighborhood yesterday morning, he off to his art class and me off to hit yard sales. He braked in front of me and waited. I thought he'd forgotten to tell me something and would get out, but no. He kept sitting there in his car. Then I saw a sleek black cat crouched just to the side as if stalking something. In a moment the cat darted across the street and my guy went on.

I started to go, too, but noticed the cat slinking behind a tree, still stalking. Just as I rounded the tree - one of the huge water oaks we have here - the cat pounced on a squirrel who'd been sitting on the ground. The squirrel tried desperately to get away, leaping in the air and thrashing around, but the cat clung to him determinedly. I was in shock, the car advancing automatically so I never saw what happened. But I'm pretty sure the squirrel got gone.

Awful to witness a murder first thing in the morning. And yes, I know the cat was hungry and this is nature and all that. But still...Right before my eyes?

PACK RAT

Still pooped from moving and company may be coming Memorial Day so not much time to blog. I did want to get this in though.

In case you don't know, PACK RAT is one of those companies that bring a storage bin to your house. You load up all your stuff, they cart it to one of their nice warehouses, and store it for you. Then, when you're ready for your possessions' return, they bring the storage bin back (to the old address or a new one) and you unload all your precious things.

A perfect solution for that gap between moving from the old house into the new. Sad they can't choose which stuff needs to never return, but I digress...

Somewhere during our move, we happen to have lucked into a miniature replica of the Pack Rat storage bin. It's cute as can be and it works perfectly for storing my salt and peppers. And here it is. Advertising and all.

BACK YARD

Our back yard is lovely. Miniscule but lovely. Whoever lived here before us planted very carefully, because all of a sudden it's burst into bloom.

Stepping out the back door and looking to the left, we have lovely yellow daylilies:

Then, slightly to the right, a fragrant jasmine:

Past the jasmine are roses and some purple flowery bushes:

And toward the end of the walk, one lone poinsettia:

And the cats are licking their chops over the birds they see out the sliding doors. They keep begging to go out, but I keep telling them they can't. But I think they're going to like it here anyway.

That's assuming we ever get settled.

LOST COFFEE

Tonight will be our fourth night in our new home. We are slowly but surely getting sorted out. Unfortunately, one of the lost items was my guy's coffee. I was sure I had packed it for the big day Monday when the movers came, but no.

Tuesday. No coffee. I kept saying, "I know it's here somewhere." Nope.

Wednesday. No coffee. I (and my slowly growing frantic guy) opened every box we had left unpacked. I was optimistic. "It'll turn up." It didn't.

Thursday. No coffee. BUT...Back at the ranch, picking up some more small items, I happened to look in the pantry that I was sure I'd emptied out. And there it was. Coffee can, measuring spoon, filters...Everything he needs. So tomorrow, no more McDonald's!

I HATE CLEANING HOUSE

Always have and always will.

So we bought a house and guess what that means. Cleaning. Yep, it isn't brand spanking new but was reasonably clean. Still, when I move into a place I want to make sure it's absolutely sparkling. That way I know it's my dirt I'm diving into when I do regular cleaning.

So instead of being down in the Village -- where the sequel to the movie The Anchorman is being filmed -- and gawking with the other locals, I've been stuck inside a newly painted house.

I can't complain too much. My guy has been working like a peon ever since we closed last month, supervising the roofers, the tilers, the carpeters, the floorlayers, the painters...He helped paint, too, and now he's doing some stuff we didn't have painted and later decided needed painting, like the insides of drawers and cabinets that looked good but were the wrong color.

Oh, and he's been moving stuff out of our storage unit, too.

While I've been scrubbing bathroom toilets, tubs, tiles and a shower that wanted to keep its stains. And scouring closet shelves and the refrigerator, after dusting bookshelves and putting away all the books brought from storage. I still have the microwave and the range to clean, along with a metal rack to hang pots and pans. And that reminds me, the ceiling fans must be dusty... Ughhhh.

So far, the cats aren't helping. They've been barfing up hairballs because we've been leaving them alone and won't tell them what's going on. So not only am I polishing up the new place, I'm having to pick up after them at the old place.

If you haven't caught on by now, I'm pretty annoyed. I want to catch a glimpse of some real Hollywood actors! I want to see lights, camera, action! And I really really want to see the end of this housecleaning morass I've been dragged kicking and screaming into!

READING CLUB

While in Alabama, I visited a reading club who call themselves the Same Sweet Girls. Don't you love that name? But the women lived up to it. They were very warm and welcoming. Not to mention delightful and lovely. And of course, anyone who reads is intelligent by default!

We met in a beautiful house, with a fish tank built into the mantel above the fireplace--I wish I'd asked how  she managed to clean it because it looked like it was inserted into a frame made just for the aquarium--and a gorgeous view of a lake. They offered wine and nibbles, of course; all gracious people offer wine and nibbles! And they were kind enough to act interested in my hardback mystery TAXED TO THE MAX, even though I'm sure their tastes run to more literary stuff than my light mystery.

All in all, I had a great time. I have a picture, but I hesitate to post it on my blog since someone might not want to be seen with me. So I'm posting my book cover instead. You'll just have to imagine several beautiful women facing the camera with one nerd in the middle and that'll be us!