Can I get a drum roll, please

The new entry

 And the stairwell

And the loft!

3:13AM

Max wants to talk. Qu’elle surprise!

At that time of the day, my comprehension of mad cat is limited.

Perhaps he is concerned about the local cat shelter being forced to close. Governmental support is in jeopardy! It is the only place local cats can go to seek refuge from domestic abuse. (Get real! The only domestic abuse Max would need to escape is himself. And I have learned the hard way. You can’t run away from yourself. You always catch up. And boy, are you pissed that you made yourself run!)

No, I don’t think Max was discussing the local cat shelter.

Maybe he wanted to voice his outrage that no cat has ever been nominated for an Oscar, despite many riveting and outstanding performances. (Really? Can you think of any movie, other than “That Darn Cat” where a feline had anything but a fleeting performance?)

Max is not upset about the Oscars. It just isn’t his style.

Now, it is possible that Max was trying to trick me into thinking it was morning, and time for his treat.

Bingo, I think we have defined the conversation quite clearly.

But I wasn’t born yesterday. I rolled over and went back to sleep!

Odell, Oregon

Across the street, and down the block from the Post Office is Wy'east Community Church.

You have to love a church with a sense of humor!

9066

Never again!!!

No group of people, be it Japanese or Jews or gays or Muslim or any other group of people should ever be locked up again!!!

And if is up to make sure it never happens again!!!

Three years

And I ain’t over it yet.

Richard’s death broke me; broke me bad, into tiny pieces. I am still trying to find all the fragments of my psyche. They are on the floor. Some may be lost to the waste bin. Others call to me from the tiny crevasses of the room. And others scream in protest, unable to believe the loss; the disaster. There is no limit to the damage. I loved him dearly. I still do.

And now all I can do is grieve. Driving into Hood River yesterday, I had to pull my car over to the shoulder. I was overwhelmed with pain. Remembrances of a great man, a man who could keep me centered and directed. Memories of Amsterdam and Paris and Hamburg and Copenhagen and Avignon and Le-Grau-du-Roi and Reykjavik and Montréal and Lourdes and Vienna and Sopron and Bratislava and all the other places we visited together.

All they are is memories. Memories of a happier time… a time when, and I am tempted to say “life was simpler”. But it was. It was so easy being with Richard. I was overtaken by his kindness and his good heart.

We grew into that old married couple syndrome. There was usually a Saint or a cat or two between us in bed. Our time together was disjointed. Richard often worked late, it worked early. He was an artisan, I have no artistic talent what so ever. He was… and that is the problem. He was.

Richard James Parker, you will live forever in my heart.

It is finally near completion!

The stair way is done… well almost done… and I love it!

The view from downstairs… the lower part!

And from upstairs

Max is learning to love the soft stairway. No more climbing up ladders for this fat cat!

And the cups start to populate the shelves. These are the extras from the kitchen. They have to go back. Nothing out of the attic yet! They aren’t all going to fit!

Each mug has a story, and a memory for me!

I sat and enjoyed them all for a long time... so much life tied into them!

The Bowling Green Massacre

I know, you all are thinking I am getting political. I am. But not as you would think I am.

I am not going to criticize Kellyanne Conway for a misspeak. Nor will I call her a liar, even though that is possible true. I want to say something that no one else (that I have seen or heard) has said. And that needs to be said.

There have been zero terrorist attacks in the United States by Iraqi immigrant. Two who were admitted to the US were caught trying to send arms to ISIS in Iraq. They are in prison.

I would you say that our old system was working, and working very well! Even Kellyanne admitted they were radicalized after they entered our country.

The old system worked. The Bowling Green Massacre is proof. So why are we fucking with it? Give me one good reason!

They say it is expected to warm up soon.

I was just hoping it would be before June.

Yes, the never ending winter drags on. In the last three days, we have gotten about 2 feet of snow. Got the driveway plowed, and thought all was peachy! It was, until Ma Nature threw an inch of freezing rain at the Upper Valley last night. Thankfully, I am prepared. I have plenty of booze!

The man who plowed my driveway said that at least three buildings had collapsed in the valley; part of the Dee Mill, part of a packing house and part of the mill right beside me. I heard the building collapse at the mill, but I can’t see it at all, as it is behind the office building. And that was before the freezing rain started to fall. 

This picture is from the upstairs window yesterday, before I had the driveway cleared.

My lilac is starting to droop. It must be tired of winter!

There is a beauty to ice.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

The gods of the weather were kind. My carpet has been installed!

And as an added surprise, the kitchen floor has been redone!

Jorge and Pedro, the flooring installers, got out of here just in the nick of time…. It is snowing hard and heavy right now. The storm has arrived.

Ta Da!!!

The entryway flooring is down!

And the carpet is upstairs! If nature is kind, it will be laid tomorrow!

Upstairs

Just waiting for the carpet!