Be Afraid. Be VERY Afraid!

New Cat seems to have found a home with us. Now that we've paid $250 to have him all taken care of by our vet it seems only logical to keep him. That, and he seems to have done some real sucking up to the one person he really needed to. Heath. We found out the poor guy (yes, the vet confirmed my suspicions on his gender) has a heart murmur. That could be part of the reason he's so emaciated. Now that he's in a stable home (or at least a permanent one), we'll have to watch his weight closely and make sure he starts gaining. Our other cats don't seem to have a problem with weight gain. Although, I KNOW they're none too happy about sharing their food with the usurper.

We still haven't decided on a name for him yet. I just can't seem to find one that really fits. It's like I know it already, but it's locked away in the back of my mind. I don't want to give him the wrong one. I wouldn't want to offend him. I'm pretty sure he's already a bit cross with me over the shaving I allowed the vet to do. At least, he is if the look on his face says anything.

You can almost hear the evil retribution he's plotting. Then again, maybe he's just miffed about the camera. I can't really blame him there. If someone re-styled me into an eighties-hairband-lead-singer-type look, I'd be rather contrary myself. It wasn't as if I had much choice. His fur was so badly matted he wasn't even trying to clean himself anymore. At least I've managed to resist buying a couple cans of that neon hairspray and tying a sparkly silk scarf around his neck. As soon as he weighs more than a bag of Cheetos, he'd smother me for sure!

Seriously though. He's settling in here in spite of the kids and Charlie and Lola. Lola is warming up a bit faster than Charlie. New Cat, bless his murmuring heart, just tries to ignore them and find a quiet spot to relax. I think, deep down, he's happy to have found a home with people who will take care of him. He certainly wandered into the right yard!

Earth Day, Yay!


We've had a rather busy week here at the Hyder house. Maybe not so much "busy" as just "active". We've been enjoying the warmer weather by spending time outside. Of course, I had to be sparing with my time in the direct sunlight as I am still peeling skin off from my last day in the sun. (I still think it's WRONG that you can be cold and get a sunburn at the same time.) Abby likes to help me with the peeling. I know it's gross, but I can't stop peeling it off and it DOES go faster with two people. Except she pinches. Gentleness has never really been her forte.

We went to the home improvement store on Earth Day (Wednesday for you eco-challenged types) and bought stuff to fence in our little patch of garden. (Part of me thinks it's cruel to taunt the rabbits with yummy food they can't have, but I am NOT putting all that work into a garden just to give them a lovingly tended salad bar.) I also picked up a few more seeds, a blackberry bush, and a rose bush. We came home and planted the rose bush and three of our ten baby trees from the Arbor Day Foundation. (Yay for free trees!) The kids and I even made Earth Day cookies. My own secret recipe. They were delicious. The kids had fun sharing them and telling people "Happy Earth Day". I love teaching them to take care of our planet. They're learning to have respect for the Earth and everything in/on it. Well, at least the plants and animals part. I'm still working on the people part, myself.
Today, we had some friends over. The kids had a ball playing/fighting with each other while Amber and I talked. I swear, it seems like our visits only last half an hour, but the clock says otherwise. There just are not enough hours in the day. Amber and I went to high school together. We were both in Show Choir and Chamber Singers. We reconnected through Facebook, which has become my new obsession. I can't remember who really got me started on this (Heidi, maybe?), but I'll bet Heath wouldn't thank them for it! I'm sure the sparkle will wear off of it soon and I'll settle down and spend less time on there, but I can't help myself right now. Too many games and I'm making friends all over the globe! The US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK. I can actually come out of my hermit hole and be social as long as I have a computer to hide behind. It probably sounds dumb, but I really think Facebook is doing more for my depression than the meds are.


Heath borrowed the tiller from my grandparents today so we could till the garden. Thing is, he actually had to work for once so he didn't get home until around seven. By that point, the clouds were rolling in the the rain was starting to sputter from their swollen bellies. We had to get it done before it rained, though, so he went straight out there in his work clothes and tilled it up. One of our neighbors (and his cat) was peering at us out his back window waiting to see if we'd get struck by the lightning that was growing ever more angry overhead. We made it safe and sound. Barely. The tiller ran out of gas three feet from being done and Heath had to refuel. Of course.

We also found a cat on Earth Day. He (at least I'm calling it "he" until the vet tells me otherwise) just wandered into our yard all fur and bones. He was all lovey and we gave him some food and water. He's black and white with long hair, but it's so matted I don't know how he can move without pulling his fur constantly. He's also front de-clawed so he shouldn't be out on his own. I'm a sucker so I brought him inside. Charlie and Lola are still livid about sharing their food, but they'd better get over it. This poor cat will be nothing but bones when his mats are removed. I've been trying to get some of them myself, but I don't want to stress him out too much. I just cut a few at a time until he tells me he's had enough by growling in protest. He growls at a lot, but that's all he does. He never actually makes a move beyond threatening. I made an appointment with our vet on Monday. Hopefully, they can help with the matted fur and make sure he's healthy other than being emaciated. He's going to be a beautiful cat once we love him up some.

I'd better get to bed. I need to get up bright and early in the morning to go give blood at the church. I hope they don't care if I fall asleep while they take it. Did I mention we're walking in the March of Dimes March for Babies this year? Well, more on that later. I've GOT to get some sleep!

100 Posts


Am I really only on my hundredth post? Seems like I should have gotten here long ago. I wish I could think of something truly memorable to share, or something that's at least mildly entertaining. Alas, such is the mundane life I lead. No base jumping or tightrope walking for me. I HAVE been venturing out of my social shell a bit more, though. I've actually started using Facebook to keep in touch with people. Granted, it's not exactly brave to sit at the computer, but it's a step, okay? I'm trying not to end up like Salinger.

I've been getting back into reading some of my favorite classic authors lately. I bought a new copy of George MacDonald's "Phantastes" and a collection of C.S. Lewis's. I ended up giving the latter to my grandfather for his eighty-fourth birthday last week. He published a book of his own a couple of years ago and it meant a lot to me. He'd been working on it for years and I know it was important to him to share it with the family. He and I got to talking about books and he told me he'd never read Lewis and I couldn't believe it! In some ways, Lewis reminds me of my grandfather. They both have/had such a profound and deep relationship with God. They are both what I consider to be gentlemen. They both shared their souls with the world. Two great men. You see why I had to introduce them. I hope they get on as well as I imagine they will.

Reading these stories I love so much makes me wish I could write them. I don't believe the world has given us anyone who could hold a candle to authors like MacDonald, Lewis, and Tolkien. The one exception I would make, is for James Oliver Rigney Jr., better known as Robert Jordan. What I wouldn't give to spend an evening in the company of these late, great writers. They were the true masters of fantasy. Their books changed my life in ways no other author has. They made me BELIEVE. I find it shocking that MacDonald has not been given his due these days. Movies have been made of Tolkien and Lewis's works, but they, themselves, were inspired by MacDonald. Few stories even come CLOSE to the wonder of "Phantastes" and "Lilith". I haven't even read all of his works. They're not exactly easy to come by. Easier in this age of internet shopping, but still not that common. The thought of such tales being forgotten is horrible.

I could go on about books forever, I suppose. Not surprising for one who dreams of having her very own library someday. Not a public one in it's own building really. I'd likely be happy with a rather large room in my house full of shelves of books. Dark wood, a stone fireplace (although fire around the books makes me kind of nervous so I'm not settled on this), over-sized chairs, and one of those rolling ladders to reach the higher books. A couple of really big windows with a window seat would be nice, too, but with heavy drapes to keep the sun from bleaching the spines of the books.

As long as I'm dreaming, I want it inside of my own English manor complete with moor, garden, and staff.

And I want a pony, too.

So there you have it. One hundred posts and still going. Exciting, isn't it?

Submarine Shopping


If you happened to see my status on Facebook tonight, you might have thought I was being sarcastic. Especially if you also happened to notice that my results from the sarcasm quiz stated that I was abnormally sarcastic. (I didn't realize you could be normally sarcastic, but yay for being off the charts again!) I said that I was shopping for a yellow submarine. That's actually true. Perrin has fallen in love with that song. (Yes, I am raising two more Beatles fans) We were at the library a couple of months ago and, lo and behold, I stumbled across the book "Yellow Submarine"! Perrin was as excited as I was. He had to show it to EVERYONE in the library and tell them "Yellow Submarine" is his favorite song. (I though we'd never get to the checkout desk!) Needless to say, that book has been at our house almost constantly ever since.

So, tonight I decided I'd better look into getting our own copy. You know, in case someone else wants to borrow the library's copy. I found it on Amazon, but then got to looking around and found the DVD. I compared prices and bought one off of Ebay. I can't wait to see Perrin's face! It's a good thing I love the Beatles so much, because I'll probably be hearing that DVD nonstop for awhile! (Did I mention I'm wearing my Beatles t-shirt right this very minute?) I also found a kid-sized shirt with the yellow submarine on it, but I have to draw the line somewhere when it comes to my spending. If Perrin is still into this at Christmastime, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

While window (Get it? Window(s)) shopping (Sorry. That WAS really bad) on Amazon, I looked up the HD DVD collection of the BBC series "Planet Earth". I want this. I know, I'm such a dork, but seriously. Have you seen this show? It's AMAZING. It's the first thing I've actually been dying to watch in HD. The people who shot the footage for that show are beyond talented. And BRAVE! Yeah, sorry, but I'm not swimming with piranha no matter HOW much scuba gear you give me. Well, maybe it you pulled all their devilish little teeth out first. But then, there goes the whole "no animals were harmed" bit.

Right. Got distracted there for a minute. Scary visions of demonic little fishes swimming up the shower drain. *shiver* It must be bedtime. I think I'll go read some Wodehouse to wipe the creepies out of my brain before I go to sleep. I'll let you know how the DVD turns out.