Wagner's House

2008-11-11T19:59:00.002-05:00

Let's see. What have we been up to lately? We saw a great band at a bar last weekend. We bought a new area rug for the living room. And OH YEAH. I threw Brian a huge surprise party for his 30th birthday!

I thought about it for months and finally got the ball rolling at the end of September. Bob and Pat were generous enough to host the party at the garage and with some help from Shannon and my mom, I sneaked around for weeks buying supplies and planning the menu. A neighbor of ours has a smoker and made us 13 lbs of pulled pork... it was (and the leftovers still are) delicious! Jon was in charge of buying the keg, I got some boxed wine, and the guests each brought a side to share. Brian thought we were meeting some friends at the garage before we went out to a restaurant to celebrate his birthday, so getting him there was pretty easy. We arrived and there were a LOT more people than he expected! He seemed pretty shocked. But the best part was when his parents sneaked out from the crowd - he had no idea they had driven up from South Carolina! We all had a great time and I'm pretty sure it was a birthday to remember!

The rest of that weekend was great, too. We celebrated Halloween by going to three parties... after Brian had played golf all day with his dad, Jon and Glenn. A very long, fun-filled day! Brian and I dressed up as two of the characters from Juno - I was Juno and Brian was Pauly Bleeker. We made a pretty great pair, if I do say so myself.

Next on our agenda is the wedding of two of our newest, yet greatest friends, Shannon and Aaron! We've gotten to know them during the length of their engagement and I'm so excited to see them tie the knot! It should be a fun weekend!

Let's Make Strides Together

2008-10-13T22:39:00.003-04:00

Before I get back on track with my blogging, I'm going to ask you all for a huge favor. It's funny that I feel SO awkward posting this message even though I have absolutely no problem supporting others who ask me for donations, but here goes.

I was approached in my office to participate in the annual Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk put together by the American Cancer Society. Of course, I agreed to sign up for the walk and get a few donations, but I did it mostly out of obligation. I love to help out a good cause, but I didn't feel like I had a powerful reason to be walking. On the ACS website it says something like, "we've all been touched by breast cancer," and I do know a couple of women who have been affected, but I'm not close enough with them to walk "for" them.

So I signed up, emailed some friends, and I was shocked that within 2 weeks I had gotten over $300 in donations. Obviously, my friends and family think it's a worthwhile cause. Then I started thinking about why I'm doing this. Where is this money going and who will it benefit?

I know of two women in particular who have been affected by breast cancer. An ex-coworker's wife was diagnosed earlier this year and has battled with surgery after unsuccessful surgery while trying to mother three adult children and one son under 14.

Another woman I know happens to be a cousin of mine and I regret that we don't have a closer relationship. Being separated by age and distance, I don't know the details of her battle with breast cancer, but I do know that she has a wonderfully supportive husband and a young son who both need her in their lives.

I'm hoping that some of the money raised for this walk will go to find better treatment for these women. Maybe even a cure, but that's wishful thinking.

If you've been affected by breast cancer, know someone who has, or feel the desire to support cancer research, please consider contributing to the ACS and supporting me as I walk.

The neighbors were concerned.

2008-07-31T18:19:00.000-04:00

When Grady goes outside and the weather is nice enough, I like to leave the door open. Let me just tell you I will never NEVER do that again. Tonight, I opened the door to call Grady back inside and while I was standing there, the FASTEST rat came bolting towards me, following the line of the fence. If he had continued to go straight, he would have run right between my legs and into the kitchen.

Thanks to a rat's keen sense of direction (mazes!) and my "I'm about to die" scream, the rat pulled a cartoon turn. He skidded and hopped on his outside foot 3 times while winking at me as he made a tight 90 degree turn around a gap in the fence. Heart pounding, I slammed the door right in Grady's face. A whole lotta good it does to have a cat, eh?

Grady Friday #13

2008-07-25T08:15:00.002-04:00

Updates!

Grady is still going outside, but has seemed to cut down on his grass eating. I've moved the lilly out of reach, but sometimes he reaches for the other tall grass that we have in the yard. I've been meaning to pick up some cat grass for him and I promise I will the next time I'm at the Sunday Farmer's Market.

The auto-feeder has been a god send. Brian and I have gone out of town a couple different weekends this summer (Philly for the 4th of July! Wagner Family Reunion in Indiana!) and Grady has survived on his own just fine.

The auto-feeder has also come in handy for when Grady decides to meow the top of his lungs for food at 5:30 a.m. We can set it with his breakfast and forget it... Usually only on the weekends when I'm too lazy to get out of bed. On the weekdays, I just squirt the cat with a spray bottle and tell him to wait until 7:30.

Another update, but unrelated to Grady... Remember that monster plant I was growing out front? I was SO proud. Well, about 4 days after I took the pictures of it, the plant was DUG out of our planter by someone who decided they wanted to fill out their garden. I was incredibly upset.... I mean, I can sort of understand some angst ridden kid walking by and ripping some leaves off. But DIGGING OUT THE WHOLE PLANT?? Wow. That not only takes guts, but determination. The day after the plant went missing, I made a pathetic little sign to stick in the pot that said "Please don't steal our plants, they're happiest at home." I'm surprised the house didn't get vandalized. C'mon... that's a pretty annoying statement, right? After a few days, I decided to take it down and replant. Much to the dismay of a few of our neighbors, we're enjoying lovely zinnias instead of the poison ivy and stinging nettle that they suggested.

I have many more stories and pictures of our summer to share. Stay tuned!

Grady Friday, #12

2008-06-27T17:54:00.002-04:00

Letting Grady outside for a few minutes at a time has become a habit. He loves it out there... but only for about 5-10 minutes. Then he's sitting at the door, ready to come back in.

His usual outdoor routine consists of sniffing around the perimeter of the fence and then pausing around the trash cans to check things out. I'm sure he can smell the (hate to say it) rats that sneak through our patio at night.

Since early spring when Brian and I put some plants in the back, Grady has been pausing at each pot and smelling the flowers. He really knows how to appreciate the simple things in life, huh? One of the plants is a day lilly which is pretty much like a grass - its leaves are long, thin, and abundant. Grady loves this particular plant. Every once in a while, he'll try to chew on the other plants in the back yard, but every time he goes outside he chews on the leaves of the day lilly. And every time he goes outside, I have to push him away from that plant.

One day, Grady was outside unsupervised and you can probably guess what he did. I know, I'm a terrible pet owner. Hours after letting him back inside, we were on the couch when Brian heard Grady in the kitchen gagging. We entered the kitchen to find a small pile of cat puke with an entire day lilly leaf still intact... This thing must have been about 10 inches long! I finally realized that perhaps I should put that pot on the table... duh.

All of his grass-eating got me to thinking... I've heard of "cat grass", but I'm not quite sure what it is. As far as I know, it's a little pot of grass that is kept indoors for cats to chew on. Wouldn't this encourage him to eat the plants outside, though? Maybe I should be nice and indulge him and his grass-eating tendencies.

Monster Plant

2008-06-10T19:56:00.001-04:00

The Wave
Originally uploaded by Cindezio

Good news! Our plant has grown! It's completely out of control and has filled the entire pot.

Originally, we had 2 small azalea bushes in there with this little petunia, but our neighbor's football landed right on one of the bushes and snapped it off. Instead, I got liriope to take its place. Turns out, I didn't have to get anything because the petunia would have been plenty by itself! This type is called The Wave... maybe because it acts like a tsunami and overtakes everything in its path.

Grady Friday, #11

2008-05-23T08:09:00.001-04:00

Grady has recently developed a most unfortunate habit of using his vocal chords. You know the phrase "he has a face for radio?" Well, Grady has a voice for silent movies. His is the most obnoxious meow I've ever heard out of a feline. It's more like yelling, really.

Before we feed him, he barks. Yes. Barks. I think he was raised by dogs. I don't so much mind the barking... it's kind of cute. He's talking to us.

It's the yelling in the wee hours of the morning that drives me nuts. Every day without fail, he starts his crying between the hours of 5 and 6 a.m. My alarm goes off at 7 a.m. I lose a good hour or two of REM sleep because of a loud cat.

Sometimes he yells from the living room a few (27) times and then stops which is bad enough, but yesterday morning at 5:30, he started his noise at the FOOT OF THE BED. And then started clawing the carpet. I'm pretty sure he's hungry or wants to go outside or just wants company, but at 5:30 I'm really not in the mood. I got up, pushed him into the hallway and shut the door behind him. Sure enough, I solved that problem! I'm not sure if he got the hint and stopped crying or if I just couldn't hear him anymore... either way, it looks like I'll be sleeping with the door shut from here on out!

Grady Friday, #10

2008-04-25T20:44:00.003-04:00

A gift from a fan
Originally uploaded by Cindezio

Grady has fans! We were super excited to get this package in the mail. He certainly conquered this household. Thank you, Dorinda!!!

It worked!

2008-04-21T14:39:00.001-04:00

We arrived home late last night to a LIVE kitty who was pretty happy to see us. Both lids were open and all the food was gone. Thank goodness.

Grady Friday, #9

2008-04-18T11:11:00.002-04:00

One of the reasons I was able to talk Brian into getting a cat was because they're so self-sufficient. Cats are easy, I said. They just lay around, they clean themselves, they use a litter box and don't require early morning walks outside. Hell, I said, we can even go away for a weekend and the cat would be fine.

And we have gone away and the cat was fine, but mainly because we had a friend come in and feed him his daily serving of Trader Joe's.

Well, this weekend Brian and I are driving to Raleigh to see one of his old friends get married. I decided not to inconvenience any of our friends or neighbors by making them come over, but instead I went to PetSmart and bought an automatic feeder.

Last night we gave the feeder a shot. I put some food in one compartment, closed the lid and set the timer. When the timer hit zero, the lid opened and Grady could eat. I have to say, it's definitely not the most accurate timer. It's a dial with a marking every two hours, so you have a vague window of time when the lid may open. Luckily, Grady doesn't take medication and doesn't need his food at EXACTLY 5:30 so I think it will work for us.

When I tested it out last night, I happened to be in the kitchen with Grady who was sitting about 3 feet from the bowl when it opened. I didn't say anything or make any gestures, just sat there and watched him. At first he definitely didn't know what was going on. He saw the lid open, but then just shrugged his shoulders and didn't really care. After a minute or two, I could see his little nose start twitching because he could smell the food. He walked over and scarfed it up, thinking Ohmygod! What IS this machine? Was this food sitting here the whole time? I'm so confused, but mmm, Trader Joe's, mmmm...... nom nom nom.

This concerns me just a little. You know from past confessions that my philosophy is that if there is food available, the cat should eat it. But feeding time has become such a routine for Grady. Brian and I get home from work, open the basement door to let him into the living room, march downstairs, grab his food bowl, bring it into the kitchen, fill it up while Grady waits desperately, and march it back downstairs for him to inhale. I'm just a little worried that the timer will open the lid of this auto-feeder and Grady will be at the top of the stairs waiting for us to come home, totally oblivious to the food that's there for him. And if there's one thing I've learned about my cat, it's that he's no genius.

All we can do is put the auto-feeder where we normally put his dinner and hope that we don't come home to a starved cat.

Who wants a landscaper?

2008-04-17T15:12:00.004-04:00

The past few days have been gorgeous! Leaves on the blooming trees are budding (I love pink and light green together... on trees), the smell of fresh cut grass is in the air, dandelions are out in full force, and I even saw two tiny butterflies dancing around each other in a field.

Last night would be a great day to grill some dinner and eat outside... if only we had some patio furniture. But wait! We do!

Last weekend, Brian and I devoted some time to the back patio. We went to Lowes on Saturday and ~~spent a ton of money~~ bought some plants because we had a vision of a lush backyard with large planters full of flowers and greenery. We loaded up our carts (plural!) with what felt like an OVERWHELMING amount of plants, along with two giant bags of dirt. I've been collecting a few vessels to start a container garden and thought that we had PLENTY of stuff to be well on our way to a backyard jungle.

After unloading everything, the two of us spent a couple hours playing in the dirt. There was dirt EVERYWHERE and containers and plants strewn about the patio. I loved how full it seemed while we were gardening.

I was so excited to see the finished "garden!" We finally got the last plant potted, cleaned up our mess, and lined ALL of the containers along the fence. Brian and I stood next to each other staring at all the work we had done and instead of feeling proud, we both let out a sigh of disappointment. Our jungle-like garden was more like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree farm - a very small, very sad collection of tiny plants.

"Well, it's a good start and things will certainly look better once we get furniture back here," we reassured ourselves.

So on Sunday we took another trip to a suburban strip mall to buy some patio furniture. We'd been pricing sets at a few stores (Offenbachers: ridiculous! Home Depot: sad. Target: winner!) so we were able to just march right in, get what we wanted and load up Brian's car. But Sunday, the weather was chilly and overcast so we unloaded everything into the living room. There it still sits, in boxes.

Last night, I thought we might want to set it up outside, but we decided to go shopping (again) instead. And we won't do it this weekend, so in our living room it will still sit, in boxes, until we have time to set everything up and enjoy it.

Finally...

2008-04-16T17:01:00.002-04:00

Sorry for disappearing! Last Friday was just not a Grady Friday and I apologize to his loyal fans.... all three of you.

There has been much going on in my life at the moment and I'm pretty busy. Wouldn't you know? It turns out I blog when I'm bored... and thus, my writing is boring. Maybe if I wrote when I was busy it would be more interesting, but then my head might explode.

So the biggest news is... drumroll... I FINALLY got a new job! I haven't written about it here because honestly, I was too embarrassed. I've been searching since June of last year but hadn't had any luck. At first, I would bring up the subject to friends and family because I was excited about the prospect of a new job and I also wanted to spread the word. I even got a few friends to pass along my resume, but that got me no where. And that was the most embarrassing part - the fact that I roped my friends into my search and STILL no one would hire me. I had more than a few interviews (Just counted. ELEVEN! Oh my goodness, I suck.) so I guess my resume looked good, but evidently my interview skills are lacking. It just got too depressing to keep disappointing my friends when they asked about my search. I finally just resorted to saying, Oh it's fine, and then changing the subject. I guess I don't like people feeling sorry for me... which they don't have to do anymore because, YAY! A new job! I got one!

Let me compare my current job with my new job and show you why I'm so excited...

Old Job
40 minutes from home
Four people in the company and only one in my age range besides myself.
One designer: me.
One main project to complete over and over again.
All coworkers live in suburbia and can't relate when I tell them about things like street festivals or not being able to leave anything in my car overnight.
I'm the smartest one in the office, thanks to Google.

New Job
20-25 minutes from home
Company employs thousands of people.
Six designers including me.
Lots of new different projects all the time.
Most of the people in my department live in Canton.
Thanks to Google, I won't be the dumbest one in the office.

For the past few days I've been trying to organize my workspace and the files on my computer. I'm worried that my current company won't be able to find someone by the time I leave next week, so I'm typing up meticulous instructions of what it is exactly that I do. I hope they're able to find someone who is competent... I know they already got a resume from a "designer" who listed Microsoft Word as the only program she's familiar with. Yikes.

So THAT coupled with the start of spring and a wealth of activities to choose from every day has made me a little busy and a little preoccupied. But I'll try to be a better blogger, I promise.

Second Purse

2008-04-08T11:25:00.001-04:00

Purse #2
Originally uploaded by Cindezio

Soon to have a new home with Charissa!

A Boring Post About A Fun Saturday

2008-04-07T14:11:00.003-04:00

I had the best Saturday I've had in a long time. And it's not that I've had any bad Saturdays lately, it's just that this past Saturday was super.

I slept in just enough for it to feel like a weekend but still early enough to enjoy the morning. Brian and I went to the Broadway Diner for breakfast where he offered to pay for my meal if I tried something other than my usual, delicious Monte Cristo. It was tough, but I settled for the equally delicious Pigs in a Blanket. And then I whined when Brian forgot about our deal and asked me to pay, but I sucked it up and put out the cash. He did after all, pay for our dinner at Yellow Dog the night before.

After breakfast, we ran over to Shopper's and got our groceries for the week. Then we went to Home Depot to pick up a couple more parts for Brian's workbench that he's building.

He spent time last week making trips to various hardware and home improvement stores to pick up all the "ingredients" for a set of plans that he found for a workbench. He started building on Friday, but soon realized that a couple of his 2x4"s were warped, hence the trip again on Saturday.

While Brian got to work on his bench out on the patio, I put together some spinach balls for a small party later that evening. The name is deceiving, but those balls tasted pretty good. If you help me come up with a better name, we can both feel more comfortable.

After the food prep, I moved upstairs to my makeshift sewing room and (wait for it, Charissa...) completed my second purse! I don't have pictures to share at this point, but I'll be sure to get some before I send off the purse to its new happy home.

Brian and I were both beat by that point and ready for a drink, so we headed out to our friends' house and spent a great evening with great people. Also, great spinach balls... and taco dip and spinach dip and... I'm still full.

To top off the night, I was finally brave enough to sing my very first karaoke song... sort of. I had signed up with a friend, but she bailed and went home before it was our turn. Luckily, a neighbor of mine was there and willing to sing a duet, except that I held the microphone far enough from my face that no one really heard me. It still counts.

Yay, Saturday!

Grady Friday, #8

2008-04-04T23:56:00.001-04:00

nom nom nom
Originally uploaded by Cindezio

Hungry Grady!

Grady Friday, #7

2008-03-28T08:34:00.004-04:00

A couple years ago, I was in Cross Street Market buying a sandwich from a deli. There was a little old man who was asking the counter attendant for smoked turkey, but it seemed that all they had was roasted turkey. "No! I need SMOKED turkey!" The attendant excused himself to check again and the man turned to me to say, "My cat loves the stuff. It's all he'll eat! I need the smoked turkey! He just won't eat anything else!" I was skeptical, but nodded politely like I totally understood, "Cats these days, I'm tellin' ya."

What I was really thinking was, "Dude, YOU are crazy." This guy wasn't at any old grocery store. He wasn't just looking for Hillshire Farms. This man took a SPECIAL trip to the MARKET to buy his precious cat SMOKED turkey. He probably spends at least $20 week on lunch meat alone. Yeah, pets are rewarding, but they certainly don't have to be spoiled.

Ha! So I thought.

Then Grady came into my life. At first, I was all about getting the cheapest possible canned cat food. No Fancy Feast for us, no way. How about this 39¢ can of terribly smelling slop? He'll probably eat it.

And he did. He gobbled up the slop for weeks. And then, he tapered off. He didn't finish his half-can serving in one sitting anymore. And then it got to the point where he would smell the slop, take one tiny bite and then be finished. At first, I thought (with my tough guy attitude) oh well! He's got food. If he's hungry, he'll eat it. I'm sure he's not dumb enough to starve when there's perfectly good (disgusting) food sitting right there in the bowl, not to mention his dry kibbles that he can eat anytime. So every night at dinner time, I'd wash out the remaining food and refill the bowl only to have most of it sit there until I fed Grady the next night. Still, I was not concerned. I am cold and heartless.

One day during my lunch hour at work, I ran into Trader Joe's to pick up some odds and ends that were on the shopping list. One of those things happened to be cat food. It was just a little bit pricier than the usual junk, so I took home a few cans.

That night, I opened up the can of Ocean Fish and Salmon with Rice, threw it in Grady's bowl and set it down in front of him. Grady INHALED it. He LOVED the stuff and ate the whole bowl immediately.

Since that happy day, I've been to Trader Joe's for other things and always pick up a couple cans of food to have on hand. The other day, I had to stop after work to pick up specific ingredients that I had on a list. I walked around with my head down, focused on the list and stupidly forgot to pick up more cat food. Because we were on our last can at home, I went back to the store the next day and bought 12 cans. Nothing else. I got to the counter and the cashier asked me about my cat... and I had to admit that Grady only eats TJ's cat food... and yes, he is spoiled.

Grady Friday, #6

2008-03-21T12:29:00.002-04:00

Last week, in response to my sewing post, ACW suggested that I make a cape for Grady. It sounded like a fun project, so I accepted the challenge.

It didn't take long at all to whip up cat-sized cape and for most of the time that I was in my sewing room, Grady was beside me and interested in everything I was doing. He especially enjoyed when I added the elastic collar and was fascinated by the roll of stretchy cord. I think his favorite part of the process, though, was when I finished and adorned him with the cape.

WIthout further ado, I present to you... Señor Grady! Olé!

Grady Friday, #5

2008-03-14T14:44:00.003-04:00

Since we know Grady can sometimes go insane, Brian and I are pretty wary of having him in bed while we sleep. Usually though, if we coax him into the bed, give him a quick pat on the head and just let him lay down on his own, he'll stay curled up and calm at the foot of the bed all night long.

It's when we pet him too much that he freaks out and attacks. We've tried to control our affection and, thanks to Summer's suggestion, I've been keeping a spray bottle on my night stand to protect myself. I've used it a couple times when I see Grady's head whip around, his pupil (singular - he's got a bum eye) dilates and focuses in on the fleshy part of my arm. I slowly reach for the bottle and spray Mr. Hyde on the back so he'll jump off the bed and run away. Works like a charm.

Monday morning at roughly 4 am, I awoke with a startle to Brian flailing around and yelling at the cat. "Grady NO! Cindy, get the spray bottle! GET THE SPRAY BOTTLE!!!"

Groggy, but with adrenalin pumping, I grabbed the bottle, sat up, took aim, and got Grady in the hind leg. He jumped off the bed and ran all the way downstairs. I was proud of myself for saving the day.

Except... Once Grady was gone, Brian was dumbfounded. In his sleepy stupor he really didn't know what just happened. "I don't think Grady bit me," he admitted, "I must have had a dream."

So, poor Grady was just sleeping there soundly when, out of nowhere, his comfortable mattress started moving violently underneath of him. When he stood up to readjust, he was hit in the butt with a cold stream of water. As he ran away, I'm sure he was thinking, "What the hell just happened?! Those humans are crazy!"

Sew, what do you think?

2008-03-12T16:58:00.002-04:00

I've been sewing! Remember that sewing machine I got for Christmas? I've finally been making use of it.

My first project was a plastic bag holder to hang in the pantry. Brian and I remember only about 1 out of 5 shopping trips to bring our reusable bags with us, so we're still over loaded with plastic grocery bags. It's not so bad because I use them to empty Grady's litter box, but we still needed a place to store them other than shoved into a cabinet taking up valuable storage space. So I made an oversized holder out of lovely purple fabric and voila! No more cupboard of bags!

My second project was to finally get rid of the terribly ugly, forest green, ruffly curtains in the basement window. I absolutely hated them, but grew to ignore them - they were in the basement after all. I decided to get fabric to compliment the front of the house, since the curtains would be visible from outside. Someday in the near future (fingers crossed) we'll paint our terribly ugly, forest green front door. You can sort of make out the ugliness here, but I need to take an updated picture of the front of the house. We have new(ish) house numbers, a black mailbox, new light fixture and now, new curtains! Here they are from the inside:

My third and latest project was a birthday present for Dorinda, Brian's mom. I wanted to do something personal and special, so what better way than to sew something? I know Dorinda likes to go out on the town with her girlfriends, so I decided on a handbag... plus, I had the perfect pattern in my new sewing book (highly recommended!). One night of sewing produced this cute little bag:

I'm still dreaming about my next project, but I haven't settled on anything yet. Suggestions?

Grady Friday, #4

2008-03-07T19:29:00.001-05:00

Grady's been pretty upset with me for portraying him on Fridays in such a negative light. He'd like me to point out at least one redeeming quality so you don't get the impression that we're all living in misery over here.

When we first adopted Grady, I was told to buy some scratching pads, sprinkle catnip on them and encourage the cat to scratch the cardboard - not the couch. I did as I was told and, though he loved the catnip, he never really showed too much interest in the scratching pad. The only thing he showed interest in scratching were our small area rugs and those only occasionally (and at 5:00 a.m.). So the cardboard just sat there. I'd put catnip on it once in a while, Grady would lick it up and then curl up and sleep on the scratching pad.

One day a couple weeks ago, I felt like playing with the little guy. I got down on the floor and pet him, talked to him, knocked around his little toy. Then, started scratching my fingernails on the cardboard. To my delight, Grady caught on and started scratching right along with me! It was the cutest thing ever and since then, whenever I scratch the pad, Grady joins me.

Don't let my previous posts fool you. He really is a great cat and we have such a good time scratching cardboard together.

Spring is coming!

2008-03-04T14:15:00.001-05:00

Over the past year, I've become very aware of how the seasons and weather change my mood and personality. The gorgeous weather the last couple days has made me so happy and has filled me with ideas of what I want to do this spring. (Becoming more physically active is a priority, so I'm writing it here to make myself accountable.)

The backyard is at the top of the list, because at the moment it's just an empty slab of fenced-in concrete. Brian and I both love plants, but neither of us are gardeners, which makes our vision of a backyard jungle kind of hard to attain. We try. We've failed in the past, but this year - this year is going to be the Summer of Green. I can feel it.

I'm thinking about building planter boxes along the sides of the patio. The problem is that I have no idea what I'm doing. I've been researching online and I plan to ask a professional at the nursery for advice, but any tips you could give me would be much appreciated! Should I use wood? What kind? Line the box with plastic? Fill entirely with dirt or insert shallow pans of dirt on top? Maybe stone would be better? Can the dirt sit directly on the concrete? What about trees? I'd really like a tree, but it can't get too tall or have roots too deep, because it probably has to live in a pot forever.

Part of me wants to do it exactly right so it will actually work. But the happy, springtime version of me just wants to go to the lumber yard, buy some wood, and get building! So there will be plants and flowers!

I'll let you know what happens.

Grady Friday, #3

2008-02-29T16:26:00.002-05:00

Last week, I touched upon Grady's schizophrenic tendency to play with his hallucinations. But I suppose his condition would better be described as multiple personality disorder. Grady has at least two identities that control his behavior, I'll name them Professor Grady and Mr. Hyde.

Professor Grady is kind, gentle, and smart. He wears tweed coats with leather elbow patches and smokes a pipe while having in-depth discussions about the meaning of life. He's pretty mellow and likes the company of good friends. Especially human friends who scratch behind his ears and give him treats.

Mr. Hyde, unfortunately, is a holy terror. He's paranoid, angry, and abusive. He wears a black hooded cloak and eye liner and runs through the streets at 3 AM screaming obscenities. He hates people, yet instead of removing himself from social situations, he seeks people out only to hurt them. He especially likes scratching and biting.

Very early Tuesday morning, Mr. Hyde was on the prowl. My alarm had gone off at least twice and I was still in bed trying ignore the day. Laying under my warm comforter, I heard the sounds of tiny feet on their way up the stairs, and as usual, I got excited. It's a special treat to have Grady in the bed and he looks so cute when he's curled up and cuddly.

If my life were a movie, the pitter pattering of Grady's feet would have been heard over a background of scary violin music foreshadowing what was about to happen.

It was actually Mr. Hyde who jumped onto the bed. When I reached out to pat his little head, he let me know it was him by swatting at me with his claws, so I backed off. Except the only way to "back off" while in bed was to put my arm down. Apparently that was not far enough away for Hyde's liking. His eyes got huge, his ears perked up, and all of a sudden he lunged forward and sunk his teeth into my triceps. I screamed in pain and pushed him away, but he was persistent and tried attacking me again. He finally jumped off the bed and ran away while I sat there cursing him and holding my bleeding arm.

I wish there was an easier way to identify which personality Grady is controlled by at any given moment. Right now, I've only been learning by scratches and bites.

Grady Friday, #2

2008-02-22T16:03:00.002-05:00

One night before we fell asleep, Brian and I alarmingly said to each other, "What is that noise??"

It was kind of scratchy sounding, a little bit creaky too. Something was happening on the stairs and we could hear the floor squeaking.

"Did you set the alarm?," I whispered.

"I think so."

"Well, what is that?"

I got up to investigate and found Grady attacking invisible mice on the stairs. He would pounce on something in the corner and then follow it as it climbed up and then down a few steps. He batted the mice around with his paws a few times. And just as quickly as it started, he lost interest and pranced down to sleep on the couch.

I'm not sure if you caught what you just read. I said that Grady was attacking INVISIBLE MICE. Our house was built in 1920 and, even though we don't have mice at the moment (I'm knocking on wood), I'm sure that at some point in our home's history, there were tiny little mice that scurried up and down our stairs. And at some point, they died. And they left their little mouse ghosts behind to torment our cat.

Maybe we should get an exorcist.

Visit to the BMI

2008-02-19T09:51:00.004-05:00

Brian hasn't taken a sick day in the 3+ years he's been working at his company, so when he stayed home from work on Thursday and Friday, I knew he was really feeling bad. I prepared myself for a weekend of caregiving and occupying myself while he slept away his virus.

The virus was bad and it was a snot-filled weekend, but not as bad as I thought. Thankfully by Sunday, Brian was feeling much better, but cabin fever had set in. He was still weak and incapable of making decisions, so I jumped at the opportunity to suggest the Baltimore Museum of Industry... somewhere I've been wanting to visit for quite a while.

I was an art major in college, so by default I spent a lot of time at art museums. I loved (and still absolutely LOVE) looking at original works of art. What I didn't love was the stuffiness of most of the museums I visited. Even - or should I say especially - the modern art galleries. Walking around, I'd overhear pretentious idiots having deep conversations about transcendence versus nothingness or some other bs argument. At one point in my academic career, I really admired those who could pull off a conversation like that. Now, I think it's all ridiculous. I understand and appreciate that art has had a GINORMOUS impact on society throughout history, but I just hate all the speculation. What was the artist thinking? What was he feeling? Do you sense the angst in his work? BLAH. I'm much more interested in how a piece was executed and what materials were used.

Which is perhaps why I LOVED the BMI. I got to see how and why things were made... all factual, no speculation. It's all about the history of industry in Baltimore... The kind of history people still have stories about. What was made here, what was imported to and exported from our ports, how some of the products were produced, and where they were manufactured. Many of those industrial warehouses are still standing, although most of them have been repurposed. At the end of our visit, Brian bought a book that labels on a map where these factories and warehouses are in the city. We're pretty excited for our next urban adventure in search of the umbrella factory.

Grady Friday, #1

2008-02-15T15:14:00.001-05:00

In an effort to post more regularly, I've decided to start Grady Fridays where I will share an anecdote about our cat. OH, I KNOW YOU'RE EXCITED!

Seeing as how this was a very spontaneous decision, I won't have a photo to go along with my post this week, but hopefully that will be a regular thing as well.

Since Grady was adopted, he's turned into a complete 100% indoor cat - after being a complete 100% outdoor cat. So at some point, Brian and I thought he might enjoy a little field trip out to the back patio. On a nice fall day, we escorted him cautiously outside, half expecting him to take off at top speed and jump over our 6 foot tall fences, even though that's not really his style. He stayed in character and slowly explored the perimeter of the patio, sniffing the ground where the rats have been. We got bored, opened the back door to the kitchen, called to Grady who immediately came running inside. It was a short and sweet trip with no glitches.

Every now and then, when one of went outside to check out the patio or take the trash out, we extended the offer to Grady to join us. He seemed to really like it and it made me feel better about keeping him cooped up inside all day.

Now, after about 2 months of occasionally letting him outside, Grady sits by the back door, staring up at the knob, hoping it will magically open up to let him into his beloved Baltimore wilderness. It's getting annoying.

On one particularly cold and windy day last week, we decided we might try to get him to change his mind about the great outdoors. Grady is NOT a fan of moving air... the wind, breezes, a fan, or his crazy owners blowing in his face. When I do that, his neck disappears and his head squishes back into his body. It's hilarious, really. So on the windiest night, when we opened the door and got him outside, he was fine until a strong gust of wind came and he hunched down so low that he practically vanished into the sidewalk. It was awesome and we thought for sure that he'd learned his lesson.

Oh no... not at all. He seems to know how this weather thing works. It's not always cold and windy and dammit! He wants to GO OUTSIDE! He is now reaching up with his front paws and trying to teach himself how to unlock the dead bolt. Pretty soon, he'll have mastered our alarm system.