A Week of Freak-Outs

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Last night it was Squirt's turn to freak out. This is him. He's my most neurotic cat, and the one I expect to take the longest to adjust. Apparently he's reached his breaking point with all the moving and stuff, because he peed on our stack of newspapers last night. I think it was anxiety, but he could be sick. To be on the safe side, I gave him one of Jewel's anti-depressants (since she doesn't need them), and 250 mg of Vitamin C. Whether he's sick or stressed out, I'm treating him for it. I'll probably keep him drugged for a few days. I thought cat nip would be enough, but now I'm not so sure. We'll see how it goes. Everyone pray he's not sick. I don't think I can handle that right now, and I have to go out of town soon and won't be home to administer the medicine.

We could start the official countdown to Mo-Town, but I have no idea what un-Godly hour my husband will make me get up in the morning. :) Later.

Wandering Gypsy

nu=3272>2;4>;3:>WSNRCG=323355<259<3;nu0mrj"> First things first, this one is Gypsy. We adopted her from the vet's office in October, so she is the newest addition to our family. Like the others, she is an inside-only cat. While our area is fine for a large dog, there are too many things that pass through that would eat a cat, so they are confined to the house. Gypsy has been fine with the house rule since we brought her home and gave her plenty of food and her own kennel to sleep in whenever she wants. However, yesterday she needed an adventure.

Dave was home half a day doing some outside cleaning. Apparently, the extension cord he had in the door actually pulled the door open at one point, and Gypsy seized her opportunity. Like an amature (Jewel is our escape pro), she ran right up the pecan tree and was afraid to come down. Georgia was bouncing all around because kitties don't belong outside, and Gypsy was having none of being on the ground with her. So, Dave got a ladder and precariously got her out of the tree. While he was holding her by her back hips and balancing on the ladder, she began to hiss, spit, and slap at the dog (that I'm sure was a good 4 feet below her on the ground). In an effort not to break her tiny self or fall off the ladder, he gave her a little toss. She ran up another tree, only he didn't know it at the time. At this point, he called me at work so that I could worry for the rest of the day. :) When I got home, she was back in the original pecan tree and Georgia was monitoring her actions. After putting Georgia in the house, I talked her out of the tree with some cat cookies. Poor Gypsy was scared to death and trembling, but cookies and dinner got her straightened out. Not to worry, all is well now. She was banging on the bathroom door when I got out of the shower this morning. Apparently, I was taking too long to give them breakfast. :) She always comes to see about me at breakfast time, sassy witch.

Freaking Out Again

So, since my freak out Saturday night, I have been fine. I'm ready to get moved and be done with it. I'm excited about our fenced yard at the new house, and the better neighborhood for dog walking. I plan to put the PABs to work whenever necessary, and I just think the whole thing will be a 90% positive experience (I have to allow 10% negative for the adjustment period and the unknowns).

This freak out I am referring to was Dave's - not mine. It happened not because we are moving, but because we haven't moved yet. :) We took a load of stuff to the thrift store last night, so the basement is cleared and organized for moving to his satisfaction. The upstairs, though virtually empty, still has random things sitting around waiting to move. If it doesn't fit in an 18 gallon plastic tub (which is what we've packed with instead of cardboard boxes), it's sitting in the living room. He can't stand this disorganization; it's making him batty. :) I don't really care that random things are squatting in my living room, but whatever. He is also bothered by the few things that are left in the other rooms (mostly hanging clothes, our bed, lamp, alarm clock, air purifier, etc.) There's really not much but he really wants it all consolidated into the living room or in a tub in the basement. I think he just thinks it would be fun to camp in the living room for the rest of the week. :) Anyway, we did a walk through so I could point out exactly how empty the house is, and how close we are to moving. What's left will be thrown into a tub at the last minute. He wasn't buying it. I don't think Friday can get here fast enough, that's when he will load the truck. Friday night, we should probably stay in a hotel because if he has his way, there will be NOTHING in the house when he finishes loading the truck. :) Please pray for me. :)

Blog Changes

I've changed the blog template in an effort to make the text easier to read. Someone please let me know if this one is better. Thanks!

House Pictures

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Dave asked me to post pictures of our house in Gardendale, so here they are. There are more pictures of the yard, but these show a good portion of it. We have about 2 acres total, and only about 1/2 an acre is wooded. Plus, our yard is next to a vacant lot that belongs to the nursing home, so we use their yard as ours, too. :) It's great for frisbee. Enjoy.

DeSoto State Park

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We went to DeSoto State Park in Fort Payne, AL last weekend for a break, so I thought I would share a few pictures. It was beautiful and we had a great time.

This is DeSoto Falls, located just south of the first hydroelectric dam built in Alabama on Little River.

















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Dave, King of the Mountain. This was just a rock formation we found on one of the hiking trails in the park. Some little monkey-boys were running up and down them, so we had to, too. :)










nu=3272>2;4>;3:>WSNRCG=32335974;774;nu0mrj"> This is Little River Canyon Falls. It marks the beginning of Little River Canyon, which spans 11 miles into the mountains.

Moving Day is Almost Here

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Since the bathroom is finished and technically the blog was for the bathroom remodel, I decided to start a new one. I discovered early on that I enjoyed blogging, so I will continue and you can read and keep up with everyday life if you wish.

We have packed nearly everything in our house, and we took a load to Montevallo today. We will be moving the rest of it next Saturday, April 1st. I have to admit that I’m having a rough time with this tonight, and it feels a little like an April Fool’s joke to be leaving my home in Gardendale. On the one hand, I am excited and ready to move, but when we got back here today, I felt really sad. I imagine it will be on and off like that until we are out, and again when we sell the place. But, we can’t have both, can we? This place has been wonderful for us, and I just thank God for blessing us with it.

I talked to Uncle Danny and let him know that we want to list it with him and we will be calling him once we’ve moved, had carpet installed, and scrubbed to my satisfaction. The carpet people say they can install new carpet the day after we move out, and a consultant will come next week to measure and let us pick a color. That makes me sad. I will not live on my new carpet, carpet I’ve been wanting since we bought this house. Oh well, life goes on.

I’ve already arranged the transfer of our phone and cable service, so we should be good to go once we get there. All I can say is that I hope the cable man truly comes between 1 and 3 to turn on the cable because the NCAA Basketball Final Four is Saturday night. We will not be happy if we miss it.

In other news, Georgia is a tired puppy after her big day today moving a load to Montevallo. She is sleeping in HER recliner and twitching while she dreams. Sometimes I envy her. I’m a little worried about the kittens in the move because they will be living in a much smaller house with no basement. They may freak out on me, so I will keep them sequestered during the moving/unpacking until things calm down. I also plan to drug them with catnip, as that usually mellows them out. I will have a baby gate to block off the spare bedroom for them, so they will have some space that’s all their own. We’ll see how it goes.

I also started reading a book for Sunday school today called Prayer: The Great Adventure. Dave suggested I read it while I was freaking out about the events in the coming weeks, so I did, and I started a prayer journal. As you’ve probably discovered, I enjoy writing for the sake of writing, so I think this prayer journal is going to be an exciting way to see exactly how God works in my life. I know I felt much better when I finished today’s entry, and I know that He will give me the strength and courage I need to make this move and face the challenges of moving back, living in a new house, making the horrible commute, selling this house I love, and whatever else may arise. It’s very bittersweet to be excited and nervous and sad and happy all that the same time, but I really feel that He has a plan for us and there is a purpose leading us back home. And, yes, Montevallo is home to Dave, too, even though he didn’t spend his childhood there. We are going to be A-Okay. More later.