Crazy cat lady retires and puts away her cape

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As I mentioned, for the last few months I have been working on trapping and releasing members of a feral cat colony in an “abandoned” house down the road from me using a grant for residents of 97301 to have their cats spayed or neutered for free.

At the end of June, my quest had the following results:

  • 2 kittens (taken to Willamette Human Society and adopted)
  • pet cat – April 27, May 3
  • dark tabby – May 5
  • gray and white female – May 9
  • black female – May 22
    • I caught the mama cat! After weeks of cat trapping ups and downs, the current status is two kittens taken to the humane society and (hopefully) adopted, 1 pet cat caught (twice, the little devil), 1 female cat caught and spayed, and tonight, the mama cat has been caught! I just locked her in with bungie cord, so hopefully she’ll still be there when she goes to get spayed tomorrow! I am so excited!
  • gray and white with broken leg – May 31
    • Feeling a little like the devil. The cat I brought in for a spay/neuter was really mean and sort of scary. The clinic just called and said it had a broken leg and recommended euthanasia. I intellectually understand this is for the best, but I am trying to do a good thing… not a mean thing.
  • gray tabby – June 13
    • Another feral cat to the neuter this morning. It’s always a wow when I see people bring in 12 cats… volunteers for a cat group. I mean, wow! Talk about dedication.
  • tabby (young one) – June 17
    • Official opinion: People are crazy. Evidence?
      1. I got up 1/2 hour early for the 10th time to take a 6th cat to the Humane Society for spay/neuter. (See, I’m crazy too.)
      2. When I get there, there is a small box on their doorstep. Inside the box, a pet snake. [Second opinion: There is no point in having a snake for a pet. They aren’t pets. They must be fuzzy and lick your face to be a pet.]
      3. There are signs everywhere on the property that say: “Abandon an animal and go to jail.” The snake-dropper-offer left their phone number on the box.
      4. Willamette Humane Society does not accept snakes, so now they have to find a home for it.
  • tabby and white (young one ) – June 20

I had four more appointments lined up, but then one day I walked by the house and the for sale sign was down and a crew of workers was clearly in the midst of fixing the house.

I asked the crew leader/new owner if he was wanting to continue with the trapping; he said no, they were going to tear off the porch where all the cats had been living.

Thus ends the crazy cat lady.

Class: Writing & Illustrating Children’s Books (Week 3)

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Week 3 was billed as having a “guest” speaker, but we started out in our “usual” fashion of a creative prompt to start the class. The prompt: “Your weekend.” As Mom had just visited, and as usual we went to Konditorei, my drawing was…

cake

We did a short review of last week’s techniques, then Grant Burgess (literature degree from Reed College) gave us a lecture on the history and development of children’s books and the traditional plot. It wasn’t a bad lecture. I did this drawing…

crow

… and got this quote to consider.

Your conflict should tell you more about your character and who you are dealing with than all sort of character introduction.

Words to consider in light of our challenge in the next two weeks: to develop and finish a mini children’s book!

Requirements:

  • Must follow “The Traditional Plot”
  • Must be at least six pages but no  more than twelve
  • An illustration on each page
  • One developed character
  • One close up illustration of a character’s face
  • One panorama scene

Nothing like a challenge!

Class: Writing & Illustrating Children’s Books (Week 2)

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I intended to “catch up” on all three classes to date, but the last post got a little long, so I decided to divide the subject into weeks.

Week 2 started out with a review of the week before…

Key aspects of character development (focus on “connection through relatable experience.”):

  • Who
  • Where
  • When
  • What did you learn
  • Why was it relatable

And we moved into fighting “creative block” (boy do I need that.) Even though our class is only five weeks, and Ms. Malberg would like us to finish a book by the end, to do further awesome things (such as write something worthy of publishing) we’ll have to be creative well past the class.

We did a couple of writing prompts.

  1. 1st Day of School

    school

  2. Best Day Ever

    snorkeling

From there we learned several drawing methods because so many people in the class were nervous about their drawing skills.

Oval Method

key

Two additional expressions…

Stick Method

stick

 

Free Time to “Develop a Character”

Meta sees the new tree (expression: surprise)

Meta sees the new tree (expression: surprise)

What do you think?

Class: Writing & Illustrating Children’s Books (Week 1)

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Well, after that last post, I could use some actual art-related posts. Luckily, I’ve been taking a couple of classes, so I have lots to talk about.

For the last few weeks I’ve been taking “Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books” through Chemeketa Community College and taught by Kristina Malmberg (owner of Yes You Can Creations.)

When I originally signed up for this class (which actually was several months ago, but it got cancelled a couple of times,) I really didn’t have any big goals. I just wanted to take a class and maybe meet some people and this class sounded like fun. Also, I really like children’s books.

My one worry was being treated like a child because of the topic; is there anything worse, as an adult, than being treated to a sing-song-voiced instructor talking down to you? I am happy to report Ms. Malmberg is a professional and conscientious teacher who treats the subject seriously.

Week 1 – July 7

Week 1 introduced us to the subject by reading some children’s books (some classic, some not-so-classic) and dissecting them into what worked and what didn’t work, from both an art and story perspective.

We were then challenged to develop a scene based on a personal experience and think about “what did we learn” and “what was it relatable.”

I developed the following story.

I fell into the pizza

Every week we go to pizza.

We order a big pizza.

I watch it being made through the window.

makingthepizza

I know which one is mine by the toppings.

When it’s done, my dad gets it from the counter.

One night, I volunteered to go get it.

I proudly carried it to the table. It felt very big.

holdingthe pizza

But then, I tripped.

tripped

And I fell.

Into the hot pizza!

intothepizza

The toppings were everywhere.

My pants got hot.

I started to cry.

I couldn’t get up.

My dad picked me up.

I was crying.

Mom wiped me off.

We got another pizza… to go.

I got a bath.

crying

And then some pizza.

pizza

The next week everyone at the pizza parlor knew my name.

end

It was embarrassing.

But kind of nice, too.

My dad got the pizza until I was a little older.

 

Positivity Experiment & Conclusion

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The Age of Medicine

Lately I have been struggling with almost every aspect of my life, including my mental health. I have been on depression and anxiety medication for 17 years and I know from all experience that: 1) Medication issues (such as not getting the correct medication on time) can take about 6 months to fully show up and can take even longer to settle back down, and 2) that medication is a helpful tool, but doesn’t take the place of work.

A little over 6 months ago there was a serious of pharmacy issues and I went without medication for about four days.. Then the same thing happened about three months later, but this time I was off medication for about a week. Both occasions were just long enough that some short term problems happened, but I know from experience that at 6 weeks I’ll have another mood swing and at 6 months I’ll really have a period of issues.

I am fully into “that period” and, gosh, the world does not seem like a friendly place. I feel (illogically) isolated and fragile. The normal weirdness of human behavior seems hostile. The other day someone made a comment in the grocery store and I burst into tears. I didn’t even know that person, but their comment hit me HARD.

The Science of Happiness

A few years ago “The Science of Happiness” was on PBS. I remember being particularly struck by portion that talks about an experiment where a group of people were assigned to say three position things to themselves every day. One of the participants was a young man who was currently “unemployed” and was using his time to take care of his extremely young daughter (“unemployed” is in quotes because I would argue parenthood is a total JOB as is employment hunting.)

Initially, he talked about his frustration with his job search and how he was “only” taking care of his daughter. But after a few weeks, he said he noticed that he was feeling better about things. He noted that the job search continued, but that he was taking pride in how well he could change a diaper and how much more connected to his daughter he was feeling.

Breathing Should Be Fun

Last weekend was pretty uneventful around Chez Choate (blissful, really…) and I had time to “sit down” with myself to really think about what was going on.

Another thing that has been going on the last few months is that my breathing has really deteriorated. As of last week I have finished a period of tests and examinations; the good news is that there is nothing obviously wrong with my lungs, the bad news is that I am empirically not breathing as well as I should be. At this stage in the game, we’re talking about management, not fixes.

I need to loose weight, and as much as I WANT to do that, I’m constantly bombarded with the feeling I can’t do it. I am a stress eater, and too much is going on!

Happiness Experiment

So last weekend I sat down and thought about what I could do. I’m depressed, I’m not breathing well, and I’m still feeling lonely from my move.

While I didn’t (and don’t) have answers, I decided to see if a week of my own “happiness experiment” could put things into perspective. So I decided to post three positive things I did each day on Facebook for a week. Here are my posts.

Facebook Posts

Sunday (July 17)

I have been struggling with… well… everything. So, this week I’m going to try an experiment.

Each day I’m going to post three positive things I did to take care of myself and/or did well at.

For today (Sunday):

1. I took Key to his dog training class. I got a workout and he got a lot of cheese. Win-win.

2. I did food prep for myself for the week. I may not do perfectly this week, but I will have healthy choices available.

3. I spent the morning relaxing by sleeping in and then going on a bird watching drive. It is okay that I spent a couple hours for myself instead of getting things done. It is okay that it wasn’t a hike.

Monday (July 18)

Experiment, Day 2.

1. I rode my bike to work and took the dogs for a long walk. I hit my FitBit goal of 10,000 steps.

2. I painted.

3. I returned phone calls in a prompt manner.

Bonus: I did not throw myself on the ground and shriek like a toddler when my boss changed her position and agreed with me just because someone else pointed out I was right in the first place. Total height of professional behavior.

Tuesday (July 19)

Experiment Day 3:

1. Attended weight watchers meeting, hit FitBit goal, rode bike to work, walked dogs. [Took care of physical self.]

2. This one won’t make sense to anyone not there. When someone came to me and showed me something they had done, and I (very crankily) thought “why?” what I said was “That’s gorgeous. You did a good job.” They glowed. [Kind to others.]

3. I worked hard all day: I lead three meetings (very scary) and attended a training. [Faced fears, conscientious.]

Wednesday (July 20)

Experiment Day 4:

Today was a hard one. Everything I felt that was good, I wanted to put a “but” in back of it. But that’s the experiment. Just see the good stuff.

1. I finished two books last night (counts since it happened after last post.)

2. I signed up for an online painting class and I painted!

3. I handled a difficult talk. And that’s all I’m gonna say.

Thursday (July 21)

Experiment Day 5:

Another hard one today.

1. I feel like I acted like an adult all day. ALL day.

2. I followed through on a physical/health issue; while the result have not been what I wished for, I feel good about pursuing it this far and getting the answers I have received.

3. I attended a creative class.

Friday (July 22)

Experiment Day 6:

1. Hit my FitBit Goal.

2. When I left, my desk was clean for Monday.

3. Disengaged from at least one illogical conversation.

Saturday (July 23)

Experiment Day 7 (the end, conclusion tomorrow)

Today’s is really hard for more as I’m feeling depressed and physically sore.

1. I took the dogs for a long walk.

2. It could be said that I faced my fears. I didn’t do well at it, but I did face them.

3. I have made a good enough friend that she admitted that she didn’t have a very good time either.

Experiment Conclusion

Working on this all week, I do see trends and was able to make a few decisions.

First, I made an appointment to see my (long-term) therapist. I made to go back to regular counseling for a while.

Second, I am really doing better than I thought on the exercise portion of weight loss.

Third, objectively speaking, three of my five work days were stressful (literally… FULL OF STRESS) and one of my weekend days was hard. I need to SCHEDULE more time for recovery.\

Finally, it’s hard to say good things to myself. SO many times this week I thought “hey, put that on your list” and a voice would come and say “but, you really didn’t….” or some other thing to cancel it out. I need to work on this. I’m going to try to find a way continue the process in a slightly less public way (not Facebook.)

North Fork Santiam and Opal Creek

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I believe I am not the only person who woke up this morning with a plan to “do something.” Last night I Googled some ideas for hikes in the area (still new to me) and decided to experiment with driving up Highway 22 to see the Opal Creek Wilderness Area.

Finn is no longer capable of the extended hike I had in mind, so I loaded up Key, gave Finn a treat, and got on the road about 8am. In the spirit of exploring, we stopped at a small park labeled the North Santiam Recreation Area.

Almost immediately we spotted a young pileated woodpecker.

If you look closely you can see the little gray fuzz on the top of his crest.

Key got his feet wet, but confirmed my impression that he is not a water dog.

keyinwater

So we proceeded to head toward Opal Creek.

Being a rather out of shape hiker, it is always my goal to find a trail that is neither up or down, shaded and cool, with good scenery and bird watching. Opal Creek hits a lot of those points. And thus, it was VERY busy (the website said it was “lightly used.” Liar.) After some wandering, I parked at the 79th car. When we left there were 136 cars.

While we only hiked less than a mile in and out, to Sawmill Falls, it was a stunning trip. We saw a variety of little flowers still in bloom and saw and heard a very determined little Pacific Wren.

Sawmill Falls, however, was the real stunner. The color of the water almost looks unreal. These photos don’t do it justice.

I wish I was brave enough, like a few people, to dive in. But while I was hot, I knew the water was snow melt and VERY cold. Also, I didn’t bring a swimsuit and didn’t want to walk back in wet clothes. Yes, I know there was another option. I didn’t want to do that either.

We arrived back home about 2 and all of us have spent the day sort of vegging out. I’m trying to get through my normal Sunday tasks so I can take advantage of my extra day tomorrow.

This blogger’s default weapon

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At least part of the reason I have had so much trouble blogging the last few months is that i have been having camera problems.

If I had the money, I would love to buy one of those big cameras with the really long lens; however, as I live on quite a tight budget (those dogs think they need to be fed EVERY day), I “make due” with a point and shoot that my parents gave me and a bigger camera on permanent “loan” from my mom.

Last summer, when I went on the float trip with my work colleagues, my big camera got wet, in spite of my precautions. Nikon does not like to fix wet cameras, so it has taken me about a year to get re-equipped.

On Thursday the last piece of the puzzle, an auto-focus working telephoto lens came via the mail (I love my postal workers!) and I’ve spent my extra time photographing everything that caught my eye.

At the park

On a hike

But seriously, I’ve taken pictures of a few more things.

 

A bald eagle for Independence Day.

A bald eagle for Independence Day.

Siletz Bay

Siletz Bay

As you might be able to tell, I went down to see my mom this weekend. Key and I got up early (neither Finn or Mom gets up early anymore) to go on a hike where I lucked out on warbler viewing.

Hermit Warbler

Orange Crowned Warbler

orangecrownedwarbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Not Warblers

It feels good to have a camera again!

How to create a meltdown – 2nd edition

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Almost a year ago, I wrote this blog post.

Today, having a similar day and mentally writing about it all day, I looked it up. I was surprised it was so close to exactly a year ago. Maybe this is just an annual event?

Apparently annual update on how to create a meltdown

1. Be on the first day of your period so you are extra tired and achy. (An afterthought last year.)

2. Have an all day meeting. (#6 last year)

3. Have the meeting in a place with the cooling system as loud as possible. (#7 last year)

4. Make sure all the speakers are soft spoken so you can hear NOTHING. (#8 last year)

5. Create an agenda where nothing will be done and everything will be discussed. If possible, have lots of agenda items about “process” and “collaboration” and “team-building.” (#9 last year)

6. Ensure the cooling system is not very effective and that one end of the room has skylights to further “enhance” the discomfort. (New.)

7. Have the chairs at this meeting be created by a minion of Satan. Or the inventor of high heels. Up to you, really. (New.)

8. Be in assigned seating at a table with the following: 1) Person you least like in the office, 2) Person who habitually mumbles, and 3) Person who never makes any sense. This can be one person, but I find it most effective when they are three of the group. (New.)

9. Don’t have an acceptable knitting project going so you can’t zen out during some of the talking. (New.)

10. Get hollered at for asking a (work related and pertinent) question. (New.)

11. When your teammates are simultaneously talking about… hats. And watches. (New.)

12. Pout and know you should hide it. Give yourself a stern talking to about emotional intelligence. (New.)

13. After a day spent with your co-workers, get invited out for a drink with same group of co-workers. Go and realize you are dorky, stupid, and inept (or just tired, hot, and shy.) Leave as soon as possible so your co-workers don’t figure out you are dorky, stupid, and inept (or just tired, hot, and shy.) Then go home and cry because you are dorky, stupid, and inept (or just tired, hot, and shy.) (New.)

14. Also helpful to be one day away from payday. (Last year #5)

When I get my 2017 calendar, I’m gonna mark June 29 and 30 in big red letters and call in sick.

The process of “finishing”

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As I said to my mom tonight, for me, finishing a painting is less about actually being done and more about running out of time.

As you may remember, I started a few paintings a little more than a month at the Ruth Ellen Hoag workshop I attended. The annual Equine Art show is coming up, and after some consideration about my pitiful lack of work this year, I decided to put on the afterburners and try to finish one for my entry.

[image removed]

 

I took this one to critique group and they encouraged me to go darker and loose a few of the “background” shapes to bring more focus to the front.

[image removed]

 

Here’s the result. And it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks right now, because it’s being shipped up to Emerald Downs tomorrow!

If you’ve got a hankering to see the show, I’ll drive up on July 10 to bring back my painting and I still have a couple seats left in my car! I’d love the company.