I recently purchased 10 yards of linen from a merchant I’ve used many times in the past. This is what the color looked like on my monitor.

This is what it looked like when it arrived, but much BRIGHTER, way obnoxious.  Like goldenrod on a really hot day and the cicadas are scritching in the heat brighter. 

I am undecided about what to do.

• Bleach it and then re-dye
• Put just a tidge of bleach in the water and see if it just dulls it a bit (have no idea if thatis feasible)
• Send it back
• Overdye it with coffee or some weak brown

Any bright ideas?

Our Computing Core Director just sent me a job announcement here at the University. It is for a web administrator / developer. While I am missing some of the desirable bullet points I have all the required and at least some of the desired. And it would be at least $7K a year more for me.

And what do I find as I’m perusing their website and looking under staff? The Cat Lady!  Miss Lao’s Cat Lady.

Is this coincidence? A sign? I have a great job with a great group of people here but I would have much more money and more autonomy in the professional staff classification. And they look like nice people

But THE CAT LADY?

Right now my heart is racing a bit. I have until January 1st to submit a resume and cover letter.

What say you?  Is it a sign?

I can barely stand it. This is SOOO on the top of the list.

In virtually all person-to-person relationships, Cynthia, disappointments can be lessened, setbacks can be regained, and little annoyances can be brushed off, when one stops and realizes that such relationships are always temporary.

While I don’t know that I agree completely, I was glad to be reminded of this. I’ve always known this. And it always gave me comfort. But I do think that it only refers to this lifetime. I think we meet some of those people again in another lifetime.

This has helped me let sponsors and sponsees go as well as romantic interests. It has also helped me let the relationships morph into something else and be content with that.

And I had to let go of my grand plan to have Lao Mao in the living room and Miss MItty in the bedroom with the door closed on Tuesday night. Miss Mitty was upset enough to go hide under the bed, no kitty love that night. She only came out to use Miss Lao’s litter box and eat her food and then back under the bed. *laugh* And Miss Lao started scratching on the door and crying after about 30 minutes. I realized that it wasn’t going to work. So I opened the door and each cat went to her preferred place. Miss Lao had been crying! Visibly had tear tracks on her face. I felt pretty bad.

I guess as long as we have a peaceful truce I should be happy. Eventually Miss Lao will be so lonely staying in the bedroom or its closet all the time that I think it will drive her out into the living room. That is my hope. She was whining like crazy last night and this morning and Miss Mitty just hissed at me and growled. *sigh*

And none of this is to say that these two relationships are temporary. It’s only 5 days and I think things are basically going well.

I’m coming up out of feeling like crap but I’m still just exhaustified. Can hardly wait to get home and put on the sweats and take a nap or go to bed early.

Miss Mitty is one brave and lovely meow. She has been very welcoming to our new kittie friend. I’m so proud of her.  But she is also a bit lonely.  Tonight new kitty goes into the living room and Miss Mitty comes into my room

The new kitty, all black including nose, whiskers and paw pads but for one dime sized spot of white on her chest, came to me named Jackie. This was because she came to the cat rescue lady as Blackie and said lady couldn’t stand it. Well, while Jackie isn’t horrible, it really doesn’t suit her.

Saturday night found The Beloved and I in bed around midnight calling out possible names. None of which convinced her to come out from under the bed. I was beginning to worry just a bit because there was no evidence she had eaten or had any water since the evening before and her little box remained clean.

She did give much love to The Beloved (duh!) and spent the night under the covers of the bed. She has become a little more brave every day.  She has eaten and drunk and left evidence. Last evening she was on the bed on top of the covers. Watching the door to the living room just in case Miss Mitty was lurking about. Poor Miss MItty.

T.B. called me last night and we have a new name. These are the clues that helped us uncover the correct name.

• One of the names we yelled out was Xena
• The small white spot reminds T.B. of the black side of a yin/yang symbol
• The fact that she likes to talk
• Our favorite character in the Xena series is Lao Ma

I forgot the camera so have no pictures but imagine a full black cat with a pointy little face and bright green eyes.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Lao Mao. And she seems to like it although she may never come when called.

Tonight I put her in the living room and bring Miss Mitty into my room so that Lao gets used to the rest of the pad and Miss Mitty doesn’t feel too neglected. Miss MItty usually sleeps on my bed and typically when I’m reading a book in bed before lights out, she rubs on the book until I put it down and then we have a Kitty Love Fest. We are overdue.

I’m sick but at work today. This sore throat crud is going around and I feel like, well, crud. I may or may not go home early. Sorely tempted. A little tired of getting sick. At work, the entire team is housed on a long  narrow interior hallway and there isn’t much air movement that clears the stale air out. I think we keep getting each other sick. *sigh*

Work progresses on Yule prezzies, shopping is done done done, and life is good. We had a lovely snow on Saturday. Our first snow fall as a couple. I got the house decorated, we had christmas movies, hot cocoa and snacks, candlelight, while watching the snow fall. Gorgeous, romantic, cozy. I’ve been wanting to do that my entire life. And at 48 it finally happened. You just never know.

The snow was gone by the next noon which suited us both just fine. We got the romance of the snow for one day and that was all we needed.