35 Years Later

We had a visit from the keeper's best friend from high school and college.  They haven't seen each other for 35 years.  ME and J drove up from California. They got married in 1970. They have 10 children and now are in the grandparenting phase.  Their last child is in college and so they are off on a month long road trip, their first as a couple without children in 40 years. Of course she suggested they go to Pomodoro for a great dinner, and they all had a wonderful meal!

Seasons Greetings from QFC

Outside right next to the racks of Fall chrysanthemums! They must have run out of storage space in the back.  Don't we wish?

The bird bath needs some cleaning but looked magical in the fall light this afternoon.



Spiderworld

 The spiders are decorating the yard like it is Christmas already.  They are wrapping up insects in their silk and catching burrs that glitter in the sunlight.

On the Fence

Hi, Cecil here.  I just got this idea to climb the back fence and realized that it led to the neighbor's roof.  I tried to figure out how to get down.  Then the keeper emerged and I let her catch me.  I am too old to be too proud.  I thought I looked pretty sharp in the picture above.

Butterfly Garden

The keeper's sister in law grows plants that grow and attract specific kinds of butterflies.  This butterfly was not afraid of us. We think it is a Monarch. 

Breakfast on the Patio

Curious George joined them for smoothies and breakfast burritos on the patio in the sun while the hummingbirds and the finches and sparrows played in the wild garden.  George liked this.  He thought he was in heaven.  So did the keeper.

Working Out

The keeper and her brother and sister in law worked out in front of the tv.  She had never played tennis in a living room before.  She lost almost all of her games.  But now she wants this new toy.
She beat her brother at bowling. Her arm hurt today.

Our Cat Cousin

We have a cat cousin.  Her name is Cinder.  She is 18 years old and only weighs 6 pounds. Her meow, according to the keeper, is quite strong.

Pets Rule!

We approve of this prop and would like this book for our library at home.  It could go on our coffee table.

Proof of Global Warming

Polar Bears have migrated south and are in hiding in the set warehouse.

Behind the Scenes at Sea World

The keeper got a special tour of the set shop at Sea World, thanks to her brother.  They store old sets and are building all of the Halloween sets right now.

At the Bob Hope Memorial

They have a recordings of him entertaining the troops.  It was quite touching.

Walking on the Waterfront

The post-dinner walk led them to the waterfront to see the famous figures which are way larger than they are in the tour books!

A Variety of Participants

 One of the keeper's favorite participants was a Cardinal, now retired from Colombia, who attended the sessions in Spanish along with everyone else.  He had participated in all of the most momentous gatherings of the Latin American church. He was a very humble man and blessed them all at the end of each of the sessions. 

Then she attended a dinner with about 40 other attendees from Region XII--food not so hot, but the company was great.

At the Marriott

The Conference was in San Diego and she stayed at a lovely hotel and marina on the bay.  It was odd being in San Diego as a tourist rather than visiting her mother. But she attended all the Spanish workshops and met some inspiring people.

She's Off to San Diego

Greetings from Cecil, here.  I did my best to prevent the keeper from heading off to her conference in San Diego.   But she dumped me out of the suitcase and filled it with stuff.
Alice and I were grateful that we didn't have to go with her in those cages.   She is home now with lots of photos and stories.  So we will pass on the best.  She  was too busy to send them to us from the hotel.

What a Day!-II

The Seattle Storm won the WNBA championship tonight in Atlanta!  What incredible players they are!  Every way as good as those high priced male teams!  They are so athletic and scrappy and such a team! We celebrated with chicken and pesto! And now to bed!

What a Day!

We  had a strange night. The keeper insisted on getting up at 3 am to read the Vatican News Service announcement about our new Archbishop Sartain.  She read it in Latin and sent the flash out to many friends, delighting in the early scoop.  Later she was able to attend a Mass of Welcome for him at the Cathedral and listen to his homily which was from the heart and soul of his prayer.  She told us that she found it a very moving celebration and was very hopeful about his elegant yet simple way of presiding and being with his new flock. We were happy to hear this because she and many others have been concerned about the new appointment for over a year.

SIGH.

The Ants Go Marching

Here's the deal.  The keeper was listening to the wonderful Storm win the end playoff game on the radio tonight, and we watched the ants.  They are making good progress on the freeway construction.  Unlike us they don't seem to sleep and they survive on a popcorn kernel -sized piece of fruit for 3 days. We slept most of the day.  The keeper got new license tabs and worked in the yard potting and pruning and watering all day.  All of our plants are planted now.  Soon we will add more bulbs.  To be a gardener requires more ant like energy than cat energy we think.

Labyrinth

There is a new labyrinth at the Palisades.  It is still being finished, somewhat quickly, since the Archbishop is supposed to come and bless it tomorrow. There was a bit of scurrying to make it ready for the event. It's all brick, and will be quite powerful once the sand dries.

Dragonfly

The Palisades is so color coordinated that even the dragonflies match the patio!

At the Palisades

The keeper abandoned us yesterday and went down to the Retreat Center for a big first down at the Palisades--a workshop for marriage prep teams in Spanish. It started off with a 90 minute traffic jam on I-5, but once the 80 people arrived finally, it went very well.  The keeper  didn't have to give the workshop, only sponsor it and staff it which meant lots more work---schlepping and schlepping and playing hostess.  She came home tonight tired. We survived a night home alone and had to bond with each other.  It was fine.  We did not antagonize the ants, nor they us.

Ant Farming!

I guess you could say we have pets of our own now.  The keeper has wanted to start an ant farm ever since she preached about them at least 4 or 5 years ago. She had loved them as a child.  At the time a parishioner gave her an empty one but she never ordered the ants. Several weeks ago she came home excited after listening to an NPR story about the endurance of ants.  She stopped at the toy store, bought the Ant Hill model, which was least expensive, and mailed in her coupon for the ants.  They came today in the mail in a test tube warning us not to touch them because they are mean and bite.  They come from the Southwest and were corralled by ant wranglers.  ( That's what the package notes said!) So tonight we prepared the Ant Hill and will insert them in the morning.  We get to watch them make tunnels and cities and freeways.   We thought having a blog is cool, but how many other cats have an ant farm?  Or do we just have a very odd keeper?

Lazy Susan Rain Remedy

The new plants are adjusting well.  How can you keep from smiling in the rain when you behold clumps of Lazy Susans?

The Jacobs Hit Seattle

Before the keeper headed off to her meeting last night she spent some time at W's with friends from Germany.  W had spent many happy days with Stephan's family thirty years ago. Stephan brought his family over to tour the West coast by car for 4 weeks!  They are unstoppable.  Frohmut is also a physician and their two daughters are brilliant  and gracious young women who are high school students.

Outrage

We do not usually become indignantly outraged, however we wold like to join with the keeper (and most sane people) in protesting the Koran burning pastor in Florida.  This is hate disguised as religion.

Black Eyed Susan Fall

We were fortunate enough to be able to spend most of the day outside yesterday because the keeper wanted us out.  She decided to wax the floors, and we did not complain!  Then she joined us outside for a few hours and pruned and dug and planted and replanted and went back to the garden store with more.  This will be a Black Eyed Susan kind of fall, we think. Both Cecil and I have "our" own deck chair now and he's getting the hang of being lazy.  He hasn't run out of the yard exploring for some time now.  This means he can go out without a leash.

Fifty Cent Mums!

We slept in late today because she was up late reading Tinkers.  But before the rains came she was off to Lowes to buy dirt and some fall flowers.  She came back with her car full of pots and dirt.  She found mums marked down to 50cents because they looked tired.  So, can you all guess what we're growing this fall?  We know they will come to life and look bright again.  She just loves rescuing things--look at us! But we stayed outside with her until the rain was too much.  She finally came in covered with plant dirt and soaking wet and happy.  We are all going to take  naps.  It is Labor Day after all.

More Harvesting

Last night before dinner we helped the keeper harvest our crops.  Two small tomatoes, a blackberry, 2 small blueberries, an Asian pear which really wasn't ready to pick, oregano, and thyme.  As we have mentioned to the keeper, she shouldn't go into farming soon.  She was mentioning to the Twins on Sunday, that she can grow flowers, but she just doesn't have the magic with the vegies, and it's not for lack of trying.  Herbs and flowers, that's our thing.

After she returned home from the office and after she bought us our cat food, the keeper went out walking in the neighborhood, chatting and visiting, commenting on flowers and making deals to trade plants at the end of September. One garden on 37th had the most beautiful roses trailing all over. And another on 35th already had the jack o lantern flowers.  She noted that there is a little touch of autumn in the air.

Go STORM!

We were home and heard it all.  The keeper went to the Cathedral and then off to work in Bothell where she badgered people to attend classes and camps and then met with young adults who studied the mystery of suffering.  Meanwhile, our favorite team was sewing up the western championship title of the WNBA.  The Storm won in Phoenix!!!  We were very proud and would be very happy to serve as the team mascots.  We asked the keeper if we could meet their plane tonight and she said no, and reminded us of how much we hate to travel in the car.

Afternoon at Northgate Vet

Little did I know when I was snuggled up to the computer, that within several hours, I would be whisked off in that horrible cage to the vet.  The keeper claimed I have upper respiratory issues and that I was snorting like a pig.  The vet looked at me and agreed and they noted I was a little fat.  Then I got two injections and went back into the cage. I howled as loudly as I could so they would let me go home. We were home within the hour. I am feeling better now. I know I should be grateful, but what did wild cats ever do without injections? I guess they died.  So I am grateful.

Sampling the Harvest

Last evening we finally went outside and the keeper gathered the fruits of the earth--a few tasty tomatoes, one strawberry, one blueberry, and three blackberries.  We think she should stick to flowers and support the CSA at St. James.

New Patio

We now have a new rustic patio made out of recycled bricks.  It's already fun to lounge on it, and it keeps the heat.  We approve. The guys will come back to put a little roof over the potting area, and for our comfort, of course.

Western Playoffs--Game 1

As mentioned earlier, we are not a sports household.  Neither Cecil or I play on any teams, and you certainly can't count the keeper's horseback riding and elliptical trainer running as real sports.  But she went to the first playoff game for the Storm.  She brought home the first sports logo tee shirt she has ever owned.  She also lost her voice.  They won.  She went with her friends who have season tickets and who are such rabid fans they argue with every call made by the refs.  Lenny Wilkens and  Bill Russell were there and honored.  Those ladies can hustle.  They play again in Phoenix on Sunday.