have I mentioned I hate this house?

it hasn't rained in days, but the basement is flooded (including half the cat room). I guess the sump pump stopped working at some point last night? Anyway, the whole thing is flooded and the minor river that flows through the basement for several days after it rains is now a complete flood... and Matt & I can't do anything about it because we need to go to work to make money to get out of this hell hole crumbling mess of a house...

I moved the litter boxes to the dry side and put down a couple crates over the flooded section of the cat room so the cats have more things to be up on because of course they still keep walking through the water - ugh, what a damn mess.

I woke up so excited about today and now I'm just going to worry about the cats all day :/ I'm suppose to look at 3 houses today, only one of which I was excited about and it looks like it's falling apart, but at this point, it's going to look like a move-in-ready mansion compared to this place.

happy 60

My dad would be 60 today.

Last night I cried and cried ... and then cried some more when I realized I wasn't just missing him, but felt so very lucky just to have had that big guy in my life in general...

And then I cried some more as I remembered him saying (teasingly with a big smile on his face), "You're so lucky to have me, kid."

Oh, papa bear, you have no idea...

Believe...

Blogging Outside

Guess where I am blogging? Outside and loving it!

Ok, technically when I post this I will most likely be back inside, but for now I am outside with the doggies, taking pics and enjoying the awesome weather we have today. Here's some exciting outside stuff...

The catnip I planted last year survived our crazy white, icy, snowy, multi-polar vortex winter and re-emerged. I was very excited to see this in the yard.

Speaking of things that are back - the single sprig of mint I planted has most definitely multiplied.

Bought this clematis plant over the weekend. I wanted to plant stuff and Matt has wanted something to spruce up the lamp post, so this is the solution we came up with :)

Bought these gorgeous flowers over the weekend too

Amazingly beautiful, right? How could I resist it!

Here are the two gorgeous flowers I bought and a clump of what I think are purple Johhny Jump Up's.

All in all, an excellent day outside and some beauty added to this yard weekend is a nice bonus.

I kept telling Matt over the last few years that I've been here with him that I didn't want to plant anything because I didn't want to be here, but we're here and aside from planting and the dogs, there's not a lot of good excuses to be outside here on such a nice day like today. So, planting with the dogs outside it will be because we are here and I should make the best of it, right?

remember

What a good thing to keep in mind...

Feeding Time

In a multi kitty home (let alone one of multi-ages and special needs), nothing can be as tough as feeding time. So, we use carriers and crates for some of our kitties.

First, it was Kreacher for his extra protein diet and slow eating tendencies. Then, Candice was getting crated too since she's so bi-polar. Then, we started with Oscar because she was getting medication and usually walks away when another cat approaches her dish. The most recent kitty has been Lil Dani who seems to get over-stimulated at feeding time and goes after some of the kitties... and this has been no easy task because he'll leap, jump, run, hide and, if caught, will wiggle, push away from and (though mostly accidental) scratch to get away from being put in the crate.

Well, last night, he jumped in the crate on his own!! I was beyond excited that he caught on to this so quickly (we've only been crating him for like a week) ... and relieved there would be no chasing or scratching for the night :)

"I've realized that my most valuable friends are the ones who stand for my soul, even when that means saying something my ego doesn't want to hear." - Dr. Lissa Rankin

Grateful

Today I am grateful for the people that step up for the merry misfits (Joa's Arc).

In order to save the special ones, Joa's Arc needs to have at least: an agreed upon commitment, a foster and/or the funds to do so. We don't always have all three, but love when people step up by offering to foster in our time of need... even when it leads to us committing only to find out the pet is already safe.

There's no shortage of pets in need though, so don't stop volunteering, friends :)