Timothy Olyphant, Actor

Today while channel surfing, I came upon a 2000 movie called "The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy". I was interested to see Timothy Olyphant play a gay man.  Here he is in that role:

I was accustomed to seeing him in a much different role, Raylan Givens in "Justified". Here he is as Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens:

What a difference!  His entire demeanor changed, the way he moved, the way he spoke.  It made me realize what acting is all about.

I hope I'm not guilty of stereotyping gay men.  Maybe the movie itself did that (but it was an interesting movie).  Each role is what it is, and he did seem like two different men.  I was impressed.

Emotion Overload

The kitties!

Little Blondie, Spot and Little Sister

Little Sister, Mama and Little Blondie

Big Blackie

Little Blondie and Big Blackie

Little Black Kitties

The whole gang

The igloos

I cried last night.  My husband Mike called to tell me the people buying our house did the walk-through yesterday, and they want the kitty igloos out of the yard.  They aren't interested in caring for the feral kitties as we have done for almost ten years.  I was naively hoping they might care for the kitties as we have.

The same family bought our house and the house next door at the same time.  It's a multi-generation living arrangement.  The ladies next door loved the kitties as much as we did.  But they had to move when they had a new house built.  They needed a one story house and were able to design all the features they need.  So, now a new family will be living in both houses.

I cried when I realized they won't care for the cats.  I know I was being naive, how could I expect new people to worry about the feral cats we had cared for?  The reality hit me hard.  What would happen to the kitties?  A very kind lady two houses down agreed to let Mike bring the igloos to their yard so they wouldn't be discarded.  She has also agreed to feed them if we provide the food.  She has two young daughters who are excited about feeding the cats.

Since we moved away in April, I have been paying a sympathetic cat sitter to come and feed them each day as she was on her rounds in the neighborhood.  She loved the kitties so much that after a while she told me she didn't want to be paid.  We sent her money for the food.  Now we are going to provide food to our kind neighbor.  The sympathetic cat sitter says she will help, too.

I spoke to my former next door neighbor on the phone today.  She was happy to hear that another neighbor will feed the kitties.  She said she cried last night, too.  I just hope it all works out for the best.

Update:  The kind neighbor, two doors down with two little girls who like cats, just sent me a text with a photo showing her daughter holding a dish of food for the cats.  Then she sent me a picture of the cats eating at her yard.  She says she will send me updates.  I'm so glad there is someone to care for them.

Creating a Home

This is the house we are selling.  I have loved this little house for ten years.

I have enjoyed decorating it for all seasons.

Our cats have enjoyed it too.

I liked the way it was nestled among the trees...

I enjoyed having flowers on the deck:

I appreciated all the little details, pretty front door and lots of windows.

I know I will miss this house.  I have been working hard to make the new condo feel like home though.  I have brought a lot of my favorite things that make me feel at home.

I brought this chandelier to use in my new dining room, and the Matisse print to use in the new living room.  I love how they both look like branches reaching upward.

I brought some quilts and my favorite rug.

I was fond of this fireplace in the house, and the clock on the wall.  I couldn't bring the fireplace but I brought the clock to place in the new living room.

And of course I brought many of my books.  I have enjoyed setting up the bookshelves.

Tolkien and my wizard collection:

James Herriott and little animals:

(Little things that make me feel at home.)

Oh, and I do have some flowers on my little balcony now…

As I go about creating a home in our new condo, I look back fondly on that pretty little house where we lived for ten years.  Sometimes I can't believe I will not walk into it again.

How NOT To Move, a Cautionary Tale

Our recent move has been… let's say interesting!

We bought the new condo in June of 2014.  Now it's June of 2015 and the move is nearly complete.  The process has been stressful and exhausting… even hazardous.

I couldn't talk my husband into hiring a mover.  He was determined to do it all himself. This is how it went, step-by-step:

1.  In February we rented a UHaul truck.  My husband had two friends help him load it up with furniture. First accident:  he fell from the truck ramp and suffered a gash on his left arm.  We cleaned and bandaged it.  No stitches were required.  We split the ten-hour drive and stayed overnight in western Pennsylvania.  The next day we drove the remaining four hours to eastern Pennsylvania.  Then he unloaded it all, bringing it up to the third floor condo.  We turned in the truck and flew back to Kentucky.

2.  In March we rented a second UHaul truck.  My husband had one friend help him load it up with more furniture.  Second accident… he fell from the truck ramp and sustained a gash in his left leg.  He went to Urgent Care, where they gave him five stitches in the leg.  Once again, we drove six hours, stayed overnight and completed four more hours the next day.  We turned in the truck and flew back to Kentucky, as before.

3.  In April we decided to bring our cats to Pennsylvania.  We packed them in the back of our car for the drive.  This time we decided to leave early and make the ten-hour drive all in one day.  However, it wasn't meant to be.  Third accident: we hit a huge pothole in Pennsylvania and suffered two flat tires and one bent rim.  We called AAA, waited nearly two hours to be rescued from the side of the road, rode in the tow truck with our car on a flat bed behind us, found a place to get two new tires and waited for another two hours while they were replaced.  We finally arrived in Pennsylvania very late that night.

4.  In early May we rented a third UHaul truck.  It was filled up with the remaining boxes I had packed.  This time we had an uneventful ten-hour drive.  While he was unloading the truck however, he fell and hit his head.  We stayed in the condo until my husband had to return to Kentucky to play in a golf tournament.  He rented a car to drive back to Kentucky.  I stayed in the condo with our cats.  One morning I received a call from him, telling me he had once again gone to Urgent Care in Kentucky.  This time it was 4:00 am and he had a splitting headache.  A few days later he drove one of our cars back to Pennsylvania.

5.  A few days ago he had to go back to Kentucky again, to prepare for the closing on our house sale, which takes place on June 3rd.  I stayed in Pennsylvania again, giving him power of attorney to represent me at the closing.  He left at 10:00 am, heading to Kentucky.  He was driving a rental car so he could return to Pennsylvania with our second car later this week.  Fourth accident:  he called to tell me the rental car had a flat tire.  He was delayed for a couple of hours then got back on the road.  Fifth accident:  a deer ran in front of the car, smashed the windshield and totaled the rental car.  Fortunately my husband wasn't hurt, just shaken up.  So was I when I got the phone call.  I had been worrying for a couple of hours while he was out of touch.

6.  Today he was preparing the house for the closing.  He had to take apart an antique armoire that we had left in the basement.  Sixth accident:  a piece came loose, hitting him in the head and puncturing his arm.  Once again he drove to Urgent Care, his third visit there during this whole process.  This time he got eight stitches in his arm… and a tetanus shot.

Summary:  during this move we have experienced three flat tires, one bent rim, a totaled rental car, and four bodily injuries.  That's why I titled this post "How NOT to Move".  I really hope we don't have to move again!