City cat/Country cat*

*as requested by Doug

No, this is not the tale of two cats. 

This is the tale of a city cat

turned country cat.

When Milo originally came to live with me, I lived in a house that was on the last block of South 14th Street in New Castle, IN

the last block in the city before South 14th Street became State Road 103.

This was great when it snowed.

As we lived on a street that was essentially a state road, it was a main thorough-fare

and they always kept it plowed.

Located kitty-corner from a shopping center,

we lived on a very busy road.

I never let Milo out of the house.

As you can see, he lived a pampered life and he was quite content.

After several years, both of my children were gone to school
and I was an empty-nester.
I was also finishing my bachelors of science.

Many a night, Milo and I sat together. 
I studied, and Milo kept me company.
Hunkered in, together,
we were quite content.

Milo slept on the comforter of my bed.
It was just he and I.
He was contented as could be.

Then we packed up a twenty-six foot truck
 and moved to the hills of southern Indiana.
To a house that was in the country. 
Bordered by woods.
Woods that are rumored to have cougars and bobcats. 
I've twice seen bobcats since I've lived here - one evening out on our road
the second time on our property in broad daylight.

Doug had a cat that went in and out. 
In fact, Doug's cat went in and out so much, 
Doug had a cat-door in a window near the front door of the house.
I was terrified that Milo would want to use the cat door, too,
so I asked Doug to remove it.
His cat had to use the door from that day on.
I was so afraid that someone would let Milo out
and I posted signs at every door of our house
(there are four)
orange cat does not go out!
Everyone that visited us would read my sign out loud and laugh. 
It made me feel better knowing I was doing all I could do to protect my little city kitty
from the wilds of the country.

Milo settled in and loved to lounge before the fire that winter
contentedly,
he baked himself in the warm heat.

The next spring  we bought a Welsh Pembroke Corgi.
She, too, went in and out.
Milo started to become curious.
He would watch the other cat and the dog go in and out.

Milo started to wonder what the fuss was all about.
Milo started to hang out around the doors.
He seemed to want to go out.

"Oh, let him go out" Doug said.
"what is the worst that can happen to him?"

I had all sorts of answers such as
"A cougar will eat him"
"A bobcat will eat him"
"He will go off in the woods and get lost"
"He will get out on the road and get hit by a car"
Oh, I had lots of answers.

But Doug continued to ask
and it truly did seem that Milo wanted to go outdoors.

At first, he would venture out and right back in.
It was interesting- but in short visits.

Then the visits became longer and longer.
Then he didn't come in one night.

Oh, I was so scared that he had been eaten or gotten himself lost in the wilds of the country.
But the next morning when it was time to eat- there was Milo- crying at the door.

Now he comes in the back door
and right back out the front door.
He literally walks through the house.
I think he just wants to be sure we are still here.

He loves to lounge in the sun on the front porch
and explore
and as a country cat
he is quite content.

Milo will be fourteen this fall. 
He has gotten old and skinny.
And if he shouldn't come home sometime
I will just tell myself that he was happy
and content.

A city cat turned country cat.

Summer's Eve makes me feel fine

2010

Tomorrow:  a day off work in the middle of the week. 
Tuesday evenings Doug plays pick-up soccer at a local park.  He will work most of tomorrow, I had no plans this evening nor holiday plans for tomorrow so I decided to head out to the park to watch him play. 
After the game ended, a few sat around a small grill cooking kabobs and drank a few beers.  Then we ate some watermelon.
I sat and watched the sun set and then watched the moon rise.  We sat together until nearly 10:30 p.m.
On the way home my Honda followed behind Doug's rattly pick-up truck winding old country roads on a summer's eve.  My windows down and the sun roof wide open- this is how I like to drive with the wind whipping around me.
We've had some terribly hot temperatures as of late, up over a hundred degrees.
By the time we headed for home it had dropped to eighty-seven and by contrast, this felt cool and comfortable. 
The katydids sing their song in unison and suddenly I am missing my Grandma who passed in 2006.  Then I realize that what I am missing is the drive between my house and Grandma's house on a summer evening.  It was always among my favorite of drives.
Then I'm hurled back in time to when my children were with their dad on some of the July fourths through the years.  I would often go to a movie by myself and then out to Grandma's.  Once, one of the movies I saw was Hope Floats.  I cried so hard I got a headache.  After the movie I drove out to Grandma's and told her how bad my head hurt and asked if she had anything to eat.  Grandma always had the best iced tea ever and usually something delicious to eat.  And if she didn't have something delicious to eat, she would make you something delicious to eat.  Together we headed to the kitchen.
I'm thankful on this summer's eve for a beautiful sunset, an awesome moonrise, cooler temperatures, songs of insects which bring to mind loved ones gone on before us. 
As always, I miss you Grandma.

Paris: Parting shots

This will be my final Paris post and then we will be on to my otherwise exciting life.   When I went to Paris with my daughter, her wife and my granddaughter- Little Bee, I was just along for the ride.  Oh, I had my list of things to see (and I got to see every one of them) but I was just thrilled to the core just to be going to Paris.

I was thrilled with the statues and art work and history and architechture.  The following two shots were taken in a park near La Tour Eiffel. 

Sometimes I took photos with my blog in mind.  Things I wanted to share with you such as this beautiful knocker on a blue door.

 And this gorgeous red door.

There were several things we wanted to do once we got there- and the following remain on my list for next time:
Ride the open air tour bus:

Take the water bus on the Seine:
You can even buy a pass and hop on and off...

Ride a Parisian bicycle:
These were all over and you slide your card and take a bicycle.  I wanted to but just never got to do this.

Next time I will go to Musee du Louvre and actually go in.  I went by myself and the lines were horrible.  I settled for walking about on the grounds, taking photographs.  For me, I was very adventurous just to get in a taxi and go over by myself.
This was the night that Baby Bee fell sick and her moms ended up taking her to the emergency room.  (Which was very scary.) (She was fine- just a virus but ran a fever of 104.)

On my list for next time:  eat more, drink more, sit at outdoor cafes and take even more photographs.
We did eat at the wonderful Italian restaurant pictured below, Amici Miei.  We had pizza and it was to die for.

I am going back.
You see, one of the things I never shared with you was that my friend who I've been friends with since we were seventeen and my daughter planned this trip for me.  They started planning this trip in 2007.  Last Fall my daughter called my friend (whom my daughter is named for) and said "let's do it."  Tickets were purchased last October.  My friend and her daughter met us on the east coast and we all had a wonderful visit together and all the while, she and my daughter were whispering together and plotting.  I had no idea.  Then my daughter gave me my ticket in December for Christmas.  My friend was thrilled for me.  More than I knew because she had a ticket, too.  She was so involved in my plans for the trip, my packing, my getting my passport.  I thought she was just being my friend as she always is.  But she was going along with us. We had adjoining hotel rooms- one for she and I and one for the moms and Baby Bee.
Then two and a half weeks before we were to depart- my friend's neighbor asked her to come by and baby-sit for her children for less than an hour- just to be there from when the sitter left until the grandparents could get there.  "No problem," my freind told them.  She and her daughter went to their house straight away after work.  My friend was still in her work clothes- brief case and purse sat on the porch.  She sat down on the porch swing and the swing came out of the ceiling and fell on her left leg, breaking her leg in four places and crushing her ankle.
An abulance took her to Duke Medical.  She kept telling them to get a cast on her leg because she was going to Paris in two and a half weeks.  Finally, a doctor told her "Darlin, you aren't going to Paris- you are going to surgery." 
This happened on a Friday evening.
The next Tuesday, my daughter called and said "she really did break her leg."
"Yes, she did and it is awful."  I answered.
My daughter said "at first I thought it was a joke- a part of the plan."
"Plan?" I said "I don't understand.  What plan?  I don't know what you are talking about."
"I have to tell you something," my daughter said quietly "she was going with us."
The silence that followed was me, sobbing so hard I could barely get my breath.
I called Doug and cried and told him.
He said "wait a minute, you are still going with your daughter and daughter-in-law and the baby, right?"  "Yes," I wailed, but she isn't going.
For quite some time, I was depressed and despondent. 
Doug begged me to blog about it.
When I am sad or upset, I usually shut down. 
So I am going back.
With her.
And we will do Paris and Spain or Italy.
For now she is doing physical therapy and hasn't returned to work.
We've been on the phone a lot.

For me, this trip was a dream come true.  Now I need to find a new dream!
This parting shot is possibly my favorite photo:

For another American in Paris account (another Hoosier in Paris) go over and visit Jen at The Cottage Nest.  (She visited Paris and London.)