Kitten! And Miami Recap
Welcome to Tuesday Topics, which I host with Jenn from Runs With Pugs. Luckily today’s topic is a free topic, because my mind is all over the place. First of all, I feel like I don’t even live in the same country as everyone else these days. Yesterday it got up to 90 degrees here. I mean… I know everyone else is suffering from the cold and snow… but 90? In January? What is going on??? Anyway, a lot has happened over the last several days. When I posted about spending the day in Miami, I already knew about the kitten but nothing was definite. The short version of the story is, kitty was found abandoned, the woman who rescued her wanted to keep her but then realized she couldn’t take on the responsibility, so she passed her along to me. I wish she had a name so I don’t have to keep calling her “kitty!” It’s not clear yet who is going to end up with this kitten. I would love to keep her, but my husband is not on board (although- he might still come around). The other possibility is, my daughter’s boyfriend would like her. They have one cat so they have plenty of room for another! It’s going to be up to his dad though (why are dads so resistant to kittens? Sheesh!) I told my daughter and her boyfriend to come up with a name together, but so far nothing has been decided. Foxy and the kitten LOVE each other! I was supposed to keep her quarantined until she sees the vet, but it seemed cruel to keep them apart, so… Muffin is not as excited. Every time she hears the kitten mewing from behind the door, Muffin looks worried. But, she’s still eating and behaving normally (unless she hears the kitten- then I can tell she’s anxious). She’ll come around! This will all work out just fine. My day in Miami on Friday was fun! I did not find a mug, unfortunately, so the search continues. I had a run in a nice park on the water… … and went to a bookstore! This was a great store with a nice selection, and I bought this: Seriously. I’m not allowed to buy ANY MORE BOOKS. I think I have eight books, between my Christmas book flood, bookstore adventure with Stephany, and then this one. I have to read these and then start using the library again. While I didn’t find a mug, I did buy a blanket, which solves the “fa la la” quilt problem (I couldn’t put it away because Foxy loved it so much). Now I have a seasonal blanket to take its place. I don’t like too much pink and red (I know- I’m a Valentine’s Day scrooge) so navy with hearts is perfect. Next week’s topic: Self care check: how do you show yourself kindness this month? Link Up With Tuesday Topics Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts! You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter
Weekly Rundown- The Short Version
Hey there! I’m keeping this rundown short because I’m exhausted… due to this little girl! She was found outside and we’re keeping her until she’s big enough to go to a new home (or, possibly keeping her forever if we can convince my husband… heh heh…) She’s only about five weeks old! We’re taking her to the vet next week so we’ll find out more information (she’s so tiny we’re not even positive she’s a girl… but we think she is). This week was great, with lots of runs and trips to the gym. On Friday I spent the day in Miami and ran in a park along the water… My calf has been feeling fine! Today (Sunday) I have a 20+ mile run planned. Again, feel free to send thoughts and prayers… after some nice cool weather, it’s forecast to be 83 degrees today! I’ll be back next week with a PROPER rundown. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting!
Planning Update (and Mundane Silliness)
The comments on my last post were REALLY interesting! I shared that trying to plan or do any vision exercises more than a year in advance makes me uneasy… and most people agreed with me! The comments ranged from “I don’t even know if I’ll be alive then” to fears about parent’s health, concerns about the direction our country is going, and Lisa mentioned that for the next 13-14 years she’ll be caring for her children, so there’s not a lot of extra “planning” to do. When I read that I felt a wave of envy. My daughter graduates from high school in 2027, and because of the six-year age gap between her and my son, it means that I’ll have spent twenty-four years taking care of my kids… and I don’t want it to end. Even with all the irritations, arguments, disruptions of my own schedule, and general difficulties of living with young children (and tweens and teens!) I’ve actually loved it so much. And, I think there’s something comforting about knowing what your role will be for the next five, or ten, or twenty years. The fact that everything will shift in a little over a year is unsettling. I know! I’m not the first mom to feel this way. Most people dread the empty nest, and everyone manages to adjust. I will too, but I haven’t come to terms with it yet, and that’s a big reason why thinking too far in the future scares me. Let’s move on! Today (Friday) is my day in Miami (I took the day off work because my daughter is playing in an honor band festival at UM). After I drop her off, I plan to go for a run along the water. Then I’ll do a self-guided walking tour of a nearby neighborhood (Coconut Grove) and… I have a quest! A mug quest. Now that I drink loose leaf Rishi tea, the tea ball I like to use doesn’t fit in some of my favorite mugs. Here are a couple that are too narrow… I only have two mugs wide enough for my tea ball, and one of them is this one- -which I feel sends the wrong message to the universe. That leaves one mug, and I like to have variety.. BUT, I’m very picky about my mugs. With my new tea regimen, a mug needs to be wide. It also needs to hold plenty of tea (no 12 ounce mugs for me). The handle has to be comfortable for me to hold, and of course I have to like the way it looks. In addition to being on the lookout for a new mug, I’ll go to Books and Books (hooray! Another bookstore!) and also find a place to sit and read while I drink tea. The perfect day! Do you get attached to your mugs? Or do you not care what you drink out of? Top photo by Chris Scott on Unsplash
Life Updates (and a Planning Roadblock)
Hey there! How’s your January going? Mine is… very January-ish. I just read Kae’s post about her trip to Ireland, and it made me miss that pre-Christmas magical time! January always feels so flat to me. But- we’re all in the same boat. It will take a while, but life will eventually feel sparkly again. I know someone who’s not experiencing the January blahs- my daughter. Remember my fears about her relationship with her boyfriend (that he was too nice for her?) Well, obviously I need to butt out, because they’re doing just fine. Their “big” separation while she was in Tampa only seems to have strengthened their relationship, and they’re happily making all sorts of plans for the future, including Valentine’s Day. Ugh. Have I ever mentioned that I don’t like Valentine’s Day? There’s no logical reason for this, but I have a theory. Growing up in Chicago, I was always deep in the throes of winter depression in February, and I think my brain is hardwired to think Valentine’s Day is depressing. But, guess what???… Foxy’s birthday is Valentine’s Day! He’ll be a year old. I’m hoping this will make the day more joyful for me. I’m already planning to bake a cake in my heart-shaped pan (for the humans, not the cats). Foxy will obviously get his own treats and presents. On a completely different topic, I’m thoroughly enjoying SHU’s book! Here’s a curious thing though: I decided I need to do more long-term planning (looking more than one year ahead) and… I just can’t do it. There’s something in me that’s resisting it, and I can’t figure out why. Am I worried I’ll jinx things, like if I envision my life five years in the future I’ll get hit by a truck tomorrow? Or is there something else going on? I thought I would do this planning/visioning while I was in Tampa, but somehow thinking about my life more than one year in advance makes me uneasy. Has anyone else experienced this? Do you do any five-ten year visioning exercises? Should I just forget about it? Should I be in therapy? (probably, yes). Tell me what you think! And, are you experiencing January blah-ness? Top photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash