I Dont Want a Sibling

July 2020

Liam talking

My Mom has been claimed by an outdoor cat.  She has named her Colleen. I have tried to kill Colleen. No luck yet.

I don't want a sibling

 

Mom is extremely allergic to cat dander. Otherwise I guess I would have been a cat.

July 30 2020 

I am the only child. But a cat has crept into my portrait. see collage

August, September, October 2020
 

Carol talking

I wanted to do TNR but due to Covid very few options are available. All of TNR stopped during the pandemic Lockdown

what is TNR?

 https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/getting-started/what-is-tnr

Colleen came in July.  brought by her Mother.  Sat under Paul's car.  I fed her,

Here is a link about cats you may see wandering about

https://www.alleycat.org/resources/feral-and-stray-cats-an-important-difference/

and it went on for a few months.

 

Fall arrived and some cold days. I  knew I had to do the right thing and TNR

My Sil Gail lent me a trap

Nov 1 2020

 It was done

T (trap)

Nov 2 2020

N (neuter)

delivery to Garden City Vet

after a bit

the vet calls

seems we have a male cat

and just like that

Colleen 

became

Colin

return home same day

recovery in the ccc 

What is the ccc? Carol's cab cove

 

Liam and Colin in a face-off at the door of the ccc

 

I feel compelled to help. we had a outdoor cat in the nineties. Ginger left an abusive home down the block and chose us. Lived outside for 9 years.  Would not come in as the abuse had occurred inside.  But I do not feel I did enough. I was ignorant. I could have helped her more  The universe has given me a second chance

Colin inside the ccc

 Is Colin feral

The difference between stray and feral cats
While stray and feral cats share some commonalities there is a big difference. Stray cats are socialized to humans – in most cases they were once pets who have either become lost or were, unfortunately, abandoned, while feral cats have had very limited (or no) interactions with humans and have reverted to a wild state. Stray cats may become feral as their contact with humans dwindles or, in a happier scenario, become loving pets again if they are taken in.
 
Feral cats typically fear humans. In most cases, unless they are very young at the time of adoption, they do not enjoy living indoors if someone were to take them in. They do, however, bond with their colony. Although you might wish to rehabilitate a feral cat, if they are not socialized by about 5 months of age, it is almost impossible to turn them around. They are best left to live their lives outside.

ferals don't meow at humans

Colin does

They don't look at you

Colin does

in fact his intense focus on me was what won me over in July

https://petcentral.chewy.com/can-you-domesticate-a-feral-cat/

He is 6 months old.

he will be an outdoor cat. 

Then maybe an indoor cat later on

 he has two houses 

an outdoor in front

an indoor one inside the ccc

Colin has received a gift

  November 16

I began thinking Colin was restless and confined and unhappy

I thought I would release him

November 17 2020

R (release)

I went into the ccc to take out some summer items, Colin got spooked. jumped up to the door top, the screen piece fell towards the outside and in a second he was half in and out. I called him to come down then ran to the outside. He jumped, ran across the yard and disappeared. And so the decision was made.

Colin had been in the ccc for 16 days

November 18 

Colin came back. I tried to entice him back into the ccc with tuna. Came to the door.  I don't want him as a prisoner as he was for 16 days but as a come and go guest who has shelter in bad weather.  He has the outdoor house in front. 

The ccc is better though as I can sit with him and check from the window.

For now I am a dog Mom and Aunt. 

Liam looking. 

I am Colin's Mom as well. Next shirt.

I feel I have fulfilled my promise to Ginger and that the universe is okay with me. I will not give up though.

 Colin now comes to the side door

will not let me touch or pet. But wants me to watch him play and stretch. kinda like kitty porn show

Liam has a brother

for now

modus vivendi

Woof, Woof

Meow Meow

 

Pandemic Paunch

I HAVE BEEN CALLED BIG BOY

Liam has been called a big boy. He is hoping this characterization refers to his age. He attained 13 years of age on August 1. He noted folks look at his body when saying it and not into his eyes as is appropriate when expressing a greeting. See how Liam he is looking at you in the above photo; he thinks you should be looking into his eyes not at his body.

Background of the Big Boy Comments

We were locked down Monday, March 16, 2020 here in New York..

There was comfort eating

Pounds piled on 

Pandemic paunch became a thing

Articles proliferated.

Did it come to you? To those living at home with you? 

here is a link talking of it

https://www.yalemedicine.org/stories/quarantine-15-weight-gain-pandemic/

We might have it here 

There are three of us in our home

one of us lost weight

I speak of it in 

my last blog story

refresh

or read fresh

 https://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2020_07_12_archive.html

LIAM'S MOM

one of us maintained his weight

there are two boys in the following photo

 Paul eating a raspberry Costco cookie unexpectedly appearing on the porch

gifted  to us by a generous friend 

Liam focused on it

DADDY PAUL AND LIAM

 and we don't know about the third

our first born son Liam 

 

Pandemic Li collaged in a photos series to the right  

 

..

Liam enjoys the food and drink

 we call  Covid Comforts

not his fault 

We provide it 

kinda projecting what we wanted for ourselves onto an always food obsessed Liam

 

 

 

We also have in our minds that Liam is 13...doesn't he deserve a break? 

 we eased up on our restrictions  

His behavior also evolved over the last 7 Covid months

Liam became an older dog 

at times had trouble with his back legs

one day they became totally paralyzed 

we put him on the miracle drug Dasuquin 

 now he is often a puppy leaper again

he gets one daily

Does Liam sense urgency in living each day?

 Covid Comforts Collage on the right  clockwise, sorta

I place his kibble in his bowl, chop a slice or two of American cheese over the top and sprinkle with canned Parmesan. I mix it with my hands. I do enjoy the hand mixing as I smell like cheese at the end of the procedure next 

My Starbucks grande pumpkin cream cold brew 

Lamb lollipops Liam gets to chew the meat off the bone while I  hold ...

back to my Pumpkin Cold Brew Liam gets all the cream... note how the tongue makes it to the bottom of the grande cup

Center...Starbucks butter croissant Paul and Liam share one every Saturday; it is saturated in butter

 

in the following stitched photo series Liam comments in each frame 

The rebuttals and reflections are his own and are expressed in text in each photo

tap or pinch each photo to enlarge to read his witticisms

Why don’t we weigh him and find out?

The Weighing is Paul's job 

procedure

Paul would get on the scale....then get off and pick up Liam and note their together weight and subtract 

Paul has not done the regular weigh in because of health issues

 he had a sigmoidectomy in July 

he does not want to stress his stitches, colon or internal organs

I will not do it

I am still an on and off eating disorder battler and the idea of  seeing my weight 45 pounds higher or more... even knowing it is part canine... would totally gobsmack me into a downward spiral of weight image horror

We know Liam was 42 pounds in February. I record it on the public wall calendar after each weigh in...we are thinking he may be 50

 

Why do they think I gained weight? Liam looks quizzically

I DID NOT GAIN PANDEMIC POUNDS

 

Paul decides that's it

lets do it

the scale comes down

 Liam runs

and hides behind me

the scale terrifies him as much it does me

after much chasing and finally cornering Liam

Paul does the procedure

himself solo  

then

he and Liam

subtracts the first reading from the second

 and the result

is 42.5!

a half a pound! that's not pandemic paunch by the current definition

I guess BIG BOY is an affectionate greeting for a 13 year old

Not a weight related comment

woof woof

We've Got Wine

A story of an elusive wine which became a reality 

MY MOM DRANK THIS WINE IN MILANO

October 2019

At Happy Hour in Hotel Berna in Milano we enjoyed a red wine. 

Link following will bring you a glimpse of Hotel Berna

https://hotelberna.com/en/

HOTEL BERNA HAPPY HOUR

November-January 2019

My travel buddy Jim was trying to get some here when we returned. We did not know its name but our sommelier Max did and sent us the info in the form of a photo of him holding a bottle of our wine.

MAX AND COLLEFIRATA

No luck at first because there was no distributor in the USA. 

February-March 2020

Then came Covid and our friends in Northern Italy were the European epicenter for a number of weeks. They were totally shutdown to the outside world.

see link following for a summary of their plight.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Italy

MILANO STREET

March-May 2020

and then we here in New York became the epicenter of the United states as the virus traveled here from Europe

we were shut down from March 16. 

months passed

and restrictions eased as we battled back and won.

 and then

exchanges happened

between NY and Milano

link for winery info

  http://www.collefirata.it/mobile/index.asp

June 2020

 Jim and Paolo sealed the deal and I was the fortunate recipient of a few bottles

which I sampled in Carol's cab cove

see following collage

FROM A FRIEND

MAX AND ME

Woof, woof

Diary of an Old Girl

I AM QUARANTINED WITH MY PARENTS

We were quarantined 3/16/20.  There were protests, disbelief, confusion, fear.. People compared it to house arrest, frightening historical comparisons arose...one that was mentioned several times during the first days was that of Anne Frank who spent 761 days in a secret annex.
She kept a diary. Anne did not live to be an adult.
The story resonated with me.
I suppose most read her book.
I have it.

I looked at it and
and I put it in my mind, locked it away and vowed to remember it as our lockdown went forward..

My old life was superseded by a new quarantine life.
I did not long for the old life. Why? I knew it would cause anxiety and sadness and loss. I had learned in therapy to compartmentalize grief and negativity and anxiety and move forward with replacements.. These processes were reinforced by years of management training; if you listened a little in these classes you came away with ideas on how to cope with crises, change, and loss.

Almost all activities were canceled.
We were in a pandemic. People all over the world were in it too... and we moved forward. Did what we had to do. Never forgetting those serving and suffering. Liam knew too

we had new lives

1-No Starbucks
the community place
 of New Hyde Park
crossroads for hospitals, business, schools
we meet, greet one another, staff and customers 

2-no Crabtrees
social epicenter for many
 eating drinking
 networking
sharing
our family of 27 years
regulars on Fridays
celebrating and grieving and living
through
celebrations, commemorations,wakes, reunions


3-no Cleo Nail salon
neighborhood people
 who are making a living and contributing by
caring for us
and sending us out to the world
 
4-No Touch Of Class Hair Salon  
it's our family
people and animals loved and rescued
not only a shop
we know and love one another


they make us better people
physically and spiritually
we are are best selves when we leave

5-no Push Fitness health club
fitness
mind and body
 social connections
support
stories

As we moved to April I started to think

How much do I want to take back when they set us free?

all

part

none

and they started to come back

1- Starbucks
 in May
 returned
and I did too
I received a round of applause when I walked in
the dream of every Leo birth sign
the following collage below left-records the first day back
 Liam tongue out waiting at home for his first iced coffee drink of 2020

and then
2- Crabtrees had curbside
we did it and were thrilled to step inside masked and social distancing and
greet our regulars and staff
no hugs
namaste greeting works
left collage below is a sampling of one of our take home meals

and then we were back on the patio
right below a night of joyous reunions

 

and from the start I had Andrew

 

I was gifted with a Cuomo mug from good friends

Liam waited through it all

3-Hair 

came back

the stages of my hair since early March

stitched below into two rows of photos

left the earliest and then the last stage a hat

I had not one grey hair

but I also had not one blonde one

I was once a blonde! 

what the heck happened?

I guess I am my mother Ruth
 who died in 2010 at age 87
with a full head of thick brown hair

I never toyed with the idea of going natural

not once

I returned to my blonde self

the way I was most of my life...perhaps the pandemic caused me to be brown

Liam below left looking and thinking

 "my Mom is back,  no longer brown like me"

4-Nails

I will take back but with a change
elimination of polish
my nails thrived in the 4 months without polish
I will respect their growth and health and set them free of color
for years the staff of Cleo has attempted to build up my nails
which were cracking, peeling, not growing

I now have the best fingernails and toenails
Took a plague to fix them

  my nail salon                                                         my collection which will be dumped

5-But what about Push Fitness?  

 My health cub of 15 years
. I have belonged to some sort of outside exercise venue for 52 years.
This I may not take back.

Not out of a fear of Covid transmission or timed visits and mask restrictions

I like what I have built for the last 4 months

I have developed an exercise routine

watch Channel 18
Project Independence

https://www.mynhtv.com/schedule

which is a mix of all types of activities

I do the classes with two friends we text and start together

we have grown closer and stronger and have developed deep affection for our instructors

how could we not?

 every one of the instructors say we are awesome and that they love us

and are proud of us and that we are beautful

we have dance class, yoga, chair exercise, Tai Chi

we use weights, bands, balls, mats , blocks as illustrated in the following collage

and
I have a home gym

I started it years ago after blizzard closed my gym for several days
a treadmill, a Schwinn rider, weights, a giant ball and row machine.  I was preparing for the eventuality I might be housebound for a while at some point. I never expected
 a pandemic.
a lockdown
a quarantine
and the
the closure of my health club

My home gym is in the 1950's mode...knotty pine walls, a bar...a defunct stereo radio speaker in the wall...nostalgia
 I have my art and my aunt's hung on the walls. a sampling of my tile collection of 65 years
adjacent is the laundry room where I can do laundry at the same time.

                                
                                 gym in basement

top right
Liam watches from the couch or sometimes joins in the den for the TV classes
never been in the basement
he has never ventured down the steps
fear

Life will not be as it was.

and I don't want it back

there are new ways

 new discoveries

Let's go

 

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: 

it goes on.”

― Robert Frost

woof, woof