Prioritizing

Starting now, not waiting until my New Year's resolution, my blogging is going to be revised.  I know I can't change things overnight, but I am going to begin today, with this blog.  I have realized (a few years back actually) that my blog has become a 'ball and chain' and way too time consuming.  In an effort to get the most out of life, I am trying to prioritize what is most important to me.  While my blog is high ranking, I have become aware that it should not be a top priority because it is taking away time from other things I really value and like doing.  So I need to prioritize what I blog about, and shorten my blogs, in an effort to save me time.  Shorter blogs = less blogging =  more time for other important things.

While writing about my day, I tend to want to tell all, and struggle with prioritizing what's important and deleting the non-essentials.  Also, since my mind jumps from one thing to the next rather quickly, I tend to ramble.  See, I am doing it now.
My blogs are a journal, personal, about me.  I like to include a variety of topics, from things I do on a daily basis, to random thoughts and musings. I also like to talk about my hobbies, passions, and life experiences.


And then there is the matter of prioritizing my day, not just what I write about, about my day.  Coming into the holidays, which are so busy, now is especially the time for prioritizing in order to juggle many things.  I know which things matter most to me and will try to hone in on those.  I do well with making a 'to do' list and ranking the importance of each thing.  But actually getting going on the list presents the problem.

You all may think I waste a lot of time with my cats, photographing my cats, and talking about my cats.  But Freud and I think alike on this issue.

Saturday 11/30 - Babe playing with a little Christmas bear.


I had to keep an eye on Tango who kept nabbing cat toys.

The day was overcast with rain in the afternoon while I was working out at the gym.

The dynamics between the cats (and dogs) changes as I rotated them between living quarters.  If I was in the living room, all doors were open and rooms available.  My two cats loved, once again, having access to the sunroom.  That is Stevie up on the corner shelf.


In this photo, Stevie is getting a closer look at Styx and Babe, who were wrestling.


Styx had stopped howling but was still acting very affectionate toward me and Babe, however she no longer let Babe suckle.  She was still being very protective of Babe and would charge, hissing, at Stevie.  Monita was keeping her distance from both new feline.  If they happened to make eye contact, Monita would hiss and run away.

This photo is funny, because Monita had no idea Babe was above her on the cat tree, sound asleep.  She even got up on the next level to go up the ladder.  Seconds after this second photo was taken, Monita turned and saw Babe, hissed, and went running out of the sunroom.










More kitten cuteness.


Look at those feeties.









Tony dropped by to pick up some vet paper work and drop off my adoption application.  And I donated some extra money to Wild About Cats in the check I gave her.

The rain developed into an evening storm and getting dog walks in was miserable.  Since I fixed dinner and cleaned up after it, Joe did the last three dog walks, in the pouring rain, and one with thunder and lightening.  Babe actually got snuggly and let me hold her as she fell asleep.  The stormy night had Maggie scared.  I was hoping the wind and rain would bring down the rest of the leaves.

Sunday 12/1 - December is here!  This is my new tree skirt.  I got it at 75% off at Walmart in FL after Christmas last year.  I was getting really tired of the one I made for the Christmas of 1979.  I have had and used it for 40 years!  It is now in the 'going to thrift store' bag.  









During time here at my computer, I took this (video) of a tender moment between mother and daughter.

Joe had left at 6:30 for a poker tournament in Cherokee.  With Daniel coming to get Tango around noon, I was motivated to get more decorating done.

I got the rest of the ornaments on the tree.



Tango seemed to have a longer face than usual.  I think he missed his 'mom and dad,' and home.



I imagined he was bored by all the Christmas decorating.





And I bet he was annoyed by all the unpredictable cat behavior -sneaking around, hissing, running, and stalking each other.




Styx and Babe enjoying the sun.  Look how big this kitten is getting.  But she is very skinny, like her mom, with long legs and tail.









When Styx hopped down off the cat tree shelf, Babe snuggled with the little bear.

Dan was running late, not arriving until 1:30.  He didn't stay long, and after getting all of Tango's things (crate, two beds, food and water dishes, etc.) packed up, they left.









It felt so good to be done with extra dog duties.  Tango had been a bit of a challenge.  He was great at counter surfing, could reach the cat food in the laundry room, chewed up a few kitten toys, and didn’t know about rooms being offered limits’.  But he really was sweet, didn't have any accidents, and I told Dan we would be glad to watch him again anytime.

I opened up another Christmas bin and got the kitchen and dinning room decorated.  Stevie and Monita were in the living room inspecting the tree skirt and playing.




The cats view all these decorations as new (haven't seen them for a year) and think they are just more cat toys.

All four cats now had run of the whole downstairs.  I was keeping an eye on all of them.  Babe does fine with Stevie, and Monita doesn’t feel as threatened by her. But when Styx enters the scene, it gets hissy.  I can’t wait until there is harmony among all four.  Styx is still quite protective of Babe




After dinner I took Maggie on a nice long walk on the golf course.  Tango had not been able to go this far.


I enjoyed a little more decorating with Christmas music and the festive lights on.  Not only did I watch the four cats, I played with them.  I also observed that now the Christmas kitten/cat capers have begun.

By evening, it was sleeting when I walked Maggie (at 9:30) and fall had turned to winter.  The majority of the leaves were now down, except for a few oak that hold their leaves until the spring growth.  (These plants are exhibiting marcescence, the trait of retaining plant parts after they are dead and dry.) 

Monday 12/2 - My first walk was while it was gently snowing, which is so much more pleasant than rain.  My prioritizing went to pot when I opened e-mail and found the Jacquie Lawson advent calendar.  I do not like this year's Spider solitaire game, but still spent a lot of time trying to improve at it.







I skipped line dancing and just sat here and watched it snow while I blogged.  I decided there was no sense in getting out of my pajamas just yet.  The snow made me want to finish my Christmas decorating and the cold made me want to sit on the couch by a fire and watch a Christmas movie.


I couldn't believe Babe was actually nursing (well, suckling) again and took this (video) to post for my Facebook friends.









Babe want's to nurse when first waking up from a nap.  But soon she is 'roaring and ready to go' again.  Kittens are just so cute and fun to watch, and a huge distraction.

My 'to do' list had not been prioritized and I was thinking a day of rest might be best.


During my second morning walk, I took a photo of the impatiens on our front porch.  It is still 'hanging in there', but I suspect this is the beginning of it's complete demise. 

I keep holding Babe hoping she will curl up with me, but she really prefers her mom.  I know I am difficult to snuggle with because I don't hold still very long.  At least Styx slept by me on the couch in the sunroom during my one hour morning nap.


The tree skirt kept getting messed up, but I soon caught the culprits.  However, I wasn't sure how to stop this from happening.

Styx has shown aggression towards Monita who is only watching the kitten and is never aggressive towards her.  Monita will hiss at Babe if the kitten gets too close for Monita's comfort.  I think Styx is trying to protect her kitten, but she is very rough when she plays with Babe, seen in this (video).






The first Christmas causality, this glass ornament broke when Babe knocked it off the tree and into the window.  Then I had to stop her from playing with broken glass.


I thought this picture was funny, and too true.

I have found that if I didn’t take so many photos, it would shorten my blog and save me time.  I take way more than I post, but spend much time choosing which to keep and editing many of them.  The problem is that there are so many precious moments, I want to capture them all, so I can remember and look back on them.

These four photos were taken to help others identify my four cats.

Stevie, a tan tabby, 6 1/2 years old.


Monita, a silver tabby, 2 1/2 years old.












Styx, a calico tabby with four white paws that you can't see in this photo, 10 months old.



Babe, a black and white tabby, also with four white paws, 3 months old and won't hold still for a good photo.










Here is a side view of Babe, so you can see all of her black coloring.

Hard to imagine she looked like this, almost all black, at birth.  She was three days old in this photo.

Tuesday 11/3- A horrible cat fight broke out just after I got up at 4:30.  Monita was running for her life and Styx was chasing her like the devil.  They circled the house two or three times while I tried to catch Styx.  She was relentless, would not back off, and just kept chasing Monita who was running in terror and screaming.  It was quite upsetting for Monita and I.  Once I caught Styx, I isolated her in our bedroom because I really think her behavior is based on trying to protect the kitten. (But my two cats are not harming Babe in any way.)

Later in the morning after things had calmed down, Stevie and Babe were getting along fine.  I love Stevie's silhouetted face in this first photo.


My cats love Christmas as much as I do.

Styx was confined to the bedroom all day so the other three feline could work things out.  Stevie is below and Babe is up above on the ladder.  Monita still hissed and ran away if Babe got too close.
I was feeling great angst with this cat adoption.  If it’s not gonna work I’ll have to find another home for one or the other, or maybe both Mama and kitten.  I know I need to give it a lot more time, and let them work things out.  But I feel bad for Monita and don't want her too stressed or to get hurt.




Babe and Styx have been licking their bellies a fair amount, but their surgery wounds looked good.  I imagine their hair growing back itches.

It happened again.  Babe destroyed another ornament.  I don't know how she got it out to the sunroom before it broke, and then had it smashed into pieces.

Joe arrived home.

I did get to the gym and grocery and did more decorating.  But the fatigue I so often feel is really slowing me down.  I took a two hour nap in the afternoon, and still had no problem falling asleep at 9pm.

Styx and Babe were confined together in the sunroom for the night.




Wednesday 12/4 - Babe waching me 'waste' time doing advent calendar activities and games.

After the Ladies Club luncheon, including live Christmas music, I did more decorating, and repaired the thrift store wreath I bought last January.  I had to remove my new tree skirt (using a white blanket instead) because Babe was 'destroying' it.  Hopefully next year when she is older, it will be safe under the tree.  It is now, also in my repair pile.






The day with the cats went better than past days, and I was feeling more encouraged.  Stevie and Babe actually played for a little bit and Babe even ran into Monita without Monita hissing and running away (video).



I went to the barn to pay my board and take another 27 gallon storage bin I had been toting around in my car for weeks.  Scrappy, one of the barn cats, enjoying the late afternoon sun, greeted me.






I had brought the second bin to store Courtney's extra horse stuff in and planned to stack it on top of my identical tote.  I needed to organize my stuff and stow away summer things like fly masks and spray.  The two racks of the stable's extra saddle blankets was a mess.  The cats keep knocking them down and they land on my stuff.  So I restacked them in a neater, better balanced fashion.  Courtney's large blue tack box took up most of the space in the storage bin, so I decided to leave it out.  Also, the new storage bin, sacked on top of the first one, did not leave room for tack boxes on top.

So I put one bin in front of the other.  Courtney's blue tack box containing things we don't use daily, (shampoo, mane and tail spray, fly spray, hoof conditioner, etc.) was on top of the back bin.  The tack box Patty and I use all the time was in front.  Here is a before and after photo.

By the time I finished organizing in the tack room, Amiga was in and had finished her grain.  I pulled her out to brush her, and decided to go for a little ride.  Well, I sat on her bare back and let her graze up at the bean field.  Chester and Boz joined us.

I made a quick trip to Patty's to help her with Ellie (a trim and ear cleaning).  Joe’s poker game did not happen so we watched Survivor before I went to bed.

Thursday 12/5 - I finally remembered to call mom, in the morning, on my day.  It is always good to hear what she is up to. 










Babe loves Monita's favorite toy.  The bell balls never get lost under furniture, and can be chased for hours.

The kitten, and all the cats actually, also really like laying on the cat tree shelves in the sun.

















I finished my outdoor Christmas decorating, including putting new lights on the thrift store wreath.  I still had a few finishing touches to do inside and a little more repairing as well.






Look at Babe's outstretched left arm in this photo.  Cats lounge in some of the silliest positions.









I left at 1:00 to meet Jan at the barn.  Even though all four cats had been getting along fairly well, I confined Styx to our bedroom, just to be safe.


Jan and I headed out to take the Holly trail into the Glade.  Well just after the creek crossing, Amiga slipped and went down on all four knees.  As she scrambled to get back up, I hopped off to help her out.








We knew the trail might be muddy, and at this point decided to turn around because it was just too slippery.  The wet leaves are slick and they make the mud underneath stay damp.


So we came back and rode around the barnyard and various nearby spots.  Luckily Amiga did not appear hurt, but she would probably be sore the following day.  I let her graze a few times because there is no grass in the pasture.


We ended up riding 2 1/2 hours.  This is Kaylah's son Nicoli, who had just gotten off the school bus that drops them at the barn, and gave Jan his backpack.  They were headed to the barn so he could get a ride on Cash.  Jan is so good with people, because she cares and loves them, and is very giving of her time.  I so admire Jan, who's priorities are Christ centered, and she lives the life of the love He teaches.

During my quiet evening at home, I was thinking, there should be a cat in every room of my house, with the exception of bathrooms and kitchen.  So I did the math.  I need two more feline.  😉

Friday 12/6 - Up and out of bed at 2:15 was not the way I wanted to start my day, but I can't help that I can't get back to sleep.  While the water was heating for my tea, I let Styx and Babe out of the sunroom, where they had been confined for the night.  Almost immediately a cat altercation occurred, and Monita ended up behind the washer and drier, her go to escape spot.  So Styx was confined back to our bedroom.

After I had a morning nap, Babe joined me by the computer.  I was all caught up on blogging, so now it was advent calendar time.  How about that prioritizing?

I worked at finishing touches on the decorating, like adding snow to the mantel and greenery to other areas.  I also put under the tree this Christmas blanket ($2.00 at thrift store last January) that is very soft and fuzzy and can't be destroyed by cats.








There was another huge cat fight while I was decorating (I had let Syx back out of our room).  This time Styx was chasing and beating up on Monita and when Stevie got 'run over' by Styx, she then got in a fight with her.  I slipped and fell trying to catch Styx and then my heart was racing for quite awhile after the chase.  I want peace on Earth and in this household.

I went out to the barn to take more supplement for Amiga and also give her another Prevocox incase she was sore from the fall.  I could tell my left hand and right hip had been stressed.  Since I had Amiga in the barn, and had time, I got on bareback and rode her out to the pasture by the pond to let her graze.  It is by the gelding pasture and Cash came trotting over to see us.  He really likes Amiga.



Zorro remained farther back, up on the hill, watching us.




I raked leaves out of the ditch and creek, rather than go to the gym.  It wasn't really a workout, but did expend some energy.  What I did looks better, but there is still so much more to do.




Jan and I hopped in the car with Patty, and met up with Karen and Judy at the Depot, where the Lighting of the Tree ceremony took place.  We watched Shirley and Marci clogging with the Sweet Teas.



We got our picture taken with Santa and Mrs. Clause.  Again I couldn't decide which photo to post.



And then we all went to dinner at Gondola's.  The food was good but the time together even better.  We do have fun.

I didn't last long after getting home at 7:30.

There is not enough time in the day to do all I need to and want to do.  Prioritizing is essential.