Adieu 2012

And here we are at the end of 2012. 

I have a plan (on paper!) for 2013 and if I don't stick it in a drawer somewhere, I may get a few things accomplished. I have also written some unhealthy habits and people's names on pieces of paper and put them into a 'goodbye' jar and I will burn these tonight. These will be left behind as I ring in the new year.

None of this has anything to do with a red-bellied woodpecker; he was at the snack bar and I snapped a photo of him. :)

Happy New Year! Wishing everyone health and happiness in 2013.

No words

Christmas 2002

The tragedy that took place in Newtown on Friday is so horrific that words fail me. If I would try to express my sadness, my broken heart would not allow it. There can be no answer to 'why'. No matter what forces brought those souls together, there can be no reason... nothing can explain the evil. 

We, as a country, will show what we are made of now. Maybe there aren't enough people who want to change our culture and we will continue to reap what we sow. And the next time, we will be saddened and heartbroken and we will wonder how this could happen again. We need only to look inside ourselves for the answer. Because we allow it.

The last holdout

We have been trying to trap all of the feral cats that I have been feeding and taking them to be neutered/spayed. This guy is the last holdout... he will not be lured into the traps. We're going to take a little break and try again later.

Mama Too won't be a mama no more!

The feral cat fixing saga: Four of eight have been trapped, neutered and released. It has been quite a learning experience for me. I had no idea how the traps worked... stinky mackerel is the key. The logistics of the process always kept me from taking action and if my pet sitter hadn't volunteered to help me, I'd still be at square one. For instance, I was so clueless, I thought I would have to block the access to underneath the deck (where they hide). Again, the stinky fish-bait is the key... and the traps, of course. I now know how to set a trap and how to release a raccoon or two, who also enjoy stinky fish.

We will set the traps again tomorrow night and hopefully the last four will be fixed by week's end. One of the females, the matriarch, got out of the garage the morning after her surgery and I haven't seen her since. She should have stayed inside for forty-eight hours. I feel terrible about this, but I'm still hoping to see her on the deck soon.

Today is the four-year anniversary of my husband's death. I'm trying to focus on other things.