Worry is like a rocking chair......

Lord knows I've had a lot of reasons to be worried lately. And I know worrying isn't a good thing. For one, it causes my ulcer to flare up, and that's unpleasant. And secondly, it causes loss of sleep, which makes me cranky (and then no one wants to be around me). But no matter how hard I've tried, I have been totally unable to stop worrying. Until today, that is.

A dear (and incredibly wise) friend of mine----hi Bob!---offered some words of wisdom today. He told me that worry is like a rocking chair.....you move a lot, but you don't go anywhere. When I sat and thought about that, it was like a freight train hit me and I realized just how profound that statement is.

So from now on, when I start to worry, I'm just going to picture myself in a rocking chair and hopefully that will do the trick. :)

Fun at the Science Center....

Depressed by yet another afternoon of rainstorms, we decided to head to the Carnegie Science Center. They have a really cool exhibit on robots. You can see, from the photo to the left, they have the original R2D2 on display. They also had the original C3PO, too. It was pretty cool. They had a robot that could play basketball, and I only saw it miss the basket once. Isaak got to play air hockey with another robot. It whooped his butt 2-0. :)

We also visited the miniature train exhibit, which Connor would have stayed at for the rest of his life if we'd let him. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it. And pay close attention to all the details. They have little figures playing ball, swinging on swings and even working in the rail yard. It's quite a treat to see.

New adventures.....

The last two weeks have been crazy, to say the least. I started a new part-time job with St. Thomas Church in-the-Fields as an office secretary/treasurer. It meant I had to resign as the volunteer treasurer at my own church, Bakerstown Alliance, but with our work situation, I needed to make that choice. I trust my friends at Bakerstown understand that and hope they know this was not an easy decision for me. I love them all and am glad I was able to serve them in that capacity for the last 3 years.

I also have been hired for a part-time music job with Valencia Presbyterian Church. I am most looking forward to this, because I have always believed my musical abilities were given to me by God, and I love to use them to praise Him. This will be a good opportunity to do that very thing.

It's going to be a rough road ahead getting adjusted to these new things, but it is a road I am looking forward to traveling down.

Raising the white flag

That's it. I officially surrender. I admit it's futile and I just can't drive myself crazy anymore.

Zorro, aka outside (feral) kitty, did not show up for his neutering appointment today. Can't say I'm shocked. The last three times I've tried this, he's gone missing for days. You'd think I'd have learned by now, but the stubborn animal lover in me just plodded on.

I hadn't seen him for 3 days, and finally he strolled into the yard last night. But the bugger ran from me, which he doesn't usually do. In desperation, I tried to grab him. All that got me was bitten. Thankfully, I was wearing a thick sweatshirt, so he didn't break the skin.

I tried to call Animal Friends to report I was not coming, but apparently, there isn't a real, live person anywhere down there on Sunday that you can reach by phone. So I left a message. I figure sooner or later, they'll call me when I don't show up.

But this is it. I can't do it anymore. I am driving myself crazy trying to help this cat. I will feed him and care for him as best I can. But that's it. I admit defeat in all other areas.

The famous disappearing cat.....

Well, if Zorro is ever looking for a new career, he has a great future as a disappearing artist.

Tomorrow, I have him scheduled to be neutered, compliments of Animal Friends. It's a great thing, because with our financial situation, we couldn't afford to do it on our own. But wouldn't you know that I haven't seen the darn cat for 3 days! Now, this isn't the first time the frisky feline has dropped off the face of the earth for a few days. I seem to recall two other times he's disappeared for this long, and coincidentally, both of those times involved trips to the vet. Hmmmm......I'm starting to sense a pattern here.

I hope for his sake he shows up today, or I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do to Animal Friends. They may not wish to make me this offer again if I can't seem to deliver the animal in question.

Meet Magic......

No, this is not Zorro, our outdoor kitty. This, believe it or not, is the neighbor's cat, aptly named Black Magic. He is liking the fact that I put kitty food out for Zorro every day, and I find myself chasing him away a lot.

Magic is old and he's cranky. And he's a little off upstairs, if you know what I mean. He'll run right to you, meowing and rubbing against your leg for attention. But the minute you pet him, he hisses and swipes at you with his paws. Like I said, he's a little loco.

He also is one of the reasons I may bring Zorro inside once he's neutered this weekend. Magic is forever fighting with Zorro, and they do quite a bit of damage to each other. It's crazy. Too bad I can't give them time outs like I do with my 3 year old, but something tells me, that just wouldn't work. :)

Cheep, cheep.....

We have some new little friends living on our back porch in a wind chime. On the left, you can see the chimes. Note the littel hole in the center. For a few years now, birds have used it for a home. But this is the first time I can recall seeing little baby birds in the nest. On the right is a picture of one of them. That is actually its beak you see right in the center of the opening. I couldn't get any close with the camera with mama bird flying around me. She was not happy I was disturbing her babies and I wanted to be careful not to leave my scent on them for fear she'd then abandon them. As best as I can tell, there are 5 babies in the nest! They really are something to see. They never stop peeping, demanding food all day long. Poor mama bird must be exhausted!