HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAR MILLER

My first cat Bear's twelfth birthday is Wednesday May 25. Here he's getting an advance birthday hug from Aidan Patrick.   Having Aidan around really highlights that Bear is a senior.  He used to be the highest and most athletic jumper I've ever seen and these days when we play feather-on-the-stick, he doesn't leap any more.  It's baby brother now who is performing the impossible feats.  Bear has grown into a truly loving lap cat, but then we've known each other now for twelve years so I guess he figures I'm okay.  I truly love this serious and sensitive boy!

STAGING IS DONE AND HOUSE IS READY

Here are some of my  pix of the house as it looked for the official MLS photos and video yesterday.  I'll post the remaining ones later on today.  The plan is for the house to go on the market Wednesday May 25, the real estate people will caravan through on Friday May 27 and there will be an open house on Sunday May 29.  More (and better) photos available at Val's Flickr slide show .

 LIVING ROOM

DINING ROOM

LIVING ROOM

KITCHEN

KITCHEN DESK

GUEST BATH

GUEST BEDROOM

GUEST BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM OFFICE NOOK



A MOMENT OF LEVITY WHILE WAITING FOR THE FURNACE GUY

The New Yorker ~ May 9, 2011

Those who know me well are aware of my disdain for fad platitudes that catch on and are used excessively, especially in the business environment. I was tickled to find this comic. It could have been even better if "Sooner rather than later" would have been included as well!  I guess we all have our pet peeves and almost all of mine center around language, punctuation, grammar and spelling. 

MORE ADVENTURES IN STAGING

STAGED SHELVES AND SITTING AREA

Memo to all wanna-be decorators:  if you want to see what observers will see, take a photo and you'll get a whole new fresh look! It's like not noticing the flag pole growing out of someone's head when you snap the photo but cracking up when you see it preserved.   I thought this area was looking pretty good when I noticed in the photo I hadn't finished one shelf and a turby-towel was hanging in the shower.  Oh no!  No turby-towels, please!

OMG!  WAS THERE AN EXPLOSION IN HERE?

Here's the chaos as I work my way out of the master bedroom.  This photo was taken standing in front of the beautifully staged shelves.   Terri and I shoved all this stuff in my room during the painting episode last week.It all has to go somewhere today!  Note cats on bed - they don't seem to mind mom's messes and were so happy to stay up until after midnight last night "helping."

TIDY DESK - TIDY MIND!  'NUFF SAID!

Those who know me well will realize that this is making me stone freakin' crazy!  I see stuff like this all the time on "Hoarders - Buried Alive" on TV.  Too much junk!  Memo to self:  when in Colorado, minimize acquisition and storage of random things.

GUEST ROOM DAY BED STAGED

Donna said to center the day bed under the window and she made me take down the quilt Susie made for me from my bedroom wall because it looked like a ghost hanging there.  How should that quilt be arranged on the day bed, anyway?

GUEST ROOM DRESSER VIGNETTE

This painting is entitled the "The Sister's Reunion" and is one of my few pieces of real art.  I commissioned it after seeing one of the artist's pieces on line.  Guess which sister is me?  Hint - look for the cat!

GUEST ROOM SEWING SUPPLY CABINET STAGED

Donna the stager said I had to get the cabinets out of the dining room to show there is actually plenty of room, which there is!  This cabinet is facing across the guest room from the dresser.  The other smaller cabinet is now in the bird/sewing/all purpose room.  She also suggested less cat art, so I begrudgingly put up a couple of other pieces. What is the problem with cat art - oh well, obey the stager....

OVERDOSE OF CUTENESS

These cats have so many beds and cuddly thingees, but here they are jammed into one tiny little fleece dog bed (of all things)!  Aidan has gotten so big that now Bear lays on top of him and as you can see they are sleeping just fine. 

STAGING THE HOUSE - WHO KNEW?

These shelves were teeming with books two days ago.  Enter Donna the stager, whose motto is reduce, simplify, create vignettes and get the personal stuff off the shelves.  Also, do not display knives (?).    After ruthless culling, donating, passing on and packing away some books for the move, this is what is left.  It was a huge amount of work but I must admit it looks nice.    Photos will be taken for the MLS on Tuesday afternoon and I have quite a bit more to do in the house, but it's coming along.

PICKING THROUGH THE BONES

I'm sorting and dumping like crazy and every now and again I find a little box of treasures I have to sit down and go through.  I found a box of all kinds of notes and memories of the parents, which really put me back in touch with them.  The longer the time since separation, the more an abstraction the experience and the people become.  It's good to feel close again to the ones who've gone on ahead.  I love this comic I found tucked away with other sweet mementos.  I hope heaven smells like orange marigolds and they have a welcome back party for everyone who comes home.

THE PASSING OF GRACIE MILLER

Gracie went over the rainbow bridge today.  It was so hard to say goodbye to her, but even harder to see her struggling as she was recently.  My sister Terri and I were with her the whole time and she had an easy passage.  Thirteen years with her went by in a flash!    Sail on, little one and godspeed!  I'll always remember your will to overcome adversity and your capacity to enjoy the small blessings of life.

UPDATE ON GRACIE

Cancelled the vet appointment for today.  I'm going to watch and wait a little bit longer.  I take my responsibility to protect her from a bad ending very seriously, but want to be sure because you just can't put life back into these guys!

HARD DECISION

This is Gracie, a little cockatiel girl who had a difficult start in life but for the last 13 years she's lived with me on her terms and has seemed content.  She's between 15-18 years old.  When my niece Kat and I rescued her so long ago, I thought she was a goner but though she remained frail and some neurological issues didn't resolve, she gained some strength and time marched on.  Three years ago she went totally blind from cataracts and once again I thought I would lose her because her disorientation was so severe. She figured things out, however, and learned where everything was in her cage.  It was a good adjustment until recently when she started having episodes of dementia (I think). Now I'm faced with the difficult decision of when to let her go.  Today was not a good day and I found her thrashing in the bottom of her cage because she was lost.  I could only imagine her terror.  I made an appointment for tomorrow to put her down, but tonight when I put her to bed I was so sad and ambivalent.  Such power we have over our creatures and the burden is great.