When cats have no thumbs and the good blue stuff

Yesterday was gorgeous - balmy (interpretation of that is windy), cloudy with the odd sunshine break-through, and 68 degrees at its warmest point. Today is a repeat with a high of 71. Heaven. It's incredibly hard to not want to plant the garden, which is ridiculous. You don't plant gardens in December in our neck of the woods.  I need a greenhouse. 

Speaking of balmy and warm-ish, look who changed their logo colors! I love the new blue. It's gorgeous, but I do miss the yellow and red that it was for donkeys years. I'm not complaining, though. Still got the same great ocean water drink with yummy coconut syrup in Sprite. I also ask for lime in mine. It's warm weather in a cup! Picture of it below, isn't it pretty?! I had this one yesterday in honor of our warm weather spell.

Kitties enjoyed (not really) time outside, too, as you can see, lazing around in the dirt and dead leaves. That's what cats do outside this time of year. We thought they'd enjoy going out after lunch, but no, they dragged around like they were dying. Apparently, taking them outside during what is their normal four-hour afternoon nap time is not the best idea. We gave up after about an hour and put them back inside their house. They did not put up a fight to go in and go to bed.

We've got house projects going on. Today will include some additional de-cluttering if I can get my act together. The guy below wants to help with contact paper in drawers. I personally think he's just going to make a mess, but he'll be cute making that mess. Seriously, ever try to do any project around cats?? They are "helpers" in the loosest sense of the word. They lay on everything, get in the closet or drawer you're working on and root around, get under foot, decide they need to lie in your lap for a while, then get up and walk around and yell for a bit. You get the picture. But they're fantastic creatures. They get a pass every time. If you've ever been around cats for any length of time, you realize pretty quickly how highly intelligent they are; it has creeped me out at times. I've got one that can let himself in and out the back door. Every now and then, when he does that, it makes me jump.

I've been giving thought to the New Year. By that, I mean mostly the garden at the bottom of our property. We are foregoing the pumpkins in that area this year. They've not done well the last three years, so I think probably it's best to grow something else there. Since that runs right up against one of the giant zinnia patches, I think I'll do haystack/branching sunflowers there en masse. It is in direct sunlight all day, every day, so they'll do well. We did a few there last year, and they were stunning.

We have zero plans for the New Year, we don't generally do much except maybe order a really good pizza and watch movies until sleep calls. No ringing in the new year for me, don't want the muddy brain that goes with it. Some folks do just fine with that, but I've always been the person that got the severe headache the next day from wonky sleep hours. Not a good way to spend January 1st, so we'll wake up refreshed and ready to celebrate the new year with waffles or pancakes, eggs, and vegan sausage or bacon.

Today is a cleaning out the fridge kind of day, then off to the store for some salad stuff and bread and milk. Rain system starts rolling in tomorrow, so I'll make the most of today for sure. Love to you on this last week in December and the last week in 2021. Hard to imagine, but here we are. Be careful with the new year, expectations can diminish quickly when met with reality. If you are a person who makes resolutions, balance your new goals with realism. Life will disappoint enough without self-sabotage. Be kind to yourself, create your own peace and happiness. Before you know it, we'll be at this place again with another new year. Each day is a chance to grow and learn and do; you don't have to wait for a new year to roll around.

I'm getting a second cup of coffee and a gardening book and settling in for a bit until the sun comes up. If you need me, you'll probably find me outside, avoiding the decluttering and playing just a little bit.