Resolutions

My friend Jane says she doesn't make resolutions, she makes "intentions." This year one of her intentions is to spend 10 minutes, every day, working on her kitchen.

Sometimes she is unbelievably wise. Not because of the kitchen thing, although maybe that is wise as well, but because intentions aren't actions of failures - they are actions of desire. A way of saying to the universe "I'd like to make this change or do this thing" and do it with the understanding that you have to be an earnest participant but you aren't the only participant in the process.

I make resolutions every year. Except this year. I had a list at the beginning of the holiday season and that list included making my resolutions. It hasn't happened.

The addition of a third cat to our household has sent my cat allergies into overdrive. The cleaning I've been doing (sorting/purging is a better description perhaps) means that I'm also stirring up dust. So for two days I've been a watery eyed mess. Last night, desperate, I took a double dose of Claritin which I am able to report did little more (I think) that make me very drowsy. So this morning, as I was struggling to wake up, I spent some time reflecting further on what I want out of 2009.

First, and most importantly, I do not believe that some magical change will suddenly come over this country on the 20th of January. That's a bit like buying an 1800 square foot house for a million dollars and expecting it to double in value in six months. You can wish for it all you want. You can even speak your intention into the universe (or God, specifically, if that's your thing) but there is the possible and there is the probable. Anything is possible. Probable is a much more distant bet.

But I do believe that people can make changes in their lives, in their actions, in their behaviors and those changes can have a global impact. If those changes are positive, the impact globally can be positive.

Even simple things like Jane's intention for her kitchen has the potential to echo beyond her house and into the lives of others - those who want more of her time, friends who visit, her pets, the people she does business with.

But this early this afternoon I was still without any intentions of my own. I chased the new kitten out from under the bed, gave him his medicines, and cuddled with him a bit.

Then we decided to play RockBand 2. This was the first time we'd all played together (me, my daughter, and Chris) since buying the second guitar and getting the new RB version.

We had a blast. Several hours later, sweaty and exhausted, we finally all called it quits.

For a moment I thought "I need to finish cleaning this area and sorting through those files." I'm so glad I ignored that thought. Because yesterday and today I spent a significant amount of time and other resources doing two things that I think really get to the core of who I am, or how I like to see myself at least.

The cat "rescue" escapade involved several people, many hours and many dollars but at the end of the day we'd taken steps to preserve life, something I consider incredibly precious - regardless of whether animal or human. (I am, for the record, adamantly pro-choice.)

The family time over Rock Band was the most fun I'd had in more than a week (maybe longer - I can't remember that far back) and I don't think I was alone.

With these come my intentions for 2009 - live what I believe and invest in those I believe in - of which my family is my priority. I'd like 2009 to be a better year than 2008 - and by my reckoning, 2008 was a pretty good year.

NL

For the Love of Cats

It was during the family (extended) Christmas celebration that my sister brought us all up to her house to see the little family that had settled in on her porch. Three little kittens and a Momma Cat whose tail you can see just a little bit of as she moves in for a petting. Of course, we all "ooh'ed and aah'ed" and thought to ourselves "how very cute, too bad we can't take them home with us."


That evening, after a second visit which included a bit of wine, we crossed paths this this little bunch again. This time the kittens were all huddled up in a group and the Momma Cat was standing outside their home, ready to do battle with any threat. So very brave!

Oh the cold. Oh the risk of perishing at the hands of a wild animal. My heart clenched. What to do?

On Sunday I called my sister and said "post pictures - we have possible adoptive homes." Within an hour my friend Jane had signed up for two kittens and we were taking the Momma. Baby Gray was still up for grabs but would stay with one of us until he was old enough to move on.

Earliest vet appointment would be today (Wednesday) so at 7'ish in the morning Chris and I dashed to Sis's house (about 40 minutes away), helped my Brother-in-Law scoop up all of the cats, and we raced back to the vet for a 9 am appointment.




Momma and two kittens quickly settled in comfortably on the scale - altogether weighing a whopping 13 lbs.













While Abigail (the Siamese) decided to play with the air vent.








With all four sneezing, eyes running, and quite a bit of general stinky-ness, the vet pronounced them adorable but quite sick. Meds were prescribed.

We'd begun learning how to administer everything with very patient Vet Assistants taking us through the entire process when the kindly Doctor walked back through the door and gravely announced that Momma Cat had FILV (Cat Aids.) There was nothing else to do, they would all have to be tested. Blood was drawn, pathetic mews were heard, and then we settled in to wait.

Baby Gray was tired of the cold floor. So he climbed up Chris's pant leg and settled in for a nice nap.



And there we all waited.

When the vet came back the news was mixed.

Abigail and "Beau" (the grey striped kitten) were fine. But Baby Gray also had cat aids and was sick enough that possible recovery was slim to none. He would not be going home with anyone.

As we stood there holding him, he drifted to sleep curled in our warmth and we thought "how quickly a small cat can wriggle his way into your heart." We didn't leave him, even as he took his last struggling breath. Having an animal die in your arms, no matter the reason, is just as hard at 43 as it was at 16. But it was the right decision.

Momma Cat, who we were ready for back home, was also destined for a different road. Her FILV status meant that there was risk to Fluff & Snickers, the two grey tabbies we've had for 9 and 14 years respectively. A foster family had been found and the vet would care for her until she was well enough for the spaying surgery we gladly paid for. Fortunately, we also learned that she wasn't pregnant again, something we'd feared.



After all of this we decided to keep Beau - calling my daughter to announce the decision and having her laugh at us because, once again, we were adding a grey tabby to the household. But I suspect my niece will be thrilled to know she'll see her playmate again.

A thousand dollars later and three cats will have much better lives. Maybe a little good Karma for us.

On the other hand, I am unbelievably angry at the people responsible for failing to spay and neuter - and likely dumping the Momma in the first place. We don't think all the kittens were hers but at least one was. Had it not been for the warm hearts of my sister's family, and eventually our own cat love, it could have been a much different story.

So, if you are reading this and you have an un-neutered pet, get off your ass and fix the situation.

NL

Corporate Blogs: Srsly?

I can't tell you how many time I've heard the advice given to have "corporate blogs." And lately they seem to be EVERYWHERE. Weight Watchers has a couple their members are advised to follow - but I don't because they are inane. Every politician it seems has one and they are all written by, well, someone else. Dell has one but I couldn't find it, not that I looked all that hard. So do GM, Yahoo, and Google. Amazon has a few to include one for the Kindle.

This afternoon I was getting ready to install the Neat Works scanner when I noticed the instructions reminding me to go their website blog which I assume is their way of saying "hey, we're hip. we're cool. we don't capitalize or spell out words unnecessarily."

In fact what their blog was, as they all seem to be, was a news reel in text about their products.

Look. I have no problem with companies blogging. But I'd like them to actually "get" what blogs are. So instead of finding my way to a marketing page for some company masquerading as a CEO telling me what he's thinking and yawning through the drivel I find - why not actually have the guy SAY it?

If you go out to HP's website and do a search on the word 'Blog' you'll come up with some pretty good ones. They don't seem to be recent, maybe current economic events have the honest bloggers running to the hills corporately, I don't know.

But I do know that if, for instance, one of the major car makers - like GM maybe - had the guts to say on a blog post something like "hey guys, big lesson learned for me - when you make cars, drive, do not fly to Washington when you are begging. Wow do I feel stupid. I promise never to do that again!" I'd be the first one in line to help turn the company around.

Or how about one like this from maybe a senior manager of AIG "Yikes! Sorry about that. We totally screwed up but we're going to fix it and here's how. First, we're going to go for a little financial transparency. We're also going to clean house and we're going to start with the guys with the big bonus checks - this year the mailroom employees get one instead."

But no. Instead we take one of the most powerful things about blogs - the human voice connected to human brains - and completely water it down and feed to people like strained & processed peas. It tastes no better than it looks.

All the folks out there claiming to be PR and Social Media folks - knock it off. The readers can tell the difference between corporate message and a real blog. You ought to be able to as well.

NL

Oh J - You Troublemaker

Fans of the Myers-Briggs will recognize the list making obsession that characterizes the "J" trait. The fourth indicator suggests a preference for either spontaneity or list making.

I am a J.

If I'm feeling stressed I "make a list." If I'm feeling like I have entirely too much to do in a short period of time I "make a list." If I'm going somewhere, starting a new project, taking on a new hobby I "make a list." I have even been known to make lists of lists I need to make.

Last summer, before starting out on our 45 day cross country RV trip, I had a list of lists that included: RV Stocking & Readiness, Work wrap-up, Pet Prep, Household Readiness, and Gwen.

I'm not a purist. I like things a bit open-ended and it's not unusual for me to dive right in to a last minute something just because. Sort of like, well, NaNoWriMo, which I decided to do literally hours before it was to begin. This gets me in trouble because although I crave order, I'm not particularly good at maintaining it.

This morning I was up and about a wee bit early because Chris is headed into the office and one of my favorite things is morning coffee with him. Sipping away at my eggnog enhanced brew I curled up on the couch for a visit - knowing that although he was headed in, I was still off for the rest of the week.

Oh, but I was distracted.

Every year, the week between Christmas and New years, I take off and I spend that week creating order. Because I do this I pretty much put off creating order at any other time during the month of December. Then I dive in, pull everything out, and start sorting through the previous year of my life.

This year the in-process piles include several magazines which reflect either interests or things I'd hoped to become interested in at some point during the previous 12 months. So, among the piles on the floor are "Shop Smart" for my love of bargain hunting, "Body & Soul" - a Martha Stewart empire (you go girl) magazine devoted entirely to health and spirituality which was my goal for 2008 when it was still 2007 and I'm pretty sure I got nowhere with, "Highways" and "Motorhome" magazines which are our bibles for RV'ing, and "QST" - thanks to my newly re-acquired ham radio license.

Near those piles are stacks of bills - none of which have been opened or are late because electronic bill-pay has made my life much more manageable, some PeaPod receipts which are the result of my discovering home delivery for groceries, various software packages also reflecting my interests over the year - scrap booking, genealogy, photography - and then the various gadgets which may or may not work.

I have a lot to do. And only a few days to do it in. Oh, and I forgot. My 2009 Franklin Covey set. Oh how I love FC. This past summer, while in Salt Lake City, I actually visited the FC global headquarters and their attached store. I felt like I'd come to Mecca.

And then there are the KITTENS!

Because during the family Christmas my sister introduced me to a momma cat and a litter who had taken up residence on my sister's porch. Her husband, for all the right reasons, called Animal Control to come pick them up but this had not yet happened. She and her children have fallen in love with all four of them (3 kittens and one cat who looks like she's about to drop another litter) and know that if AC gets there before homes are found then it is likely the end of the line for all of them.

So I got in touch with a friend who offered to take two kittens. My sis thinks she's found a home for the baby gray. I will take the momma and deal with the potential litter when the time comes. It will be her last litter, I promise you. And if I find the person who dumped this brave and friendly young mother I will stick my foot out and trip them...then yell at them for not having the sense to have her spayed.

But first we need to gather up all of them and get them to the vet.

Which is who I should be calling instead of blogging.

And staring at those piles on my floor. Which are less likely to be sorted through if I've been distracted by the needs of new furballs. Which is my own fault for letting my heart and my J fight with each other...

But then, isn't life really the point here?


NL