It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Sunday, July 30, 2017

A Good Conversation

Minette

It is a cool cloudy grey day ... a fall day .. or a dreary summer day .. it is actually pleasant.
No a/c running, the wall of sliding doors downstairs is open to let in Fresh Air and there is no sound but wind in a pine tree forest and the occasional Navy Jet, rumbling over or now and then ... one goes screaming straight up ... exciting. Even if you aren't the only person on the planet and have not spoken to anyone this week besides the grocery store clerk.

But you know what ? I can't remember when the small talk with a grocery store / or any store clerk, was anything but Pleasant .. so I will not belittle that being my only source of chats this week.
Better than hour long phone calls talking about how awful the stupid people are that one works with, or what bad drivers everyone else is ...
You know what I mean, there are some people who just have nothing to say unless it is to gossip or complain.

I, on the other hand, can be depended on to talk about .... fashion, make up, Sephora and cats.
That my dears, is a sign of a good conversationalist . lol.

Friday, July 28, 2017

How Do I Do This ??

My cell phone is apparently Full.
Full of photos.
So it keeps telling me I cannot do this or that.
These photos have been downloaded into the computer, I just have to figure out how to take them all out of the phone. I did a small amount and the phone still tells me I can't come in :(

If anyone out there knows how to do things like this- please do feel free to email me or post here and tell me what to do and how.

Thank you.
Clueless Abroad

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Taking a Stroll

The cats and I were outside on the lanai, appreciating the not too hot and not too sunny day when along came a large creature, beautiful, very beautiful,  looking like this one but more beautiful.

A Florida Wolf.

He looked at me/us, we looked at him and he just strolled past and went on into the woods and disappeared.
I know now to not leave the cats out on the lanai without checking on them often .

He was gorgeous but he could go through the screens so I am considering how to manage having the possible visit by a wolf and the safety of cats ..and me .. but I think cats would attract ...

So that is the excitement for the day ... We have a Wolf.

I will name him.



Monday, July 24, 2017

Delete

Wow .. it is only 10 am and I have been so busy ... I just did some Computer Housekeeping.
As in cleaning out all those dusty old files and a gazillion emails that I saved, thinking I would want to read them again one day, not feeling good about the idea of lost forever in the internet.

But then I realized, I haven't looked at them since I read them the first time.
So there was major computer house cleaning this am and it is still early... yay for me.

In about an hour, I will be looking for something and then realize, I deleted it Forever.

I like that ... DELETE FOREVER.

That was especially satisfying for those emails from people who for whatever sick reasons they had, courted me, flattered me, emailed me , even sent me things in the real mail ... then slammed me with insults and rejection.
There are people who bored me or bothered me in some way that I didn't want to hear from but I have never actually told them why ... I don't tell people why ... I don't want to be mean to them ,.
If they were to ever email or ask why the silence ? I would make up an excuse, I don't hate them, I just wanted to not hear from them, to discontinue contact.

Funny- one person had 2 college kids .. one , the daughter, was the Golden child. The son, who seemed to be the favorite from all the gushing I read .. became an alcoholic and broke his parents hearts.
I was always sympathetic and tried to be practical and sensible, not to be gushy or make excuses for anyone.
I was dropped like a hot potato the first time I said something without lots of Poor You and Oh How Unfair Life Is ... then proceeded to actually Try To Be Helpful but sending her a list of things to be Happy about.
She totally hated that and insulted me and left the room.

After I finished laughing at how odd people really are, I shut the door firmly behind her.

So she and a few others like that ,  ... all went into the garbage bin   ... if only this happened in real life ... deleted   forever.

So now I am in the First Stage of the New Life of Me By Myself .. with cats.
So far I think I have done ok .. the next big step includes another move .. and I want to visit Buenos Aires again so there are lots of things to think about and plan.
This is all .....   a Good Thing ...

Wishing you a Good Week and Lots of Good "Stuff " .. food, movies, trips, weather and family.


Sunday, July 23, 2017

Stormy Sunday

It is a perfect day to spend in the house with the cats.
They just like to nap whatever the weather, today it is cozy inside .. napping cats, National Geographic on television and the laundry going.

I noticed when I came up stairs that wherever Honey is and whatever she is doing, she will haul herself up and follow me. When I go wherever it is I am going, she will soon be curled up in the room with me .. She is a Mama's Girl.

Minette is my little warrior .. I wish I was as brave as that tiny blue cat.

Merlin ... Merlin is a lover. He just looks good and snuggles and purrs.. there is no need for him to do anything more.

It is pouring down rain and very cozy inside with no a/c on, that is a treat !
I am going to read a new mystery I downloaded to Kindle ... make lists for packing, etc and proceed with the plans for the Future.

Not a bad day ... how is your Sunday going ?

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Memories

Home sweet home. In Argentina.
It was like a dream, being in Buenos Aires, having a home similar to many in France as well as being able to furnish it just the way I wanted to. Most things were ours but we bought the sofa there and brought along our antique lamps and this and that.
The living room faced the street, the back of the apartment where our bedroom was located faced the back ... which was also the gardens and backs of the other buildings so we slept in a quiet peaceful room with views of sky and doves nesting outside the windows. Cooing woke me each morning.

Sometimes, it seems like it was all a dream. Everything about it was lovely, we were so happy, we were all together .. Pup, my husband and I ..

I am so glad I am always taking photos of everything .. now that I am the only one left, I can remember by going through the photos ... Memories ... sad happy wonderful memories.

I Want To Be A Cat

When I met my husband I was just 21 .. he was older. I was a girl from NC by way of California and he was born and raised in NYC .. although he spent quite a lot of time living in London and India.

I was living in California, came to NYC on a visit, met my husband the first couple of days in the city and we were married a couple of months later.

So I spent half my life so far with my husband... I picked up phrases he used and little ways of doing and saying things.
He was really smart and very well traveled and sophisticated.
We were a perfect couple and I am not sure why ... old souls perhaps .. but we were so very happy.

I lived with him for many years, from the young age of early 20s ... I picked up many of his ways of thinking about things ( a good thing) and his ways of saying things ( a funny thing) and mostly just his way of not taking some things so seriously ( a very good thing if you can manage it)...

I grew up with him.. in all ways .. and I try to think of how he would manage something if I am just flummoxed by a particular behavior or something someone says to me ... I like to think that I have kept my sense of humor, although that seems to be the problem.

So many people take every single thing so seriously. Of course, to them it probably is serious but it seems that people expect everyone else to be distressed, worried, angry over someone else's problem.

I have learned about this the Hard Way.
The most recent being yesterday when I took a persons comments to be humorous.
BEEEG mistake. This is someone who has known me for a very long time ( online) and I was there for them through some pretty sad days ... days when this person was reeling from the death of a spouse. Having had a bit of that experience myself .. I try to be aware of how such a loss can change a persons personality.

For me ... it made me less likely to think before I speak.
It made me want to make someone laugh rather than moan and groan and be dreary .. nothing makes people run for the exit than a dreary widow ... or so I have been told.
Yes... one of the things that gets lost is the ability to be polite or kind in other people and the complete lack of a sense of humor.

So someone I know (for years) who has been through the same issues (loss etc) said something in an email that was just so sad and yet there was this one thing that was said that made me feel that this person was feeling worse because this person is drinking .... too much.
I would never say anything .. that is on that list of easy ways to lose a friend.
But then, what do you think happened ?  I spoke frankly without being silly or fluffy about something and I was immediately criticized and dropped ... no more friend.

It is a good thing I have 3 cats. They always like it when I talk to them, they never judge and they never walk out on me.
I try to listen to them but they don't expect much, love and kindness generally do the trick.
Unlike some people who pretend to be "friends" ...

I think I want to be a cat ... when I die I will come back as a well fed cat .. with long claws ..


Friday, July 21, 2017

Art Everywhere

Buenos Aires Street Art
You can sort of get an idea why this place is so great ... artists are encouraged, musicians, graffiti , dancers, you can see it all, on  the street, here or there ... and as you walk down the street, you hear music, in shops, restaurants, cars ... one of my favorite memories is having to go across town for some final paperwork for our residency ..
We got a taxi with a driver with a fabulous voice.
He sang along to every song on the radio.
We were so entertained, it was enchanting .. this was the taxi ride that I judged all others by ..
Walking down the sidewalk, sitting at a traffic light, always looking out the windows, looking at the buildings .. art everywhere .. music... I sure do miss it ~

Thursday, July 20, 2017

smile

THE FINAL WORD ON NUTRITION
After an exhaustive review of the research literature, here’s the final word on nutrition and health.:

Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
The French eat foie-Gras, full fat cheese and drink red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. 
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Another side

Now you can see another side to Minette ... the kitten that just plays until she collapses.
I know, she looks like she had One too many ... but it was all cat games and running up and down a staircase .. terrorizing a senior cat who mostly looked at her and went back to sleep.
But even Honey who is not slim kitty, bounded after Minette. Who beats us all with energy levels.

Now it is kitty nap time.

If I was a meanie, I would run the vacuum now.
But instead, I think I will do something exciting like the laundry.

Happy Wednesday ...

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time there was this tiny blue kitten, whose mama was just too tired so she lay down in the snow and fell asleep. She was wrapped around her baby to protect her .. some human was walking in the snow and imagine their surprise when they found the tiny baby curled up next to her dead mama.
He rushed the kitten to Animalkind in Hudson NY where the vets and the wonderful people who work there, tirelessly, kept that tiny blue baby alive.

One day this lady walked in o the place.
She was newly widowed and very sad and lonely.
She had been thinking about getting a cat but her grief made her unable to do more than think about it, acting on it seemed such an exhausting proposition.

But one day, she had just enough energy to drive over and go inside.
The people there knew her from her previous visits and they were always so kind.
She walked in and there was one lady at the desk and the place was silent and no cats to be seen.

I walked over to the desk and said there are no cats ?
And she smiled at me and looked behind me .... I turned around and there was this tiny blue kitten, stalking me. I picked her up and she began to purr.
We both fell in love. At first sight.
I brought her home with me and the two of us slept together and ate together and she acted like she cared when I talked to her and she told me how she missed her Mama and I told her how I missed my husband and the two of us helped mend our broken hearts.

to be continued :

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

What do you Appreciate ?


Not what you ordinarily think of when you picture Alaska, is it ?
Beautiful, aren't they ?
I have a friend who lives in Alaska, which happens to be where a few of my family live and used to live.I have cousins here and there, from Alaska.. it is a shame I have never gone there ..

And here I am in Florida, there are no Poppies growing around me but there is a forest behind me.
This morning, as I stood there in the lanai, with my first cup of coffee, the cats and I waking up and enjoying the not too hot sunshine, the silence of the forest ...
I glanced at Minette who was staring hard at the bird feeder next door .... the birds are so happy and busy and drive Minette crazy.
But this was not a bird. This did make Minette a little crazy though .. a baby racoon.
I was a little crazy too.
It is official, there is nothing as cute as a baby racoon .. trying to find its way inside a bird feeder.
Mama came along and took him back to the woods.
Which made me glad ... Humans are dangerous.

  I am appreciating the woods .. the cats are appreciating the warm sun on the lanai ..... What are you appreciating ?

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

"The Alvear "

The Alvear Hotel Bar, if you want Posh .. here you have it.
My husband and I walked all over Buenos Aires, we lived in Recoleta and wandered the neighborhoods, going through the miles of parks into the museums and other areas, Palermo Botanico which was next door to Recoleta.
At the end of a day of walking and talking and shopping and looking, he loved to sit at the bar at the Alvear Hotel and sip a glass of very good Malbec.
I sometimes drank something sparkling but mostly not .. I am plagued with a condition that is really not fair to anyone .. I get an instant headache from alcohol, especially wine. Apparently there are Things in wine that cause an allergic reaction .. sinuses close up, head aches ..
It is generally not worth it ... then I found out that vodka rarely does that .. lol ... so I had a lovely Bloody Mary in the Alvear Hotel Bar ..
There were days it was fun to sit at the bar but mostly we sat at a table and had a snack too.
And people watched .. British musicians, singers, actors ... it seemed to be the Hotel of Choice.
We should have stayed there one night, just to see how it compared to the other luxury hotels we had been in ..

so here you have it ... if you want Posh and you need a hotel, The Alvear Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

And no, this is not an advertisement :)

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Spring

It is a very hot day in Florida and storms are forecast. This is Summer.
The photo is a warm day in Buenos Aires ... that is Spring.
Here, it is always green. In Buenos Aires, Spring was looked forward to, the colors of all the flowers and the trees and walking in warm sunshine without a coat .. much like anywhere but Florida, I don't think they ever need coats in Florida.
I wish I was back in BA .

Monday, July 3, 2017

Monday, July 3, Florida


Sunshine, napping cats, blue skies with huge clouds , very warm but not too bad ... air conditioning runs night and day.
Birds are very busy in the woods in back. Large and small and all vocal and busy.
Cats are slothful .. each napping in their favorite spot .. after a couple of hours, a little movement then a new spot to nap in for a few more hours.
My little adventurer keeps watch ..






Sunday, July 2, 2017

Rooms

Boy do I miss that room.
The windows were the french door style... looking out onto the "air" space behind all the buildings ... the room was very quiet.  I would wake in the morning and look way up there and watch the light twinkling on the crystals in the chandelier ..
My husband bought me flowers every week .. there were always some in the bedroom .
A typical 1930s apartment building, marble hall floors, cage elevator, marble staircase winding up around the elevator .. 2 apartments to each floor .. so the living room looked out over the front, the sidewalks and 4 lane "boulevard " .. it was One way when we moved there, they made it 2 way traffic after a couple of years, we never noticed it being that much noisier .. the bedroom in the back was silent. Except in the mornings when the doves would wake up .. they slept in our a/c unit by the window.
I had a doves nest in the window box outside the kitchen .. baby doves .. ugly little fragile things.. but they lived !
Funny, I look at this place I am living in now, the house we lived in when we came back to the US .. the furniture has fit and looked good / or made the rooms look good ... in all the places.
Maybe it is time to try a new place with new rooms to try things out in :)
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sunset in Buenos Aires

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