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.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

The Good Boy

There he is ... my Good Boy.
It has been a long time now, I still miss him.
There are days that I wish he was here because I get nervous being alone and there are days I miss him because he was always fun .. if a dog can be a clown, Tate was often a clown. He would wag his tail and grin like a fool when he made me laugh .. He knew exactly what he was doing.

This photo is from the short time when we lived in Florida .. a number of years ago.
Before we visited Portland, Oregon and fell in love with that city and moved there ... where Tate became a City dog ...Oh the stories that Pup could tell.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Free Kisses

Dottie

This is my new grandpuppy. Her name is Dottie ..  she is a Shih Tzu .. She is lighter than my purse, lighter than my cats and about the same size as the cats.
She is precious ... an adorable baby with all the cute puppy behaviors and makes me laugh at her wiggly little squirms when she is meeting a cat or a toy .. good times..

Monday, September 25, 2017

Blogger Issues

I have been using Blogger for years now.
I have never had a problem and recommend it.
Except .... Suddenly a few weeks ago, I found that I can blog and email and do everything as usual but on the blogs .. I cannot comment unless I switch from Chrome to Safari, which I stopped using.
But it is still in the computer ..

If there is a computer wizard out there reading this, has this ever happened to you, can  you guess what is wrong, can you help me ?

Thanks !

Cluess @ the Computer

Sunday, September 24, 2017

The Family



Honey 


Dot, the new grandpuppy


Merlin My Love
  


 My Minette

  “when I am feeling low
all I have to do is watch my cats
and my courage returns” 

― Charles Bukowski












Wednesday, September 20, 2017

The Lake


A couple of houses down from where I live , is The Lake.
It is peaceful and pretty and now and then you get to see an egret strolling around.
I appreciate it being there, it is pretty and yet I never actually walked over and looked at it or sat by the lake and read a book or something.
So I decided to walk over, sit down with my camera and just enjoy the quiet .. the only sound is the water sound from the fountain and an occasional jet zooming way high overhead.
I should have brought a book ...

Then I remembered .. there is always a possibility of an alligator in the lake.
They come in through the waterways that feed the lake / keep it full of water ..
So while I was sitting there, an alligator could have come over to sit beside me .. or have a bite ..

I think I will appreciate the lake from afar ... an upstairs window perhaps ... a car maybe ..

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Back When I Was Happy




































There was a dove's nest in that tree out there, we would open the windows and hear cooing.
At night, we discovered there was a doves nest under the air conditioner in the window- at night we could hear cooing .
A lot of cooing when on in our home ...

The ceilings were ridiculously high, the portero had to bring up a special high ladder so we could change a light bulb.

Strange, I have been back in the Unites States for 4 years now .. I don't feel as At Home as I did , back in Buenos Aires, at home.

Tate was there too ... funny, if I think about it ... I arrived in Buenos Aires with everything that was important to me and that I loved ... and now they are gone .
I have the cats now .. and I will move again .. I wonder if I will ever get that feeling of Feeling At Home again .. or is Home the people and things around you, not the Place ?

The cats and I are our little unit now ... I wonder how they would like Buenos Aires .... 

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Today & my friend Irma

Wednesday, 9/13/17

I woke a tiny bit later this morning , cats must have worn themselves out worrying about hurricanes hitting them ... and I listened .
Nope .. not a sound .. no wind. No rain . No sirens.
The cats were snuggled in so I thought, hey, they aren't worried, why should I and I slept a little longer.
It is gorgeous out,, no clouds and the sky is an amazing blue.

I hear cars .. in the distance, people are going to work ... school ... evacuating .. it is peaceful ..
The calm before the storm ?
Or is the dread, fear and worry behind us now ? Somehow I worry that that would be too easy ..
It is hovering still ..

In other news ... I am grandmother to a new puppy.
I want this puppy . She is a Shitzu ... black with a tiny white mark ... impossible not to carry her around in your hand and kiss all the time.
I have been considering the idea of getting one for myself ... the cats would be delighted .. or not.
I need a dog to add to my pack of (3) cats like a hole in the head but hey ... no one gets to tell me what I can and cannot do .. except the landlord ... but what if I move ? yeah ..

I don't like Florida anymore. You know why.

I do love my daughter and wish she would move to NY too.

So - today is a day of online work, decision making, and phone calling. work work work ...

I hope everyone is safe and dry and free of worry and dread ... I know exactly what the dread feeling is like ... I think I have it too often for most normal people.
which might mean I am not normal.... or my circumstances need to be made more normal.. we will see.

This, btw, is my new friend Irma/Little Irma  ... he/she took shelter in my plant pot by the front door .. during the storm I moved the plant to a sheltered spot and there he/she was this morning .. safe and sound and thanking me .. brave little creature, just looks at me as I look at it .. so those 2 pots now belong to her/him ..


Tuesday, September 12, 2017

A Hurricane

I am Fine. The Cats are Fine..my home is fine.
Everything around me is ......Fine.
My daughter and her new too -adorable -to -be real puppy are fine.

My whole neighborhood seems to be fine ..  I have to go buy groceries, I hope the store is fine.

When my husband and I moved here to Florida years and years ago, I was horrified with the Tornado warnings and Hurricanes ...
My husband laughed at me when I ran into the hall bathroom and sat in the bathtub .. the dog thought it was all great fun and jumped in with me.
Tornadoes frighten me more than Hurricanes, there is no time to evacuate and run away.
Hurricanes on the other hand are huge , destructive and include massive amounts of water ..

So imagine my delight when I heard we had a Category 5 Hurricane coming and I had no idea where to go or what to do .. I live in a condominium .. with a State forest behind me ... right behind me, it is sort of my back yard ..
I am not near an ocean or big waterway but who needs an ocean when you have a hurricane ? It brings its water with it .
And there are no hills and dales, just flat Florida.

I packed up the things that are very precious to me and stuck them here and there, places I hoped would still be intact when all was over ... and that was when it hit me.

I don't want to live like this .
I don't want a fear like that, lurking in the back of my mind every time it gets cloudy or rains a little.
I have no friends here, it isn't that sort of place ... people who have lived here for years will become friends and there is a sweet Southern way of nice and friendly but it is superficial, they don't ask you to go out shopping or anything ... they are just really nice when they talk to you for a few minutes.

So now is a time for a lot of decisions to be made and planning to be done and all kinds of Stuff.
Posting might be erratic ..  there is really very little to post about, living here .. how interested is anyone in the fact that I saw an Egret walking outside ..
A  turtle was rescued by Me , the Turtle Whisperer and taken back to the Forest where he made his wrong turn.
Otherwise, I am surrounded by nice strangers and beautiful skies and a forest and I might as well be on Mars for the feeling of isolation I have all the time.
So while I am able to .. I will make the next big change .. I am going home.




Sunday, September 10, 2017

Little Frog

I went out when the storm began and dragged a huge pot with a nice big large leafed plant over into the garage from the front step.. my back will never forgive me.
I came back inside then wondered if it was in a good spot so I opened the front door and there was a tiny frog, sitting at the door.. wondering where his home went ..

I came inside and pondered ... what to do ... it would drive me crazy if I left the little frog homeless ..
I went to the garage and dragged the plant out onto the porch then pushed it across where there is a sheltered spot ..

I looked once and the little frog was still there ... confused perhaps.

I looked again a few minutes ago ... he is back in his pot .

I can relax now. No baby frog deaths on my conscience.

Merlin is taking a nap ..

Minette was stalking me .. she probably gave up. . . I am no fun.

Honey asked if there was anything left over from dinner so I gave her some roast chicken ..

Another cozy night with the cats while we wait for a Hurricane.

Hurricane

Things changed while I was relaxing and being glad that there would not be a direct hit from the Hurricane.
It is headed for us and I have nowhere else to go but stay here at home and tough it out.
I fear I am not very tough :(

The cats and I will hunker down, and pray that it goes by fast or decides to go somewhere else ..

Whatever happens, when it is over and when it is possible .. I will post again.

Everyone in the path of this weather, please go somewhere safe when you can .. and listen to the people that know what they are talking about.


Take care, Goodby for now.

Candice, Merlin, Minnette and Honey 

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Saturday September 9 , 2017

Sunday, September10, 2017

No one can predict the weather very well or at all and certainly no one can accurately predict the path of a Hurricane very well.

What was going to be a stormy time as Irma passed close by is now going to be a very scary stormy time with Irma hitting North Florida/where I live.

The news is warning people but the truth is .. it is too late for all that.
The highways are like parking lots with the thousands of people trying to go North / Away from here ..
Stores are all closed now.
The wind has picked up .. gusty ... not too scary .. the only thing that is scary is the warnings of flooding and high winds.

I am of course terrified but I will hang on to these cats of mine and hopefully we will all make it through this alive and in one piece .. I was going to say alive and well but I am already mentally damaged from all of this.

There is no way in this world that I will remain in Florida when this is over and I am still all in once piece.
I am sure the power won't last so I will post again whenever I can.
Everyone in the same predicament, I send my love and hopes for your safety and loved ones.
Keep those pets close !! Don't let them get out or loose , odds are, they will be gone forever if you lose a pet in a storm like this.
Take care ... goodbye for now. Candice






Saturday, September 9, 2017- Jacksonville, Florida

It has begun.

 Hurricane Irma

See you when it is over !!

The Quiet Before The Storm

It is grey, overcast and breezy and totally silent except for crows somewhere ...maybe they are yelling at the other crows to Fly North !!

I am here, staying home, there are others nearby and my daughter is the one that convinced me to stay home.
I would be on the road out in the open if I tried to leave now anyway .. the highways are packed with cars from here to the North .. I would rather be in my home than a car on a highway when it hits.

So wish us luck, I am anxious but not too.
This certainly did make me make some decisions that I had been dithering over .. this is not the life for me.

I will spend this time keeping busy so I don't get even more crazed, thank you so very much to S for sharing some medication that will keep my head from exploding ... or my heart ..

There are other people around me, it is not deserted here but feels like it is.

Tomorrow will be clean up and counting blessings day ..

Today I will make use of the time by packing :)

Talk to you tomorrow as long as we have electricity.



Ahhhhh it is getting windy.....

Friday, September 8, 2017

Stay Safe ....

There is a Hurricane coming then I hope we will be free of Hurricane talk for a long time.
I had forgotten how anxious and threatened you can feel when a huge storm that you cannot control or run from, is on its way .. then it hits .. then the news tells you and shows you all the damage and destruction.
One of the very good reasons I had for not wanting to live in Florida again.
I never learn.

This photo is just amazing .. I have a fondness for Cloud photos. I like taking them but this one is so amazing and in black and white which I had not considered .. When our storms are over and I can feel safe stepping outside, I will give some black and white photos a try.

I hope everyone who is down here in the South stays safe and snug and dry.
We can trade Hurricane stories in a couple of weeks ... when we are over the trauma of it all.

Stay safe, be careful ... Take care .. C

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Should I Stay or Should I Go

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article171611132.html

This is what told me to pack up my cats and go ....

Someone I know is staying here and she has lived in Florida for a long time .. and gone through storms of all sorts. I don't want to leave but I am afraid to stay.

I'll let you know what happens ~

You know, they don't have hurricanes in Buenos Aires.
They don't have snow storms either.

It is hot and dry most of the summer and chilly and sometimes grey in winter.

It is looking more and more tempting as the days go by ... 

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Here We Go Again

 There is a slight wind out. The air is   nice ..cool .. humid ..
I was going to visit the people next door but then they had to go to a party/overnight shindig at a friends new wonderful house. Boy I wish I got those sorts of invitations ...
But they took my phone number and gave me theirs and said if I need them, they are right next door.
Which is so very precious to me.

Being alone is one thing...
Being alone in a hurricane that is kind of large and scary is another.
And of course, there is no one around that offers to keep me company .. actually, when I am this anxious, people annoy me so I am better off alone with the cats.
They don't annoy me .. well, not too much. And if I yell at them, they purr .. not many people do that ... too bad ..

So .. I am making good use of my time and nervous energy .. I am packing.
And talking to the Son and hearing about things back in the land that I should have never left ... NY.

And I wish I had some Valium . LOL

I can't listen to the weather forecasts because they scare me.
But I did a while ago so I know what is happening so far and hope that it just blows over fast and the trees stay off my roof.
I brought in all the furniture off the lanai so that won't blow around ..

Right now everything is peaceful.
Miss Honey is sleeping on a baby mattress  that is now a cat bed.
Merlin is hiding .. probably in the pillows on my bed.
Minette fell asleep on the sofa .. she hates game shows.

So here we are ... the Calm Before the Storm.

I will keep busy packing and doing preps for packing and moving .. back to the Real World.
Where I can go out without getting lost ... where people remember me .. where I still have friends and family ... Florida was a mistake but I am so very lucky that I can fix that.

Now if the Hurricane just behaves and goes away quickly and quietly ...

Here I Go Again ...

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Here & Now


Odds are the weather is not going to get better , not yet... it has to be horrible first.
I have never been in a real Hurricane, much less alone in one so the cats and I will probably do what will be the best thing for us to do ... Run Away.

 Not sure where and when ( soon) but that is the story for now.
I will not be blogging .. unless it is something so big and lets hope to God that there is nothing that Big or Bad that needs blogging ...

If I ever had doubts about living alone in Florida ... this settled a few thoughts in my mind.

Thank you, love to all, Candice & the Cats

Monday, September 4, 2017

Another Hurricane

This one is on its way while the other one is still here ..  The pictures from the hurricane that has hit and devastated people already , in Texas and now here come 2 more.

My first thought was pack, get the cats into the crate in the car and head North.
If I could get the movers here tomorrow, I would have the house packed up and take it all back to NY.
That is what I will be doing anyway- enough of this, living in isolation and terrified of hurricanes hitting and destroying everything I have ... me and 3 cats .. oy.

I am not quite sure how to go about things but phone calls will be made tomorrow and plans will be made tomorrow and action will be taken, starting tomorrow.

This had all the makings of being a good move, South, warmer, no snow .. but it has turned into a misery. Isolated, terrified of the weather, threatened by the weather ... totally alone every day .. thank goodness for the cats and friends and my son in NY .. they at least email and make sure I am still living and breathing ..

So I will post if there is something to say, or not until everything is over ... one way or another .
Say prayers for all the people who have been through so much already with these storms ..

I will post if there is something to say.
Right now I am panicked and feeling ridiculously alone so I have to be quiet and make lists and talk to people ... my landlord etc.

Everyone down here in the South ... take care, be safe .. everyone everywhere .. take care, be safe :)

C

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