I finished reading Find Me by Carol O’Connell Friday night around midnight, and promptly burst into tears. Then I dreamed about Kathleen Mallory. I don’t know that I’ve ever cried so hard over the ending to a book. I’ve read all of Carol O’Connell’s Mallory books and I’m sure I’ve said in the past that I’m a little in love with the character. I’ve re-read the last three pages of the book probably six or seven times since that first time, and every time it gets me right there.
The book itself was probably not one of my favorite Mallory books, though it did make me want to go out and drive what’s left of Route 66, but the ending made up for any flaw in the book.
I don’t know if the ending of the book means that the Mallory series is coming to an end or not, but if it is, I couldn’t have imagined a better ending.
Although, I’d really like to see Mallory and Andrew Vachss’ Burke team up. It might be a total shark-jumping moment, but it would be fabulous while it lasted!
I think I’m in the market for a sewing machine. I want a simple, fairly inexpensive one, I don’t need it to do anything fancy, just sew a straight line. Got any suggestions?
Friday night after we finished watching Rendition (not a bad movie), I got up off the couch.
“Where’re you going?” Fred asked.
“To the bathroom.”
“Oh, then I’ll watch one of these episodes of How It’s Made,” he said gleefully. He adores the hell out of that show. I find it interesting, kind of, but he’s a man obsessed.
When I came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, he paused the show.
“I’m going to tell you something that’ll make you happy!” he said.
I glanced at the TV. “I don’t want to watch that goddamn show.”
“It’ll make you so happy you might dance!” he said.
“I DON’T want to watch that goddamn show,” I whined, and sat down.
“Miss Elle and Miss Skittles,” Fred began.
“DID THEY GET ADOPTED?!”
“They did. And she wants you to bring Miss Punki and Miss Felicia to the pet store tomorrow morning.”
I was so happy that Elle and Skittles had been adopted that I did, indeed, get up and do a little dance o’ joy.
Saturday morning I left the house around 11, and got to the store right after the woman who’d adopted Elle and Skittles left. I chatted with the adoption counselor for a few minutes while she cleaned the cage they’d been in, and then it was time for Punki and Felicia to go into the cage.
“Look,” I whispered into Punki’s ear. She flicked her ear and meowed her husky little meow. “You know I want to keep you, but I don’t want no damn 10 cats in the house. Try your very best to get adopted today so I won’t have my heart broken tomorrow morning, would you?” She meowed again. I kissed her on top of her head and handed her off to the adoption counselor. I petted Felicia, talked to the adoption counselor a few more minutes, and then left.
Two hours later, the shelter manager told me via email that Punki had been adopted.
That’s three of the four, adopted in a 24-hour time period! I couldn’t be happier, but I’ve gotta say, I really am missing Punki a whole lot. She’s such a sweet thing, and before I went to the pet store to take the two cats Saturday morning, Fred and I decided that if she hadn’t been adopted within two weeks, we’d talk seriously about keeping her.
I hope she’s happy in her new home!
I was going outside to do something yesterday (I don’t remember what), and as I looked out the side door, I saw a grackle land on the feeder nearest the door, and then he pecked several times at a goldfinch sitting there.
“Hey, you fucker!” I said, opening the door. “Cut that out!” The grackle flew off, but the goldfinch stayed where he was, flapping his wings. I knew immediately that he’d gotten stuck in the feeder. It had been a while since I’d cleaned out the feeder, and after a few months the food builds up in the feeders, especially when it’s been rainy, and the finch had stuck his head through one of the holes on the feeder, and gotten his little head stuck against a pile of bird food.
I’m explaining the whole thing poorly, but all you need to understand is that his little head was stuck and he couldn’t pull it out of the feeder.
Fred was in the garden shed, so I carried the whole feeder over there to ask what we should do. I thought if I had a screwdriver, I could kind of scrape the food away from his head and he could free himself. Fred wanted to try taking the feeder apart first, though, so we walked over to his workshed.
(On a side note, there are entirely too goddamn many sheds on our property now. The garden shed, the wood shed, the workshop (shed), the pig shed. And I suspect we are not done with the shedding of the property.)
He came out with some tool and tried taking the bottom off, but was unsuccessful because the feeder was, I was informed, “Some piece of shit from China.”
Every now and then the finch would flap his wings and squawk indignantly.
“Just go get me something to scrape the food away,” I finally said. He came out with something that looked like the tool the dental hygienist delights in torturing me with, you know the pointy thing that they scrape the crap off your teeth around the gumlines with?
Gently, carefully, I started digging the food away from the finch, and he squawked in fear and flapped his wings and tried his best to pull his head out. Finally, I scraped under his head, and he was able to pop his head out and he flew away, squawking angrily in our direction.
“Well,” I said. “That’s gratitude for you.”
(flickr)
I looked out the window this morning to find McLovin in a place I hadn’t seen him before.
(flickr) (Look on the roof over the truck)
He stayed out there for about 10 minutes. He’d crow, then I’d hear the rooster down the road crow, then McLovin would crow again. I think the gist of the conversation was the McLovin is THE MAN, because he flew down from the rooftop and proceeded to have sex with every hen he could get his greasy little talons on.
(flickr)
(pic) Joe Bob is an outdoorsy kind of cat. He loves to sit outside all day long and watch the birds…
(flickr) Even when it’s not particularly comfortable.
(flickr) All afternoon long. He’s a bird-watching motherfucker.
Previously
2007: No entry.
2006: I hate spoiled rotten princesses.
2005: “4.2 billion,” he said suddenly. “Not 4.7. Because a regular signed 32-bit integer only goes up just over 2.1 billion – that’s 2 to the 31st power – and an unsigned would be one more power of two onto that, so–”
2004: Is it easier to write bad poetry, or am I just naturally a bad poet (and didn’t know it)?
2003: Let’s see whether or not I can give Lisa what she wants!
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: Have you noticed that I feel like an idiot a lot?
I am loving the pics of McLovin and Joe Bob. Maybe one day they will team up on the same roof/post and then you will have yourself a perfect picture!
I’m so glad Elle and Skittles and Punki got their asses adopted!
Damn, Joe-Bob is like some kind of furry ninja. “Hiiiiyah! Oh, and also, meow.”
How on earth can Joe Bob be comfortable?? That’s too funny!
That’s wonderful news about the cats. I have been fretting about them.
Josh LOVES that How It’s Made show. I guess it’s a guy thing? My eyes just glaze over.
they had a singer on sale at target last week for less than 80 bucks..
I do happen to have recent experience with sewing machines. My daughter wanted to get one and have me pass on what I know about sewing. She ended up getting the cheapest Kenmore…89 bucks. It does straight stitch, 4-step buttonholes, and a range of zig-zags including a multi-stitch that is so handing for mending. I have heard bad things about Singers made after 1980, whereas Kenmores consistently get good reviews. I have a nice Bernina myself but what I appreciate the Kenmore is the way they give you a few high-end functions (needle-threader, dropping the feed dogs) in a simple stripped-down way. I think the only features I would spend more money to get are 1) stitch length adjustment. 2) an automatic needle-down (when stopping stitching).
Good news on the adoptions! I’ve been meaning to ask, what ever happened to Jack Frost?
Those pictures of Joe Bob almost made me snort coffee out my nose! Heh. Very good news about the kittens being adopted. 🙂
For an inexpensive, sturdy sewing machine, I don’t think you can beat a Sears Kenmore. I’ve had mine for almost 20 years (gah, I’m old). I’ve neglected it terribly, having it cleaned and oiled only twice in 20 years, but it still works like a charm. The model I have is extremely basic, so there’s nothing complicated or electronic to break.
I’ll put in my two cents about the Sears Kenmore as well. I’ve had mine for about seven years – it is simple and straightforward and I’ve never had a problem with it.
I’m so glad the kitties were adopted! My husband and I adopted another cat, Banjo, at our local shelter yesterday and the place was very busy. There were “adopted” signs on about half of the cages. It was a good day for the kitties!
Woo hoo!!!
I’m doin’ the happy dance too. Thank God those babies got adopted.
Now one more to go.
I LOVE the pictures too. That Joe Bob has some hilarious expressions.
Hi Robyn-
What do you think of the new Survivor? I have just 2 words to describe Joel on the Fan Team: ROID RAGE. He takes himself way too seriously and I would laugh at him if he was not just a little ca-razy scary with the rage thing.
I gotta say, your property is beautiful! I’d live there in a second if I could! And last, but not least, hurray for Elle, Skittles and Punki!
This might be for Question Extravangza Friday:
My Siamese, Simon, always puts a couple of pieces of his dry cat food into his water bowl. WHY? Is it so he can see the water level? Is he telling me he’d prefer boullion to water? By the time I get home from work, there are hugely swollen disgusting pieces of kibble floating around and falling apart in his damn water bowl! It’s making me KUH-RAZY!
I.T.O. sewing machines, I inherited my grandmother’s Singer that she always used to fall back on when her other fancy machines went belly up. It’s a little work horse of a machine but it’s also from the 1930s so I guess that doesn’t help at all. I sort of wish it were a different brand though because there isn’t a Singer fixer place conveniently located near me and I kinda gummed it up when I used it last. If you are anything like me (re: able to kill a unstoppable machine in a single stitch), location to a good fix-it place might also be a factor to consider when looking for a machine.
Hey Paula, my Siamese cat puts kibble in the water dish too, which drove me nuts trying to figure out how it got there until I watched him do it one day. Apparently you have to be a mighty, mighty hunter and shake the life outta a kibble before you eat one. Sometimes, the kibbles get lucky and escape only to drown in the nearby water dish. At least that’s what’s going on in my house.
Boo, Thanks! Actually Simon DOES give a shake to his first mouthful of kibble, which I realized represented The Kill, but I never saw one (or two) of the doomed kibble(s) escape. That makes sense now. Does your Siamese also have a Felix Complex and try to bury/cover up all that offends? Or do I have a FREAK??? 🙂 Oy, the scratching noise….
http://www.amazon.com/SewPro-Quickstitch-Sewing-Machine%252d-SP%252d402/dp/B000BQU382/ref=pd_bbs_11?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1203955963&sr=8-11
(Sorry I don’t know how to insert links, but this is a cheapie one at Amazon. They have lots of them to choose from, and if it’s just a “straight line” one you need, I would start out cheap.)
Joe Bob looks seriously uncomfortable, hee hee!
Sewing machines: Do.not.get.Singer. They were good in the “old days” but suck now.
I’ve heard Kenmore is ok. Jenome (sp?) is good, and I think they have an inexpensive basic model.
I have a basic Bernina which I love, but it’s not cheap.
I also finished Find Me last week, and I am in total agreement with you about the ending. (I did cry more at the end of A Prayer for Owen Meany, though.)
LOVE that pic of Joe Bob. it is hilarious!
It could be a new comic adventure series – The Adventures of McLovin’ and Joe Bob!!!
Oh man! I was rooting for Punkie to stay. Where did my mojo go?????!!!
Where will they go if they’re not happy in their new homes? Does the group you work with do home visits to confirm that they’re being treated well?
Dangit …
The electronic Singers are terrible.
My late mother in law had an ancient Singer that dated from the 1920s. It was still going, last I heard, when my daughter took it on after her grandma died. All it ever did was straight-stitch and forward, that was it, but it was a little workhorse.
Didn’t mind if it was sewing silk or canvas or leather, just change the needle and give it a little oil and it was good to go.
So I bought myself a Singer, it lasted for 10 years, and quietly died on me. The motherboard died. Who knew sewing machines even have a motherboard? The cost of replacing it would have been more than the cost of a new machine.
So I bought a Brothers at Joanne’s on sale. Joann’s Fabrics has great sales quite frequently, on sewing machines. Brothers, White — very basic can’t-go-wrong machines. They won’t do anything fancy, but you’re not planning on designing couture for McLovin and his girlz anyway, are you?
Jenome has great reputation from people I know who are very much into sewing. Kenmore is a good workhorse and you can get one as fancy as you want or as basic.
Oh, and congratulations on getting the kitties adopted!
I have a lower mid-range Kenmore sewing machine and I love it. I wouldn’t buy the cheapest machine that you can find because, well, you kind of get what you pay for. I’m a fairly frugal person but with this, I’m glad I bought the $250 model. Which in sewing machine land – is rather cheap.
I sew almost every day and will soon need to upgrade, but even for basic things, you want something decent and reliable. When I started out with this machine 2 years ago, I had no idea what the heck I was doing. It is fairly user-friendly, and doesn’t weight a ton either. Two things I would do different – get a sewing table for the machine to permanently sit on, and buy a dust cover.
Yay sewing!
I *love* How it’s Made. I think it goes back to childhood, watching the segments like that on Mr. Rogers 😀
~Juby
My mother and I swear by our Kenmore sewing machines. My mom is a sewing expert (for real) and has been sewing for over 70 (yes, seventy) years. She’s broken two high-end Singers, which were clunkers. I don’t think she’d even take a Bernina (which is supposedly the Cadillac of sewing machines) for free if it meant giving up the Kenmore.
I love the series of Joe Bob pics. He looks more and more uncomfortable each time and VERY focused on those birdies.
Kenmore, Kenmore, Kenmore.
No electronics. Will.Last.Forever
http://www.mothersuniquedesigns.com/TRADF7~1.JPG
I have one of these in my shed.. It’s worked this long so it must be good. 🙂
I have a kenmore sewing machine. Very simple, I think I paid around $150-200 for it? I hear singers are good, too, but they tend to run a little on the spendy side for me. I love my Kenmore, though.
oh also, i agree with what everybody else said: don’t get the cheapest sewing machine you can find: you do get what you pay for. I think around the 150-200 mark, you can’t go wrong. I had an $80 off-brand sewing machine, it pooped out after about a year. Blargh.
To Paula… I don’t have a Siamese, but one of my guys likes to scoop the kibble with his paw into the water dish, then scoop it out of the water dish and eat it – off his paw, or on the ground if it hasn’t stuck to his paw. When I get sick of dry food floating in the water, I have sometimes resorted to putting the food dish at the other end of the room.
Then again, this is a cat that will whine until you pour water into the dry food dish…and give you what for if it’s not enough water.
I think it’s safe to say you have the monopoly on freakish cats… 🙂
Oh and Joe Bob – ROTFLMAO!