Goodbye to an old friend

I'll be back to posting soon, I promise.

But, meanwhile I had to say goodbye to my sweet Zeke yesterday. It was an awful decision to have to make, but it was past time and it was very hard.


Michael will fondly remember the way Zeke would slyly muscle his way into a diagonal position in front of the food bowls, effectively blocking Farley from any food until Zeke had taken his fill.

And the strange and all-encompassing love that Zeke had for Michael's guitar case. Zeke was immediately draped on top with his paws wrapped around, rubbing his cheek and purring whenever the case was lying flat.

I have too many fond memories to count. But, mornings at the back windowsill watching the birds with my boy and a cup of coffee were a favorite.

And watching him jump into any freshly emptied container, paper bag, box, basket, cooler and claiming them for his own, always gave me a laugh.

He made the last 15 plus years fun, full and freaky, with a bit of snooty-kitty pizazz.

Goodbye sweet friend, safe trip back to the Mother ship.

A chilly week, a few blooms and an update

It's been chilly few days here, cool and rainy. I'm finding it hard to come up with the perfect work wardrobe for cool spring days. But, the plants seem to be loving it. I'm happy to see that the Wee Willie heirloom pinks I seeded last year are coming back. And we added a few more perennials to the bed, some indigo and mauve columbine, some coreopsis and more sea pinks. It should add some nice color and attract lots of beneficial insects to the garden.

Kind of a quiet week here with finger recuperation still going on. We did get a chance to visit with a few family members last night over a nice dinner in town. A rare occasion and one that we were glad to be part of!

And once again, thanks to my dear husband, we still managed to get a few things done by way of the Independence Days Challenge (IDC). So, here's our update for the week...

Plant Something:
Planted pole beans, squash, luffas and perennials

Harvest Something:
herbs and a little lettuce

Preserve Something:
not this week

Reduce Waste:
Created a list of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle tips for the office green page. Harvested a load of used printer paper to cut down and use instead of post-its in the office

Preparation and Storage:
Stored a water-proof supply of candles and matches in the basement storage area

Build Community Food Systems:
Working on a "raised bed" team at work to create and maintain an organic garden at work

Eat the Food:
Made a big bowl of 4-bean salad, a great way to use food storage!

Hope you're having a good week!