November - Nonsense & Cats

Well - it seems we are going in reverse this week as I play a little game of catch up! Life has been a little bit chaotic the last few weeks... work has been busy, life has been a little more crazy than normal and we've ended up getting less than stellar new about one of our kittens. Suffice it to say - November has been wild so far! Please enjoy this picture of Spook looking super cultured and listening to jazz.

Let's get the sad news out of the way right from the start - shall we? We noticed over the last week and a half or so that Loki's whole personality just seemed to completely disappear. Instead of our spunky and sassy little guy who is usually hopping across the furniture and chasing his wand toys, he seemed content to just sleep or lounge around all the time. Then he started eating less and less... and we noticed he seemed to be breathing a little more awkwardly, so we called the vet, loaded him up and prepared to get some answers - and whoosh - the answers we got were not what we wanted to hear!

Loki had lost two pounds in less than a month - and while all his bloodwork came back great, his x-rays did not! They showed that Loki's heart is enlarged; he was officially diagnosed with pulmonary edema. The worst thing about this diagnosis is that there is nothing they can do for him, it is not something that is curable. Loki's heart muscles will slowly harden until his heart stops - and while he isn't in pain - he will now have a significantly shortened life span. Talk about the worst anniversary present. 

Spook continues to be wild and crazy - there are no signs that the heart defect impacting his brother will be an issue for him - so we are thankful for that. But man, our hearts are broken over our sweet Loki. We don't yet know if we have weeks or months with him, that will depend on if the little man decides to keep eating and taking his medication. Thankfully, this is not something that will ever cause him pain and we think that is a blessing. We will just keep loving on the little guy for as long as we have!

We celebrated our second anniversary on Tuesday the 12th - the sad news about Loki put a little of a damper on the day, but my sweet husband still came home with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for me that have been brightening the house all week long. We altered our dinner plans and instead stayed in, spending time with Loki and one another after the crummy diagnosis that our sweet little guy received. We are so blessed and we decided we'd celebrate another day - spending time with our furball was more important than dinner out! So - year three is off to the races and year two is in the memory books!

Spook has continued to come out of his shell in pretty incredible ways - and man, he's a little bit of a psycho I think - in the cutest way possible. He loves to follow me around the house, "talking" to me about his day and flopping onto his back, baring his fattening tummy to me and tapping my legs for pets. When I come home from work at the end of the day, he makes every step I make whether it's going upstairs to change, starting dinner or even just plopping onto the couch to chill. I had the day off on Monday the 11th (Veterans Day) and when I went to read on our bed - he stretched out and took an afternoon nap right there with me!

Spook also continues to be utterly fascinated with the Christmas tree and has successfully made the climb all the way to the top of the tree! There are pictures to prove his feat farther down the post; I'm just glad the whole tree hasn't fallen over yet - there are very minimal ornaments on the tree and the ones I've chosen are either cloth or wooden, so that they can't really be too damaged if he doesn't manage to bring down the tree! It's only a matter of time with this wild little weirdo racing around.

Seriously - look at that guy. What a loony tune he is. Loki always had quite the personality but he wasn't wild... he was just interested in everything, all the time. They are so similar and so different - just like any set of siblings, I suppose. Spook is our water cat because if someone is in the bath or shower, he wants to be there too. He likes to watch the water in the shower; he sits outside the glass shower doors and just watches the drops slide down the glass... and if I'm in the bath, he's always hanging off the side of the tub - taking it all in. Loki could care less about the water - he fell in once & that turned him off of all things water and wetness.

Honestly - a majority of this post is pictures of the cats being hilarious and goofy. As you can see, the promised picture of Spook at the top of the tree. He really is quite the climber and I have to say that I've been pretty impressed with our tree's ability to withstand his climbing... so far. Granted, I think he might weigh a whole nine pounds at this point but I didn't factor in a cat (or two) climbing the tree when we bought it - so points for that additional quality. 

One thing I have learned about cats is that the whole "if I fits, I sits" is absolutely accurate. If they can plop their little furry behind into something, then it becomes a perfect seat for them! Loki loves the basket in the half bathroom and Spook has recently become fond of the second shelf of the towel holder in the guest bathroom. I guess whatever works, right?

Loki has - from the start - been much calmer about the Christmas tree. He admires the lights and sparkles from one side or the other, while Spook tries to tempt him into climbing right in. It's a little sad to realize that maybe the reason he doesn't scale the tree with Spook is because he's not feeling his best, poor little guy. I have to say - the pictures of Spook poking his face out of the tree would make quite the Christmas card, ha-ha!

I leave you with some pictures from a recent work walk to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley to find a security and technology clue. The City of Winchester posted a clue each week and once it was found, you were entered to win a day off - so that was neat! Now, no one in my office won the prize but it was cool to figure out clues about the city and race around trying to find the code to scan. All in all - a unique and different activity that broke up the work day from time to time.

October Book Review

October - I can't believe I actually read so many books this month! The month felt like it flew by, but I guess I was flying through the pages as the days were passing by...

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general - also known as her tough-as-talons mother - has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. 

But when you're smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away... because dragons don't bond to fragile humans. They incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother's daughter - like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wing leader in the Riders Quadrant. 

She'll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise. Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows even more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda - because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five: I know. I know. Everyone LOVES this book series. And I enjoyed it... I will probably read the other books in the series... but I didn't love it. It just didn't grab my attention the way some other fantasy/romantasy/whatever we are calling this genre now... books did. It's unique & different, good world-building and a good story line. Just not as good as the hype (in my opinion). 

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand - It's Nantucket wedding season, also known as summer - the sight of a bride racing down Main Street is as common as the sun setting at Madaket Beach. The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember; the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate. 

But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony - and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, groom, the groom's famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield - and no couple is perfect. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of five: The book is definitely better than the series... because they are SO different! I watched the series & was intrigued to read what inspired it; I was so surprised by how different the two were! I have to say I liked the book's storyline better, the way it ended better, all around I enjoyed it more than the show! Granted, I also have come to love Elin Hilderbrand - so that helped. Her books also really make me want to go to Nantucket! 

Cades Cove #1: The Curse of Allie Mae by Aiden James - Buried deep in a ravine in the picturesque Smoky Mountains is a very dark secret. David Hobbs, vacationing with his wife Miriam, inadvertently stumbles upon a small cloth "keepsake" bag & a broken tooth. A human tooth. Miriam begs David to hand the bag & tooth over to the park officials, but he ignores his wife's pleas & secretly keeps the "harmless" items. The action opens a doorway that has been closed for nearly a hundred years & unleashes hell on earth, or at least hell in the lives of David & Miriam. 

Following the brutal murder of his best friend in Denver, and an aborted attack on his oldest son, David desperately seeks to understand why a mysterious teenage girl has chosen to terrorize him & the males closest to him. To prevent further devastation to his family & end the wanton bloodshed, he returns to the enchanted hills of eastern Tennessee, where a terrible truth awaits discovery... one that forces him to face the consequences for the unpaid sins of his ancestors. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five: This book was interesting. It was unique to read a book set in a place that I know so well; I spent my whole life going to Pigeon Forge & Cades Cove, so that made the setting of this book great. However, some aspects of the story were a little...odd? I don't know. It was a fast read & parts of the read were great, while other parts were just a little strange. But - I'm glad I got to read it!

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan - After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca "Bex" Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends & family, & escaping the world's judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance. 

But when a crisis forces the new Duke & Duchess back to London, the Band-Aid they'd placed over their problems starts to peel at the edges. Now, as old family secrets & new ones threaten to derail her new royal life, Bex has to face the emotional wreckage she & Nick left behind: with the Queen, with the world, & with Nick's brother Freddie, whose sins may not be so easily forgotten - nor forgiven. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 of five: I absolutely enjoyed this book! It took me a bit to get into it, but once I got going - I blazed through it! I love the continuation of Bex & Nick's story & really enjoyed the way the story played out... perhaps we will get a third book? This book might be my favorite read for the month of October, so good!

The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke - Clem gets a call that is every mother's worst nightmare. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Erin is unconscious in the hospital after a hiking trip with her friends on the remote Orkney Islands that met a horrifying end, leaving her boyfriend dead & her best friend missing. When Erin wakes, she doesn't recognize her mother. And she doesn't answer to her name, but insists she is someone named Nyx.

Clem travels to the site of her daughter's accident, determined to find out what happened to her. The answer may lie in a dark secret in the history of the Orkneys; a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft & murder four centuries ago. Clem begins to wonder if Erin's strange behavior is a symptom of a broken mind, or the effects of an ancient curse?

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐of five: Such a good book & such a quick read too! And I love that, at the conclusion of the book, the author discusses how her characters are based on actual events - it makes it that much more fascinating! I also loved that it was set in an area of Scotland that I don't know much about but would love to see one day!

The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar - Jocelyn & Antoine are childhood sweethearts, but just after they marry, Antoine is drafted to fight against Germany. As WWII rages, Jocelyn uses her position as a librarian in her town of Saint-Malo to comfort & encourage her community with books. Jocelyn begins to write secret letters smuggled to a famous Parisian author, telling her story in the hope that it will someday reach the outside world. 

France falls & the Nazis occupy Jocelyn's town, turning it into a fortress. The townspeople try passive resistance, but the German commander ruthlessly begins to destroy part of the city's libraries. Books deemed unsuitable by the Nazis are burnt or stolen, & priceless knowledge is lost. Risking arrest & her life, Jocelyn manages to hide some of the books while desperately waiting to receive news from her husband, Antoine, now a prisoner in a German camp. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five: This was another good book, albeit a little slower than I'd expected & man; the ending was a bit of a letdown. I suppose with a book about WWII, you shouldn't expect a happy ending... but you can hope, right? The book was good - just not great! 

Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks - At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a loveable six-year old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive & an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear... and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down.

In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new & baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying & rewarding - one that will test his abilities & emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 out of five: This book was a find at the consignment store for just $2.99 & was one of the most enjoyed reads of the month! It's a little different than most Nicholas Sparks books, but the story was great & the characters... man... let's just say there was one character that I'd be tempted to smack if I met in person, ha-ha! Such a good read! 

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So many books and so little time! As this month comes to a close, I'll have added seven books to my "read" column and upped my total for this year to 54!

Lately - Late October

October feels like it has passed in a blur - I honestly cannot believe we are so close to November and also, to the end of another year! Time truly does fly and this month has been no exception! It's been a (mostly) good month and life is full! I figured I'd share some pictures from the last couple weeks - a lot of which are our crazy kittens!

The weather this month has been really lovely - perfect Autumn temperatures - sunny days with nice breezes and cool, crisp nights! Perfect for snuggly sweatshirts and turning on the fire for some extra toasties in the mornings! Beautiful sunsets and lovely sunrises... although that pesky time change is right around the corner.

Our backyard has been a surprisingly colorful spot and I have really loved just gazing at the gorgeous colors out our back windows! I truly love Autumn so much and this year has been no exception!

The kittens are showing their personalities more and more every day - and let me tell you - they are absolutely a mess. Spook is always fascinated when I decide to take a bath; if the door is open, he will come right on in, casually lounge on the edge and even situate himself on the ledge of the bath tub and dip his paws into the water. And don't even get me started on if the door is closed... little paws slapping under the door, expressing his frustration at being left out, ha-ha!

Loki has also gotten in on the bath tub intrigue and on a Friday night this month, he got a little too adventurous and ended up falling into the bath tub, while I was in the tub! Thankfully it was only his bottom half - but he was pretty spooked by Spook, and in he went! He scrambled out pretty quickly and he looked hilarious with his top half all fluffy and his bottom half soaking wet! 

We got in our October tradition of carving pumpkins - I did a more traditional jack-o-lantern while Ryan carved our last name into his pumpkin! They are currently gracing our front stoop and look amazing! Granted - once the last trick or treater has come and gone - they will probably end up gone too; as soon as they are carved, they start losing a little bit of their structure - you know?

We are really loving living in our new home and also really loving getting to know our new town and new state, ha-ha... even though we only moved about thirty miles from where we were - we are in a whole new state and that takes some getting used to! We are enjoying getting our routines established and discovering the places that will become regular "go-tos" for us now that we are settled into our new home! I can't wait to see our new place decorated for Christmas - and that will happen sooner rather than later, ha-ha!

Life really is very sweet right now - it's so wonderful to have a home to call our own, two precious kittens to love on (when they are in the mood, ha-ha) and the blessing of family and friends around us. I am doing my best to take in each day and hold the memories that we are making close. Let me not get too sappy here, ha-ha... oh look, more pictures of bath tub intruders! 

I can't believe the last two months of the year are knocking at the door - this year has been a pretty good one and it's almost time to start looking back on what we liked about this year and what we'd like to change; what should we take into 2025 (are we kidding - how?!?) and what is best left to the past...

One thing is for sure - October passed by in a blur - but it was a good blur, ha-ha! Happy October folks and may the last two months of 2024 be blessing upon blessing.