On A Lighter Note

 Yesterdays post was a bit heavy.  I wasn't going to write about 9/11 but it is a significant thing that I felt I had to address it!

Todays post is just a run down of the daftness that is my life!  Four adult kids and nine cats make my interesting to put it mildly.

Mikey's latest thing is memorizing these awful jokes!  He then waits until we are in car to tell them.  Captive audience!  They are really awful groan out loud jokes!  I beg him to stop but he says just one more and as he goes on they seem to get worse and worse! He is hoping that he can get some magic shows this winter.  I feel very sorry for him as he planned to make his professional debut last summer.  But of covid put paid to that!

David is still as crazy as ever.  He put the cat tunnel on his head the other day and scared Toast, the small black cat.

Toast is freaked out!

Christopher and Hannah are doing okay.  Christopher is hoping to get another job. His manager has said he could change to the early shift and become a manager.  Early shift starts at 4am.  He's thinking about it!  The company he is working is seems to be good.  He will get 2 hours salary for getting his vaccine. 

Hannah is still on holiday from university but working her part time job 3 or 4 evenings a week.  She is saving to take driving lessons next year.  

And of course the cats are up to their usual antics.  I know cats are more nocturnal but why is 3am the favorite time to zoom around?  I get mad at them but then they just look at me with such innocent faces that I can't really yell!

In a bow tie

Rabbit Cat?

Steve was crying because he didn't have a box

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Look the tunnel grew a tail!

9/11 Twenty Years

 There are some events in our lives that are etched into our memories.  Growing up I never understood what people meant when they said they remember what they were doing when President Kennedy was assassinated.  With the tragic death of Princess Diana I got to understand!

The 9/11 terror attack took that to a whole new level for me.  I remember clearly my feelings of that time.  Because of the time difference it was night time in Japan.  I had gone to bed early but my husband woke me up saying I had to see something on TV.  I went into the living room just as the news was showing the second plane hitting the building. I honestly thought it was a movie trailer, I mean these things don't happen, it couldn't be real.  I started flipping through channels with the realization that this was indeed happening.  I watched in horror as the story unfolded, The Twin Towers collapsing, part of the Pentagon destroyed and the brave souls that stopped the last plane from hitting it's target.  I was dazed.  I'm not American but I think on that day nationality didn't matter. I grieved for the families whose lives were destroyed, that had loved ones ripped from them in such a despicable act.  I've never been one to hate but at that moment I hated those terrorist.  What right had they to destroy innocents lives?  What right had they to plunge all of humanity into grief and desperation?  What right had they to rob my kids of their innocence?  I was so angry that a religion had been used to justify the attacks.  I grew up with Muslim friends and always found them to be kind, caring people.  What these terrorists did was twist their religion to fit their hate.

Here we are 20 years on.  I don't feel things are any better since that time.  The war on terror is on going.  The attacks over the past 20 years show that these terrorists will stop at nothing to prove a point.  I'm amazed at the resilience of people who refuse to be brought down by the terror attacks.  Through out Europe there have been a number of tragedies but as always we mourn, pick ourselves up and carry on.

My thoughts and prayers are for the families who have lost loved ones 20 years ago.  I hear stories of the fire fighters and police that rushed in to save people, they are heroes and deserve praise.  But I think that all those who lost their lives on that awful day are heroes!

Our Rescue Kitten

 As I said on Friday David found a kitten, dumped by the local supermarket.  He bought it home and we took care of it for a couple of days.  It was a lot harder to take care than I thought it would be.  I thought that because he gets hungry that he would take to the bottle easily but that was not the case.  In the end to get some milk into him Hannah or I would let him suckle our fingers and drip milk into his mouth. Some went in, some went down him, most dribbled down our fingers!  Getting pee out was easier, just gently rubbing him help him to go toilet, again I got covered in kitten pee a few times.

David managed to contact a local NPO group that fosters kittens until they are ready to go to their forever homes.  Yesterday we could take him and hand him over to a really nice lady.  I'm glad he is in good hands but of course I shed a tear or two, so did Hannah.  Hannah was very good, she stayed up for two nights, dozing on the sofa so she could take care if he woke up.

Our little rescue kitten

The older cats were very good.  They were curious but not aggressive.  Every time they came into the living room they would have a look, then walk off.

I bought a new cat tunnel for them.  They love it. Hannah managed to get a great photo. 

Look a tail is growing out of the tunnel!

Plans vs Reality

 Tuesday and Thursday I don't have regular work, so on those days I do extra cleaning or jobs that take too long. Thursday's plan was to clean out the fridge and wipe down the front of the kitchen cabinets.  I woke up at 4am with a raging headache and realized that maybe my plans would be put on hold.  From 5am a thunderstorm started, very close.  Christopher had to leave for work at 5:40 but he couldn't walk, the lightening was too close for comfort.  David had to drive him!  I ended up spending time in bed, my headache was so bad it was making me feel sick.  The storm passed in the afternoon so I went shopping. Big mistake, everything in the store made me feel sick. 

So today I figured in between teaching I can get some jobs done.  David went to the supermarket to get something for lunch, came back with a tiny kitten.  Hannah and Christopher went to the drug store for kitten milk.  David took the kitten to the vets, it's about  10 days old, we have to keep it away from the older cats because  it's too young to have blood tests!  We have contacted a couple of NPO groups to see if we can fins a good forever home for it!  Until then we will foster it!

Poor little thing

So I still haven't cleaned the fridge or wiped the cabinets, always tomorrow!

Sorting Out

 During my summer holiday I had great plans to sort out my walk in closet.  But plans and reality didn't meet up.  Yesterday I watched a bit of a program about hoarders.  My kids are always disgusted by these programs and they can be awful.  The reason I watch is to motivate myself to clean out and throw things away.  Most of the people on these programs are elderly and I can see how easy it can be to keep putting off cleaning out things until it becomes impossible.  I do it all the time, putting off cleaning because I'm too tired, it's too hot, cold or wet or whatever weather I don't like!  And sometimes it is just easier to ignore the problem.  This past week I was having problems finding something to wear, I pulled a T-shirt out of my draw but found that it had a stain on it, even though it had just been washed, another one was too small, some other tops are to low and my breast prosthetic can be seen when it moves in my bra.  So today I  pulled out all my clothes and dumped them on my bed, the bed was covered. The photo doesn't really show how much clothing there was.  I spent over an hour sorting and throwing out a load.  I got the pile down to two smaller piles.  I can also see what I will need to buy when the weather gets colder.  Some things that I was not sure of Hannah reminded me that I'd had the things for over 10 years but haven't worn them in the past 5!  Feels good to have that done!  Still have to do the closet!

Before pile covered my single bed

after just two piles

Side Effects

 I had my 2nd pfizer vaccine on Tuesday. I was hoping to get away with not having any side effects but that was not the case.  I didn't get very sick but Wednesday I got just before 5am, usual time, got breakfast for David and decided to spend sometime on the computer. After few minutes I had a raging headache, nausea and was extremely tired.  At first I thought the tiredness was due to the fact I haven't been sleeping very well.  My asthma has been rather bad lately, during the day I'm okay but at night I start coughing and wheezing.  The wheezing wakes me up. I slept on and off all Wednesday, by Thursday felt better but still tired.  I guess another trip to the doctors is due, see if I can get something for this asthma!

Hannah had her results from he first semester at university.  She managed to get a 3.2 GPA.  The subject that let her down was Japanese.  At least she can see where she has to focus!  I'm very happy and proud of her.  Besides her university she has a part time job and she also helps teaching here.  She has become very busy and most of the time she does everything without moaning!

Fluffy like to use interesting things as a pillow!

My Birthday

 Monday was my birthday!

59.  I have no idea how I got to that age.  I was 40, I blinked and was celebrating my 59th birthday.  I have no idea that my life would turn out like this.  It's not terrible but it's not the happy ever after I was hoping for. I never wanted to be widowed at 50 years old, I never wanted to struggle with health issues,  I never wanted to be burdened with inheriting my mother in laws land and house ( and all the taxes and debts that go with that) but this is what I'm stuck with.  Health issues I'm trying to deal with but it's hard day to day to be in constant pain.  The only advice my doctor gives is to lose weight, easy to say but difficult to do!  The other things I just deal with day by day.  My kids are great, they help me out a lot.  They say and do things that remind of Hisao.  The other week Hannah and I were talking about the covid vaccine. I stated that I was really worried about side effects.  Hannah answered "You have to have the vaccine so what's the point in worrying"  That is exactly the kind of thing Hisao would of said!

To celebrate my birthday we got pizza.  I haven't had a pizza from a real pizza store since I've lived in Japan, 30 years and it was what I fancied.  Mikey went to pick up the order, the pizza was massive, we got a smaller one as well and David did fried chicken and french fries.  I couldn't move after, talk about stuffed but as a treat it was nice.  Couldn't eat like that more than once a year!

Attacking the pizza

Massive

Two big pizzas!

Today I got my 2nd vaccine.  Finally.  Christopher has made an appointment to get his.  His company will pay him to get the vaccine.  

And of course cats.  This is what I see when I come downstairs in the night, rather scary.

Feline of the Baskervilles!

Fluffy in a headscarf

The boys were playing a game one evening.  Hannah was feeding the cats, she put a bowl of cat food in front of each lad, they all said thank you thinking it was some snacks!