Recovery from accident – (Click here for post on it.) My brother is doing much better. I saw him flinging his cane like a baton. It’s only a matter of time before he forgets it somewhere. My sister-in-law will be released from the rehab center this week. Thanks for your prayers and well wishes.
Empty nest – My nephew is in town taking care of his parents for a week. That means I’m on “spring break” from my chauffeuring duties. I had gotten into a routine and now it feels like an empty nest. That feeling surprised me.
The only thing constant is change – I’m losing my wonderful eye doc. He was fresh out of internship when I was transitioned to him just a few years ago. Such a breath of fresh air! We navigated the waters of my weird eyeballs together. Now he’s leaving. I never thought he would stay. He was very intense and excited about his field. A small practice would not be challenging enough. He is going to teach and do research. In the meantime, I’m considering leaving the practice too. They have a dreadful billing person who has fouled up my account more times than I can count.
Memories – There was a woman working out nearby at my gym. I smelled something vaguely familiar. It took a while but I realized it was a musk perfume that was popular in the 70’s. I never did like it.
Signs of spring…maybe – A chipmunk came out of hibernation and chattered outside our sliding glass doors. We call that “cat TV.” There were three cats hunkered down with the newest trying to dig through the glass. No one was hurt in this activity!
So how was your week?
It’s funny about odors and fragrances; they are evocative of a certain time period, just as you experienced. I traveled recently and didn’t take any of my after shave with me because of all those TSA rules about liquids. While in a drug store I saw a plastic bottle of Brut. For two beats I considered it, but then said “nope!” – Marty
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I worked with a guy who wore English Leather every single day. I got tired of that one!
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Cat TV – a welcomed distraction for all.
Glad reinforcements arrived to help with brother and SIL. It’s not a burden, but does get exhausting. Besides the cats were mumbling staff had adopted needy humans as well as the other cat – and staff wasn’t actually completely cat attendant focused as it was….
Terrible about your eye doc – will he take any/selected patients with him or is he moving far away? It’s hard to replace when the doc is a match …does he play golf/poker with any colleagues that he’d recommend? (mention you’re not really pleased with the rest of the office staff – docs no longer have much control over who is hired, but maybe he’ll see why you want to leave practice and give you a hint). At one time most of our young docs (replacement for retired docs) seemed to all play poker together …odd networking, but worked.
Do you remember Midnight in Paris perfume in the dark blue bottles or Tigress? Gag. I thought I was going to have to drop a class as one girl bathed in one of those.
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OMG yes on both perfumes. They were in drugstores! I get emotionally exhausted more than physically these days and the cats are noticing my absence. Young doc is going into teaching and research so he is not taking any clients with him.
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First of all, I very glad to hear that both your brother and sister-law are doing better. That has to be a relief. Even though not a chauffeur at the moment, taking yourself on a spin down to Starbucks can still make it feel even more like spring break. I hate change, but it sounds like (in this case anyway) escaping that billing person would be a move worth making. I never cared for musk either. That chipmunk must have been the center of attention. 😀
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I’m enjoying my time off before I go back to the chauffeur job! Well, maybe I’ll get another SB or two.
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😀
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So happy for your brother and sis-in-law. THE best news to hear that she is coming home. Don’t party too hard on your spring break! You know, haven’t seen a Chip here in Floridadee. Chip is a sure sign of spring. We have some interesting burd TV… all the burds are almost as big as I am and I lost an inch in the last three years!
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We have a resident heron locally and he is as tall as I am! Not sure what he is doing here. Oh yeah, fishing in my tiny pond!
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Hope not snacking on your fishies!
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Trying to. We’ll see what I have left in the spring.
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So happy to read your brother and SIL are making a good recovery from their accident.
About the perfume, do you mean White Musk from The Body Shop? It became so popular that many other perfume manufacturers came out with their own versions.
I hated it – still do.
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It wasn’t from The Body Shop. It was called Musk Oil and it lasted a long time. I googled and maybe it was from Coty. Either sex could wear it. Bleah! Musk is in a lot of perfumes but that one was too musky.
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Glad to hear your brother and sister in law are on the mend – good news! I never liked that musk smell from the 70s either and wasn’t it for males and females as I recall? I like the idea of cat TV with that little chipmunk … will he dare come back?
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It was for either sex. Yes, the chippie will come back. He was sitting next to the sunflower seed can and that’s one of his favorite places because there are always a few seeds around.
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I’ve never seen a chipmunk – we just don’t have them around the neighborhood or the parks – I feel cheated as they are so cute! Smart fellow hanging out by the sunflower seed can. I thought that about the musk oil. It had such a cloying scent.
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Never liked to even be around it.
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Me neither and when you mentioned in your post, I thought of my mom. We were somewhere, a mall I think, and someone walked by and after they were out of earshot she made a remark about the smell.
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It’s wonderful that your brother and sister-in-law are doing so well after such a terrible ordeal. I’m really happy to hear that. And I think your “empty nest” feeling shows what a good caregiver you are after all, Kate. Your description of “cat tv” is so funny! I think I’m like the cats, however, and I’d be happy to sit and watch the cats watching the chipmunk. 🙂
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I am very grateful for their recovery. I confess that I have spent time watching the cats do whatever.
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Enjoy your time off! So glad the relatives are healing…
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I’ll be back on duty by the end of the week but with SIL possibly coming home, there won’t be hospital trips.
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So glad to hear everyone is healing well. Funny how that empty nesting comes on so quickly and then leaves you thinking,, what now?.:)
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It’s like I quickly developed a new routine (the new normal) and now my routine is disrupted.
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I would have loved to see a picture of the three kitties sitting together watching CatTV, especially the new one. So, Kate, your assignment is…
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I have been working on that for a week. I have a lot of blurred ones. Tails fluffing all over and a lot of butts but nothing worthy of publishing!
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This was a week full of changes for you! So glad your brother and SIL are making good progress!
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It’s been a better week than the previous month for sure!
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With our dog-door going into the back yard, there is nothing to stop the cats from acting on their impulses. I heard quite a kerfluffel this afternoon and a very odd bird cry. All the dogs and one of the cats ran outside to harass the crier. I found a squirrel in the tree teasing them all! No one was hurt and the squirrel had a good time. I hope your chipmunk did, too!
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The chipmunk enjoyed himself watching his version of cat TV from the outside.
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Hi, Kate – I am so pleased to read of your brother’s and sister-in-law’s excellent progress. Wishing them both further recovery (and can flinging)!
Cat TV?!! I LOVE it!
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Thanks!
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Please let your bil and sil know I can help out with rides. Visiting I am not so good for, but rides I am your (their)gal.
Seems like time today is flying and not just b/c of the time change. Hope your household adjusts easily. My cats don’t care what time it is they would eat 24/7!
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New cat Sasha likes eating. A lot! She cleans up everyone’s plate down to the last crumb. Hazel would be so proud.
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I do hate change – especially with doctors. But sometimes the new ones are surprisingly good. I love your “kitty TV”. Elsa actually watches real t.v. if she hears barking. She also likes monster movies but I switch channels quickly. Glad your brother and wife are on the mend!
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This was a young guy who was very smart and eager. I like that in a doc. The age part isn’t as critical but smart and eager and willing to share info is.
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great news on your brother and sister in law! We are seeing small signs of spring, too — rain all day today … washing away the snow.
Cheers!
MJ
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We have the rain too although there is still much snow that needs washing away (and it’s the gross dirty kind!).
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I just did a quick google of “musk perfume” ~> there is a lot of it out there still. I rarely wear perfume these days, but after seeing Priscilla’s comment . . . I just spritzed on some Chloe!
Glad that you are experiencing empty nest syndrome for the “right reasons” ~ nephew in town and his parents “on the mend.”
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This perfume was specific to a brand that I don’t remember. Everyone wore it so I remember it well.
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I’m so happy to hear the good news on your brother and SIL. No doubt she’ll be happy to get home! Rain, rain and more rain here…yuck!
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Better than snow. Small things make me happy now.
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Sorry about your impending change regarding your eye doctor. Never easy to find a new doc, let alone who knows a thing or two about whatever your problem may be. Condolences. Also, hated that musk perfume from the 70s. Where the heck would anyone get that stuff now? And why?!
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You can get anything on the internet. Even 30 year old perfume.
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Ick! 😦
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Is your nephew staying with you too? it seems to me that’s more people in the nest, not fewer. But of course they are probably gone most of the day.
It’s great to hear how much progress both your brother and SIL are making. Too often something that traumatic seems to overwhelm an older person and they seem to just give up. But they are steaming ahead. I think the level of support as well as their own life outlook makes a difference there. Having something to try for.
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My brother moved back to his own home about a week ago so his son is staying with him. It was overwhelming especially for my SIL with the more serious injuries and pain. There were days….
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Our Cat TV is the birds. Only, I need the cat to quit watching TV and get the mouse in the garage.
But I guess birds are more fun or my cat is a TV addict.
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I should send Morgan. She loves mice.
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Glad to hear your bro and sis-in-law are continuing to heal. Yeah, I remember some strange perfumes from the ’70s. Good ones, too, though. I liked Chloe.
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There were a lot of good ones. This particular one was mostly musk rather than a mix. I remember Charlie too.
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How heartwarming it must be to see the cats ‘talking’ with a chipmunk. Wouldn’t it be nice if politicians from opposite worlds would do that? Sorry you are losing your eye doctor. In many ways, healthcare is becoming less relational and more about being a consumer. When you like Campbell’s, you don’t want to have to settle for the house brand. Far too many healthcare breakups occur because of surly or incompetent staff. I wish doctors understood this and stopped being held hostage from billing times paid by insurance companies.
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If the cats and chipmunk were together, one would be lunch. The glass door serves a purpose for sure.
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Good news about your brother and sister in law Kate.
Cat TV, like it.
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It was a good news week.
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I love your “cat TV.” Here, it is nesting finches in the porch eaves. Entertainment for the humans, too. 🙂
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At another house I had a trellis with a viney flower next to the porch windows. OMG! A bird built a nest in there and had babies. What a goings on between my cats and the birds.
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It is pouring rain outside this morning so Theo is enjoying the cat TV. I say ‘enjoying’ rather loosely … there is a lot of barking at the birds going on. Yes, Theo is a barker 🙂
It’s funny how smells can take us back to a time and place. I too never cared for those musky scents and were so popular in the 70s.
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So true. I dated a guy who loved Shalimar. It was just a few dates but every time I smell it I think of him and it’s like 30 years later.
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Sounds like all is well and relatively calm, which is a good thing after all the chaos you’ve had. So nice to have cat TV back after the long winter! Our cats are enjoying it too.
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It has calmed down. February and March were humdinger months. Sasha has fit in too. Right now she’s in a food coma from eating too much too fast.
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