>>>>

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

That Darn Cat!


I guess “Boys Will Be Boys” no matter what the species!

Night before last I noticed that Oscar was pretty much back to mimicking the activity of a door stop ---- Not eager to move too fast, and he yowled when we tried to pet anywhere near his tail!

From there we noticed that he can not even LIFT his tail, and you know cats use their tail for balance and stuff, right? A cat that can not hold its tail straight up in the air is a cat with a tail problem!

Further inspection proved that he has been in a bit of a scuffle, most likely with another cat in the neighborhood. ((I shudder to think it would be a conflict with a raccoon or a possum!)) And there were a couple healing scabs on his tail, and in his forehead ---- was that an imbedded cat claw point? Surprised smile Oh, OSCAR!!

oscar 015

The base of his tail was hot and puffy, but no sign of puss. We had a bottle of antibiotic in the fridge left from his chest-fluid-ordeal and started him on that. I’m giving it until tomorrow to see if he is getting any better or not. Cat-spit is SO nasty even to other cats!

I think even though he is “laying low”…he is doing better. He snuggled on the bed with me and resumed his purring this morning. Oscar! Can’t you just stay out of trouble and stay happy and healthy for just a little while?!

So on to another topic….someone PLEASE keep me away from any and all recycled fabric sources! I don’t think I have the strength to say NO if you invite me to go, so I need you to be strong for me and not encourage me to come along!

It seems that when things are in boxes, bins or closets, and stay behind closed doors and lids, they are out of sight and mind and seem so MANAGEABLE! But what happens when you start digging for stuff? I needed red and blue recycled fabrics for borders and a binding, and while digging I was pulling stuff to send Tonya too…and in a matter of minutes I had THIS:

oscar 003

OH oh oh! I forgot about most of these until I unearthed them! See that red paisley thing on the top? ((Click the pic to biggie-size it!)) It was a pair of capris, and the fabric is GORGEOUS! Very much resembling that French General line or whatever it is….it just looks….OLD…and very French! I whacked off a leg and put it in the box to Tonya and saved some for my borders….and that batik-y looking blue shirt beneath it….off goes the sleeve! I don’t have time to dis-assemble everything right now, too many other irons in the fire, so I’ve packed away whole boxes of clothing to cut down! It lives in BOXES in the “under the stairs” closet here in the basement. Out of sight…out of mind, right?

oscar 004  oscar 002

More bins and boxes of pieces/parts and I tell you, this is not ALL…The tubs to the left are the shirts I’ve already cut down, just waiting for projects! These are mostly backs and fronts…the sleeves and yokes have been stripped into useable sizes already..and the cardboard box to the right? Never let it be said that Bingo-Bonnie won’t give you the shirt off her back…..errrmmmm….make that sleeves, collars and yokes! This box came as a surprise in the mail, and I was able to use some of these pieces and parts in the borders and binding of the quilt I’m finishing too! Thanks Bonnie!

Does January put you in a de-junking frame of mind? With me, it’s like someone has flipped a switch --- and I go into purge purge purge mode. It starts with putting holiday stuff AWAY! I didn’t have much to do this year, but I moved the Christmas dishes back to their resting place, and put the “every day” dishes back within reach..and from there it just went to the next cupboard, and the next and…..uhoh…the dreaded tupperware graveyard!

oscar 001

THIS!!  ALL OF THIS! It had to go…..this is all the lids with no bottoms, all the bottoms with no tops….and it was hogging the whole cupboard and always a mess and I could never find anything! So….GONE! Bye bye! And I feel so much better!  ((And behind them you can see the bread box my mom painted for me years ago..I love it!))

This also lead to going through the pantry cabinets and checking ALL the food items for things that had passed their expiration date. Yes, I admit it. I had stuff that expired in 2008. Nyah-Nyah Have you done that lately? You don’t have to fess up if you don’t want to, but I found an un-opened box of saltines way in the back that I thought was NEW!! 2008. GAH!! Sometimes I think it is not such a good idea to stock up if I am going to forget that I even HAVE this stuff…especially if it is perishables!

31 comments:

  1. I was going to ask you about that breadbox. It's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I do the Tupperware thing every 6 months or so. If I don't I can't find anything. I also have a massive food clear out before Step-Daughter arrives for her summer holiday. If I don't do it she will!

    Hope Oscar recovers quickly. Those cat bites are the worst.

    ReplyDelete
  3. But Saltines don't start going bad until their tube is opened! You threw away perfectly good Saltines. :-P

    Oh, and I'll take any of your leftover fabric! I promise! Hahaha...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I need to do the plastic container purge. Hubby was complaining about that just a few days ago when he fixed his lunch for work! And the pantry, I dread that job. We need to shop from the pantry for a while and not go to the grocery store. But that is like shopping for fabric from stash, sometimes it's easier to go get more than try to find what you think you might have hidden somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have done the searching for the expired stuff, yep. I have a list of organization.. most of which never gets done.. but I try, and I do manage to get some of it done. I also threw out ALL of my yucky tupperware, and bought new stuff that matched with snap on lids so I can't loose them (beautiful). It is a step in the right direction. Then the spice cabinet was next.. YIKES! So much nicer now.. it is a mission I tell ya.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I also meant to say that I hope poor Oscar gets better! That is one of the reasons my cat is an indoor cat. I've had those same issues before. It's very distressing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:31 AM EST

    My "suckerware drawer" is like a black hole. I think the plastic ware multiplies and hybridizes itself in there, why else would I have strange colors and sizes of containers without lids? LOL.

    Poor Oscar, I hope he's better soon. He's such a pretty cat. I let Ernie outside too, but never after dark and only when I'm home--it's a dangerous world out there for small furry creatures.

    Gail :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Poor little man! I hope he feels better without another trip to the vet.

    Oh, and I won't tell you I'm thinking of going to the Goodwill to search for ties during lunch today. :P

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, I spent half of new year's day in my scrap bins and didn't make a dent, so I understand the out of sight/out of mind. I did clean lots of cabinets last week, but haven't tackled the pantry yet. I'm hoping to get to that this weekend. That and one more cabinet in the garage are all I have left to tackle in my pursuit of the well-organized life. Hah!! Like that's happening. Lane

    ReplyDelete
  10. During the holidays, I started going through the liquor cabinet. I found a bottle of Baileys that had solidified! Ack! For shame! I wish I had drank it instead!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tupperware!
    Unwrap your shoppings, place it in a container with see through panel towards you, and don't stack two or more deep.
    Unwrapped will remind you to consume.
    See through will remind you how much you still have, no double purchases.
    And if you don't use it (the boxes), give it away or sell it. Many people out there love it. The first and foremost heritage plastic!
    (pulled away by my own long long history of selling T. ) 8^{}
    And if you don't use the fabric, I know a very good home for them!
    Health again for Oscar, and know that happiness is a bunch of fabric ;^}
    Irene from Amsterdam

    ReplyDelete
  12. I too purged my cupboards this week and found dates from 2008!!! Duplicate GAH!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am in purge, purge, purge mode right now too and I did part of the pantry this weekend and also found many expired items, including saltines from 2006. Yikes. They had been opened at one point, but still... In the trash they went. The cupboards are next on my hit list as soon as the pantry is done.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, and I sure hope Oscar is better soon! I hate when furbabies are sick.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous12:01 PM EST

    HI Bonnie,
    Someone made books into Audio files, how can we make Blogs into Audio Files??? Then we can sort, clean and quilt or what ever while listening to all of the great quilting blogs! Hmmmmm am I asking for to much??? LOL
    Jeanie
    dearoldm0m@cox.net

    ReplyDelete
  16. gee, if i throw out MY tupperware, can i get a breadbox like that?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Poor Oscar. The cat I had growing up used to get in fights. I had to heat water up in the microwave and then hold a clean, wet rag to his wounds - that helps wounds to drain (theoretically anyway). He never got infected so I think it helped. Wheee on the fabric coming my way!!! I've made a vow not to buy any fabric this year, including shirts - I hope it goes better than the vow to not drink Dr Pepper which lasted only one day.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I had to laugh about your saltines. Just yesterday my husband said our crackers tasted funny. I looked at the expiration date and it was 2009....I could have sworn those crackers were fairly new.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Poor Oscar living the crazy wild life..........hopefully he will be OK and know when to stay inside and chill out.

    Hey I have found stuff buried in the back of cupboards that were years years years old. Finally threw it out. Now usually on the weekends, I dig deep into the back and put 3 things on the counter that has been in the cupboard for a while, and someone has to cook meals that week to use up those 3 things, and as soon as those 3 are gone, out come 3 more. We have been living out of the cupboards for some time now so it is helping on the grocery bill too. We only have half the food we use to keep on hand, and we don't even miss it. Trying to get more gone before hurricane season, because if one comes this way, we really really stock up on groceries.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Poor Oscar! Hope he is better soon. You are getting me into recycled fabric. I'll hollar for help when it overfloweth! As far as my Tupperward cupboard, forget it!

    Love your new blog look!

    ReplyDelete
  21. You will have to live to be a VERY old lady to use up all the fabric you have stashed.....an excellent incentive.

    Poor Oscar. Just asserting himself & he gets all banged up. I heard a kitty altercation outside a while ago & hope my boy-kitty is all right. He refuses to stay inside & there's another cat in the neighborhood who likes to harass him.

    I like your new blog look. Since you have a wintery header guess you'll get to change it when the weather warms up.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I think we all have the urge to purge in Janurary. Not only beccause of New Years, but also because of it being the middle of winter AND we know we are not going to be outside for awhile yet..... so time to get rid of things that are in the way!! Things that come tumbling down on us and things that are just plain ugly!!! lol!
    And it is amazing what you can store in a pantry and not have a clue it's there!!
    Really like the 'take out 3 items' idea... hmmmm

    ReplyDelete
  23. Stash here, stash there, all kinds of stash...

    What a great idea!

    My Christmas things are still up. Our live Christmas (tree{s} will have to wait until we can get the energy to plant them. I guess I could start the ball rolling by deornamenting them....

    ReplyDelete
  24. Bonnie--I thought your mom painted you as a black woman on the box, but then I realized that was the knob for the door!

    Happy purging, my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi there!

    I've been reading your blog for a little while now, and have to ask...where do you find this recycled fabric? It's all very lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  26. That breadbox jumped out at me. Your mom painted it? Very cool!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Love the look on your blog, it's great. And yes I need to organize this time of year but can't get started until next week which is driving me crazy but I had quilts to finish for a show and Yeah !! In the last week I have quilted 3 and bound 5(although I do my binding by machine). Also fitting in working on RRCB which I am loving.
    Hope Oscar gets better soon, I also have an Oscar who is always getting into fights.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I have a major purge on my to do list. I did do all the plastic stuff a while ago but more needs to go.
    Oscar tell that little beauty to stop getting into trouble! :) Hope he feels better.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I have to admit to being a pack-rat. You never know when something is going to be needed, right? I just hate it when I throw something away and discover a use for it a week later! But I decided that I needed to narrow down my interests, so I am keeping my sewing/quilting stuff and my knitting/crochet stuff. I packaged up the craft-stuff like paints and beads and gave it away on freecycle.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wow, I have been doing the same thing. Just getting rid off everything that is cluttering my home. It feels so much better in here. I am cleaning up my studio next and will donate lots to my guild for our January silent auction. This is where we all bring our junk to be someone else treasure.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Well, at least the fabric/shirts/skirts/capri's don't have an expiration date on them!!!
    Hope that Oscar is doing better now... so tough on everyone when a member of the family is sick!
    Hang in there... looks like you had the lids to my bowls.... darn I gave mine away too!

    ReplyDelete

If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.

Did you know that ad space on this blog provides for all of the free patterns and free mysteries and challenges at no cost to you? Without ads, this blog would not be possible.

Thank you for understanding the many hours that go into this blog 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. :)