Category: Life Of The Retired

I call him Big Guy...

5/7/2024

"Big Guy" (Image Copyright Wylddane Productios, LLC)

I call him Big Guy. He is a neighborhood cat that has been around for a few years. He is tough and battle scarred. Lately I have started feeding him. He seems to feel safe when he’s around my home. If I’m outside, on the deck, for instance, he will sit next to me or lay next to my feet. I can’t yet pet him. Here is a picture of him napping on my front porch after eating. He is not fixed and my hope is that someday I will be able to catch him and take him to the vet. One step at a time, eh.

~Wylddane

No Easy Choices...

7/25/2023

"Lulu Belle Resting After Blood Tests" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

Yesterday was the day of Lulu Belle's veterinary visit.

It was not an easy day and by the time we got home, we were both exhausted. Lulu Belle was exhausted from blood tests, the the ride to and from the office, and from being handled by a number of caring people. I needed time and space to process the choices...and none of them were easy...or are easy.

Lulu Belle has diabetes and will require two injections of insulin a day. The vet and I talked about that and my capability of doing that as well as regular glucose testing as well as future vet visits. It was overwhelming to say the least. The vet suggested returning her to the Shelter where they have the staff that can administer the insulin as well as re-home her to someone that has dealt with kitty diabetes. There are actually people that do this.

The vet office we were at is the same one the shelter uses. So the vet was going to call them and asked that I call them as well. So I called and left a message and then I also instagramed them as well...and I will be hearing from them later today.

As heartbreaking as this is, I think it is the better choice for Lulu Belle. With my own health issues such as lack of movement flexibility due to my back, I cannot conceive of administering two injections a day, measuring glucose levels, and regular veterinary visits.

There are no easy choices.

Lulu Belle's Story...

7/22/2023

"Greeting the Morning" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

It is a subdued day here at the wee cottage in the woods. The quotes/texts from last night and this morning tell the story:

"Sadly, Lulu Belle is not doing very well. All signs are that her kidneys are failing. I can’t get her into the vet until Monday afternoon. Right now she is resting in her kitty bed with a bowl of water next to her. Her sweet little spirit has had a rough life and it is my hope that if she is to pass, that she passes in her own home where she knows she is loved."

"In the last couple of weeks the clues were there but I was too dumb to put 2 & 2 together…until yesterday."

"Not much has changed since yesterday evening. She did come upstairs to greet me this morning...and to look out the window for a bit. Now she has disappeared once again and I am sure if I were to go look for her, she would be in the big comfy kitty bed that belongs to her. I am keeping her water dish full and have started giving her some wet food...it has moisture and it is nutritious for her.

In a little bit, I will be checking on her to make sure the water bowl is full and to give her a bit more food."

Right now, right now this Saturday morning, Monday is a long ways away from here...

My Miracle Lily...

7/14/2023

"Lily Time" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

You know, I do not know what kind of lily this is. What I do know is that I got it last summer because I loved the look of it. It bloomed during mid to late summer and then when it was done, I cut it back. It and the pot it is in sat on the deck with the late summer rains. Then it sat on the deck during the cooler and crisp days of fall. Lastly, still in the same flower pot, it endured a long and snowy winter. When spring came, I thought it was dead. Yet tiny green leaves began to emerge from the soil, so I started watering it. Now it is blooming abundantly. I still do not know what kind of lily it is, but I call it my "Miracle Lily."

"I am content to live in the mystery..."

7/13/2023

"At the Gate to my Garden" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

I love this...it came via FB, of all places, this morning. Because it captures my thoughts so perfectly, I wanted to save it and share it at the same time:

"I have a theory that the moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. I have tried this experiment a thousand times and I have never been disappointed. The more I look at a thing, the more I see in it, and the more I see in it, the more I want to see. It is like peeling an onion. There is always another layer, and another, and another. And each layer is more beautiful than the last.

This is the way I look at the world. I don't see it as a collection of objects, but as a vast and mysterious organism. I see the beauty in the smallest things, and I find wonder in the most ordinary events. I am always looking for the hidden meaning, the secret message. I am always trying to understand the mystery of life.

I know that I will never understand everything, but that doesn't stop me from trying.

I am content to live in the mystery, to be surrounded by the unknown. I am content to be a seeker, a pilgrim, a traveler on the road to nowhere." ~Henry Miller

After a snowy winter, April arrived with more snow...is this not a metaphor for 4/1/2023?!?

4/2/2023

"Robin 4/1/2023" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

Yesterday was a wild day at the olde homestead...

3/29/2023

"Leona and big Lou Lou - 3/2023" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

End of March cocktail...

3/28/2023

"Tanqueray & Tonic on the deck" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions)

Here in the Northwoods, winter is reluctant to leave. Although not a cold winter, it has been a snowy winter. There must be at least two feet of snow on the ground and the banks of snow along the streets make it seem as if you are driving through a canyon.

Yet, it is the end of March and there is no relief in sight. So last night I decided the perfect antidote for winter...and the perfect invite for spring to arrive, would be a T&T (Tanqueray & Tonic). The above picture is the net result. LOL

"Tale of Two Kitty Beds..."

3/27/2023

"Leona and big Lou Lou in their Kitty Beds" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC(

When I adopted Leona and big Lou Lou there was only one kitty bed in the living room bay window. the bed had originally belonged to CJ. Leona immediately adopted it as her own. And she was not about to share it with big Lou Lou.

"Leona: 'I am not sharing.'" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

Consequently, I had to go and get a kitty bed that big Lou Lou could claim as her own. Here she is in her new bed:

"big Lou Lou and Her New Bed" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

As a good friend of mine said, and I quote: "the bay window is like a wide screen TV for these cats." Yes, it is...and now they can comfortably watch for critters.

It not only calms this old heart of mine...but it also makes this old heart smile knowing that I am giving these two old ladies a loving forever home.

“A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.” ~Ernest Hemingway

3/21/2023

"Leona in the Evening" (Image Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)