4.30.2011

pocket change

I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of May. That's crazy. I'll be glad when April is over though. It's been a really long month. I always find it weird how time is so inconsistent in how it feels. Like, April feels like it's been going on forever. I can remember the first of the month and it feels like that was an eternity ago. So much and yet so little has happened during this month. On the other hand, I feel like we just moved up here, even though it's been over 9 months. That means we've been up here for 3/4 of a year. How does that make sense? Another example is that ORU's 2011 graduation is happening today. That means that 1 year ago, I finally graduated. It feels so long ago, at least 2 years ago (I even just checked the calendar to make sure it was last year and not the year before). Time feels weird. Inconsistent. I have this disconcerting thought that the inconsistencies are only going to get worse as I get older.

As a side note, many balloons and whistles for David. In a few more hours, he will be officially graduated. That's pretty crazy. I remember when he came to ORU for a college weekend. I can't remember exactly what year that was, but it was most definitely a long time ago. Jason said that he would introduce his little brother to me, but the promise was never carried out. I was disappointed. I wanted to see who this kid was that Jason was always going on about. At some point, Jason finally admitted that he liked me better, albeit in a different way, than David. I knew then that Jason had found his soon-to-be wife. :) So anyway, hooray for my sister, David. He's going to totally own med school.

I have really enjoyed the changing of seasons up here. Delaware actually has 4 seasons! Leaves actually change colors in the fall, and then they stay on the trees for longer than a week so you can enjoy the world in all of it's autumny splendor. When the leaves have finally fallen off (one, two months after they've changed color?), the temperatures are cold and wintery. Snow falls. Winds bluster. Winter arrives. It snowed often enough that my insides were completely satisfied with the length of time the ground was covered in glorious whiteness. No snowman was left unmade. And then, right when you think you may be ready for a change of scenery, spring arrives. It has been so neat watching everything come alive. In Tulsa I always felt like you could miss spring. Like, if you stayed inside for a few days in a row, spring could happen and be over without you even knowing. I'm pretty sure this must have happened to me more than a few times while we lived in Tulsa because I only remember one year that I actually got to see everything (all 10 of the trees) in bloom. It made me super excited to see little buds or flowers on the previously bare trees. However, less than a week later, the buds and flowers were already completely replaced by ordinary green leaves. So far in Delaware, it has been spring for about a month now, and I've enjoyed every minute of it. There's no way you can miss spring here. It's fascinating how spring is like fall in reverse. Seriously. The trees seem to bud (both with flowers and tiny little leaves) in the same color that they shed their leaves 6 months ago. There was a point when, with all of the fall colored buds, it looked like fall again. So neat. Now it's almost May so a lot of trees have their great big green leaves, but some trees still have their spring flowers and colors. You can see the green leaves overtaking everything though. I'd probably give it another week or so. Spring is glorious.

A couple random cardinal facts: They mate for life. The guy cardinal will often find a perfectly lovely seed and will hop over to give it to his wife. They'll turn their heads to opposite sides and he'll place it in her beak. It's sweet.

Panther is such an odd duck. Recently he's decided that he likes to sleep on a pile of sweats that we have piled on the floor by our closet. Why are sweats piled on the floor? I don't really know actually. Perhaps it's our tribute to winter being over. Perhaps it's a residual load of laundry that never quite made it to the wash. Perhaps we like navigating to our bathroom in an obstacle-course-type fashion. Whatever the reason, the pile is there and Panther likes to sleep there. The funny part is that he matches in with the pile (it's mostly dark clothing) so I usually nearly trip over him if I'm not paying attention.

Dimes are my favorite coins. I like that they are the smallest and thinnest coin. Oh, and they're shiny. Way better than pennies, or even quarters. You know it's true.

On the topic of cats, I sometimes have a horrible indirect thought. It's truly awful. I should be banned from cat ownership for indirectly thinking it. The direct thought? I wish Puma had a little kitten buddy to play with. Panther is such a grumpy pants. The only normal cat thing that he does is sleep for 20 hours a day. He will also curl up on you if it's an inconvenient time to do so. Oh, and he will ask for food. But honestly, that's it. He doesn't play. He doesn't scamper. He turns bird stalking into... not stalking. Puma, on the other hand, is such a cat cat. I love him so much. He plays whenever he's not sleeping. Even if he is sleeping, if you make any subtle movement that indicates playing, he'll rise to the occasion. He is neverendingly curious. He has such personality. Even though all of his traits aren't necessarily positive, they work within the realm of cats. He's super affectionate, even though his affections come with the slight tinge of cat-ish self-centeredness. He's such a great cat and I wish I could give him a playmate. A new kitten. Someone that will actually play with him instead of complaining at him all the time. Someone with enough spirit and energy that will put Puma in his place (initially with tiny kitten claws, and eventually with teenage cat strength) when he's being grumpy or rough-housing. The problem? Jason and I don't think Panther could tolerate another new animal. It took him about 4 months to "get used to" Puma. We feel it would just be mean to introduce a new kitten to him when he's already old and grumpy. It's a little disappointing though. I want Puma to have an actual playmate while he's still young and playful. I would hate for him to become grumpy and old-man-ish like Panther without ever having that young playful companion. And I feel like Puma would be more likely to remain playful if he had a playful friend. Plus, I think playful animals together are awesome. So the predicament? Yes, sometimes I find myself wishing for the day that we can get a new kitten to play with Puma. But this means that indirectly, I'm wishing for the day that Panther is no longer in the picture. Isn't that awful? As soon as I realize what I'm wishing, I regret it. I don't want Panther to die. I don't. I love the grumpy, all the time gross, black cat. I do. But I do wish he'd be more open to new friends. :/ That's all.

Alright, there are errands to be accomplished and productivity to be had. I shall go.

Would it be cruel to do this to your child?

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