Ponder this:

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Oh, don't read this.

Joe asked what I've been up to.
Not much.

Spring came out and went back indoors again. If she comes back I won't trust her. What a thing, to be unable to trust even spring.

Peep is a good and pretty girl. She comes when called . . . a high screechy Peeep! Her own voice is so small that she is almost inaudible. She's working on learning hunting, but she isn't very good at it, except with pieces of gravel and half-dead flies. She's pretty good at catching those. She holds the gravel in her paws and stands up on her haunches and twists her body this way and that way and then throws the gravel and runs like a wild cat, her tail twisting behind her. The flies are disposed of much less histrionically.

My nephew's daughter has been born and celebrated. 
I was the fifth person to hold her on the day she was born, as if we were passing her along the branches of the family tree.
She is able to lift her head at the tender age of six weeks. Clearly, she is an exemplary child: no doubt she will cure cancer, rid the world of war, and feed all the poor. 

Husband and I are being murdered by taxes. As is my wont, I shoulder into my Duty mode, hunker down and stow away money each paycheck like a Christmas Club so that when the bills come I can haul it all out and give it away. The assessor says we've been undervalued for years, and only now are we equitably assessed. If equity is the goal, then why is our valuation the same as somebody with three times as much land, a six-bedroom house and nine outbuildings? 
Husband hunkers down too, but he vents, scaring me. 
"We won't be able to afford a pet!" 
"I'd rather live in the city and pay lower taxes!"
I shrink down inside and wait, quiet.

Robert Benchley died before I was born, and James Thurber passed away in 1961, the same year as my father. I've been rereading them both. Their humor is timeless. They make me laugh out loud.

Signed up for Netflix and we're working our way through our free first month. So many movies I haven't seen! I couldn't watch movies while the poodle boyz were still alive: they would bicker and fight and I'd have to take them out of the room. I'm queuing up movies that Husband has already seen, but he doesn't mind, bless his little heart. Saturday evening is movie night. Husband says, "Don't call it that. All the kids at work have Game Night and Movie Night and Margarita Night. I can't stand to have Nights." 

16 comments:

DJan said...

Sorry, I read it anyway. And I'm glad I did, since you made me smile and reminisce and put yet another book on my list. :-)

Olga said...

I agree with your husband about "nights."
I thought I would do without Netflix since we pay so much for cable. Now I am thinking better to do without cable and just have Netflix.

threecollie said...

What a wonderful description of Peep at play! Sorry about the tax thing. It is so discouraging to be unable to gain traction because someone else always gets the money you work so hard for.

Joanne Noragon said...

Your property tax sounds so arbitrary! Do you live in Wisconsin?

Peep is a joy. Any, she'll nail live flies one of these day. As soon as she perfects gravel.

Linda Myers said...

Cats are so funny with their dignity!

Carolynn Anctil said...

We don't have tv, so we watch movies. A lot. Almost every night. It's our entertainment. I've never done "Nights". They feel too restrictive and I'm not good at keeping to a schedule like that. Peep sounds like a dear and a character, all rolled into one.

Hilary said...

Oh, I read it anyway. :) And enjoyed. Gotta love cats .. how could one not? I'm looking forward to having Netflix one day.. whenever Frank and I find our place and settle in. Thanks for catching us up. Hopefully spring will play nice from here on in.

Amy said...

Don't have any answers for taxes, don't do netflix or cable, but can picture the little one active at play.

georgia little pea said...

Oh sure, "don't read this" is a title certain to make people do just the opposite! I've missed you. Believe it or not, because I'm not in blogville that often myself these days, I click on your blog to see if you have anything new off an on, and lady, you've been slack(er than me).

I bet you're chuffed about Movie Night haha. What I don't understand is why the poodle boyz would bicker when you watched movies. Maybe they didn't like your selection?

June said...

Typist, the poodle boyz bickered nonstop unless I was sitting on the couch with one of them on each side of me.

VioletSky said...

Well, I had to read it. because I am nosy that way.
Congratulations on your great-niece, the wonder child.

Rose ~ from Oz said...

Well "not much" was certainly a good update June - I was beginning to worry and almost at the stage of giving you a nudge.
I completely understand the poodle-boyz dilemma. :)
Peep is continuing to entertain you and I fully empathise with your land tax. Here we call it Council Rates and I bloody well nearly choked at how much more they are up here in Queensland compared to New South Wales. One might as well rent than own!
Nice to hear niece arrived safely into the world. Lovely.

Pauline said...

Nothing tempts me like the warning not to do something. I agree with the husband, "nights" are to be avoided at all costs.

Sharon said...

Celebrations: good.
Taxes: bad.
Netflix: best thing since sliced bread. I love the movies and all the tv shows available that I've never seen either. Enjoy!

rachel said...

'The Dog That Bit People' - I laughed till I cried.

Peep sounds delightful; be glad she isn't into baby rabbits, or frogs, or worse.

rachel said...

'The Dog That Bit People' - I laughed till I cried.

Peep sounds delightful; be glad she isn't into baby rabbits, or frogs, or worse.