Beach Days

This is a picture back from May of this year when New Dude and a few friends went to hang out in Daytona Beach, FL. 

I wanted to post this because it is Adventure Bear's feet instead of the normal feet pictures you see on Facebook and pretty much every other beach shot you see from people. It tickled me to take this picture.

We also had an amazing time.

I think a lot of it was the time of year when the kiddos were still in school and tourist season hadn't officially started yet. When picking vacations try to go before everyone else. 

Vacations, it's a thing, do it.

LockNess Monster Leash

Well, as previously mentioned in Halfway House, we were thinking about putting the cat on a leash so we could walk him.

First, if you've ever tried to.put a harness on at cat it takes two fully grown adults to do it.

Once you do get it on you cannot stop laughing because of how odd they walk. As seen here it looks like Lock's back legs aren't working right. 

Followed by the rolling around like an alligator trying to escape.

Last but not least, the just staring around at who knows what. 

Final thoughts: Leash worked fine. Harness, it has to have an easier way to put it on.

Now get out there and walk those kitties!

Sink Kitty

Brushing teeth each night.

Doesn't move, doesn't blink

Cat owns the sink

Halfway House

My cat, Lockness Monster, is a rescue cat. Black cats are some of the harder cats to adopt. They still have a lot of superstition  around them.

New Dude chose this cat because he was the only cat that was reaching out of the cage trying to pull you in to bite and scratch you. I think what he thinks is playful and what I think is playful might be different.We took him home the next day anyways.

Well by this point, we've probably had him for about 4 months. I cannot say that we are always getting along, but I do have less cuts on my hands and feet most days.

My newest attempt at bonding has been to sit with him on the porch. The dog will be in the yard and the cat and I will be sitting on the steps out front, watching cars pass and hearing the acorns fall.

He kind of likes it. I would say, he misses the freedom of being outside from back when he was feral. However, I think he enjoys the endless supply of cat food inside the house.

So now we have this compromise. He gets to be outside, feel the wind on his whiskers and sun on his back while I get to pretend he likes me and can cuddle him.

This is all until we teach him to walk on a leash......

Extreme Walking

Break time

I have been, what most would call, been searching for myself again. I have been starting to learn to use the word no. I have started to stop and think about the pros and cons of my actions. 

This has come after several moths of feeling tired, lost, angry, depressed, and just out of sorts. With very low dose med, a little therapy, and reading some very useful books I feel as though the fog over my path is starting to burn off in life's glowing light. 

While on this journey I have been filling my time with things that make me happy, things that made  me happy, or things that I just used to enjoy. One of the happens to be hiking.

I would say several years ago before I met New Dude and was still newer to the area that I currently live I was a hiking fool. I would go on a hike with pretty much anyone that would go with me. Into the woods, up the mountains, climbing to the top and enjoy the view, nature, and extreme walking. 

I prefer to think of hiking as extreme walking because it has the word extreme in it. I don't do many things that are extreme. 

Well.... I do sign a lot of release forms saying I wont sue if things go bad.... maybe just an insurance thing?

Anyway, when I was on this hiking kick for a few years I was working between 2 and 3 jobs so not much time for a dog. Things have not so much slowed down as much and been able to manage them better. The most important piece to this puzzle is I now have a dog.  

Yes, we climbed these, yes it sucked

I always thought it would be so bad ass to go on a hike with just you, a pack on your back, water, and your furry friend by your side. The answer to this pondering is yes, yes it is bad ass. Though, he did try to pull be both up and down the mountain, it was like a bucket list item I never knew was a bucket list item was accomplished.

This was about a 4 mile hike, one of the longer distance he has ever gone. It was nice hike mostly in the shade, not too many people, hard enough to strain the muscles and make you feel something. Not hard enough to start singing the "This is the hike that never ends" song. (Think the theme to Lambchop but change the theme to hiking.)

If you have a dog, or even if you don't, go borrow one, or help one from a shelter, and go for a hike with a 4 legged friend, it will be worth your time and great for your soul and peace of mind.

First 10 Minute Words

I think the first thing that you realize on your climb out of a depression is that there is so much to think about. While depressed it feels like most of your thoughts are the same, have the same shape, color, texture, taste and theme and it is on an endless loop in your mind. Day in and day out like a hamster in a wheel inside of cage. The same followed by more of the same. 

The day that you are able to break that cycle just a little, perhaps speed up the hamster wheel up a little or slow it down you realize that thing ARE able to change. Not all at one but just one little moment at a time. 

This, along with sometimes outside help, meds, therapy, a good friend, or possibly self help books, allows for life to slowly show itself again, inch by inch, day by day, moment by moment. 

This, is my inch and my moment, writing again. If you look at my blog, you will see some pretty large gaps in articles. No, I never forgot about my blog, I just was never able to put my fingers to the keyboard. No words would come, no pictures would inspire, no events were worthy of note or discussion. I cannot say things are now either, but what I can say is that I have the ability to try. To take my first steps towards the writing that has been lost for so long.

My goal and plan is to sit down and write at least once a week for 10 minutes at a time. That is all, no more, no less, just 10 minutes to get something down out of the attic of my head and onto the web. 

This my friends, my Adventurers, as I like to think of you as, is my first one. My first 10 minutes of solid writing that I have done in a while. Enjoy.

Two Rights Don't Make A Left

I have been trying to get into the gym habit again. I have been failing at getting up early in the morning, so I've started to go during lunch. This is perfect for two reasons. It allows me to leave the office for a little bit of peace and quite. I don't have to worry about what happens after work. Done and done.

Well, the other day was a fail. More like half fail. If you cannot tell by the picture I did bring two shoes to the gym with me, however, they were both right shoes.

In my defense, they are the same brand, two different version of the same kind of shoe, and where I store my shoes is in a dark closet without a light.

There I was, standing at the gym, looking at the shoes and just dumbfounded. I honestly couldn't think for a minute of what to do. I could change back and go to work. But what would I do there? I cannot walk the parking lot, I don't have two shoes. I'm already here, but no swim suit. 

So I said screw it and went to the class I was there for. 30 minutes later I was sore, hot and mission accomplished.

I check that my shoes now match when I throw them in my gym bag.