Indubitably yours

A couple months ago, I found my creative writing groove that had been missing for a while. Ever since, I have been posting more than I had for some time. Posts both private and public. Photos edited and uploaded.

Then, all that creative momentum came to a crashing halt. That's because my photo editing software was acting up. Adobe Photoshop Elements 8, you're the defendant. How do you plead?

APE 8 includes an organizer and an editor. I had APE 4 on my old Windows XP computer and did a lot of work with it, and it worked well. APE 8 worked well on my new Windows 7 machine for a while. And then ...

And then problems started. It started refusing to open the photo editor from its organizer. It just sat there and did nothing. Even after I uninstalled, cleaned out the traces and reinstalled. Same thing.

I went online, looking for a solution to my plight. After a while, I learned two things: 1. Adobe has posted an extremely long and complex series of steps that _may_ solve the problem. 2. I am hardly alone with my problems with APE 8.

Grrr. I had to do something to get things moving. And I did. Last week, I downloaded and started playing with a Windows version of GIMP, the open-source image editor. I had briefly tried GIMP before, a few years back. Now I had a lot more incentive: I needed something to edit a batch of Maggie pictures, with mini-vacation shots in line behind them.

Obviously, I was able to figure it out well enough. Not that I'm an expert or anything. GIMP is different, but different isn't bad. I'm not afraid of learning new stuff.

Like it says at the top: Can an old dog learn some new tricks?

Oh, indubitably!

****

This is rodeo weekend here in town, and I'm going to be a busy cowpoke. Things have happened, so I am going to be covering more events than normal--mainly, taking pictures.

To recap, we only have three people who work on the news side of the newspaper. One of them is on limited hours. Then there's me and the editor.

Last week, the editor's mom died at the age of 97. She (the editor) usually covers some of the rodeo events, but that's obviously not going to happen this year. Maybe you know how it works with a small staff. It's sort of like a three-legged stool--when one leg goes out, the other two legs have to manage somehow. That's the plan for the rodeo coverage, the biggest summer event here.

So I'm getting pictures at a country music concert Friday night, a road race the following morning and the rodeo performances on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with the new rodeo queen on Sunday. Someone else will be getting the parade pictures, fortunately. We'll manage. But it's going to be busy. Like with a two-legged stool, it's a balancing act.

****

I still have to write a report on the Wausau trip, plus photos. Many amusing ones, too. I'll get to that once I have time. But there's been too much interesting stuff to write about and not enough time to do it all justice.

Seems to me that's how it happened last summer, too; a number of events and trips I went on that I duly documented but never posted. Too busy with the rush of other stuff. Time marched on. The stories and photos fell behind and never caught up.

Another reason: I have been spending more evenings with my wife, watching movies or old TV shows we both like (on DVDs) with her. Well, you see, it's like this. First there were the Stanley Cup playoffs. They lasted about two months, every night, from early April to early June.

As soon as that ended, the World Cup started. Those games were in the morning and afternoon, but they had replays at night. Sometimes I watched them; not always.

Of course, I have been visiting close friends from time to time. I went to the poly camp with S and her GF. I'm planning to visit them again in early August--we plan to visit a nearby wildlife park/farm. I've visited N from time to time, too--about once every 4 to 6 weeks. We renewed acquaintances this week; she gave me some fresh blueberries, and my wife made blueberry pancakes on Thursday. Yum!

So I have been busy. But--except for the trips we have taken together--my wife hasn't gone anywhere or done anything. She wasn't able to visit her sisters this summer, as she did last year while I was at the poly camp. She hasn't said a word about a bus tour this fall, like last September's trip to Branson, Mo. When I asked, she said the tour company that arranged that trip hasn't been advertising anything.

In May, we went to Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Madison and Beloit. In mid July, we went to Wausau and Marshfield. Last Saturday, we went on that tour of the old copper mine near Ontonagon. We also are planning a one-day trip northwest of Green Bay, where there is an Amish community. Next weekend (our anniversary, by the way; #39), we plan to head to Wisconsin Rapids for a special festival. And, of course, the never-ending series of trips to visit my mom in Iron Mountain.

I'm concerned about her and her happiness. She enjoys sitting and watching movies with me, so if that makes her happy, I'm happy. We had hoped to visit my son near Detroit this summer, but that's obviously not going to happen. July was a busy month, and August will be just as busy. No chance to take four or five days off for a vacation. And after that, fall sports start.

Lately, a certain topic has been brewing just under the surface between us. She hinted about it the other night when we were talking. She had told me that my older son and his girlfriend are planning a visit to the Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and I said I'd like to go there someday. She said something about us maybe going there "when you're not so busy."

In other words, when I start cutting back on work. When I can ease off on responsibilities at the office and with the cable office, giving me more freedom to go places. Not like a one-day trip or two-day trip to see friends. A time when we can take a real trip together.

Don't know yet. I'm 60 now. For people born in 1949 in the States, the retirement age is 66 to get full Social Security--otherwise, your benefits get scaled back. But still ... would it be worth it? Or should I hold on till December 2015? In a perfect world, I could cut back on hours a bit in a couple years. I still enjoy the work. I just don't enjoy all the hours. But is that a realistic thought? We have so few people to do the work the way it is.

Sometimes when I can't sleep at night, that's what is going through my mind. When?

"Say hello to Bullwinkle"

Here's a good argument for taking the path less traveled. We traveled it last Saturday, and it paid off big time.

In fact, the road we took home from a one-day excursion may actually get more traffic than the road we took earlier. But it was still the long way home, and I'm glad we followed a whim.

Here's the story: On Saturday, we visited and toured an old copper mine. It was about 70 miles from home, to the north and west, close to Lake Superior. We left at mid-morning, when it was cloudy with rain threatening. As we neared the lake, the clouds were lowering, and light rain started to fall ...



But after the tour and then lunch at a cafe in Ontonagon, the clouds started breaking up, and the sun broke out. Before long, there was more blue sky than clouds ...



As I drove home, I got an idea: Why don't we take the long way home? At a crossroads, I turned east instead of continuing south.

It was different scenery for everyone, including the driver. When M-28 reached U.S. 141, I turned south, towards Iron County and home. I started wondering about something: Would the moose be out?

An extremely furry kitty

Take a look at this picture ...



It is taped on the wall by my wife's sewing machine. I took it with my old work camera, back when we were only shooting black and white negative film. It shows our cat, Maggie, at the top of a ladder and our other cat, Frisky, a few steps below her. I'm guesstimating this is from the mid 1990s--we got both cats in 1992.

Look at how fluffy, furry and robust Maggie looks. That is how I will remember her: a big calico ball of fur. A lot of fur. All fur, all the time.

Maggie's time with us ended last Wednesday morning. But, like with anyone who has spent close to two decades as part of your life, the memories will linger for a long time. This post features a few Maggie pictures we will remember her by.

An extremely furry kitty.

Transition time

Life has been anything but boring lately. On top of that, I am dealing with transitions.

The first one you can probably guess: Our cat, Maggie, peacefully left this plane of existence last Wednesday morning. Maggie meant a lot to us, and I am preparing a post about her with some photos from over the years. (In fact, the literary part is nearly finished--I just have to edit up some pictures. Here's a hint: Maggie was an extremely furry kitty.)

Over the weekend, I found a few snapshots from about 10 years ago, when Maggie was in her prime, and I wanted to scan them into my computer. No problem: I have an all-in-one printer/scanner that I hadn't hooked up to the new computer yet. Just hook it up, install the software, and it's scanning time.

Or so I thought. But--aha!--things didn't prove to be so easy. It's a Dell unit dating from six or seven years ago (an estimate: the label on the back doesn't say). Anyway, I couldn't get the printer to install, no matter what I did.

Then I identified the source of the problem: The printer is simply not compatible with Windows 7, and there is no work-around. Actually, there are two options: Get myself another scanner, or do my scanning elsewhere. In my case, that would be the office.

Haven't decided yet what to do. That's because something else has happened. I had to order a new lawnmower today. Really, I should have ordered it a few weeks ago.

We got the old mower in 2004. It's an electric model that uses a rechargeable battery, and it's worked very well for us. None of the muss and expense and noise of a gas-powered mower, and our yard is small enough to make a mower like that feasible. But the mower and battery have been getting weaker and weaker over time, and with all the rain we have been getting since June began, the grass is growing thickly and quickly. It's gotten to the point where a new mower is the only solution. I ordered another cordless electric model, one that's rated well at the Home Depot website.

Another factor: I just don't get along with two-cycle engines. Let's be honest here. Mixing gas with engine oil, the blessed choke and then tune-ups every year ... just too much muss and fuss. Two-cycle engines have not been wired into my DNA. The electric mower did well with us, and I hope the new mower does just as well.

****

We had a very quiet weekend. I was busy getting photos at one of the various local summer events, but aside from that we both took it very easy. It wasn't an easy week. Not only did we have to deal with Maggie's final days, but we also had a mini vacation (two days, one night) in central Wisconsin. Very busy trip--some photos will inevitably show up here.

But not right now. I'm too tired. Time to read for a little while and then shut off the light.

Maggie ... fading away

Sad times are inevitable in each of our lives. We will be having sad times in our house soon. Very soon.

It's Maggie, that long-haired calico cat who has spent over 17 human years with us. My wife has said that if she makes it to late July, she will turn 18. But now, it doesn't look that way.

Maggie is very old by any standard. All those years. When we got her, my son was still in high school. Now, he has been out of college for over 10 years. That's how long it's been. When we first got her, when she was still just a kitten, he would hold her in his lap, petting her, and she would suck on the sleeve of the shirt. One day, it came to me: Maggie, the Simpsons' baby who is always working on her pacifier. Perfect name. Everyone else thought so, too.

All those years didn't matter because Maggie was a voracious eater. Healthy appetite? And how! When Frisky didn't finish her canned cat food at night, Maggie would be right there to polish it off. After Frisky died and we added first Charlie and then Max to the feline population, they would leave a little food in their bowl ... and Maggie would be right there to finish it off. "She's a little pig," I said more than once.

We had noticed her lying down a lot more in recent months, but that never concerned us because she was still eating. She went to the vet about a year ago for a urinary infection, but she bounced back. In the last few years, Maggie has become a lot thinner; over the last year or so, her thick fur coat had thinned out a lot and she seemed to be shedding even more than she has all these years, in patches. There were places on her tummy where she didn't want to be brushed. Still, she still doing well, all things considered.

Until a week or so. Don't know how it came up. Maybe I noticed she was lying down a lot more than before and hardly walking around. Maybe she seemed in pain when she hopped down from a chair where she had been curled up. (We put boxes next to her favorite chairs, to act as steps.) But when we saw that she was hardly eating any more--just a little water--we knew this was very serious.

My wife doesn't want to take her to the vet--what could she do for an 18-year-old cat, anyway?--so we are trying to make Maggie's remaining time as comfortable as possible. We are carrying her upstairs to her favorite sleeping places, and we have steps in more places. My wife always has loved holding and petting and cuddling Maggie, and Maggie would purr her happiness loudly. So now I am telling her to be kind to her, to not let her try to jump down, to hold her very gently and to think back on all the time they have shared for the last dozen and a half years.

She carried Maggie upstairs tonight. She laid her in the space next to her pillow, the place she has slept for years. Maggie is very weak now. I sat by her and petted her head for a few minutes. She seemed to want to purr, but it's very hard for her to do that now.

Oh, these little ones that come into our lives! They enter as kittens and puppies, and then they grow up, and their time nears an end. Cats I have loved and lost. Our own Princess. Then, Frisky, who was joined by Maggie about six months later. Frisky died in early 2008, and we added Charlie and Max. A three-cat family.

But not for much longer. We are in for sad times. I hope we can remember that we have had a lot of happy times with Maggie, too. Can't hold on to the past. Revere the memory and move on.

It's getting late. Max is looking out the bedroom window. Charlie is wandering around, but I think she is getting ready to curl up for the night. And Maggie is lying next to my wife, the place she has enjoyed the most for all these years.

Sleep well, Maggie. Sleep well.

Unpacking more playtime

Of course, there is more to the story of poly camp than I wrote in my official post.

S and I "grew closer" twice during the event. Once when her GF was sleeping, and once early Sunday morning, when she was awake and, I think, busy making cigarettes--her main work during the camp, apparently. A bit disconcerting to make love to someone and glance up and see her getting tobacco into those tubes. I mean, couldn't she have come over to observe more closely ... or join in the fun?

That took place on a humid morning, and I was sweating hard by the time we were done. I figured I could lie down for a while afterward to rest up. Maybe even take a snooze. But a few moments later, S and the GF came back and asked for the family conference. Within minutes, we were packing up our camping gear. But without time to rest up, I was definitely working at a disadvantage.

But we got everything packed and hit the road, winding up at their place a few hours later. That night, after we got to bed, S started playing with my good parts, but I asked just to cuddle--I was worn out from all the exertions of the day. I took a shower at their place to wash off the sweat and later was the first one in bed. As before, I was the meat in the middle of the sandwich.

I was feeling too tired not to sleep well, especially with the AC running, and the others slept well, too. Part of the time, my arm was around the GF, and part of the time it was S. After S woke up the next morning, we talked, and I mentioned that the GF and I haven't done much so far. S said the GF likes me and would like to snuggle--she was a little surprised we weren't snuggling when she woke up.

A little later, S grabbed her sarong and got up, while I stayed in bed with the GF. Don't remember how it started, but I put an arm around her and soon was kissing and sucking her breasts and stroking other parts. "I'm going to take off my drawers," she drawled. I started petting her there, she responded ... and soon it was time to put on my third condom of the trip. She seemed enjoy it a lot--said "Thank you" before she got up a few minutes later. I started dressing and getting ready for the trip home.

When I got to the living room, S and the GF were seated near each other--S was on the computer--and I said, "Sorry. Guess I must have dozed off again." They both giggled; there apparently are no secrets between them.

Sooner or later, we will be back together for a trip to Dragonfly Beach and more clothes-optional fun. That might not be until August, but we should get there at least once before summer ends. At this point, I don't know when I will see N again--maybe late this month, maybe not till August. It's been pretty busy on the "play" front lately, with N, S, her GF and, of course, my wife. She still enjoys playing with me, too, you know.

These next few weeks will be busy, though. On Wednesday, we're going on a trip with David and my wife (two days one night), and a one-day trip with my wife is tentatively set for the week after. We also plan to visit an old mine near Ontonagon before much longer--that's another item on David's wish list for summer. Then there's a small, family zoo near Menominee. That's also on his list. I looked at the website the other day, and it looks pretty interesting. Lots of big critters.

Decamping, decompressing, unpacking

Pardon me if I look a little tired and bedraggled this week. I am.

I got back from my trip to the poly camp on Monday afternoon. We left a day earlier than originally planned--S's girlfriend was struggling with allergies and had a really hard time sleeping. She did OK for three days, though, and said she really liked the camp--it was her first camping experience in decades. S is quite used to camping and camp cooking. I fall somewhere in between.

What happened Sunday morning is this: After they walked together to the bathroom (porta-potties), S asked for "a family conference." Oh? I got dressed and sat in the camp chairs with them around the remnants of our fire from the night before.

S said that with the allergy problems the GF was having and with heavy rain expected to arrive later in the day, we might want to leave now. I hadn't expected that, but it wasn't long before I agreed. Things got chaotic after that, as we all scrambled to pack up our gear. To date, two of S's axes are missing in action--not found yet, anyway.

We packed up the car, said a few good-byes, and started driving away. Just a few minutes later, fat raindrops started falling on my windshield, and dark clouds were noticeable to the west. We drove east and eventually got back to their place in Oshkosh. It sure was hot and stuffy inside. Luckily, their bedroom has a room air-conditioner. Certain creature comforts can't be found in a tent.

The trip started from Oshkosh last Thursday at about noon, when we packed up my car. Oh, did we ever pack that poor little car! I had cut my gear down to a backpack and a plastic box about six inches high. The girls came equipped for anything. Big duffel bags. Clothes, meds, cooking supplies, cans and bags of food (and we got more, besides), craft supplies and tobacco--they both smoke and roll their own cigarettes, which they seemed to be doing every other time I looked.

You know what it was like? Ever been to the circus, and a clown drives into the ring in a tiny, little car? He stops and gets out. Then another clown gets out. And another. And another. And another. And they keep on coming from somewhere.

Well, we had a clown car. Instead of clowns, we had three people and tons of stuff, jammed and crammed everywhere, including that car carrier attached to the roof. Cooking supplies, clothes, huge duffel bags, camping gear. The car was way overloaded ... but we made it there and back.