OT just QI nonsense

Well then I'd probably whine about missing the big day.....can't win. I'd have enough help and opinions from my small quilt group to pull it off, I'm sure. I'm the second youngest of our group. So the others have all kinds of experience in about any arena you can think of!

Well, then you'll just have to grit your teeth - and - enjoy it (using the combined wisdom of your group if you need it!) . In message , KJ writes

Where was your BW! I nearly choked on Pepsi just now. I hope you post that story to the cat NG. I'm sure it would give everyone a chuckle Debra in VA See my quilts at

KC (pronounced Casey but really short for Kitty Cat) was quite a character, but his litter-brother Jackaranda (aka Sook) was even more so. HE used to lay in the bottom of the laundry sink when I did the washing and want to have water dribbled on his tummy!

It nearly broke my heart to have to give my five furry babies to new homes when I joined the Air Force. (I held interviews for prospective adoptees and knocked back more than a few!) But I insisted that these two should be adopted together. A couple (DD and DSIL of a neighbour) came around to be interviewed as prospective "parents" for C'fa, my beautiful Persian (mother to KC and Sook). C'fa just didn't take to them so I had already said sorry, but no. We were chatting and it came out that SHE wanted a cat but HE didn't really fancy the idea so I was quite relieved.

Then KC came in from the backyard and proceeded to sit next to DSIL and head-butt his shins for about 5 minutes. I finally explained that he just wanted to shake hands and if the man would just extend his hand the cat would go away. The guy obviously didn't believe me, but he put his hand out. KC duly patted his hand with his little paw and then wandered off. The man was fascinated! (Of course KC was just marking the guy as part of his territory, but I wasn't about to get into that sort of explaination with someone who claimed not to be keen on cats). His wife then met and fell in love with Sook, and they literally begged me to let them have the duo. I was not so sure so I offered them a one week trial.

Three days later my neighbour came around to say there was no way I would get the cats back. The couple had gone out and bought a pair of cane chairs for opposite corners of their bedroom for the cats the next day. He got up earlier every morning just to feed "his cat" and she had to feed Sook. My two kitties had landed in cat heaven. This man did not even mind the smell of KC after onion eating (although his wife would not let KC sleep in the bedroom that night apparently lol).

C'fa found a loving home with huge trees in the garden, all of them deciduous, so she could roll and play in the fallen leaves and then trail them through the house!

Sarah (a previously abused cat I had taken in) found a home on a farm where her desire for solitude was respected but she was lovingly fed and sheltered.

Tink was adopted by a work mate who looked like a Hell's Angel, but who was actually one of the kindest people I have ever known.

I am not sure the Air Force would have approved if they had known that my request for a one month delay of my commissioning date was so I could be sure all my kitties had good homes and were settled. But I just said I "could not settle all my affairs by the designated date" and they gave me the extension. It was worth it - all my babies found loving homes. I hope they all lived long and happy lives but when I left town I asked that the new owners not contact me to tell me the longterm outcome, good or bad. I had done my best for them and if they had an unforeseen accident/illness the next month I did NOT want to know and feel terrible. So in my mind they all continue to be loved and pampered more than 25 years later.

I had to hide this post from 'Dorable Dora--she doesn't need any more help producing deadly toxic fumes, LOL

Cheryl, I wish all your critters, past and present, the best of lives. You are a good person.

What marvellous stories, Cheryl. I'm so very glad your five babies found their new homes. You took such care with them, as you do with all your cats. I love reading your kitty tales.

Cats are so fantastically individual aren't they. I looked at my little tearaway yesterday evening, as he lay upside down on my DH's lap, looking gorgeous, and asked him how he could look so lovely and be such a little devil (he had been a pain all day!) . In message , CATS writes

I talk to everybody too. I had a boss once who actually made that a negative part of my job evaluation. She said that I know no strangers and even talk to people in elevators. Yes, she actually wrote that elevator part on the evaluation form! At the time I was a training coordinator with a contractor on a state job.

I just have to ask - where in the SF Bay Area did you live & how long ago did you move? You're in the Midwest?? DH & I are contemplating moving, but also a little nervous about it. We decided if we do "move", we'll keep our home here (Danville) until we're absolutely sure we don't want to come back? DH & I are both SF natives - a rare breed!

Pauline - my dh is also a "rare breed". Born and raised in SF. We still live in the Bay Area....at least for the next year or so and then we are moving.......not to the Midwest, though.....just farther north in CA!

It is a scary venture, moving.

On Apr 22, 6:30 pm, "Pauline" wrote:

The last address we had was just down the road from you in Walnut Creek. We moved in 1998 after living in WC for 13 years. Prior to that we lived in SF for about 40+ years and a 2 year stint in Russian River area. One of the things we hate about the Great Flyover Country is the lack of interesting dinning choices. Sure in the large cities there are options but the small towns only option is via a drive thru window, it seems. The pace is slower and less congested so that is a plus. Crime is generally lower in the small town places. I had never lived in anyplace but SF/Seattle/NYC so it was a real change for me. Walnut Creek hardly qualifies as small town but as a transition between the two extremes. Culturally it is more conservative here so if that does not sit well with you you may not fit in. That is why it is called a red state area. My wife has had a harder time of adjusting even though she was born here. She couldn't wait to leave when she finished college and went into the Peace Corp. I am a lone wolf so it doesn't matter to me if I am in the middle of a big city or on the edge of the wilderness. I do my own thing and don't worry about what anybody else thinks. You are probably wise to hold on to your base out there if you can swing it. It will take you at least 1 year to see if you fit in and can adjust to the weather which is probably going to be less temperate than Danville. Here the winters are not so bad as to the cold, but the gray skies can be quite depressing. My wife gets seasonal affective disorder about half way through the winter and that should be a critical factor in your considerations. Just remember that you will never be considered an old timer until after you have died in one of these places. Most people who grew up here have no reason to seek you out for friendship as they have a full compliment of friends and relatives here already. It will be up to you to make friends and insert yourself into the community. The various organizations are always looking for fresh blood so they will be welcoming. It is just the conservative nature of people here who will be more reserved about interacting with you. California is populated by mostly strangers who don't have a large base of people who they grew up with so they are generally more open to newcomers. Everybody out there that wasn't born there probably came from here and had to stop when they came to the ocean. I can say we will probably not stay here forever as we tend to move about every 10-13 years. At least that is the pattern. I think we might end up back in the west some place but I am not sure where. probably not California. Oregon, maybe. I have always liked the Portland area and have had good vibes whenever I passed through there. You do have the grey sky syndrome to deal with though. I guess it is all a crap shoot. We traveled for 6 months on an endless journey before we settled here; with the full expectation that we probably would not stay. It has been overall a positive experience, but you have to be willing to accept changes in you life. That is what makes it interesting, after all.

John

One of the things I have learned to love about the high desert is the sunshine. I really need sunshine. Even when it is cold or windy or both here it is usually a sun shiny day. It ain't San Diego (I can't afford to live there anymore) but it works pretty well for us. We are in nearly the most affordable spot in CA. That has its pitfalls but at this point the good outweigh the bad for us. It is interesting to read of your experiences. TAria

John wrote:

Where are you thinking of moving Laurie? You're in Vallejo now, right?

John,

You were just down the road from us. Where in WC were you? I have lots of friends there.

Lack of a variety in dining out would kill DH & I. Neither of us cook much, so eat out a lot & we really enjoy a variety of ethnic foods. I would love to be in a less congested area. If you moved from this area 13 years ago, you would be surprised to see how much more congested it is today. We're lucky that the crime rate here is very, very low, so that's never been a worry for us.

We're not quite bleeding heart liberals, but we are both pretty liberal, so would definitely not fit in in a Red state. We are contemplating the Bend, OR area. We have been up several times & 2 years ago decided to remodel our house & stay here. Now, we're almost finished with the house & Bend is calling to us again. We really like the area, so we're going up this summer to sniff around again. In all the trips we have made to Oregon, we have only actually met 1 Oregonian - the realtor we worked with is from California, the innkeeper at the B & B we stay at is from Washington, the volunteers working at the tourist center were from California. I guess Oregon isn't chasing Californians back to California anymore. Hopefully we are welcome there now. Hey - who could turn down a quilter & a wood turner!!

Thanks for your tips & experience with relocating. It's a very hard decision - we don't have kids to keep us here & our parents are no longer living, so that is not a consideration.

Paul>> I just have to ask - where in the SF Bay Area did you live & how long ago

30 miles south of the Oregon border in the little town of Yreka.........we have property we are building a house on...... yes, I am in Vallejo now.

Are you going to the quilt show in Pleasanton this weekend?

We love Mt. Shasta City!!! For the last ten years or so we have rented a little house on the river in Dunsmuir. We use that as our base while sightseeing and visiting the property. I don't think I will have a hard time up there at all........lots of things to keep me busy!

And, to keep this ON topic - there are many awesome quilt shops in the area......

Wow - that's waaaay up north. What attracted you to the area? More importantly, do they have a quilt shop there? I don't think I've ever been to Yreka.

Yes, I'm going to the AVQ show on Sunday with some of the girls from my posse:) When are you going? I'm going with my friend who also has a long arm & lives in Clayton.

What shops would you recommend Laurie? I loved the woman who owned the shop in Dunsmuir - she was quite a character, but someone told me she closed about a year ago. I also like the shop in Mt. Shasta. I'm afraid of moving to an area that isn't close to a fairly large city - guess I still have some city girl in me.