Oh how I’ve missed cats who sit or splay all over me. Smokey only likes to be pet and still can’t stand being held, much as she rubs against us. But Missy and Molly sure make sure of my body as their personal pillows/perches!
Oh, and I’ve missed hilarity like this.
Aww, they’re so patriotic here! I met Panda for dinner at the Chick-fil-a near our area, just making the 7 PM cut. They were already packing up the festivities they had set up in the parking lot when I arrived. I’d meant to leave work early since I was exhausted from getting up for a 6 AM conference call, but somehow I found myself working til 6, when I really had to go before it was too late! They were so very nice there and even had people walking around with wipes to clean off the tables as people left.
The dark clouds were rolling in just as I arrived home today. I had driven home taking advantage of the warm air by opening my moon roof to the sky and sticking my hand out every chance I got. At red lights, I’d blissfully turn my face up to the gathering clouds, watching their ever-changing patterns. It was serene. At home, I spent the next hour gleefully enjoying the air before the storm. I love this weather! (Certainly have written about it quite a bit too.)
As the workers laid bricks on the new homes next door, I dutifully stood outside on the porch with my camera, determined to catch a photo of lightning this time around. I just can’t get enough of how they split the sky and make the whole area glow. Those crooked lines crawling across the clouds, flashing in and out before I can even react… they’re so elusive. I could sit and stare for hours as they danced around me. I really wish I had a panoramic room since I found myself chasing the light of flashes from one end of the house to the other.
After awhile, the grumbling of thunder began and a light rain splattered down. I watched as plane after plane kept coming in to the airport amid all that insanity. Oh what I wouldn’t give to be on one of those planes, watching lightning flashing around me! I’ve always been fascinated by how things look differently when you’re up in the sky and I wish I could have experienced that. Those lucky passengers. As I admired their good fortune, I noticed that I could hear birds chirping. Strange, since I would have thought they’d be hiding somewhere. Perhaps they knew the storm wasn’t that big, so they stuck around to wait it out and sing it off.
What a peaceful way to start the evening. Thunderstorms calm and excite me all at once, and always bring a sense of contentment.
When I first looked out, I noticed the moon just peeking out in the distance.
For the longest time I got no more than the glow from a lightning strike.
That same view without the flash of light!
Construction guys kept banging away as the storm brewed. Here are some freeze frames:
Then the one flash I did capture confused my lens and made it blurry.
Smokey was really enjoying the weather too.
I managed to get a little horizontal one!
I changed my view from east to north and was rewarded with this beauty. Success!!!
Now that Smokey’s been with us for over two weeks, she’s really settling into things and taking over the home in her adorable way. I’ve taken to calling her “little girl” when Smokey or Smokey Bear doesn’t feel right. Take a look at her all around the house…
She poses authoritatively.
She gets mischievous.
She claims the couch.
She claims my spot on the bed.
She takes over my desk.
She had her own getaway.
She splays all over the place.
She explores the bath.
She stretches out.
Ah, what a good life! When she first arrived she couldn’t seem to truly let go and rest, but now she sleeps so soundly. 🙂 It’s great having some liveliness around here!
The #ontheroad theme started off easier because I was traveling quite a bit for the first third of the month, but then things slowed down and I wasn’t out and about nearly as much. I found I ended up looking at the same kind of things and it felt a bit repetitive. For April, I decided to go with #fun since the month kicks off with a silly holiday.
Rather last-minute, Panda and I decided to go check out the Cherry Blossom Festival today. Most of the trees aren’t quite ready yet, but a few early bloomers were there to greet visitors and it was a lovely day out to walk around. We got stuck in traffic all the way around the Tidal Basin and eventually got a parking spot at West Potomac Park. It was so crowded there were even a line of cars parking on the shoulder of an on ramp. Luckily, we were able to find a spot to park in legally. We then walked from the FDR Memorial all the way to the booths set up for the festival and then kept going to the MLK Memorial and back to the car. It’s the first time I’ve worn sneakers this year, after the crazy winter weather we’ve been hit with. I’m ready for the warmer months to finally kick in!
We arrived to blocked off roads and I noticed that the dots on these signs are actually three dots in a triangular configuration. Never knew that before!
As we were stuck in traffic, I got to see this K9 police car complete with fan in the back window for the dog.
I don’t come to the Tidal Basin much, so it was a treat.
A random tree trunk had been hollowed out from two sides.
Before we really even saw cherry blossoms, I stopped to admire these flowers.
A ton of people were out enjoying the day.
Across the way were all the booths for the festival.
Patrolling on horses. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.
One of the few trees that was a-blooming.
Every single paddle boat was out on the water.
Most trees looked like this.
Some of the cherry blossoms had opened up. Spectacular.
Smokey has been great at night, though hard to get warmed up again when we get home from work. When we come home, she’s all skittish, probably from a day being alone with scary construction and airplane noises. When we finally coax her out from her hiding place, she’s quick to run back under the bed at anything that frightens her. A few hours into the night, she’s rubbing all over the place and jumping on the bed to hang out with us. By the time we sleep, she’s happily finding various spots on the bed where there are no blankets. In the morning, she follows us around as we get ready for work and then who knows what happens while we’re away. Tomorrow will be the first day we’re home during the daytime! I think she’s learning that when we leave, we aren’t abandoning her. She’s really starting to make this place her home now. 🙂
She chills on my legs.
She rests on the bed.
She peers outside.
It’s been quite a long time coming and it only took three tries, but we finally got a cat! We first went to the shelter on Saturday, ready to bring home a cat. Little did we realize how long furniture-shopping would take. By the time we got to the shelter, we only had an hour left before they closed adoptions for the day. The time flew by as we got to know Kaotix (who is kind of like a male version of Missy) and then Bella. Both had just arrived that very day, so they were scared and confused. After we missed the adoption window, we stayed a little longer to hang out with Smokey. She didn’t come out of her cat “condo” to the visiting room, so it was hard to tell how she’d be, but things seemed quite promising.
Yesterday, Smokey climbed on the shelves, ever the curious one.
The shelter was closed Sunday and Monday and after nearly three agonizing days, I happily went back yesterday to go adopt a cat. I was pretty sure I’d go with Smokey, but then I noticed Isis, who had been in a public room the other day. I only briefly went in the room before, so now that Isis was on her own I thought I’d see how she was. After spending some time with her, I then went back to Smokey. By that time, Panda had arrived and we hung out with Smokey for awhile. I wanted Panda to also see Isis, so we went back to the room with her. As we were spending time watching her, I suddenly thought about the time – turns out it was 6:35 and they wouldn’t allow us to adopt anymore! I was so upset, but that did give us a chance to spend enough time with Isis to decide that she was too vocal for our styles.
We were allowed to “reserve” her for the next 24 hours, so we had to return today no later than 6:30 to claim her. I had Panda head over first since I wasn’t sure I could make the time, so at least he could get the paperwork started. I definitely wanted to be the one to drive her home though!
We left last night with a note that Smokey was pending adoption.
She came to greet me when I arrived!
We played in the room as the adoption paperwork was being processed.
Choosing a tag for her.
Wow, all kinds of free goodies for new pet owners!
Smokey, you’re going to your new home!
One last look at the adoption center.
During the drive, she managed to claw a massive hole.
Out came the head (and when the head can fit, soon the body follows).
She pushed her way out and started climbing around.
I think she liked being able to see her surroundings.
She even took a backseat for awhile.
When we arrived at home, she took over the dash.
As soon as the car door opened, she perked up.
I carried her in and let her explore. Of course she loved the closets.
She briefly sat on the bed before deciding she liked it better underneath.
The free items we took from the shelter’s offerings.
Can you spot her? She’s starting to stake her claim.
I discovered that she likes to lay out with her legs straight behind her.
Ah yes, more confident by the minute.
By now she’s explored the whole place many times over, enjoys laying down on the hardwood, and even started purring. She is quite the curious one and doesn’t really sit still. She loves nudging us and being pet, but won’t stay long. She’ll hop on the bed, make a round, and then jump right off again. She discovered some paper on the ground that crinkles wonderfully when she steps on it. For a brief moment, she did start massaging the blanket like Missy does before she settles in to sleep. For now she’s still far too alert to sleep though! I can’t wait to spend a good portion of the weekend with her and see if she’s the type to snuggle. We’ll be getting our couches Saturday and hopefully she’ll like lying on those too.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure I want to rename her even though we had her tag made with “Smokey” on it. I’ve called her Smoka/S’mocha, Silky [Smooth], and a number of other “S” names. Panda even called her Shadow at one point. I find myself calling her little girl a lot, so maybe she doesn’t need a name. 😛
Yesterday when I left work, I stopped at a red light and looked out my window at the falling snow. That’s when I noticed it:
What a beauty. I mentioned before I love birds of prey and it’s rare that I get to see an owl. Usually it’s a hawk of some sort, so this was super cool. My theory is that it was out enjoying the snow (and probably thought it blended in). I mean, if I was an owl I’d come out and chill on a fence enjoying the snow. I got a chance to snap this shot and shoot a quick video before the light turned green. I then drove home in awe and considered turning around to get another glimpse.
owl in snow from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Sharing details was harder than I expected. Sometimes I felt like I needed to explain more or else it might not make sense. And then there were the times where I just wasn’t paying attention to details quite as much. For March I’m going with a phrase: #ontheroad – should provide quite a bit of fodder, don’t you think?
