Meet Maggie and Moet

The meaning of the title will become evident by the time you've read this latest list of events in our lives.

Already it's autumn and the foliage has been especially colourful this year. Our crepe myrtle trees in the back dropped a carpet of red and gold hues on our patio. Maybe I'll rake them up one day and put into black plastic bags to create compost for next spring.



Our Japanese maple is also stunning with its autumnal foliage.




My second hand operation (left hand this time) was on October 13. Apart from big discomfort from the semi-cast I had to wear for the first week while the swelling went down (the cast was flopping about after a while as my hand was not swollen for long, and my thumb was no longer supported by the cast), everything went well. Yes, after a week, the full cast was one soggy item on my left arm and hand, but I had to just accept it and do as best I could.




Walter and I had quite a busy time with a 'film noir' festival, shopping for the house, getting gardeners and cabinet makers in, etc. so I didn't have much time to think about any inconveniences! I was back at work on October 16. Managed pretty well. The cast came off November 10, exactly four weeks after my operation. The 3 inch pin came out too, thank goodness!



As you can see, there's hardly much of a scar to show. And I'm in such little pain, that I have to keep reminding myself that I must not grip things or do repetitive movements with my left thumb. I continue with physiotherapy for two months - exercises 3-4 times a day at work/home, and two visits a week to the physiotherapist. The surgeon will see me twice more, then signs off. Job well done.


A job well done of a different sort was that we called in some serious gardeners to bring down our elm at the bottom of the garden as it was sick, and dropping all its leaves long before autumn started. They came in three different types of trucks - one held the huge collapsible 'boom' that took one of them up to the top of the tree to start cutting the smaller branches. Another truck had a machine into which the guys fed the cut up wood and it would be spat out as small wood chips the other side. The other one carried the other workers and all their tools. The work continued most of the day. Trees in the front and back were pruned and their trunks exposed at soil level. I hope I can remember all that I learned that day!











Then... nothing except the fine wood chips from the stump.



At some point these gardeners had to clear the way for another truck - this time carrying the cabinetry for our two dens and storage cupboards for our basement.
For several hours two men were bringing in all the parts of the cabinets and taking it up to our dens.

Walter's den:


My den:


My den, halfway through:


As I had taken the day off, so the installer did my den first. He finished Walter's over the next day and a few days later, as well as the cupboards in the basement.

You can see how it looks all finished.
Walter's den:




My den:




And now to meet Maggie. Maggie is a tree. A southern Magnolia, a type that's called "Little Gem" as it's a dwarf magnolia. Probably only reaching 15-20 feet high. Maggie was chosen to go in the place of the elm tree that was taken away. Here are some photos to show her arrival. Complements the garden well.









Presenting Maggie:



As for Moet - this is the name given to a black and white kitten in an animal shelter two years ago. She was adopted by a young couple, but now the couple is moving to Japan for many years, and Moet can't go with them. I read about them looking for a permanent home for her. I asked for photos (see below), then we went round to meet Moet.








She was shy, but she eventually allowed us to stroke and tickle her. I always think it's a good sign, when they lie on their backs as if inviting you to rub their belly!
Together with her present owner, I went to the local pet supermarket where they have a free 'wellness clinic' twice a week. She was checked out and given a clean bill of health. She came from there to our house, and was let loose. She'll stay with us for a week or so to see how she gets on with us and how we get on with her. If all goes well, we'll keep her. And buy all the accoutrements that go with having a cat: a drinking fountain, litter bin, big bags of food, a couple of toys, various items to groom her and keep her happy and healthy!

Of course, she disappeared several times into nooks and crannies, back facing outwards... so totally uprooted and miserable was she. And when her owner left, she disappeared for about four hours. I must have passed her hiding place several times and missed her each time. As you will see from the following photo, it was only when she by chance turned her face to look at me that I realized that she had taken refuge behind the chainmail curtain of the fireplace. It was black on black! I managed to get her out of the sooty chimney bottom, but didn't want to traumatize her any more by bathing her. So she's walking around with sooty once-white front paws and a sooty 'bib' on her chest. You'll see from the photo below, how sooty this is!



But over 24 hours she's perked up, and finally started to eat again. She's very well behaved. No problem showing her her litter bin and then having her use it. She's taken to the blanket that we put out on the sofa for her. She's not a kitten any more, so she's not leaping onto tables and knocking things over. I came home this evening after work to find Walter and Moet on the sofa watching TV together. They looked so content and sweet! Later I watched her hunt a cricket that had made its way into our house. Unfortunately it's the season where the crickets seek shelter from the upcoming cold weather, and there are always one or two jumping around somewhere indoors. Maybe Moet is our answer to the crickets. Good exercise for her too - she needs to lose a little weight around her middle.