Road Trip, Solar Eclipse & Family

I planned to get this posted immediately following the eclipse..but life happened.

I'm sure you've heard the saying "You can pick your friends but you can't pick your family". We all have a person in our family who we wished wasn't or that we could exchange them. (Let's hope it's not us! ) However, I won the lottery with my family. Aunts, Uncles and cousins - I got the best of them! I am very lucky to have such an amazing family. We all really enjoy getting together - whether for game night at Grandma's, reunions, just to hang, or a fun trip! We may not be the picture perfect Hallmark Family, but we are pretty darn close!

My cousin Sam planned an excellent Solar Eclipse weekend. We drove to Buffalo NY, where she had reserved a house for us all to stay in, made dinner reservations, provided a list of local attractions, and some places to view the eclipse. The rest of us contributed to the house costs, snacks, lunch/breakfast items and games!

The weather for the weekend was very iffy and left us all wondering if there would be clear enough skies to see the eclipse. Sunday we all went to various places: Niagara Falls, NASA, Botanical Gardens, Buffalo Naval Park and the casino. The entire time we were at the Naval Park I kept saying boy it really smells like cotton candy - but yet there was no where selling fresh cotton candy. When we walked to the place we were having lunch, across the way was a General Mills plant - making cereal.

Monday morning we decided to stake out a spot for the eclipse at Delaware Park in Buffalo. Which was right next to the zoo (walking distance), had a golf course, swing sets and a basketball court. We got there at 11 and had plenty of time to kill before the eclipse started. So we headed over to the Zoo. I now want to get a Sand Cat and a Red Panda.

We headed back to the park to see the eclipse and eat our lunch. Words just cannot explain how amazing it was. Seeing the eclipse, the full darkness, and going back to daylight in a matter of minutes. Gave me goosebumps and the chills! I have a billion pictures of it - even they don't truly capture the full eclipse. While I wanted to see the eclipse, I didn't think I would truly enjoy it as much as I did. Now I'm anxious for the next eclipse that will take us to another state.

Gene and I drove from Annville - only a little over 5 hours. Anyone that knows us, knows that we do not listen to the same type of music or are able to tolerate each others music for a long drive. We listened to a great audio book by Tom Segura - I'd like to play Alone Please. I highly recommend it, made even better by Tom Segura reading it himself. The ride home, I ended up taking a route that was more country backroads and less traffic. To say I have a lead foot is an understatement. So as Gene is snoring away in the passenger seat, I'm listening to music and cruising along., oblivious to the small town & low speed limit. I see a cop sitting in a parking lot, look down and realize. I'm speeding by a LOT. I pulled over before he had his lights on, tell Gene I'm getting pulled over for speeding. The officer, while being cute, also had a bit of an attitude. He flat out said, I'm not trying to be that person, but I'm sure the speed limit signs in PA look the same as the ones in NY. (I'm dying at this point...Yep...they are, and I probably cruise past them in PA too.) So I agreed and was like I was just in the zone and realized when I drove past I was over the speed limit. He goes back to run my license - I say to Gene, I'm sorry - this ticket is going to be super expensive and could be that I get a suspended license. I was doing double the speed limit. He comes back and says, no ticket, no written warning, no points on my license - please slow down, watch out in the next town and the rest of my way home as the police are out in strong force due to the high amount of travelers for the Eclipse.

Where did you watch the eclipse from? Drop me a line or comment on this post!

Clara

Clara - sister to Jasper. She's not as much of an expense as her brother, she is just as much work though! Little known fact, Clara's full name is Clarabella. Clara comes with her own set of issues, most of them are just things we deal with and work with how she prefers to live. Early on we were told, she won't live past 3 years old. Obviously, she made it well past three as she is now in her teens. She had some neurological issues as a kitten, she still has them but they are less apparent. The obvious part of her neurological issue was her head shake/bob. She used to do it all the time, now it's just when she is overly stressed or confused. Much like Jasper, she has found her place that she will be the least disturbed by any of the other cats.

I love her dearly, of course she loves me just as much! Her favorite way of showing her love is to clean me. She gives the best cat facials, including the ears! I'm never quite ready for the ear to be cleaned - moving my head away just makes her try harder to clean, so I give in and let it happen.

As much as she likes to clean me, she is slacking on her own cleaning. She is constantly shedding, has matted hair around her rear end. The love/hate relationship to being brushed makes it hard for anyone to help her with shedding and clumping but we do our best! Brushing her you need quick reflexes to pull back when she's had her fill.

She is a 1st floor cat these days, rarely making it upstairs for any reason. Her preferred area is downstairs sticking to the living room and dining room, occasionally she will head to the kitchen or sunporch. The back of the couche is her fav place to hang most days, and my book club chair is her second go to spot. Although she will seek me out if I'm actually sitting downstairs and claim my lap if she can get to it before another cat.

Every so often she loses herself and will sit staring at a wall crying. Who knows why she does that, but we just talk to her and she snaps out of it. She's not a fan of litter of any sort, or any type of litter box. She is also very afraid of her own poop. She does her business and then takes off like you lit a firecracker under her bottom. Her wacky issues with the litter boxes have created so much extra work -lots of reusable puppy pads and throw away puppy pads that have to be changed 1-4 times a day.

I am constantly saying to myself, it's a pain, sometimes I hate the amount of time or work I put in for the issues, but ultimately I took her in, my responsibility to her is to not give up on her. She is defenseless, and because she has issues most people would never take her in. She's fortunate to have landed in my house and I'll take the best care of her till her time comes to cross the rainbow bridge. Pets are a lifetime commitment, the only time you should give up on them is when your time has come to cross the rainbow bridge.

Till our Tails cross again,

Mel

Slumber Parties!

Taking a break from the cat introductions. As kids we always had slumber parties. What was the attraction to a slumber party? Staying up all night, painting our nails, playing dress up, eating junk food, watching movies, singing and dancing. Who wouldn't want to have a slumber party?!

This last year as an adult I have had a few adult slumber parties. (Truth: Every year I have a couple of them - hello "Girls Night" with my besties!) At any rate, this year there was a predicted "bad snow storm". I left work, called my girl Angel and said come get snowed in with me! I'll pick you up! She had soup simmering on the stove. No biggie - bring it! We'll finish it at my house. Called my husband next, warm him Angel and her son are coming to get snowed in, I'll be home soon with them. His automatic response: We need snacks, drinks and pizza! (Mind you, it's snowing already, and I do kinda want to get home before the roads get worse) So, we backtrack to get pizza, drinks and snacks.

We arrive to my house loaded down with pizza, soup, snacks and drinks. Anthony brings his guitar and some other stuff to hang with Gene and disappears upstairs. They come down only for food and drink refills. Angel and I chill downstairs watching TV, making soup, cuddling the cats and chilling. Just enjoying being in great company, talking or not.

It literally was the best 24 hours. No plans, no feeling of having to be on point entertaining. It left me wondering, why as we get older do we do away with those special slumber parties? Why does life have to be all work, some fun and none of the great things we loved as kids?

Angel and I have had several more slumber parties (she so graciously does them on a work night, cause my off day is a Friday!) What happens? Well I stop at her house after work, bringing my Crocheting, pjs and drinks. We get dinner, sit and chat, watch tv and go to bed at a reasonable hour. She goes to work and I start my day. It's the best way to hang, we catch up, and we both still have our off days to do whatever else we need to do!

If you haven't done a sleepover since being a kid - DO IT! You're never to old for a sleep over. Keep it simple, make it extravagant, do what feels right! There's no wrong way. Just do what feels right. Lets break the mold of adults can't do sleepovers!

Till our Tails cross again,

Mel