Random Ramblings - August 20th 2021

We got the motivation we needed to get back to work on sorting the craft room, and getting the boxes of books and things that were still unpacked - including some more boxes of stuff Dad had given us - unpacked and at least sort of where they belong.  A lot of it still needs us to actually properly organize it (books aren't in their proper order, I need to properly organize the contents of some of the craft supply boxes, etc).  But at least everything is either put away, or - if putting it away isn't really an option right now, like with the ornaments I have yet to get shelves for - organized in to neat piles of as few boxes as possible near where it will eventually be going.

 

Of course, as you no doubt know, especially if you're a regular on this blog, we had been meaning to deal with those boxes.  But with one thing and another it wasn't being considered a priority, and what little was being sorted was being dealt with incredibly slowly.

 

Until I learned our landlord (well, the agency we deal with the landlord through) wants to come do their six monthly inspection on Monday (August 23rd).  And, with most Covid restrictions no longer applying, this time they want to do it in person.  As you can no doubt imagine, we suddenly found the motivation to get those things in boxes that we'd been dragging our feet about organizing sorted out.  Amazing how much motivation you find when you know your landlord is coming to do an inspection, isn't it? LOL!

So, that's a big part of what's been keeping us busy.  And the house looks loads better for it.

I'll try and get Kelly to get some updated pictures of how things are looking.  Especially of the craft room, which I know some of you will definitely want to see.  It's looking like a craft supply shop, but is at least now reasonably tidy and mostly organized.  Mostly.

 

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Yesterday (August 19th) was the one year anniversary of when Nan (Dad's Mother) died, and eight days before that (August 11th) was the seven year anniversary of when Kero died.  So I'm glad I've had so many things to keep me busy during this past week and a half.  Even if a lot of it was dealing with the contents of the various boxes.  Not all of it though... There was book club and roleplaying too.

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I haven't been watching much in the way of movies or TV shows lately, despite my intentions to do so, the fact I have three streaming services at my fingertips (Disney+, Netflix, and Prime) and my to-watch list being about as long as my to-read list.  Which, let me tell you, is incredibly long.

 

But I watched the 2011 version of "Wuthering Heights" on Netflix last weekend.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  I love the book, and I don't feel like it did the book justice.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

 

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The weather reports keep promising me some good thunder storms, but I'm not getting them.  Plenty of rain, and a bit of wind, but no storms.  They have them close enough for the seagulls to come this far in land again, because I've heard the gulls.  But I'm still waiting for my storm.  Never mind, Autumn storms will be here soon, so maybe I'll have better luck with those.

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We've never been able to have Mollie running around loose.  We had a playpen when we had both chinchillas, since Maizie liked to come out and play, but was terrible for getting behind things and chewing things she shouldn't.  Mollie hated going in it though, and would kick up a fuss during the picking up phase (and mostly just hide behind things while she was in the playpen anyhow) so after we lost Maizie we never ended up using it.  We held on to it for ages afterwards, but since Mollie would either not want to be touched or just want a few moments in my arms and then want to return to her cage, it stood unused for a couple of years, so when we were moving last year we got rid of it.

Since we've been here though Mollie has started being more interested in interacting with us.  I'm not sure if it's something she likes about the move, her bigger cage, or her being older.  All I know is she's much more eager to interact with us - me especially - and will often even get up in the day to see what's going on.  So when she was acting like she wanted to come out and play the other day, we decided to try her and see what she'd do, expecting to have to get her from behind something when she hid, and carry her squealing back to the cage.

But no.

She ran around a little, exploring.  And when I sat on the floor and called her over, she came and climbed on my legs.  I had some treats with me for her, and I offered her one, which she took happily, backed off a bit to eat, and then came back to me looking for more.  And when it came time to put her back in the cage, she let me pick her up with only the slightest protest.

She even ignored the fact the dogs were just the other side of the baby gate, and Logan (who seriously hates being unable to get to his Mummy) spent the whole time crying because there was a barrier between us.

It's just a shame the camera was too far away, and Kelly can't work the one on my phone, so we have no photos or videos.  We'll try and get a video or some photos one of these times, though that might take a bit.  Mollie has never been one to want attention all the time, so - unsurprisingly - isn't interested in coming out of her cage too often.  But that's fine, and it's nice she'll come out to play sometimes.  She's come a long way from the scared and depressed chinchilla we brought home a little over five years ago.

*~*

Lilie and Logan were meant to have a grooming appointment yesterday, but all they got was a car ride, because we got there to find a note on the door telling us the appointment had been cancelled.  Apparently she'd tried calling us all morning to tell us, but for some reason we didn't get those calls, and can only assume she wrote the number down wrong.  As it stands at the moment, they don't have a new appointment, and I don't even know for sure why this one was cancelled, since we haven't been able to get hold of the groomer.  So I don't know when they'll end up getting groomed next.  They're going to need it badly by the time they get done though, I know that much