We have a visitor...

This morning I woke up with my bear (Preston the cat) at the corner of my bed per usual.  He's as loyal as any dog and probably smarter.  He greets me at the door everyday when I come home from work (and even talks to me from the window as I'm walking up to the porch).

He plays fetch with his favorite toy mouse.

He hangs out in his house.

And he's the best snuggler ever.

He's my bear.  I've told this story before, but my mom found him four years ago as a newborn in someone's lawn by himself when she was going for a walk.  At the time I worked right in town and each day on my lunch break I would come home and check on him to bottle feed him, change out his hot water bottles and make sure he was able to go potty (newborn kittens can't "go" on their own, they need help by having their mother lick their belly, or in this case have a wet cotton ball on their belly).  He IS my baby.  As my friend Ashley said in her post today, I'm not his owner, I'm his momma.  I've had a lot of furbabies (mostly cats, throw in a hamster here or there in college) in my life, all of which I've loved dearly.  The Human Society commercials make me cry and I think there needs to be way more people like the man who runs Caboodle Ranch in the world.

Anyway, Preston came with me when I moved out of my mom's house and left behind his buddies.  I personally think he's fine with being "king of the house" but sometimes I go back and forth on if I should get him a friend.  I don't believe my landlady would have an issue with me getting another cat because well...I'm a good tenant, I pay my rent and Preston doesn't dig at the carpets or walls (just my cheap Craigslist couch).  However, I've never taken the plunge for a few reasons.  For example, two cats is more litter box scooping, more cat food purchases and another cat to have to worry about and ensure is not digging at the apartment.  Life is cozy for me and Preston as it is.

Until today.

Preston and I were going about our usual morning routine (yes, he has a morning routine) and while I was microwaving my Canadian Bacon for my faux Egg McMuffin I hear meowing, crazy meowing!

I peeked out the window and a small cat, about 6 months old was wandering around the apartment porch crying.  Preston jumped into the window to check things out and as a naturally passive cat he just kind of watched and sort of batted at the screen while the smaller cat kept reaching up to the window.

I was speechless.

Where did this cat come from?  Was it lost?  How come I hadn't seen it before and why this porch?  What led this cat here?

In an effort to feed the cat, but not wanting to give it some of Preston's food as I didn't think it would stick around - I cut up some bologna and put it on a plate for him.  He was super thin and SUPER hungry.  He also tried to come into my apartment!  Talk about aggressive!

I left to go to work hoping that he would move on because, what was I going to do with him if he didn't?  I really don't want another cat and I don't know anyone who is in the market for a cat.

I came home and I could see him running on the porch before I even got out of my car.  I didn't know what to do, so I got on the phone with my mom.  One of my mom's good friends is a crazy cat lady.  Literally.  She has 40+ cats, all that have been rescued.  Since all of my mom's cats have also been rescued, Nancy (the crazy cat lady) takes the cats to have them checked out, fixed and takes care of any vet expenses.  She will do ANYTHING for cats and ANYTHING for anyone who has a soft spot in their heart for them.  Nancy said, "Give him food, water and a place to sleep, but don't let him inside.  We'll take him to the vet tomorrow if he's still there"

I had a difficult time getting a picture of him (her?) because every time I would go out it would circle my ankles or run over to its food but here is one from inside, after it having a full and happy belly:

And while eating....

Don't hate me because I had leftover styrofoam plates that I use in situations just like this. ;)

Anyway, I'm concerned for this kitty.  It looks sick, it looks like it belonged to someone at some point (it has indentation on it's neck where a collar would be and came running to the door when it heard food hit Preston's dish) and it bothers me that he just randomly showed up.  Did someone just drop him off?  If so, why is it already so skinny and sickly - and who could do that?  If it was lost, why did it find THIS porch to come to?

As much as I want to say I can't take this cat in, I can't help but think it arrived on my porch for a reason but I definitely can't turn it away.  So for now it's just visiting, laying on the table on my porch (even though I gave it a super cozy box and blanket to sleep in!) and content to have some food and a bowl of water.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on any updates as they happen!

Goodbye Weekend....

It's over already??  Man, what I'd give for the work week to go by as fast!  I had a fairly uneventful weekend.  Yesterday my BFF Alicia and I puttered around and went for chips and salsa at a little Mexican joint in downtown Glens Falls.  I'm not big on the food, but I LOVE their salsa!  I wish I took a pic of it, but I forgot.  It also makes for good people watching, because the tables sit right outside of a traffic circle that after, I don't know...five years of being in existence, people still can't handle.  Seriously, in a span of about 30 minutes you'll hear at least 10 beeps from horns!


For the second summer Downtown Glens Falls put out these painted Adirondack chairs that are sponsored by various local businesses and made by local artists, it's a "Have a Seat" campaign.  I didn't get to see all of them last night, but I got a picture of a few that I really liked, and you can see them all on the website.  I LOVE Adirondack chairs, but if you know anything about me you know I love anything Adirondack!

I really liked this one and it might actually be my favorite.  Plus Algonquin is a conquest of mine, it's the second highest of the High Peaks and since I hope to become a 46er before hitting 30 - it's on my list!

Moose are my most favorite woodland creature!  You'll see a lot of moose stuff in Adirondack stores and on souvenirs around here, but the reality is they really don't thrive in the Adirondacks.  I believe there are less than a thousand in the park and they are protected from hunters.  This chair is called "One Elk", because in the party of moose, there's one elk...can you see him??

I mostly like the ones that are tied to the area, some of them are kind of random, although still beautiful or creative.  I thought this one was cute because of the tail and ear coming off the edge...

And I didn't get a picture of it, but there was one that was covered in pennies which I thought was cool, you can see it on the website if you're curious!  At the end of the summer they hold an auction for people to bid on their favorite chair!

Quick funny story about Adirondack chairs and my BFF Alicia.  Last summer we took a day trip to the Lake Placid Region, as a part of the day trip we were on a mission to get our "Forever Adirondack" pin collection, which required us to go to various visiting centers of choice areas.  On the way home we decided to stop in the "Schroon Lake Region" to pick up that pin and while we were there we found some chairs on the lake and decided to take a seat.

As we were sitting Alicia, in a complete serious tone I might add, asked: "What do they call Adirondack chairs in the Catskills?"  The Catskills being a far less superior chain of mountains that are a part of the Appalachian chain in southern NY.

I looked at her with a, "huh?" look on my face and burst out into laughter, explaining that the Adirondack chair is known as the Adirondack Chair nationwide.  And my proof to back it up was that they're a piece of furniture you can buy in the Sims - hah!

I actually found out this past week in fact that they're also known as Muskoka chairs, but uhmm....that's not right.  :)

Moving along...

Today I decided to do a bike ride up to Lake George.  I was a little hesitant because I knew it would be super busy up there, but I haven't done much in the way of bike riding lately and I couldn't let such a beautiful day go to waste!  Again, I didn't get as many pictures as I would've liked to have, but the village was bustling with people and the trail was busy too!

I MUST get a picture of this one bridge, I always say I want to stop and get it but I'm one of those people who stopping just hurts them, I HAVE to keep going.  This one bridge is crazy difficult to go over - going over it heading towards the lake is the worst and I've yet to successfully ride over it, I have to walk it like a bum.  It's the only part I walk though, I swear!  Coming back on the other hand is my favorite stretch of the ride because you don't have to pedal for the whole section, it's all down!  My max speed according to my tracker (Endomondo) was 43.4 MPH!  I'm pretty sure it was on that stretch.  I clipped along pretty well today, my average speed was 11 MPH and I shaved a lot of time off compared to when I went the weekend before Memorial Day.  I biked for a total of 15.5 miles.

There were a lot of people on the beach today swimming.  In my opinion it was a perfect day, it was warm and there was a nice breeze.  I enjoyed laying on the grass for a little bit. Some of you may remember back in February I did a Polar Plunge and it was on this beach...

What a difference 4 months makes, huh?

While at the beach I had a sandwich that I got from some deli.  It was huge!  So I only had half...

And took another picture for good measure (with one of the steamboats):

I didn't bike to Sprinkles for ice cream to add on an extra bit of mileage today because the sun took a lot out of me.  I did however stop at Cooper's Cave on the way home!

And yes, I sat in the air conditioned car because I'm a baby.


I came home to my beautiful ice pack that my mom handed over to me for my legs - I tried finding one as big as this in the stores because I didn't want to take this from her, but I was just telling her what a lifesaver it's been for me (it had a small hole in it so we patched it with duct tape, lol)  It's perfect because it fits over both of my shins at the same time...

And the beast and I have been enjoying our looooong evening (seriously it's 9:00 and it's still light outside!) snuggling, napping and watching some Netflix!

He looks viscous doesn't he??


I'm thinking a bath is in order for the evening and then I'm hitting the pillows!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!

WWTK Wednesday

As usual I'll be linking up with We Want To Know Wednesday hosted by four friendly bloggers (IA, Shawn, Janette and Mamarazzi).  


Click their button below to link up and play along!





This week's questions come from Mamarazzi with the help of McKenzie and DateGirl.


{1} You have been asked to give a 10 minute speech to teenage girls. What is it about?


Yikes, I can't think of a more un-fun thing to do and I actually enjoy speaking to large groups.  Teenage girls are viscous!  I would probably talk about bullying.  Bullying is a huge problem where I went to high school.   I was a victim and in the past couple of years they've had multiple (yes, multiple) suicides due to bullying.  It's so unbelievably tragic that these kids think they're alone and that they allow these other kids to bring them down so low.  I feel very strongly about bullying education and prevention.


But realistically, they're not going to listen to a thing I say.  Ten years ago when I was a teenager maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but with phones in the hands of every teenager (for what?), their little heads swirling around only them and the next Justin Beiber song they get to listen to, it'd be a waste of time and breath.  Seriously, I have no faith in today's youth.


{2} Do you have a pet? Tell us about them. No pets? Why?


Yes!  I have a handsome kitty, Preston!  He is my bear and I love him more than cheesecake.  He was named after Dr Preston Burke from Grey's Anatomy, hah.  My mother found him when he was a newborn in the grass across the street from where she lives during the summer after my college graduation.  Luckily I was working at a bank close by so on my breaks I would rush home to bottle feed him.  Raising a kitten is hard!  There are so many things that you don't realize, for example they can't go to the bathroom on their own so you have to take the time to rub their bellies with wet cotton...who knew?  They also love to be cozy, cozy so we would surround him in blankets and hot water bottles.


This is him as a baby...

As you can see he didn't even have his eyes open and his ears were folded down!  That's my beanie baby cat that I would keep with him so he wouldn't feel lonely (as recommended by the girl at the pet store).  ISN'T HE SO PRECIOUS?!

Look at that tail!  It's so tiny!

A little bit bigger...

And the beast he is now...

Gosh I love him, haha, sorry for all the pictures.  I've always had cats growing up.  In college I had two hamsters illegally, and a fish.  My mom currently has 5 cats at her house and I adore each of them (well I don't really care for one of them) and all of the kitties of our past each have a special place in my heart. <3

{3} What is the biggest inconvenience about the place you’re currently living?


The people that live behind me.  I can't stand their kids playing right outside of my windows, I can't stand how loud the man is that lives back there, I can't stand that the woman sits on the side porch (right outside my living room window) and smokes so it makes me living room reak when she could go to her BACK door and smoke.  Not to mention I'm fairly sure there are more than five people living in that tiny two bedroom apartment, which is absurd.


{4} What do you think is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?


Not sure really.  I've made a lot of decisions that I don't necessarily regret, but I look back and think to myself, "Did I really need to do that?"  College is a big one.  I'm not using my degree, I'm in a lot of debt from it and my current job and most of the jobs I've held since I left college don't require a degree.   


I honestly can't think of anything...everything I've done up to this point has been at mediocre effort or has happened simply because it's what I thought logically should happen next in my life and I wouldn't necessarily say any of those actions or decisions come out as "the best".


{5} What are the THREE "nevers" of your life? (things you would never do or have never done)


I'd never skydive
I'd never go caving
I'd never Tweet

I like to ride my bicycle, I like to ride my bike!

Greetings friends!

Now that Wednesday has come to a close I'd like to take a minute to rant about work....

Actually, I can't even be bothered to rant about work.  It annoys me, and that's all that needs to be said.  I'm going to follow Angie's lead and stay positive.

I had intentions of leaving work and going to the gym and then going for a bike ride after dinner, but I was starving.  I really wish that worked out for me, but it just doesn't.  If I'm starving I don't put in good workouts and all I think about is how much I don't want to be there.  Workouts at the gym have been boring enough as it is, to have TWO things going against me wanting to be there just doesn't work.

So I came home and had some dinner and decided to just do the bike ride.  It is SO NICE here today!  The sun is bright, everything is blooming.  I wish I had gotten some pictures, but it's crazy how just a few weeks ago everything was brown and there were patches of snow on the trail and now the grass is lush and green.  It was really an enjoyable ride. 

On my way back I decided to nix the last two parts of the trail back to my house and cut over to stop at my apartment to grab some cash...

For what you ask?

To ride to the ice cream shop of course!!!

I do pass one ON the trail, but instead I took advantage and extended my bike ride by going in the opposite direction to a different ice cream shop.  I was pretty low in calories today for some reason, so this kiddie twist really hit the spot:

Isn't it so cute?!  I'm a sucker for rainbow sprinkles, but was super excited to see they put "eyes" on it anyway. :)

In total I biked 9.16 miles in an hour and 4 minutes.  That does NOT include my pause for ice cream!

I'm not the only one enjoying the nice weather, it seems like SOMEONE is letting the fresh air get to his head...

Look at that puddle of fat and fur, no shame.  He sat like that for about 5 minutes...not really sure what he was doing.  He loves being able to run from window to window and watch the birds!  Excuse the random DVDs thrown about...I'm a slob.

Speaking of being a slob, lately I've been reading an organizational blog and it's inspired me to implement new things in my world to help keep me organized and get me out of being such a magnet for clutter.  As much as I know 20 year old me would hate to hear me say this, I really hope to someday be a homemaker.  I can't quite articulate why I feel this way, but I do know that reading mommy blogs and organizational blogs REALLY makes me want to implement these ideas in my life now, so that I can be prepared if the time comes for me to be a homemaker.

Am I jinxing myself?  Is this like buying the wedding dress before meeting the man?

Yikes.

I hope everyone is enjoying their evening!

But why not just use organic goat's milk soap?

Would you believe that I saw that question in THREE e-mails today?  I can't even tell you what the e-mails were about, but I remember kind of spazing out at the third one stating, "IF PEOPLE CARE THAT MUCH ABOUT CHEMICALS IN THEIR SOAP THEY SHOULD LOOK AT THE CHEMICALS THAT ARE IN THE WATER THAT COME OUT OF THEIR PIPES!!!"

Oops.

Good thing the person I said it to insists on putting a :) at the end of every sentance they type.  They're obviously very happy with life so my spaz out didn't effect them.

Right?

Work was so ridiculous today.  I mean really.  So ridiculous I ate a whole Caramello Bar after my gym workout...but I was still within my 1200-1500 caloric range so it's ok.

Right?

Tomorrow is only Thursday and that makes me sad, I desperately need it to be Friday.  I am however excited that I have a movie night date with a friend.  Anything you can suggest to rent??

I've really been enjoying my gym workouts lately (I won't complain about how overcrowded the gym is here).  After I eat my dinner I hop up and go to the gym, there's no slag in my step on my way there and I put in some really great work outs.  Its crazy to think that when I started working out I could barely do the elliptical at 4.0 speed for 15 minutes and now I'm booking it at 6.5 for 50 minutes and COULD keep going if it weren't for boredom.  It's kind of neat to see progress like that.  My next challenge:

The Arc Trainer.  I always feel like I'm going to fall off this thing when I do it and I have a hard time pumping out a reasonable 15 minutes on it.  So I'm going to challenge myself to pump out 30 minutes on it tomorrow - yikes, wish me luck!

I know I keep saying this, but I've GOT to apply for financial assistance at the local YMCA - I'd love to start taking some spinning classes.  What's holding me back?  Uhm...I haven't done my taxes yet and I need to submit them with the application...shut it, I've got like a week and I have to pay into the state like 80 bucks so why do I need to rush???

I hope everyone is enjoying the evening - I know I'm enjoying spending the evening snuggling with my bear!!

(He's annoyed that I keep making him pose for pictures)