Missy

Missy crossed the bridge sometime between 2am and 4am.

This morning, a field mouse dared to come to the 2nd (main) floor of this house. I have never seen a mouse in this house, but there is a chance that with all of the work downstairs, either Dad or Brett forgot to put the towel down on the floor to block the side cellar door - there's a crack under the door wide enough for a tiny enterprising mouse to squeeze through.

From the bedroom, I saw India run down the hallway from the laundry room to the living room with a puff of grey in her mouth and I thought it odd that their toy fuzzy mouse had made it all the way back to the laundry room, but it was no big deal: they play with it a lot. Then I saw India playing with it in the dining room: it was under the baseboard.

Missy had very slowly brought herself out to the dining room area from the bathroom. As of yesterday, she could no longer climb to her favorite shelf. I had made small steps for her, but she wasn't strong enough so she slept on the bed of towels on the floor.

It must have run away from India, because next thing I knew, India was still back at the baseboard and Missy had the mouse in her mouth. The mouse appeared to have escaped India and Missy mustered the energy to launch herself at the mouse. She was a Master Mouser, that one.

Missy was one of those eco-disaster cats you hear about. Once I let her out in South Glastonbury and she had herself a bird and was back into the basement in about two minutes. Couldn't believe my eyes. She ran up the cellar stairs, ran up the nearest tree, caught herself a bird and took it immediately back to the basement. Never did see a trace of that bird. *shudder*

I didn't let her out again except I think once or twice here - I think she lived outside for a long time, as a part of her life. I am glad that the weather finally cooled down a bit at the end so that she could at least lay next to the screen door and feel the breeze and smell the scents and watch the squirrels.

I went back through LJ and figured out that Missy, Nala and India came home with me July 21st, 2007.






p.s. I wrapped her in a bag and then tucked her into a Yankee Candle box. She's in the freezer.

p.s./2: I absolutely cringe when I go back and read the entries from that time period.

Ulysses, Kansas. They picked up and moved the town.

Ulysses, Kansas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

""After paying a year of exorbitant taxes, came the decision which few towns make, the citizens decided to take their belongings and move off the old town site, and out of the school district. The unity the citizens displayed in reaching this decision deserves credit, and the determination they displayed in putting this gigantic plan in operation has become a significant portion of Ulysses and Grant County, Kansas history.

The city fathers moved approximately two miles west, and purchased a quarter of land that was deeded to the New Ulysses Town Company. After the land was surveyed into a new town site, the town began the move. The move began the first of February 1909, and continued for approximately three months. Skids were used to move the larger buildings, and the smaller ones were loaded onto wagons. Horse power was used to move the loads. It was necessary to move these structures downhill, through a large draw, and uphill to the new locations.

It took several days to move some of the buildings. The larger buildings were cut into sections and moved a section at a time. It was written that it took 60 head of horses to move ONE section of the old hotel. The courthouse and the post office remained on the old town site until June 1909, when New Ulysses was officially declared the county seat.""

Absolutely mindblowing video shot from the Space Shuttle during launch

Absolutely mindblowing video shot from the Space Shuttle during launch

"Drop whatever you're doing and watch this. NASA has released videos shot from onboard the Space Shuttle's Solid Rocket Boosters in the past, but you've never seen one prepared as masterfully as this."