hummers, memories, cat lady status

I hung out on the back porch tonight, partly because it was below 90 degrees, partly because I wanted to keep an eye out for hummingbirds.

Sure enough, I spotted two ruby-throated cuties flitting around the garden. I'm always a little too excited to see them. Glad I've been putting out fresh nectar in the feeder.

A random memory popped into my head this evening while I was scanning the yard for tiny birds. When I was a kid, around dusk, sometimes my dad would get in the mood to go for a drive. And he'd grab one of us kids, already bathed and in our jammies, and head out the door. We'd drive around with the windows down, even during the summer (he'd blast the air conditioning). We wouldn't talk much, just listen to music and cruise around town. Sometimes we would stay close to home and drive the streets of the neighborhood, and sometimes we'd head downtown. Watching the unfamiliar lights and streets whiz by on a school night was particularly thrilling. Occasionally we'd stop for an ice cream but most of the time there was no destination; we'd just ride around until suddenly we were home and I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

He did that a lot. I don't know why he did it, but I'm glad he did because we all have those memories. Although, I hear that in contrast to our drives, when he took Ashley for a drive, all she did was talk. That cracks me up. 

I feel like I've gotten to a good balance in a lot of areas lately. Soaking it up, because the next thing you know things will be wonky again.

Pumpkin has been so finicky when it comes to eating. She does seem happier and healthier, but it's such a struggle to coax her to eat sometimes. I've done a little experimenting, and lately I've had luck with what my mom and I like to call Cat Food Soup. It's disgusting but she'll eat it. Basically you take a little bit of wet food and mix it with warm water until it's a soupy consistency, then sprinkle a couple of treats on top. It's ridiculous and gross but she eats that happily.

I feel so much better about my upcoming travel plans now that I'm not so worried about her.