Which do you want first: an update on my brother or the cats? Brother, it is.

He sounded much better this morning. A bit of vitality has returned. It must be the two pints of blood they’ve given him. I think those were red blood cells. And today they also gave him platelets. I don’t know much about blood, but I’ve got a feeling I’ll be developing a familiarity over the coming weeks and months. They haven’t done the bone marrow biopsy yet. It’s scheduled for tomorrow morning. I asked him how soon they’ll have the results, and he told me, “Let’s just worry about getting the test done. Then we’ll focus on the results.” That was a nice way of telling me to chill the hell out. So after we hung up, I got on the Internet and researched bone marrow transplants and the chances I’d be a match. It looks like about 35 percent odds a sibling will be a match. So if he needs it, maybe we’ll get lucky. See how well I chill out? At least I didn’t mention it to him. Instead I sent him flowers. White and yellow daisies and roses in a yellow smiley face mug. Daisies are happy flowers.

image He called me tonight sounding up. The flowers seem to have cheered him. I then told him I had a very important question to ask him. His voice became serious.

“Okay. What is it?”

“Which cat do you think will be cat two in the hierarchy, Sally or Sophie?”

“Sophie. She’s younger and will be more aggressive in establishing her new territory.”

Interesting perspective. And despite tonight’s kitty events, it’s still an open question.

Which brings me to topic two: Black cats.

Sophie no longer hides in the closet. Instead she’s taken to waiting by her tuna saucer when I enter. It didn’t take her long to come to expect two square meals a day. Tonight she was very affectionate. She soaked up the petting, purring up a storm and drooling. Have I told you she’s a drooler? Yes, Sophie drools big giant droplets when she’s purring and happy. It’s cute, but a little messy.

Because she was in rare form tonight, I opened her safe room door and left it open. It wasn’t long before Sadie sauntered in. At that time, Sophie was having a bath in the closet. Not hiding, mind you. She was simply bathing after her supper. Sadie didn’t see her as she sniffed about. In fact, she walked right past her. I turned Sadie around so that they were face-to-face. Sadie finally realized Sophie was right under her over-stimulated nose and let out a couple of hisses. They seemed a bit half-hearted to me, and Sophie didn’t appear ruffled. She didn’t hiss back. Sadie walked out the door, hissing a few more times as she left the room. There was no spitting or aggression. No fur flew. It was a bit anti-climactic. So I decided to push my luck and left the door wide open.

Sadie had wandered off to the other end of the hall and set up post there. Sophie watched her from under the dresser. Suddenly, Sophie jumped up, darted out the door in the opposite direction of Sadie, sniffed the guest bath, darted the other direction toward Sadie, stopped, turned, and ran back into her safe room. I left the door wide open for several more minutes, but she had completed her foray for the day. So we went back to petting, purring, and drooling.

This weekend I shall plonk them together as suggested by a fellow blogger, and see if my brother is right that Sophie will become number two on the hierarchy.

I’ve been to two classes in my Photography 101 course. I think I need a remedial course so I’ve ordered Nikon D3200 for Dummies. I hope a book for dummies is remedial enough for me. Here are some of the photos I took last weekend in Tucson, after class #1. I actually shot some of these in manual mode. But for some I relied on “landscape.” I now know I cannot operate my camera in anything other than the various auto modes without reading glasses.

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Roadrunner, cayote's after you!

Roadrunner, coyote’s after you!

Can you spot the gopher in this photo?

Can you spot the gopher in this photo?

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Bunny!

Bunny!

Cardinal on Cactus

Cardinal on Cactus

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I have received my new Nikon D3200. As a result, I have neglected my blogging. I extend my profuse apologies. Here are my first couple of shots taken with this amazing device. It just feels so cool in my hand. And it makes the same clicking noise you hear when a real photographer is snapping pictures.

My Valentine to Myself

My Valentine to Myself

Orchid

Orchid

Black Beauty

Black Beauty

Kitty Lips and Whiskers

Kitty Lips and Whiskers

Today’s post is about natural antidepressants. Here’s on of my favorites:

Cat Digging My Shoes

I think psychiatrists should hand out kittens, along with the drugs. (While this is not my cat, those are my shoes.)

Next is nature therapy. I took these shots at a park not ten minutes from where I live. When you can walk, trail run, or ride your bike here, who needs a gym? I’m a firm believer that outdoor exercise is way better for mental health than slogging away on a treadmill. You get your vitamin D, a little nature (yesterday I saw a gorgeous deer), and lots of fresh air. The last shot is of my favorite tree in the park.

But don’t take my word for it. Here’s a link to a scientific study showing that outdoor exercise is better for you than indoor exercise. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110204130607.htm

Also, these two types of therapy don’t make your hair fall out. No more Abilify for me! (But I am still on the Wellbutrin and Viibryd. For now.)

I went for a lovely walk yesterday in the town where the villa is in which I’m staying: Vorno. I’m going to do a repeat today. Here’s a sampling of yesterday’s walk.

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The days have been so full I’ve gotten a little behind on my posts. Here are some shots of our visit to Lucca, which is a walled city in Tuscany. It used to have a moat, as well.

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Here are some shots of my morning walk, followed by the lunch cooking class:

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There are only four of us in the group: a couple from California and a Scottish woman who lives in Australia. And me; the lawyer from Austin. One of our hosts, David, is an English filmaker who now lives in Tuscany. He’ll be leaving us tomorrow to go to the Cannes film festival. He invited me to go with him. Maybe next time, although I’ve surely made a new friend to meet up with at South By Southwest. The man loves Austin.

Today I awoke with the sunrise to a cacophony of birds. Beautiful. Here’s the view from my bedroom window:

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We have two cooking classes today, lunch and dinner. Right now, I’m off for a cappuccino. Before i go, here are a few pics from yesterday:

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Here are a few photographs of what kept me company as I had my coffee this morning. I love spring, with the explosion of jasmine and the Monarch butterfly migration. I hope to capture some better shots of the butterflies in the days to come.

Nature therapy is the best kind of therapy.

My jasmine has exploded in blossoms, filling my garden with their sweet scent.

Here are a few shots of my Sunday gardening therapy. (I still need mulch!)

So far, everything is flourishing. That makes me happy.

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