A good example of a “Life Part Two” day

This has been a fantastic day.  Weather was perfect.  Bob and I did some chores around the house this morning and then at noon went for lunch at the Commerce Club in downtown Greenville.

After a great meal and a nice glass of merlot  we went to the Artist Guild (minutes away) to see the Greenville Woodworkers Exhibit as well many other art exhibits.  Talked with Randi (from Denmark) about the organization and left my business card for possible future business.

A few minutes later we were in the rose garden at Furman University, which I stumbled on yesterday.  There are probably 500 rose bushes in 1000 sq ft.   They will be at full bloom in a few days.   The rose garden is right next to a pretty little lake so we literally smelled the roses, sat by the lake and watched the swan swim.

10 minutes later we were home and  crashed for a nap then cuddle time with the kitties and in an hour or so we will be sitting under the stars in the hot tub.

This is “life part two”.

Cool things you may not know

Cool things U May Not Know

1.  Q: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?
A: Long ago, dishes and cookware in  Europe were made of a dense orange clay called ‘pygg’. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as ‘pygg banks.’ When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

2.  Q: Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches, while pennies and nickels do not?
A: The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals.  Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren’t notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.

3.  Q: Why do men’s clothes have buttons on the right while women’s clothes have buttons on the left?
A: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid’s right! Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left.  And that’s where women’s buttons have remained since.

4.  Q. Why do X’s at the end of a letter signify kisses?
A: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

5.  Q: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called ‘passing the buck’?
A: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility, he would ‘pass the buck’ to the next player.

6.  Q: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
A: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would then just touch or clink the host’s glass with his own.

7.  Q: Why are people in the public eye said to be ‘in the limelight’?
A: Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, performers on stage ‘in the limelight’ were seen by the audience to be the center of attention.

8.  Q: Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use ‘mayday’ as their call for help?
A: This comes from the French word m’aidez – meaning ‘help me’ and is pronounced ‘mayday.’

9.  Q: Why is someone who is feeling great ‘on cloud nine’?
A: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

10.  Q: Why are zero scores in tennis called ‘love’?
A: In  France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called  ‘l’oeuf,’  which is French for ‘egg.’  When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans pronounced it   ‘love.’

11.  Q: In golf, where did the term ‘Caddie’ come from?
A. When Mary, later Queen of Scots, went to France as a young girl (for education & survival), Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the Scot game ‘golf.’ So he had the first golf course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her.  In French, the word cadet is pronounced ‘ca-day’ and the Scots changed it into ‘caddie.’

Now YOU know just about everything !

Thanks Brenda H. for the fun information.  The only one I knew was number 3.   I think I like the “cloud nine” one best.

Hello, I’m Sabrina. Do you want to cuddle with me?

I’m the little girl kitty  in Fay and Bob’s house.   I started out shy but now watch out for me, I’m a powerhouse little girl to be taken seriously.  Here is a picture of me when I was shy.

Like Smoky I got off to a rocky start in my new home.   Fay and Bob brought me home on a Saturday  from the Humane Society, where I had been for a few days, and I got in their house ok but then I got really scared.  I ran away and hid in the house and they couldn’t find me until Wednesday.  They brought me food and water but couldn’t find me in Bob’s shop.  Bob looked and looked but I stayed hid.   They didn’t think to bring me my litter box right away so I kind of made a mess on one of their rugs.   They could wash it and it’s ok now.  Finally they coaxed me out with food and found where I hid and Fay snitched me away from a little shelf in the wall behind the water heater.  That was the start of a good thing.

I was so scared and shy and I wanted to hide in my little carrier house or the covered litter box.   I was on the lower level because Smoky was sick and upstairs and we needed to be apart so I didn’t get sick too.  I liked Fay and let her hold me and snuggle me but that’s all I wanted.  I would rather be held then eat so she really had to coax me to eat by standing by me.  At first I was just in one room but after a week I got brave and went to sit in Fay and Bob’s lap in the big rocking chair.   I learned that really quick and would run out to get held and rocked when they came down.   I still like to bring Fay downstairs so we can sit in MY chair.

I’m nine months old and while Smoky is long and slim like a leopard I am built more like a lion.   Fay says even as little as I am I am a compact little chunk of a kitty.   I LOVE my food.  I love to cuddle and sit in a lap and purr and lick your hand.   I have also learned to be a good playmate with Smoky.  My fur is short like Smoky but it is more coarse so I don’t seem to shed much.

I had kind of a hard time when I went to see the dr.   I was ok getting their in my little Tepee caring case and then we had to wait and I got scared with all the smells and dogs barking and pee peed in my little house.   I felt bad but I couldn’t help it.   Everyone was real nice and they cleaned me and my house up.  I was really good when I got my exam and my shots and made it home with no problems.

I like to talk.   Smoky just waits for our food but I want to let Fay know I want it now so I can meow really loud.  Other then that I make a funny little noise like a coo and a chirp.  Fay and Bob really like it when I do that at 4:30 in the morning when I am sleeping in bed with them.   They pet me and I get so excited I start to make my little noise and snuggle so very, very close to you.

I like being with Fay and Bob in the computer room but I behave better than Smoky.   I just go to sleep on the desk and don’t need to play with the mouse and walk on the keyboard.

I really like being out on the screened porch and smell the flowers and watch the birds at the bird feeder.  Here is a picture of me on the deck stool.

Smoky and I are already getting  along really well.   We sleep together, lick each other and of course play together all the time.  As you can see we have figured out how to be in the same lap at the same time.   Sometimes we sleep there and sometimes we play which each other and thatmakes Fay and Bob really laugh.    I’ve got a lot of personality but like it best when I am cuddled.  You can always pick me up and hold me.  I will be such a good kitty for Fay and Bob.

Here is one last picture of me by the kitty condo.   I love playing on this.

I hope you liked my first blog post.

Hi, I’m Smoky. Do you want to play with me?

I get to blog!  Oh  Fay, please let me be first.   I want to tell everyone about me first.   Please, please?

I’m a very playful, curious, affectionate little guy and was so ready to leave the Humane Society and find a family.  Some kind people found me and brought me to the Humane Society and I wasn’t there even a week before Fay and Bob and I met and liked each other.  I had to be nice to Sabrina right away because they wanted two cats that got along.  They thought I would be the dominate cat but were they ever wrong about that.  I’m just an easy going kitty with lots of energy.  I was named for my Smoky color, the Smoky mountains and as Fay and Bob now know, the smoke left in my trail as I race around the house.

I got off to a rocky start at my new home.   Fay and Bob adopted me from the Humane Society and then when they went to take me home they saw I had an upper respiratory  infection ( a cold) so they had to unadopt me and take me home for two weeks as a foster care kitty.  I got antibiotics every day and they had to keep Sabrina and I in separate areas.  Fay and Bob worked really hard to pay equal attention to both of us.  Finally they adopted me because they thought I was well but then I got a bloody nose so back to the doctor and I am on antibiotics and nose drops.  I think I am getting better and we all hope I don’t have a nasal problem.  Here is a picture of how I had to stay in the house while Sabrina was outside because we couldn’t be together.

I’m learning how to be a good kitty.   I love to play and even take my toys into Fay and Bob’s bed at night.  I use my scratching post and love my kitty condo and I use my litter box all the time.  I’m still learning to keep my claws in when I play with hands, arms and toes.   Unfortunately I’ve given Fay and Bob quite a few scratches but they are teaching me how to play softer.

When I get tired I will stretch out to be scratched and am learning to curl up in a lap.  I also am learning how to sit still when Fay picks me up and holds me in her arms so we can cuddle each other.  I’m a very quiet kitty.  My meow is just a squeak and Fay and Bob have only heard that once when I was on the way to the dr’s office.   Guess I just don’t have much to say but I’ve got lots of personality so you always know what I want.

I’m  a long slender cat, kind of like the shape of a leopard and my short hair does shed a little so sometimes Fay combs me.  I’m getting used to that.  When I was first sick I couldn’t smell my food and so I didn’t want to eat but Fay spent lots of time coaxing me and got me special food so I would eat and drink my water.   Now I have a really good appetite and especially like my canned food, even though Fay puts my medicine in it.  Only problem is I have to beat Sabrina to my dish.  She is a little pig and wants to eat out of both her bowl and mine.

I love the bathroom and am always in the sinks, shower, Fay’s vanity area and her vanity stool when they get up in the morning.  Fay says this is one of the many things I do like Tanya did.  I sleep behind Fays shoes in the closet.  I like being out on the screened in porch when Fay and Bob are there and especially like smelling the flowers and drinking out of the watering can.  So far I don’t like the catnip plant very much.  Neither does Sabrina.

As you can  see I also love the computer room.   I can see the mouse and images on the screen and love to try to bat at them.   I haven’t quite figured out if they are on the front or the back of the monitor.  Sometimes I get to be a pest and they have to lock me out.   I don’t like that at all.

Sabrina and I play pretty well together now.   She hasn’t hissed at me for quite a while.

Like Tanya I like sleeping in the bed when it is made.   I feel pretty special and know I have a really good home.   Have to go play now.  I’m so glad I got to be first.  Sabrina is kind of a little bully so I thought she might beat me to it.

I’m one contented kitty!

Where does the time go? Guess it goes fast when you are having fun!

I can’t believe how long it has been since my last post.  Guess you know I have been busy.  The two new kitties have taken much time.  They will tell you their stories in the next couple posts.  I will briefly say they have adapted well to our house and us and each other but we also spent much time getting them socialized and of course loved.   They have already trained us to be at their beck and meow.  What great additions to the Choban house.  Here is a photo of Bob, Smoky and Sabrina playing.  You can see the new cat tree/condo in the back.   What a great purchase that was.  They use it so much.

Our friend April and her friend Jackie came right before Easter and we showed them downtown Greenville, had a late yummy rib dinner and sat under the stars in the hot tub on a gorgeous spring evening.  Gave them a hearty breakfast on Sat. morning and then they were on their way again.  What wonderful young women they both are.   I am so happy they stopped by and hope they can come back again to visit.

Here is Bob, April on the left and Jackie on the right at Falls Park in downtown Greenville.   We were there on a Friday night when downtown has a music festival.   The girls said they saw more people downtown then they had anyplace during their spring break.   I think they were quite impressed.

My weekly foreign affairs class has been discussing global crime, China as an upcoming power and the wold wide financial crisis.  So interesting and so good for me.  I am learning so much.

My Elder Wisdom Circle continues to have thought provoking questions.  The last ones were:

1. Until just a couple of decades ago, it was the scientific belief that humans were born with only a limited number of brain cells, and this part of our body does not renew itself. These scientists believed that our personalities became fixed based on our existing brain structure and genetic make-up – and that anything we did to destroy our brain cells (drinking, smoking, drugs, etc.) permanently diminished that organ’s functionality. Today, we know that our brain is constantly renewing itself – and changing all the time. Even our genes are altered by a person’s interaction with his or her environment. We have all heard the opinion that “people can’t change.” Is it possible this opinion has been based on an old set of scientific assumptions that no longer apply? In light of the new evidence, what do you think? Can people truly change? Or, are we locked into a particular set of behavioral and motivational patterns set in childhood? What conditions, other than a major life crisis, might catalyze this change process? Once catalyzed, what types of positive changes might we hope for?
2. One of my past students described retirement as “twice the husband, half the income.” If you are now retired, how would you describe your retirement? How has reality differed from what you thought before your retirement? To what do you attribute these differences?  If you are not yet retired, how do you envision your future retirement? Do we really have the ability to predict our futures with any accuracy, or do other forces shape our predictions (such as optimism or pessimism, wishful thinking, societal images, our parents’ retirement, faulty assumptions, etc.) that reduce their accuracy? If we can’t predict the future, then how do we know we even want to retire?

1. A very contentious argument going on in America today is the constitutional “right” of all individuals to the same standard of health care. Proponents cite the Declaration of Independence which states that all men have the unalienable right to “life” which they believe entails having the health care needed to preserve life, and also the Preamble to the Constitution which states that its purpose is to “promote the general welfare” of the people. Opponents state that healthcare is not a right because it is not listed in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Also, the Declaration of Independence guarantees the right to “pursue happiness,” not the right to happiness or free medical services, and the Preamble to the Constitution states that its purpose is to “promote” the general welfare, not provide it. What are your ideas on this controversial subject? Are you for or against giving free medical services to all (what about illegals?)? Why or why not?
2. We have all heard how awful it is to be “judgmental.” This has almost become a banner phrase of the New Age Movement. But is it really possible to NOT be judgmental? Maybe being judgmental is not the issue, but perhaps acting on the basis of one’s judgment is? What is the difference between a judgment and a criticism? What is the usual effect of criticism when you voice your criticism to a spouse, close friend, or even someone you barely know? Is their response usually what you expected or wanted? Why or why not?

I do take time before hand to think about the questions and Bob and I also discuss them.  It is a really good way for us as a couple to continue to get to know each other better.

Meet new little black kitty

When little black kitty came from the Humane Society her name was Alexis which was pretty but not quite right.   Sheba was getting close but after another day with the little sweetheart she seems like a Sabrina.  Here is your first look at   her.  Now that she is over her hiding phase, which you will hear more about in a later post, she follows me around like a little puppy.   The two cats met at the Humane Society and seemed to get along ok but haven’t crossed paths at our house yet.   We are taking it slow.

Introducing Smoky and Sabrina

Last Saturday we added to more members to our household.  We are adopting two cats from the Greenville Humane Society.  Although they have only been with us a few days they each have created some pretty interesting stories about their life with the Choban’s.  There will be many more photos and stories in future posts.  Both cats are about 9 months old.  The house feels whole again!

Sabrina is a VERY shy little girl and I didn’t want to upset her by taking a photo.  She has medium long black fur and really cute white markings including one little white freckle on her chin.  Although she is  shy we can already tell she is very affectionate and a little lover.

Here is a picture of our little male  cat  Smoky, named for his smoky colored fur and of course the Smoky Mountains.  As you can tell he is already a lap cat.

Lots going on

How do you like my spring pink look on the blog?

At the end of last week we took a tour of an engineering firm that does most of there work as custom creations.   Fascinating conversation of how their business model has changed, what it’s like to work with engineers, etc.   I don’t miss having my life controlled by a Microsoft Project Plan!

We  went to a super dance recital at Furman University.  We went last year also.  30 performances  with dancers solo or in groups dancing modern, ethnic, ballet, etc.  Furman campus has to be one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.   It has several huge fountains, streets lined with gigantic trees, a beautiful lake and bell tower, little Japanese garden and many, many, many spring blooming flowers.

On Tuesday my foreign affairs class discussed the United Nations R2P or Responsibility to Protect the people in countries who are faced with war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing etc.  Kenya was the example of something that at least to begin with seems to be working.   The key element seems to be getting the UN and other entities involved before things get really bad.

My Elder Wisdom Circle discussed these two question:

1. An ongoing debate in our country has to do with the potential
legalization of so-called moral crimes such as marijuana usage and
prostitution. Proponents talk about the benefits of increased tax revenues,
greater controls, fewer “criminals”  being processed in our court and prison
system, etc. However, opponents have the compelling argument that we are
slowly stripping our society of its long-standing morality and values that
made this country great. These values may be somewhat puritanical, but they
also give rise to our work ethic, motivation to help others in need,
relationships and interactions with other people, and the list goes on. What
do you think about this topic? Have we already gone too far in ridding our
legal system of its moralistic overtones, or do you think we need to go back
and build more of these values into our nations laws? Why or why not?

I was surprised that most of the 25 people didn’t see these two examples as moral crimes and said legalize them.

2. It is now understood that cognitive intelligence (as measured by the IQ
test) is only one of many human intelligences. And, in many cases it might
not even be the most important intelligence at our disposal. In many careers
and life callings, “emotional intelligence” has been proven to be a better
indicator of success. How well do you understand your own emotions? Do you always think before acting on them? Do you ever say or do anything to anyone close to you that you later regret ­ knowing you shouldn’t have acted in the first place, but couldn¹t help yourself? How well do you read the emotions of others? Can you feel empathy, compassion, and love for another person even when they are acting out their emotions in a manner you do not like? Why do you think our society emphasizes cognitive intelligence, without (in most cases) even recognizing that emotional intelligence exists?

We hold a talking stick and each have 90 seconds to give our opinion on the question.

I attended a small meeting of a new group called Gadgets which is coordinated through Meetup.com.

Bob finished his collapsiable work bench in the garage and built me a bluebird house which is already being checked out by bluebirds.  Pictures will follow soon.   With a neighbors help I found a young man to help Bob with some outdoor projects that start on Monday. Bob is in week 3 of his 8 week class of building a workbench at Woodworkers Guild.

Bob has been asked to help with security, id badges, technology in general for the new Greenville Woodworkers Guild Shop.  We went out to look at it.  It’s huge.   18,000 sq. feet of shop plus another 8,000 sq. feet in another building.   There is A LOT of work to be done cleaning out old stuff but when done it will really be nice.   Only down side is it is 30 minutes from our house and the existing shop is only 15 minutes.

We are waiting for a young friend of ours, April, and her roommate to arrive to spend a night with us as they travel home to Madison after their college spring break adventure.   We are so excited to have them visit.

Happy Easter

Thinking of all my friends and family at Easter and the celebration of spring.   Hour by hour the trees are turning green.   It is in the low to mid 80′s for the next several days and spring fever is setting in.

I hope you are spending time with your loved ones and that your garden is growing .

Enjoy the photo of the Easter Egg Bob and I made on the lathe.  The wood is sycamore.   It will be a gift to the neighbor who is having us over for Easter.

This is the egg in progress:

Finished egg about 5″ high.

And a closing photo of the Easter Cat:

What a difference two years make!

It is unbelievable to me that only two years ago this week we visited Travelers Rest on our way back from 6 weeks in Orlando to “look around” and ended up building a house.

The whirl wind of staging our house in MN (painting, decluttering, taking down wallpaper, getting rid of  lots of stuff, selling the house in 10 days in a horrible housing market),  building the new house, packing 13,000 pounds of stuff and moving 1100 miles in 6 months is still hard for me to believe.  It seemed so overwhelming at the time and it was but now that it is all behind me I am so happy.   I couldn’t be happier with where we are and now we are making new friends, finding new hobbies, taking classes and doing plenty of travel.