Author: jackiella

It is 3 a.m. and I can't sleep. The cats are bleary-eyed watching me and curious about my late night habit. Usually I go to sleep at 10 or so and wake at 1:30 or 2 a.m. and go back to sleep around 4. Tonight I haven't been to sleep at all. Enough of whining!The… Continue reading In the Still of the Night

I'm beginning my yearly line-up of writing retreats and vacations lined  up. This weekend, I'm off to Bjorklunden in Baileys Harbor, for a weekend with Susan O'Leary and 23 other people. There are four men this year which gives a different perspective to the poems. Then in May, it's back to Door County for a… Continue reading Summer Plans

We have had the strangest March on record, days of high 70s and the last two over 80 degrees. She certainly looks to stay the lamb for the rest of the month. It seems the cats are entering a new period in their battle. Lately, Jake doesn't just run away every time he sees Simon,… Continue reading March came in like a lion and look what happened!

It's been almost a year now since my sweet boys began their war. And it still goes on! We've gotten into a routine where we leave the gate open between the bedrooms and the living room when we are out here but make sure it is closed when Jake is here alone. Simon continues to… Continue reading Update on the Cats

Just a brief update about the animals--still fighting, still hissing and growling. We bought a "Pet Gate" which is like a baby gate but taller and so far the aggressive cat (Simon) is too fat to jump it, so Jake is safe on the other side. But of course, we spend most of our time… Continue reading Enter the Gate

My son and I share an apartment he gets the master bedroom with its own bathroom, I get the other bedroom and kitchen. We have separated the living room into two sections for our separate chairs and cabinets of stuff! I believe my section is by far the neatest, he tends to disagree, of course.… Continue reading My Fall From Grace

It is the middle of the night in my house Everyone is asleep but Simon cat and me. Think the vitamins make me wakeful when taken too close to bedtime. The boys still rage at one another, in spite of the Prozac, Jake ever watchful Simon not knowing he brings on Jake's wrath. We've put… Continue reading The Never-ending Story

As of today, the cats are on Prozac. The other medicine didn't seem to help and we still have hissing and yowling going on whenever they meet. We've moved Jake's catbox out into the mud room which is off the kitchen. This side of the house has become his territory--kitchen, living room and store room.… Continue reading Update on the Cats

Small Gifts The quilt covers the sheet with a whisper, pillows soft and fragrant with sachet, flowers sway in the breeze from the window and ruffle the black fur of the cat laying there. Outside the sun is pressing its golden arms around the trees and green grass, birds peck at seeds borne from afar… Continue reading Spring is Here; I’m Dreaming the Future

Woke up at 4:30 a.m. with a cat fight on my lap. I'd been sleeping in the chair out in the living room with Jake on my lap. Apparently Simon decided to jump onto my lap and must have jumped onto Jake and all hell ensued. If you've ever had a cat fight on your… Continue reading WHATTA NIGHT!