A Quiet Weekend & The Sounds I Hear

It has been a quiet weekend around here today.

It’s overcast outside. It is the time of year when you just want to stay in your warm bed rather than get up. But Ivy and Charlie make sure I get up when they decide it is time.

My 2006 Nissan Pathfinder:

My 14-year-old car finally has 50,000 miles on it. I need to get an oil change soon. I’ll have the mechanic around the corner at the Mobil check things out while he has it there.

Thankfully I’ve never been stranded at the side of the road with this car. It’s been a great car with little having to be done to it over the years. I’ve been very lucky.

Four new tires, a small leak near the transmission, and one pair of brakes (can’t recall if it was front or back) are all I’ve had done. In 14 years I’ve had one new battery, one set of windshield wipers, and regular oil changes.

Watching Movies:

I watched two good movies both Saturday and Sunday afternoon on Netflix.

The first one was “Fracture” with Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins. On Sunday I watched “The Gift” with Cate Blanchett.

I never go to the movies. It is far too loud for my taste. But I do like to watch movies on Netflix in the quiet of my home.

It was so nice to curl up in my chair with the fireplace warming my feet while I watched TV.

Ponytail Palm House Plant:

Remember I showed you where green is growing in the base of my ponytail palm plant? I Googled it and here is what I learned:

Rarely, a ponytail palm may produce an offset—a small baby plant that stems from the base of the adult plant. These can be cut off at the base when they reach at least 4 inches in height and planted in a succulent potting mix. – Almanac

On Saturday night I had a chili dog for supper. I like turkey hot dogs with turkey Hormel chili once in a while. Chili of any variety is good at this time of year when it’s cold outside.

I can hear the maintenance man out by his shed doing something. Since this one four-plex where I live has its own parking lot, I don’t hear a lot of what goes on out in the rest of the complex.

Traffic, Fire Trucks & Ambulance Sounds:

I can hear the traffic on the main road sometimes. I hear fire trucks and ambulances and sometimes helicopters overhead probably airlifting patients to the local hospitals.

There is a truck that drives up the alley pretty much every day. If I’m out on the patio I can see the words at the top of the truck, which says John 3:16.

I think it’s something to do with a mission for the homeless in Tulsa.

Funny how you grow accustomed to the goings-on and sounds in your neighborhood.

There’s the sound of the trash truck out in the main parking lot a couple of times per week. The sound of kids in the swimming pool on the other side of the laundry room in the summertime.

Charlie & Ivy:

Sometimes Charlie will hear a dog barking from one of the other apartments and he will bark in response.

Ivy makes very little noise. Sometimes when she comes up to me she will look at me and open her mouth. With any other cat that would mean they would then meow.

Ivy rarely meows or makes a sound. She usually just opens her mouth and looks like she’s about to make a sound and then doesn’t. When she does make a sound it is more like “meh” or “me.”

A few minutes ago Ivy was over at the French doors acting very excited and jumping around. Her tail was thumping against the floor and she was pawing at the glass.

I got up to see what was out there and it was apparently a leaf blowing around on the concrete. Ivy gets pretty excited over leaves blowing around outside.

Ivy likes to sleep next to me on the table while I’m sitting in this chair. Sometimes she falls off. I guess she forgets how big she is.

Resident Ducks:

And then there are ducks I hear that fly overhead pretty much every day.

Did you know that ducks get attached to their humans? Apparently, ducks are pretty affectionate creatures from what I’ve read about them.

Every time I hear them overhead I smile because I know wherever they’ve been they’re coming home.