Manny and Ruby Celebrate Summer Solstice

It seemed like a good idea at the time. It was 11:50 PM.

You know those ideas that just flash through your brain that won’t let you fall back asleep until after you have given it your full, complete and undivided attention. Two hours later I looked at the clock and it was 12:05 AM.

So…it was going to be one of those nights.







By 3:30 AM the idea had more or less coagulated into a plan…the more part allowed my eyes to feeling the burning sand that screamed in my brain to shut-up, while the less part of the plan kept my brain tinkering with the details…always the details.

By 4:15 AM my ears couldn’t stand all the talking and decided to step in. For thirty seconds it held my lungs hostage until the lack of oxygen caused black dots to swim in front of my eyes

…nothing gets the brains attention faster than cerebral hypoxia. A truce was called and I was asleep within one minute.

After my second cup of coffee I went out, informed Manny of my plan and asked if he thought Ruby would like the idea too?

“Riding to town? What’s the matter are all the Parks closed for the Weekend and the Osprey on Vacation?” he queried.

“Please, will you ask Ruby for me?” I pleaded, “Don’t tell her where we are going, just see if she would like a nice ride.” He grunted then went to speak to Ruby. 

   

Later we took off and within 15 minutes we arrived at our destination: 

Puddin River Chocolates and Wine Bar

“Manny,” Ruby said, “you are such a romantic.”

“Yes, I know,” he replied.



With Manny and Ruby guarding the Entrance 

we sat down in the lovely establishment  

and enjoyed a bottle of Wine,

an Antipasto Platter

and then came the hard part... choosing a piece of Chocolate~

three shelves of Chocolate to choose from,

But we finally decided on:

White Chocolate Red Velvet and Dark Chocolate Chili

All too soon it was time to head for home, happy full and content.

******

“Manny, what is with all this talk about food and drink,” Ruby said, “all I remember is being chained up outside.”

“Yeah, but we were together and that is all that really matters,” Manny replied.

Life...in general

"The unexamined life is not worth living,

but the unlived life is not worth examining."
― Tracy Thompson

Your past is behind you and has nothing new to say...

visualize the future.

I am working on it and I hope you are too!

The Gardening Cat

Not every cat has the temperament to be a Gardening Cat.

Some are born to it.

While others range from:

I'd rather just Supervise, to

I am really not interested,

 

while some are just down right being rude!

The Gardening Cat knows that it is important to survey the area and then,


 

Plan your Work and Work your Plan!

Of course now that it is time for work the Supervisor is nowhere to be found!

When the delivery truck arrives it is very important to verify inventory. Nothing is worse than signing for something that you didn't receive!

The Gardening Cat says that once the plants are counted and the quality meets with your approval it is safe to accept delivery.

Before you place the plants be sure to double check the area against your Working Plan. 

If there are plants that you will not be installing immediately, be sure to keep them watered. This is very important during hot spells because those little pots can dry out fast!

Check for pests, and remove any unsightly blossoms. 

Yes, the Gardening Cat does a lot of dirty work!

Finally the day is over and the Gardening Cat can rest knowing great satisfaction of having a beautiful garden. 

Manny’s Girlfriend

She was manufactured by Electra, the model is Lace, and we call her Ruby.

Although Ruby has been a member of our household longer than Manny you may assume that Ruby is older. Being a very wise bicycle, he knows better than to ask a woman her age.













The true lady that Ruby is can be seen by her fine lines. 













She loves to feel the wind in her tassels and rings her bell in warning to unaware Two-Legs, (as she calls us).






  

Ruby has a beautiful Compass and is proud to show it off. Manny has no need for a compass; but he will not deny her her ‘accessories’.







Ruby is not ‘delicate’ to the point of fragile or dainty, but she know what she likes: being dry and being clean is a simple demand. She is a true Classy Lady. 

“What’s that? Oh, Manny just roared like a Lion.”

Manny's Adventure, Part 2

Since Manny was in such a good mood, after rescuing me and all that, I asked him if he would like to see the Canby Ferry “it’s all downhill from here.”

“And uphill coming back,” he replied, however he gave the green light. 

Manny was thrilled! This was his first time on a ferry and it was a very special trip, back and forth, because it was just two of us…our own Private Ferry! 

After the grueling uphill ride it was time to take the gravel road again. Manny was not very happy with me and said, “So you want me to lug you across this 1/2 mile gravel road just to save 2/10th of a mile? How would you like it if I just ‘accidentally’ fell down?” 

“To make it up,” I said, “I will take you to see the Osprey. You know how much you like the Osprey. We will stay on asphalt all the way, I promise.” So we meandered another three miles out of the way to see the Osprey.

We finally called it a day and headed for home.

Manny's Adventure, Part 1

The other day Manny and I visited Molalla River State Park  for an exercise in patience. 
At first the paths were wide enough for the both of us,

but soon the Bushes and Brambles forced one of us off the path. I  asked Manny if he didn’t mind going ‘off-path’ since I was wearing shorts. His silent chortle echoed through the park.

 There were quite a few places I was forced to lift Manny over trees that had fallen across the path and when I mentioned that he could stand to lose a little weight he replied, “Well, I could let the air out of both tires if you like. By the way, how many miles are we away from home?” That ended the conversation. 

We soon discovered Salmonberries. The colors ranged from pale yellow morning sky to the orange-red fire of a sunset. They ranged in sweetness from…never mind.

Manny said it would be polite to take some home to share rather than defoliate the entire park.

I am very proud of Manny for putting up with this: 

And now it’s time to head home.  After two hours meandering and back-tracking so many paths I only have a vague idea which way to go! After a couple false starts Manny got a bit tart with me and insisted on taking the lead. After ten minutes he abruptly stopped and wouldn’t budge until I noticed his tire tracks in the soft dirt. 

“Oh, I see,” I had to acknowledge his innate ability to rescue me, and we were off again. 

Manny Builds a Relationship of Trust

Manny has had a few adventures since we first met, and as any relationship develops we learn our likes and not so likes about each other. I have learned that Manny does have an odd sense of humor. 



Snow is easier for Manny, however is harder for me; whereas, ice is easier me, Manny has a difficult time. So we compromise and went home. Communication: that is how relationships last. 



If we just happen to leave the nice smooth bicycles paths I have learned Manny does prefer some paths

over others














But it is all a matter of building trust in the ability of each other.