Notes and Cards

I found this sticker on my walk to work yesterday -- an unusual one, in that it's stuck directly to the sidewalk and it features the cats' paws and tail. Perhaps the cat artist is trying to do some new things?

I got my glasses repaired over the weekend and picked them up yesterday. When I was in Florida I damaged them pretty severely. One of the arms got jammed closed and I couldn't open it without basically forcing it, which I had to do in order to wear them. So I screwed up the joint, bent it somehow, and first aid was needed. Now they're back on my face, and at no charge! I'm not thrilled with these frames, which Dave bought ten years ago but then never wore himself, so in 2022 I had them fitted with my prescription. They're some kind of fancy German engineering and a little too complicated for their own good.

I polished off a couple more New Yorkers last night while Dave was at the doctor, getting some advice for his Crohn's. He's trying to take his treatment private, in the hopes that he can consistently see the same doctor over time and get some more attentive case management. We'll see how that goes. The doctor he saw last night is referring him to a different doctor and meanwhile has ordered tests.

Yesterday at work I looked through a huge file folder I've kept over the years filled with thank-you notes from students, birthday and holiday cards from co-workers, and other stuff. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it all. There's too much to keep, so I guess I need to do some culling. It's nice to be reminded that I've made a difference in students' lives, enough so that they felt a need to write to me. I always feel like such a crank at work, nagging kids not to eat in the library and to bring back overdue books, so I'm glad to see that they don't just associate me with scolding.

Here's the latest from the wildlife cam in the garden -- back in London and once again collecting footage of foxes, pigeons, cats, magpies and squirrels. The best moment comes at 1:41, when a fox comes right in for a quick sniff of the camera. Normally they're very wary of it. At 2:45 I move it to get a better angle, and at 3:02 I put down some fish skin left over from dinner, which a fox eagerly eats a few hours later. At about 5:23 a fox trots in with a bone or dog treat in its mouth, which it proceeds to bury in the garden.

(By the way, the camera was still set on Florida time -- so don't pay attention to the time stamps.)

Several posts back, one of my commenters admitted somewhat sheepishly that they no longer watch the wildlife videos. By all means, if they are not your thing, don't feel obligated! I find them relaxing and in this crazy world, when humans are doing such terrible things to each other, it's nice to see other critters just going about their business. To me there's something quite calming about seeing a squirrel scratching around in the leaves or a pigeon pecking at nothing. Plus they're fun to edit together. But I promise not to find fault with you if you'd rather just skip them!

Still no sign of the fox with the damaged tail, and I'm not sure I'm seeing Q-Tip (the fox whose tail has a white tip) anymore either. Unless maybe the foxes' coats change with the seasons? I've stopped trying to name them because I can't tell them apart. I also haven't seen Bell the Bengal cat in ages.