Scrolling through the trail cam pictures, I usually skip downloading most of the neighborhood cat pictures, but I noticed a trend as I scrolled. The camera was catching the cats mid-jump. Some of the photos are quite amusing, like the cat is awkwardly suspended.
Yes, I put out food for them, as do at least three of my neighbors. Yes, I get them fixed. They are excellent for snake and rodent control. None of them use the inside of the insulated cat house. I don’t think I designed it right.
I photographed two neighborhood cats in camouflage environments in the last few weeks.
I would have loved to do a full photo shoot with these cats and matching backgrounds, but the white cat wants to be brushed and is not interested in posing, and the tortie is skittish, so phone pics will have to do.
Sophie the calico cat likes the carpeted cat tree. She tucks herself all the way back in the tunnel to escape from Thor the gray tabby.
I sat and colored with my kid while we were on a call. I nearly didn’t finish because the call ended but the page still needed coloring. It takes a long time to fill in, even when the sections are tiny and there is abundant white space! But I knew if I stopped, I’d never return to it.
I’m glad everyone is different. My youngest loves to sit and color for hours. It is not my zen.
I played my mandolin for a little while, until my fingers started to hurt. The top strings are thin and feel sharp. To deal with it I need some calluses.
“Calluses develop from repeated friction, rubbing or irritation and pressure on your skin.” (Cleveland Clinic)
Traditionally string players develop calluses from playing their instruments; one recommendation is to play for 10 minutes multiple times per day, rather than one long session. I would love to this, but my schedule doesn’t always allow for that, and I am easily distracted. I started to look for other ways to apply sharp pressure to my finger tips. I tried several home grown things, a block of wood wrapped with old guitar strings, a hand strengthener wrapped with wire, but they did not fit easily in my pocket and so would not be readily available throughout the day. I ended up making a triangular stick.
I squared up a small piece of flame maple to 3/4”, then cut it down the middle to make two triangular shaped sticks. I sanded them to 320 grit and sealed the wood with feed-n-wax. I made two lengths, one to sit by my chair, and the shorter one to go in my pocket.
To get the edge of the triangle to bite into my fingers, I place my thumb at the wide base and my fingers on the apex.
It takes a month to develop proper calluses, so I will update y’all later on the efficacy of this method. I can say that in the past few days I do pull out the stick (I need a better name) and use it several times a day. Even if calluses don’t develop, it makes a useful fidget.
Critters and Craft 