speaking the truth

[A mockup of a sandal built from pink card stock. It has two straps across the front, and a single strap at the back, across the heel.]

So what with one thing & another I am now limited to only wearing shoes that work with my suddenly VERY picky feet. This is not awesome! I’ve been lucky enough to be able to wear basically whatever shoes I wanted for most of my life! (Okay, it helped that I’ve never liked wearing high heels, or shoes with pointy toeparts that squish your toes. But STILL). Suddenly I need to wear the right kind of shoes or my feet will become Very Angry!

That’s the down side. The up side is that the fancy, special shoes my feet need to be functional? Shoes with absolutely the fuck no foot support whatsoever.

… look, I don’t even know.

These days you can buy barefoot shoes lots of places, which is pretty delightful. Down side? Sixty bucks a pop, minimum. & I’d already spent a fair amount of money on shoes trying to find SOMETHING that would work.

Up side? If you don’t have to worry about anything but a flat sole, shoes are pretty easy. & it’s not like we don’t have any leather kicking around.

So I made myself some sandals.

[One of the straps from the pattern sits next to a strap cut from lapis blue leather. Sitting on top of both is a black metal tool rather like a vegetable peeler, but with the blade perpendicular to the handle.]

I only had to buy one tool, a skiver, seen above. One uses these to thin out the ends of the straps, in a case like this, so that one does not have lumps of strap sitting underneath one’s feet. That blade? _Extremely_ sharp.

… it took a while to get the hang of it.

[The skiver sits on a piece of white card stock, along with the blue strap and a whole lot of tiny crumbs of blue leather. The card stock has been cut into in several places.]

Turns out if you start on the smooth side (& also hold the skiver right), you can start taking off bigger pieces. & also that if you work on a metal jewelry anvil instead of a hunk of card stock, you won’t make such a mess. (Probably not the best thing for the blade, but, welp)

Anyway I pushed through the ‘I have no idea what I’m doing, I am so bad at this, I will never learn’ & started getting the hang of it. As witness:

[The skiver is sitting on top of a flat steel jewelry anvil, along with a bunch of much larger pieces of blue leather. The end of the strap is sitting under the skiver; it looks pretty thin at the edge.]

Once I was through all of that it was time to glue the straps on, which required me to mark where the straps GO, which is a whole lot easier with a metallic sharpie than with a black one if you’re using black leather.

[A leather sole sits on my desk, with a gold metallic sharpie sitting on top. Short gold lines have been drawn along the edge of the sole in a couple places.]

& then I had to sew everything together, which was painfully tedious, so I didn’t get any pics of that process at all. Lastly I glued two more sole layers to the bottom of the soles, sandwiching the strap ends between the layers — you don’t want to sew all the sole layers on, as the stitches will wear through really fast as you walk. Those get glued on, too.

[A finished sandal, seen from above. The lapis blue straps sit above a brown suede insole. Slightly paler brown stitches run around the entire outer edge of the sandal.]

It’s a good thing that contact cement cures quickly, because I had maybe a half hour between glueing the last bits on & running out the door. But they look great!

[Sandals on my feet! They’re held on by lapis blue laces around my ankles. The edge of one of them, where the front straps run between the sole layers, is already pulling apart slightly. But they look pretty!]

Of course I already have plans for my next pair, & of course, there’s things I need to fix. But they work, & I have shoes again!

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

[The top part of the eastern wall of my room, above the newish window, is now (mostly) covered by two pieces of plywood, cut to more-or-less follow the shape of the ceiling, and painted pale turquoise. There’s about an inch vertical gap between them, right above the middle of the window.]

The space issue in my room had finally gotten to the point where I really needed to do something about it, right when I had an iota or two of spare energy. so I did something about it.

It was kind of a process.

I am honestly pretty impressed by how close I got the shape of that plywood — yes, that’s pretty damn GOOD for me, I am NOT good at this stuff. It covers the insulation! & mostly stops the drafts! Kind of!

I knew I wasn’t going to have any luck filling that narrow space without making it worse, so instead of that I wound up cutting a wider piece & putting that over the gap. Successfully!

The next two pieces were much easier to cut, but much harder to install, since I had no plans to move either the bed or the black shelves out of the way. But I managed it, after several attempts.

[The same wall, now with painted plywood on either side of the window. A couple of boxes and a basket are visible on the left side.]

& then I took no pictures at all. because I have gotten out of the habit of chronicling projects the way I used to, but there was a lot of measuring, cutting plywood & 2x4s, painting the cut plywood & 2x4s, & then a long afternoon of installing the lot of them.

Then I got to put things on the shelves, which is absolutely, entirely the best part.

[There’s a long shelf, spanning the width of the room, just above the window; on the left side, above the head of the bed, is another shelf that runs from that side of the window to the edge of the wall. The other side, where the matching shelf would be, has a set of black shelves taking up that space. Every inch of both shelves is covered in semi-organized stuff, but the top of the headboard is empty save for a towel at the right edge, where the sun will hit it in the mornings.]

… what a RELIEF. It’s so much easier to keep the floor cleared off, now, & my shelves are all much less cluttered. There’s even more room under the bed, though I’m contemplating ways to make that space easier to use, too. & I can GET to stuff, which is kind of new. I’m really enjoying it.

& of course SOMEONE had to be the first to explore.

[Seen from immediately below, Major Tom, a big grey tabby, is sitting on the headboard, hunkered down a bit so his head doesn’t hit the shelf above him. His ears and whiskers are perked forward; he is curious and alert.]

… well. He explored the parts he could get to, anyway, which didn’t involve the new shelves at all, but at least there was space on the headboard for him.

[He’s hunkered down on the headboard, facing towards the lamp, eyes squinched about halfway closed.]

& then? He took a nap.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

[Major Tom, a big grey tabby, is sitting in a yellow Tidy Cats container. Jasper, a white guy, is holding the container up with one hand, and the other is giving Tom a gentle head petting. Tom’s head is slightly blurry, since he’s shoving it up towards Jasper’s hand.]

Sometimes you just gotta put a cat in a thing, & once we explained to him what the thing was & why we wanted to put him in it, Tom was perfectly pleased to sit in a Tidy Cats container in exchange for love.

Yes, it was off the ground. Yes, Tom was good with that part, too.

[Tom’s turned his head so that he can shove his nose against Jasper’s finger. His ears are stuck out to the side a bit, but his whiskers are perked VERY far forward.]

Tom, it turns out, understands a LOT of what we’re saying when we talk to him. Which we’ve been taking advantage of, doing things such as asking if he’ll allow someone to wipe the eye goob off his face, or if he needs a face-squishin (it helps unclog his sinuses). He’ll give the asker a headbonk for yes, & if he doesn’t that’s a no, & it is SO VERY NICE to be able to take a tissue to his face without him trying to pull away. (He’s also fond of it, because if he really WANTS boogers on his face, I will leave the boogers on his face — though if I ask again a couple minutes later, he’ll often let me deal with them.)

[Jasper’s got his hand down in the bucket now, giving Tom a good cheek scritch, and Tom is making a goofy face about it: one eye is half squinched shut, the other wide open; one set of whiskers is pointed FAR forward, the other is in a neutral position.]

We worked all of this out several months ago, in an effort to convince Tom to let us brush the mats from his fur. In the process, we discovered a couple of things: one, that Tom’s preferred brush is one of those cheapass black plastic combs they give out on Picture Day in elementary school; & two, that if you ask first, he’s a lot more willing to cooperate. Imagine that!

AND THEN we found that once he understood what the whole comb things was about, he would come to me or Jasper and inform us that a particular spot was feeling funny, & could someone take a comb to it. Which means that these days, he has no mats, & his fur is DELIGHTFULLY smooth.

Also, now we can ask him if he’ll let us put him in a plastic bucket for the lulz.

[Jasper’s hand and Tom’s head are in basically the same spots, but the camera is looking down, making it quite clear that the yellow Tidy Cats bucket is held up off of the floor. Also Tom’s face is a bit less squinchy.]

This is making a whole lot of things a lot easier for everyone involved. He can come to us with a problem, & while it might take us a bit to figure out what he’s asking for (Jasper’s a lot better at that part than I am), once we figure it out, we can fix it for him. & we can ask if he’ll cooperate with a thing — say, checking if his ears need cleaning, or if he’s got something stuck in a paw — & chances are pretty good he’ll allow it. (& if he’s not willing, sometimes the offer of some treats will change his mind — bribery works!)

Also, I can get pictures like this one:

[Tom’s handsome face takes up nearly the entire shot. He’s gazing off to the left, whiskers and ears relaxed, head leaning into Jasper’s hand, which is curled under his chin. He’s an extremely happy cat.]

Think I’m exaggerating how well this all is actually working? A lot of vets are using these techniques, too — it’s called cooperative care & you can teach your cats, too. Remy’s pretty well versed in it already, & I’ve been working on it with Loiosh, as well. & it is making SUCH a difference for all of us.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

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Source https://www.thevagabondtabby.com/2025/05/05/testing-testing/

from The Vagabond Tabby https://www.thevagabondtabby.com/2025/05/05/testing-testing/

[ Loiosh, an orange tabby wearing a green harness, is hunkered on the sidewalk, under a pale green juniper bush. He’s pointedly looking away from the camera. ]

What this photo doesn’t show is the VERY enthusiastic puppy who REALLY REALLY REALLY just WANTED TO BE FRIENDS.

Anyway we were up in Salida, as we often are, & the boy found a juniper bush, as he often does, & things proceeded as they usually will.

[ Loiosh is walking past and slightly under another juniper bush, this one a much deeper green. His head is ducked to pass underneath the branches, and he is licking his nose. ]

Eventually the puppy wandered on, & Loiosh was left to huff his juniper bush in relative peace.

[ Loiosh has his head stuffed in under the juniper bush and is, in fact, huffing dried juniper needles and aspen leaves underneath it. ]

Until, at least, I got bored, at which point I stuffed him back in the stroller & we wandered on.

All the way down to the river, in fact, where as usual we made our way down to the standing wave.

It’s sort of sitting, this time of year.

[ The water’s low, the wave still plunges dramatically over the hump in the riverbed, but the breakers at the base of the wave are only maybe a foot high. In the foreground, a traffic cone and a tarp spread over the entrance to the wave mark that access to it is closed. ]

& then we wandered our slow way back up the path. At least until Loiosh managed to find the very last tuft of green grass in all existence, & ate it.

[ Seen from above, one sad, lonely, slightly wilting tuft of green grass grows next to a pretty big grey rock. Loiosh’s head blocks part of it from view. Because he’s eating it. ]

I’m pretty sure there’ll be more green grass soon. I certainly hope so. For Loiosh’s sake.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

[ Loiosh, an orange tabby, is curled up, fast asleep, on a grey blanket on the plywood floor of my room. ]

They nap a lot in winter. Many mammals do, especially carnivores like cats and omnivores like skunks & humans.

… except we don’t get to do that as much as our bodies are wired to, because we live in the future & instead of flying cars we have capitalism.

ANYWAY yeah, the boys have been pretty spectacularly asleep a lot of the time. & I think they get tired of the same old spots, like Loiosh up there on that grey blanket.

[ A much closer look. Loiosh has his head resting on one of his forepaws, which is, in turn, resting on his tail. Two tiny nose freckles are visible. ]

Tom decided to sleep on something more ambitious: my breakfast shakes.

[ Major Tom, a big grey tabby, is curled up on my bed, four boxes of Carnation Breakfast drink sticking out from underneath him in various directions. One forepaw is resting proprietarily on one of the boxes. ]

I guess that’s? Comfortable??

[ Tom again, seen from beside instead of above. His ears are just slightly tilted out to the side. ]

Cats. I do not even know.

[ More of Tom’s handsome face is visible from this angle. The box he’s leaning on is bright yellow. He is smiling, just slightly, in his sleep. ]

… as long as he’s happy.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

[ An empty, mostly clean stainless steel sink basin. There’s a drain strainer at the bottom, and a tiny bit of white plumbing pipe is visible below. ]

Okay, it took a while.

… okay, it took years.

But! I finally went back to the local plumbing supply place, bought the things I needed with some assistance from the lady behind the counter …

… & then, on a day when I had the spoons to do the thing AND Morgyn had the spoons to get the dish tubs out of the sink, I actually got it done.

We have a sink. That DRAINS.

[ Below the sink, horizontal white piping leads down from each sink basin and meets in the middle, from which more pipe angles downward and to the left. Soapy water is gushing from the bottom into a clear, square bin. There is no water anywhere it isn’t supposed to be. ]

Morgyn spent probably ten minutes pouring water into each sink basin, in turn, & then we’d watch it pour into the bin, & cackle.

SO GOOD

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

[ The side of the room occupied by my bed. Instead of a hunk of plywood screwed directly to the wall, there’s now a window. The window itself is solid white, much of the arched ceiling’s insulation is still uncovered, and my room is a mess, but it’s a mess with light on it now. ]

Something like two & a half years ago, while in the process of building the loft I was going to be living in, I made the mistake of leaning a bit of my weight against one of the windows I’d planned to put in as it lay on the floor. The glass, of course, cracked.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, when I FINALLY managed to take it to a glass place to get it fixed.

& then, not a week after I’d brought it back, PUT IT IN THE WINDOW FRAME.

(it doesn’t QUITE fit. I’ll need to do some stuff before it, you know, OPENS. I had to mildly threaten it with a hammer. BUT it’s in the frame & hasn’t fallen out, so for now, it’ll do.)

I now have TWO windows with flat spaces under them to hold plants!

[ Beneath the window is a low set of drawers. On top of that are a whole bunch of smallish aloe plants, planted in a variety of soda & bean cans. A bit of Mount Blanca, overexposed and yellowish, can be seen through the window. ]

I haven’t moved the big hanging aloe over yet, but I need to do that. & I’m gonna stop in at the local gas station cafe/convenience store & see if they’ll let me have a baby or two off of their big-ass spider plant. More light means more plants!

… also more energy. It took me about a week to get used to it but this is my third ‘I got SO MUCH STUFF DONE’ day in a row. I’m extremely solar powered, is what.

Plus the VIEW.

[ A view out a window: the walls around it are black, the tops of a few aloe plants are barely visible below, and part of the headboard blocks part of the window; but out the window is a sea of low, brown plant life, leading up to Mount Blanca, a many-peaked, snowcapped mountain. Above that is that deep blue Colorado sky. ]

All I gotta do when I’m sitting at my desk is turn left, & I get to see THAT.

It’s SO good.

originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!

1) I've always enjoyed lifting weights. I really REALLY enjoy lifting weights now.

2) I think guys are supposed to acknowledge each other with nods & grunts at the gym? Or so I've been informed? I'm probably still doing too much 'chipper & friendly'. Ahh well, nobody's punched me for it yet.

3) Why yes I AM still using the womens' locker room. I do not WANT to be using the womens' locker room, & it is absolutely not fair to the women. Also, I am NOT setting foot in the mens' while I still have these tits.

4) Alas, tits.

5) Biceps tho