Features:Queries for Carrie

Out of doors and unsure what to do May 2007

Query: I got a cat this winter. She's an indoor cat and likes to sit in the windowsills to catch the sun. The outdoor cats in the neighborhood like to sit outside my windows and threaten my kitty. Now that the weather's so nice, I want to open my windows and let the fresh air in. But I'm afraid of what the bully cats will do to my screens and my cat. Is there anything I can do?

— Doubtful on Dogwood

Carrie: It might take a little while to go into effect, but you may be able to convince those cats to stay off your windowsills. Get yourself some orange oil or essence, or even one of those orange scented cleansers or room fresheners. Apply the oil or essence diluted with water using a spray bottle or a sponge to the window frames where you've been having those unwanted visitors. If you use the cleanser or freshener, just use as is on your window sills and frames. Cats dislike citrus scents and will avoid areas saturated with the smell. You'll have to reapply after it rains in order to reinforce the message, for about a month.

It could be worth your while to track down several orange mint starts and plant them around the windows you want vacated--or even to set window boxes there filled with the prophylactic plant. While that strategy won't do a lot of good this year, it will solve your problem for the years to come with almost no further efforts on your part, aside from some occasional weeding.

Query: My mom dropped the ball and I couldn't get into the session of the summer camp I've been going to for the last three years. All my friends are in that session. They've already found out our favorite counselor is running our cabin, but I won't be there. My summer is completely ruined. The easy solution would be to have one of my friends whacked. But that would be wrong. Right?

— Chagrined on Chicago

Carrie: Yes indeed, that would be wrong. Make sure that you're on an alternate list for your preferred session. That way if someone sprains an ankle, or gets Lyme disease, or is forced to go to Disney World or Costa Rica at the last minute, you'll be positioned to get in fair and square. But you might not get that lucky. However, your summer doesn't have to be ruined completely.

Work with your mother to see if there's some time during the summer when you could have your camp buddies visit for a long weekend, or a week if your mother's got cast iron nerves. You could pitch tents in the back yard and hike Rock Creek Park. You could even do these things with the kids in your neighborhood.

This might be a good summer for you to pursue an interest you've already developed (baby-sitting, swim team, bird watching--you fill in the blank). Your mom should be so impressed you're not going to spend the summer pouting that she might be willing to throw some of her resources of time and energy your way to help you get the most out of your pastime.

Query: I'm in a fair way to being utterly besotted with one of the women who works in an office down the hall from mine. In nice weather, she sits outside and eats a lunch she packed herself. I look out of my window at lunchtime and wish I could think of a way to join her and get to know her without seeming like a stalker. Is this the worst idea you've ever heard? If it isn't, what should I do?

— Shy on Sherman

Carrie: It sounds to me as though you don't know the woman in question very well—if at all, yet—but that isn't a disqualifier. Most of the people now in long-term relationships are with people they didn't always know well. But you'd better do something about meeting her, and finding out if you really want to get to know her better, or she you, before your innocent interest becomes a raging obsession.

It's time for you to start packing your own lunch. It's not difficult to do, and can often be done the night before if you're not a morning person. You'll not only have a talking point when you ask your neighbor on the adjoining bench (the hotty from down the hall) if she's got a spare napkin, but you'll have an opportunity to start eating more healthfully and for less money.

Save up that money you won't be spending on fast food in order to have a little extra in your billfold if you're able to get past the napkin gambit and on to having dinner with the lovely in question.