Here's my little owner, Nightshade, as pictured when I adopted her. And here she is more recently:
Go here for more info about my new favorite holiday. The 27th was Black Cat Day- I can't believe I missed that!
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Thursday, October 29, 2015
It's National Cat Day!
Here's my little owner, Nightshade, as pictured when I adopted her. And here she is more recently:
Go here for more info about my new favorite holiday. The 27th was Black Cat Day- I can't believe I missed that!
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Another Wild Weekend At My House
A wild Saturday night at my house:
Decide that I need to do something besides eat junk & fool around online.
Make an attempt at tackling clean laundry mountain. Start by pulling out as much of the socks & underwear as I can find.
Realize that I can open my own shop with the amount of stuff hidden in the laundry.
Start trying to match socks. Give up on trying to find actual mates to black & white socks, settle for pairing them up by reasonably matching shade & length.
Wonder where the hell all the mates to my purple socks are?!?
Get frustrated with socks and start on the underwear instead.
Wonder why I own so many pairs of knickers when I only have 1 (admittedly large) butt.
In an unexpected burst of clarity, finally figure out the correct way to fold aforementioned knickers. Immediately dump the ones already in the drawer and refold to match the rest.
Feeling accomplished, I tackle the bra drawer. Throw away 3 bras that are so old that the label has faded away.
Renewed, I tackle the socks again. After matching everything possible, I still have half a basket of mateless socks. Hope that the rest are still in the mountain and will be found as I excavate.
Decide that I deserve a break and start reading.
3 hours later, realize I am hungry. Have given up on High Rise for the night and read a graphic novel & a memoir by Issa Rae. Decide that earns me a snack.
Sit down to eat & watch another comedy DVD. Then the rolling thunder started. Fetched the idiot cat inside, huddled on the couch with her while thunder LITERALLY shook my house. Then my phone alerts kicked in to tell me that we were under flood warning. Yay. Shady lost her mind and squalled for 90 minutes as the thunder continued and the rain threatened to was us away.
Things finally died down enough to let me get to sleep around 10 a.m. I'd forgotten to take my melatonin earlier, so it was hard to drop off and I didn't sleep well.
Decide that I need to do something besides eat junk & fool around online.
Make an attempt at tackling clean laundry mountain. Start by pulling out as much of the socks & underwear as I can find.
Realize that I can open my own shop with the amount of stuff hidden in the laundry.
Start trying to match socks. Give up on trying to find actual mates to black & white socks, settle for pairing them up by reasonably matching shade & length.
Wonder where the hell all the mates to my purple socks are?!?
Get frustrated with socks and start on the underwear instead.
Wonder why I own so many pairs of knickers when I only have 1 (admittedly large) butt.
In an unexpected burst of clarity, finally figure out the correct way to fold aforementioned knickers. Immediately dump the ones already in the drawer and refold to match the rest.
Feeling accomplished, I tackle the bra drawer. Throw away 3 bras that are so old that the label has faded away.
Renewed, I tackle the socks again. After matching everything possible, I still have half a basket of mateless socks. Hope that the rest are still in the mountain and will be found as I excavate.
Decide that I deserve a break and start reading.
3 hours later, realize I am hungry. Have given up on High Rise for the night and read a graphic novel & a memoir by Issa Rae. Decide that earns me a snack.
Sit down to eat & watch another comedy DVD. Then the rolling thunder started. Fetched the idiot cat inside, huddled on the couch with her while thunder LITERALLY shook my house. Then my phone alerts kicked in to tell me that we were under flood warning. Yay. Shady lost her mind and squalled for 90 minutes as the thunder continued and the rain threatened to was us away.
Things finally died down enough to let me get to sleep around 10 a.m. I'd forgotten to take my melatonin earlier, so it was hard to drop off and I didn't sleep well.
Monday, August 4, 2014
My Heart Has Been Broken Once Again
So, toward the end of June, both Greymalkin & Nightshade had managed to escape the house by breaking out the side panels to the window unit A/C. I couldn't get wither of them back into the house for love or money. Nightshade would just stay out of reach. Malkin would come up to me for cuddles, but fight to get loose when I tried to take him back inside and then run away again.
After 2 weeks of this, I gave up. They were both coming back to the house to eat/drink from the bowls that the feral kitties were using, so I knew they weren't starving. The weather was uncomfortable to me, but not nearly as horrible as it had been for the last few years, so they were ok that way. Both of them were smart enough to go under my car, or under the house, or onto the neighbor's shaded porch if they got too hot or it was raining.
Then we left for the reunion in NC and poor Malkin lost his mind. I had made sure that Helen next door AND 2 officers knew my cats were outside and had them check on their food/water supplies for the 4 days we were gone. Helen said Malk would meow at her, but not come eat.
We got home and I went looking for the little nimrod. Nightshade had started coming and doing figure eights around my ankles, but still wasn't ready to come in. Finally, after walking up/down the street and calling for 20 minutes, my sweet boy appeared. He looked awful. He's been a fat little butterball for so many years, and now he was MARKEDLY thinner. I tried to pick him up for a cuddle and he hissed at me and ran away.
He spent most of July in hiding and looked thinner every time I saw him. He occasionally came out when I put out fresh food & water, but wouldn't eat or drink. And wouldn't let me touch him. I think he felt that I'd abandoned him and he wasn't willing to let me make it up to him. Nightshade, on the other hand, was finally showing signs of wanting to come inside.
Two weeks ago, Malkin was lying in the driveway when I came home from a Saturday lunch with a friend. He meowed at me when I got out of the car, and it was the most pitiful little sound I've ever heard. I knelt down beside him and was shocked to see that I could count his ribs. I picked him up- he let me- and cuddled him and he began to purr for me. I tried to carry him inside, and he jumped out of my arms and nearly knocked himself silly when he landed on the concrete. I picked him up again and sat on the porch with him for a long time, cradling him against me and listening to him purr. He drank some water when I held the bowl up to him, but wouldn't eat. I put him down to go in and get the cat carrier, because I decided he was going to the vet.
I was in the house maybe 2 minutes. He vanished in that time and I haven't seen him since. I've spent hours walking through my neighborhood & calling to him with no luck. I've called the animal shelters to see if someone turned him in, and they don't have him. Nightshade started staying in the front yard the day he disappeared, instead of roaming like she had been. Last weekend, she allowed me to pick her up, take her inside, and she's been indoors since then.
I think I've lost my sweet grey boy, and it's killing me. I should never have let him stay outside in the first place, so I have no one to blame but myself. I honestly think that last afternoon was his way of saying goodbye to me. I hope wherever he is, his beautiful soul is at peace and he knows how much I truly loved him.
After 2 weeks of this, I gave up. They were both coming back to the house to eat/drink from the bowls that the feral kitties were using, so I knew they weren't starving. The weather was uncomfortable to me, but not nearly as horrible as it had been for the last few years, so they were ok that way. Both of them were smart enough to go under my car, or under the house, or onto the neighbor's shaded porch if they got too hot or it was raining.
Then we left for the reunion in NC and poor Malkin lost his mind. I had made sure that Helen next door AND 2 officers knew my cats were outside and had them check on their food/water supplies for the 4 days we were gone. Helen said Malk would meow at her, but not come eat.
We got home and I went looking for the little nimrod. Nightshade had started coming and doing figure eights around my ankles, but still wasn't ready to come in. Finally, after walking up/down the street and calling for 20 minutes, my sweet boy appeared. He looked awful. He's been a fat little butterball for so many years, and now he was MARKEDLY thinner. I tried to pick him up for a cuddle and he hissed at me and ran away.
He spent most of July in hiding and looked thinner every time I saw him. He occasionally came out when I put out fresh food & water, but wouldn't eat or drink. And wouldn't let me touch him. I think he felt that I'd abandoned him and he wasn't willing to let me make it up to him. Nightshade, on the other hand, was finally showing signs of wanting to come inside.
Two weeks ago, Malkin was lying in the driveway when I came home from a Saturday lunch with a friend. He meowed at me when I got out of the car, and it was the most pitiful little sound I've ever heard. I knelt down beside him and was shocked to see that I could count his ribs. I picked him up- he let me- and cuddled him and he began to purr for me. I tried to carry him inside, and he jumped out of my arms and nearly knocked himself silly when he landed on the concrete. I picked him up again and sat on the porch with him for a long time, cradling him against me and listening to him purr. He drank some water when I held the bowl up to him, but wouldn't eat. I put him down to go in and get the cat carrier, because I decided he was going to the vet.
I was in the house maybe 2 minutes. He vanished in that time and I haven't seen him since. I've spent hours walking through my neighborhood & calling to him with no luck. I've called the animal shelters to see if someone turned him in, and they don't have him. Nightshade started staying in the front yard the day he disappeared, instead of roaming like she had been. Last weekend, she allowed me to pick her up, take her inside, and she's been indoors since then.
I think I've lost my sweet grey boy, and it's killing me. I should never have let him stay outside in the first place, so I have no one to blame but myself. I honestly think that last afternoon was his way of saying goodbye to me. I hope wherever he is, his beautiful soul is at peace and he knows how much I truly loved him.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Odds and Bobs for the week
Our Lt is transferring to another office. One of the possibilities for his replacement is someone I've worked with before and get along with very well. Hoping he gets it.
Our Sgt is 4th on the promotions list for Lt and will probably be gone by the end of the year. *happydancing*
My cats have apparently decided that they'd rather live outside. Yes, both of them. I give up.
The family reunion in the swamp is next week. Not looking forward to it.
Dad's heart surgery is being scheduled for the end of July. The doctors are VERY encouraging about it.
I have a date Saturday night. Not sure how that happened. We'll see what happens.
Our Sgt is 4th on the promotions list for Lt and will probably be gone by the end of the year. *happydancing*
My cats have apparently decided that they'd rather live outside. Yes, both of them. I give up.
The family reunion in the swamp is next week. Not looking forward to it.
Dad's heart surgery is being scheduled for the end of July. The doctors are VERY encouraging about it.
I have a date Saturday night. Not sure how that happened. We'll see what happens.
Monday, May 26, 2014
My Cats Are Nuts, But So Am I
The spate of nice weather that we've had has given both of the purr-beasts a bad case of spring fever. They've both taken to trying to escape at every opportunity, so I've been letting them go outside for a little while at varying hours. The hope is that they'll not get set on a schedule and expect to do this every day.
They both went out one afternoon. Malkin was ready to come back in after about 10 minutes. Nightshade, not so much. Then I heard frantic crying at the door, about 30 minutes later. I opened it to find Shady cowering on the porch while my neighbor Fran's little dog Remy was bouncing around her wanting to play. Apparently Shady is scared of dogs. Who knew? She sat there glaring at me. "Would you stop laughing and OPEN THE DAMN DOOR?!?" Remy tried to follow her in, but I shooed her back and gave her a pat to assuage her hurt feelings.
The next time they were let out, I left them to their own devices for about an hour while I washed my hair. I opened the door to find Shady waiting patiently on the top step. Turned out she wanted to use the litter box or she'd have still been roaming the yard. I maintain that the fact that every one of my cats should be indoor beasts and know it, because the first thing they do when they come inside is run to the box. If you're too dumb to know that outside is one big litter box, you're too dumb to live out there. Anyway, She came in, did her thing, and then decided to take a nap. I called for Malkin, who usually comes running when he hears his name. No sign of him. I put my shoes on and went to check the backyard. Sometimes he finds a patch of sunlight by the fence and goes to sleep or waits for me to come find him. No sign of him again. Now I'm starting to worry a bit. Malk is the Jethro Bodine of cats- Big, dumb, and pretty. I know he hasn't been hit by a car or anything, at least on our block, but don't see him anywhere. Then it hits me. Where does he wind up on the rare occasions I don't find him out back? Sure enough, he'd gotten confused and was on the neighbor's porch. "We don't live there, silly" I said, reaching for him. "Meow" was his reply as he rolled over to show me his belly.
Last Tuesday night was the best- Shady tore out the door as soon as I got home from work. I had just put food down for the feral cats and was somewhat concerned that this might lead to a fight. I looked out and she was head to head with the cat I call Jazz, both calmly eating out of the bowl. Then I saw Inky & Blot (the 2 black strays) slinking across the yard toward them. Nightshade whipped around, jumped to the bottom of the steps and stood there with her back arched, keeping them at bay until Jazz had gotten her fill. So at least now I know that they've bonded in case I ever need to bring Jazz indoors. I went to put my purse down, came back, and Jazz Was still at the bowl, sharing with Inky, while Shady & Blot were side by side on the pavement, grooming each other. Well, alrighty then. Malkin was dancing around my feet, so I turned him loose and went to make myself a late dinner.
10 minutes into dinner prep. I'm slicing boneless pork for stir fry and hear what sounds like my screen door slam. The problem is that I live alone and NOBODY should be just walking into my house. I whirl around with the knife in my hand, ready to slice the hell out of the fool who has DARED come into my home uninvited. Nobody's there. Then I SEE the door open a few inches again and slam shut. I walk a little closer and see a grey/white paw hook around the base of the screen door and tug. Damned if Greymalkin hadn't figured out how to open the door on his own! He just couldn't get it open far enough to get his fat little butt in before it closed on him. So once I stopped laughing at him and myself, I let him in. The other cats wouldn't play with him, apparently, so he wanted to come back in & cuddle with me.
Oh god, I'm well on my way to being a crazy cat lady...
They both went out one afternoon. Malkin was ready to come back in after about 10 minutes. Nightshade, not so much. Then I heard frantic crying at the door, about 30 minutes later. I opened it to find Shady cowering on the porch while my neighbor Fran's little dog Remy was bouncing around her wanting to play. Apparently Shady is scared of dogs. Who knew? She sat there glaring at me. "Would you stop laughing and OPEN THE DAMN DOOR?!?" Remy tried to follow her in, but I shooed her back and gave her a pat to assuage her hurt feelings.
The next time they were let out, I left them to their own devices for about an hour while I washed my hair. I opened the door to find Shady waiting patiently on the top step. Turned out she wanted to use the litter box or she'd have still been roaming the yard. I maintain that the fact that every one of my cats should be indoor beasts and know it, because the first thing they do when they come inside is run to the box. If you're too dumb to know that outside is one big litter box, you're too dumb to live out there. Anyway, She came in, did her thing, and then decided to take a nap. I called for Malkin, who usually comes running when he hears his name. No sign of him. I put my shoes on and went to check the backyard. Sometimes he finds a patch of sunlight by the fence and goes to sleep or waits for me to come find him. No sign of him again. Now I'm starting to worry a bit. Malk is the Jethro Bodine of cats- Big, dumb, and pretty. I know he hasn't been hit by a car or anything, at least on our block, but don't see him anywhere. Then it hits me. Where does he wind up on the rare occasions I don't find him out back? Sure enough, he'd gotten confused and was on the neighbor's porch. "We don't live there, silly" I said, reaching for him. "Meow" was his reply as he rolled over to show me his belly.
Last Tuesday night was the best- Shady tore out the door as soon as I got home from work. I had just put food down for the feral cats and was somewhat concerned that this might lead to a fight. I looked out and she was head to head with the cat I call Jazz, both calmly eating out of the bowl. Then I saw Inky & Blot (the 2 black strays) slinking across the yard toward them. Nightshade whipped around, jumped to the bottom of the steps and stood there with her back arched, keeping them at bay until Jazz had gotten her fill. So at least now I know that they've bonded in case I ever need to bring Jazz indoors. I went to put my purse down, came back, and Jazz Was still at the bowl, sharing with Inky, while Shady & Blot were side by side on the pavement, grooming each other. Well, alrighty then. Malkin was dancing around my feet, so I turned him loose and went to make myself a late dinner.
10 minutes into dinner prep. I'm slicing boneless pork for stir fry and hear what sounds like my screen door slam. The problem is that I live alone and NOBODY should be just walking into my house. I whirl around with the knife in my hand, ready to slice the hell out of the fool who has DARED come into my home uninvited. Nobody's there. Then I SEE the door open a few inches again and slam shut. I walk a little closer and see a grey/white paw hook around the base of the screen door and tug. Damned if Greymalkin hadn't figured out how to open the door on his own! He just couldn't get it open far enough to get his fat little butt in before it closed on him. So once I stopped laughing at him and myself, I let him in. The other cats wouldn't play with him, apparently, so he wanted to come back in & cuddle with me.
Oh god, I'm well on my way to being a crazy cat lady...
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The Great Cousin Visit
So, my cousins Chad & Melissa were here for Derby weekend. We didn't go to the race- I'm not setting foot at the track unless I'm getting paid lots of money and don't have to fight the crowd. Here's a look at the 4-5 days they were here:
Thursday night: After numerous airline schedule changes, they finally arrived around 11 p.m. So of course I had an officer come in with a search warrant at 10:15 that held me up until 10:45. The parents & I all met them and it was decided we'd go to Steak & Shake for their first meal here. The service was half-assed and Mom took a wrong turn leaving the airport, so she & Dad didn't get there until 30 minutes after we did. Not that we'd gotten our food, anyway.
After eating, we got to my house to discover that A: The air mattress had deflated, and B: the new pump I'd had to rush out and buy wasn't working right. Back in the car to the all-night Walmart.
Friday: Oaks day, so I HAD to work. We took them to Empress of China for lunch and Mom took them sightseeing while I worked. Mom brought over a pot of Pigs In the Blanket (stuffed cabbage or cabbage rolls to most of the world) for us to have for dinner when I got home.
Saturday: Chad & I convinced Mel that she REALLY didn't want to take the two of us into the kind of crowd you can expect at Derby. WE compromised on going out to the track on Sunday to take pictures in our Derby outfits. So what did we do instead? Krispy Kreme for breakfast (OMG, the sugar rush)and then we went to the zoo- where the half of Louisville with small children that didn't go to the track was. We spent forever hiking around (didn't think to buy tram tickets w/admittance and nobody had cash after the fact) in full sunlight. Did any of us think to put on sunscreen? Hell no. Half the animals were hiding, the other half just gazed at us like WE were the exhibits, and we paid way too much for snacks. Back to Walmart for sunburn remedies for them and a Derby hat for me. Arby's for lunch/dinner. Went to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier which was amazingly good. (not my favorite Marvel Hero, but found myself being sucked in) Then we rented another movie (Now You See Me- awesome!) and called it a night.
Sunday: Got up and went to Churchill Downs for pictures. Mel & I dressed up, Chad was dressed down, but we made him coordinate with us. LOL. We tried on expensive hats in the Derby gift shop, bought some souvenirs from the clearance stalls, and headed home to change clothes. Helen next door was working in her yard, so we asked her to get a few pics of all 3 of us (one of the few times I have willingly posed for pics lately) and then hit Chili's for lunch. (yes, we eat a lot) We drove down to E-town & Ft. Knox, visited another Walmart, and had Waffle House for dinner- Mel was horrified and awed by the service and we had a good laugh at her expense. Rented another movie (Free Birds- amusing), again, called it a night.
Monday: Had BBQ for breakfast/lunch and then went looking for Gallopalooza horses. Wandered around downtown for a bit, hit Dairy Queen for a snack, and then drove to Bernheim Forest to see what we could. Found a great tree for climbing, if only I could. Chad succeeded. Then over to Mom's for Fleishkele, wrestling, and an epic battle of Hand & Foot. (our family favorite card game, but you need at least 4 people to play it well so we don't get to play it often)
Tuesday: The airline changed their departure schedule, so instead of noon, they left at 8 p.m. So Mom took us to brunch at Mimi's cafe, we stopped the bookstore for my British magazines and we went back downtown to tour the Evan Williams artisan bourbon distillery...where we learned that I still don't like bourbon, Mel REALLY doesn't like bourbon, and Chad will drink anything, but said bourbon was not his favorite form of alcohol. We did all agree that bourbon balls are the most acceptable form for us and bought some in the gift shop on our way out. Had our final meal together (sob) at Panera and then went home for them to finish packing and it was off to the airport.
It was a good time, and much more fun than my capsule description made it sound. I was amazed at how quickly my cats sold me out- Malkin loves everybody and thinks everybody should love him, so his friendliness did NOT surprise me. Nightshade, on the other hand...she spent the first 2 days hiding under my bed. Then she decided that they must be ok, and came out to be amazingly friendly. She was all over Chad (I'm attributing that to the fact that he's a male version of me) and allowed Mel to pet her, but not pick her up.
Chad & Mel texted me later that evening to let me know that they'd gotten safely back to Spokane. They're thinking about moving here if Chad can find a job, so hopefully I'll get to see more of them in the future!
Thursday night: After numerous airline schedule changes, they finally arrived around 11 p.m. So of course I had an officer come in with a search warrant at 10:15 that held me up until 10:45. The parents & I all met them and it was decided we'd go to Steak & Shake for their first meal here. The service was half-assed and Mom took a wrong turn leaving the airport, so she & Dad didn't get there until 30 minutes after we did. Not that we'd gotten our food, anyway.
After eating, we got to my house to discover that A: The air mattress had deflated, and B: the new pump I'd had to rush out and buy wasn't working right. Back in the car to the all-night Walmart.
Friday: Oaks day, so I HAD to work. We took them to Empress of China for lunch and Mom took them sightseeing while I worked. Mom brought over a pot of Pigs In the Blanket (stuffed cabbage or cabbage rolls to most of the world) for us to have for dinner when I got home.
Saturday: Chad & I convinced Mel that she REALLY didn't want to take the two of us into the kind of crowd you can expect at Derby. WE compromised on going out to the track on Sunday to take pictures in our Derby outfits. So what did we do instead? Krispy Kreme for breakfast (OMG, the sugar rush)and then we went to the zoo- where the half of Louisville with small children that didn't go to the track was. We spent forever hiking around (didn't think to buy tram tickets w/admittance and nobody had cash after the fact) in full sunlight. Did any of us think to put on sunscreen? Hell no. Half the animals were hiding, the other half just gazed at us like WE were the exhibits, and we paid way too much for snacks. Back to Walmart for sunburn remedies for them and a Derby hat for me. Arby's for lunch/dinner. Went to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier which was amazingly good. (not my favorite Marvel Hero, but found myself being sucked in) Then we rented another movie (Now You See Me- awesome!) and called it a night.
Sunday: Got up and went to Churchill Downs for pictures. Mel & I dressed up, Chad was dressed down, but we made him coordinate with us. LOL. We tried on expensive hats in the Derby gift shop, bought some souvenirs from the clearance stalls, and headed home to change clothes. Helen next door was working in her yard, so we asked her to get a few pics of all 3 of us (one of the few times I have willingly posed for pics lately) and then hit Chili's for lunch. (yes, we eat a lot) We drove down to E-town & Ft. Knox, visited another Walmart, and had Waffle House for dinner- Mel was horrified and awed by the service and we had a good laugh at her expense. Rented another movie (Free Birds- amusing), again, called it a night.
Monday: Had BBQ for breakfast/lunch and then went looking for Gallopalooza horses. Wandered around downtown for a bit, hit Dairy Queen for a snack, and then drove to Bernheim Forest to see what we could. Found a great tree for climbing, if only I could. Chad succeeded. Then over to Mom's for Fleishkele, wrestling, and an epic battle of Hand & Foot. (our family favorite card game, but you need at least 4 people to play it well so we don't get to play it often)
Tuesday: The airline changed their departure schedule, so instead of noon, they left at 8 p.m. So Mom took us to brunch at Mimi's cafe, we stopped the bookstore for my British magazines and we went back downtown to tour the Evan Williams artisan bourbon distillery...where we learned that I still don't like bourbon, Mel REALLY doesn't like bourbon, and Chad will drink anything, but said bourbon was not his favorite form of alcohol. We did all agree that bourbon balls are the most acceptable form for us and bought some in the gift shop on our way out. Had our final meal together (sob) at Panera and then went home for them to finish packing and it was off to the airport.
It was a good time, and much more fun than my capsule description made it sound. I was amazed at how quickly my cats sold me out- Malkin loves everybody and thinks everybody should love him, so his friendliness did NOT surprise me. Nightshade, on the other hand...she spent the first 2 days hiding under my bed. Then she decided that they must be ok, and came out to be amazingly friendly. She was all over Chad (I'm attributing that to the fact that he's a male version of me) and allowed Mel to pet her, but not pick her up.
Chad & Mel texted me later that evening to let me know that they'd gotten safely back to Spokane. They're thinking about moving here if Chad can find a job, so hopefully I'll get to see more of them in the future!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
What I Do When I'm Not Attempting To Blog
1. Spend way more time at my job than I would like to. Yes, I get paid OT for it, but that gets old after a while and taxes eat more of it than it's worth. We've been short 2 clerks in my office for a year now and it's beginning to wear us all out.
2. Eat junk that I shouldn't. Discovered Bacon Jerky - yes, you read that correctly- at World Market last week and have had to remind myself that it's too expensive and too bad for me to buy/eat regularly.
3. Spend money like a drunken sailor on shore leave. Working on cutting that down too. Hit the DMC sale at Joann Fabrics last week and now have enough floss to stitch a battleship. Also hit sales at B&N, Target, World Market...you get the idea.
4. Play video games on my phone. I should NEVER have upgraded to a smartphone. My 3 current addicitons are Bejewled Blitz, Candy Crush, and Angry Birds Star Wars.
5. Spend time with my parents. I took my dad to an Ohio Valley Wrestling TV taping while I was on vacation and it was hysterically awful. The highlight of the evening was the wrestler in the full length pink bunny suit...don't ask. At least one of the announcers is a Monty Python fan, because he lost it when I screamed "Activate Vorpal Bunny Powers!" Mom & I spent a day at the pool and got totally sunburnt.
6. Sing songs to my cats. Yes, I'm special.
7. Attempt to do things around the house. Something else from my vacation- I hung the London print that I got for my birthday. Then I decided that my bathroom needed work, so I put in a new shower caddy tower, a new curtain rod, and a new etagere. The rest of the house is still a wreck, but my bathroom looks nice!
8. READ! I have a ton of books that I would like to post reviews for...someday. Will work on that too!
9. Listen to music- my current new favorite is Five Finger Death Punch. One officer friend borrowed my car the other day and came back shaking his head. He'd looked at the cd's in the car. In addition to the 5FDP, I had the latest Buddy Guy, a Kelly CLarkson, Rick Springfield, Halestorm, and Barry Manilow. "You are a strange woman...you know that, right?" Well, DUH.
10. Watch dvd's if I'm not reading or stitching. I just got the first season of Elementary in the mail today, so i'm looking forward to settling down with it. I may not get to watch it until next week since I'm working all weekend, but I'm looking forward to it all the same.
More later...
2. Eat junk that I shouldn't. Discovered Bacon Jerky - yes, you read that correctly- at World Market last week and have had to remind myself that it's too expensive and too bad for me to buy/eat regularly.
3. Spend money like a drunken sailor on shore leave. Working on cutting that down too. Hit the DMC sale at Joann Fabrics last week and now have enough floss to stitch a battleship. Also hit sales at B&N, Target, World Market...you get the idea.
4. Play video games on my phone. I should NEVER have upgraded to a smartphone. My 3 current addicitons are Bejewled Blitz, Candy Crush, and Angry Birds Star Wars.
5. Spend time with my parents. I took my dad to an Ohio Valley Wrestling TV taping while I was on vacation and it was hysterically awful. The highlight of the evening was the wrestler in the full length pink bunny suit...don't ask. At least one of the announcers is a Monty Python fan, because he lost it when I screamed "Activate Vorpal Bunny Powers!" Mom & I spent a day at the pool and got totally sunburnt.
6. Sing songs to my cats. Yes, I'm special.
7. Attempt to do things around the house. Something else from my vacation- I hung the London print that I got for my birthday. Then I decided that my bathroom needed work, so I put in a new shower caddy tower, a new curtain rod, and a new etagere. The rest of the house is still a wreck, but my bathroom looks nice!
8. READ! I have a ton of books that I would like to post reviews for...someday. Will work on that too!
9. Listen to music- my current new favorite is Five Finger Death Punch. One officer friend borrowed my car the other day and came back shaking his head. He'd looked at the cd's in the car. In addition to the 5FDP, I had the latest Buddy Guy, a Kelly CLarkson, Rick Springfield, Halestorm, and Barry Manilow. "You are a strange woman...you know that, right?" Well, DUH.
10. Watch dvd's if I'm not reading or stitching. I just got the first season of Elementary in the mail today, so i'm looking forward to settling down with it. I may not get to watch it until next week since I'm working all weekend, but I'm looking forward to it all the same.
More later...
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
It's National Haiku Day!
Nightshade and Malkin
Furry, purry little pests
I love them so much.
The books that I own
Are all over my small house...
Reader's paradise!
I'm VERY hungry.
Mongolian Bacon? YUM!
Will you bring me some?
Crap! Time to go work.
Officers and Criminals...
Where are my happy pills?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Simon's Cat Vs The World
I love Simon's Cat! This collection hasn't been released in the US yet- I had to order mine from a British seller on Amazon, but it was worth it. It's a slim volume compared to the other 3 books, but it's a hardback AND it's in color. I was surprised at how much depth the coloring added to the drawings. most drawings are 1 page each and show the titular cat taking on various things/days/what have you. Appearances are made by his new kitten pal, the hedgehogs, and many more.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Today's cat lesson- Not EVERYTHING that falls on the floor needs to be eaten
So, when I went to the grocery store the other day, I bought a ginormous pork roast that was on sale. Seriously, this sucker weighed over 7 lbs BEFORE cooking. And as much as I dig the pig, the prospect of eating all that was a little daunting. Since it was marked down, it needed to be cooked quickly or I would have saved it to take to my parents for Sunday dinner.
Anyway, last night I studded that bad boy with almost an entire head of garlic. Then I got out my herbs & spices. I threw a merry, mad concotion (italian seasoning, Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute, fines herbes, & 5 spice powder- sounds weird, but it worked) together and decided it needed a liberal dose of fresh ground pepper. My mill was almost empty so I had to stop, kick a cat out from underfoot (Malkin), root around for my peppercorns, kick the cat out of the way again, and then try to fill the grinder.
I rarely allow the cats to have people food. Most of the time they get bits and pieces of meat that fall to the floor when I've gotten overly-enthusiastic stirring something or chopping, or that have fallen out of an over-stuffed sandwich. The unofficial rule is, if it hits the floor and they get to it before I do, they can have it. They usually beat me to things on the floor.
You know where this is going, right? I spilled some of the peppercorns while filling the grinder, and they went bouncing all over the kitchen floor. Malkin was quickly joined by Nightshade and they proceeded to go on a seek and destroy mission for those little beads...and quickly discovered that NEITHER of them like the taste of fresh peppercorns. Now I have two spitting, sneezing cats stumbling around my feet and wailing to the heavens that "You Fed Us Something Nasty and WHY Did You Do THAT?!?"
Got the brats calmed down, liberally rubbed my roast with the spices and some olive oil, and popped it into the oven. It didn't take long for the aroma of roasting herbs & meat to fill the house. I looked around after about an hour and realized both cats were perched in front of the oven, waiting to get at the source of that good smell.
Nightshade, bless her furry little heart, really is her mama's girl. I can't eat anything pork based without her doing her damndest to get some of it. She likes it all, if she can get it, but especially bacon. I literally have to stand in the middle of a room to eat it in peace, and even then she tries to climb me like a tree to get some. Sitting, I can expect a furry little paw to dart from over my shoulder, trying to hook a bite of my food. They've taken to tag-teaming me- one cat will launch a frontal assault and when I hold the plate away from them- say off to the side or behind me- the other will attack.
When I took the roast out a few hours later, both furkids were dancing happily around my feet. Oh was it a beauty! Crispy crackly skin, an aroma of meaty goodness mixed with garlic and herbs...couldn't wait. I hacked off some bits of the crackling and a bit of meat from the end & proceeded to burn the hell out of my tongue. Then I cut a little more off and tried to dice it. I should have let it sit for a bit longer before I cut it (there's a reason that you're supposed to let roasts rest for 5-10 minutes before carving), and sure enough wound up dropping a few bits on the floor.
Did my idiot cats learn their lesson from the peppercorns? Did they, hell. They dove right onto the meat, which was still too hot and burned THEIR little tongues. More wailing ensued.
We did all finally get to eat some cooled roasted pork. It tasted as good as it smelled. Can't wait to go home tonight and have a roasted pork sandwich on rye...or some chopped pork in gravy w/rice...or scalloped potatoes and pork....mmmmmmmmm
Anyway, last night I studded that bad boy with almost an entire head of garlic. Then I got out my herbs & spices. I threw a merry, mad concotion (italian seasoning, Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute, fines herbes, & 5 spice powder- sounds weird, but it worked) together and decided it needed a liberal dose of fresh ground pepper. My mill was almost empty so I had to stop, kick a cat out from underfoot (Malkin), root around for my peppercorns, kick the cat out of the way again, and then try to fill the grinder.
I rarely allow the cats to have people food. Most of the time they get bits and pieces of meat that fall to the floor when I've gotten overly-enthusiastic stirring something or chopping, or that have fallen out of an over-stuffed sandwich. The unofficial rule is, if it hits the floor and they get to it before I do, they can have it. They usually beat me to things on the floor.
You know where this is going, right? I spilled some of the peppercorns while filling the grinder, and they went bouncing all over the kitchen floor. Malkin was quickly joined by Nightshade and they proceeded to go on a seek and destroy mission for those little beads...and quickly discovered that NEITHER of them like the taste of fresh peppercorns. Now I have two spitting, sneezing cats stumbling around my feet and wailing to the heavens that "You Fed Us Something Nasty and WHY Did You Do THAT?!?"
Got the brats calmed down, liberally rubbed my roast with the spices and some olive oil, and popped it into the oven. It didn't take long for the aroma of roasting herbs & meat to fill the house. I looked around after about an hour and realized both cats were perched in front of the oven, waiting to get at the source of that good smell.
Nightshade, bless her furry little heart, really is her mama's girl. I can't eat anything pork based without her doing her damndest to get some of it. She likes it all, if she can get it, but especially bacon. I literally have to stand in the middle of a room to eat it in peace, and even then she tries to climb me like a tree to get some. Sitting, I can expect a furry little paw to dart from over my shoulder, trying to hook a bite of my food. They've taken to tag-teaming me- one cat will launch a frontal assault and when I hold the plate away from them- say off to the side or behind me- the other will attack.
When I took the roast out a few hours later, both furkids were dancing happily around my feet. Oh was it a beauty! Crispy crackly skin, an aroma of meaty goodness mixed with garlic and herbs...couldn't wait. I hacked off some bits of the crackling and a bit of meat from the end & proceeded to burn the hell out of my tongue. Then I cut a little more off and tried to dice it. I should have let it sit for a bit longer before I cut it (there's a reason that you're supposed to let roasts rest for 5-10 minutes before carving), and sure enough wound up dropping a few bits on the floor.
Did my idiot cats learn their lesson from the peppercorns? Did they, hell. They dove right onto the meat, which was still too hot and burned THEIR little tongues. More wailing ensued.
We did all finally get to eat some cooled roasted pork. It tasted as good as it smelled. Can't wait to go home tonight and have a roasted pork sandwich on rye...or some chopped pork in gravy w/rice...or scalloped potatoes and pork....mmmmmmmmm
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
I Could Pee on This and other poems by cats- Francesco Marciuliano
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha....THUD.
That was me laughing so hard I fell out of my chair. The poems in this small collection aren't epic works, or highbrow enlightenment. What they are is almost exactly what I would expect a cat to say if it could write poetry. The following two exceprts are from the book and not by any means my own work. I suspect, however, that my cats had a hand in writing them.
Kubla Kat
“On the edge of a laughing teacup
Did Kubla Kat decree
The the corn fritter festooned with medals
Shall make the brownies free
And so the walls turned to water
To let our sorrows drown
As the chairs burned themselves for warmth
So they need not face the clown
Then the spoons burst into song
And all the forks they understood
As I stared at my talking claws
Becasue this catnip is just that good” and Busy, Busy “It's 8a.m. and time to rest
It's 10a.m. and time to relax
It's noon and time for repose
It's 3p.m. and time for shut-eye
It's 6p.m. and time for siesta
It's 9p.m. and time to slumber
It's midnight and time to snooze
It's 4a.m. and time to hang upside down from your bedroom ceiling, screaming.”
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
One of my favorite comics, ever!
Presenting the Two Lumps (http://www.twolumps.net/) for your reading pleasure. I can't believe I haven't reviewed this series before. The picture above is book 1- I think we're up to 7-8 volumes now. The thing that makes this comic different from others featuring cats is that in this one, THEY ACTUALLY BEHAVE LIKE CATS. Granted, there is a good deal of silliness, mayhem, and filking (Mel Hynes is a filk goddess) in addition to the cat behavior and that's what makes this series so much fun.
The primary characters are Ebeneezer (aka Eben, or Bennie) and Snooch. Eben is the smart/evil kitty, and Snooch is the generally amiable but dumb cat you can't help but adoring. How close do they come to true felines? Let me put it this way- I now call my Greymalkin "Snoochie-cat". They could be brothers if Snooch was real. (in a sense he was- Hynes & Grant based the characters on Mel's real life cats. I suspect I would have loved them)
How much do I love this series? I read it online (new strips posted M/W/F!) AND I own all the print collections. It's THAT good.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday Musings- Silly Me
As mentioned before, I don't have children. I have cats. My three fur-balls have taken it upon themselves to make sure I still get the surreal moments associated with parenting. For your consideration (a brief version of this appeared on my FB page the day it happened):
Felicity, who in her senility has taken to pooping at random spots around the house, was in the litter box. (welcome change) Greymalkin just couldn't wait for her to finish her business and clear out, so he hopped in with her. The box is big, so there is theoretically room for both of them. Sadly, Liss was in at an angle across the middle of the box, so Malkin decided to straddle her....and peed right on her.
How do I know this? The litter box is in the utility room and I was in the process of putting in a load of laundry. I never in my life thought I would hear myself screech "Are you out of your tiny little mind?!? Don't pee on your sister!"
Well, you know what had to come next. I reluctantly grabbed a pissed off (and pissed on) Felicity and headed for the bathroom. I closed the door, turned on the tap in the bathtub and began operation All Hell Breaking Loose. Felicity screamed like a banshee. I managed to get her under the tap and she twisted around until her head was by my foot (I was sitting on the side of the tub by this point) and sank her fangs into my big toe. Now *I'm* screaming like a banshee.
What felt like hours later (but was probably about 90 seconds), I pried Liss's little jaws apart and freed my toe. I decided that first aid was going to have to wait until this little demon was clean. I let go for a second to grab the kitty shampoo, and she started doing laps around the tub. By this point, there was water everywhere and she couldn't manage to claw her way out. She finally went limp when I grabbed her again and let me finish scrubbing & rinsing her.
For all the fuss that Felicity puts up when she gets a bath, she DOES enjoy the post-bath drying off. I didn't use the hair dryer on her this time (see earlier posts for Adventures In Felicity Bathing), but got her fairly dry with the towels. I carried her limp little body out to the living room and placed her in her favorite window...which just happened to be in full sunlight with a warm breeze blowing through. She rolled over to get maximum sunlight on her belly and allowed as she thought she might live.
Time spent wrestling demon cat in tub and post-bath grooming: approximately 45 minutes
Towels and bathmats used to clean up the wet cat explosion: 6
Time spent cleaning bathroom, cleaning self, and administering antibiotic ointment to my foot: roughly 60 minutes
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday Musings- The Critters In My Neighborhood
One of the interesting things about the neighborhood that I live in is the fact that nearly all of us seem to have pets. Not only that, there seems to be a pretty even mixture of dogs and cats. The problem is that not everyone is a RESPONSIBLE pet owner.
My cats are mainly indoor cats. They do, once in a while, manage to escape and have to be chased down. I have never left them outside for extended periods of time. They have all been spayed/neutered. I groom them fairly often, although probably not as often as they'd like. There are several semi-feral cats that have taken up residence in my backyard/under the house. I am not responsible for them, but I have been known to put out a little food & water in bad weather (and a blanket lined box in a sheltered area during one really bad winter) because I hate the thought of any innocent creature suffering.
One of my neighbors, J, helped me chase down Nightshade when she escaped a few years ago. She told me about how she fostered dogs & cats and had several of her own. Then she pointed to a cat that had come to see what we were doing. "That one's mine," she said. "But she likes living outside." It was a pretty cat. She looked like a golden version of my Felicity. In talking, I discovered they are about the same age. I forget what J said her name actually was, but took to calling her Mooch, because after that day, she spent a great deal of time trying to get into MY house, and begged shamelessly for feeding.
A Latino family moved in to the house across and down one from mine. Mooch convinced them that they needed to feed her too. Their house has a bigger, partially enclosed porch and they took to leaving food & water bowls out. And then they put a bed out there for her too. She still spent a lot of time in my yard, which drove Felicity crazy. I always knew Mooch was out when I heard the "SPROING" of Felicity bouncing off the window screen (Which, mercifully, is still holding up) and the bawling of kitty challenges.
Eventually the other cats I mentioned showed up. There is a big black & white one that I have taken to calling Jazz. (no idea why, but s/he answers to it now) There are two smaller, but amazing fluffy black kitties back there as well. They often go over to Mooch's porch for meals, but always come back to my yard. I recently found out that they are Moochie's kittens- and were probably born under my house. So not only had my nimrod neighbor left this cat outdoors, she'd never been spayed.
We have a variety of other wildlife in the area, despite the wild cats. There are bunnies galore (funny rabbit story coming in a later post), including some kamikaze bunnies that I *SWEAR* listen for the sound of my car and come scampering out into the street in front of me, leading me to slam on my brakes and shriek like a madwoman. We have squirrels, and possum (ick) and something that I think may be an otter living in the large drainage ditch.And birds- oh do we have birds. There are a couple of big fat robins that love to dance about in the yard, taunting my 3 brats. I used to have a couple of feeders hanging in the yard, but the wind storms we had the last few years broke all the low branches and trashed them.
I was talking to my neighbor directly across from me the other night. She was out with her puppy, Remy, and I had crossed the street to play with the pup since I know Miss Fran is trying to teach her NOT to go zipping out into the road. Our street is quiet, but has an oddly steady amount of traffic. Anyway, Fran asked me what I thought about the fight the Latino family was having with Mooch's purported owner. I've been a bit preoccupied with family and work issues, so I didn't have a clue what she was talking about.
It seems that poor little Moochie had been hit by a car a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if they saw it happen or if she managed to drag herself to their house, but the Latinos (I really need to learn their names) raced her to the vet. She was pretty badly injured, but they were able to save her, and it was at some expense. J didn't offer to help pay for any of it. The Samaritans decided that they were going to make Mooch an indoor cat, period, and she now officially lives with them, apparently in the lap of luxury. (They still feed the other cats though. I really do need to get to know them because I think that's pretty cool of them) J is apparently now claiming that they've stolen HER cat. A cat she never fed, left outside, and did NOTHING for when she was injured. The few neighbors on the street that care are all siding with the Latino family. So am I, now.
I don't get how she can brazenly claim to care about this cat. Nothing she has done screams PET LOVER to me. As for the animals she claims to foster- nobody has ever seen an animal go in or out of that house. At this point, I'd be afraid to go in myself. There's no telling what's in there.
So what do you think? Can you really call yourself a pet owner if you leave your pet to roam wildly? I don't mean letting your dog out to run- we used to be guilty of that with our beloved Scotty Dog, but he ALWAYS came home, inside, to sleep & eat, and be generally loved on. (I doubt we'd do that kind of thing today- there are too many nuts out there) I mean leaving an animal out, permanently, providing no care of any sort. Thoughts?
My cats are mainly indoor cats. They do, once in a while, manage to escape and have to be chased down. I have never left them outside for extended periods of time. They have all been spayed/neutered. I groom them fairly often, although probably not as often as they'd like. There are several semi-feral cats that have taken up residence in my backyard/under the house. I am not responsible for them, but I have been known to put out a little food & water in bad weather (and a blanket lined box in a sheltered area during one really bad winter) because I hate the thought of any innocent creature suffering.
One of my neighbors, J, helped me chase down Nightshade when she escaped a few years ago. She told me about how she fostered dogs & cats and had several of her own. Then she pointed to a cat that had come to see what we were doing. "That one's mine," she said. "But she likes living outside." It was a pretty cat. She looked like a golden version of my Felicity. In talking, I discovered they are about the same age. I forget what J said her name actually was, but took to calling her Mooch, because after that day, she spent a great deal of time trying to get into MY house, and begged shamelessly for feeding.
A Latino family moved in to the house across and down one from mine. Mooch convinced them that they needed to feed her too. Their house has a bigger, partially enclosed porch and they took to leaving food & water bowls out. And then they put a bed out there for her too. She still spent a lot of time in my yard, which drove Felicity crazy. I always knew Mooch was out when I heard the "SPROING" of Felicity bouncing off the window screen (Which, mercifully, is still holding up) and the bawling of kitty challenges.
Eventually the other cats I mentioned showed up. There is a big black & white one that I have taken to calling Jazz. (no idea why, but s/he answers to it now) There are two smaller, but amazing fluffy black kitties back there as well. They often go over to Mooch's porch for meals, but always come back to my yard. I recently found out that they are Moochie's kittens- and were probably born under my house. So not only had my nimrod neighbor left this cat outdoors, she'd never been spayed.
We have a variety of other wildlife in the area, despite the wild cats. There are bunnies galore (funny rabbit story coming in a later post), including some kamikaze bunnies that I *SWEAR* listen for the sound of my car and come scampering out into the street in front of me, leading me to slam on my brakes and shriek like a madwoman. We have squirrels, and possum (ick) and something that I think may be an otter living in the large drainage ditch.And birds- oh do we have birds. There are a couple of big fat robins that love to dance about in the yard, taunting my 3 brats. I used to have a couple of feeders hanging in the yard, but the wind storms we had the last few years broke all the low branches and trashed them.
I was talking to my neighbor directly across from me the other night. She was out with her puppy, Remy, and I had crossed the street to play with the pup since I know Miss Fran is trying to teach her NOT to go zipping out into the road. Our street is quiet, but has an oddly steady amount of traffic. Anyway, Fran asked me what I thought about the fight the Latino family was having with Mooch's purported owner. I've been a bit preoccupied with family and work issues, so I didn't have a clue what she was talking about.
It seems that poor little Moochie had been hit by a car a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if they saw it happen or if she managed to drag herself to their house, but the Latinos (I really need to learn their names) raced her to the vet. She was pretty badly injured, but they were able to save her, and it was at some expense. J didn't offer to help pay for any of it. The Samaritans decided that they were going to make Mooch an indoor cat, period, and she now officially lives with them, apparently in the lap of luxury. (They still feed the other cats though. I really do need to get to know them because I think that's pretty cool of them) J is apparently now claiming that they've stolen HER cat. A cat she never fed, left outside, and did NOTHING for when she was injured. The few neighbors on the street that care are all siding with the Latino family. So am I, now.
I don't get how she can brazenly claim to care about this cat. Nothing she has done screams PET LOVER to me. As for the animals she claims to foster- nobody has ever seen an animal go in or out of that house. At this point, I'd be afraid to go in myself. There's no telling what's in there.
So what do you think? Can you really call yourself a pet owner if you leave your pet to roam wildly? I don't mean letting your dog out to run- we used to be guilty of that with our beloved Scotty Dog, but he ALWAYS came home, inside, to sleep & eat, and be generally loved on. (I doubt we'd do that kind of thing today- there are too many nuts out there) I mean leaving an animal out, permanently, providing no care of any sort. Thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)