Sunshine and Sweat

It's Day 5 of my vacation and I'm beat. And bruised. With a little bit of a sunburn and raging allergies.

But my sense of accomplishment keeps growing.

So far during this break I've gotten the most rotten part of my fence fixed (I bought the panels a year ago. Repeat that--one year ago and just now got them up.) I even ponied up for new gate hardware since the vacuum cleaner belt that was holding the old gate shut broke last week when the wind kicked up.

I also got my dad to install the new light fixture in the kitchen. It looks fantastic, but something I didn't take into account is the fact that halogen lights put off a LOT more heat than flourescent lights could ever think of doing. Oh well, I don't spend that much time in the kitchen anyway!

I've planted a rose bush, planted the lemon tree that I've been dragging in and out of the house since last fall, and transplanted a few bulbs. This morning I sprayed the insidious weeds that have taken over the back yard. Take a look. They look pretty with their little blue flowers:

And, they make a great spot for a cute little kitty to pose for pictures...

But, they grow in mounds, and sneak up under the siding on the house, and clog my mower until it dies:

So I hit them with some weed killer this morning. The instructions sounded pretty dire, no pets or people in the yard until it had dried. So we were inside until that stuff evaporated. But wouldn't you know it, for the first hour, the boys acted as if they were being wrongly incarcerated and raced around the house, begged at the doors, and generally made nuisances of themselves. Aren't these brats supposed to be sleeping 23 hours of the day?

It's safe to go outside now and not one of them have made a move for the door. The most they've done is change nap spots.

The rest of my week is scheduled with more projects: two more rose bushes to plant, some more flowers to put out, clean up of the flower beds, and cleaning and moving things about in the house. Not to mention all the shows filling up my DVR and the second season of "Alias" that has to be watched before it's due back at the library.

Before I go, here's a couple of shots of the boys enjoying springtime:

Izzy in a tree, possibly stalking birds. He was a little upset with me that I was hanging around taking pictures of him.

And Jake, making his own entertainment in the backyard. I'm really not sure what he was doing, but it was cute.

Sorry there're no shots of Sam, but he's mister cranky pants and won't let me get a good shot. The most I get are blurry pics of his rear end as he's leaving.

Oh, Springtime!

It's Spring once again. The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, temperatures are warming, and the bird population is dropping.

Izzy's at it again. He's suffering his own bout of spring fever, and his way of dealing with it is to snatch poor little birdies and bring them into the house. In the past two weeks, he's captured a gorgeous cardinal, presented me with a sparrow, and today I came home to find the scene of a crime playing out in my bedroom.

There were feathers on the bed, one perched on the toilet seat, and a floor full of them in the closet. But no little birdy carcass.

I checked around the house, didn't find anything. Finally, I found Izzy with his head under the bed and his stumpy tail twitching. I raised up the bedskirt thinking I'd find something worthy of CSI and came eye to beady eye with a dove staring back at me.

I never expected to find the poor thing alive!

Reached in, grabbed it up before the hunter pounced again, and took it outside. It looked at me, I looked at it, and saw that most of the feathers on its back were missing, as well as a chunk of flesh. I was searching for a place to stash it out of reach when it suddenly took off flying across into the neighbor's tree. Here's hoping it actually recovers from its run-in with a certain little black cat.


(The picture is from Christmas when he was staked out under the tree, possibly waiting to bag Santa. I like the fang effect.)

My Cat Tried to Kill Me

"Yes, Officer, a serious attempt was made on my life this morning."

"What happened?"

"I was attacked in my bathroom. He knocked me into the bathtub, but I managed to not hit my head or pull the shower curtain off its rings. It was pretty scary. I have a boo-boo on my elbow."

"What did he look like?"

"Short, lots of black hair, gold eyes, four legs and a tail."

"A tail?"

"Yes. A tail. And I'll never forget his voice, either. I don't know what he was saying, but his tone was very threatening. I think he was demanding food or something."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, as soon as my feet flew out from beneath me, he fled. Like most evil villains, he didn't stick around to make sure I was dead."

"Were there any witnesses?"

"Jake was on the bed and saw everything, but I don't think you'll be able to get him to make a statement. He's very close-mouthed around cops, especially after he was arrested with a bunch of others and thrown in a tiny cell until I paid his bail."

Policeman closes his notebook and tucks his pen back in his pocket.

"Ma'am, there's really nothing more I can do here. Perhaps you should call a psychiatrist."

(Yes, Izzy really did trip me and knock me into the bathtub this morning, telling the story this way was just more fun.)

Lock up the Wildlife, Izzy's on the Loose

I'm thinking of changing Izzy's name to Dexter. Or maybe Ted Bundy.

That danged cat lives a double life. Most of the time he's so sweet and cuddly he'll knock you over for want of a snuggle. Then there's the feral hunter side that has already been well documented on this blog.

For a few days there's been a smell in the house. I couldn't figure out what it was, nor could I find it. At first, it was one of those elusive smells, just catching a hint of it. Then it grew a little stronger. I changed the litter box, carried out the garbage, searched around. Cleaned out the fridge and dumped everything that was over a month old. (Unfortunately, that was more than half the fridge's contents!) Last night I moved the couch just to see if there was a dead mouse stashed under there.

And yet, I couldn't find the source.

This afternoon I walked in the front door and was slammed in the sinuses by the noxious odor. It was an odor so foul you could almost taste it. It grabbed me by the nose and dragged me right to its source. There, on the floor of my craft room, lay the severed head of a squirrel.

I'll let that image sink in. Be grateful I didn't take pictures.

Decapitated. Squirrel. Head. In my house. Not a pretty sight. Poor little thing was probably out innocently burying his nuts for the winter when he was attacked. Probably never saw it coming.

Once I finished my gross-out dance and conquered the urge to vomit, I opened the window, donned a pair of rubber gloves, and tossed the thing out into the yard. I wanted to toss the rubber gloves out after it. And maybe the carpet, too! Grabbed carpet spray and saturated the area.

But, you're asking, how could you have missed that thing lying in the floor? I didn't. I swear. I had looked in every room, even under the beds, tables, and chairs trying to find the source of that smell. I think the evil little cat moved it out into the open yesterday while I was at work!

With the windows and doors opened, and the source of the smell removed, the house was habitable again.

All three cats met me in the kitchen, and thus began the following lecture:

"I feed you three plenty of food twice a day! There is NO REASON at all for you to go out and catch your own! NO MORE HUNTING! NO MORE BRINGING ANYTHING INTO THE HOUSE!! STOP DOING SUCH GROSS STUFF! IT'S DISGUSTING!"

All three just sat there in silence, watching the crazy lady rant in a language they couldn't understand.

All three got the lecture, but it was aimed at just one. He knows who he is.

(Here he is on top of the patio roof, looking for his next victim.)

Any Similarities to My Life are Just Coincidence!

Found this on LOLCats....


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Someone else has their very own Izzy and Max!

Only He Knows For Sure

Izzy had himself a little adventure yesterday. And he totally freaked us both out in the process.

I walked in the front door yesterday afternoon, expecting to see my little man waiting for me as he usually does (he and Jake get to split a can of cat food as soon as I get home, so they're always anxiously waiting!). But Izzy wasn't at the door. I greeted Jake, called for Izzy, and got Sam. Fed Jake, thinking Izzy would pop out of his hiding spot and come racing into the kitchen, but it didn't happen.

OK. I was trying not to panic. I mean, just because he wasn't waiting for me like he does every day, doesn't mean anything's really wrong, right? But then I remembered how Tommy disappeared so quickly a few months ago and I fell over the edge.

I checked the back yard, the front yard, scanned the street looking for him. Called his name, kept checking the roof of the patio (a favorite place to hang out), but nothing. I walked around the block looking for him, all the while trying to convince myself that he was all right and he'd be chowing down in the kitchen when I got back home.

Nope. He wasn't there when I got back. Okay, time to pull myself together. He'll show up in a little while, right? Cats always pull this junk on their owners. Right?

So I spent some time just trying to wait him out. Watched some TV, tried not to panic. Did a little housework, tried not to panic. Convinced myself to wait until the next morning to call the pound and the vet's offices. Tried not to panic.

Around 6:30, I went out to the rabbit pen and was working on filling in Sophie's latest hole to China when I heard the faint sound of a cat's rather panicked cry. I stopped to listen, to make sure of what I was hearing, and trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. It was Izzy! I knew that cry! I called his name, hoping he would hear me. The sound was coming from the other side of the fence, but still pretty far away.

I ran back into the house to change my shoes so I could head around the other side of the block. Just as I got my shoes on, here comes Izzy, racing across the patio, into the house through the cat door, and down the hall to the bedroom. I have never seen him so freaked out!

I followed him and managed to grab him to check him out for bodily harm. No wounds, but his hair was all messed up. And he smelled of... cigarette smoke?!? What?!?

Where the hell had that cat been?

This is the point where I really wish cats could talk.

Did some kid scoop him up, take him home to a houseful of smokers, and he managed to escape? Did he fall in with a bad crowd of delinquent kittens? Where the hell had he been??

Other than a few more panicked meows, he wasn't talking.

Poor thing. Whatever happened to him really freaked him out. Once he calmed down, he found a hidey hole and crashed hard for a while. When I got back from bowling, we snuggled on the couch, him sleeping against my leg with my hand curled around his chubby belly.

When I went to bed, he was right there with me. And he was still asleep beside me when I woke up this morning. I'd like to think he won't go wandering again anytime soon.

But we'll see. Who knows what goes on in those little cat brains. And he sure ain't talking.

Shawshank Redemptions and Marauding Raccoons

I got up this morning thinking it was going to be a typical Monday. You know, shower, dress, run out the door to work.

Well, Izzy was rather insistent that I get out of bed right then and feed him, but I expected his usual, "part of my bowl is empty, so I MUST be starving" nonsense. Instead, the water bowl was filled with dirt and the food bowl was licked clean. Which means Max paid a visit at some point during the night.

*sigh*

I can't begrudge an animal a meal every now and then, but when he messes with MY stuff, then that's a different story. After feeding the cats and cleaning up the water mess, I went on into the living room and started seeing something strange. Bits of chewed up paper on the arm of the couch and on the cushions. What could it be?

Now, I am an admitted collector of things that make me laugh. And my newest addition was a present from Becci from her trip to Santa Fe. It was Cat Butt Gum, people! Yes, the raccoon ate a box of Cat Butt Gum. Here's what it looked like pre-raccoon:

And after:

I was able to rescue a few pieces of gum from between the couch cushions, but found them full of teeth marks. He also took a bite out of the hand-made soap she brought me. Is nothing sacred?

No, it's not, as I also discovered one of Izzy's fake mice had been beheaded. Oh well, there's at least 29 more of those things around here.

But the morning fun did not stop there. Oh no, that would be too easy! I still needed to go out and feed the rabbits.

I grabbed a couple of carrots from the fridge and headed out to the pen where I saw a cute little pair of bunny ears sticking up high enough to be seen through the screen door. Awww!! They're waiting for me!

But then I see Jake off to the side of the pen, his attention concentrated on something. Imagine my surprise to see a bunny hole! Yes, they had made a prison break to the outside! A quick head count showed all six innocent-looking bunnies inside the pen, so my little guard cat was doing a pretty good job.

Izzy had to come investigate what was going on. He and Jake had a little discussion over the best way to handle the situation...

And then Izzy took matters into his own hands. I've learned that when he doesn't really know what to do, his solution is to pee on it.

Take that, bunnies! I did put a piece of plywood over the hole, as I don't really have a lot of faith in Izzy's pee to keep the bunnies from heading for freedom. I'll get out there and fill it in when it stops raining.

The Bird Peeps at Midnight

My nephew spent the weekend at my house, so needless to say, once I cleaned up the disaster that was left behind, I was beat. As in, let nothing get between me and my bed kind of beat. Jake and Sam made themselves scarce, so Izzy took the brunt of the visit and crashed for a good solid three hours as soon as the door closed behind the kid. Which is why he had energy for what came later.

So there I was, snuggled in and starting to doze when I heard the first "peep peep!" At first I thought it was the TV (had it on sleep timer) and ignored it. Then there it was again. Kind of faint, but insistent. I opened my eyes to look at the TV to see if somehow, someway, there might be a little bird involved in what was happening on "Futurama" and I might be able to just go to sleep. Nope. *sigh*

When I heard it again, I knew for sure--the hunter had struck again.

I got quietly out of bed, listening for more peeps so I could pin down its location. I stepped out into the hallway and flicked on the light. As I made my way down the hall, Izzy pranced out of the craft room, his attitude all innocent. If he could speak he would have been saying "uh, hey mom, what's up?" in that fake casual way guilty kids have.

Not being dumb enough to fall for a cat's innocent act, I knew the poor bird was somewhere in there. As I started for the door, Izzy switched to the cute act to stop me from going in there and hurled himself against my legs for a rub. Sorry kid, I know your ill-gotten gains are in there somewhere.

Sure enough, there was a baby mockingbird on its last breath lying beneath the table. You poor, dumb thing. Why did you come into my yard when there's a known killer on the loose?

I scooped it up with a sheet of paper and carried it outside where I laid it on the grass. This one there really was no hope for, and all I could really ask was that it didn't meet its demise on my carpet.

I just hope Izzy keeps an eye out for mama mockingbird. Those things are vicious and known to pin a cat beneath a car for hours. Just ask Sam. I've had to rescue him several times from a dive-bombing mockingbird. He still hasn't told me what he did to piss her off.

The Life and Times of Jake and Izzy (Illustrated)

So you have to admit Sam, Izzy and Jake have it pretty good. A zombie human to do their bidding, more toys than PetsMart and Petco put together, four plush cat beds, their own fleece blankets.... But why sleep in a specially designed kitty bed when there's a whole house to use as your mattress??

Here's Jake on the lamp table:

I see, a hard surface with a light shining in your face is comfier than a micro-suede bed.

And Izzy, as you can see, prefers his pillows in hardcover: Infinitely better than a soft fleece-lined kitty bed, right?

But I think I have to hand it to Jake on this next one:
Those 400-thread count sheets are pretty irresistible. Too bad that's MY side of the bed he's on! And just think of the stretching capabilities in a queen-sized bed! (Being the good zombie human I am, I just climbed in on the other side. Why fight a battle you're going to lose?)

And would you look at the tail on this cat?? It's at least 12 inches long. Grandad just calls him "long-tail cat." Evidently some cheetah ancestry is coming out in him. Not to make him run faster, but to help him balance when he does this: Hey, don't fuss at me about this--I'm a good human and make sure their water bowl is filled with fresh water every morning. Evidently there's just something irresistible about toilet water.

And now, here's my little black jaguar, Izzy, surveying his kingdom from his perch atop the ladder:

I'm bored.

But wait! What's that sneaking through the jungle?? (Honestly, he's lying down in the grass--my lawn is not that tall... yet....)
I will leap from my perch and defeat my enemy!

Eh, it's just Jake.

I'll get him later.

Sam bowed out of this production of Crazy Cat Lady Theater. There was a cool patch of tile in the kitchen he hadn't laid on yet.

Coming Soon: Bunny pictures!

Eeek! There's a Flea on Me!

Had to treat the furrballs for fleas tonight. It was either that or get myself a flea collar. I was starting to have nightmares about the ravenous pests devouring me.

I threw down some food and hit them all with the spot drops while they were trying to outeat each other.* But once the food was consumed and they realized what I'd done, mayhem ensued. How dare I put some sort of foreign liquid on the back of their necks??

At one point Izzy turned into a one-kitten wrecking machine and raced around the house, leaping on top of everything and knocking as many items onto the floor as he could. Sam just raced around, dashing out of my way whenever I came near him, and he continuously vocalized his displeasure. Jake took it the best of all, staying quiet, but trying his best to get his head far enough around to lick the stuff off. Better go check on him just to make sure he didn't succeed.

*Eating has become a spectator event around here. Jake has torn a hole in the cat food bag and serves himself one pawful at a time. I don't think he eats out of the bowl anymore. Izzy drags me out of bed or away from whatever I'm doing whenever he glimpses the bottom of the food bowl. (But at least he's stopped going hunting!) When I give them canned food in the evenings, I dump the food on the plate and practically toss it at the meowing little piranhas. Not only that, but the two of them broke into the bag of rabbit food the other night and gave it a taste test. I had to hide it. Poor Sam just tries to get a couple bites of food whenever the other two aren't paying attention.

Time to Hit the Sack

Now, I'm no Billy Mays (RIP), but do I have a new product for you!

It's called Nap Sack (TM pending) and couldn't be simpler to install and use.

Simply obtain a rare item called a paper sack from your nearest shopping outlet (this one was provided at Wal-Mart to keep my frozen items less melty in the gabillion degree heat), take out all items, and toss it on the floor. Curious kittens will take care of the rest of the installation.

Izzy chose a feet hanging style of insertion.

Upon awakening, your kitten will emerge refreshed and ready for more mishchief!


Note: it is best to obtain more than one nap sack in the case of mulitple kittens to avoid jealousy and fighting.

Bye Bye Birdie

Either Izzy's really good, or a certain little bird is suicidal.

I was awakened this morning by said screaming bird. In the house. (Did I mention this is the first Saturday in a month that I didn't have to get up at 5 a.m.?)

I knew immediately what was going on and jumped out of bed, dashed out of the room, and met Izzy in the hallway with his prey. Evidently he had been headed into the bedroom with it. What was he thinking??

Baby bird was rescued and escorted back outside where I left it in the same hanging pot as last night. Went back in the house and handed Izzy one of his fake mice, which he chased around the house for a good half hour. No luck getting back to sleep at that point as he kept jumping on the bed with the mouse in his mouth and growling at me in challenge.

Just a few minutes ago there was another ruckus. This time Izzy didn't bring the bird into the house--he had it on the patio next to the back door. I stepped out, picked it up, and stuck it in the pot again. As I'm about to leave for Home Depot, I can no longer guarantee the bird's safety.

Love's Lizard Lost

Tonight's new "toy:"

A lizard.

Izzy popped through the cat door a little while ago with something dangling from his mouth. At first I thought it was another snake, but thankfully it wasn't long enough. As soon as I tried to stop him, he took off running into the kitchen with me hot on his heels.

I grabbed Izzy and he dropped the lizard, now sans tail, and it started running around the kitchen floor.

Because the poor creature was still alive, I had to try to rescue it. And so began the battle between human and kitten for a tiny reptile. We went side to side in the kitchen, each trying to get to it first. I kind of dropped the ball on the whole "rescue" when it ran over my foot and up my leg.

Izzy pounced and nabbed it one more time, but it wriggled loose and ran under the refrigerator. And now he sits, watching and waiting for it to emerge.

**Addendum**

Izzy gave up on the lizard and went back outside. Next thing I know, he was racing back in through the cat door with a baby wren in his mouth. The poor thing was screaming, so I was immediately on the chase. Izzy went to ground in the utility room, so I wrested it away from him and returned it outside. I dumped it in a hanging pot and can only hope it stays put until the hunter goes to sleep for the day.

I'm starting to think the little wanna-be jaguar needs a cage.

My Little Hunter

Izzy has an insane number of fake fur mice (32 at last count) at his disposal. I was keeping them in a bowl to dole out one at a time. I say "was" because last night the poor bowl hit the floor and shattered into a hundred pieces. Izzy had learned how to get up on the table and get his own mouse, which he would then drop on the floor, leap down after and stalk and attack it until it was lost under a piece of furniture. Then he'd get back on the table and get another mouse. But for some reason last night he decided to push the whole bowl off onto the floor. I took all his mice away from him in punishment. I guess that's why he went out and found his own plaything tonight.

I was innocently lying in bed reading a book and looked up to see him playing with something at the foot of the bed. He looked at me and I swear he gave me a smug little kitty smile. At first I thought his toy was the strap of the discarded bra lying next to him. Nope. It was a snake. And it was alive!

It was only about six inches long and not moving very fast, but I leapt out of bed, grabbed it by the head, held it at arm's length, and carried it out the back door. All the way there I was chanting "eww, eww, eww!" Izzy was in step the entire way, looking disappointed that I wasn't as excited about his new toy as he was. I tossed the snake into the yard and started hoping I would never see it again.

Izzy's really getting into the whole hunting thing and thinks he needs to bring me the results of his feline prowess. He's surprised me outside with a dead garter snake, dragged a dead bird in through the cat door, stalked the poor little frog on the back porch, and I'm pretty sure he's the one responsible for the severed mouse head in the kitchen floor.

Just the other day I chased him around the yard to rescue a baby bird from his grasp. He growled at me and ran like mad with that poor little bird squawking like crazy. I have a rule that if the creature is still alive, I have to rescue it. His pride in having caught the fledgling robin was replaced with anger when I took it away. (Of course, the danged bird bit me, but that's the thanks I get!)

Izzy's finally returned to the bedroom. I guess he gave up on trying to find his latest toy. But I'm sure there'll be another one. I just wish he'd go after that danged mole that's chewing up my lawn. In the meantime I guess I have to give him back his furry mice.

New Floor

My latest DIY project has dragged on way too long. I bought the laminate flooring in February, and laid down a few boards in March (note Jake below napping on the work in progress.) Then at the end of April, my sister came over and we got the flooring about halfway across the room. Starting to look pretty, isn't it? I now need just 4 rows to complete the whole thing. But I've hit a snag. I can't get a board to lay correctly at one spot. I've taken rows up and laid them back down thinking I had something off somewhere. After hitting the same snag at the same spot multiple times, I now have to wait until I get some help in figuring it out. In the meantime, the boys are making the best of things.

Jake found a sunny spot, even if it is on top of a pile of boards and floor padding. And of course on Memorial Day, the family got together and took a nap. Or two. It really shouldn't take three months to finish putting down flooring in a 14x16 room.

Can't Blog.... Sleeping.... Zzzzzzzzzzzz

I've worked two weeks straight with one day off. No break in sight until this weekend.

In the meantime, when I'm not at work, I'm at home with the boys and all of us are typically in various stages of sleep. See below.

That would be me they're sleeping on top of in the last picture.

It's rainy and dark today, or what I like to call sleeping weather. Jake even tucked himself into bed this morning instead of getting up. Wish I could have stayed snuggled up with him. But, duty calls. Will blog more when the brain cells are rested and firing again. Or if something really pisses me off!

Wrestlemania, Kitty Style

Imagine being awakened in the wee hours of the morning by a wrestling match between two guys with too much hair. No, it's not a night in the frat house, it's life with kittens.

Evidently my rear end makes a good jumping off spot for Jake as he pile drives his little brother. And the blankets make good hiding spots. Even the pillows were brought in to play as the two of them dove, wrestled, chased, and chewed on one another this morning. I put up with it until I took a claw to the backside, then I decided to abandon ship. Unfortunately, they followed me into the bathroom to continue their "battle." Both were unceremoniously dumped back into the bedroom and the door slammed behind them.

I've learned that life's easier just to get dressed in the bathroom because there's no "help." No more tiny little claws snagging my clothes because they prove too tempting. But I still sit down on the bed to put on my shoes and socks. This morning I was ambushed by Jake who had been hiding underneath a pillow. There was a short chase to reclaim my sock.

Then of course there's Izzy, who really hasn't figured out yet that there are things in this world to be afraid of. (Especially his grumpy "mother" in the mornings!) Izzy took the opportunity to dash out the front door this morning as I was holding it open for Sam to come inside. I chased the little bugger all over the yard and finally cornered him next to the neighbor's house. Yet another moment to entertain the neighbors. (And let's not forget Jake's foray into the tree. See below.)

If it weren't for the really cute moments like when Izzy stretches out on his back across my lap or when Jake curls up with his head tucked into my neck, I don't think I'd survive.

Oh, and Sammy looks like he's joined the kitty mafia or something. That cat has bulked up! His neck is even disappearing. He was always the "little one" around Turtle and Tommy. Now he's the big kitty on the block.

But he's so sweet to his little siblings--Izzy will jump up from wherever he's at and dash over to him whenever he comes into the room. (Wish I got that reaction! LOL!) Of course, I think he feels put out most of the time, mainly because he never gets room at the food bowl, but they adore him. I try really hard to make sure he gets his fair share of the attention as well. Right now he's sharing lap space with the computer.

And a couple entertaining pics:

Late Bloomers and Spring Showers

Here's an interesting turn of events. Izzy's not a girl. She's a he. Remind me not to trust other people's sexing of kittens.

Yes, little no name kitty (he's stuck with this until I settle on a more manly moniker) stuck his tuchas in my face the other night and made me realize in no uncertain terms that pink is not his color. In amongst all that black fur was the unmistakable presence of two tiny peanuts.

Now I'm stuck with all this cute little pink cat stuff. Oh well. What will they know? Jake seems to like sleeping on the pink blankie more than the others anyway.

As for names, I'm considering Reggie (for Reggie Jackson), or Ripken (for Cal--and I can call him Rippy.) I've had other cats named for baseball players before--Mickey was named for Mickey Mantle and Tommy was named for Tommy John. I am also considering Sinjin, which was the name of a character in a book I read a while back. Don't ask me the name of the book because I've read a few hundred since then. All I can remember is that the character lost a limb, but the name's always appealed to me.

Opinions on this matter are most welcome.

Well, I'm off to get some more flowers planted in the ground. Hopefully I can get done before any rain gets here.

And Then There Were Three (Again)

Remember when this guy





















met this guy?

What was it, almost two weeks ago now?

Well, as of Tuesday night, the boys got themselves a little sister.

Meet Izzy. Two months old and only been here a few days, but she's already got Jake and Sam wrapped around her cute little tail.

How did I come to get another new kitten so quickly, you ask? Well, I answered my phone.

My aunt called and asked if I would take my cousin's kitten. He and his girlfriend both lost their jobs, couldn't afford their apartment, and so are moving in with our grandparents. Thankfully our grandparents are kind enough to take us kids in when our lives hit the tanker (been there!) But, there's no room at the inn for little bitty Izzy.

I tried my best to only agree to a short-term solution. You know, I take care of her until they get back on their feet. No, no. They wanted a permanent home for her. Plus, they have her sister, as well.

Yeah, I know, I gave in. It's not like I have that strong a spine when it comes to cats in need.

Matt and Kat (I know, too cute on the names!) brought her to me Tuesday afternoon and gave me a bit of history. The two of them found an ad in the paper for kittens and went to the man's home to pick one out. Well, they got there and discovered that this "person" had stuffed Izzy into a refrigerator! Thankfully they went ahead and grabbed her too so she wouldn't suffer an awful fate. I would have done the same thing, but I probably would have committed an act of violence against the guy on my way out the door.

So, Izzy's here for good and well on her way to being completely spoiled rotten like the other two. I even went out and bought her a pink litter box, pink blanket, pink toy, pink collar, and a few other items (some of which actually weren't pink!)

Here's Izz with her favorite new toy.

She's been carrying it around the house and playing with it in various rooms. I even found it next to her food bowl when she slowed down enough to gobble down her kitten chow.

She's spent all her waking hours chasing her big brothers around the house and the backyard. Earlier this evening she went to sleep with her head on Sam's belly. It was the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

I really need to keep the camera on my person so I can catch these things. I missed a good one the other night with Jake standing on Sam's head. And one last night when Sam jumped on the bed and the babies jumped up and climbed all over him. He seems to be taking pretty well to being a big brother. At least Izzy now serves as a distraction for Jake and Sam can get some peace. And Sam's behavior has just been fantastic. He's put up with a lot and the worst he's done is get a strained look on his face.