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.

Jake Turns One

Little Jake was three months old when I sprang him from his prison cell last March. So that means his turned 1 sometime last month. He's now grown from this:

Into this:

He's grown into the ears, but the tail is still a mile long. It gets stepped on a lot whenever we try to share space in the kitchen.

I ran across his adoption papers yesterday and remembered that his pound name was "Tuff." Should have been "Turd." We're still working on that whole "not biting the hand that feeds you" thing. I'm still not having much success. I've awakened several mornings to find his teeth clamped around my toes. He tried to chew my hand off during the entire adoption process, and let's not forget his assistance in home repair. Maybe I should have paid more attention before I signed that check!

But, he's a year old now. Maybe he'll finally start growing out of it. He's my kiddo, so no matter how many times I end up with teeth marks, we'll still end up snuggling at the end of the day. I can almost forget how much of a pain in the ass he is whenever he cuddles his chin into my neck and starts to purr. And besides, he's the only pet I have that greets me whenever I come home. Of course, that could be because he's waiting for his dinner....

And now for a few more of Jake's greatest moments from the past year.

(His tag has a skull and crossbones and says "Bad Kitty." Perfect for him!)

(Notice how most of these were taken when he was asleep? They were the only times I could snap him without him trying to eat the camera!)

As shown in the last picture, he's a sock eater. So if anyone's missing socks, don't blame the dryer. Be on the lookout for a striped cat with a bad attitude and a vendetta.

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 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.

Jake Takes a Nap

Here's a few shots of noisy kitty actually being quiet for once. He just couldn't decide on a position.
The chair must not have been comfy enough (could be that the color is just too loud!), so he switched to the couch and a different pillow.

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.

Following Up on a Promise

OK, I promised to post this a while ago. I actually got it uploaded to YouTube, but never went any further. (And today, I actually had to THINK to remember YouTube's URL. Damn, I need a vacation.)

So now, here it is, Jake and his security blankey! Anytime he does the "kneading" he has a blanket clasped in his teeth. Never seen any cat do that before. (Try to ignore the bare wall and tools seen behind him--remember, my house is still going through renovations.)

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!

*Pant* *Click* *Pant* *Click* *Gasp* *Click* *Pant*

That would be me, and the sounds coming from the area of the elliptical machine. Yes, I have made sure my chubby ass has been on that taunting bastard for at least 30 minutes the past two nights. And I hope to continue.

From the amount of sweat rolling down my stomach and back and the pain in my thighs, you'd think I'd be working off some major calories. Nope. After 30 minutes last night, I had burned a total of 220 calories. That's not even the equivalent of one chocolate chip cookie! I think the monitor on the machine is lying to me.

The only thing I like about the machine is that it positions my feet far enough apart on the pedals so my thighs don't rub together. Because let's face it, there's no need to start a fire while exercising. It's really hard to get the smell of burned exercise shorts out of the curtains. (And it's horrible to get off the machine and have your rubbery sweaty thighs instantly glue themselves together. Blech!)

When I first got the elliptical (umm, let's see, that was back in March?) I figured I would watch TV while on it. I could just picture myself trucking right on while watching my favorite programs or movies.

Real life, of course, is nothing like that. It's possible, but I keep getting bored by what's on and then I get distracted by the pain in my thighs. And once you start concentrating on the pain, it's pretty much over. Also, it's really hard to hear what Jon Stewart's saying over the panting and gasping for air.

So, I tried a different technique--and here's where it's a good thing I live alone. I charged up my MP3 player and plugged in the earphones. Now I sing at the top of my lungs while exercising. Of course, I can't really call it singing, more like off-key dying moans set to music only I can hear. The boys have decided hanging around outside is better than staying in the same house with me.

And keeping them out of the room is a good thing, since Jake got himself trapped between the wall and the machine the other night. Poor kid almost climbed the wall in order to get out of there. I didn't know he was stuck for a while because I was so busy listening to an old Barbara Mandrell song ("If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right) and gasping at the top of my lungs while mouthing the words. I suddenly sensed he was behind me and turned to find him standing on his hind legs with his back up against the wall. From the desperation written on his face, I think he was wishing he would suddenly disappear into the wall in order to get out of there. I stopped for a minute and coaxed him out, then watched him flee for his life.

Dude, if I were as skinny as he is, I'd run from that damned machine, too.

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: