Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire?

No, but my new heat pump and ac/heating system's being installed today. And I just have to think that the feelings of warmth and coolness will keep me purring all year long.

This has certainly been the year of the joys of home ownership for me...New roof, new flooring (thanks to the cat induced flood) and now, new hvac system. It had been giving me trouble for a couple of years, blowing fuses which is always a symptom of something worse it seems. But after spending $$ on replacing fuses, waking up to no heat on numerous occasions and worrying that it would go out when I was away and the sparsely coated kitties I reside with would suffer...I just wanted to not worry about it anymore. So, if I believe the "Your utility bills will be cut in half" sales pitch, that in itself will be worth it.

I had a nice Christmas Day spent with friends, out near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The day was perfect, sunny, 49 degrees and fun playing on the Wii and drinking Christmas Cheer. My friend, Dayle, is from Australia and her birthday is Christmas Day, and back home it's summertime! We didn't have a White Christmas here, but it was fun watching their son with his toys and having a nice meal with friends is always something special.

I have New Years plans this year, first date since Mike's passing, so that's some kind of milestone and hopefully an auspicious way to welcome in the New Year, with a friend that I am friends with first...just like Mike was. If not, well at least I'll have a nice dinner and fun dancing and hopefully be able to see him again at the cat shows without turning crimson with embarrassment about how we welcomed in 2009.



May this week before
the new year begins
be full of hope and
promise for all of you,
and in the new year,
may you see the
life in things you
have missed before.

Meowy Catmas

Cat Fancy Cornish Rex Issue

In March 2009, Cat Fancy magazine will have an issue highlighting the Cornish Rex. Here's the ad that will tell the world about us!

I'm not sure why it looks so blue in this copy, but it's a proof, so maybe that's why?

I already had one friend ask who is that big brown tabby cat, it's not a Cornish Rex but a Bengal cat that Ruby the Rex lives with.

Christmas Party...

Well, last night was The Cat Hospital's Christmas Party and we filled up a huge table (our staff, husbands, fiancès, girlfriends and significant others is quite a crowd when all assembled) at Maggiano's in Tyson's Corner. It certainly was family style, like one big Italian family and we had to manuver our way past strollers and presents and tables way too close together, to get to our seats. But once seated, the wonderful meal that just kept coming, made us forget about the obstacles. We had spinach salad, caesar salad; we had veal piccata and 4 cheese ravioli, scampi and pasta; and the most creamy, fluffy cheesecake on earth, I think. We will be eating off the leftovers for at least a couple of days at the hospital!

Today, I slept in again, or more precisely woke up and got up, did a couple of things and then sauntered back to bed. That is luxurious to me and gives me some more snuggling time with the cats, which they are quite happy about, too. I had three things on my list to get done this weekend and am almost done with them. They might sound like small stuff, but sometimes I procrastinate or stay on the computer too long, or just don't complete anything, so 1) emptying and filling the dishwasher--you should not even imagine what my kitchen sink looked like--Mike used to do the dishes and there's another thing I miss about him. 2) Ironing--yes, I still have things that need ironing and Mike used to do the ironing, too (do you see a pattern here?) and 3) Putting up some curtain tiebacks for the new curtains I bought about two months ago. So anything above and beyond that which I accomplish, will be less that I have to tackle next weekend.

I have a friend coming to visit the second weekend in January (and she is adopting Billy Idol, one of my two Sphynx cats) so I have to get in gear and stop avoiding getting my house back together, and get out of the guest room and back into the master bedroom, so she can have a place to sleep! I keep thinking how much free time I would have if I didn't have the cat family to take care of and didn't work full time too...but we make our bed, right. Sometimes the things that give one pleasure can also give one cause to grouse.

Maybe I'll get some decorations up, since I pulled some boxes of stuff out of the attic, as I've decorated the Cat Hospital every year since I've worked there and well, if I didn't I would feel really scrooge-like. I did get a fragrant rosemary tree, but it's still sitting out on my deck til I get the dining room table cleared off so I can put the rosemary tree in the center of the and put a few unbreakable ornaments on it. I do have an artificial tree that looks nice in the bay window, so that's on the list of to-do's for the week.

In keeping with the holiday spirit (yes, I do have some, it's just getting to it that's slow), here's a couple of photos to show that...

Bettie Page, Rest in Peace, 1923-2008

I awoke to the news this morning that Bettie Page had died. One hopes that when one passes, that they might have had some small influence on making the world a better place. In her own way, Bettie Page did. While Mike was in Memphis on a business trip one time, he got us both Bettie Page T-Shirts and whenever we wore them, of course, we always got double takes and comments, but most people knew who she was. Those shirts just took on more meaning with her passing. In her honor, here is a photo of me in that shirt...


And here is a link from the LA Times, notifying the world of her passing: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-page12-2008dec12,0,6058175.story

No leftovers here...

That's what happens when you go to friends for a feast...so I had nachos and ice cream for my post T-Day dinner! Slept in, stayed in and am now eating my newest favorite ice cream, H-D Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle and sipping some Banana Rum.

T-Day was delicious and fun, as the photos below will attest. I took 2 bottle of Portuguese wine, a Vino Verde & a Tinto and tried a new way of roasting chestnuts...I will watch the BBQ more closely next time, but people were kind and said they were yummy, but as you can tell by the pix, because I blanched them in water, olive oil and sea salt, then put fresh rosemary branches on the coals and put on the lid just to smoke them a bit after cooking them in the oven first...well, they flamin' caught on fire!

There are no pictures of the actual table laden with food--we were all to busy eating! All the food was wonderful, the friends together being thankful and many helpers in the kitchen afterwards, too. The photo shoot of Candi didn't happen, but I did get one shot of her, on her throne, close to the activity but not in the midst of it...just like the princess she is.

My kittens are feeling much better and just about over their colds; and I'm enjoying the extra day off of work and catching up with a few things around the house. Seems to be taking a while to get it together...think I spend too much time on the computer! I am off to a cat show next weekend, so I better get lots done this weekend!

So, without further ado, here's my Thanksgiving Day pix.

Countdown to Feast Day!

I just got an email from the friends who I will be spending Thanksgiving Day with (they, too, have a Furrydance cat so of course they are friends!) and I can hardly wait to join the Feast! Here's the menu:

Apple brined Turkey (the recipe published in this weeks Wash post) with mustard shallot dressing
Mashed potatoes (duh!)
Cranberry relish (of course!)
Green beans with lemon and shallots (I think!)
Wild rice with butternut squash (maybe)
Apple cranberry leek dressing/stuffing (one batch with sausage and one without.)
Dessert....possibly pumpkin pie and or a cranberry, pear, ginger crisp
Pinot noir and Chardonnay, Sparkling cider, Beer

AND

there will be a photo shoot of Ms Candi, for their Holiday cards!
Sounds like much more fun that feigning interest in a football game!

I am Thankful for precious friends


Photo by Kathy Manley, Work2Snap Photography

Mike brought to mind...

Somehow, the dates of Mike and I's anniversary (August 11) passed without me remembering until a few days later. Same thing happened when his birthday came (November 3).

I don't know what that means, but I know I think of him so many other days, that to me it's like every day is an anniversary of some kind or other.

But on Wednesday, I got a call from someone from the Machinists Union, reminding me that Mike would have been 60 on November 3rd, and that's when his pension benefits would begin for me. Funny, I still think of Mike as 58 years old, always will I guess. And somehow I had a feeling he would be happy that his presence in my life was still helping me out, he was still protecting me.

Another plus, this year they made a change to the benefits and instead of receiving 50%, I will get 100%! While Mike only worked for them for 6 years and it was many, many years ago (when he was in college), the pension isn't grand, but it will help me meet expenses and use less savings

So, instead of me giving Mike a gift, he gave me one! I love you, Mikey

Tee

Kittens Under the Weather

I was supposed to head down to a big cat show in Atlanta on Thursday, but Coco and Kiki's kittens have come down with an upper respiratory virus, possibly caught from their mothers licking and grooming them, and I just wasn't comfortable leaving that responsibility with my petsitter (who also has vet assistant experience) so I am staying home with them and with supportive care, I I hope they will be over this bug soon. 

 I took them all in to work with me on Monday and had little Jack, who was the most congested, xrayed to make sure he wasn’t developing pneumonia (he was clear) and the rest of the kittens had exams too, and no congestion or bad lung sounds at all. We are waiting for the eye swab test to come back (checking for Feline Herpes Virus), but are treating them on their symptoms, which is the wise thing to do. They are all on antibiotics and lysine and vitamins with iron, to help keep their immune systems strong while they fight the cold virus. They are also getting ointment in their eyes to keep the bacteria and virus under control. 

 I hope to make good use of my four days off, but have gotten into Blog searching and think maybe part of it is work avoidance, but part of it is that there is so many interesting people out there, makes the world feel like a village... Here's a photo of some of the kittens, doing what is as close to bed rest as kittens can get.

 

Crazy Cat People

Of course, none of us think we fall into that cat-a-gory, but a friend just sent me this video interview from that New York Cat Show I was at, and I thought you might enjoy a giggle or two...I'm not embarrassed, cuz I'm one of the normal ones, right? I did have to giggle myself when most everyone said they had "7" cats, like that's the number that is well, more than most people have, but not out-of-control like a hoarder...and how most everyone said their cats are "dog-like", like that is something a cat-lover would want, MOL! I think I will find another by-line now, when asked about my cats personality!

I got another kitty back from it's home, for "inappropriate urination". I hope Toby has a successful rehab and can find the perfect home, just like Nacho and Peachie have. I think his home was just too busy and his comfort level was maxxed out. Each cat is different and his owners tried many things to try and get him over that behavior, but nothing worked. So we made the decision together for me to try him here as I have been quite successful with retraining them and figuring out what makes them happy. Today is his birthday, and his family came over to give him a present (Fancy Feast Medleys) and play with him. They are also my petsitters, and have another kitty from me, but so far she seems totally happy--though she was nervous around Toby and began obsessively licking her fur off, and now that he is out of their house, she is more relaxed, too.
Here's a photo of Mr Tob's:

Still feel like I've just moved in...

Heading in to the second week of November and I pushed myself today to attack the living room! I kept telling myself I wanted to wash walls and steam clean knicknacks before putting them back, so for 2 weeks I've been tripping over stuff, moving rough totes to get into the fridge, living out of the guest room still. I sort of lost interest for a while. But today, I hit the living room and kitchen and got quite a bit accomplished. I need to stop soon so I can enjoy a steak and a glass (or 3) of wine...

Had a cat show this weekend, and it was lovely that it was just one day, so I could get moving round the house today! One of my favorite clients at the cat hospital where I work, was "benched" next to me with one of her "household pets", a cute blue classic tabby and white old lady, who didn't look a day over four years old (she is 17!). It was nice to share the day with Carol, and keep up on what our cats were doing. Mine spent the whole day pacing and yowling and marking his territory--he is my new stud cat, Mister. Carol and I felt like bobble-head dolls watching him. He had lots of competition and while I thought he was the nicest Cornish Rex there...the judges felt otherwise and he came away with only 2 points...27 points to go to get his Grand Champion title.

The kittens are doing well, having a little setback this weekend with weaning tummy issues, but they are feeling better this evening and I am watching them closely. Here's a video of them playing on the stairs, quite an adventure for a kitten! Me, I tell people the only exercise I get is going up and down those stairs...and that's not too far from the truth! I need to find a fit SO that might push me to add exercise to my daily routine, instead of just putting on my "to-do" list.

Oh, and that's my new carpet and wood flooring in the video, too!

Magic Carpet Ride...

While my time in New York is still fresh in my mind (gee, it WAS only last weekend) a whole lot has been accomplished back here at the Furry Dance Cat House. New York was great, good food with good friends.

I would highly recommend

The Elephant & Castle www.elephantandcastle.com
and
Arno Ristorante www.arnoristorante.com

I did a little sightseeing, a little shopping and somehow resisted the urge to wander into the store that had these shoes in the window...



The cat show was huge, crowds non-stop and one leaves at the end of the day feeling a bit shell-shocked from all the frenzied activity and "networking". There was a lot of CRex competition and Pixie had 3 nice cats to compete against. While she didn't win, I would have ranked the cats as the judges did, with a handsome black and white boy coming in first in the breed, and Pixie coming in 2nd most of the time. I handed out lots of Cornish Rex information and chatted with many people who have or had a CRex at home and that is always easy and fun, to talk about something you love already! Here's a photo of Pixie at the show, and living it up in the hotel room, and sipping her Tuscan Milk!



I came home with a new Daddy-Cat, Angelwaves Sirius Black. He is going through the isolation and testing protocol I do when I bring a new cat into the house, but 99.9% of his tests have been clear and that's a relief. He is very handsome, all black (hence the name) and is very svelte and racy, only weighing in at 5# 7oz. He is 18 months old, and the next step is to have his heart ultrasounded and if he is clear, then in a few months, he can sire his first litter! Here's his first photo in his new home here!


The (magic) carpet went in on Friday and I love it! It has brownish-greenish tones (khaki to be precise) and so in the light rooms it looks more cafe aulait and in the darker room it looks more sage green. It's a shag (baby) but nowadays they call it Frisee, and it is sort of frizzy. The drywall repairs are complete and the painting almost done. I am now in the process of cleaning the walls and putting everything back in place. It's like I just moved in, with stuff in crates and boxes, but it's giving me a reason to do spring cleaning, get rid of some stuff I'll never wear again and to rearrange some furniture. One good thing about moving furniture around, I found some lighting in the bookshelves was overheating and looked a bit scary, so I didn't hook them back up again! Flood I can handle, fire I don't think so...

Momcats and babies are all doing great. My petsitter has been nurturing them over at her house since I went to New York and so I know they will be SUPER KITTEHS because of all their TLC. They are fat and sassy and in and out of their kitten tent, except at night or when they can't be watched and by the time they come back here tomorrow, they will be ready to move in to the kitten nursery...my newly redone master bathroom. They are not all spoken for yet, one is still up for grabs, but I am certain that he will find just the right home, too.

I'm off to dinner tonight with friends to Nando's Peri Peri Chicken! Mike and I found a Nando's in London when we were there and truly, it is amazing and very close to the Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken my mom has made since their stint in Portugal in the '70's. Here's a link to Nando's, so you can see what you are missing! http://www.nandosperiperi.com/index.cfm

Tomorrow, it's more "moving in" work, but if I put off working on it...I'll be in disarray forever and that's not good mentally or physically. I was behind on stuff before this all happened, but the filing and photo albums and yard work will just have to wait!

Well, just mostly wanted to post so I could show you the new pix, so that's it for today, anyway.

So New York!

Here we are in the Big Apple. Well, no, this cat isn't in NYC, but I thought it was a Hip, kind of CityKitty photo, so I thought I'd use it as an intro. It is a FurryDance cat though!

I had a friend coming with me, to share the fun (and the EXPENSES) but she had to have an unanticipated medical procedure and had to stay close to home. But, as they say "When life hands you lemons, you make Lemonade". I had a cheap vacation in Oregon in August, so I guess if I average these two get-aways together, it's not so bad...

Had an uneventful drive up, no traffic snarls and thanks to the nav system, got right to the hotel, no problems. It's always nice to have a co-pilot in NYC, but I managed it alone, and didn't hit any bike messengers as I worried I might.

The Affinia Manhattan, where I have stayed for the last 3 Madison Square Garden Cat Show, is very nice, right across the street from MSG and while 3 x the price of most hotels I frequent, it's part of being in NYC and the big plus is I can park the car and not have to deal with driving all weekend (though that privilege runs me $44 a day, MOL).

Pixie and I have down comforters, a full kitchen and for me, my beverages of choice (this weekend it's Pina Coladas, Long Island Iced Teas, and White Russians...remember, I had an Aussie coming with me initially!) and for Pixie, why, some Tuscan Milk, of course. 

ODE TO TUSCAN MILK

I couldn't hunt down any friends last night (had their phones turned off, duh) so went around the corner to an Italian place for a Campari and Veal Piccata. It wasn't up to my favorite as Carrabas Grill (I know that they are a chain but their Veal Piccata is excellent, as well as their white Sangria). I stopped at a market on the way back to the hotel and got some Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, which went well with the White Russian for dessert.

Today, I slept in til 9, a real treat lately since with the home repairs, I have had to be up early for the work to begin. Then came bathing and grooming Pixie, then me, haha. Had my favorite yogurt (Fagi Greek yogurt with Honey) and Trader Joe's Ultimate Vanilla Wafers and some Starbucks and I was a happy camper.

Got out of the hotel about 1-ish and and actually made it to a museum on the way to Macy's, The Museum at FIT, and enjoyed their current exhibit, Arbiters of Style, Women at the Forefront of Fashion. I know my niece, Erin, would have enjoyed it! Then it was on to Macy's (and as usual, I couldn't find my way out and felt a little like a kid in a scary Fun House, laughing til it was "Get me out of here"!) I didn't buy anything there this year, but on the way back to the hotel, found a Whole Foods store (with it's own stand alone Whole Body shop) and bought some stuff for me--lip gloss, foot massager and a camera case. And for Pixie, two new collars for costumes (AKA hair scrunchies). She and I will be stylin'.

Tonight, I am meeting my friend, Tracy, who lives in the Village and visiting with her kitties, going out to eat (someplace fantastic she always picks out) and then sitting down with her and going over the new website she is designing for me, which might get up and running this weekend!

So, that's what me and Pixie have been up to the past couple of days. When I get back home, I'll have a few pix of this trip and Pixie living it up in the hotel room and at the show, so that'll be something for my next post...

Cutest Cat & Kids Winner!

Furry Dance Piskie and her proud owner, Ben Poulakos, entered The Cat Fanciers Associations “Cutest Cat and Kids Contest. They just got the news that they won third prize! I don't know how many photos were submitted, but it's a big "bird feather in their cap" to win. Pixie will be there, at the Cat Show and maybe we will even get on TV!

Ben and his family can't attend, but I will be there, with Pixie, the cute cat in the photo. I will proudly bring home the prizes and photos and fun stories to tell for Ben and his wonderful family (who are also my treasured pet sitters when I am away). They are also my dear friends and were the "first response team" when my house flooded! My cats sure give me some quality friends, don't they!

Here’s the photo they entered:

 

Kitten Movie

Thought you all might enjoy this relaxing Sunday morning video. I slept in til 10 am, awoke to this comforting scene, ran and got my camera and since I don't know how to add music, had to bring up the old boom box and look for a lullaby. If Coco looks a bit nervous, it's due to all my fumbling around. That and any noise momcats hear on the other side of the door or outside bring them to full alert.

I am off today to give Spooky (Nacho's previous housemate) a Spa Day and then over to Macchu & Picchu's to cat sit them (and they don't know it yet, but they have a day at the Spa planned, too). I have a feeling my house won't get reorganized this week, but I keep looking at the bare walls thinking I at least need to clean them up before I put the furniture & art back on the walls. Would love to paint, but that'll have to wait for some downtime and help from friends...

Enjoy your Sunday in some wonderful Fall way, it's my favorite season here...

Busy Saturday!

Well, I was relegated to the upstairs at home today, since there was sanding and painting going on in the basement AND new Congoleum DuraPlank going in on the main floor...


So I was forced, forced I say, to climb the ladder up in to the attic and work on it most of the day! Came across some stuff I'd been looking for, some stuff I didn't know was there, and have a big pile of stuff for the dumpster and recycle and The Vietnam Vets to pick up on Thursday. Reminds me, got to schedule a pickup!

I found some old photos of Mike and his family (will have to mail them off to his brother) and some moldering old files of his that were from when he worked at a hotel before college! Boy, they really needed to come 3000 miles to mold some more!! I hope with all the new space up there in the attic, that I can move most of the tools (hate to get rid of them, but anyone I hire will have their own)...so I'll store 'em away for now and make space in the basement for cat show stuff.

The floors look fantastic, as does the tile in the bathrooms. The basement ceiling repairs and painting are all done and in a couple of weeks, the main floor ceiling will get finished, and I'll have all new carpet upstairs. Then comes the chore of putting all the furniture and paintings and bric-a-brac back in place, but I am hoping all the new stuff will encourage me to get it done. Seems like during the week, not much gets accomplished visually, but after this next weekend in NYC, I will be home for 3 weekends in a row, and hope to get a lot done!

I haven't taken any pix of the work in progress here, but did have time to take new kitten pix, so here they are...

HaRd LaBor...

Well, Johnny's in the basement, mixin up the medicine... (what Dylan song is that line from?).

Well, I'm in the basement catching up on the computer while the hammering/ripping/tearing go on upstairs...the plank floors are going in today (and tomorrow) and I am trying to stay out of the way while still being here. So doing that, and periodically making forays in to the attic to try and make some sense out of the mess up there so I can have more storage and have Viet Nam Vets pick up a load of junque, is not too bad a way to spend a day.

I'm petsitting Nacho & Peachie this week while their owners are in Italy on vacation. They are doing so well there, seem very happy and no "out-of-litterbox experiences" since they have been keeping the boxes cleaner. I often watch kitties for their owners when they are away, but thought that for N & P that staying in their new home would be a whole lot less stressful than readjusting to here besides all the construction going on!

A week from now, I wil be in NYC at the big Madison Square Garden Cat show, and bringing a friend along who I haven't gotten to visit with much since she moved away. We are staying in a really nice hotel (no bedbugs I would hope, unlike the Hotel Pennsylvania and other places in the news up there) with a kitchenette (yea, cold beverages!) and down comforters. Both Dayle and I are tight on funds at the moment, so nothing lavish other than the fully stocked bar I will be bringing along. That and being with friends will make the weekend!

Momma's and babies are all doing great, and have decided they want to share the mothering duties, so I have rearranged the 2 tents to make a "suite" with one tent for the "bedroom" and one tent for the "powder room" and I am sure by the end of the weekend that the older kittens will be clambering out of their kitten box/bed and bobbling around and learning how to play.

Little Joy, Coco's kitten from May, was spoken for but because of her heart murmur, they have decided not to take her. I am disappointed, but she is such a sweetie that I am sure one of the other families I have on my waiting list will take one look at her and want to adopt her. I have 2 people who would love a show cat, and I think she could be a winner...so I will keep everyone updated on who will get some "Joy" in their life. Here's a photo of her, being contemplative...

Fall is Here...

A little bittersweet and melancholy, but still with joy at being able to enjoy the weather and colors. Just brings back lots of memories.

I moved to Virginia October 5th, 2001 and arrived to find this lovely weather and colorful leaves,
and joined Mike in our new home and new life together.

Traveling from Oregon to Virginia, with 8 cats, Mike driving the U-Haul towing the Jag and 2 cats in the cab with him, and my mom and I in the van, keeping in touch by walky talkies lent to us by one of my brothers; having a cat escape at a gas station but able to catch him quickly; getting stuck in DC traffic due to a missle or something being transported on the freeway; and then having fun getting to know the area and spending time with my mom.

All those are memories that come to mind, mostly when I am driving a familiar route and seeing Fall all around me, sad but happy too, that I was able to enjoy it with Mike. I don't know how other people deal with their griefs; when it hits them the hardest, but for me, while it might seem odd...I miss Mike the most when I am driving. While we didn't chatter non-stop when in the car (or any other time), we had our rituals which I miss.

Tuesday nite Wings, picked up at Buffalo Wing University, across the street from where I work (and half eaten by the time we got home 45 minutes later); giving Mike manicures while we were on the road to a cat show or a trip (one hand on the wheel, one in my lap); me napping while Mike drove (I miss that lots!)

So, since Fall is here, I will have to have a Pumpkin Beer in his memory.

More kittens...and shopping for lighting

Kiki's new babies arrived on Octobert 2nd! I had been taking her into work with me all week, as I do with expectant momcats during their last week of gestation, and all the staff kept close eye on every move, meow and sigh she made. But she made us all wait until Thursday, and just before lunchtime, she went into labor and had her two babies within 5 minutes of each other! They are purrfect, a little red classic tabby boy and a blue or blue-cream girl. Kiki is a bit of a nervous mom at first, so I am glad I have the next 3 days off, so I can keep a close eye on them. But at least they arrived safe and sound, and I didn't have a middle-of-the-night delivery, as often happens.

 
Sanding starts on the drywall repairs tomorrow, and I asked Clay if he could install some new lights (since the old ones had to be taken down to do the repairs) and he said yes...so today I went to Lowe's and Home Depot (luckily right across the street from each other) and picked out new ceiling lights and yes, a new faucet for the master bathroom, too! Hope the rest of the house doesn't look too shabby with the new stuff in place! The flooring guy, Wade, took me by a house today that just had the same flooring put in that I am getting, Congoleum DuraStone and Duraplank, and wowza, I loved it. It was so nice to see it in a house rather than in samples.

I stopped in at Hard Times Cafe tonight, had some wings (shoulda stuck with my usual chili dog) and a pint of Abita Turbo Dog (a favorite). It's not the same without Mike, but I had a club soda with lime in his honor. I'm off to a friends for dinner and a movie tomorrow (they have a kitty from me too, so of course they are friends!). Lisa has helped me a lot with her friendship and "attention-to-detail" cleaning when she comes over to help me catch up!

Well, that's all the mewsings for today!

Tee

Tool Time (for cats) & the kitten stork arrived!

There are new kittens in the house! Coco had her kittens on Sept 23 and they are doing great! A flashy calico girl and a cute red & white boy. They are both promised to homes already, but stay here until they are 16 weeks old, so lots of fun ahead.


The cats & I are all staying in the guest bedroom because of the water damage, have 2 tents set up (another litter due tomorrow). It's cozy & fun, like staying in a hotel, mol--that's meow out loud. I'm making the best of it, and this weekend the repairs started. Brighton was very interested in the guys here working, hiding under their tarps and checking out their toolboxes. So I had to put all the cats away, but I snapped a pix of him bunting the shop vac.

 
This guy is great, even cleans up after he gets done working and puts all the tools in an out of the way spot so they wouldn't be in my way. He is a good friend of a couple who have a cat from me...so nice to have someone working on your house that you can trust! He's doing the drywall and painting. In a couple of weeks, more work will be done and we will have new carpets, and tile and wood on the floors.
I got a lot of little stuff done while he was here working, that feels good, and I'm going to clean up, take a nap and then BBQ a steak (coffee encrusted w/creole spices) and have some steamed artichokes w/Bearnaise sauce...and a couple of Hurricanes.

Then I can call it a Good Weekend!

My Cat-astrophe

8/29/08
I was hoping to get another journal done while I was on vacation in Oregon visiting family (from 8/21-29).



I didn't. Had a great time though and felt very rejuvenated...but it didn't last.

The first bad news while I was away was that Billy Idol, one of my 2 Sphynx, has some skin lesions that look suspiciously like ringworm. So my petsitter started everyone on meds and isolated him. But the bad news kept coming...

My petsitter (who also has 2 of my cats) came in on Thursday to find flooding due to one of the cats turning on the upstairs bathroom faucet and it has damaged the drywall and flooring through all 3 levels. It is repairable but I will be dealing with the insurance company etc this week and the cats are confined to 2 bedrooms as the drywall is damaged and the ceilings open in spots and they would be likely to get in there if left loose. So, a hassle and stressful for me, but fixable.

8/31/08
I got a hold of the insurance company today. They sent out ServPro to assess extent of water damage. I now have 15 dehumidifiers running and it's almost 11pm. Too late to relocate to a hotel at this point or decide where I can stay, but will make plans that way tomorrow.

They tore up most of the carpet in the master bedroom and the vinyl in the master bath and the carpet in the upstairs hall. They sprayed mold killer on the hardwood floor and in the ceiling. They said the blowers have to run til at least Thursday but that they will come out on Tuesday and do a moisture assessment again.

I am concerned about the cats health, as well as my own and if my insurance covers it, might stay in a hotel while this is going on. My boss, Jan, said I could stay at her place and board the kitties at the clinic, but then there would be hardly enough room for clients cats!

I may board 1/2 of the cats at the hospital (Sammy, Disco, Billy, Joy) and have Brighton and Spot with me. Coco and Kiki are pregnant and I worry about that, so my petsitter will take them to her house.

I just need to try and figure out what would be best for the cats, as I already know/think I can weather this. Also depends on whether I can sleep tonight and how hot it gets in here tomorrow, but the guys said about 15 degrees hotter than normal with all these machines running. If it's not bad, well, I can muddle thru here.

To top it off, I have a big cat show, the one at the Dulles Expo, this weekend, but am only showing my petsitters kitty, so not too stressful I hope.

9/1/08
My, my...I do have some extra special friends! One has offered me their lovely, just redone guest room with full bath etc; one has offered to put me up in a Residence Inn; another would even take allergy meds so I could stay with them; another offered room for the kitties.

But Safeco Insurance is coming through and will put me up in a Residence Inn right near where I work and even pay the pet deposit, too. so for right now, that is what I am going to do. The dehumidifier fans have to run through at least Thursday so that is how long a stay they booked me.

My petsitter is going to take my 2 pregnant girls, I will board Sammy, Disco, Billy & Joy at the hospital where I work and just have Brighton and Spot at the hotel with me. If I have to stay in the hotel longer, they will book it for the extra time, as well as if I have to move out again while repairs are going on. Guess I'll just leave my suitcase packed like I am on vacation, lol.

9/12/08
Well, I ended up in the Inn for a week, fit a cat show in there someplace (Pixie needs 5 more points to get her Grand title), and got to sort of avoid reality for a week! Got back in my house on Monday, and had a friend over today helping me clean up and to staple bedsheets over the holes in the ceiling so the cats can't get up there. Billy's skin problems clearing up, culture still pending so I have him isolated still. Flooring guy was out today and has me dreaming of all new floors--Congoleum DuraPlank! So now instead of surfing YouTube, I'm surfing flooring sites, lol. Binx arrived back at his birth home safe and sound, and Disco has someone interested in giving him a new lease on life, so I hope that works out. He's coming to meet him next week.

That's all the mews for now.

12 months since my last journal

Ok, so I am way overdue in keeping in touch. MySpace didn't help much. Facebook neither. In fact, my cats get more correspondence and friends requests on Catster than I do on MySpace & Facebook!

I am too busy today to write much, but will soon and then I will make it a weekly thing, alrighty then!