Duties X 4...

 

Maybe I should have written that as: doody times 4?

With Steph and Dan on vacation, we have 4 times the cat duties.  Last night, we went to their house so their cats had human interaction for several hours.  We brought Murphy with us, so he gets to spend time with his "cousins." 

In the grande scheme of things, there is a hierachy: their "cat status" is Tasha as the Queen; Alfie is their special needs boy who needs neurological meds on a schedule; and Tango, their orange boy, who is just a sweet youngster at heart.  Toss Murphy into the mix and it changes things.  Murphy tends to be the Alpha Male with Tango, but they behave differently when at our house than when they are at Steph and Dan's house.

Murphy is curious about Tasha.  He is smart enough to not get too close or playful with her.  One hiss from Tasha last night put Murphy in his place.  But, there is no animosity there - they all seem to get along.  Murph seems to be considerate around Alfie (who moves a little slower... except when snacks are involved).  He and Tango are two young boys; sometimes they are rough and tumble, sometimes they are just chill.

This morning, Joan and I were able to sleep in until almost 7:00; that was a rare treat.  I took care of Murphy's feeding and while Joan took him outside, I went to Steph and Dan's to get their 3 "med and fed."  Yes, they were happy to see me.  It takes a little longer in the morning feeding, because food and water dishes need to be washed and there are some supplements to be added to their food.  Then, at least one photo (usually more) to send to Steph for "proof of life."

 When we were done with cat stuff, Joan, Murphy and I went back to our patio to continue the "Morning Concert Series"...

 Yesterday, it was an hour long Beatles set before going inside to get out of the heat.  Today, after seeing a piece on CBS Sunday Morning about the Latitude Margaritaville 55+ "active adult" planned communities, I did a Jimmy Buffett set before going back inside to the air conditioning.

It's a good start to the day.