A Rager...

 

informal•North American English

a wild party, typically involving the consumption of alcohol.

 

No, Joan and I did not have a party last night.  Judging by what I saw when I got up this morning, the cats did.  Beer cans and booze bottles strewn about.  Confetti everywhere.  Disco lights.

 

OK, I may be making that up.  Murphy's tower was tipped over.  The pad on the 4th level of the catio had been knocked down to the lowest level.  The cats had been rowdy during the night.

 

I think we'll all need a nap this afternoon.

 

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Getting Nekkid...

 

I've explained the difference between "naked" and "nekkid" before, but here it is again, in case you missed it: naked means you are unclothed; nekkid means you are unclothed and up to something.  Today is day ten since Stella's spay surgery; time for the pink onesie (surgical recovery suit) to come off...

 

 There is a lot of fur in need of being bathed.  Joan thinks she looks bigger now, without the pink onesie; still seems pretty scrawny to me, though she has filled out since she first came to live with us.

 

A Scream!

 

You know what they say about kids playing in the park?  Yeah, even though they're all making noise, you can tell when your kid screams. 

This morning, after getting up a second time - I'll get back to this thought, but I got up, fed the cats, did my morning routine, then took Murphy out in the yard.  Back inside, Joan made me a breakfast sandwich... and I went back to bed.  And, now back to getting up a second time. 

I was in the bathroom cleaning up, when I heard a cat scream coming from the living room.  It was definitely Stella - my first thought was: Murphy is hurting her! Looking into the living room, Stella was on top of her tower (we call them his and hers towers, but they can both use whichever one they want), screaming and hissing - no one around her!

Joan got there first.  Stella had somehow managed to get her leg tangled up in a ribbon that has been wrapped around the top perch on the tower for several cats.  She has chewed it and pulled it... it is kinda mangled.  But now, she got her leg caught between wraps - and the more she pulled, the tighter it got.

Joan was trying to untie the ribbon and said to me, "Bring me some scissors!"  I was almost in my underwear (not to sick to share TMI) as I went for the drawer with the scissors; but the time I got them, she had the ribbon untied.

Joan was soothing Stella.  And in a sweet move, Murphy jumped up on the tower and put his nose up on Stella... not in a threatening way.  I know this because I have seen him move on her in a threatening way. 

Crisis averted, no harm done.  Joan removed the ribbon from the tower.

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"My house is back!"

Time for us to bring the catio back.  Stella's incision is healing nicely.  We appreciate Steph and Dan loaning us the large crate they have for Dicha... they will be needing that back: Dicha goes in to get spayed next week.

So, today, Joan cleaned the crate and the catio and brought the catio back into the house (it has been in the shed, so it wasn't out in the weather).  It has 4 levels - more fun for an active cat, but the crate was better to keep Stella from jumping when she was recuperating.  She seemed excited to have the catio back...

 Yes she is still in her pink onesie; a few more days for that.  The vet recommended 10 days to two weeks, so we're getting close.

 

Feeling Better...

 

Me?  No, I'm still at the point in this crud where each day is worse than the day before.  But, little Stella is feeling chipper again after her spaying surgery: when Joan got up this morning, Stella had wriggled her way out of her surgery recovery suit.  Considering that it closes down her back with Velcro® and an adjustable neck opening, I have no idea how she could have done that.

Today, Stella is darting all around, playing with a bunch of toys, following Murphy around like an annoying little sister, and climbing both towers like a spider monkey.

She is especially fond of this "racetrack/scratcher"...

 There is a ball in that purple part that she can knock around (captive) and the center part is a scratch pad.  This one is a "family heirloom" from back in Izzy's time.  Izzy, Rufus, Murphy, and now Stella have all played with it.  The scratcher part has been replaced many times; we used to be able to buy an exact fit replacement, now we get as close as we can find in size and cut it to fit.

It makes our hearts happy to see her active and playing again.

She engages Murphy in play...

 Things will progress until he is getting the better of her, then she will scream, "Mom - he's picking on me!"  

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Somebody whose name I won't mention was getting a bit rowdy.  Joan decided on this instead of "time out"...

 "I didn't do nuthin'."  It did slow him down a bunch.

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I didn't do much today: eat, sleep, take cold meds, repeat.  I did feed cats.  Well, to be fair, Joan fed our two first thing this morning before I got up (that almost never happens).  I did watch our two cats play much of the day.  I finally decided to clean up around the crack of late afternoon.

Joan sat with Murphy and Stella for quite a while...

 I took Murphy outside for a while around his supper time.  It was a gorgeous day... I would have enjoyed getting out on two wheels, but my equilibrium is a bit off with this crud.  If felt good to get a few minutes of sunshine.

When I came back in, Stella was napping on the couch...

 Joan thought it was cute, too: she sent me this photo from a different angle...

 

A Man Cold...

 

For those not familiar with the term, it is: a cold/flu/covid/plague worse than anything you've had before.  If you ask Joan, she had the same thing last week; and while she had it, she cooked, cleaned, rotated the tires on all our vehicles (and that is a lot of work on the bikes), harvested a crop of potatoes and baled hay.  And, we don't have a field of potatoes or hay.

Sarcasm?  Ya think?

Whatever it is, it knocked me on my ass.  Worse today than yesterday.  Feels like it is settling in my lungs.  I am taking over the counter cold and flu stuff... which tends to make me feel like I'm moving through glue.

After getting kitties fed and sitting up for a bit, I went back to bed.  I am told that "sleep helps."  Maybe it's a delayed reaction?  Joan brought Murphy into the bedroom to lay with me.  "This will help relax you."  He stayed almost 4 seconds.

When I got up for the second time, Stella was laying on a cat pad on the couch.  I sat down next to the pad and put her on my lap.  She growled for a couple seconds then settled into a nice purr.  I guess Murphy didn't want Stella to have all the attention, so he hopped up and laid down on the pad...

 The three of us sat together for a half hour or so.  Not sure how Murphy and Stella felt about it, but it sure made me feel better.

 

It Got Me...

 

Joan was under the weather last week.  Sore throat, body aches, sinus issues.  It hit at the same time that Stella went into heat, and then taking her in for the spay surgery.  While sleep was lacking for the whole household, I thought this crud had missed me.

I was wrong.  Last night, it hit me hard.  The "razor blades in the throat" feeling, snot coming out like a leaky faucet, and body aches.

I stayed away from my music buddies last week, missing a rehearsal with Mark, Podge, and Ron on Wednesday, and a jam with Allan and the guys on Friday.  And now I will miss the "big group" tomorrow; would have been all 7 of us there for the first time since we played out at a party at Ron's house last spring.  I miss the music and my friends.  Last week, I stayed away because of being exposed to Joan; didn't want to bring that to anyone.  This week, she is better and I get my turn with the crud.  

A Blast From The Past...

 

If you said, "Something that every radio DJ would say when playing an old song," you get 2 bonus points.  If you said, "What is a radio DJ?" get off my lawn, ya damn whippersnapper.  If you said, "A romantic comedy film from 1999, starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, and Sissy Spacek," you get 25 bonus points.

I am talking about a blast from our past: I recently heard from the guy who is the current owner of Wide Open.  "What's Wide Open?" you ask.  Thanks for asking.  Wide Open was the F-27 Corsair sailing trimaran we had before Wild Blue.  Great boat; fast, sleek, and stable.  It could sleep 5 (never slept more than just Joan and me when we had it), comfortable cockpit, great lounging on the nets between the main hull and the amas.

 My two favorite memories with that boat weren't while sailing (although it was a great sailing boat): lying out on the nets while watching a meteor shower in South Dakota, and watching dolphins swim around the boat in the moonlight while anchored overnight in the Laguna Madre in Texas.

The reason we sold it: we had ordered Wild Blue and were looking forward to boat cruising US and Canadian waters.  A power cruiser with an enclosed helm made more sense for us.  Both boats were towable, but going from land to water (and vice versa) was so much easier with the C-Dory.  Plus the stand up height (6'10") cabin in Wild Blue vs the 5' cabin height in Wide Open (except for the area right under the hatch when popped up that allowed full standing height when at the galley).  Each of those boats were outstanding in their own right. 

The gentleman that recently bought the boat has been trying to find information on the previous life of Wide Open (owners, where sailed, upgrades).  I was able to fill in some of that; we gave the boat that name.  We bought the boat through a dealer in Dallas, picked it up in Corpus Christi.  We owned it from 2001 to 2006; sold it through that same dealer (La Vida Starships).

We had the boat in South Dakota and Texas.  Kept it at a marina at Lake Angostura in South Dakota, using it on weekends.  Then hauled it south for winters in Texas.  The top photo above was at Angostura with Steph and Dan, the lower photo was at our dock in Texas.

The boat would fold for towing.  Not a fast procedure, but a clever design.  Here it is on the trailer behind the American Dream coach we had at the time...

 That rig was 78' long as pictured above.  Joan would drive separate in the Tahoe we had at the time, acting as the escort vehicle.  We couldn't fit in most parking lots or RV parks, so it took some logistics.  Once down, the Tahoe (or the Leisure Travel Van) could haul the boat for launching and retrieving at a boat ramp.  Setting up or de-rigging the boat was done on the trailer, using the trailer winch to raise or lower the 38' mast.  The amas (outriggers) were folded up or extended on the water.  Yeah, that part was a lot of work... and the reason we switched to Wild Blue, with our retirement plans for boat cruising.

For as big as that boat was, the design was ingenious and reasonably lightweight to allow for a (supposed) 8.5 foot width for towing.  Weight on the trailer was just over 5,000 pounds.  While called an F-27, the boat was just over 30' long.  In that photo above, you can see the windows on the rear cabin (which would sleep 2, but we used it for storage).  Width on the water was just over 19'; the draft (depth) of the boat was 5' with the daggerboard down, 1.2' with the daggerboard and rudder up.  The design displacement was just over 2,600 pounds, actual weight with motor and sails was around 3,200 pounds.  Keeping the boat light made for faster sailing speed.  Top speed Joan and I had the boat was 21 knots (about 24 mph) under sail.  Most often, an easy sailing speed would be 10 to 12 knots.

The boat was designed by Ian Ferrier and built by Corsair Marine, which was in Costa Mesa, California, at the time, but has since moved building operations to Vietnam (lower labor costs and less environmental laws for the building materials/process).

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Joan and I reminisced about Wide Open when I told her about getting an email from the current owner.  "How did he find you?" she asked.

"Internet search.  I was pretty active on the Trailer Sailor Forum and an administrator on the F-Boats forum.  He had an older email address for me."

She also said, "That was a younger person's boat... but I guess we were younger at the time."  That's relative.  ;-)  It took both of us to rotate that 30' boat (with a 19' beam) in a 55' wide canal, using a line on the dock and motor power.  Once moving forward, we didn't have much steerage until doing about 2 1/2 knots.  We could only put the daggerboard down a foot or so until out of the canals, which made the steering less effective.  Coming in and out of the canals was always an adventure, if someone on a fishing boat coming the other direction around a corner wasn't paying attention - we would sound a horn blast as we approached a 90º corner in the canal.

When just cruising on the boat, one of us would handle the tiller and mainsail, the other would handle the jib sail when tacking.  The sails were big and powerful enough that tightening with a winch was always necessary.  When racing, I handled the steering, Joan was usually out on an ama, moving back or forth to give us the best balance for speed.  We were a good team.  When the wind was howling, we had roller furling for the jib and a roller boom for reefing the mainsail.

The first time we ever saw a Corsair F-boat in person was during a 60 mile race: the wind was blowing like snot, we were on the MacGregor 26x sailboat we had at the time.  We were taking a beating in the wind, wet and tired.  It was a staggered start - our boat had a slow rating, so we were one of the first to start.  Towards the mid part of the race, this sleek trimaran blew by us like we were still tied to the dock. The guy at the helm was steering with one hand, holding a soda in the other hand; his wife and kid were on the upwind net, relaxing; they all waved as they went by.  Joan asked, "What was that?"

"Our next boat."

 

Together Again...

 

No bonus points, because I used that title a while back and told about songs by that name by Buck Owens and Janet Jackson.  No, not the same song.

This afternoon, Murphy was laying on the couch.  Joan scooped up Stella and put her on a cushion next to Murphy's.  They have been doing really good together, but would they lay side by side?

 Pretty sweet, huh?

 

So this is what sleep feels like...

 

We all got a good night's sleep last night.

Finally.  Stella and Murphy are mostly back to being "brother and sister" again, as opposed to Romeo and Juliette.  Bonnie and Clyde?  Playful instead of salacious.  Not sure how they feel about that, but I am relieved.

8:00 am, both cats have been fed; Murphy got to have some non-prescription food and he licked the bowl clean.  They had a bit of supervised play time; supervised to make sure Stella doesn't overdo the activity.  Murphy and I went outside for some time in the yard (Stella watched through the glass door).  Back inside and treats for both.  And now they are each on their respective towers.

This is more like it.  Murph is not acting like a horn-dog and Stella has not twerked in front of him.  If he gets too close, she hisses.  SO much better than "Bring it on, big boy!"

Last night before we went to bed, Stella laid on a pad on the couch, next to Joan.  Where she welcome the petting.  Murphy stayed on the foot of our bed through the night.  They were both watchful as I got their food ready this morning. 

I feel like we are going to make it through this chapter.

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After getting the cats settled in, I opened my laptop to get going on my morning.  First thing: an email from the current owner of Wide Open, the sailing trimaran we used to have.  He managed to track me down (the internet) and had a couple questions.  Interesting throw back.

The next was a gut-punch: we had to say good-bye to our sweet Izzy 8 years ago.  Facebook Memories can be sweet or heart-breaking.  I felt the lump in my throat the instant I saw the photo...

 

She was our most traveled feline.  And the most comfortable with all the traveling.  They have all been great, each in their own special way. 

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Some lite playing this morning...

 Murphy is being gentle with her.  If you can't tell from these images, Stella is instigating the play...

 Murphy's legs are tucked.  They will play for a while, then go to their separate areas.  Joan and I are keeping tabs so nobody gets too rowdy.

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Stella rested in Joan's arms today.  Sweet.  And then a nap this afternoon...

 "Why do you take so many photos, Dad?"  I like that she calls me Dad already.

"Because we don't have grandkids, my little girl."  I'm not sure she understood.

 

Answer: Nobody...

 

If you said, "I'll take "Who Slept Last Night" for $200, Alex," you get 30 bonus points. (Jeopardy reference)

Yeah, nobody slept last night.  Of course, Joan and I were concerned about Stella.  The surgery recovery suit made her less crazy than the cone or the donut.  Everything I read about it said that it is just as effective as the cone, and less traumatizing than the cone.  Glad we had that as an option.

Early on, Joan chose to go out on the couch - Stella would cry if someone wasn't in the room.  That left Murphy and I in the bedroom... until he started yakking up a furball about 2:00 am.  That sound is more potent than any alarm clock.

Stella pulled her water dish over several times.  After the 3rd time, she had to go without water for the rest of what was left of the night.

By 5:00 am, we all cashed it in and said we're up for the day.

When I opened the crate that Stella is in, she ran right out.  Murphy said, "Whoo, baby!" and I had to chase them apart.  Apparently, cutting out the reproductive bits on Stella wasn't an immediate end to her randiness or the pheromones she is putting out to make Murphy crazy.  Which makes us all crazy.

We are all going to need a nap today.

But, first, I have a doctor's appointment this morning.  Which I have to go in fasting.  This will be the end of my 5 years of blood tests to check for any recurrence of cancer.  As well as the usual things they check for to tell you what you don't get to eat anymore.  And, re-up on prescriptions.  They will only write prescriptions for 6 months, so you have to go see them twice a year.  It's a racket.

So, tired and cranky.  

We're trying to keep Stella "calm."  She seems plenty ready to be active this morning.  The vet gave us two pills for pain... not sure how we're going to get that down her, but we have a couple hours to figure that out.

Right now, we have her out of the crate, wrapped in a soft blanket, and being held...

 For now, she is calm.  Purring.  Murphy is in "time out" in the bedroom.  When I get back from the doctor, I plan to put myself in time out.

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The first full day after surgery went well.  Stella got a pain pill as prescribed around noon.  We tried hiding it in a treat - she was too smart for that.  Then, she licked it off Joan's finger... and spit it out.  I put it in her soft food for lunch, but she ate all her hard and ignored the soft.  For a while; eventually she gave in, ate the soft, and had a nice peaceful nap this afternoon.

While she was napping, Murphy and I took a nap, too.  Joan laid down with us for a bit, but went back to the living room to keep an eye on Stella.  She may have gotten a little shut-eye during Stella's quiet time.

We checked Stella's incision: looks good.  It's a little cut, but she is a little girl.  Stella is doing good.  We got a text from the vet's office today, asking about her - nice of them to follow up the next day.  All good.

And, a quiet evening so far.  Very different (and better) than yesterday evening.  There is hope!

 

She's home...

 

We got a call around 2:00 that we could pick up Stella at 4:00 - everything went well.  We were at PetSmart when I got the call, picking out food for her and Murphy (Murphy can try being off the prescription food).  I saw this on display...

 That might have been a good purchase for that whole "cat in heat" situation.  Just kidding - no, it wouldn't.

We were at the vet's office 10 minutes before 4:00; and then waited for another half hour or so.  The vet brought Stella out and visited with us, answering our questions.   We drove home (carefully) and got Stella into the house.  I held her for a while, talking calmly to her; she was wearing the soft cone we had taken to the vet, and she wasn't a bit happy about that.

A sudden noise in the house, and Stella launched, running all around the living room.  Just what we were trying to avoid.  She pulled out of the cone.  I managed to get her by the scruff of the neck, with only two puncture wounds - to me, not her.  We put the cone back on her and put her into the crate.  The Velcro® on the cone stuck to one of the soft pads in the crate.  So much for calm.

Joan took the cone off and put on the soft donut...

 The thinking here is it isn't covering here vision like the cone.  It took her about 5 minutes to pull out of that.  Back to the cone.

Joan folded the cone back (the reason for a soft instead of a hard cone) so Stella could get to her water and food dishes.  The vet said she could eat whenever she was ready... and she was ready.  Mad and ready.

The plan for the evening: let her chill.  Food as she seems ready for it.  Doing what we can to keep her calm and not jumping around.  She and Murphy seem OK with being nose to nose through the bars of the crate, but it is a different vibe from the last few days.  Thankfully.

I expected her to be more out of it this evening.  She seemed that way for the first few minutes I was holding her, but she is now all about checking out this new "catio of sorts" (maybe looking for a way out of it?) - it doesn't have all the fun levels of the other catio.  Intentionally, to try to make it easy for her to get around in there.  

I'm hoping for a quiet evening.

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Murphy was laying outside the crate, keeping an eye...

 At one point, Murphy reached in with a paw and Stella touched her paw to his.  I thought to myself, "Oh, how sweet"... and then it turned into a slap fest.  "Come on, buddy, we're trying to keep her calm."

Stella is strong for her size.  That is not an asset for this current situation.  She is also smart - she braced her back legs on the donut and popped it right off.  We switched back to the cone (in the above photo; it lasted a little longer before she popped that off.  We are now at: pop-offs, cone - 3, donut - 2.

Back to the donut for her next small meal...

 I didn't know if the hormones would be diminished immediately with the spay.  She is caterwauling less, but still calling for Murphy.

The score is now 3 to 3.

New plan: surgical suit.  What's that?  Thanks for asking.  It is a onesie that cinches at the neck and uses Velcro® down the back to cover the incision.  Supposedly, they are able to poop and pee with it on.  Yes, Joan bought one at the same time she got the cone and the donut.

Putting it on her was a two-person job: one to hold her by the scruff of her neck and get scratched while the other slips the suit over her head and maneuvers her legs through the appropriate holes.  I did the holding while getting scratched part, while Joan "dressed" her.  She is walking awkwardly, but - so far - hasn't figured out how to pull it off or rip it to shreds.

 If you haven't figured it out, yet, in the image above she is saying something to me... and the horse I rode in on.

Joan suggested that our next purchase might need to be meat-cutting (chain mesh) gloves for me.  She also proposed that the next step will be the donut over the suit.  And then the cone over the donut over the suit.

So much for the quiet evening.

And now we wait...

 

We took Stella to the vet this morning for her spay operation.  Of course, there is the paperwork to be signed that makes you uneasy.  They have 6 surgeries today; not sure where Stella's will be in that line-up.  They will let us know sometime this afternoon, early evening, when we can pick her up.

Steph and Dan lent us one of Dicha's crates.  The footprint is bigger than the catio, but it is all one level, so it will be better for Stella while she recuperates; soft pad for sleeping, food dishes, a scratch pad, and litter box.

Joan bought a soft cone, a soft neck donut, and a surgery-suit to keep Stella from licking the incision.  We have read up on what to expect during her recovery time (10 to 14 days).  I think we are ready to get her through this.

Stella was up nearly a pound when the vet tech weighed her this morning.  That was our plan: to get her good and healthy before this surgery.

She didn't get to have any food after 10:00 last night, so just a water dish in her catio.  This morning, she was very much looking forward to breakfast; I felt like a bad cat-Dad when I couldn't feed her.  Just like the last couple nights, she was vocal overnight and this morning.  Normally, she is pretty quiet; it will be interesting to see how she behaves after this surgery. 

Her "recovery suite" is ready for her return...

 

Exhausted...

 

You're a muffler?  That's an old joke: I had a dream I was a muffler... I woke up exhausted.

No joke; I was exhausted when I got up this morning.  Little Stella howled through the night.  My sleep number was 54, but I think that was optimistic.  I got up a couple times to check on her - she would look back at me like "What?"  Then howl some more.

When I finally got up, I let her out of the catio while I got breakfast ready for both cats.  I had to chase Murphy off of her at least a half dozen times.  With Stella cooing and saying, "That's it big boy, bite me..."  There were some other things said, I can't repeat them here.

I just have to make it through the day.  Well, and the night.  I had two things on my schedule for today: take Murphy to the vet for a check-up, and go to Mark's to play some music.  I felt bad for canceling, but I just didn't have it in me to make that 40 minute drive to Mark's.  I am sleep depraved.  What?  You say "deprived"... I'm good with what I wrote.

Joan and I discussed putting Murphy in his harness and on a leash to go to the vet.  For some reason, she chose to take our smallest carrier (we have several to choose from) as our back up.  Murphy does not like to go for a ride.  He let out that low guttural howl that is worse than his horn-dog voice.  When we got to the vet, she sent me inside to get checked in.  The receptionist said, "You can bring Murphy in, it should be just a couple minutes."

"How about if I bring him in in about 5 minutes and maybe you can get us into an exam room at that point.  He's being more vocal than usual today."

While sitting in the car, using up that 5 minutes, a woman came out with what looked like a dingo... as in: the dingo ate my baby!  Glad we weren't getting Murphy to the door at the same time.  No way was Murphy going to fit into that small carrier, so I carried him in, with him screaming at full volume.  No, I don't know why.

We got right into an exam room, and the vet tech Stephanie got Murphy weighed and asked questions before the vet came in.  I mentioned the dog that looked like a dingo, and Stephanie said, "As in; the dingo ate my baby?"  Kinship.

Murphy wasn't any happier in the exam room...

 Maybe he was intimidated by the punk yak (or whatever that is) in the photo behind him?  The vet came in, looked him over, listened to his heart and lungs, looked at his eyes, ears, and teeth, and declared him a "big, healthy boy."  Good description.  In front of vet and tech, he was well-behaved and quiet.

From there, we stopped for gas ($1 off per gallon at Fry's with our rewards); $2.49/gallon for premium.  I consider that a win!  Then to Walgreens to pick up an order Joan had placed, then back home.

Murphy did not want to walk on his leash from the driveway to the front door.  I would have though he'd be relieved to be back home.  Back inside, a treat for both kitties, then I let Stella out of the catio while I got their lunch ready.

The two of them sat by the patio door...

 Yes, Stella was playing with Murphy's tail.  I let them play together for a bit, then put her back in the catio with her lunch.

I think I need a nap. 

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I got that nap!  I slept for over an hour, with the blinds open, the sunlight streaming in, and Murphy laying beside me.  My furry boy stayed right by me... kind of a first.

When I got up and came out into the living room, Stella was napping in the catio - she and Murphy saw each other and the howling started up again.  I took Murphy outside for a walk in the yard - I could hear Stella caterwauling through the heavy glass of the patio door.

Back inside, I got both of them their 5:00 meal... neither was interested in food.  I took Murphy back outside and Stella ate.  Back inside, Murphy ate a bit, then the love song duet started up again.  Joan put Murph in the bedroom and closed the door.

Outside the door, Stella screamed, "I don't care if you're my brother - I love you!  I want to have your babies!"  (not possible)

Murphy screamed back, "I will wait for you forever - they can't keep us apart!  You are the most beautiful feline I have ever seen!"

If this were a romance novel, Murphy would be on the cover, shirtless, and ripping Stella's bodice... and I'm not sure I know what a bodice is.

Stephanie came over and asked, "Is that your whore of a cat making all that noise?"

"Do NOT call my little girl a whore, and yes that is the little trollop calling, and horn-dog Murphy calling back!"

Some HOA board stuff needed addressing this afternoon (someone who complains about everything, but does nothing productive... I'd rather listen to these cats caterwauling.

Is it really only Wednesday?

 

 

 

Caterwauling...

 

So close.

I woke up about 4:30 this morning to what sounded like whimpering in the living room.  Murphy was not down at the foot of our bed (where he usually sleeps).  I went out to check: Stella was sitting up in the catio, Murphy was laying beside the catio.  Nobody seemed distressed, so I went back to bed.

And then heard it again.  This time, Stella was making little cooing sounds.  I let her out of the catio and started the morning feeding routine, way too early.  The next thing I know, Murphy is behind and above Stella, biting her on the back of the neck!  "Leave her alone!  No!  Bad Murphy!"

It didn't look like he had bitten her hard, but Stella was kind of slithering around on the floor.  I was worried about her and picked her up.  No resistance; she was almost cuddly.  She seems fine.  I put her down, went back to getting their food ready and... Stella is twerking in front of Murphy!

OMG - she is coming into heat!  We are so close: Stella has an appointment on Thursday to get spayed.  These two are rubbing faces and Stella is definitely playing the coquette in front of Murphy.  In spite of being neutered, Murphy is all in.  I had to put him in the catio so I could keep working on their morning food.

I put Murphy's food down, opened the catio door, and expected him to go right to his food dishes.  Nope - he is all about getting as close as he can to his little sister.  I put Stella's food in the catio, picked her up, put her in there, and shut the door.

I have some experience with chasing horn-dog boys away, but none of it is recent.  I won't go into intimidating teenage boys when Steph was that age.  But when Smoke, our first cat came into heat, it was a complete surprise to me... that sweet little girl howled like something from The Exorcist, and looking outside, our front yard was covered with tomcats... several were kicking at the door and hollering, "Send out the girl!"  Six more were bringing in a battering ram.  It was winter in the Black Hills - I made a pile of snowballs and fired them off from our porch.  My aim was good, but it was a damn infantry of horny tomcats.  I called the vet and got a group rate on this female cat and the two female sheepdogs we had at the time.  But, I digress.

I haven't looked out our front door this morning.  I was too busy trying to play chaperone to two horn-dog cats.

When Joan got up, I explained what was going on to her; she said, "Well, we'll have to keep an eye on them for the next two days."

An eye on them?  Murphy, who is normally well-behaved, is losing his mind, and Stella is strutting around like a very outgoing teenager in her first, long overdue, bikini.

I took Murphy outside.  Stella was caterwauling away inside.  Murphy usually likes to walk around for 15 to 30 minutes... he made one lap around the patio furniture and then wanted back inside.

Turn your head for a second, and he was up behind her, biting her on the back of the neck.  It took both Joan and I to keep them apart.  Finally, Joan put Murphy in our bedroom... and Stella went to the door, making the screechy cooing sounds.  They touched paws under the door.  It would have been sweet if it wasn't salacious.

 Murphy is on the other side of that door.  (photos from Joan)

 Here's how she sounds...

 Normally, the only time we hear her voice has been a very quiet "Meow" or hissing at Murphy.  She isn't hissing now.

So close. 

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To take my mind off my sweet baby Stella swinging around the cat tower like it was a stripper pole, this afternoon, the two guys from the rain gutter company showed up to do what I assume will be the final solution.  These two guys, Miguel and Marck, are young and care to keep the customer satisfied.  The solution they proposed: cut away 7" of the back side of the top bars of the pergola and install a seamless gutter in that area.  Guaranteed to not leak!  Because: seamless.  I had to get the owner of the company involved - he did not really want to do this; concerned about liability if they messed up my pergola.  I said, "I will sign a waiver disallowing you of any responsibility for damage."

He asked if I was OK if these two guys came back to do the work - I said, "These two guys are the ONLY ones I trust to do the work!  This was their solution and it makes the most sense.  If you want a satisfied customer - and by the way, I have not complained or hollered about the previous 'fixes' that didn't fix anything, it is Miguel and Marck that I want to do the job."

Yes, they had us sign a waiver; I don't blame them.

The guys came out, we talked about what they were going to do, I offered to pick up the pieces they cut off to save them trips going up and down the ladders... and it all went smooth.  It took about two hours.  I gave them a gratuity when they were done, we shook hands, Joan got them some ice water while they were gathering up tools... and, I think this job is finally done.

 Looks good.  I can see that the slope is right (the first two "fixes" resulted in level spots, with seams).  A 90 foot run, with a tall portion in the middle to send the water in the proper direction, either way.

Done.

 

Reminiscing...

 

If you said, "Little River Band, 1978," you get 30 bonus points.

Last night, Joan and I were trying to remember how old Izzy was when we first got her from the Animal Shelter in Port Isabel.  One of the fun aspects of this blog (for me), is being able to go back years, and having a record of life events.

We got Izzy on December 21st, 2008; they estimated that she was 7 to 8 months old.  I was trying to make some comparisons with Stella.  Izzy had some medical issues, had thin fur, and was under-nourished.

2009 was her year to blossom.  It was an eventful year for us, and Izzy was along for all of it: we started the year with a trip to Arizona to see Steph and Dan.  Then a week in Laughlin, Nevada, in our HitchHiker 5th wheel.  Vegas, then back to Phoenix.  With spring weather, we then headed to Kansas to get some work done at the HitchHiker factory.  On to Branson, Missouri, for a week.  Then north to Sioux City for a week to visit with family there.  West to the Black Hills for a month at Hart Ranch. Then, back to Texas, where we swapped out the HitchHiker for Wild Blue, our C-Dory cruising boat.

From there it was northeast to New York State, and two months of boat cruising on the Erie Canal, the Hudson River, New York City, back to the Erie Canal, then north into Canada for boat cruising on the Trent-Severn Waterway.  From there, it was south to Niagra Falls; then making our way leisurely back to Texas, using Wild Blue along the way as our "boater-home."

Back in Texas in late September, we swapped Wild Blue for the HitchHiker once again, then headed west to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the International Balloon Fiesta.  Then some RVing into other parts of New Mexico and into north Texas.  While staying at a Corps of Engineer park in central Texas, our truck (Big Red) got hit by a guy who unhooked his Jeep from his motorhome, but didn't have it in gear - the Jeep rolled free down a hill and hit Big Red broadside.  The put a crimp in our traveling - the truck was driveable, but it wasn't pretty.

We made arrangements to get the truck repaired in Phoenix, then headed north to Dallas for Thanksgiving with Joan's family, and off to Phoenix from there to spend the holidays with Steph and Dan.

It was easily the most traveling we did (by boat and RV) in several years, spending far more time away from home than at home.

And through it all, Izzy became a truly amazing travel cat.  She was comfortable with us in the boat, and the truck, and happy to be comfortable in the 5th wheel.

And my absolute favorite photo of Izzy, taken in New York, as she was peeking around the front of the boat cabin...

 

Stella reminds me of Izzy, not in coloring, but in stature.  And in heart.  Izzy was a medium hair, Stella is a short hair.  Izzy started out very shy, but became worldly with our travels.  Stella is a product of the street, and is learning to be domesticated.  But each of them is our "little girl" - Izzy was lovey and snuggly... we're working on that for Stella.

Last night, Stella and Murphy actually played together...

 Each day has its ups and downs with these two.  More ups than downs as we approach the one month mark.  This morning, these two have been playing a kitty version of tag.  Murphy is the adult in this game, but playing along.  Stella is the kid on a sugar high.  I guess this makes me the old guy sitting on the porch muttering: "Damn kids."  Kidding, of course - it is entertaining to watch.

 

Lazy Days and Sundays...

 

If you said, "The Carpenters, 1971," you get no bonus points - that is Rainy Days and Mondays.  If you said, "The Moody Blues, 1969," oh, so close, but no cigar - that is Lazy Day... but, you get 6 bonus points for partial credit... well, mostly for even knowing the Moody Blues.

It has been a relatively lazy day here in our household.  We watched the last episode of Land Man.  And a few other things on TV.

While holding little Stella, I put my face up close to her and... she whacked me right in the eyeball with a claw out.  Yeah, it hurt.  I rinsed out my eye and put some eye drops in it.  Yeah, that stings.  On the bright side, it also waters.  But, I can see out of it.  Joan suggested I put on an eye patch (yes, I have a couple from a previous eye injury)... I think she may have a pirate fetish, but I digress.

This afternoon, I got out on my bike.  The Lectric e-bike, not one of the internal combustion engine kinda bikes.  I covered some new area; had some tunes playing through my bike helmet; and it was an absolutely gorgeous day.

Back home, everyone was chillin'...

 Steph came over for a visit.  Well, mostly she wanted to pet Stella.  Stella gave her the belly...

 "Do not be fooled by that passive look," I warned her.  Petting, but no picking up, for now.

 

What you come here for...

 

That nearly hour long video shot from the bike was for me.  I didn't post it anywhere else but this blog.  And still, there are views and a couple likes on YouTube... I don't know why.

I think we can all agree that the internet exists so people can look at cat photos and videos.  Here, I can combine my "public" (as Joan calls it) diary and cat stuff.

It has been three weeks and two days - little Stella is settling in nicely.  There have been a couple "advancements" yesterday and today that we find significant: she and Murphy are coexisting well.  She sometimes still hisses when he gets close, but it is clear that she is not afraid of him.  And other than his imposing size, she has no reason to be.

Here is a shot of them taking turns and sharing a Churu treat...

 They aren't snuggly, but there is peaceful coexistence.  And on occasion, Stella will chase Murphy...

 To be fair, Murphy isn't running from her.  This morning, Stella came running up to Murphy, with a little hiss in his face.  He didn't flinch or react.  She quickly retreated.  Good move.

This yellow stuffed toy is her favorite...

 ... and she carries it around.  There are a lot of cat toys in this house, and she gets new ones (to her) out of the basket regularly.  We need to train her to put them back when she's done playing with them.  (Insert your favorite Fat Chance emoji here.)

Yesterday, she hopped up on the arm of my chair for the first time; she didn't stay long.  This morning when she did that, she got some petting - it is the first time I have heard her purr.  I don't know if people do "baby books" these days, since they can capture every first moment on video with their phone, but this blog is highlighting some of Stella's firsts.

She is just now starting to lay on the furniture.  Yes, our kitties have always been allowed on the furniture.  Until Murphy, none of the cats felt the need to be on the counters.  Murphy hears "No!" frequently.  He understand the word, but as a cat, chooses to ignore.

In contrast, Stella does not know her name or "no"... yet.  We use her name all the time; haven't had to say "no" to her much until very recently... "No, Stella, do not eat Murphy's food."... "No, Stella, do not bite the Momma."... "No, Stella, do not put your face in my glass of water."  Pretty sure she has not understood any of that, but she does respond to tone of voice.

Back to the furniture stuff...

 Look at the cute little face.  She is very alert and curious.  And playful - she will run with toys, whack the racetracks with the enclosed balls, run back and forth through the tunnels (we're up to 3 tunnels now)... until she wears out.  And that's what this looks like...

 She is fitting into the family dynamics as we all learn about kitten behavior again.  We are thinking that this afternoon will be her first time outdoors - yes, while IN some conveyance, whether that is the catio, a backpack, or the pet stroller.

Baby steps... 'cause she is still a baby.

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It's official - I made a small edit to my Facebook page...

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So, we tried putting a harness on Stella today.  I would say it didn't go well, but that would a gross under-exaggeration.  As soon as we got the harness off, she was fine.  Really; petting and purring.  We decided to put the outdoor excursion off for a day.

Joan got an Amazon food delivery today.  Instead of folding up those heavy bags and putting them in recycle, I suggested she leave a couple of them on the floor; in case Stella wanted to play in them.  All of our other cats like to play with paper bags.

She approached the bag.  Slowly.  Not sure if she could trust.  She put her head inside it.  I grabbed my phone to get a photo, and...

 It crinkled.  She shot backwards out of that bag like a missile.  A missile in reverse.  Tail sticking straight out (as you can see).  So much for rebuilding trust.  ;-)