This tree/bu$h was blooming over Memorial Day weekend.
This is what I saw out the kitchen window that inspired me to cut some branches off and put them in a vase so that we could enjoy them inside.
and in large
and of course, the girlie had to help out.
Yes, she is large. ;-) But her face is so pretty to us. And the fur on her chest looks so soft; it just makes you want to pet it....
.... but of course, the white areas are the venus fly-trap areas.
And one last thing, did anyone else realize tomorrow is 6/7/08 - 6, 7, 8 :-)
Posted by danielle at 10:49 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Jenski commented on my peach rose post about how she liked the black background.
I thought I would post this photo of my picture-taking set-up for those photos.
As you can see, I had the black sheet draped with some textbooks underneath. The flower in the vase was sitting on top of the black sheet-covered textbooks. And I was using my light to cast full spectrum light on the flower. The only thing that isn't in that picture is my tripod that I use for close-ups.
At one point, the sheet started moving and I couldn't figure out why and that was when I noticed her underneath it. That is, she was underneath it with her CLAWS clawing the sheet and making the whole thing unstable! It was too funny to pass up, so I, of course, snapped a picture of it, in between lenses.
The girlie-girl evidently decided that it was the purrfect hidey-spot.
She is a goof. (picture in large where you can see her better)
And over the course of the few days where I left it set-up, I kept finding her under there. I guess it was good protection from the (make-believe) hawks that fly around our rooms and are ready to attack at a moment's notice. ;-)
You know those hawks, very unpredictable. Gotta watch out for them.
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1st, she was just hanging out with the washcloth, using it as a mini bed. (very mini, compared to the rest of her)
Then, for no reason apparent to us lowly humans, she decided to attack.
Note the action of the back feet.
Note the dilated pupils in the attack eyes.
Finally, it was enough to hold it down so that it didn't get away.
Oddly enough, they weren't even warm from the dryer. So, I really have no idea what the appeal was.
Happy Fuzzy Friend Friday!
Posted by danielle at 09:23 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
The Girlie-girl just loves the tree skirt. The funny thing was that she was nowhere near the tree when I was decorating it. Then about 1 minute after I got the tree skirt down - bam! - she laid down on it. At first, she had this hunched look like she was sure I was going to scold her about it. But once she realized I didn't care, she relaxed and got into her favorite sleeping pose with her front feet all tucked in. And then, of course, I got the camera and the nap that she had planned had to be post-poned. Hence the grumpy look, I'm sure. ;-)
I hope each of you finds somewhere to snuggle up and be cozy this Christmas season. Maybe on the couch with a fuzzy blanket. Oh, well, that is my favorite place, at least. Isn't it everyone's? ;-)
I hope to take some poinsettia pics to post on Christmas Eve, so if you are around, see you then! If not, Merry Christmas!
Posted by danielle at 10:03 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
This is the Girlie-girl's Halloween costume that HB picked out. I think it might be Pippi Longstocking. Any other ideas?
Oh yeah. And that is a white stuffed animal behind her. I know it looks a little odd.
Here is the "I've had enough, photo."
Hope you all have lots of fun today and eat lots of chocolate!
Posted by danielle at 08:19 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
We were playing with the Girlie-Girl the other night with tissue paper. It is probably her favorite thing to play with out of all of her 'toys'. But, like most of the things she likes, it usually requires participation by us, at least to get her started. Once she starts pawing at it, she will usually play with it by herself for a while.
So, we were playing with this tissue paper and HB has the idea to cover her with a tent of newspaper and see what she will do. Well, she tolerates it for a while and then she stands up and walks away With The Paper Still Covering Her! She was a little tent of newspaper, walking across the floor. I couldn't believe it didn't slide off. It was the funniest thing.
In order to remember the humor of it, we re-enacted it (as best we could) and took some photos.
Here she is covered with the tent of newspaper.
This is as close as we could get to her walking with it still covering her. Evidently, that sort of thing only happens once.
And here she is, fed up with the whole thing. At least, if you know her expressions, you can tell she is fed up. ;-)
Unfortunately, it doesn't come out as funny as it did in person. But, well, it is enough for us to remember it, and at least you can kind of see what I'm talking about.
Have a happy Friday and weekend! :-D
Posted by danielle at 10:17 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
In the mornings, this is about Girlie-girl's usual spot for sunbathing.
And do I mean sunBATHING.
Do you see that little (or maybe Not So Little) pink tongue?
And this last one, reminds me of a swirl if you look at the curve of her head and the curl of the white fur up around her ear.
Hope all of you have a good weekend!
Posted by danielle at 10:21 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Doesn't this make you want to just reach out and touch that big white belly?
But as you may know, the white parts are off limits. That is one big venus fly-trap belly you are looking at.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Posted by danielle at 02:58 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
For the last few rounds of buying scratching posts for the Girlie-girl, I've only been able to find the usual-sized ones (i.e. shorter than she prefers). But on Sunday, I went to Barnes and Noble to buy some books and lo' and behold, there was a Petco next door. And better yet, THEY had the large scratching post.
When I got it home, the minute I set it down and showed it to the Girlie she immediately started scratching on it. She didn't even wait for me to get the tag off of it. I guess she was overdue for a new post.
THEN, I managed to get to my camera, and of course, she'd stopped scratching.
You can also see in that photo her old one which is quite ripped up and also quite a bit shorter.
Only when I tipped it over, did I get a shot of her scratching it again.
She always seems to like it tipped over the best. Maybe because she can use all of her weight to really dig into it. Dig, dig, dig.
Now, her claws will be broken off and not quite so pointy. You are dreaming if you think she lets us trim her claws. "Don't touch the queen's paws."
-------
Happy Friday everyone!
Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?
If the weather is nice, I may buy and plant some annuals in pots. I'll also be reading Lynn Kurland's new book - When I Fall in Love. Here's a shout-out to Texas Seestor who told me about it last weekend. Yay, Texas Seestor!
Posted by danielle at 10:29 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
This post is for Justin and Squirl who wanted to see more photos of Girlie-girl.
The other night, we went out to eat. When we came home, there was no sign of the Girlie-girl at the top of the steps, in the living rooms, or in the kitchen. I called and called and she never showed up. Finally I went upstairs to change clothes and lo' and behold she was laying on the perfectly clean and, until now, cat hair free bed runner.
Pretty quickly, she got fed up with the flashing and the picture-taking.
Doesn't she look grumpy as heck?
And then relatively quickly, she decided to show me who was boss.
Doesn't she look like she is coming to kick my ass?
I also think of this photo as her sumo wrestler look. Edit that, maybe a sumo-wrestler who has just been told that the smorgasbord is now closed. See the tongue sticking out slightly? That is cause she is hungry. ;-)
Oh, and after that incident, I've only found her sleeping on the bed runner one other time. So, it appears that the bed runner may stay relatively free of cat hair after all.
:-)
Happy Friday!
Posted by danielle at 10:23 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
This shot makes me smile, because the Girlie-girl doesn't get up on her perch in the window much anymore. I'm not sure why exactly, maybe it just isn't as comfy as the chairs that she normally hangs out in. But you'd think that the SUN! would make up for it. But then again maybe not.
If you look closely, you can also see the snow outside. It still hasn't melted from that snowfall. That picture was taken on the 16th, so that gives you some idea how long the snow lingers.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
Posted by danielle at 06:40 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
This happened on the same weekend day when the Girlie-girl was meowing at us to turn the heat on. I was sitting on the couch upstairs. She had been downstairs trying to sleep, but was too cold, evidently. She came upstairs and meowed at me several times. I was rather cold myself, so I asked her if she thought we should get out the electric blanket. She didn't answer, of course, but as soon as I got it plugged in and warmed up, I plopped her on top of it. Boy did she start purring. It didn't take long for her to tuck in and fall asleep.
She actually slept so soundly, that she didn't wake up when I got up to go to the bathroom. Since I have a lot of trouble photographing her asleep (because she always wakes up) I decided that this was definitely a photo opportunity.
Happy Friday everyone, and Thanks, Squirl for the suggestion to show photos of the Girlie on Fridays. :-)
Posted by danielle at 07:41 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Doesn't she look like she's got the right idea?
So precious. Wee little pink nose. Our cuteness.
But don't wake her up while she is sleeping. No sirreee Bob. Or she will keeeel you.
There is a strict 3:00/4:00 p.m. wake up time when the sun is starting to fade and before that? just fuGEDabowdit.
okay. Now that we got that cleared up, we can go back to admiring the cuteness.
All tucked in.
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It took me many tries to get a photo that I liked of the daffodils in my bouquet. Finally, I realized that if I wanted to use a small depth of focus, I needed to get the flower angled so that the ruffly part was the same distance from the camera as part of the petals. This is where I smack my forehead and say "Well, duh!", of course you can't shoot it straight on and get both parts in focus! Thank goodness for digital cameras where I can take some shots, look at them, then take more, if need be. I may be a slow learner about some of these kinds of things, but I am learning.
And now, the Girlie-girl reminds us that it is important to stop and smell the flowers.
mmmmmm smells good, doesn't it?
And as I was taking shots one day, she just had to come over and plop herself down nearby so that she could be in the photos. And you know how I love to show her off...
And look how good her face looks! After 4 solid days of wearing the cone back in um, December, I think it was, we finally got her to stop fussing with her eye and nose. I think it just had to get a chance to get past a certain stage of healing. Now, if she starts to rub at it, I stop her from catching it with her claws and then clean it for her with a warm washcloth. That seems to get rid of the little scabs that must be what is making her want to scratch. Her white fur is growing back too. Pretty soon, she may be back to normal completely, and that would be terrific.
I've found a couple groups on Flickr for that picture. One is for cats that have a black mask. Girlie-girl's mask isn't perfectly black, so we'll see if it stays on there or if someone removes it. The other is for pictures of cats that are staring. Well, this pic is about as intense as she gets, eyeball-wise. In the process of looking for those groups, I found a heck of a lot of cat groups. My goodness! Who knew? I've got all kinds of photos that would fit into some of the groups... close-ups of whiskers, eyes, cats on computers, cats with their human family members, and stuff on the cats, amongst others. One could spend hours looking for groups and looking at photos! Because I am trying to limit how much time I spend doing stuff like that, I really haven't delved into it much, but I may slowly keep my eyes out for stuff like that.
Posted by danielle at 01:01 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Now that the weather is a bit warmer, we've been getting lots of action at my new bird feeder! This seemed a bit backwards to me, because I figured that when it was cold, the birds need to eat more to stay warm. But my new theory is that when it is really cold (single digits), that they huddle somewhere for warmth and don't go out looking for food.
Now, just in case you are wondering why there is so much snow in that picture, just ignore it. It is actually all melted today. I took those on the 30th.
How many birds did you see in that pic?
Did you see the three on the railing?
Usually there are many more when I grab my camera, but the ones who are camera shy fly away as I approach the window.
"Beeeeeeg skeeeery black thing!"
Then there are the little guys I can see out the kitchen window, waiting their turn on a different tree.
And the Girlie-girl watches and watches and occasionally makes these little "Meeorph! Meeerph." sounds that are quite adorable.
In fact, here is an up to the minute pic of us, with many notes (click the pic and move your mouse/pointer over it to read them)
I'd better turn the heat up though, the natives are getting restless.
Posted by danielle at 09:31 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
hmmmm.... so this is how we celebrate New Year's Eve, eh?
very pointy.
And shiny.
And sparkly.
But you say you want me to wear it?
Like this?
Or maybe like this?
I can. Almost. Get. It. ON.
Hmmm... might be kinda hard to eat the hors d'oeurvres this way.
Ah well, that'll just go with my New Year's resolution to gain, I mean *ahem*, LOSE weight.
yes, Lose, certainly LOSE. Not gain. *paws crossed behind back*
Perfect!
Now I am All Set!
Hey! Where'd the party go?!
Hey! Are you laughing at me?
========
*grin*
Happy New Year's everyone!
Posted by danielle at 07:18 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
And THAT is true Christmas spirit; the cats, dogs, and mice all get along.
Posted by danielle at 02:57 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
A post from the Girlie-girl's perspective:
When Danielle ignores my wishes and refuses to get the electric blanket out for me (dang it!) what else can I do but find a nice heating vent for my winter's nap?
I chose this particular place, because I can also keep an eye on the bird feeder.
Of course, you don't think She gained photographic evidence of my interest in the birds, now do you?
I mean really! One must keep one's cool when one has a reputation to maintain.
Of course all of that bother with the flash...
... you'd think one might be rewarded for sitting so patiently while photos are being taken.
You know, rewarded by Getting Out The Electric Blanket, please.
After all, She has her tea to keep her warm.
What's a girl to do?
Get settled in at another vent?
This one is just so awkward with that lamp and all.
Maybe I just wasn't Clear enough earlier. After all, the silly girl called me by HB's name. She must be Out Of It today.
Oh!
What's this?!
FInally.
ohhhhhhhh... just purrrrrrrrrrrrrrfect.
warrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm.
Posted by danielle at 11:26 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
There was another thing that was photo-worthy the Saturday after Thanksgiving (besides the shimmering ribbons in my previous post). I was in my office working on my writing and I was cold. So, I unplugged my electric blanket from the bed and brought it into my office to keep my feet and legs warm. Well, the Girlie-girl came by to see what I was doing and she started showing some interest in the blanket. After I told her it was okay, she just plopped herself down and got all cozy and snuggled in.
Lucky for me, HB was on the bottom level of the house online, so I emailed him to sneak upstairs with Dee-Dee and take some shots. Now, now, no snide comments about my emailing HB inside our own home. I know, I swore I wouldn't resort to that, but isn't it more pleasant than yelling? Plus, he never would've heard me over the TV and video game.
Really though, we didn't need to worry about her moving.
She wasn't going anywhere.
The funny thing is that now, every morning, without fail, she walks around me kind of half meowing, half umphing and giving me these Looks.
"Where's the warm blanket, Danie? Aren't you gonna get it out? I bet you're cold right? I know I am. Sure could use that blanket. You know, wouldn't it be MUCH more pleasant with the blanket?"
And a couple days, I have gotten it out. And BOY, let me tell you, does she EVER glom onto me and that blanket. I have gotten up to get a drink, go to the bathroom, collect papers I've printed and she'll still be right there.
I. Am. Not. Moving.
It is clearly the blanket that is the draw and not my company.
*dramatic sniff*
That's okay. I know how to get her to keep me company.
blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanket....
*blissful sigh*
Guess I know what she wants for Christmas, huh? ;-)
HB took all of these photos with Dee-Dee, because like, I'm in the pictures, yo. You did read the story, no?
Posted by danielle at 10:40 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
...the more they stay the same.
Once again, I have a little helper.
Note that she hasn't wanted to lay on me like this for a while.
But come to think of it, I haven't been sitting on the couch with the blanket much lately.
Oh, and try not to stare at the mess I've made around me. It is all part of the creative process, yeahhhhh, that's it.
Posted by danielle at 02:59 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
As I've kind of mentioned in a round-about way, Texas Seeestor is getting married soon! Next Saturday, to be precise. As of this time next week, we'll all be together in Texas.
Texas Seestor and her fiance Trainwreck, asked me to sing at the wedding ceremony. Since I didn't have any wedding music in my repertoire, so to speak, they chose the song upon the advice of their accompaniest, and they mailed me the sheet music.
When I received it, I was relieved to see that the highest note is a D. Which, as an alto, is in a semi-comfortable spot when I'm singing in a choir. As a soloist, well, it takes a little more work to make it totally comfortable. Luckily, it is also the spot in the song where I am supposed to sing the loudest.
Anyway, for the first couple of months, I had No Idea whatsoever what the song sounded like. This is the disadvantage of not playing piano.
Finally, I found someone to play it for me and Lo and Behold! it is the same tune as "The Water is Wide." I've always loved that song. I was introduced to it in choir in middle- or high-school. It was probably middle-school. And am fond of the version that James Taylor has done at the end of one of his albums.
So, I've been practicing, so that I can hit that D comfortably. Not to mention just getting entirely comfortable with the song.
And last night, HB had to work late, so I figured it was a perfect chance to practice before I ate supper (after eating I find it is trickier to keep my throat clear enough to sing).
Now, the Girlie-girl was a bit anxious, I am guessing, that HB wasn't home. She might've also been concerned that I wasn't On the Couch like I was Supposed To Be at this hour of the night so that I could Pet Her.
So, I reminded her that the On the Couch comes after supper, remember, Girlie-girl?
First, she kept fussing around on the floor while I sang meowing &/or rolling on her back, cleaning etc.
Finally, she jumped up on the chair where I had my sheet music sitting
and then jumped up on top of the music!
D: hurmpf. Well, I guess I can't exactly sing now, can I?
GG: No, now you HAVE to pay attention to me.
D: Dork. Fine, I'll just take your picture.
GG: *grumble, grumble* not the dang camera again.
D: Well, I can't help it. You just do the silliest things.
GG: Now. If I. Can. Just. Get. Comfortable...
So, you don't think she was trying to say something about the quality of my singing do you?
I took both pictures last night with Dee-Dee.
Posted by danielle at 11:05 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
There are still several aspects of moving here that I haven't gotten to blog about yet.
The first is about the Girlie-Girl.
The night I walked in the door, she acted very afraid of me. I don't know if she'd given me up for dead and thought I was a ghost or if it was that I smelled like Tizer and airplane fuel. Either way, she wasn't. too. sure. what. to. think. about. me. quite. yet.
After HB showed me a bit of the seeeekrit squirrel stuff (more about that another day), I sat on the floor and let her sniff and sniff me. And then she slowly let me pet her on the head.
Maybe. that's. okay.
Oh but wait, maybe not. *swipe*
Okay then, we'll just go look at more of the house and the monumental job of unpacking that HB did before I arrived. And then I sat on the couch and called her over. And she finally came over, and sniffed me, and I petted her on the head for a little bit longer than the previous time. And then she swiped at me.
And that happened one more time on the floor in the living room, the sniffing, petting, and swiping. And then FInally, she seemed to get the sniffing and swiping part out of her system.
By the next day, we were allllll friends again. I think the only time I got scratched was playing with her.
When we went to Target to buy her cat litter, we were in the cat aisle you know. So, I made sure to get her a brush to replace the one that got lost in the move and a couple new toys.
And ohhhhh does she lurve the new brush, let me tell you.
"Oh, over here, please."
"ummmm, yeaaah, right there."
And the new toys? Well, they are both mice. I have let her have one for now and she'll get the other one later sometime.
"Oh! What's this!"
"mmmmmmm... smells good."
"And it is alllllllllllllways better when I rub the side of my face on it."
"Geeeee, Danie, why'd you move the toy into the sun?
"You know, I kinda liked it better in the shade. Now that it is in the sun, the sun is awfully distracting, and is ever so much better than that little ol' mouse."
Oh, did I mention that this toy is from Fat Cat, Inc.?
Appropriate name, eh?
But shhhhh, don't ever say the F word to her. Or she'll get mad.
"Oh! Look! The mouse is moving! That is everrrr so much betterrrr!"
Note the claws on that left paw, which is why I'm so very carefully trying to reach for the mouse tail.
Cause when all four feet get going.... well, I'm not crazy ya know, I like my skin intact.
Posted by danielle at 10:22 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
There is a certain someone who is not-so-patiently waiting for me to come live in Minnesota.
Of course, patience has never been her strong suit.
Especially at breakfast time.
"Well, Come on, already!"
*grumble grumble* "Dang stairs!"
*grumble*
"Didn't have to go down stairs to get to breakfast in the old house."
*grumble*
"Aren't you coming?"
"You and that dang camera phone. It really is cramping my schedule."
"And where is Danie? SHE's the one who is supposed to feed me breakfast."
"Oh well, I guess you'll do."
*munch munch munch*
*hop up and settle in*
*clean clean clean*
"At least all of the sunlight in this house makes up for all of the stairs."
"Don't mind me, I'll just go back to waiting now."
All pictures were taken by HB with his fancy schmancy camera phone of unknown model.
Posted by danielle at 08:11 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Today's photos are brought to you via HB's camera phone. I say this, because in just a second, you will see that the quality of the pics is not quite as nice (to be polite) as I prefer.
However, ho-hum photo quality and all, I can't even find the words to tell you how happy I am when I see an email in my Inbox with the subject A Picture Share!
It is the Joy! of an unexpected gift. It is the Joy! of seeing a glimpse into HB's life from waaaaaaaaaaaay across the country when I least expect it. It is the anticipation as I click that maybe it is a pic of the Girlie-Girl! And so often, it has been.
Here is, in chronological order, some of the pics he has sent me of the Girlie-Girl, my Favorite Fuzzy Friend.
First, I had expressed my worry to HB on the phone about how she was dealing with the interim living in the hotel after the long car ride. The first morning, she evidently meowed at him and looked at the chair and the sun coming in the window as if to command "Come here, lowly servant, and move this chair into the sun for me. I demand some vitamin E time."
"Oh Thank you, you may leave now."
When I got this one, I knew she was happy and content in the hotel.
Well, at least as long as it was sunny.
On the day the movers were due to arrive at our new house, HB checked out of the hotel and introduced the Girlie to the house.
Immediately, she was drawn to the sunny spot in the way downstairs family room.
And the upstairs living room.
That was, of course, before the movers actually arrived.
Because once they arrived, she had to go back in her New! cage - the one that is intended for dogs the size of Beagles.
Yeah, I don't think I ever mentioned how at one of the toll booths on the long drive across the country, the toll taker looked in the back seat and asked HB "Is that a cat?"
HB confirmed that it was indeed our cat.
"Wow. That's a BIG cat!"
HA! As if we weren't reminded that she is a BEEEEEEEEEEG cat everytime she decides to jump up on us.
"Ooompf. I think I can't breathe."
Promptly followed by the gasping request "Lay down, Lay down."
Followed by the "ooompf!" of relief as 20 lbs of cat is spread over a much larger area than just 4 paws.
But as I was saying, once the movers arrived, she had to go in her cage.
I call this one Unhappiness.
Otherwise known as "pissyness."
As opposed to after the movers left when she was full of happiness.
As the days of unpacking progressed, there was the day I got the Picture Share! where she clearly was PO'd that HB hadn't moved the end tables into their correct locations.
You know, Out Of the Way of the Sun, PLEASE.
Really, we just joke about it being her house and our being her servants. She really isn't angry (well, not often, anyway, or for long) bossy or stuck-up, but it is fun to pretend.
I mean, how can you be stuck-up and dignified when you spend a large portion of your waking hours cleaning? And cleaning your butt of all things?
"Oh, no, no, I'm just cleaning my LEG. Don't you humans understand? My LEG."
There are a couple of details about this pic which are interesting (to me) and thus, you get to hear about them too, Lucky You!
1. This is The Green Chair. aka. HER chair.
When we know people are coming to visit, we spend forever vacuuming all of the hair off of it (normally we keep her fleecey blanket on it in an attempt to collect the majority of the hair - not that brown blanket - cause that one is mine - which I pointed out to HB during our very next phone call).
When the guests arrive, someone is bound to sit in The Green Chair, because well, we don't have all that many places to sit. Eventually, the Girlie-girl will come over and stare at that person. If they have Jeans! on, she is likely to jump in their lap and start padding (um, with her claws out - sorry, that is why we don't wear Jeans! in the house). If they are not, she might lay on top of them anyway.
"You may pet the dark areas only" she usually informs them. (although, we of course, warn everyone of this the minute they walk in the door)
But anyway, if the person gets up to go to the bathroom or get a drink or something, she'll jump down to let them stand up. But believe you me, she will jump right back up and hog the whole dang chair the minute their back is turned. The person, of course, comes back and then says "Oh, I guess this is Her Chair, huh?"
"Um, yeah, sorry, here, I'll just.... umpf ... move her... umpf... off... of... the... chair"
*whew!*
*wipes brow at effort of de-ensconcing her from the chair*
Gee. that number 1. took a while, huh. Well, this is what happens when I'm feeling 'chatty' as many of you know.
2. Her Sock is next to her. wool. Given to me by my parents for my own feet. But I decided it was easier to give one pair of socks to her in order to save all of my other socks from her claws, than to have all of them with teeny little holes in them.
3. Her Cone is under the chair. This would be the red collar/cone she has to wear when she starts to dig at her eye. This deserves a whole story, just for its own, with pictures to document the pissyness. So, that one will have to wait.
4. This pic was taken the day that I asked HB where she'd been sleeping during the day. And he told me she didn't really seem to have a place decided upon yet. And I exclaimed "You mean, she hasn't been sleeping in Her Green Chair?!" To which, his sheepish response was "Well, I haven't really set it up yet."
So, that very day, being a good HB, he set up the chair, and the Girlie quickly ensconced herself for a much-needed (I can only imagine) grooming session.
Gotta keep those white parts white, you know.
Note to Ladybug: She still doesn't fully appreciate the cleansing power of Oxy-Clean.
Here is the other one, taken the VERY DAY after I asked if she'd been getting up on her perch at all.
"No? Well, you DO have it set up, right?"
"Of course! In the bay window and everything."
"odd."
"yeah, I know."
Her ears must've been burning.
The one I got this morning, makes me smile, because she Clearly is ready for her supper.
"Six O'Clock! I know it!" she is saying.
And sure enough, the time stamp on the email is 6:08 MN time.
Such a smart fuzzball.
Final note: This look is the only slightly pissy "I know you are wasting time taking my picture when I really just want to be FED. Would you just get my supper already?"
"Gee. What does it take to get good help around here?"
Posted by danielle at 09:02 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Just a note to let everyone know that I'm plugging along, HB is driving along with the Girlie-girl. AND the BIG NEWS is that she hasn't gotten sick YET! This has never happened before!
I think that buying a dog crate for her, the size for beagles, because she is waaaaaaaaay bigger than a dachshund, did the trick. It is all wires and is very open. Unlike the carriers that are pretty much solid plastic walls with small openings. Even if it does take up 2/3 of HB's back seat, not having her get sick is so worth the loss in space.
We put one of her favorite cushions from a footstool in the crate, and covered it with a towel (just in case). And HB tells me that she pretty much lays on it constantly and is doing her version of sleeping.
So, that is very reassuring.
I have pics of the packing and other stuff that I figured I would post, but well, I've been migrainey a lot this week, so most of my non-working time has been taken up getting things set aside/packed or sleeping/resting or at least not looking at the computer screen.
more later. um, not sure when. just later.
Updated to add:
a MAP! of HB's trip. I lurve maps. The more detail the better.
FYI for the geekoids out there, that would be 1375 miles give or take 10 miles.
Posted by danielle at 09:44 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
I had hoped to get this entry done before SeaQueen left to go be Queen of the Sea for a while. But at least I got the Flickr slideshow set of her girlie done before she had to leave and she did get to see it.
When we arrived at SeaQueen's place on the Sunday of July 4th weekend, we promptly got the food out for lunch. Well, during lunch, Pandora decided that it was time to eat too. HB grabbed Dee Dee and clicked a picture of Pandora up on her eating spot.
WELL, evidently Pandora is a bit of a camera hog too! Who knew? She started rubbing and rolling and being all frisky on the carpet while HB took photo after photo. It was really odd. Pandora was just going nuts.
SeaQueen's theory is that Pandora really likes men better than women, so if you want good pictures of her, you've got to send a man in with the camera. And SeaQueen's family's theory is that Pandora will only be pretty for the camera when it is a really nice camera.
;-)
Either way, it was pretty funny.
Later, I sat down on the couch and was waiting on everyone. I was half trying to get a picture of a chipmunk or bird that was on their deck, and who should come by but the Camera Princess, herself.
"Is that a beautiful new camera in your hands?"
So, I did the usual scratch away at my head to get her eyes focused on me (I had to shoot in automatic mode, as you might imagine for a one-handed photo op). Then HB came by behind me and she stared at him, so I could quit scratching and go back to using both hands.
After HB left, she went back to being a bit sulky/predatory.
I made my first Flickr slideshow of the pics of Pandora that HB and I took. Mostly the ones I took, because the ones HB took, she is just rubbing and squirming on the carpet. But he did take the close up of her face at the end.
Click here to view the Slideshow of pics of SeaQueen's cat Pandora
The slideshow will automatically open using flash. If your computer doesn't have the program, Flickr will help you install a version of it when you try to view the slideshow. Or you can email me, especially if you are family (mom, dad, etc.), and I can help figure out what to do so that you can see my photos by slideshow.
Um, that's it for now. I hope to do an extended entry about the rest of our trip to SeaQueen's place on the Cape later.
I took these photos with Dee Dee, my Nikon D70. Note that a few of the pics in the Slideshow were taken by HB.
Posted by danielle at 08:45 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
This is a long one, don't say I didn't warn you... ;-)
I worked a pretty full day at school yesterday (Saturday) in order to get an experiment done. It worked! Really well, which made it worth it. There is nothing suckier than sacrificing a weekend day for an experiment that doesn't give you a conclusion. But this one did. So, well worth the sacrifice.
HB is in Mnnpls this weekend, and I'm going to be taking a day or two off in the upcoming weeks to go house-hunting and go to my cousin's wedding back in Indiana. Thus, I felt like I needed to go ahead and work a little extra to make up for it.
Anyway, the POINT is that because I'd driven into school, it was extra easy to drive to my advisor's house afterward to visit the new kitty member of her family!
Lucy
When I arrived, Lucy was exhausted from her daily activities, and was sleeping on a chair cushion. You can see that she is waking up in this pic and is starting to get pretty interested in the beepy rurr rurrr sounds that my (our) camera was making.
After a fair amount of petting and cooing, I decided I'd better go say hi to the other 2 cats, so as not to make them jealous or anything.
Here is how I found Norman.
Norman, is so named, because as a kitten his paws were very very big, and it was apparent he was going to be enormous. Even with diet cat food, he is either as heavy as or heavier than the Girlie-girl (i.e. 20 lbs). He definitely has a big frame. In my experience, all orange cats are pretty dang big.
He is a handsome sweetie though, even when a little peeved about being woken from his nap.
Then there is Bella. Formerly, the little princess of the household. She is not so fond of Lucy yet; they are still in the adjustment phase.
After visiting with Norman and Bella, I went back to join Lucy on the floor. She was pretty much wound up again and was entertaining herself by batting a little mouse across the floor.
At one point, she came over to me and decided she'd better investigate my shoes.
"Hey! You smell like some other cat! What's up with that?"
I untied my shoelace so that she could play with it...
I like this pic because we are foot to foot - and that part of the pic is so in focus. But the blur of her paw and face captures that feeling of constant play motion that she was so full of once she got wound up.
Then, surprise of all surprises, Bella came over to join us! My advisor tells me that Bella hasn't wanted to play much since Lucy came... but we played "something's in the grass - you'd better get it!" for a while.
Of course, Lucy was back to chasing her little mouse in the midst of all of this.
Which provided a nice photo-op when I scratched the wall way above my head.
Or a few photo-ops, I should say.
Here is my one artsy one - yin yang.
Eventually, Lucy was back to being exhausted.
I've never been able to take a picture of the Girlie-girl while she is asleep, because she always wakes up. So, it was rather fascinating to me to be able to take multiple shots of Lucy while she was sleeping. And she just kept sleeping.
Speaking of the Girlie-girl, when I got home (kind of late), I didn't let her sniff me, but distracted her by feeding her really fast, and then while she ate, I hurriedly changed my clothes and washed my hands really well. So, she didn't seem to notice that I'd been playing with other cats.
But she might have known something was up (or was just lonely), because I got the hair chewing/grooming treatment when I sat on the couch.
You know what they say, right? Grooming is a sign of affection.
Posted by danielle at 12:13 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
As SeaQueen predicted yesterday, the sun did indeed come out today!
Hooray!
Here is the Saturday morning progression - in the words of the Girlie-girl.
"All of the elements are in place for a nice sunny morning. Danielle has her tea and laptop, HB has his tea and laptop, and I have my sunbeam."
"hmmmmm... the sun looks pretty good up on the bay windowsill. Maybe I'll go up there."
"Oh, but I'd better pause and take a moment to clean my face. I just get sooooo dirty. It is hard to keep the white parts white, you know."
"All clean, now I can go up there."
"Boy this sun feels good. It hasn't been sunny all week. I thought it was never going to stop raining!"
"dang, something doesn't feel quite right. I obviously missed a spot on my face. Better get it off. "
"Huh, now I'd better rotate and get some sun on my back too. Gotta get equal coverage, you know."
"Wait! What is that!"
"huh. Well, it is gone now."
"Guess I'll just take a little nap."
"mmmmm.... life is good."
"NOW if Danie would just QUIT taking pictures of me and keeping me awake, I could enjoy my sunbeam in peace."
"Geeesh. It is rough, being the Girlie, you know."
- the end -
Note: the happy tail.
Posted by danielle at 09:36 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Picture that HB took of the Girlie-girl from a year or two ago - top of the stairs
I mentioned a while back, that I wanted to properly introduce the Girlie-girl, so that I could put some of her stories in context.
Well, when I thought about telling stories about her, the one I'm about to tell you wasn't quite what I had in mind.
*sigh*
You may or may not have noticed that all of the pictures I've shown you of her (unless they are from far enough away) are always of the back of her head or with her face turned away in a kind of profile shot. Well, there is a reason for that, and believe me it isn't because she likes to face away from the camera. On the contrary, it has been quite tricky to get photos of her where she isn't facing the camera head on and really close up.
You see, she has always loved to rub on boxes and books, but usually she stuck with her scent glands and the area beside her jaw.
Picture from Christmas 2003
But last fall, she started rubbing the side of her nose near her right eye against sharp corners. Well, she kept rubbing and rubbing and pawing at it until the skin beside her nose became red, cracked, and sore. ouch!
So, one Friday afternoon in November, HB got her an appointment with the local veterinarians, who specialize in cats, to see what could be done. Well, off they went to the vet. She vomitted a little bit on the way there which was not so unusual, since she is prone to car sickness (this becomes important in a bit, bear with me). They examined her and decided to treat her by putting a topical neomycin on the skin around her nose. And HB headed home with her.
Well, she vomitted several times in the car on the way home and pooped (more than normal).
When HB got her home, she seemed more distressed than normal, but the vets had warned him that she might be distressed for a little while, because she really really hates going to the vet and had her usual 'bad visit' there.
Well, in about 5-10 minutes she was panting and drooling. He called the vet (Good HB!) and they told him to Bring Her Right Back. Thankfully we live relatively close by, because she ended up going into anaphylactic shock. They did a quick chest x-ray to make sure she didn't have an underlying heart condition that was causing her symptoms (no) and gave her i.v. shots of cortisone and epinephrine. She ended up going into critical condition, and we weren't sure that she would survive the night.
And let me tell you, it was a rough handful of hours until they called us to tell us she was no longer in critical condition. One sign that she was doing better was that she was swiping at them with her paws when they would try to examine her and being her usual feisty, angry-at-the-vet self.
The vet called the drug manufacturer and found out that nationally, they've only heard of 3 cats reacting to that drug (in a different form, not topical). And that the other ones died from not getting treated fast enough.
SCARY SHIT, I TELL YOU!
So, she used up one (or more) of her 9 lives that night.
Fast forward to now.
Well, the skin on the side of her nose started getting bad again. Then she started rubbing the top of her eye near her ear. I tried warm compresses and vaseline (vet's suggestion), but nothing seemed to really fix it long term.
Within the past 2 weeks, her eye has had a lot of excessive tears.
So, with no other grand home remedies, we decided that she was going to have to go back to the vet. Well, HB took her yesterday.
And LET ME TELL YOU it wasn't quite as bad as last time, but it was close.
This time, they examined her eye in multiple ways to check her eye, in particular her cornea (fine). They think that she has a blocked tear duct.
So, they tried giving her a topical antibiotic from a different class of antibiotics. First, she waited in the examining room, and seemed fine.
Then HB waited with her in her carrier in the waiting room. Well, the minute she vomitted, he knew there was a problem. So, they rushed her back and gave her cortisone (or something that sounds like it) and epinephrine again.
At some point, she had diarrhea and at some point, they had trouble getting a vein in her legs for her i.v. injections (doesn't that sound awful?). Because well, she's furry and because well, she's chubby, you know.
At some point, in between the handful of injections they gave her, they clipped the claws on her front feet so that when she took a swipe at them, it wouldn't be quite so treacherous.
After a while, she was well enough that she fought them when they tried to give her any oral pills (prednisone) and she was recovered enough so that HB could bring her home. They figured she'd finish recovering better at home than in a cage there at the vet.
She pretty much just wanted to sleep most of last night. I petted her, and she practically slept through it.
I saw her cleaning her face at one point, so I tried wiping her face clean with a washcloth. This either pissed her off, or woke her up enough that when I next came by with a bowl and poured water into it in front of her, she decided to go to her regular water fountain and get a drink. It was a relief to have her drink some water, because she hadn't drank any water since she'd come home.
She slept nearby most of the rest of the evening.... and then we got to give her the 2 pills of prednisone that the vets couldn't get into her. OH JOY! Um, yeah, so have you ever SEEN how much damage those sharp pointy teeth can do if they decide to clamp down on your finger? hmmmMMMM? Yeah, THAT was a good time, let me tell you. I actually did escape unscathed by her teeth. I just got nailed with her front (clipped off, mind you) claws before HB remembered that the vet sometimes handled her in a towel. OH, a towel! What a great idea!
This morning, she looked much more normal and was interested in eating breakfast.
I worked from home today so that I could keep an eye on her as all of the drugs wore off. I also petted her lots and lots. And prodded her to drink water. And placed her up on her cat perch by the window this morning so that she could be in the sun. And let her sleep on my lap (you know, me, the laptop, and her).
I picked her up this afternoon and carried her into the kitchen to eat. At first, she gave me this look like "Well, if it isn't MY idea to eat, I'm not going to eat." But I walked away, and sure enough, she started eating and drinking.
A little prodding goes a long way.
Speaking of, I think it is time for my supper, as well as hers.
I think I'll close with another old picture of her from 2003.
Hopefully, she'll be back to being her curious self pretty soon.
Posted by danielle at 07:25 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
I've been wanting to tell a couple of stories about the Girlie-girl, but I've also known that her stories need to be put into context.
I haven't always been a cat person. In fact, I was strictly a dog person for the first, oh, 22-23 years of my life.
I took this pic of our Yorkshire Terrier, Nipper, with my first camera. (I took a digital picture of the print, which lowers the quality, but I'm working with what I've got here, cut me some slack.)
Wasn't he cute?
I was very young when we got him as a puppy, I think I was 4. I have many, many memories of him. Someday I may tell some of them; it still hurts a little to think about him being gone.
He was with me through all of my growing-up years.
Mom took this pic of him.
My only exposure to cats during those years were cats that were none too friendly. These included my grandparents' Siamese cats (Some had friendly moments but were mostly not friendly to me.), my friend's pissy, mean black & white cat, and the pissy, mean black & white cat that belonged to HB's family. The only good cat experiences I'd had were with my grandparent's farm cats who seemed to be pretty happy-go-lucky, loved to be loved on and would purr and purr.
Jump ahead a few years, to when HB and I are in college and engaged (and are separated by 250 miles). I am in a dorm and have good girl friends, but HB is all alone in an apartment. The winter/spring before I am set to graduate and we are planning to get married, HB is getting more and more lonely. Someone he works with has a cat that has kittens and he really wants to get one.
Now, remember that my experience with cats was all fairly lukewarm. And I am fully aware that if he gets a cat, this cat will be with us and not just him, in the very near future.
How can I deny him a cat? So, I tell him it is okay to get a kitten with a few rules
1) The cat must learn to not get on end tables and tables.
2) The cat must learn to scratch on a scratching post and not the furniture.
3) He must play with the cat every day, no matter how tired or busy he gets. (Because I was convinced that cats get bad attitudes from lack of attention, especially when they grow out of their cute kitten phase.)
4) He is in charge of the litter box.
5) I'd really rather it not be a black and white cat.
When she is old enough to leave the momma cat, he brings Miss Cuteness home to his apartment.
I never got to see her during her kitten stage, but I still love looking at these old pics that HB took of her climbing on the headboard of his bed.
"Um.... so about that black and white 'rule'..."
He played with her every day. He taught her to scratch on her scratching post, and stay off of the tables. And as she grew, she stayed very well behaved (and we've gone through a lot of scratching posts).
Her favorite toy was her koosh, and she loved getting on anything that was black (she still prefers black or dark objects over light).
The only thing we didn't think of ahead of time, was the sleeping arrangements. You see, while HB would sleep on one pillow on one side of the bed, she would sleep on the other side of the bed on the other pillow.
Now, jump ahead to July/August of that year. HB and I get married and the 3 of us move to a new city and our first apartment together. And where do I sleep? Well, on the other side of the bed, of course.
The side that She had been sleeping on. I was on Her Pillow!
And she had a plan. Just as I'd fall asleep, she'd attack my feet and legs. I'd push her away, and she'd stop for a while, until I fell asleep... and then attack my legs again.
We'd close her out of the bedroom, and she'd rip at the carpet under the door.
"Shit! We just paid how much money as a security deposit and she's ripping up the carpet! Quick! Open the door!"
Fall asleep, get attacked. Fall asleep, get attacked.
It was a rough month or so. To say the least.
Finally, she started sleeping between HB's legs and would leave me alone if I kept my feet inside the covers.
To help her accept me, I became the one who fed her and petted her nicely. She always thought of HB as her play buddy. Not to say that he didn't pet her or I didn't play with her; it was just the roles we fell into the majority of the time. In fact, this pic is me playing with her koosh and getting her to jump and twist.
This was back in her thinner days, when she'd jump in the air to play.
And if a flicker of sun caught her eye up the wall, she'd jump up to bat at it.
With time though, she gained weight.
She went on a diet. And just became less active. And she'd gain weight.
And we'd cut her food more, and she'd become even less active than before. And she'd gain weight.
But well, we can't all be slim and trim, right?
And as you probably know from my previous posts, our relationship has grown and grown over the years.
She waits for us until we come home. She follows us around, hangs out with us, and is friendly to visitors (as long as they only pet the dark areas!)
Her white belly may look soft and cuddly, but it is the venus-fly-trap belly.
Current pic of the Girlie-girl
I'm pretty sure that she loves us as much as we love her.
She is my cuddle-buddy.
Posted by danielle at 02:18 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
How can I be stressed while working on my presentation when I've got such a good little helper?
Posted by danielle at 09:56 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack