Goodbye 2010

The last post of the year belongs to Diego-san. He thinks that is only appropriate.

Holiday Haiku

Cold grey winter day
our house is much much too cold
warmth of a brother

Not So Much Grit

Watched the original version of True Grit with Theo. He liked all the different noises the horses were making in the movie. I liked John Wayne's performance. I'm not sure the word 'grit' would appear on anyone's list of describing all the things Theo is...

Vacation Week

Thompson approves of my plan to take this entire week off. He was extra cuddly today...

The Great Northwest

Flew out to Seattle on Christmas Eve, and then took the Amtrak back to Minnesota across the Great Northwest. It was a very picturesque Christmas trip...

Darn Suitcase

The boyz got to spend the last two days by themselves. Diego-san has determined that darn suitcase might just be his archenemy.

Happy Holidays

I’m sure similar to most of you, we found 2010 to be a very busy year. But no matter the activity, the accomplishment, the ups or the downs, 2010 will always be remembered by us as the “Year of the Great Anal Gland Incident.” (Yes, with his lion sized pride, Diego-san is horrified that I would even mention the incident in our annual holiday letter and suspects I only do so because it’s not often that you can include the word “anal” in a holiday letter.) Suffice it to say, it was touch and go there for a while, and our after midnight visit to the U of M’s veterinary clinic was followed by a week of nursing him back to health in an isolated room of the house where he had the indignity of wearing one of those plastic cones around his neck so he couldn’t lick his butt. The whole alone time period gave us a lot of time to bond and he’s been extra cuddly ever since.

Of course Theo spent the entire week outside the closed door crying that he couldn’t get into the room. He sure does like to be a part of everything, and usually is. One of my favorite moments of the day continues to be when I get home, and Theo gets all excited (probably because he knows his next meal is just around the corner). He hops up on the kitchen table while I sort the day’s mail and he licks my arms and hands. He then follows me up the stairs where I hug and praise him if he’s done his one job for the day: ensuring that the towels in the bathroom are still hanging on the rack (tee hee we also used the word “rack” in our holiday letter…) and not lying on the floor.

I was surprised that Thompson didn’t seem too alarmed by the “Great Anal Gland Incident.” He’s usually a stickler for routine, and he also usually is quite fond of Diego-san. He seemed fine with all the alone time, ate his meals like usual, and didn’t seem at all curious about what was going on behind closed doors. My favorite times with Thompson remain those where we take a nap together. He’s the greatest napper I’ve ever met. He likes to lie on the side of his missing leg, so he can get his chest and face as close to mine as possible without the obstruction of a limb. I know he’s really into his nap when his deep purr turns into a snore.

The bulk of my year was spent colored by the ever increasing sound of the ringing in my left ear. When I visited a doctor to try to address the ringing, the first thing the doctor told me was, “There are support groups for this type of thing” meaning a cure was probably not in the cards. The ringing only bothers me when I’m trying to listen to something or when I think, so some would say those incidences rarely occur. The one relief I have found is I can’t hear the ringing if I’m singing at the top of my lungs. My officemates (or the boyz for that matter) don’t always appreciate this. I also had surgery to remove a lump on my tongue. During the recovery time, I learned that the tongue is one of the quickest healing organs, and also one of the moistest. It wasn’t like I needed to taste food or anything…

But enough about our aches and pains. I was very happy to put nearly 4,000 miles on my scooter this year. I think I would have been happier if I actually put those miles on in a straight line rather than going around in circles and getting nowhere. When I wasn’t scooting, curling, playing softball, or enjoying a quiet moment with the boyz, I was busy working on my next novel tentatively called, “I See Ballots in My Sleep.” It’s a story about a young boy and his love of counting things.

We all hope you have a great holiday season and enjoy 2011 to the max. We’re crossing our fingers and hoping we’ll get lucky and be able to name 2011 after a private body part as well.

Worth a Shot

Theo thought if he went to bed a little early, Santa might arrive even sooner than scheduled.

The Motto of the Day

We choose to snooze.

Life is Rough

There isn't always someone around to give you a belly rub....

Bound and Determined

Theo loves to play fetch. His brothers don't like it so much when Theo and I are playing fetch since he'll run through a brother or two in pursuit of his ball...

Back Boy

Thompson is a very good brother. He's always got his brother's back.

Big Dreamer

Shhhhhh. Kitty busy dreaming some big dreams...

Cat Ears

Diego-san likes to sit on top of my TV. I don't mind... I get better reception that way...

Stop and Smell the Roses

I hope this wasn't what Theo was strategizing the other day...

By the looks of things, Thompson must've passed the smell test.

Check

Scratch finding a splotch of sun to lie in from the list of things to get done before Christmas...

Strategic Timeout

Sometimes it's important to stop chasing your brother all around the house to figure out what your next best move might be...

Water Expert

There's no drinking water out a dish for this water connoisseur.

Winter Wonderland

Yesterday was a great day to find a warm brother to snuggle with...

Dumped On

As forecasted we got a ton of snow, nearly 17 inches. I went out three separate times to try to dig out the waist high drifts. Theo kept looking out the window at me wondering what idiot would go out in such conditions...

Enough Already

It's snowing outside and by the time this storm is over they are saying we might have up to two feet of snow, with drifts up to five feet. That's enough to make one want to crawl into the bathtub and hide...

Third of Life

Just Guessin'

Not quite sure Diego-san appreciates Thompson's foot in his face.

Now You Tell Me

I told Theo he has less than 17 days to convince Santa he's been good enough this year to get some toys. He seemed alarmed by the announcement...

Bongo Ball Anyone?

One of the boyz' toys is called 'bongo ball.' It's just a fuzzy ball attached to the top of a spring. It's good for batting back and forth, up and down. Of course if you want to play some bongo ball, you might have to get through Diego-san first...

Dynamic Duo

Sometimes it's best to face Monday with the help of another.

Box Top Boy

Theo decided today was a good day to kick his feet up and relax on top of a box.

Blizzardo

We had a bad winter storm go through the city yesterday. It took me over an hour to drive six blocks in downtown Minneapolis trying to get home. Needless to say when I finally arrived, it was nice to be greeted by some expectant faces...

L. L.

Diego-san takes leisurely lounging to a whole other level...

Our Little Secret

Just between you and me... Theo is quite the adorable little fella...

November/December

November, out like a lion. December in like a penguin. In other words it was snowy and windy yesterday and supposed to be quite frigid today...

Different Creeds for Different Cats

Diego-san's creed is that a cat should always act cool at all times. I think that is why he doesn't understand Theo at all, particularly when Theo is running around the house like a chicken with its head cut off...

Shout Out

Theo is shouting out his support for more four day weekends with the food provider.

Two Bros Chillin'

'Nuf said.

The Old Jokes Work the Best

Is that a banana by your side or are you just glad to see me?

Black Friday

Diego-san is just thrilled by all the great shopping deals that are being advertised.

Thanksgiving 2010

Among the many things I'm thankful for, is another great (and mostly healthy) year with the boyz. They are the greatest...

Game Time

Thompson wants you to guess if this picture was pre-tryptophan or post-tryptophan.

So Long Kurbie

A Tip from Theo

It's fascinating how interesting your older brother smells.

Suddenly Sunday

The weekends just seem to roll on by...

Total Diego Eclipse

Unlike a solar eclipse, it's OK to look directly at a Diego-san eclipse.

Mystery Friday

By the looks of things, Theo doesn't seem to believe whatever he hears or sees going on downstairs...

Holiday Model

I told the boyz it was time to get our Christmas card made. Thompson, ever the well behaved boy, immediately struck a stately pose.

A Job Well Done

I didn't have the heart to tell Theo that he didn't have to hold the wall up because he was doing such a good job at it.

I Wanna Be Like You

As I mentioned a while back, Theo really does look up to Diego-san and all the heights his older brother is able to scale...

Cat in a Box

CAT IN A BOX!

Inside Out

Outside, we were getting six inches of snow. Inside, Theo was as snug as a bug in a cat tree.

Back Home

Got back from Charlottesville, Virginia where I saw my 39th Bob Dylan concert. It was a good show, and I enjoyed visiting a beautiful city. The boyz were pretty glad to see me come back home. When I went to bed, Thompson and Diego-san wedged themselves on either side of me so I was unable to move.

Checker

Thompson often checks in on Diego-san and myself just in case he's missing something he should be a part of...

Sitter

I asked Diego-san's favorite person in the whole world to stop by to feed the boyz while I'm gone. He could barely hide his excitement.

A Face to Come Home To

Taking a short little trip... It's often hard to leave the house watching Theo's little face watch me walk all the way out to the car...

The Many Looks of Thompson

This is Thompson's content look. It's also his bored look. It might also be his contemplative look as well.