A Different Look

Last week I showed you Thompson's worried look. This week I'm showing you his content look. A nap in the sun will do that to a fella.

Happy B-day Diego-San

We celebrated Diego's fifth birthday. He got an extra couple of Greenies this morning and the boyz watched as I sang him Happy Birthday.

This day is Diego's designated birthday because it also is the birth date of his favorite human, A-. It also happens to be my sister's birthday and was my mother's birthday as well.

Happy birthday all.

The Fourth Boy

This is the fourth member of my boyz- Bucky the Betafish. Bucky lives on my desk at work.

Earlier this summer a big old pickup truck knocked my scooter over in the parking lot of a restaurant. Part of the damage was my left rear view mirror was broken off. I finally got the mirror replaced a couple of days ago. I brought the knocked off mirror into my office and put it in front of Bucky's tank. Betafish apparently get quite feisty around other betafish and sure enough, Bucky puffed up bigger than a drunk's swollen eyelids. I'd bet anything Bucky could take that fish in the mirror.

Broken Bridge

One of the aftermaths of the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis is that any route I take to and from work has noticeably more traffic. Thus I've been getting home 15 to 20 minutes later than normal. This seems to have Thompson worried.

This is Thompson's worried look.

Make Up Time

I had a mid morning meeting near my house so I decided to take the afternoon off. I spent it with the boyz, watching a documentary on the writer Charles Bukowski. He had a cat who looked a little like Theo.

I took a lil nap with Diego and feel a tad more rested up.

Manic Monday

I had a late night at work and didn't get home until after 10:30 p.m. The boyz were quite restless and weren't shy about letting me know.

Thompson ran away from his "Hello Thompson how was your day? pat on the head." He stood in front of the closed basement door and yowled.

Diego-san didn't seem to know whether he wanted lots o' loving or to show me he was completely indifferent towards me. Theo wanted to be fed.

I wondered what happened during the day. Surely it wasn't just my absence that got all three boyz so wound up.

So Far, So Good

I let the boyz go downstairs and check out the progress on the basement. Diego-san inspected every inch, and made some auditory noises I've never heard him make before. It almost sounded like an "ahhh" and an "Ohhh" as if he was impressed by the framing work or the layout of the space.

Theo was reluctant to come all the way down the stairs. He kinda stood at the top and sniffed around. Eventually he joined Thompson and Diego in walking around. When I finally made the boyz go back upstairs and shut the door to the basement Theo was the one who stood outside the door and whined away- wanting to continue to check out this new part of his world.

Ouch

This past week Minnesota Twins traded away my favorite player, Luis Castillo. Castillo only played for the Twins one and a half seasons but he proved he was a very good, consistent second baseman and leadoff hitter. The reason he was my favorite player was he came across slightly goofy. Before each inning he would be the last to take his place on the infield and when he did run out of the dugout he would run in a circular path around the infield to his position. He would take his first practice throw from first baseman Justin Morneau and lob a high throw back. Before each at bat he would stand back to back with the umpire and make a cross before going to the batter's box. He was a fast runner but he walked around like a 90 year old man. I loved this combination of very good and idiosyncratic player.

Today, I felt a little like Luis Castillo. My softball team participated in the annual all day tournament. There were 16 teams and essentially you play until you lose two games. Usually we only win once and get eliminated by noon. Today we won our first game (I leadoff with a home run to set the tone) and also won our next two. We lost our first game after lunch and played two more before losing a second time to finish in second place. We lost both games to the ultimate champion, the local public radio station. By the third or fourth game my legs were aching and like Castillo I was hobbling around like a very old man.

The boyz must have missed their normal Saturday routine though, because when I got home I lay on the couch and took a nap while Diego and Thompson took turns sleeping on my chest. Theo quietly watched on the sofa across the living room.

Three Times

Three times during the night/early morning I heard Theo making the dreaded urping up noise. All three times I scrambled out of bed to try to move him so he wouldn't throw up on the carpet. Each time I'd approach him though, he'd run away.

The first two times he didn't urp anything up. This led to a theory that a cat can't throw up if they are running. I was about to make a note of that until the third incident. This time Theo did throw up while he was running leaving a trail down the hallway. D'oh!

In the News

A bridge collapsed near downtown Minneapolis yesterday. It was part of the interstate that runs between the two twin cities.

I don't usually cross the bridge on a daily basis- probably only go that way 50 times a year because traffic is usually terrible in the area and I tend to use the side streets. The last time I crossed the bridge was after working late into the evening and since it is part of the quickest route home I decided to go that way. I discovered it was down to one lane due to construction so I made a mental note not to use that way the rest of the summer.

I had a friend coming over last night that lives near that area and I was telling her over the weekend that she probably wanted to take the side streets to my house because of the construction. When I turned on the news my thoughts immediately flashed to her wondering which way she decided to come. Thankfully she did avoid the freeway and she even called me to tell me she was going to be late because traffic in the area was understandably horrible.

As I watched the news coverage Thompson hopped up next to me and I couldn't help but think how random and sudden life is and how something can happen in the next minute that will change you forever. Thompson is such a great soul to share such thoughts with.

Diego-san's Lil Sister

Diego has a little sibling. There's a black cat with a fluffy tail that loves to lie in the middle of my neighbor's backyard. I don't think the cat belongs to my neighbor so he/she is wandering over from somewhere in the neighborhood.

Every time I get home and see this cat my heart skips a beat because I think to myself, "Diego has finally figured a way to get out of the house..."

This lookalike is quite a bit smaller than Diego however. One evening when I was doing my dishes I looked out the kitchen window and this cat was slinking up towards the house. He/she didn't appear to see me so when I tapped on the window it just about jumped 50 feet in the air. I don't think it's been back in my yard since- instead taking up its "residence" in my neighbor's yard. I also don't think Diego-san has seen his lil sibling yet which is probably a good thing- he doesn't need to be tempted to go outside for any reason.

My Kneeder

Theo loves to knead. Whenever he's on a puffed up blanket or comforter or pillow he'll sit there mindlessly and endlessly kneading. Whenever he's on my stomach he'll also knead and I must admit I love when he does it because it feels good.

Diego-san will knead on occasion and Thompson tries but it's quite hard to do with only one paw without losing balance.

But it's Theo that needs to knead. And if his purring is any indication, it's an activity he does when he's feeling happy.

Construction- Day 3

Well, the boyz are on their own today to face the sound of nail guns, saws, and pounding. I'm back at work after taking a vacation day Friday to clean out the basement.

Construction- Day Two

Last night I let the boyz go downstairs and see what all the noise was about.

Diego-san explored every inch of the basement. He sniffed at the wood, the saw dust, the tools, and I think would have spent hours down there if I had let him.

Today both Theo and Thompson weren't quite as frightened by the noise. They went upstairs when the construction began but eventually came down to the living room to join Diego and I. It looks like good progress has been made so hopefully the disruption to the boyz lives won't be too lengthy. And in the end, it looks like we'll have a pretty nifty space.

Knock on Wood

M-'s dad came over this morning to begin working on my basement. I hired him to finish off the basement- making it into a bedroom, a family area, and a room for my washing machine and dryer.

With all the hammering and sawing Diego-san wanted to go down to help with the project. He made a break for it the first chance the kitchen door that was blocking his way, was open. Unfortunately for him, the door to the basement was closed so he didn't get very far.

Theo and Thompson spent the entire morning hiding upstairs under my futon.

Two Buddies

This is the very first photo I saw of Diego and Thompson. This was the picture of the two that was posted on the web site of the shelter that I adopted them from.

I was looking for two cats that got along with each other well, and when I visited them in their foster home, it was clear the two of them did just that. Indeed looking back I was given a glimpse of their relationship from the moment I met them. Diego boldly came and greeted me, all but jumping up in my arms. Thompson stayed back, watching my interaction with Diego before he eventually hopped over to check me out.

I love how it seems that Thompson got a lot of his confidence back by watching and living with Diego. Diego seemingly has little fear and he'll explore whatever and wherever he is allowed to explore. Thompson is a bit more cautious and understandably so. It was his curiosity that cost him his leg- taking a step where he shouldn't have taken one.

There are good examples of how Thompson has learned by watching Diego. Since moving in Diego-san has always been a faucet drinker. He has a big ritual of hopping on the sink, and then clawing the bowl of the sink as if he has to dig down for the water. Thompson for a year and a half watched Diego, but didn't see the need to hop up on to the sink. Then one day he tried it and discovered the benefit of fresh water. He has since become fascinated by the sight of the water flowing from the tap and I think if I left it on he'd watch it for hours.

His most recent lesson learned from Diego is the pleasure of being combed. This is Diego's big moment of the night and Thompson for the longest time could tolerate being combed, but unlike Diego didn't seem to see the pleasure. The past month or so however after I'm finished combing Diego, Thompson will line up and then hop on over as if it is his turn. I think he's still not sure he enjoys the sensation of being combed but if it is important to Diego, it must be worth doing.

Movie Recommendation

I watched Black Snake Moan last night. It was the best movie I've seen in a while.

Essentially the story is not so much about redemption and salvation, but rather about how some lost souls are able to connect and comfort each other and by the end of the movie, end up in a slightly better place, with slightly more hope.

The blues music in the movie is terrific. Samuel L. Jackson does a passable job as a down and out blues singer. The movie opens with an interview with one of my favorite blues singers, Son House, and by the end of the movie everything Son has said, is reinforced.

Black Snake Moan is more of an uplifting fable than a cautionary tale based in reality. On the other hand, it's gritty realism hits hard and it isn't a PG feel good movie you'd watch with the kids. But it's got an emotional wallop that's well earned and Christina Ricci's performance is as naked, daring, and true a performance as you're gonna see in a movie.

The boyz and I give it a hearty paws up.

Whoosh 2

Continuing my theme from yesterday... Most mornings I ride my scooter to work and on the way in I'll stop at a coffee place to get my morning latte. Today was no exception.

A few months back I found a coffee cup that does not spill or leak. That is if you actually close the top. This morning I arrived at work and pulled the cup out from underneath my seat and it seemed awfully light. Sure enough the top was open and my latte was giving a good soaking to everything stored underneath my seat.

Arrggg.

I cleaned it up as best I could but with temperatures expected to get in the high 90's today, I think I may go back out and do even more cleaning. Milk tends to get a lil stinky when it sits in hot weather for any length of time.

Whoosh

I've gotta admit I've been in a daze the past few weeks where I'll get to work or I'll go home and it's like I wasn't there for the drive. There's not a whole lot of thinking going on in the old noggin these days. I'm not sure the cause of this.

This picture of Thompson pretty much mirrors the look on my own face...

My Lil Monkey

I was watching the remake of Planet of the Apes last night. Theo joined me and took interest in the sounds the apes were making. His ears stood straight up and his eyes got as wide as nickels.

Theo's high pitched meow reminds me of the sound chimpanzee's make, so maybe the squeals of the apes spoke to him somehow.

I was surprised, but I actually got quite a kick out of the movie.

What's Up, -d?

The boyz got me this morning.

I got out of my shower, opened up the bathroom door to the sight of all three boyz sitting under the open skylight, looking straight up. My first thought was that a bird had gotten trapped in between the open glass and the screen. I went to look and I didn't see anything unusual, just an open skylight. But all three boyz kept their places looking straight up. I looked again, this time more closely. I half expected one of the boyz to start giggling, knowing that their trick had worked. They had gotten daddy to look up at nothing.

Hey Buddy, I'm Not a Tree

Diego-san must have had a rough day.

I went upstairs to watch TV and he followed me up the stairs quite enthusiastically. He cried until I combed him. He was squirming so much during his grooming that I stopped. I went to brush my teeth and he followed me into the bathroom. He leaped up on the vanity and then tried crawling on top of the towel rack.]

When I was done brushing my teeth he followed me back out to the bedroom where he cried again to be combed. I combed him again and he climbed up on me, arms draped over my shoulders, face right up close to mine. Then he continued climbing trying to sniff the top of my head.

The boy needed some serious lovin.

We All Have Our Days

Thompson was squirrely this morning. He woke me up around 4 a.m. talking, grousing, grumbling, mumbling about something. He was down the hall from my futon, and at first I thought it must be Theo bothering him. But I looked at my side and Theo was contently asleep. Diego too was sleeping at the end of the futon so I'm not sure what got up Thompson's craw.

Then after breakfast this morning he was tearing around the house like a cat possessed. This picture is Thompson mocking Theo's picture that was posted yesterday.

Look Forward Not Up

It's been such a dry summer that whenever we get even a fraction of participation I look out the window and say to the boyz, "Hey guys... what is that stuff falling from the sky?" Then I chuckle.

The joke turned around on me yesterday. I had a late meeting at work and when I looked out the window it was pouring. This would be good news for those of us desperately hoping our lawns aren't completely dead, but since I had scooted to work I wasn't too pleased. Plus since I had worked late I had to go directly to the Twins game I had a ticket to, without stopping home.

It was like the whole city had shut down. You would think no one had ever seen rain before in their life. All the streets were snarled with traffic. It took me over 20 minutes to go about a mile knowing the baseball game was another 20 miles away and if I wanted to get there in time I had about an hour.

I arrived just as the first inning was beginning.

By the time I got home, it was very late. I was so tired I just fed the boyz and went straight to bed. They had none of that. Theo wanted attention. Diego wanted to be combed.

Oh, and the Twins lost.

The Failed Experiment

I think it's time to admit that after a month of trying to get the boyz to eat a healthier brand of food, that when it comes to cat food, like people food, healthy doesn't always equate to tasty.

For the past month or so I've been feeding the boyz a half and half mixture of their old food and the new food. Each of the three picks out the old food morsals and leaves most of the new food remaining in their dish. Thompson has noticeably lost weight and I suspect Diego-san has as well.

I figured after a while they'd give in to any hunger and start eating the new food. I even put out an extra dish to fill with the new food that is leftover. Theo nibbles away but the other two want no part of a new diet.

I do find it sort of amusing that after nibbling at their own portion, the boyz will switch dishes as if what I'm feeding the others is better than their own share. Thus Theo often ends up at Diego's dish, Thompson ends up at Theo's dish, and Diego ends up at Thompson's dish. It's the grass is always greener method of eating a meal.

Ya F$%#ing Donkey!

I spent a quiet evening at home watching Hell's Kitchen. Diego spent the entire evening head and paws draped over the side of my computer desk. Once in a while he'd look up and over at me as if to say I really needed to do more to entertain him. Far be it for me to bore the boyz.

Lots of Commotion

My friend M- came over yesterday to help me clean out my basement in preparation for her father sheet rocking the walls of the basement. I had a lot of junk that I threw down there when I moved into my house over a decade ago, mostly half filled boxes of books and newspapers and stuff I accumulated over the years and didn't have the energy to go through.

Of course with all the box destruction and moving stuff from the basement to my main level bedroom and office, the boyz got pretty riled up. Diego came downstairs and of course had to be right in the middle of wherever we were working. Thompson, who adores M-, showed his growing courage by exploring the basement much more thoroughly than I've ever seen him explore.

Theo remained mostly out of sight. When I did see him I could tell he was a bit frightened. When he gets that way he walks as low to the ground as he can and alternates between standing still in full observation mode and running away as soon as anything gets too close.

The Most Exciting Laundry Day Ever

Laundry day is about as exciting as it gets around this house and today was no exception.

Diego-san took his usual place underneath the fresh new sheets on my futon. He was clawing and biting while trying to follow my finger which was drawing a circle around his clump underneath the sheets. Theo jumped up on the futon and situated himself right next to Diego's clump. Diego swirled with my circling hand trying to bite at it and the motion caused Theo to bounce up and down with each movement. He looked around as if he didn't quite know what to do, what was causing him to move as if he was floating on the ocean.

Eventually he decided he'd enough and he jumped off the futon and went to sit in the safety of the nearby empty laundry basket.

A Different Week

I attended a conference all week. It was held at a hotel in a nearby suburb so I was able to wake up 15-20 minutes later than normal, and also had time to get a latte from the coffee place across the street from my house.

I think I threw the boyz's schedule off a bit especially the coffee part. I usually only get coffee from the place across the street on the weekends. And when I get back with my latte, I always give the boyz a treat (used to be Greenies, now are some healthier treat... I may have to try these Temptations that seem all the rage in the kitty community). So the boyz got a lot of treats this week.

It was nice having a week away from the office. I haven't had a day off (except for holidays) since I started my new job last January. Going to a work conference is probably as close to a vacation as I'm going to get this year- the busiest part of my job is now just gearing up.

Therefore the boyz deserved the extra treats this week because it's likely I'm not going to be home a lot in the coming months...

The Kitty in the Mirror

What's the deal with cats and mirrors?

I used to amuse myself by holding the late great Mr. Max in front of a mirror. Max would do everything in his power to avoid looking at his reflection. He'd look up. He'd look down. He'd look left. He'd look right. He'd look at me and past himself. But no matter what, he would never look at that kitty in the mirror.

I've tried the same thing with the three boyz. Theo doesn't ever seem to be looking at anything in particular and like Max, when held in front of the mirror he certainly won't look at himself. Thompson seems to like looking at things in the mirror and he occasionally seems to take a glimpse at his reflection.

Diego-san on the other hand might be betraying his obvious vanity. He'll look directly at his reflection without flinching seemingly curious about how handsome that boy on the other side really is. I do suspect he might be far sighted, evidenced by his difficulty drinking water out of a bowl- so maybe he really isn't completely fascinated by how he looks but rather like me, it's a vision thing.

A Steadying Force

Thompson doesn't have much trouble keeping up with Diego or Theo when they are going full speed. His balance is much better when he is running. He struggles however when he is moseying along. Sometimes if he is moving really slow, he'll move forward by dipping his whole left front side down and pushing himself forward with his back legs. When he is trying to thwart an attack by Theo, Thompson will often resort to backing up or even standing on his hind legs.

None of this seems to phase him though. One of my all time favorite sights in this world is the sight of Thompson running towards me with his determination fully expressed in each and every step he takes.

Tag Team

This is my first posting from my iPhone. Woohoo.

I'm sitting here watching the Major League Baseball All Star game.

Equally entertaining is the nightly what started as cleaning turned into aggressive cleaning turned full fledged wrestling match between Thompson and Theo.

What made this particular match a little different was I was typing away on my iPhone's touch screen keyboard when I looked up to see the wrestling match had turned into a Theo versus Diego-san bout.

It was like Thompson opted out, tagged Diego and his faithful teammate dutifully took on the ever pesky Theo.

New Duties

I decided a couple of months back to deal with Theo's need to pull my towels off the rack and on to the floor by making him responsible for the towels being in the proper place when I get home. I told Theo I didn't care if he pulled the towels down, just that it was his job to make sure that they were hung on the racks by the time I got home.

Miraculously ever since I assigned him this specific duty I haven't found any towels on the ground when I get home. It's become a ritual that when I get home and go upstairs to change out of my work clothes, I walk by the bathroom and check on the towel status, and when I see the towels still hanging up, I pick Theo up (he always follows me up) and give him a great big hug with the proud proclamation, "THEO DID HIS JOB! YEAH THEO!"

I'm not sure if he understands any of this but as long as my towels remain off the ground, I'm perfectly willing to give him credit and praise for a job well done.

I've noticed the past few weeks that Thompson follows us up and looks at me with a wondrous look on his face as to why I give Theo this special attention. So I've decided to give Thompson a chore to do as well. Since both Diego and Theo hacked up hairballs on to my fairly new upstairs carpet this weekend- I've given Thompson the responsibility of making sure any hairballs are to be hacked up either downstairs- or in the upstairs bathroom where it's much easier to clean.

This morning the task was not successfully completed. I heard one of the boyz hack up a hair ball. I'm not entirely sure which one it was- I was too tired to get out of bed and look- but I think it might have been Thompson.

Oh well I blame myself for not fully training him on his new job duties.

Boom Boom

There were some late night weekend fireworks that went off last night. Theo's eyes got as big as saucers and he stood up on my bed, concerned look on his face. I tried to say something to calm him down but he looked right past me to the ceiling above.

His eyes said it all: Life is a mystery.

Doo

I finally got around to getting my summer hairdo. That is to say I completely shaved my head for the fourth or fifth straight year.

My hair usually is medium length so the new look tends to take co-workers and those that see me on a daily basis (the coffee shop people) by surprise.

The first one to see me with the summerdo was Thompson who I swear rolled his eyes as if to say, 'by gosh, what's next?'

The Right Culprit

Diego-san and I had a little bit of a rough evening last night.

I was busy fixing my dinner while watching Thompson enjoy his. I then saw Thompson stand up on his back legs to avoid getting hit by two flashing blurs of black fur running by. Theo was chasing Diego and they flew down the basement stairs. Later as I was eating my dinner I heard this big CRASH! coming from the basement.

So Thompson and I went down to investigate and saw that Diego had knocked some boxes off these old shelves I had built a long time ago. As is with all my handy work the shelves are rather shaky- not very stable and all they hold is the junk I've never had the energy to go through since the last time I moved (about 11 years ago).

Diego had hopped up on the top shelf to get away from Theo and I yelled at him because he very easily could have toppled the entire unit. He yowled back at me as I was yelling at him- letting me know he wasn't to blame, it was the little terror chasing him around the house that should be the one getting the lecture.

Later on I caught Diego licking dirty dishes in my kitchen sink. So he got yelled at again. The next time I saw him he was sulking, hanging his head over the edge of my computer desk as if to let me know he didn't appreciate the scoldings.

Payback

Theo and Diego-san got back at me last night/this morning for interrupting their normal schedule yesterday.

Both of them took turns waking me up periodically last night. Theo in particular wanted to rub his wet nose in my face and lick my arms and legs. Diego wanted to nudge as close to my side as he could. Then to top it off, early this morning Theo hacked up a hair ball.

Guess I'll have to warn the boyz in advance when our schedules change...

Independence Day

I think I surprised the boyz by staying home during the middle of the week to "celebrate" the national holiday. Actually I just spent most of the day on the couch watching movies.

Theo in particular seemed unsure what to do. He alternated between chasing Diego-san, going to the toy box to play with a catnip toy, and hopping on my chest.

Thompson spent the most time with me napping at my feet.

231 years ago a group of pretty special people got together and started this country. I'm sure none of the group was envisioning freedom meant spending a hot summer day in the company of three cats. They were probably thinking about more noble pursuits. Truthfully I myself can't imagine what that might be.

Long Time, No Explanation

Ever since Diego-san has lived with me there is one daily activity he does that baffles me.

As I go downstairs to clean out the litter boxes Diego will go tearing down the stairs in front of me and then he'll roll around the cement floor near the litter boxes. I'll rub his belly sometimes but he'll usually try to bite my hand if I do this- as if I'm interrupting a ritual of some type.

At first this behavior fascinated Theo who would come down and watch, but now Diego does this with only my audience.

A Lil Privacy Please

One of Theo's more annoying habits is the need for whatever reason to close doors behind him. He then cries and scratches because he has trapped himself inside a room and he isn't so good on the concept of opening a door.

To try to break him of this habit, I'm trying to leave him behind the closed door as long as I can take the crying and scratching. Yesterday he closed the main level bedroom door behind him. Unfortunately for Thompson, Thompson was in the room looking out his favorite window.

For about twenty minutes I heard Theo struggling to open the door. When I finally gave in and opened the door, Thompson (who hadn't uttered a peep) came tearing out. I felt bad he had been an involuntary part of trying to teach Theo a lesson.

Hipster

I gave in to the hype and bought an iPhone. I wasn't one of those who stood in lines for hours, or slept overnight in front of the Apple Store. Instead I went around 8 p.m. (they went on sale at 6 p.m.) and strolled into a busy store and plopped down my $600.

Actually it was a very efficient process. I was greeted at the front door and told they had two express lanes at the back of the store for those who were ready to buy- and had several display models out throughout the sides of the store for those just looking.

I hadn't gone to the store intending to buy. I kinda just wanted to see the chaos and excitement. I admitted to myself however that when I actually saw the iPhone I'd probably be too weak to resist. So of course I ended up buying one sight unseen.

When Apple announced the plans for the iPhone several months ago I thought about buying one when they became available. I already was ready to buy a new iPod, having filled up my old one. And I didn't own a personal cell phone so it made some sense to buy the iPhone.

Is it all that it has been written up to be? Well, it's pretty darn cool. The internet touch screen surfing is great and the iPod is quite an improvement over what I had. The phone itself? Don't know, haven't tried it.

Being the first on my block with a new gadget is part of my history. I was one of the first to own a walkman when they came out when I was in junior high. I was one of the first I knew who owned a VCR as well.

And when it becomes trendy to own three-legged cats, I'll point proudly to my long relationship with Thompson.

What the Bleep?

When I was a kid I wanted a dog but my sisters were allergic to both cats and dogs so we never had a family pet. I had to instead settle for stuffed animals and a turtle.

I pretty much got Mr. Max within weeks of getting my very own place to live for the first time. I was renting a tiny efficiency so getting a dog really wasn't an option. Of course since then I've become a full fledged card carrying cat person rather than a dog person.

So last night I was out in my front yard watering the boulevard grass in front of my house. I turned to see two teenagers with baseball caps turned askew, tatoos and cigarettes walking what appeared to be a dalmation. As they passed me one of the kids said, "I hope you're not allergic to dogs." I said I wasn't and thanked them for asking. I thought it was quite polite to ask the question not that there was much that could've been done had I been allergic.

I continued watering and turned to look at where the kids and their dog had gone and noticed a trail of dog "leftovers" all the way down the sidewalk in front of my house. So while the kids had seemed polite, they weren't exactly following the city ordinance that requires a dog owner to clean up after their dog.

After I was done cleaning up the mess I wondered if their question had anything to do with a medical condition that causes the dog to leave a trail wherever he walks... It was just kinda a bizarre exchange. All and all though it made me glad I am a cat person...

My Bad... My Real Bad

So I was laying in bed around 10 p.m. last night and it dawned on me that it was Theo's designated birthday and I had forgotten all about it.

I immediately got up and went to find him. He greeted me at the bottom of the stairs, looked up with those big eyes of his and figured something must be up because it was a highly unusual event for me to come down from the bedroom at that time of night. I began singing him happy birthday and he came closer so I picked him up and gave him a big hug. This of course led to a convening of an unscheduled meeting as both Thompson and Diego-san joined us.

I gave everybody treats and wished Theo a very happy although somewhat belated third birthday.

Window Watchers

It's been uncomfortably hot and muggy here the past few days so the windows have remained closed and the air conditioner has been running.

Thompson has learned the benefits of sitting underneath the ceiling fan in the bedroom. Diego-san prefers sprawling on the bathroom tile. Theo? Not sure where he's hanging out.

This morning the humidity was much less than the past few days so before I left for work I cracked open the small windows next to the picture window in my living room. I went outside and watered the plants in my front yard. I looked up in one of the two small open windows and saw Thompson's cute little face peering out watching my every move. I went to turn off the water and got up close to the other small window and saw Diego's eyes peering out. He's pretty hard to see unless you get right up to the window but he too was observing my activities and enjoying the fresh air.

Coolly Combed

Diego-san gets a regular nightly combing. Indeed he begs and cries for it if I should happen to forget it's time. The other boyz I comb every once in a while. Theo is very difficult to comb because I think he thinks we're playing so he attempts to bite the comb with each stroke.

Thompson doesn't like to be held down so to comb him I always wait until he's in a relaxed, lounging condition. The other day I looked at where he'd been sitting on the couch and noticed a pile of fur of the amount that I probably could have knitted a fur coat had I been so inclined. So last night I decided it was time to give him a good combing. I waited until he was settled in for the night, lying in his favorite cat bed underneath the ceiling fan that was providing a little bit of relief from the sticky summer air.

I couldn't believe how much fur came off Thompson during the combing. The comb kept clogging up and I'd clean the bristles only to have to clean them again with about five more strokes. I could tell Thompson was glad to be shedding a little of his coat as he lie perfectly still glad for all the attention.

Captain Jack

I've been sitting at my desk all morning with tears in my eyes, sad over the death of a cat I never even met.

About a month ago- Theo's foster mother, -D, emailed me about a small tuxedo cat she was fostering named Captain Jack. Like Theo, Jack had sustained an injury that essentially prevented him from using his back legs. But Jack's injuries were worse than Theo's in that they affected some internal organs as well.

Jack ended up in a loving home where he got to meet and play with several other cats. Every time I heard how Jack was doing I'd go home and update Theo- feeling as if Jack was a little lost brother/kindred spirit to Theo.

Over the weekend despite the many efforts from Jack's co-foster moms his continuing and worsening health problems led to the decision to euthanize him.

It sounds as if Jack really touched everyone who met him (and a few of us who didn't) with his sweet playful personality. Reading about him made me appreciate my own boyz all the more- particularly Thompson and Theo- who both had such traumatic beginnings to their lives. I'm grateful that after sustaining severe injuries both Thompson and Theo, like Jack, were brought to people who did all they could to ensure that they'd get the treatment and love needed to give them a second chance on life.

I'm so thankful that my boyz are all relatively healthy and happy and for all of the joy they've added to my house. I also feel blessed that even though I never got to meet Captain Jack- he did touch my heart in a substantial way. That type of thing is something that shouldn't be taken for granted.

He's an Entertaining Lil Fella

Every now and then Theo will get a burst of energy (or I should say more energy than is always present) and go tearing from room to room, up and down the stairs.

I always find it amusing when this occurs to take a look at Thompson and Diego-san. Both initially get this look on their faces of wide-eyed concern wondering what the commotion is all about. Eventually however their looks turn into a more humdrum, 'the youngster has finally lost all his marbles' look.

My Movie Stars

I'm working on a DVD photo album of the boyz to give to friends and family at Christmas time. Essentially it's just a DVD with individual slide shows of each boy set to music. I did this for the first time last year and as I learn the software- iDVD better, the project gets a little more fancy and sophisticated.

For each slide show I do about 25 pictures. Going through the many pictures of the boyz I've taken this year I was able to find 25 good shots of both Diego-san and Thompson. I fell far short for Theo however. This really surprises me because Diego is difficult to photograph. Usually his pictures turn out with a big black blob with two glowing eyes. Theo on the other hand is very photogenic- indeed most of his pictures seem to capture what I think he really looks like.

I also do a combo slide show- and again as I mentioned a few days ago- there are very few shots with all three boyz. Most of this year's combo shots are of Thompson and Theo. Getting shots of Diego and Theo together is difficult because Diego tends to move when Theo is in the area. Getting shots of Diego and Thompson isn't as difficult but most of the time they spend together is a matter of sleeping next to one another and while that can make for a cute shot- it also gets a little redundant. Fortunately I have another six months to work on all this and I'm sure by the end of the year much of what I have already compiled will be changed as the boyz continue to primp and preen.

A True Indoor Cat

Diego loves to lay or sit underneath my skylights. When I have them open the many sounds from outside whether it be a bird, car, or a person walking by, makes him take notice. Of course he can't see anything except the sky above but this seems to be one of his favorite things to do.

And unlike Thompson he really doesn't sit much by an open window where he could actually see what is causing the many sounds. I did see today as Thompson was following something outside by going from window to window, Diego-san was following him seemingly more fascinated by what Thompson was doing than what Thompson was looking at.

Part of this difference in interests to the world outside might be that Thompson spent the early days of his life outside living in a park. The only time Diego has spent any amount of time outside was a couple of summers ago when I took him for walks. He loved that limited time outside and I truly should take him out again. It's just a little hard taking all three for walks.