Settling In

Most of our little Seward Ave family has made the move to the new house on Rocky Road. Only Izzy and Casey have yet to come for good...they are spending some quality time with the Grandmother, who lives right down the road. Henry, Ruthie, and Emma seem to have made themselves right at home:


So I guess now I have to start calling it my little Rocky Road family!

Naughty Ruthie

Ruthie is very cute, but has an alarming tendency to pee on things like beds or clothing. So I decided that when we moved I would attempt to retrain her not to pee on anything. And when I leave the house, she goes into a nice crate just for her, complete with water, bed, and litterbox. The first day did not go very well. There was quite a struggle getting her into the crate, and a good bit of meowing and scratching around. But things are going a little more smoothly now!

Okay, there was a bit of writhing around, as well...

Silly Kitties

My cats are very hard to photograph, since they usually come out as an unusable blurry image. But I think when I actually get a shot, they are pretty cute!

Henry, watching me on the computer.

Ruthie, trying to see out the front door. Originally Henry was hanging there too, but I couldn't get my camera fast enough!

Henry, playing with the camera cord. He is just so handsome!

Ruthie Being Inappropriate

Ruthie has a very hard time understanding that sleeping on the counter is inappropriate. Not quite as inappropriate as eating plastic bags and pooping in the craft room, but still not good.

Even better than eating plastic bags is napping on one!

I often turn to books for comfort, but not the physical type...but Ruthie can't read (as far as I know), so I guess sleeping on them is the next best thing!

Despite the naughtiness, she's pretty cute. And awfully sweet. So I guess I'll keep her. For now.

Ruthie, aka The Cat with Thumbs

The other day I caught Ruthie drinking out of the kitchen sink, which she apparently is able to turn on herself. She is such a cute cat (maybe I'm biased), so I grabbed my camera on the off chance I might catch something good. And I did get some interesting pictures, that's for sure:

I'm not sure this is classified as 'good' but it does make me laugh...

I never really noticed how freakish Ruthie's paws were until I saw this shot on my computer!

My cat has thumbs!

Extra Baby Pictures!

I just thought I'd share a few more pictures that I found on my camera today!

Ruthie, with an angry-looking Henry.

Very serious Izzy...kind of unusual, since she's generally the clown of the family!

Henry, making it known that he is NOT in the mood for a belly rub.

My little brown dog Emma, smiling because she probably just snuck upstairs for a cat food snack!

Ruthie Says Hi!

Henry and Ruthie's Scrapbook Page

My desktop got a weird virus, so I had to very quickly save all my photos before the whole system went down. Then I had to go through all my photos, mainly because I love looking at my pictures! And I found one of my favorites of Henry and Ruthie, take just a few months after Ruthie came to live with me:

(I used the "Moody Blues" kit from ShabbyPrincess.com)

I'm such a slacker!

Not too much is happening here on Seward Ave. Izzy and Emma are still going to obedience classes. And Henry, Ruthie, and I all have colds. I'm feeling great, thanks to a combo of Aleve-D, Zyrtec, and Mucinex (gotta love polypharmacy!), but I feel so bad for little Henry and Rue. They're both trotting around with runny noses, and sneezing all the time. I hope they get better soon.

"I'm sick and you're taking pictures of me...what kind of a cat-mother ARE you?"

The girls have been spending lots of time with the Mothership out on the farm, running around the gardens and grape field. I drop them off at 8am every morning and spend the entire day at work being jealous that they're tearing around outside and I'm stuck indoors dealing drugs to people who constantly inform me that I will be voting for Obama. FYI - you make me want to be a conservative, and just for trying to force your political opinions down my throat, I'm going to go get some Sarah Palin bangs. So there!

Today it was so nice out that I let the girls spend most of the day out in the backyard while I did laundry. They're so sweet, everytime I come outside to visit them, they act like it's Christmas or something. They're better than Prozac!

"Ohmigosh...Mom just came outside...woohoo...this is the BEST DAY EVER!!!"

I have to say, having pets really does add some color to your life. For instance, I finally captured on camera (though not very well) what greets me every time I come up the back steps to my house:

Normally, he's not quite so sad looking, but remember, he's sick today, poor boy.

And last but not least, there's my little brown dog, Emma, who is providing us with "Crazy Dog Face of the Day:"

The dorkiest dog I ever met, but I totally love her!

And now I must be off to finish my laundry...I always save the red and khaki for last, even though it's what I need to wear to work tomorrow!

Why I Spend Several Hundred Dollars a Month at PetCo

I like to shop a lot. Lately I've been on a budget, so my only shopping joy comes from frequent visits to PetCo, which some people have deemed unnecessary, but I think are absolutely mandatory. Somehow, I don't think I even need words to explain what some call my "frivolous spending," but for those who do not have pets, I will try to enlighten:

Doesn't a cute cat like this deserve a nifty Igloo litter box?

And why shouldn't my boy have the finest Temptations Dental Treats the world has to offer?

And seriously, could you feed these two anything less than Nutro, which is going to keep their joints healthy for years to come?

My babies are cute and fun and loving and totally worth the expenditures. Even if it means our country estate will take a few more years to get! And I think only my Aunt Paula understands, as she sent me a gift card to PetCo for my birthday. It must take one crazy pet person to know another!

Harvest Time

Summer is my favorite season, mainly because it means we can spend time at camp. But fall and winter are awesome because of all the celebrations and decorating opportunities! I'm getting ready to decorate outside for autumn, which involves some gorgeous wreaths that the Mothership made me, and orange lights, chrysanthemums, and some gigantor pumpkins that the Fathership planted...I can't wait!

Fall also means that Halloween is coming...yay! I love dressing up, but don't get the opportunity for it, since my employer frowns upon wearing anything but red and khaki. I really, really, really want to dress up as a candy corn witch:

Sadly, I'm pretty sure, this is not acceptable work apparel. (Can you imagine being counseled by a person wearing this? LOL.) Even more sad is that my not-so-secret love of the edible version of candy corn pretty much precludes me from ever wearing such a costume, even while not at work.

On the bright side, this year I have puppies that can dress up! And PetCo is holding a Howl-o-ween party, so now I have something to look forward to! I found canine candy corn costumes, which aren't as cute as the human options, and perhaps a bit too frilly for my labs:

I'm thinking they'll probably end up as pumpkins, since that would be completely cute, or perhaps a devil and an angel, since those are two costumes that I think I am capable of sewing up.

Henry and Ruthie don't care much for dressing up. Not that they've told me in so many words, but as Henry tried to bite me a few weeks ago over the sailor collar that one of my technicians persuaded me to buy at Target, I'm thinking that cats prefer to remain in the altogether. Ruthie, however, is practicing her wolverine impersonation:

I don't think she's quite snarly enough yet, but she's still got some time to work on it.

Recycling is Fun!

"I spend a great deal of time in the recycling bin...I love Mother Earth!"
~Ruthie, on why she likes to "blue bin" it.

Henry and Ruthie are completely INAPPROPRIATE!

Henry and Ruthie have discovered a new trick. They like to sleep on top of the cupboards in the kitchen. To access their favorite area requires jumping on a stool, leaping to the counter, walking over the stove, through the sink, jumping on the refrigerator, and then one giant leap to napping bliss. At first I thought it was cute, as evidenced by the following:

"I am highly offended that you are disturbing my slumber."

"I'm kind of embarrassed that you had to witness this..."

Then one day while my mother and brother were babysitting, one of my rooster plates smashed to the floor. I have to say, it's not so entertaining now!

The accident doesn't seem to be keeping Henry awake at night...

A Brief History of Ruthie

To celebrate Ruthie Poodaloo's one year anniversary on Seward Ave, I thought it would be fitting to review the past year in terms of Ruthie...

Ruthie arrived at Seward Ave via a pet store, where many customers stood outside to comment and laugh at her extra toes and strange stripes. But her soon-to-be adoptive mother, Sarah, saw that Ruthie's extra toes and asymmetrical stripes were not a handicap, but a gift, making Ruthie one of the more exceptional cats to reside on Seward Ave. So in May of 2007, Sarah took Ruthie home with her in a cardboard box to meet her new older brother Henry, and embark on a new life.

Ruthie quickly made herself at home, staking out the cushion of a loveseat as her new napping place.

Henry showed her the ropes: where to get food, the best napping spots, and how to convince Mom to give them extra kitty treats. He even shared his couch with her.

In turn, Ruthie allowed Henry to share her own small domain of the previously mentioned love seat.

Just two short months later, Ruthie was a true member of the posse on Seward Ave. So naturally, she got to move to the lake with the rest of the family. Vacationing with her family was a very interesting experience:

The Cat Carousel became her new favorite pasttime.

And Grandma Lynn came often to visit and rock Ruthie to sleep.

But all great summers must come to an end, and the little family made of one girl and two kitties returned home to Seward Ave. Fortunately, Ruthie was able to come up with many ways to keep herself busy.

Ruthie found new ways to entertain the family, including her Chalkboard Balancing Act.

She also devised an exhausting Cat Scratch exercise routine to keep herself in shape.

And she was also always very willing to pose for a photo op.

But then, one day, everything changed. Sarah brought home two new babies to join the little family. They were named Izzy and Emma, and took up much of Sarah's time.

Soon, more and more pictures were taken of puppies than of poor Ruthie.

Ruthie couldn't understand all the fuss, and decided to investigate these interlopers and their strange habits.

After taking a tour of Izzy and Emma's sleeping areas, she decided maybe she was better off being a cat.

Shortly thereafter, the puppies were housebroken, and Sarah had more time to spend with her Ruthie. And life on Seward Ave was perfect once more.

Happy One Year Anniversary Ruthie!!!

Vintage Henry and Ruthie

The Mothership and I have been trying to organize all our photos...a daunting and somewhat unpleasant task. But we have had the unexpected joy of running across several photos that we thought had been lost for all eternity. My favorites, of course, are pictures of my babies when they were, well...babies!

This photo was taken during Henry's first overnight stay at the Mothership's house. It was January of 2007, when I went to visit Courtney for her housewarming party, and Henry needed a place to stay. He ended up loving it at Grandma's house, and has been back several times since!

This was Ruthie, in what was possibly her cutest stage of life. Looking at this picture, I still just want to squeeze her! This wasn't long after I got her, probably in June of 2007. What a little cuddle buddy!

Hartz Scrunch 'n Punch and Nylabone Puppybone

Today the Grandmother and I went shopping at WalMart, mainly to pick up some rawhide donuts for Woody. While perusing the pet department, I came across some toys I thought looked like fun for the puppies and cats.

Hartz Scrunch 'n Punch

I really thought this one was going to be a winner. Henry and Ruthie have been putting on a bit of weight, and the picture made it look like it was big enough for them both to play with and get a bit of much needed exercise. But either the kitten featured on the packaging was some mutant miniature kitten that would fit in a teacup or my cats are mutant gigantor cats from outerspace, because the proportions were a bit out of whack.

Exhibit A: Mutant miniature kitten

Exhibit B: Ruthie and Henry

Exhibit C: Ruthie, the 6-pound-but-apparently-ginormous-to-Hartz cat

However, the size was not the issue with this particular cat toy, since both Henry and Ruthie (and dog-friend Woody) seem interested in playing with it. The problem is the toy's inability to stand up. It just sadly lolls over to the side, and the Knockem Out Fun is minimal because of this. Henry and Ruthie gave up about 3 minutes in.

Bottom line: I wasted $5.84 on a toy they will never play with, when I could have invested $1 on 6 jingle balls that would last a year.


Nylabone Puppybone
This was actually a teething bone that the puppies have had before, originally from PetCo for $4.99. Today while I was in WalMart, I found it for $1.98. Naturally, I'm saddened by the blatant overcharging at my newest favorite store. But onto the info on the toy - it's a chicken flavored inedible bone especially made for teething puppies.

The first few we had lasted a few days, and Izzy and Emma loved them! The two purchased today lasted approximately 15 minutes, so I guess my babies have developed into the "strong chewers" that Nylabone warns you about on the back of the packaging. Nylabone also recommends not using this in puppies with any adult teeth, which required me to Google what age puppies get their adult teeth at (around 5 to 6 months, apparently). This particular bone is only available in small size, so in a few weeks, my puppies would have outgrown it anyhow, regardless of their natural chewing ability.

"Isn't this chicken just the best flavor, Izzy?"

Bottom line: Seemed to be enjoyable to Izzy and Emma, but if you have experienced chewers like Izzy and Emma have rapidly become, pay the extra cash for a Kong, since even the $1.98 at WalMart is a little pricey for 15 minutes of chewtime.

Spring Cleaning

Today was a remarkably springy day, so my mother and I decided to start cleaning my house, from top to bottom. Unfortunately, because there is so much stuff in my house, we didn't even finish the top, much less make it to the bottom! My house has an attic (it was a prerequisite in all of the houses I looked at) which is half finished and Henry and Ruthie's favorite hang out, and half storage area, where crap I don't want to see gets shoved.

"Thou darest to enter my lair?"

For those of you who really know me, I'm an unmedicated compulsive shopper that particularly loves to buy holiday decorations at Target when they're on clearance, so my storage area is full of Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Valentine's Day decor. Not in any particular order, or any particular tubby. Add to that the fact that I'm a bit disorganized, and you have a major mess on your hands. So my very adventuresome mother came over, and we emptied out the entire storage area, and then organized everything into tubbies according to holiday. Then we put most of it back into storage. But there's still miscellaneous crap all around the finished part of the attic, so my house looks a mess!

Nice tidy storage area, messy living area.

"This definitely needs to go."

"Seriously, why are you guys here?"

"Are we done yet?"

Unfortunately, spring cleaning is nowhere near done on Seward Ave, but at least the storage area is organized. Next up is getting some comfy attic furniture so that the old-school video games can be moved upstairs. Mario Kart, anyone?