Through The Mud Clearly

This morning Tabitha refused to come down from the roof! Too many birds to look at I guess. I even offered her a treat. Finally, I could wait no longer so I left her up there, wrote a note to the office guy to look out for her and went to work. At work I texted my friend Jayne (she lives just down the street from me) and asked her to check on Tablet. She did, and my little pill is safely inside.

On a side note: Marmalade has successfully dug up the carrots! I don’t know why she does that. Crazy cat.

I am fairly certain you don’t want to read about the bathroom habits of my cats so; I am giving you an out. You may stop reading and go do something constructive if you like. However, if you have a strange sense of humor like me….continue on. This may be a case of “you had to be there” and I was. Their antics made me LOL!

Two cats=two litter boxes both located in the bathroom.. One is enclosed-has a cover, the other is open for the entire world to see. Marmalade’s is the open one. So, she comes in-sticks her head and front feet inside the covered litter box and scratches up a storm. Then, she backs out…saunters over to her box and makes her deposit. Later its Tablet’s turn. She hops inside her covered box, digs like crazy then stands with her front paws on the box(her head is outside the box too)and does her business. Again…you had to have been there…it was really, really funny!

I was standing in the kitchen. Marmalade was preparing to jump on the counter.She jumped and somehow totally missed the the counter; instead she fell to the floor with a loud THUD!! She completely freaked out and ran outside and back inside. I was able to calm her down enough to assess the situation. She was obviously in pain and barely able to move. I scooped her up and made a mad dash to the Vet's office. It was determined she had torn or bruised the tendon(s) in her knee. I was given pain killer and anti-inflammatory for my big baby kitty. Also, strict orders not to jump and to stay as inactive as possible for a few days. That was easily achieved because the pain meds made her sleep. In the meantime; Tabby was at a loss for what to do. There was no one to chase around the house. So...she would decide I should play with her AT 2A.M. for several nights in a row!! She would jump on me, chew on my hair...she even laid on my neck and stuck her paw in my throat. GAG!! Happily Marmalade is starting to feel better and Tabby is back to focusing on her! However it will still be awhile before Marmalade is back to her normal self.

Ha!! More like slap, hiss and run. Fortunately for Marmalade; Tabitha (Tabby, Tabs, Tablet-because she is a pill) has no claws. They are slowly adjusting to each other--chasing each other around the house...so much fun!!!

A.K.A. What was I thinking!? A few months ago the Wrights were talking about getting an additional cat. So... I happened to see an ad for a free 2 year old sweet, declawed kitty. She came with food, treats, carrier and litter box. I immediately forwarded that email to Kathy and they decided to get the cat. They named her Tabitha because she is a gray tabby cat. Well, after a few weeks it became evident they wouldn't be able to keep her. Needless to say; Daniel was heartbroken at the thought of never seeing Tabitha again.

***Insert Daniel's little finger and me wrapped around it.***

I took the cat.....what was I thinking?!

More to come.....

This blog post has absolutely nothing to do with cows...not even holy ones! Its just my reaction at seeing how long it has been since I've posted. O.K. so I'm going to try and post more often. The operative word is try. Thanks for reading. :)

Now that I have sufficiently recovered from house/pet sitting I can look back and reflect on what I learned during my 47 days of adventure. Here are my top ten...in no particular order:

1. It won't hurt me to be without T.V. programing= although I did watch quite a few videos.

2. It is possible to add too much chlorine to the pool-but it is crystal clear!

3. I need a bigger bed.

4. Resolve Carpet Cleaner works great on dog vomit and feline fur ball clean up!

5. Cats rule-dogs drool! I already knew that, I just like to write it!

6. Hamsters don't appreciate pineapple.

7. Its a good idea not to drop a brick on your fingernail--unless you want the Goth look for a while.

8. Whole bean/freshly ground coffee is awesome!

9. Beware of pigeons at the back door. They usually want something.

10. Hamsters can scream-especially if a cat is showing curiosity towards them!

In conclusion; would I embark on such an adventure again?? Yes, but for only 3 weeks, 4 weeks max!

The Happy Dance




The Wright family will be home some time today!!
This concludes The Vacation Chronicles!

Last night I let Lady stay in the house all night. I had two reasons for this...4th of July...loud bangs etc and it was really humid out there. I decided to sleep in the living room with her because I wasn't sure if I could hear her if she needed to go out. I didn't have to worry though because she didn't move all night...sound asleep. Marmalade and Sparky also ended up sleeping in the living room...a slumber party!! If Dusty could have gotten out of her cage she might have joined us too. Probably not.

On day 44 I wrote about one thing I will miss about this house/pet sitting gig. Today I am writing about the one thing I won't miss. Its not what you think; although I don't know what you think...after all I am not a mind reader! LOL! I will not miss worrying about how Dusty Do Dah is doing. I know, I know, her name is Dusty. But I call her Dusty Do Dah, Dust, Duster, Furry and sometimes I actually call her Dusty! I worried that she wasn't getting enough to eat, or getting too much to eat. I worried that she was getting stressed out from missing Bethany. I worried that I wasn't handling her correctly. I especially worried about her when Marmalade got into Dusty's room and unintentionally frightened her. If you have ever heard a hamster "scream" then you know what I am talking about! The hamster book(which I consulted several times)talked about how bad stress can be on the varmints, so I watched her even more closely after that incident. One time, I woke up in the middle of the night and realized I had forgotten to give Dusty a treat with her food. So, I got up and gave her her favorite(according to Bethany)treat. Cheerios! Being a nocturnal creature, she was up and running on her wheel. I apologized profusely and gave her a few extra Cheerios. Anyway, I think she is doing well, but I know she will be happy to see Bethany!

In just a few more days The Vacation Chronicles will come to and end. The pets will be happy to see their owners and one can only assume that the owners will be happy to see their pets. I was thinking about this little adventure this morning and wondering what I am going to miss the most when I go home. I decided it is the pool. Yeah, the swimming pool! I never ever thought I would say that because I am really not a swimmer, but let me tell you...after mowing the lawn or any activity that you need to be outside for more than five minutes, the pool is an instant refresher. I don't actually swim in it...just float around and relax while being serenaded by Lady! I think I will go for a dip right now! Maybe tomorrow I will tell you what I am not gonna miss...

Water yes! I think I shall go clean the bathroom because...well never mind. Then I will go water the plants, they are probably thirsty after 2 1/2 days with no water! Then I will take a shower, then I will guzzle down a big glass of cool, clear water, then I think I will make some coffee!

EEEEEEEEEEKKK!!! No water....no coffee with the girls *Lady and Marmalade*. Off to Circle K

Well I finally came up with a door barricade that Lady cant get through. I guess she is not Houdini after all. She is smart though and apparently has a strong nose. She was able to push everything away from the door, then slide open the door enough to get through, then run down the hall and eat all the cat food! No more of that for Lady Woo Woo!

P.S. In case anyone wants to know: Water pipe will get fixed in the morning(hope, hope, hope).

Little House on the Prarie meets the Beverly Hillbillies:

"Pa, I'm goin to the creek to fetch some water, gotta make sure the animals have water." "Granny Ima gonna take a bath over yonder in the ceement pond..then; since the water will already be soapy; ima gonna do the laundry too!" "Half pint you might wanna bring back some extra water to flush the indoor plumbing." "Good idea pa!" "Ellie Mae the critters need a bathin too...have Jethro bring that big black dog; it looks like shes been a wallering in the mud!" "OK granny, I'll wash the dirty dishes too!" ***no spel chek neded***

It never ceases to amaze me that I have something to write about every day! today i have a lot of stuff I could tell you about. It is so hard to choose. Lets see...I could write about Houdini's continued successful escapes from the school room. I'm contemplating getting her a straight jacket just to see if she could get out of it! Also, I think Lady is learning how to tap dance for another Olympic debut. Click,click, click, clickity, clickity, click, clack, click,click....I'm sure you get the picture. Actually, she isn't learning tap; I think she needs her nails clipped. Oh...the most exciting thing this evening happened when I went out to the front to shut off the sprinklers. After shutting them down I heard a "gushing water sound". Upon further investigation and an attack by a thorny bush; I found the water spigot spewing water from where it shouldn't be spewing water. I turned the water off. Of course this means there is no running water in the entire house! So, then I texted Danny because he is supposed to be stopping here on his way to Memphis or somewhere. Just waiting to hear what my next step will be in this latest adventure. While I'm waiting I think I will go clean the blood off my arm and feed Dusty. I wonder if she will like watermelon as well as she likes pineapple!

Re: Ding Dong Dog....caught red snouted eating most of the cat food! I think she must need some extra attention...not extra food!

This morning Lady(dog), Marmalade(cat/dog) and I were sitting outside watching the sprinklers and admiring the back yard project when suddenly a lone pigeon flew over. It left a large deposit on my pant leg! Perhaps it was mad because I won't feed them. Anyway....GROOOOOOOOOOOSS!!!

Ding Dong Dog...that's all I'm going to say!

A funny thing happened on the way to tucking Dusty in for the night. I know what your thinking...how go you tuck a hamster in? Or maybe your thought is...where did I go to tuck Dusty in? First of all, you don't tuck them in...hamsters are nocturnal..up ALL night. Where did I go? Well to answer this question, and possibly many more, I must refer you to day 35 & 36. The pocket door escape or escapade. AKA...Lady knocked the door off its track in the closed position and now the only way into Dusty's room is to go outside through another door and enter the room that way. How's that for a long sentence?!. I'm not sure if I mentioned in my previous posts that Lady is staying inside during the day because its now way too hot outside for the old dog. So, she has been staying in Dusty's room which works out fine because Dusty sleeps during the day and has no idea another animal is in the room. The neighbor is coming over a couple times a day to let Lady out for bathroom breaks. I gave Carolyn my key so I wouldn't have to leave the back door unlocked. I didn't need it anyway because I have the garage door opener. So, its 10:30 pm and its time to put Lady out for the night and turn off the light in Dusty's room and lock the door. Remember...I have to go outside to do this. Lights off, door locked...mission accomplished. But...when I tried to open the door to get in the house, it was locked. I had locked myself out!! Rats! I decided it was too late to go to Carolyn's house for the key but figured it would be OK to call. One problem; cell phone is locked securely in the house! I had a fleeting thought that I could sleep on the swing with Lady but decided against it. I didn't want to wake up covered in dog fur, pine needles and pigeon do do!! I tried one of the living room windows and it slid right open(obviously hadn't been latched properly...it is now!) I was able to climb through the window. Both Marmalade and Sparky were looking at me like I was the goofiest thing they had ever seen or I was their new super hero. I prefer super hero. Anyway, I had an extra key made. This will be a great story to tell in person....and I will!

Well, on day 35 I mentioned how Lady could open the pocket door. I also said that I was able to close and block the door securely on both sides. Well guess what?? She did it again! Unbelievable! Carolyn discovered this when she came over to let Lady out. She closed the door and put a bunch of stuff in front of it. Lady, who's new name is Houdini, attempted to get through the door again. She was not successful this time however. She did manage to knock the door off it's track...fortunately in the closed position. Oh....you may want to have the living room rug cleaned when you get home. :(

Another new Olympic sport! First, it was Marmalade with "dog food hockey", then Sparky had to get in on the action with "short hallway sprints". Then Dusty and her "pineapple toss". That just leaves Lady to come up with a new sport. She has. It is called "pocket door opening". True. Somehow she has figured out how to open the pocket door! Now, when I leave her in there I have to dog proof the doorway. Barricades on both sides of the closed door! I am glad that the animals take turn acting crazy instead of all four of them at once!

This one is especially for Susan because she wanted pool pictures!
I shall call it:
A POOL STORY


Oh my goodness gracious it is soooo hot, just look at that sun!

But wait!! Look at that pool! But; sadly; I don't have a swim suit. Oh what to do, what to do. I know....
....I will wear my cheerleader outfit! Ahhhhhh, so refreshing!


Ok, I am done swimming, now I will sit on the edge of the pool for a bit.


Uh oh I am starting to get a bit cold...I will just wrap myself up in my Sham Wow! towel.

The End.

.....and a woo woo here, a woo woo there everywhere a woo woo
E I E I O
And at that house there is a hamster
E I E I O
The hamster runs all night long
E I E I O
With a squeak squeak here and a squeak squeak there, here a squeak there a squeak everywhere a squeak squeak
E I E I O
And when she eats she stuffs her face
E I E I O
With an apple here an apple there, cabbage here, cabbage there, apple and cabbage everywhere
E I E I O
And pineapple isn't allowed in the cage
E I E I O
Pineapple here pineapple there, pineapple everywhere but in the cage
E I E I O
E I E I OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sung to the tune of: "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" (sort of).

Ooooooo Mary Lee is house and pet sitting
E I E I O
And at that house there are two cats
E I E I O
With a cat cat here and a cat cat there, here a cat there a cat, everywhere a cat cat
E I E I O
And those two cats they sure can talk
E I E I O
With a hiss hiss here and a hiss hiss there, a meow meow here and a meow meow there, everywhere a hiss hiss, everywhere a meow meow
E I E I O
And at that house there is a dog
E I E I O (sing it-you know you want to!)
With a woo woo here a woo there, everywhere a woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo,woo,woo, woo, woo, woo, woo....
E I E I O

To be continued...

Had to go mow the "other lawn" after work. It was sooooo hot, but then I realized I had a nice, clear and refreshing pool just waiting for me. So, yes, I went and took an intentional dip into the pool. Ahhhhhhh.....nice. Marmalade(who wont go inside the pool fence) just stared at me like I was some kind of a kook!

Just a side note on my finger.....as Dr. Smith, (yes Lost in
Space Dr. Smith) would say...."the pain, the pain". Just kidding.

This is what Marmalade sees first thing every morning...Sparky Do Dah waiting to chase her down the hall! Notice the mischievous glint in Sparky's eyes.

Speaking of Sparky; a few posts ago I wrote about her drinking my water. Well, I have a new one for you! I had a glass of water which only had about 3 inches left in it. Sparky came over and sat by the glass. I wasn't concerned because I was certain she couldn't stick her head in the glass that far. I was right. Instead of her head, it was her paw. She proceeded to take a bath in my water!!! I got myself a clean glass. Somebody needs to call her parents!!

Man am I a "creature of habit" or what?! I realized this morning; day 29 of this continuing saga that I could be doing laundry ANY time my little heart desires. But what is that I do? I wait until Saturday morning to do it! Crazy! I get coffee, throw the laundry in and there you have it. I guess I don't see any reason to change my routine...after all y'all should be home eventually!

Well its summer in Arizona. Actually its not officially summer until next week but man is it hot! I mowed the front yard a little bit ago. I came in and fixed myself a glass of ice cold ice water. I sat it down for just a moment and when I turned around guess what I saw? Sparkly Do Dah drinking my water!!! Now I know all the animals have water because I check it twice, yes twice a day! So, finally she stops drinking and moves on. Upon examining the glass, I see no evidence of backwash so I take a giant gulp. Ahhhh, refreshing. Apparently Sparks didn't like that and she came back for more. At the same time, Marmalade and of course Lady'(who always is in the middle of the action)come over. Hissing ensues and nobody but me gets the ice water! One question....why is Lady wearing Marmalade's tail on her snout? Kinda looks like a fur boa! Hahahahaha. Too funny-you would have to see it to understand.

Note to Bethany: Dusty does not like pineapple....she actually threw it out of her cage! Lady vacuumed it up for me :)

Late last night/early this morning I am awakened to the sound of loud crunching! Its not Marmalade because she was right next to me and wide awake. I think we were both woken up by this noise. So, stealthily I lean over the bed to see what was going on. It was Sparky in for a late night snack!! I went back to sleep. This morning I checked her food bowl thinking it might be low...its not. What a cat!

Somehow the pictures/words don't match up but I think you can figure it out!


The cool pool










Indoor sun bathing!












Dusty and her secure doorway. On the other side is a card table on its side and a step stool leaning against it!







Sparky in her favorite spot!












Marmalade on "her" chair.













Lady patiently waiting for a treat.

If I were to name this post something other than The Vacation Chronicles Day 25 I would call it EEEEKKKK!! because that is the sound I heard coming from the Hamster room about 45 minutes ago! I ran in there to see the back door open, Marmalade sitting on the floor and Dusty looking rather concerned. It seems Marmalade opened the back door! I probably didn't shut it properly. Anyway, back to my story. I shoo-d Marms out and began talking to Dusty in a calm,soothing voice while she is staring at me wide eyed. Finally, I opened the cage and she let me pick her up. I held her for a little while, took her picture then put her back in her home. I then gave her fresh food with a few extra Cheerios on top. She seems fine and is running in her wheel now.

Well it finally happened. The pocket door de-pocketed. That meant I had to come up with some ingenious method of keeping the cats out of Dusty's room and cage! So here is what I did: I put the blue card table on one side of the door then I closed the door as far as it would go...a little more than half way. Then I took two laundry hampers stacked on top of one another and kinda wedged them on/in the other side of the door. It looks ridiculous but it works!

Took a dip in the pool today. Well, I kinda sorta fell in whilst trying to retrieve the chlorine floating thing. Fortunately I didn't have my phone in my pocket!! I learned that from Danny's phone mishap...when tending the pool leave your phone in the house. The water was actually quite refreshing so I stayed in for a bit. Then, because I had no towel, I dripped all the way through the house. Hurray for Sham Wow!! I think I may try it again tomorrow....not the falling in part... and this time I will bring a towel! In case you are wondering, I did successfully retrive the floater thing!

Busy day today. Coffee with Lady and Marmalade...not the instant stuff either!! Shocked and vacuumed the pool. At this moment its looking pretty good! Mowed the back yard. I had to because when Marmalade walked through the grass I couldn't see her and when Lady laid down I could barely see her! Worked on the back yard project while Lady and Marmalade supervised from a shady spot in the freshly mowed yard. Had to make an emergency run to the grocery store..was running low on important supplies like; creamer for me and Cheerios for Dusty! I will be cleaning her cage tonight because I didn't do it last night...fell asleep during my movie...woke up as the credits were rolling. Everything and everyone is well here but we miss you all!!

Note to self: when removing baking sheet from oven, remember it will still be hot when you set it down. Don't pick it up without a potholder! Well its another exciting evening here at the Wright home. Tonight I am going to clean Dusty's cage while she wanders around in he exercise ball. I have to keep Marmalade away from her or she might try batting the ball down the hall. That wouldn't be good! Speaking of cats...they continue their races through the house although there is no clear winner. Oh, Hey, I got to use a Sham Wow! cloth today. Lady got all excited about the piece of bread and peanut butter heading her way and totally spilled her water bowl everywhere!!! It worked quite well!

When I first accepted this house/pet sitting gig 20 days ago I had forgotten that this household doesn't watch television. This means no cable, antenna or other device to make TV programing accessible. EEEEKKKK!!!! How will I survive! However, there is a TV, a DVD player and a VCR. I haven't been able to watch any DVDs because Daniel isn't here to operate it for me! No oatmeal either! Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I decided to gather up a bunch of tapes that I had never viewed or hadn't watched in a long time. No Veggie Tales, Star Wars, Thomas the train, Lost in Space or Mr. Ed videos! First I picked out a few here, then went and got some from my house and found a few at Savers. Then I proceeded to set up what I like to call my "Home Theatre on a Budget." I turned the recliner to face the TV. Lined up the movies I had acquired on the little hutch thingy and arranged the remotes(although I don't use them)in their own row on the thingy. So far I have watched:
Shadowlands-slow moving but good
The Longest Day-2 tapes which turned into a 3 evening extravaganza
Sense and Sensibility-BORING, I turned it off after about 15 minutes
Sounder-a sad, sad movie
Tea for Two-kinda silly but fun
I'll Cry Tomorrow-true story about someone I've never heard of
Rio Lobo-typical John Wayne movie
The River-pretty good movie

Tonight I think I am going to start watching Gettysburg, Its a 2 tape-er so it will take at least 2 evenings to watch. But first I have to get Marmalade to relinquish the chair! Oh; I really haven't missed TV programming!

For the past few days I haven't secured Sparky in her room when I go to work or anywhere else. I figure if they haven't gotten into a huge fight by now then they aren't going to. It seems to be working out quite well. Today when I got home it appears they were in the middle of a game of tag...or possibly hide and seek. They were running from room to room, but not to the same room at the same time! If I didn't know better I would have thought there were more than two cats in the house. Marmalade ran down the hallway and actually hid between the living room and the hallway. Seriously. I figured she was laying in wait for Sparky. When I got to where she was, she jumped out and took a swing at me and ran off! She was waiting for me!! Me...unbelievable! Then....I observed Sparky chowing down on Marm's food! If you remember an earlier post I blamed Lady for that; now I don't know what to think except they are ALL in cahoots...secretly conspiring against me! Dusty continues to rearrange her house (see day 18) and Lady...well...Lady continues to be Lady.

Wow!! I don't know whats up with Dusty. She has become quite the slob! I keep her cage clean, give her fresh food and water daily. I even have chats with her every time I pass thru her room. Well, that little rat has taken to pushing her bedding all over the place--even OUTSIDE her cage. She even moved her food bowl about 5 inches from its normal location. I have no idea how she did that! Today, or should I say late last night, she pushed about 1/2 of her bedding up one side of the cage- might be an escape attempt in the making. Bethany may have to re-train Dusty when you return. And then there is Sparky. Apparently she has a new exercise program. She runs up and down the hallway.....fast! Maybe she wants to join Marmalade at the Olympics. Her event would be "short hallway sprints". Marmalade just sits on the piano (yes the piano) and watches.

So... this morning I stumbled blindly into the kitchen only to face an angry coffee maker! Somehow it had gotten two mugs from the cabinet. It pointed at the cups and demanded to know: "WHERE HAVE THEY BEAN?!" It said "bean"-really- just look at the picture and you will see that its true!

Anyway, I explained that y'all were on vacation and would return at an undisclosed time. I can't tell you what it said next because it would need to be filtered! THEN, it started grinding its teeth and groaning. It got louder and louder then finally it was quiet. It then started this dripping sound....I think it was crying! Hopefully its not brewing up some sort of a scheme!

Also known as "Adventures in House Sitting". I wonder if there is a market for such a story....hmmmmmm. Danny stopped in for a short visit to his green pool( before heading out to who knows where). He fainted at the sight! Just kidding, although he was a bit flabbergasted by it. He did give me further instructions though. I now know how to vacuum the pool. Gee, I hope the Hoover's electrical cord will stretch that far; and I think I will need a big waterproof vacuum bag. Again just kidding! Animals are all seemingly normal today-I wonder if they are plotting something for later. You know what else I'm wondering about? I'm wondering where Danny hid his new stash of Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Yippie!! I found the source of the irritating beep. It was a low battery on the the smoke detector. I ripped down the detector and threw it in the green pool...no one will ever find it!! Bwahahahaha. Just kidding, I changed the battery and put it back up. Was out working on my back yard project. I have just one thing to say about that little endeavor: WHAT WAS I THINKING??? I have no idea... Oh well; I guess I will just have to keep working on it a little bit at a time. So, a little bit ago I heard this odd noise, kinda like somebody crashing into something. Sounded like it was coming from outside so I went out front to check it out. There was nothing to be seen so I came back in. A few minutes later I heard the same noise. So I mosey down the hall just in time to see Sparky Do Dah attacking the window in Bethany's room! There were two cats on the windowsill and she was trying to get at them!! I went outside and chased the cats away then closed the blinds. I'm going to keep them closed because I don't want Sparks to hurt herself and/or break the window. All is calm now.

AHA!!!! I finally figured out what was happening to Marmalade's food. All this time I thought it was Sparky; but its not. Its Lady!!! For reals! I have proof too. Sparks was sleeping on Bethany's bed, Dusty confined to her cage and Lady was hanging around the kitchen. I had to go outside and wrangle Marmalade. When we came in, Lady had a suspicious look on her face, Sparky was still asleep..Dusty too. I then went into Daniel's room (where Marm's food bowl is) and noticed the bowl was completely and totally empty! Even the crumbs were gone! I suppose that is Lady's revenge for the cat(s) eating her food. OK, its off to clean Dusty's cage and find the cause of that incessant beeping...probably something in need of new batteries.

Pet Pictures. Enjoy! A sideways Marmalade.
Marmalade trying to hide from the camera.
Dusty..not quite awake!
Excuse me...trying to sleep here!
Another picture?
Relaxing
Sparky Do Dah aka The Alpha Kitty

Heres Lady!

Well it finally happened. Marmalade invaded Sparky's personal suite. I knew something was up when I saw the door wide open. I go in to see Marmalade sitting on the bathroom counter looking very pleased with her self. I'm pretty sure I heard her laughing....bwahhahaha meow! Not too long after that discovery I see that Sparky is in the process of exacting her revenge. She is using Marmalade's cat box. Need I say more? So, things have settled down a bit between the two of them. However, Sparky is definitely the ALPHA kitty. This can be seen every morning when she chases Marmalade down the hall! You have to see it to believe it. Oh, and Marmalade has not even tried to take a swing at her! Uh oh gotta go...Sparky is spewing up a fur ball. Good thing the carpet cleaner is handy!

Ahhhhhhh....a rare moment of quiet! Nobody is trying to get out of the refrigerator, the freezer isn't moaning and Dusty isn't running amok on her wheel. Lady is zonked out on the dining room floor. Sparky is asleep on Bethany's bed and Marmalade is sleeping on Daniel's bed. I think I will go take a nap too!

**Kathy I love your non-stick skillet!!!!**

Well I have to say that morning coffee with Lady is just not the same as morning coffee with the Wrights (big sigh). OK next subject. Every time I open the school room door Marmalade is right there. At first I thought she wanted to eat Dusty (she may secretly want to) but its really because she wants to go outside. She LOVES the back yard! However, I can't leave her back there unsupervised, so I started a back yard project. She's happy, Lady is happy, I assume Sparky is happy that Marmalade is outside, Dusty doesn't care because she is sleeping and I am dirty....off to the shower!

Got up early and spent about 45 minutes with Lady on the swing. It was a very nice morning...weather is still nice in the a.m. Marmalade was out there also. She wasn't on the swing,she was out stalking unseen things. No coffee though because I had just taken my medication and can't eat or drink for 1 hour after taking it. Then I decided since it wasn't hot yet I should go over to my house to mow the yard, check on the garden, pick up the mail and get a couple things I need. Managed to mow the first 1/2 of the yard before I decided I had had enough! Thinking I will finish it on Monday morning. The garden is growing nicely as are the weeds. Spent a little time harvesting and pulling weeds. My garden is the only thing I really miss about about not being there. On the way home I stopped at Lowe's and picked up a couple of plants. I figure since I am mostly either here or at work I might as well take advantage on the garden area here. Probably by the time the Wrights return the plants should be about ready to harvest. So....now I have 2 gardens. Came home, had coffee and everyone took a nap. Marmalade on the white couch, Lady on the floor, Sparky on the brown couch and me on the love seat. I thought about making Sparky move but, I was afraid she would revolt and chase me down the hall!! It was a very nice nap. Now out to plant crops!

This morning I went out and shocked the pool! No, I didn't wander outside in a bathing suit...that would be shocking though :). While out there I picked some delicious tomatoes. Thanks for planting them Kathy! I finally got Marmalade to go outside this afternoon. After exploring the backyard she found a grassy spot and immediately went to sleep. Both she and Sparky (the drama queens) are sleeping on the couches right now. I hope this doesn't mean they are going to be up all night!! I successfully cleaned Dusty's entire cage this evening...including the "big wheel" which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a very looooonnngggg time! One week down and five more to go.

Before I tell you about day six I have to ask a question. Did anybody read day 3?? I'm fairly certain no one did because there were no comments...not even one! Of all the days I have written about; day 3 is most deserving of a comment. I mean really! Day 6 picked some tasty tomatoes mmmmmm good. I have an idea for two new Olympic sports. One is "dog food hockey"....Marmalade is in training already. She knows how to whack kibble down to the freezer and back....several times. The other sport is "cat wrangler extraordinaire". I sure you can imagine what that entails. Its purrfectly alright if you want to paws and reflect on the possibilities. Oh hey I even remembered to put the recycle bin out this morning. I take very little credit for that however because there were already a bunch o blue bins out there!

I must begin by clearing up something from day 4. Lady, although she threw up twice, is just fine and so is the carpet.

This morning I believe Sparky has made it clear that Marmalade is restricted from a couple of places, The first one of course is Sparky's private residence. I had already made that known to Marms and she has not been in there. The second area is Bethany's bedroom. Sparks has a meowing hissing fit when Marmalade tries or even looks like she might go in there. This morning the 5 pound cat chased the 15 pound cat down the hall. Marmalade now understands. Somehow they both get that Daniel's room belongs to Marmalade and the rest of the house is fair game. Except for the schoolroom where Dusty is safe and secure behind a closed door! Currently, Lady is asleep on the floor having one of her running dreams. Marmalade is asleep on the floor about a foot away from Lady. She is snoring. Sparky is lounging on Bethany's bed and Dusty is running on her wheel. All is semi-normal!

Where shall I start? I know....can you say "sleep deprived"? Let me tell you a story. Last night I put Sparky in her suite and went to bed. Marmalade too. Soon I heard Sparky begging to get out of her room. I mean it sounded like she had gotten some of Danny's tools and was attempting to dismantle the door. I tried to ignore the racket but I finally gave in and let her out. You see; I hadn't let both cats run around all night because I didn't want to have to referee. But, like I said, I gave in. Then I couldn't sleep because I was concerned for their well-being. Of course nothing happened. As a matter of fact Marms didn't even move from the bed all night! This morning they greeted each other by touching noses, then Marmalade tried to rub her head on Sparky's head and Sparky returned her kindness with a big hiss. (Thats hiss not kiss) This has become the norm! OK, so, I let Lady in and gave her the required amount of attention. She then laid down on the floor; seemingly content. A few minutes later she got up and immediately threw up....twice....on the carpet before I could get her outside. I cleaned the mess up while issuing myself a non-gag order. I then began a search for carpet stain remover/cleaner which I actually found. No worries..you can't even tell where the incident took place! I think I shall sleep well tonight.

Wow its day 3 already...only 42 more to go! This morning I didn't have to sit in the hall between two cats. I only had to stand, point fingers at both and say "be nice". Apparently they understood this because neither one chased the other one through the house. Progress! There was one incident where they tried to see who could be the expanding fur queen. I think Marmalade won that contest. Before I went to work I secured S. Dodah in her plush accommodations, coaxed Lady outside and left Marmalade sleeping on the couch. Of course Dusty was all snug in her cage behind a closed door. Of course I worried about the cats all day. I shouldn't have worried though. I came home to Marmalade lounging on the kitchen floor. When I let Sparky out; Marmalade tried to rub her head on S. Dodah. Sparky then voiced a loud opinion regarding this. Then a few minutes later they were both in the living room...NOT having a staring contest! As I write this, Dodah is sunning herself on the living room windowsill and Marmalade is...brace yourself...asleep on the dining room table. Lady seems to be relieved that all of Marm's attention is not on her! Dusty is sleeping peacefully.

Do you ever get the feeling like maybe you forgot to do something? Like turning off the iron before going to church? Well...it my case it wasn't the iron I was concerned about. I couldn't remember if I had secured S. Dodah in her quarters before I left. I was pretty sure I did but still had this nagging feeling that she was on the loose! As it turns out...she was safe and secure. Whew! I again had the middle of the hallway conversation this morning with both cats. There was a lot of screaming, yelling and raised hackles...and that was just me! They are doing better... kind of. There is still a massive staring contest going on but there has been no fur flying or claw swinging. I must admit it was pretty funny when Dodah snuck up on Marmalade! Right now they are all taking an afternoon nap. Marmalade on the couch, S. Dodah on Bethany's bed, Lady on the living room floor and Dusty-who sleeps all day anyway and runs around all night. I would take a nap too but evidently I drank too much coffee. It was good though..made it iced! Mmmmmmmm.

First of all let me just say it isn't my vacation! Actually what is being chronicled here is my stint as a house, dog, cat(s) and hamster sitter while their family is on an extended vacation. Only one cat is theirs; the other is mine. So, picture this: I am sitting on the floor in the middle of the hallway with my cat Marmalade blown up like a puffer fish and spitting like a camel. On the other side is S. Dodah who somehow has managed to puff out her face but nothing else. As loud caterwauling is going on, I am explaining to Marmalade that she is a guest in this house and she must be nice. I have to explain this several times and even threaten her with exile. Finally she wanders off and allows S. Dodah to move about the house. Lady (the dog) seems to be uncertain about my cat. It seems Marmalade is intent on befriending her. Lady just looks confused and even a bit nervous. On a brighter note; I successfully put Dusty (the hamster) in her exercise ball, cleaned the cage and fed her without incident. YAY!! More to come.

When I adopted my cat from the Humane Society 4 years ago she already had a name. It was Phoebe. No offense to the Phoebes out there; but that is just NOT a name for a cat. I immediately changed her name to Marmalade! Well, since then she has gained several names or should I say "nicknames". She is known by "big baby kitty", "the great furry hunter", "crazy cat", "the green hornet aka super hero", "no neck" and my new personal favorite "the talking paperweight". I don't think she really cares what I/we call her as long as she has food and a clean litter box!

OK so a while ago my doctor put me on a "statin" medication for high cholesterol. However, this particular pill's side effects made me quite ill! So another brand, was tried, then another, another, another...you get the picture. They all made me sick. Finally I told my doctor: "I'm not gonna take it anymore!" He somehow convinced me to try a "non statin". I agreed to this for 2 reasons. 1. He said this medication had little or no side effects and 2. he gave me a free 3 month supply. Guess what?? There are side effects! I should have known. However; just like when I was on the statins, I didn't attribute the symptoms to the meds. I thought I had some weird virus/flu or some unknown dreadful disease. Well....yesterday morning, after a very restless, painful and bizarre dream filled night, I realized it just might be from the new pill. After an Internet search it appears that I was right...side effects. So as of yesterday I have ceased takings the meds. I will be eating more oatmeal and Cheerios!

I think Marmalade has figured out how to watch movies instantly on Netflix! It must happen while I am at work or sleeping. It appears she has been watching super hero movies and has chosen her alter ego. She has morphed into a likeness of the Green Hornet or some other icon. I have proof. I walked into the living room to see my cat wearing a green towel like a cape! I have absolutely no idea how she managed to put it on; but she sat purrfectly still while I took a picture. I think she thought she was invisible.