Chillin'

Not much to report here. It seems like the weather gods and goddesses finally woke up and gave us the kind of summer I've learned to expect around here. Hazy, Hot, and Humid, with the almost daily late afternoon pop up thunderstorm...just in case the humidity level was starting to drop. Oh lovely (she writes sarcastically). The only sound outside is the drone of all the air conditioners. Getting out of my car when I return home from work, I have to sprint to the front door or I'll be mobbed by mosquitoes. Even with the sprinting I never seem to be able to get in the door without 2-3 bites!

Because of a badly placed skylight, my air conditioner struggles in the intense heat and humidity. In the winter, the sun is lower and never seen through the skylight. In the summer, it looks like a search light coming through heating up the house for a good 3-4 hours every day. I've tried putting up room darkening film but it wouldn't stick because of the bubble shape of the old skylight. It really needs a a shade of some sort, but it would cost a pretty penny to have someone custom fit and install it. I know, I know...I've probably paid more in energy costs throughout the years.


Now, why was I even talking about the heat in the house?.....a few minutes go by as she sits pondering....

Oh yes, because of the cats. It always comes back to the cats, doesn't it? Coming home from work during these hot days, I'm no longer greeted at the door. I call out and start my search. Hmmm, one in the darkened tv room...one on the cool bathroom tile...one LYING IN THE LITTER BOX!! "OH GROSS APU--GET OUT OF THERE!" He slinks out of the litter box with a look that can only be interpreted as "what the heck is YOUR problem!"


Ahh, summertime. Hot, sticky days and stinky cats.




Oh my! I was originally adding this photo to show Sweet Pea just chillin', but now looking at it I almost expect him to start breathlessly quoting lines from The Maltese Falcon!

The Bestest Place on Earth

According to my cats, is.....

Mom's lap after she has been out of town. According to my neighbor who was taking care of my herd, the inside crew seemed quite depressed. Not one of them came out of the bedroom the entire time I was gone (well at least when my neighbor was there). Apu, I could understand. But Sweet Pea and Woody are so friendly and curious with everyone I was very surprised to hear this.

So, my first morning back I sat on the couch to see who would be first. Usually Woody is the lap hog, but as you can see from the above photo, Sweet Pea beat him to it. Woody decided to bide his time by chewing on his back leg, when all of a sudden he looked up and saw this...

Sweet Pea jumped down and Apu quietly sneaked up. I think you can see Woody's surprised expression. I believe he is saying "Wha hoppined?" Well enough is enough. Woody was not going to sit around waiting for Apu to leave.

He decided to squeeze his way onto my lap with Apu not giving an inch. Although I frequently joke about Woody's lack of intellectual muscle, he does have a few frequently used tricks up his sleeve.

Oh look at those devious eyes! He very slowly moves across my lap, making sure he is between me and the other cat. This results in one of two things. Either the first cat will feel too squeezed and will jump off, or in the close quarters will start grooming Woody. It's a win-win situation as far as Woody is concerned.

This time, Woody got to share my lap and get groomed. What a deal!

If I'm Going Crazy it Must be July!

Yet, you would NEVER know it was July with the weather we've been having. Absolutely wonderful. Highs in the low 80s, low humidity and the nights cool down to the low 60s. Just heavenly. I think we've had maybe two really bad HHH days so far this summer (Hazy, Hot, and Humid). It must be a record.



I must say that the weather has really made preparing for our July Board meetings easier to bear. If you think it seems like I'm always writing about preparing for another board meeting, believe me, it certainly feels that way to me too! Yes, I'm off to Portland, Oregon this weekend. I know I'm a broken record on this, but I really do hate traveling and attending these meetings. Always needing to be on call, never being able to let your guard down and relax, always worrying about taking minutes and hoping the food and activities I've selected meet with everyone's approval. The only upside is not having to cook for a few days. But that is offset by worrying about my furbies back home and hoping they are all okay. I've already been preparing them by telling them that my neighbor will be coming by twice a day to look in on them and feed and brush them. And, to make me feel better, I remind myself that a week from today, I'll be back home again!

Windows open, cats lounging in the evening breeze. It doesn't get much better then this. Take care everyone and maybe I'll send you a post from Portland. But if there isn't enough time, I'll be back in a week.