Kingfisher Cove

"Have Your Way With Me"

Amazing.  We're here at Harstine (after an entire month) and we brought along the little fuzzy-butt.  Mojo is so accustomed to being around us, Nate, and/or the dogs, and Nate wasn't expecting to be around home much this weekend what with working (and also being 21...) so we just couldn't bear the idea of the little guy being in that house all by his lonesome.  He's just too little.  So we grabbed the small litter box and his food and carrier and brought him here with us.  He slept virtually the entire drive down on the console between JDub and me.  His carrier was handy to him in the back seat with its door open, and he'd venture inside it now and then, but he preferred to be close to the dogs.  (He spends more time with them than he does with us humans!)

And now here, he's totally made himself at home.  He's currently sleeping in the box of jigsaw puzzle pieces JDub just filled from the last puzzle he completed.  (A cat after this man's heart!)  The trailer door was open for a while and he'd venture out on the deck -- barely -- but it scared him out there so he'd head back inside.  Fine with me! 

It almost looked like we hadn't been here for an eon.  All the feeders were bone-barren, including both hummingbird feeders.  The plants have grown, weeds have grown, and it just looked abandoned and kind of sad.  I immediately filled the feeders, although I haven't gotten to the hummingbird feeders yet.  And we haven't seen a single bird.  The weather sucked (along with traffic) the whole ride down, but I see quite a lot of blue sky right now.  It's almost 8:30 and partly sunny out there -- and probably will be for about another hour.  The longest days of the year, although we're already on the downslide, which blows my mind.  We both got off work early today and it fried me that we didn't arrive here until almost four hours after we'd left work!  That included quickly packing and loading the Durango (which really doesn't take much time), and a quick stop for groceries, but still.  We've made it home from here in an hour and half!  When traffic is bad like that, as it typically is on Fridays, I have fantasies of getting out the machete.  (It's just a fantasy). 

Listening to JDub's MP3 player in its speaker/docking station and it's just great!  We keep all our favorite CDs here and so I'm ripping a bunch on my laptop to transfer to the Player.  (It holds something like 2,000 songs so we should be pretty good to go).

JDub's coughing is unfortunately competing with the music.

Bed Hopping

The dogs keep trying out the wee kitty bed, and while these dogs are small themselves, they look like oversized sausages in a bun!  And isn't Mojo a cute lil' thang in the bigger doggy bed!  (How many times can I use the word "cute" in a week?)  Sigh.

It's otherwise been a tough week, and today was especially a tough day.  It was officially announced that my good buddy's last day will be Friday.  She and I finalized this project presentation today and I couldn't have done it without her!  Our jobs don't typically cross paths, but she has graphics arts background and I needed her for putting this thing together and we were the epitome of teamwork.  Normally, it would have also been full of laughs and sarcasm, but we were both feeling very sober and downhearted throughout it all.  And on top of that, we learned today that our office principal -- in A/E firms they are the lead manager either of the firm (or in our case, our office since we have several offices) -- was fired!  Of course us rank-and-file folks have no idea why, and I certainly can't even begin to imagine why.  I had utmost respect for this woman, and have always thought very highly of her.  She was also very integral in hiring me.  She was who my boss reported to, and she was always fair-minded and reasonable (plus, she pretty much kept my boss in line! Heh). I'm totally bewildered by this.  When something like this happens, it makes me feel vulnerable and insecure.  "If it could happen to her, it could happen to me!"  I suppose I shouldn't feel that way because I just had my mid-year review last week and it went very well.  But this company's upper management tends to be sneaky and secretive, so you can sense that things are going fine and dandy one moment, and then poof, you're history. All of a sudden, you're no longer a good "fit".  It's kind of scary. I've seen it happen fairly frequently, although nothing like this.

Oooh, I'm excited:  JDub bought a nifty little contraption/docking station for his new MP3 player that has (nice!) speakers so you can listen to the tunes without the earbuds.  We'll be able to bring it out on the deck at Harstine and listen to music, or even inside without having to change out CDs all the time on the CD player.  It also charges the MP3 player's battery while it's playing!  I'm listening to it now and it's just great! 

Here's all the fuzzy-faces in a bed together:

Cutefest

If you can spare about 30 seconds and are in the mood for cute, you've just gotta take a look at this.

(P.S.  I apologize for the very ending because I was laughing so hard the camera lurched).

Drudgery Intervenes

Life can't be all kitty all the time.  (Bummer).  I'm glad to have the distraction, though, because otherwise this week would be all about a grumpy kid, a grumpy sick husband, and icky stress at work as I attempt to put together a presentation for a project interview.  It's been nice to come home to at least one cheerful little fuzzy face.  (Well, three, since the weenies are definitely über-cheerful these days).

This weekend we're going to Harstine and it will have been a whole month since we've been there.  I'm sure all the birds have totally given up on us and flown the coop. We'll come home (of course) on Sunday and go back to work for two days, and then Tuesday night we head back down for a 5-day weekend over the 4th!  (Can you believe the 4th of July is upon us??)  God I wish I also had that Monday and Tuesday off, but my coworker snatched up those days and for whatever reason, we can't both be off at the same time.  Even though we work in different offices.    

I'm really bummed today because I learned that my FUN coworker (she's in a different field -- not marketing) in this branch office where I spend four days per week (I really like her) is leaving. It's rare that you meet a person that you truly connect with, that you know is on a similar wave-length, and that has a sense of humor that can release some of those good-feeling endorphins that tend to get bottled up and sealed off (even dashed) as a result of work-angst.  Somebody who makes the work-angst tolerable.  (Even fun!)  She is a dynamite worker, very good at what she does, and she was offered a better paying job at a competing firm.  Our firm refused to counter-offer, and so, she's done.  Plus, her feelings are hurt!  She was led to believe that she was considered valuable and respected, and the counter-offer wouldn't have needed to be excessive -- simply matched would have been OK with her.  (Companies these days tend to stick with the annual COLA raise that is basically no raise at all, and so the only way to make a decent jump in salary is to move to a different company.  And this is good business practice....why?)  In the year I've been there, I've seen a lot of excellent talent head out the door.  The only evidence I've seen with the company making an attempt to retain employees is in upper management.  Gag me. 

So...my heart is heavy.  I'm really going to miss her. 

OK, on the kitty-front, Mojo had his first set of shots today.  Nate took him to the vet and I was pretty blown away at the cost!  $117 for kitten shots and dewormer?  And I get to pay that again in a month for a booster?  Jeeze. One good thing -- we learned for certain that Mojo is a BOY.  Helen was "pretty sure", but not positive, and I was a little nervous about that!  (I know it's really hard to tell with kittens).  And as you know, I really prefer boy kitties.  Once again, last night he slept in his widdle bed between our pillows and never budged throughout the night.  (It still wasn't a good night's sleep for JDub or me because of JDub's coughing, but the kitty had nothing to do with it).  He's just a gem!  What a character! 

Smitten with the Kitten

It was so hard having to go to work today!  I would have much rather stayed home with this little lovable bundle of fuzz.  Especially knowing what was in store for me at the office...

Mojo's first 24+ hours in our household have been incredibly entertaining, as well as "magical" -- living up to his name!  The magical part was last night when he slept with us in his little bed that Helen brought along, right between our pillows.  He slept there the entire night, never once letting out a peep or deciding to get rambunctious in the middle of the night or anything.  I just couldn't believe it.  I don't know if we can expect that every night, but it was great not having to worry about rolling over on him.  (He is just so little!) 

He's certainly made himself at home, and he and the dogs are total buds, especially he and Bailey because she licks him all over and of course her flag-like tail is fair game as a TOY.  Everything is a toy from the pine kitty-litter to the knobs on the coffee table to my laptop mouse (heh)!  JDub told me that Mojo actually attempted to nurse from Bailey today, rooting around her furry tummy trying to find teats!  (Bailey didn't quite know what to make of that, but she tolerated it). 

They just romp! 

It looks a little rough, but Mojo definitely holds his own and continuously comes back for more.  And those extra toes keep the dogs in line -- they have great respect for those paws/claws!

Introducing Mojo

This is the little bundle of fuzz!  He has arrived!

What a day it's been. Helen brought him along with two of his (adorable!) orange brothers to keep him company, and this was my first glimpse of him:

 

They were all very aware of the squealing weenie dogs, and so mewing and hissing/spitting made up the harmony of the choir. It continued on for quite some time.  So we locked the apeshit wiener dogs in the computer room/office for a short while so we could bring out the widdle kitty and have a chance to see him and hold him and get to know him.  (The others were more than content to remain in their carrier).  Once the dogs were out of the picture, this little guy immediately relaxed.  He is so small and so curious and I was especially impressed with how his head would slowly swivel around taking in his surroundings and processing everything.  We eventually let the dogs out one at a time to be "introduced."  It's been....OK.  They are extremely excited and pretty over-the-top with that excitement so it's required patience and some physical restraining on our part (certainly not on their part).  It was apparent with Bailey that she really really wanted to make friends, but it took a few good wacks on the nose by the kitten (with his EXTRA toe/claw) to get the point across that making friends means calming down, dude!  But the kitten is taking all of this pretty much in stride.  We'd put some food down on the table for him and he'd eat.  He'd lay there watching the dogs over the edge of the table...and then fall asleep!  We introduced him to the cat tree that JDub made several years ago, and the litter box (which he just finally peed in), and for a while he did hide behind the TV amongst all those snakes of cords and cables.  He has explored a bit, and when he is down on wiener-dog level, the dogs aren't quite as exuberant as they are when he's out of sight (like up on the table.  He's currently napping in between the laptops). 

His name didn't gel until I started this post.  At first I thought it was going to be Bowtie (Bo for short), but it just wasn't totally cuttin' it for me.  I've decided on "Mojo".  It has Pacific Northwest flavor from the 1995 (and 2001 -- 116 wins!) Mariners seasons that were so incredibly magical (and "mojo" means magic, luck, charm, and magnetism). And it just fits.  He's Mojo.  And I think he has it, too.  (Plus, "Mo" is pretty darned cute as a nickname).

Here's a picture of him with his MITTENS!  (Ain't he cute?)

Dreaming in Black and White

Long Week

I'm tired.  Work is hectic now, but I'm still kind of recovering from all that thumb-twiddling during the first part of the week.  Thumb-twiddling is hard to recover from.  Makes you squirmy and antsy while you're doing it, but you sort of miss it when it's done and gone. 

You know all about the complaining I've done all winter-through-spring about rainy weekends (and a good amount of sunny work-days, especially Mondays).  Well, my complaints have been substantiated!  My favorite meteorologist guy who writes funny and educational posts on our local TV station website wrote the following today:

"It has rained at some point during the last 7 weekends. Sound amazing? Take out the one dry weekend at the end of April that stopped that streak, and it rained on the 11 consecutive weekends prior to that. That means since Feb. 1, it has rained on every weekend except that one."

I knew it!  And when you are a working stiff like me, you live for those weekends!  No wonder I've been feeling pithy.  (And it just continues....)  My birthday weekend was great, though, but that was because we took that Friday off.  It clouded up and rained that Sunday afternoon.

The other reason this week has been the draggiest is YOU KNOW WHY.  I've been looking so forward to getting my baby cat this Sunday, and now it's just the day after tomorrow!  It's been hard, waiting!  I want to see him, hold him, kiss his widdle head!  We've been "preparing" the weenies. (heh) We keep talking about the kitty and of course they run outside to bark at nothing, I guess assuming there's a kitty somewhere out there.  I had this stack of new supplies sitting in a pile (litter box, litter, liners, dry food, a contraption to place the "nuggets" after scooping, and also a package of some small fluffy ball toys).  Bailey stretched up and grabbed the package of toys and spilled out the fluffy balls, and then PEANUT grabbed one and proceeded to pull it all apart!  Yessiree, those dogs are ready for a kitten.  Oh boy.    

What Breed of Liberal Am I?

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.

Take the quiz at

Here

This quiz was hysterical! I especially loved this question: "What bumper sticker would you most likely put on your car?" My answer was B: "Nice Hummer -- Sorry About Your Penis."

Thanks to Karen!

Another Kitty Post (but it's purrrrdy funny)

My wonderful blogging friend, Liora*, has a tuxedo kitty (named Tux!  Such a perfect name!) so she's quite intrigued with our kitten quest.  She pointed me in the direction of this Space-Age Litter Box on Steroids. 

When I saw this contraption on Amazon, I laughed so hard that my laptop keyboard required major sterilizing after all the snot and tears spillage.  Oh. My. God.  And then I read how it works.  It "senses" the animal, and after seven minutes the clean cycle starts "with the slow rotation of the globe" and I absolutely lost it.  I had this distinct image of a kitty who takes a leetle bit longer than seven minutes to do his thing and then freaks out in the enclosed carnival ride from hell! (Or space-age kitty hamster wheel, heeeee!)   Bwa-ha-ha-ha!  All this entertainment for a mere $300, too! Jeeze! It actually received stellar customer reviews on Amazon.  When I told Liora how hard I laughed, she then pointed me in the direction of this. 

You must go there. You will wet your pants.  I actually viewed it while I was at work and I'm sure everyone in the office -- because the cubicle walls might as well be made of rice paper --  thought that this middle-aged woman had bit it big and it was time to call in the men in white coats. [Note:  I did feel they should have hit the off switch a little sooner than they did...it was starting to feel a little cruel.  But it had a good ending].

And finally, I've been considering some kind of hat to wear in the Sunny car when the top's down (pretty rare these days...).  How about this?

~~~~~

*Seriously, when was your last self-breast exam and when was your last mammogram?  Have you been like me and put off that mammogram a couple of years or more?  Liora has just received the diagnosis:  Breast Cancer.  It was caught early.  She discovered the lump with a self-breast exam.  She's only 39 years old, younger than when they suggest the initial base-line mammogram.

My mammogram appointment is July 18th.  When's yours?