Home improvements

There is never a shortage of cozy spots here even when Mom isn't laid out on the sofa. This week, she and Dad were hardly around -- something about picking up furniture for the nursery that they found on Craigslist. (Craigslist? What's that?)

They have, so far, acquired an IKEA crib frame and chair, the former now assembled and the latter still awaiting some nuts and bolts. I'm a bit dubious about the comfort of the crib -- it looks suspiciously like a cage. Mom insists it will be better once there's a new mattress in the bottom, which is currently nothing but wooden slats. I much prefer my fluffy kitty bed and blanket, thank you very much! Especially when it's fresh out of the laundry. Mom and Dad finally caved and replaced the ancient washer that came with the house -- it wasn't draining every third load or so -- and now the new machine (which happens to reside in the kitty suite) gets my bed extra dry after the spin cycle. Mom was impressed and wonders why they didn't do this sooner.

The machine is also much quieter than the previous one, but it still makes enough noise that I prefer to hang out elsewhere while it's running. As you can see, I'm not picky about alternate accommodations. And perhaps if I'm on Mom's purse, it'll keep her from going out so much ...

They can't be the same, can they?

Meow Meow here again. Mom is still knitting and I'm taking my naps all over her equipment. Occasionally, she has to sneak her scissors or tape measure out from under my tummy, but I don't mind. I like keeping them warm -- like this book I'm resting on.

Mom says this creature in the picture is what I'll be meeting early next year. Looks fairly innocuous. Mom also tried to explain that this is the same thing as the baby I met last weekend when her friends came over for lunch. I'm not sure I liked that one -- she made me nervous because she wanted to pet me but couldn't figure out how not to grab my fur instead of stroke it. She also liked to slap things with her hands -- the couch, the carpet, the coffee table -- a little too close to me for comfort.

Mom says I did just fine, and I didn't run away (Mom also gave me lots of reassuring chin scratches and let me hide my face against her leg when I needed to). Looking at this picture, though, I'm not convinced that the baby that's coming could be like the one from last weekend. I mean, according to Mom, her baby's movements hardly feel like more than a flutter right now. Flutters = slaps?

Clearly Mom doesn't know what she's talking about.

Meow Meow has an announcement

Hi! Meow Meow here. I'm writing for Mom because she's been under the weather for the last two months -- which you might think is a total drag, but for me, it means TONS of time next to her while she's curled up on the sofa. Best two months EVER.

Mom is almost back on her feet again, but she's asked me to tell you that I'm going to get a sort-of sibling in February. A human one. She finally told her friends at the Humane Society (who occasionally visit this blog) so now I can share the news officially. I have no idea what the sort-of sibling will be like, but Mom has been knitting a lot lately, which has also been lots of fun for me. See?

I like this sock. I like whacking the back ends of Mom's knitting needles even more when she's using them. So far, I've only made her lose three stitches, but she's been cool about it.

I may be the one updating the blog for a little while, but Mom promises to take more pictures of me so you can see what I've been up to. In fact, she's got a backlog to post (most of them taken while she was lying on the sofa), so look for more shortly.

And there goes another

Meow Meow's adoption anniversary was last week! It's hard to believe she's been with us for only two years -- it feels like she's always been part of our family. It goes to show you how well she's trained us ...

In honor of the day, we treated Meow Meow to tuna, which she was delighted to discover next to her water dish. We tried to get her to look up for a second from the food, but of course, it was a lost cause.

It's good to know she's happy :)

The joys of the job

Work at the Humane Society has been keeping me away from blogging, but now that I've settled into a bit of a routine there, I've got some amusing footage to share.

On occasion, I get to edit raw film shot by other staff or volunteers of adoptable kitties to post on the HS website. This video is one of those. Bunny has been adopted already, but she was so adorable that I had to include this here anyway. She's aptly named -- with her poof of a tail stub and her two-footed hop, her back end is all rabbit.

This other film was neither shot nor edited by me, but I'm hoping to get still photos of this mischievous girl next week in order to update her profile a little more. Watch that deft little paw in action starting around 0:35. Esmerelda's definitely not reaching into her own dish! Cracks me up every time.

Remember me?!?

Smart girl that Meow Meow is, she knows when I'm not home at the usual times she expects to see me. I was traveling earlier this month, just long enough that she started to get anxious when I didn't reappear for cuddles after several mornings and nights. Dieter was home with her, but she's a family kitty. If one of us is missing at the breakfast table, she goes to the top of the stairs to summon the latecomer -- adamantly.

On my first morning home, Dieter was showing me something on his computer in our home office. Not to be deterred any longer, Meow Meow leapt to the top of Dieter's office chair to demand attention, which is a huge bound for her standards.

It seems my absence made an impression?

Why Meow Meow loves recycling

So that kitty afghan I mentioned I might knit? I did.

Here's what the yarn was originally part of -- a scarf I'd made in college that was just too bulky and itchy to wear against my neck. You can just make it out under Meow Meow. I'd already turned half of it into a hat and mittens (which are much more comfortable than their predecessor) and needed a way to use up the leftover wool. Since Meow Meow was so attracted to that particular piece of knitting to nap on while I was working on the other pieces, I figured turning the leftover scarf into a mat for her was the perfect use. The bonus for us: much less fur to comb out of the couch!

I suspect she knew what I was doing as she really wanted to be in on the process ...

I realized after I'd finished that I should have put a border on it so the blanket wouldn't roll at the edges, but Meow Meow doesn't seem to mind. Right, Meow Meow?

Meow Meow?

Well, you get the picture.