Bella and Tarra

Look who CHRIS over at Cute with Chris has on his masthead! The following video is something he posted the other day, and I had to show it to you guys.

Eydie Gorme, 1995 - 2009

Rest in Peace, my sweet little fluffybutt. We are going to miss you terribly.

Someone Seems to Like the New Fireplace!

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In Which Steven & I Try to Film the Cat

Sorry Mom, we weren't really able to get her to walk and show off her big belly. Never thought that'd be such a hard thing to capture.



In other news, Norma reported yesterday that it was the birthday of the REAL Eydie Gorme, namesake of the feline Eydie Gorme. She was 77 yesterday. Our Eydie is only 13.

Latest Craft Project :: Preps for Doggie??

Hi everyone! Here are some progress photos on the first of 3 series of fences. This is our east side yard, where, this weekend, we got about 60% complete on putting in a bamboo fence. We still have to do a bevy of mitre cuts on bamboo pieces at the numerous end points, and then outfit the cedar trim boards all over (visibly mocked up in some of these photos). Not to mention building a gate. Next will be about a third of the back yard, which will connect to this side yard as a big "L" shape, AND to the kitchen door. We recently passed the 2 year anniversary of Dear Departed Trotsky's untimely death... and being aware of it made us aware of just how much Trotsky would really have wanted us to have moved on to another canine companion by now. We miss the clomp clomp clomp of his elbows bashing the floor as he clambered under the bed every night at bedtime. And his banter with the cat. And his desire to go on twelve walks a day. His unconditional love. His cheeriness always. Ok, well, so that is why we are building these fences, so that hopefully sometime this summer, we will adopt another doggie, hopefully from the Athens County Shelter. And when we don't want to do the 1oth or the 12th walk that day, we'll be able to just open the kitchen door and say OUT. Or better yet, just have a doggie door in it and he/she can let themselves out!

Sleeping in the Sun

Somebody had to work ALL NIGHT LONG--until well after sunup--and will now sleep the day away. Some Friday nights Steven has code that goes live, and he has to be around to talk on the phone with people trying to make the systems go, while he clicks around all night. What a paiiiin.

On the plus side, makes Gormie Girl very happy to have a sleeping companion.

Wow.

M. at work just sent this to me. If only all animals were as kind and gentle. Amazing.

Another Wilde Beaste

wants breakfast. She's been dozing all over the Mister while we watch Real Time with Bill Maher. She loves to park it right on top of either of our chests, and ride the gentle wave while we breathe. "Bush read 87 books last year" inspires a little surge of laughter, making the gentle wave into a big squall. She digs in, hanging on, glares into his eyes. *Lick lick lick* Regains composure.

This is not Al Gormie...

It does kinda favor her though... if she had gone through a tragic Shelley Winters phase.

Happy Dog Tricks

Dr. Li just sent this to us. I sure do miss Trotsky. We really want to get another dog, but we're waiting until we can figure out how to fence in some portion of our tiny yard. Try putting in some crazy commands like "sniff your butt" to see his funny--and santized--responses!

Goodbye City Life! and Goodbye Dear Trotsky

It is 2:56 am, and the movers will be here tomorrow at 9 am. I hope they won't be too fast because we are not totally packed, and we both have to go to bed. We can barely stand up. Tricia and Karen and Mom and BC all helped today. We ran out of bubble wrap, and have to get more in the morning. And though everything is well organized and ready to be boxed, a lot of stuff down in the basement still needs to be boxed. Yikes.

And on a really sad note, poor Trotsky is really doing badly. Whatever is growing inside of his head is pushing his eye out of its socket. He is on anti-inflams and pain pills, and seems to not be in pain. We've decided to put him down on Monday afternoon after our house closing. It just doesn't do anything good for him to keep him alive and take him up to Ohio, knowing he is only going to get worse, and that at some point the pills are not going to work. We want him to go while he is still Sir Trots Alot and while he is not in terrible pain. We are both so sad about it, but we keep reminding ourselves of what a great life he has had and all the things he has accomplished in his life. For a dog, he has quite a resume: In 1993 he made it through Obidience Training at the top of his class. In 1999, he successfully decimated an HVAC outside unit by repeatedly peeing on it. In 1996, he was hit by a car on Moreland Avenue, but walked home pretty much unscathed. In 2003, he had to go to a real life doggie ER after digging a giant hole in which he gashed his leg open on some sharp buried crap in our EPA Superfund site of a backyard. In 2000, he slipped into Panther Creek and went down the waterfall while we all watched in horror. In the fall of 2005, we joked that he was barking himself to death... little did we know that it was his last hurrah of doghood. If any of you remember any of Trotsky's other accomplishments that i've forgotten, please let me know!

My Niece Kitty

Introducing to the Blogger World, Miss Shorty Everett. Isn't she the cutest? I haven't even seen her yet, but i thought I spread her sunshiney disposition all out into the ether. Quotes from my sister Tricia, Shorty's mom: "She makes what we call little “shorty noises” that are so sweet. And I swear she will lick you for an hour if you let her." Maybe i'll get to see her next week, if we get done with all the packing.

An update on the Birds

Look at these guys! They are almost full grown birds already! I expect it will only be a couple of days now and they'll be gone forever. Fly little birds, Fly!

Hello my Little Chickadees!

A couple of the little Robin Chickadees hatched today! They look like little puffs of fuzz, hardly anything to them! They can barely move and hold their mouths open. I'm sure in another couple of days i'll be able to hear them squawking through the screen door. Aren't they just precious?

Here's why they call it Robin's Egg Blue

I was telling my Mom and BC the other day on the phone that a bird has inhabited the awning on my front porch...brown belly, charcoal otherwise... but i wasn't sure what kind of bird it was. Mom suggested a Robin, and sure enough, i just looked in the nest and it is chock full of Robin's eggs. Everytime i open the front door or go to get the mail, the mama bird flies away, not too far, and then comes right back (i watch her out the window or thru the screen door). I'll have some chirping babies soon!