Time flies!

Mr. Grumpy came home for R&R last week and I cannot believe how quickly the day he has to return is approaching.  It feels like I blink and another day is gone.

We spent last Weekend in Las Vegas. The in-laws were there and took the kids off our hands so we could spend some time alone together. We didn’t really go out and do very much while we were there. We mainly stayed in our hotel room. :-)

We did see Blue Man Group, thanks to Mr. Grumpy’s brother who got us tickets.  It was definitely an interesting experience!

We also discovered Irish Nachos at a restaurant called McFadden’s, in the Rio Hotel and Casino.  How do you make nachos Irish? You prepare them with potato chips instead of tortilla chips! They were actually tastier than one might expect.

Vegas wasn’t all fun and games though. The alternator on my car died (I so want a new car!) and we had to take a trip to the DMV so Mr. Grumpy could renew his license while he was stateside.  Luckily, we were able to get the car repaired the next day and, surprisingly, things went quickly and smoothly at the DMV.   They even had a snack bar! (no slot machines though)

What’s the first thing a guy who’s just spent 8 and half months in The Sandbox does?  Takes a shower!

Second thing?  Eats some real food!

Third?   Beer!

When we arrived home, I decided to record the cat’s reactions to seeing him for the first time after many months.  I knew the dog would be bouncy and happy but I had no idea what to expect from them. 

Sunny (the oldest cat) yawned at him.  Spike (the middle cat) sniffed him a bit. Mulder went behind the couch.  

I’ve come to the conclusion that cats don’t make for a very exciting homecoming video. 

Ah well, the kids and I are thrilled to have him home for a little while.

More Calico.

My favorite part comes at the end.

GrumpyD’s friend asks if “he” is supposed to do something.

GrumpyD says “he” is supposed to give her quarter back.

Calico Ghost Town

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last weekend, GrumpyD and I went to Calico Ghost Town with a couple of friends. If you’re ever in the area, it’s worth checking out. 

If you are already planning a trip there,  I have a few suggestions before you head out.

1) Wear sneakers or hiking shoes. The ground is pretty rocky and/or rough in areas and, if you want to see everything, you will be climbing and hiking a bit.

2) Bring cash. Some shops don’t accept anything but cold hard cash.

3) Go during the cooler seasons (fall and winter).  It can get VERY hot there in the summer.  Wear sunscreen no matter what time of the year.

Our photos can be viewed here!

I love this song.

I know it’s been out awhile but my love for it just keeps growing.

Flowers For My Birthday

(Orange is my favorite color.)

You Had To Be There…

More Mulder

 

Sometimes, when we’re busy, Mulder has to make his own fun.

He chews through the clasp(s) on his collar(s).

 

 

 

 

He dresses up for the holidays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He steals my feather duster.

 

 

 

 

 He steals our french fries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  He pre-opens our gifts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 He makes sure my bathroom sink has an adequate coating of cat fur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He always finds something to do!

FabuCat

I wouldn’t say that we live in the middle of nowhere but I also wouldn’t say we live in an area known for having a wide variety of fun things to do. Especially on a week-night.

So, we have to find ways to amuse ourselves. Sometimes that means covering a comforter in USPS Priority Mail tape, sometimes it means watching really bad movies on the Sci-Fi Channel. (I’m talking about you “The Beast of Bray Road”.)

Sometimes, when extreme boredom looms awfully close, that means tormenting, I mean playing with, the cats.

I know I talk about our cat, Mulder, more than is probably considered normal or healthy but he’s just so much fun to play with.  It is impossible to predict how he’ll react to being the focus of our attentions but he never reacts with annoyance.

Once, using static cling, I attached a receipt to his back.  I assumed he’d, at least, try to remove it. Nope. He walked away and took a nap with the receipt still stuck to his back.  While not quite what I was hoping for, I still found it mildly amusing.

Tonight, GrumpyD decided he wasn’t looking quite as fabulous as he should and a purple “feather” boa was JUST what he needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He made no attempt to get rid of the boa.

A cat who has destroyed every single collar we’ve ever attempted to put on him, proudly wore a purple feather boa until we decided he’d been wearing it long enough. 

Maybe the collars we’ve tried just weren’t stylish enough for him.

Maybe he’s an odd little cat.

In either case, he amuses the heck out of us.

Meet Chunk

This is Chunk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chunk is the only known specimen of the Cuban Lizardus Mulderus (Mulder’s Cuban Lizard).

This is Mulder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Mulder has a lot of energy and is quite playful.  He also plays fetch. He’ll bring me a toy and then yell at me unti l throw it, so he can run and fetch it, bring it back and start yelling at me again. He can also turn just about anything into a toy, but his all-time favorite toy started off as green rubbery and stretchy lizard toy. 

The lizard was fun to fetch but it was also lots of fun to pull apart. Mulder would stretch the lizard appendages until they popped off.  The head went first, then the tail, then one by one the legs disappeared.  It eventually became known as ”The Torso”. 

Mulder didn’t stop at the appendages though and “The Torso” got to the point it really couldn’t be considered a torso anymore. 

When he managed to get it down to about a 1 inch cube, GrumpyD called it “Mulder’s Cuban Lizard”.

I didn’t get the whole Cuban thing until she held it up and pointed out that it was now similar in shape to a cube.  Cube-an lizard.   (I love GrumpyD, she’s too darn clever and funny.)

Anyway, “cuban lizard” is a mouthful when trying to direct Mulder to get a certain toy (he’s very smart!). So, it became known as “Chunk”. 

Chunk disappeared one day and Mulder searched high and low for it.  He looked under the entertainment center, behind the couch, under the couch and even in the couch cushions, to no avail.  No one had any idea where Chunk had disappeared to and eventually Mulder gave up on his search. He made do with furry mice toys.

Then, yesterday, he batted one of his furry mice under the stove.  Since Mulder will sit next to the stove/fridge/whatever he’s batted a toy under and yell at me until I rescue it for him, I got out the broom and tried to sweep the mouse out from under the stove.

On my first sweep, out came Chunk! 

I had never seen a cat react ecstatically to anything until Mulder laid eyes on Chunk.  Oh. My. God. He purred and rubbed his head all over Chunk.  He no longer cared about the lost furry mouse toy. He had Chunk!

Since then I’ve been playing what must be the longest running game of fetch, ever.  During the times I’m unable to throw Chunk, Mulder puts it in places I’ll be sure to eventually notice it. Like in my shoes, or in my purse, or where I put my feet when I’m sitting at the computer.  He loves Chunk.

Strangely enough, the mouse toy that prompted my sweeping under the stove never came out on any subsequent sweeps. Perhaps it volunteered to take Chunk’s place in Lost Toy Heaven, so Mulder could be reunited with his long-lost love.

Umm, I can explain.

I noticed some cat fur on my king-sized comforter and I grabbed a roll of tape to remove it.  Something snapped in my head and, half an hour later, my bed looked like this.

In case you couldn’t tell, I used USPS Priority Mail tape.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It removed the cat fur quite well and, after I peeled it all off, the kids and I rolled the tape into a ball and played catch for a little while.  FYI, It’s really easy to catch a ball that adheres to your skin.