It's Cold!!!!!!!!

So, it is really really cold here. When I say that I don't think I can really convey the level of frozen that we are currently experiencing here in this state. The weatherman was hoping to reach a high of 0 degrees Fahrenheit, but I don't believe we made it. Eric said that the thermometer at his work was reading -20 degrees Fahrenheit. It's the kind of cold that when you step outside your boogs freeze instantly. Oh please, you know exactly what I mean when I say that your boogs freeze.




It's so cold that:

• When I went to open our back door it was frozen shut and I had to force it open.
• Mia is sitting this/close to the space heater. See photo
  
• Eric has taken to wearing a tech vest underneath his jacket.
• Our heater is running pretty much non-stop. I anticipate a $1,000,000 bill next month

I am looking at it as an excuse to snuggle up and wear my most comfortable clothes, yay!
Is it crazy cold where you are?

A Moment in the Sun

Bumblebee and Mia have had an uneasy relationship since they became adopted animal siblings. Thankfully Bumblebee is not aggressive or anything, she prefers to whine and tattle on Mia. If Mia hops up on a chair that Bumblebee feels belongs to her then Bumblebee will run over to me to tattle (that's code for whine). Not that I do anything to intervene, the cats rule the house.

Generally the cats just try to ignore Bumblebee and by and large they are quite successful.

Yesterday Eric snapped this photo of Mia asleep above Bumblebee on the couch, both enjoying the warmth of the sun. I just thought it was too cute and as I am swimming in a soup of pregnancy hormones I assume my readers would allow me to indulge in my sappiness. Enjoy.

Following the Sun

Mia is in love with the new place. I can still call it our new place right? I mean we've lived here two months...When does it stop being the new place and turn into the place that we live?

Anyway, at our apartment in Denver we had no direct sunlight at any point throughout the day, it was not a lot of fun for Mia, the Mistress of the sun. She loooves to soak in the sun. I think she'd be happy if we lived in Arizona, but we don't and we probably never will.

Since we have moved into our new place she has unlimited access to patches of sunlight. She has mapped them out throughout the house for the entire course of each day. Right at sunset the light creeps across the kitchen floor and so does Mia. Eric took this photo of just such an event. Sometimes she will zone out and the sun moves a bit without her, rest assured she snaps out of it and soon creeps into the light, closing her eyes in ecstasy.

Details

Do you take a daily drive to work or have a specific daily routine? I do and I sometimes get so plugged into the routine that I need to take a moment and think about the details that become all too easy to overlook. It's all in the details as they say. So, I thought I would share a few details from my routine.

After I get home from work I have to take off my socks and shoes. Sometimes I take them off at work...as long as there are no meetings at the office. Anyway, when I get home off come the shoes, the socks and I change from work clothes into my comfortable clothes. My toes spend much of the day longing to be free and their liberation is a daily joy. I am one of those weird people who uses their feet like extra hands, so wearing shoes is akin to wearing boxes over my hands. Why oh why can't people just accept that I want to use my feet like a monkey? I wish it were socially acceptable.


Eric and I listen to records. We have the ipod and all of that, but we began to lament the loss of the experience of an album. We had our ipod on continual shuffle and never sat down with an album and really listened to it anymore. Well, at least until we got crazy with the records. We are always on the lookout for records at thrift stores and garage sales. Since we listen to music mainly from the 1970s and 1980s there are always records floating around.


My parents got us a wooden W for Christmas. I am not sure why they got it, or why I was so excited about it. I coated it in glitter and hung it by a black ribbon from our front door. Every time I close the door it bangs against it, but I don't really mind. I love the giant glittering W it kind of adds a disco appeal to the front door and what's not to like about that?

Mia's delicate feet. Her little velveted paws. Every night as I lay down to go to bed the cat comes over to my side of the bed and slaps me with her tiny paws, let's out a Marge Simpson-esque meow and demands a little attention. While her meow is less than ladylike her demands are clear and I happily oblige.

How to Endlessly Entertain Two Cats and a Basset Hound

Ophelia (far left) and Mia (right) on alert for any Sergei sightings

I previously blogged about the little mouse who likes to scoot around our patio. We named him Sergei. Anyway, we hadn't seen Sergei for a while and we were wondering if he had moved on. We were wrong. A few days ago Sergei decided to taunt all of the critters in my house. Mia and Ophelia took up position by the sliding glass doors to watch the show.

Sergei speeding by.

Sergei began taunting the animals from a distance, speeding by like a little lighting bolt of mousey fury.

Bumblebee watching from a safe distance

Bumblebee became interested, mostly in the activities of the cats, but the cats were a bit too intense for Bumblebee to feel comfortable enough to approach the window. She took up her post on the couch where she could watch the cats and see Sergei zoom by. Mia would tap the window each time Sergei ran by and Bumblebee would whine.

Ophelia and Bumblebee, heads in motion as Sergei makes a pass by

After enough time had passed Bumblebee decided she could take a front seat to the action. Sergei even made an approach to the window, directly in front of the audience. I think their little cat and dog brains nearly exploded from excitement.

Sergei hanging out in the corner. Yes, I know I need to sweep my patio.

Finally it grew too dark to watch the animals watch Sergei. We closed the blinds, but Ophelia has been on watch ever since.

Saturday Morning is...

Saturday morning is waking up at 6:38 even though I vowed to sleep in until 8. Eric manages to sleep in until 9! Bumblebee whines and runs in circles as I wander to the light switch. She waits for the first morning cuddle which is the best way to start any day. If you have never sat crossed legged on the floor while a basset hound tries to sit on your lap (she is huge and it is ridiculous), then you, my friend, are missing out.

Saturday morning is the first rays of lavender morning light peeking through the blinds.

Saturday morning is the light hitting the tree tops as it rises over the city buildings. Wrapping myself up in a jacket, hoping not to run into a neighbor because I am pretty sure I have a little sleep in my eyes, while waiting for Bumblebee to do her morning duties (doodies). You can thank me later for not photographing that.


Saturday morning is Bumblebee falling asleep on the couch after a trip outside and a good breakfast. Mission accomplished.


Saturday morning is Mia taking up her new perch under the lamp. Meowing for food as I pass by.

Saturday morning is Ophelia demanding that I adore her. I do.

Saturday morning is orange juice. I love orange juice. For some reason my whole day feels incomplete if I don't start it off with a good cup of OJ.


Saturday morning is a big breakfast after Eric wakes up. I make scrambled tofu, half of a cinnamon raisin english muffin, two slices of soy bacon and some kiwi.

Saturday morning is coffee in the big mug.

Saturday morning is italicizing my words because it feels like the thing to do.

Mama Mia

Last week I wrote about Bumblebee. Now I feel I must write about all of our pets, don't worry we only have three. Mia came to us as a stray. Eric was living in his first apartment. One evening I was over at his house while he was out running an errand. My friend Dorothy called and said she had found a Siamese cat and didn't know what to do with her. Eric had just been coerced into adopting our cat Ophelia (more about her another day) and I knew he wasn't really in the market to open up shop as an animal shelter. However, I was working for a no-kill animal shelter at the time. I figured that I could take the cat in the following morning if I couldn't convince Eric that we had to keep her.

When she arrived that evening she was very sick and very thin. She was also pretty much completely wild. For Eric it was love at first sight. The following weeks were all about medicine, spaying, and generally learning that she was OK. She and Ophelia bonded quickly and things began to smooth out. She had some serious problems and it took a year before we heard her purr.

Now she is the only civilized member of our household. She seems to be always dressed with long black gloves. She plays fetch and loves to sit in the window. She meows when she wants us to come to bed and bites us if we don't pet her when she demands. She is far too much of a lady to sit on our laps, but she will sit right next to us and purr so loud.