A random grab-bag of pictures taken in the Thanksgiving to Christmas timeframe. More or less.
|
Spyhopping
After testing out the flash I wanted a picture of Scout looking down from the window seat similar to scrunchy Sammy but she wouldn't cooperate. As both the oldest of the pets and the one who has been with us the longest, she's the most inured to my hijinks. I was laying on the hardwood looking up, that's the ceiling to the right, the molding right above her, and the picture window to the left.
While I was at first disappointed I couldn't get the picture I wanted, I was delighted when she tilted her head just so and I was able to slide a few inches and position her like an orca spyhopping above the waterline, a cat's ear in place of an orca's head. So what started in disappointment ended with one of my favorite pictures of Scout. |
I finally put it up last night, and before I even had the top assembled Emma was sleeping under the bottom branches. Sam was climbing in it before I had the branches spread out, and today it showed clear signs of cats tunneling upwards through the branches. We've had this tree throughout our married life but I don't how much more of this kind of love it can take. Scout used to love to climb in it when she was younger, but being the resident genius she at least figured out how to climb up without leaving an evidence trail behind her.
Last night all three cats were under the tree, and I hoped to get some pictures but Emma woke up and came out to greet me so I didn't have much time. Snuggle buddies Sam and Scout stayed put so I had a little more chance with them.
|
That's Not the Way We Left the Tree, Em
There's a reason I don't put the ornaments on the tree right away.
I thought with another year of wisdom and experience the cats might be kinder to the tree. But yesterday we got home from work to find this carnage in the living room. The investigation initially focused on two prime suspects, juvenile offenders with a past history of tree climbing, but the discovery of a clump of soft, black fur in the treetop has narrowed the focus. The accused did herself no favors when, as I righted the tree, she climbed back into it before I even had it upright again. In her defense, the tree stand isn't the best. It certainly wasn't designed with the idea of a 10 lb. ornament hanging from the top. |
|
Christmas Hedgehogs
We had a nice relaxing Christmas day. I was off from work for a couple of weeks so I got up before sunrise and went to Ridgefield as I did most days during the break. On Christmas, though, instead of staying all day at the refuge I came home for the afternoon. The cats were treated with extra salmon treats while Ellie got a new baby hedgehog to go along with the other two. One of the older ones has been designated for outdoor use but has seen so much love that its face is starting to fall off.
New baby hedgehog was a huge hit and an excited Ellie squeaked it all day long, taking a break only to toss it at us in hopes of play. She finally tuckered out and is sleeping beside me at the moment. She's posing here beside our bedraggled tree with the new hedgehog. The eagle-eyed observer may notice that there are two new hedgehogs in the picture, the toy at Ellie's feet and a new ornament that my wife made in Ellie's honor. The eagle-eyed observer may also note that Emma is sitting underneath the tree. She has not been climbing the tree so much since the ornaments went on, although she did break one of the colored glass balls and beloved gold Santa took a beating. |
|
Em Thanks Me for Taking Her to the Dentist
Emma got her teeth cleaned over the Christmas break, and since it was her first time under anesthesia we were advised to keep her separated from the other animals for the rest of the day and keep an eye on her. I stayed with her in the evening in the guest bedroom and she was all over me, rubbing her head up under my chin, a temporary lap cat. Much like she was that first night we brought her home when she was so nervous, making me feel bad for her now, as I knew stress was driving her behavior.
My wife switched with me at bedtime as the other pets often sleep on me. Emma hates to be confined though and mewed loudly under the door and kept me from sleeping (but not, apparently, my wife). I eventually freed her and let her roam the house, but she decided instead to spend the night playing in our bedroom, grabbing little objects and then batting them around the hardwood. I got very little sleep that night but fortunately she was back to her normal self the next day and we both slept in peace once more. |
