Simply Saturday

Days are slipping by quickly, and once again, I have let the blog slide to the side. I will try to be a good little blogger and keep it more up to date once the movers have done their thing. That said, next week is not looking good for blogging. All of our worldly possessions are being boxed up and sent "over the pond" to our new home. I'll be lap topping it until we see them again in a few months.

Update on the kitties: They are doing very well and are enjoying the perks of living with Grandma and Grandpa. I suspect they have each gained a pound or two already with the extra treats that they are getting, but this is not confirmed at this time. Ashley is still her mellow self. Tink is pulling her normal routine of getting into everything and slowly driving the Grandparents insane. You have to love the Tink. When these three years are up, the Grandparents will either meet us at the door with kennels in hand, or yell through the peek hole that we can't have the babies back. I am prepared for battle. Dad gets credit for the latest Tinky pictures. I am still waiting for him to start his own kitty blog. They provide a lot of material.

I am off to prepare for the movers on Monday. Things to sort, things to toss, things to pack into suitcases. Our lives have to be divided into need it now, need it in 3 years, and can live without it for 2 or 3 months. I have found that I am more of a hoarder than I thought. I blame my parents. (I am quite sure that it can't be MY fault!)

Wavering Wednesday

Greetings from the glorious, thawing tundra. I've been slacking a bit in the blogging, but we've been a little consumed by this big move. I am happy to report that Tink and Ashley are settling in nicely at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Ashley is still a little shy but Tink has claimed the entire house as her domain. Not surprising. We are already counting the days until we get them back. I haven't had anyone sleep on my head or drool in my hair for several days. The kids have offered, but it's just not the same. I have taken to carrying a pillow around, petting it and making purring sounds. The neighbors stare a bit, but it seems to help.Only a few more days until the movers come and take our major household goods. Then we will be roughing it with inflatable mattresses, camping chairs, the laptop, and a 13 inch TV from the stone age. This should be very interesting. I suppose it will make us appreciate our belongings even more when we get them back. You will be happy to know that Jessica's passport finally came in. For a while there it was looking like we would have to leave her with the neighbors. She might have ended up on the blog with a sign around her neck saying "Free to good home!" Stranger things have happened. Russ has recovered from the heartache of selling his beloved Tundra and wheeler, and is checking out sports cars online. You can practically see the testosterone. The kids are helping him pick out the color. I am reminded of "Tim The Tool Man" Taylor on that old TV show Home Improvement where he grunts and says things like "more power". Oh, well. He has 3 years to dream and plan. Then he will probably head out and get another Tundra.

Where For Art Thou Romeo?

It's been a rather traumatic week, but we have all survived. Ashley and Tink are a little bruised and battered, but are safely settled in at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They will never fly again. If I have to drive across the entire United States from our next US base to pick them up, then so be it. I have learned how evil the airline industry can be to someone else's beloved pets, and I will protect them better from here on out. Enough said. On to other things.

It was a sad day here on Elmendorf. Due to Tink and Ashley's recent trauma, I have decided not to share the news with them. We are in mourning. I'm sure everyone knows Shakespeare's famous tale of Romeo and Juliet. Not quite so many know of our own Romeo the squirrel and his love affair with my precious Tink. They were quite close, and I was afraid that he would take her leaving rather hard. It seems we underestimated his love and devotion. He appears to have thrown himself under a vehicle today and did not survive the encounter. (Not unlike the original Romeo who could not live without his Juliet--- although without the whole car thing.) Before you ask... no, I was not the one who ran him over. I am not sure when the services will be held, but we will most certainly send flowers.

One Step Closer To Moving...

The cats are almost ready to be shipped off to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I took them to the vet this morning for their checkup and flying paperwork. I would say it was an easy appointment, except it was quite the workout. Both of these felines are a whole lot of woman. (No one in this house has missed any meals!) The hardest part was getting Ashley out from under the armoire when it was time to leave the house. She does not have fond memories that include the kennel. Tink still considers it a cool play toy, and climbs in and out by herself. Ashley has to be encouraged. I even tried luring Ash out of hiding with kitty treats. Tink jumped in and gobbled them all up. Needless to say, things did not go well after that. Still... I got them in the kennels and off to the vet. They got back in the kennels MUCH quicker when it was time to come back home. Tink is now hanging out on the computer table, taking a power nap. Ash slunk off to hide under the dining table and pout. Tomorrow, I get to start the fun again and try to wedge their stubborn bodies once more into the kennels. Tomorrow is the real deal. The kitties will be heading off on a brand new adventure in one direction, and we will soon head off another way for an adventure of our own. Yet another tough day in the moving process. We just have to keep an eye on the goal. Waffles, chocolate, beer, castles, and endless opportunities. The kitties will take good care of Grandma and Grandpa while we are gone. Ashley will make a lovely reading companion for Grandma. Tink might even teach Grandpa how to play fetch. I can see their new blog now..."Adventures With Ashley & Tink."

Redoubt Volcano...Again!

She's been holding it in for so long that now she just can't seem to stop letting it all out. Poor Redoubt. She erupted a couple of times last night, and again around 9:30 this morning. The latest ash plume went around 50,000 feet above sea level. Winds have shifted, and it's heading our direction. Luckily for Anchorage residents, they are calling for "trace amounts of ash fall in the area". Not really sure how much trace amounts are. I looked at my measuring utensils in the kitchen and couldn't find "trace" on any of them. Must be somewhere in the category of "smidgen" or "tad". Snow has been falling all morning, so it would be mixed in with that and not very noticeable. We are under an advisory until 3 pm.

(Picture Date: March 26, 2009 21:41:00 UTC Image Creator: Dehn, Jonathan)

(Homer Lodge, Picture Date: March 26, 2009, Image Creator: Isaak, James)

The weather has been a little wacky lately, not even counting the volcanic activity. It's in the low 30's right now, and will stay in that area for most of the week. Big flakes of snow are falling, and sticking for the most part. Ice is melting off of the roofs and dripping down onto the snowbanks below. Essentially, Anchorage in a big slushy cup at the moment. Spring Breakup is not the most attractive season for Alaska. Kind of like seeing your favorite movie star without her makeup on. You know she is beautiful, but you aren't seeing much of that right now.

In case you were following out sad cat saga, there is much celebration in our household now. Grandma and Grandpa have saved the kitties. They have volunteered to babysit our babies for the 3 years that we are in Europe. Whoopeee! The kids have stopped moping around the house. Jess has stopped accusing us of "putting a price tag on family". Now we can relax in the knowledge that our cats will be well taken care of. I won't even complain when they weight about 30 pounds each when we return to the states (because Grandma loves to give the kitties treats). I will just remind her that Tink loves to sleep on your head, and that could be very dangerous for everyone involved if she were the size of a bean bag chair. Ashley will have a reading buddy to lounge with, and Tink will have a glass door with a whole new crop of squirrels to check out. Her heart will be broken many times, I'm sure, but she is tough and can handle it. We have given up on the cats Dutch lessons, and are now working on teaching them to speak southern. Meeeeeooooow, ya'll. Grandparents rock!

Free To Good Home

It's not looking too good for the babies. While trying to book our overseas tickets, we have found that getting two cats to our new home is not as simple as we first thought. Or as cheap. Seems they don't really want any more cats over there. And they want to make it as difficult as possible to take any. Tons of forms and regulations, as well as approval from a foreign consulate. For cats? Did they commit some crimes that I'm not aware of? Are they on some "list" that I don't know about? (Did Ashley order too much off of the Home Shopping Channel and have Tink write a couple of hot checks to pay for it?) Not to mention that with all of their fees and tickets, it is adding up to about $1,500 to get them over there. Not to mention, we would have to go through all the paperwork and another $1,500 to get them back to the states in three years. If something is not 100% correct in their paperwork once we got there, they automatically put them back on a plane to their city of origin. That would mean the cats would be sitting in the Anchorage airport for the next 3 years while we were overseas. I've informed them that they need to be practicing their "cute" looks. It looks like they will have to shop around for a new home.

The Iditarod... And The Cats

The official restart of the "Last Great Race On Earth" 2009 will take place at 2 pm today at Willow. I won't be there, but I send my best wishes to the mushers and dogs taking part. They have a long trek ahead of them. You will be able to track your favorite mushers on the Iditarod website after that time.

I think that the fight between me and the cats is at a standstill. I am determined that they will stick to their new diet (1 dixie cup each of dry food each a day), and they are determined to make my life miserable until I give in and feed the little porkers. Each morning, around 5 am, they start their little game. They take turns trying to coax me out of bed and down to the feeding bowels. One at a time, they walk up my back with their pokey cat feet. Then Tink stands on my head to look out my bedroom window. (Seriously, there are a dozen windows in this house, does this one really have the best view?) Then they sit beside me and tell me it's time to get up. Sometimes Tink does her shark routine, where she climbs up under the covers from the foot of the bed, and sneaks up on me. If I ignore them (which I try my best to do), they start to argue amongst themselves. Ashley has a nervous habit. When she gets irritated, she starts twitching her tail. She can't help it. Tink, in turn, can't resist anything that moves. Do you see where this is going? Tink resist for about 30 seconds, and then she pounces on Ashley's tail. Now I have two cats fighting on the bed. Ugh! They win. But only to a point. I dump their little dixie cup of food in each bowel, and they can't decide whether to dig in or look at me in disgust. The diet continues.

Crazy Cat Wednesday

Normally, it's the kids who are driving me crazy. This time, it's the cats. I don't know if it's the new diet, or they just need the extra attention. Ashley is trying the adorable and lovable attempt to get more food. Normally she could care less is anyone is in the room with her, but now she's been following me around and talking to me a lot. I can't sit down without an 80 pound ball of fur jumping in my lap and telling me how she is starving and can barely survive without more food. Tink, on the other hand, is just being a royal pain. I came home yesterday to discover that she had pried open my closet door and chewed on the plastic dry cleaner bag that my formal dress was in. Luckily, she stopped just short of eating the bottom of the dress. She has also started jumping up on the kitchen counter and sitting on the edge of the sink to watch the birds at the bird feeder. I am constantly using Clorox wipes to get the "cat butt" off of the counters and sink. Before you feel sorry for her, let it be known that I open the dining room window and put her cat perch in front of it. She has a BETTER view of the bird feeder from there. The other night, I came around the corner to find her completely sprawled out on the kitchen bar. She didn't even blink when I yelled at her. I had to drag her off of there. She is just being a pill. I told both cats that I no longer feel sorry for them that they will be stuffed in the belly of a plane with all of our luggage for hours on end. I might even smile when I send them off. That will keep your cat butt out of my sink...

Cat Diet Day 1

Day 1 of the new diet for the fat cats. They have already tried to find ways to smuggle themselves out of the house. It's not pretty. Ashley has started gnawing on my ankle. Both of them stare at me constantly. I am afraid to sleep tonight. I must warn the boy. They will probably go after the smaller and weaker members of the family first.

You Can Tie A Cat To A Treadmill...

You can tie a cat to a treadmill, but you can't make them run on it. It's true. I tried. In doing all of our research for the move, we've been pricing flying the cats with us. Tink is a pretty normal sized cat, but Ashley...well, let's just say that she's a whole lot of woman. 15 pounds of woman. Did I mention that some airlines charge by the pound? Tink is small enough that she could ride in the cabin with us, at a much cheaper rate. Ashley is headed straight for the baggage compartment. (Cue the forklift.) I know what you're thinking, it's the owners fault that the pets are fat. True. Now the cats are on a diet. No food for the next three months. That should do it. Water only. The cats are not amused.