Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Cat's Big Adventure



Howdy - my name is Hunter and I live in the Pappas' garage.  I'm an orange tabby cat and yes, I really was born in a barn.  My favorite pastimes are sleeping, dozing, napping, lying in the sun, and sometimes catching moles, which I stash behind the stack of surfboards in the garage.  A couple of weeks ago I rumbled with a raccoon over the cat food (no longer stored in the garage) and got a, well, we'll call it an "owie" back towards my tail on the right side.  No matter how much I licked that thing, it would not come off, and believe me, I tried and tried.  Now, I like Gretchen okay - she feeds me most every morning - so I was all right with her putting peroxide on my hind end and smearing my owie with Neosporin ointment (which I promptly licked right off), but I reached my limit when she put me into that crate and took me to the vet.  How humiliating - I got my behind shaved and was shackled with a 'collar' and was forced to stay inside the Pappas' prison....I mean, house.  It was okay during the day.  I actually enjoy napping on the couch.  But at night?  Trapped inside?  That's where I draw the line.  But I sure got them back - I yowled and yowled all night long (I can be both loud and persistent!)  and peed right on the floor in the kitchen (more than once!).  After one more day of being inside,  I thought I heard Gretchen muttering something about "not caring if that cat lives or dies" and sweet freedom was mine!  Ah, I am back outside on patrol (when I'm awake) and my owie is finally all better.  It's great to be a cat.

SUMMER IS FOR SURFING!




When it's hot at our house, it's usually nice at the beach.  Here are Grace and Jason enjoying a good surf and delighting their dad's heart as they do it.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Slightly Hot


I'm not complaining, but we sure picked a hot week to start re-doing our back yard!  On Wednesday it hit 103 here in Garden Farms, and we hit a record 91 inside the house.  Why didn't we get a/c along with the heater we got last year?  Oh yeah...because we're cheap.  Well, it serves us right.   I think we're also very spoiled.  We spent the hottest afternoon at the movies (Jason and I saw "Get Smart" - funny.  Eleven-year-old boy funny.) and came back and ate dinner in the air-conditioned trailer (or 'guest house' for those of you who might come and visit).  The next day, Jason and two of his friends and I spent the whole day at the water park.  Notice that Jamey wasn't in on any of the fun - that's because he was here working through the heat of the day and into the nights.  What a stud!  Somebody buy that man a beer and take him surfing!  And even though I did hose down Max the dog when it hit the 100 mark, all of the animals are fine and the garden is actually doing great!  Yes, we had zucchini for dinner tonight.  And we are eating plums like crazy.  Soon we will be in cucumber and tomato mode (can you say Greek salad?  or gazpacho?).  And you should see the pumpkins we are growing - by October they might be as big as VW bugs.  So all in all, we have it good.  And today the temp topped out at a mere 86 (and the wind blew the smoke from the fires away).  Life is very nice in the summer after all.