Never bother to argue with a cat

Since The Boarder has become a permanent resident, he and I have had several serious discussions over his laying squatter's rights to the dining room table.  Not that Iain and I eat there a lot; we are fans of watching tv while we eat dinner, usually, which calls for folding tables at the loveseat downstairs.  But I like to have the table looking nice, anyway, JUST IN CASE we have guests.

This is his response to my concerns:

Laid out, totally relaxed, and completely unconcerned.

"I'm sorry, were you speaking to me?"

"Hmmm, Jezebel appears to be stretched out in the hallway.  Wonder if I can get a rise out of her?"

Yep.

They are getting along fairly well, though.  No injuries in their spats, just some tufts of hair (Jez's, mostly, and she has lots to spare).  Don't feel sorry for Jezebel, she instigates it, mostly.

In case you were wondering about Stitches, she mostly is staying out of the line of fire.  She and Phantom used to have epic battles (mostly consisting of her yowling as though he were killing her while he stood and stared at her, probably totally confused), but so far she and Onyx are ignoring each other.  If he gets too close, she'll hiss, but that's it.

Stitches relaxing in the cool of the rec room.

This weekend:  camping a la trailer.   A bunch of us, wedged into a trailer.  And it will be hot.  I'm hoping to have a lot of fun!

That was the weekend that was

Had a lovely night on Friday, visiting with friends, saying bye, for now, to Brent and Jenny as they headed off home again.  Our excellent hosts were David and Elaine, who provided a chance for everyone to get together, as well as fantastic food and drink. Thanks guys!

Late Friday night, we sped off to the cottage.  Saturday was a puttering day for us.  Iain is still working on the shed, and it was great to have Darryl put in the new electrical box and outlets.  By the time he left on Saturday afternoon, everything was working tickety-boo!

Nice for a change to not have to turn on the stove burner to get the porch light or the microwave to work. This really was happening for the last year, and I always expected the place to burn down!  As it happens, the main breaker for the cottage was partially fried, and when the stove was turned on it caused a surge of power, which arced at the breaker, and reestablished the connection.  At least, that's the theory.  Everything being replaced, now, that is no longer happening.

And what a gorgeous weekend!  Saturday night we stayed on the deck until ... well, I think it was 11:00 or so.  Lots of wine and food, and laughter.  Sunday I really got into "Under The Dome", which I am halfway through now.  Typical Stephen King, and I like it.

The heat was oppressive, but Iain still managed to do a lot of building.  By mid-afternoon the heat had taken all the spark out of me, but another dip in the lake got me going again.  We headed home late in the day.

No pictures this weekend; I just wasn't in a picture-taking mood.  I promise to be better next week!

A song in my heart

Earlier this summer, I was honoured to take part in a memorial service for a friend, and was introduced to two lovely songs in the process.

The first one was Robin Mark's "When It's All Been Said And Done", a Christian piece with a gorgeous tin whistle accompaniment.  Worth a listen, even if you aren't a believer.

The second was "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill, from the movie "Pearl Harbour" (yes, I know.....Pearl Harbour sucks).  Not my usual music choice, but very moving as a song of remembrance.  The recent passing of another friend brought it to mind:  "I'll keep a part of you with me, and eveywhere I am, there you'll be."

Looking forward to a fun weekend, visiting with friends and family and getting a little book time.  Have a good one!

No, I didn't catch any fish.

Good weekend, all round. It started with a day off on Friday for me (Iain, alas, had to work). I had a lovely visit from Emma, Margaret, and mom Elizabeth, as they dropped in to check out Onyx's new digs.


Emma showed me the hand signals she and Wendy had been using in The Boarder's training, and demonstrated Onyx's ability to navigate a hoop in search of a treat. I was warned against allowing him to try to sneak around instead of going through the hoop! I fear I may not be as firm with him as I should, as part of his visit with the girls took place as he lounged on the dining room table. I am trying to let him be comfortable in the house as much as possible, but this will have to change.

I'm hoping they will drop in again sometime, as they are very polite and intelligent little girls!

As all the cats are getting along, we felt confident leaving them for the weekend (everyone was fine when we got back Sunday night). This was the weekend for the annual fishing derby at the cottage, and it was nice to have my sister Carolyn and our niece Janet visit with us! Janet has become quite the baker: check out this photo of the strawberry swirl cake she made! It was absolutely delicious!!

Iain puttered away at the shed, again, despite the heat. I tried to help, but melted quickly.

On Sunday morning, Dodie and Irene and I went birding. Didn't see too many, probably because it was already so warm by 9:00 a.m. I did get a nice pic of Joann's lily by the water.

Also, a couple of shots of Uncle Eddie's old truck, which hasn't moved in many a year.

I like the logo.

I don't think I will mind going to work today; at least there is air-conditioning!

Some sort of normal life

Every day has its challenges, if you're making any effort at all.  Today, it's a matter of getting back into the stuff I've been ignoring for the past few days .... like laundry.  Yesterday was tears, smiles, and good memories.  I am reminded of something my sister Dodie said, a few weeks after her husband Len passed away: "Now, it is time for us to make some new memories."

It's also the day to introduce our newest housemate:  Onyx, a.k.a. The Boarder.  Wendy's good friend Ann had taken him in temporarily, so Iain drove to her place on Monday evening and picked him up.  He was very good on the trip to Renfrew, only meowing until Arnprior and then settling down.

His current quarters are in our living room, as we try to gently accustom him to our other kitties.  This may take a while.  Meanwhile, he is curious about the new sights and smells.

He stretched out on the hardwood and claimed the property as his own almost immediately.

The couch seemed to be the best spot to have a lie-down-clean-up moment after supper.

By Tuesday morning, he was already surveying the front lawn and longing to chase down our resident black squirrel.  This is his favourite pose, at the moment.  (As Wendy would say, "Feel free to click for a Bigger Boarder.")

He's a lovely boy, and we are so glad to be able to give him a home.