Critter Sitting

I met two new cuties that I'll be caring for in a few days - a pair of black sister litter-mates, Pip and Squeak.  They are very sweet.  As usual, I had a little giggle because the cats came out to meet me, after their owner assured me that they were both sound asleep, and wouldn't be stirring for several hours.  I heard a quiet "Mmm-row?" and told her that one of the cats was awake - and she looked very startled and told me I must have heard something from outside, or that the cleaning team had made something squeak.  Less than 30 seconds later, Squeak was doing the snaky figure-8 around my ankles.  It gave the owner quite a surprise.  Less than a minute later, Pip also joined us, and I was able to see the differences between the sisters.

   I was also able to walk Rosie today...  She is such a sweet girl.  The owners' son had been home from college and just left yesterday, so I didn't walk Rosie on Thursday and Friday; instead Max spent time with her.  And she loves Max so dearly - she'll try to do anything he asks, no matter what.  And since she's fourteen and a half years old, we never know if the day will be her last.  She still enjoys life greatly - she absolutely loves Chicken McNuggets and usually eats 17 to 20 of them when I take care of her in the evenings.  She doesn't have much of an appetite for her prescribed dog food, and usually gets rotisserie chicken and meatballs from a local market, plus fresh-frozen duck.   Spoiled?   Not my Rosie!  Today she chased a mule deer in my sister's back yard, and I think that made her feel powerful and young again.  There are usually squirrels and rabbits galore for her to see, and chase, if she decides to do so.  Today, the fir trees were full of chickadees and that was almost all you could hear - and Rosie had a good time "playing Safari" under the low branches of the trees, looking for lions and tigers and bears.  The only thing we haven't found there is a tiger, so far...

   Both of my cats are curled up on, or next to, my bed - Nedi has made himself a little nest in my dirty laundry basket and is out like a light.  Lovey is at the foot of the bed, but I can tell from her ears that she's listening to the keyboard.  I have been lucky to have had the use of Donn's VW Touareg since two days past Christmas; while he's away, I pick up his mail, and get to use his vehicle, just replacing the fuel that I've used.  He returns tomorrow afternoon, and after almost 30 days straight with a car available, it'll feel strange to go back to busing and walking...  but that's what happens tomorrow.

   Luckily the job that I begin on Wednesday (actually two jobs start at once) is within a block of a bus stop; I'll have to walk two more blocks to see Pip and Squeak.  I'm just hoping that we'll continue to have mild weather and little snow until both families return.  Also back a Dellwood on Wednesday - chickens, cats and fish to care for.  At least, if there is a heavy snow, the way is short from the house to the chicken coop, and the girls will be able to stay in the covered run.  They also have a heat lamp and heated water bowls, so there's no worry there.  I'll just have to try and keep the cats inside, if there is a heavy snow; Carter would rather be inside where it's warm, but Xuxa wants to go out and burrow in the snow, silly girl!

Back in Boulder

We've had a couple of mornings in the upper-40s  (F) this past week, and at 6:15 this morning, it was 50 degrees.  I knew I'd be moving about, so I wore shorts and a T-shirt, which got a lot of stares from the locals...  They were wearing sweat suits with hoodies, and huddling into them.  Yesterday, it was 78 degrees, but cloudy, and people were wearing sweat suits...  I guess outside temperature is a based a little on your mind set.  I was never cold this morning, but, then again, I was moving purposefully and doing work with the fish, hens and cats.  Oh, well - I've always known I'm different.
   Nedi is currently sitting in my window and chittering at the raven family visiting Chez Thuy's dumpster.  Lovey is curled up on my bed.  And Bertrando, the squirrel, is up on top of his power pole, soaking up rays.  I've already taken care of the critters at Dellwood, read my mail, and made my usual posts to Facebook.  I need to take out our trash and recyclables as I leave to walk Rosie and Charlie; then I'll head over to the ABCs and go with them to Denver International Airport, before grabbing my overnight gear and heading back to their house.  Two kitties and two dogs - all with very different personalities, and both dogs are rescues...  I need to remember that Lola won't like any eye contact during the first 24 hours I'm there.  Both cats will want to be in my lap, and, if I sit on the sofa, the dogs will want to have their heads in my lap....  Critter love is great.
   I had a fantastic time on my vacation - I got to spend time with friends and family that I hadn't seen in years.  It was a very relaxed and enjoyable time, and I spent time on the beach, out boating, and walking the trails of Assateague (both in Virginia and Maryland).  Karen and I became better acquainted, as adults, and I got to see her brother, Woody, whom I hadn't seen in more than 30 years.  I had wonderful times with Maureen and her daughters, and was thrilled to get to spend time with all of them.  They are a fantastic family.  Of course, Maureen and I talked about Pony Pennings in the 1940s and 1950s, and how things have changed...  some for the good, others, not so much.
    Back here in Colorado, I'm busy as a bee.  I have work to do with all my different critters each day, and I've finally got 10 of my 11 vacation photo albums posted on-line.  All I have to do is caption the last one, and share it...  Then I'll have more free time to read and walk and do genealogy research.  I'm looking forward to that. - And sending a few "best of the best" photo collections to good friends who have expressed an interest.
   Lovey just had her 11th birthday, and she's gotten a little more "clingy" to me.  She runs through the house and howls, and plays with shoe strings, and gets high on catnip.  But my favorite thing to observe is when she chases her tail on the toilet tank reservoir - she really wants to capture that black and grey striped "sea snake," and she sometimes falls off the toilet and into the trash can when things get intense...  I'm so thankful that she's still a playful kitten inside!

Quiet Two Days

Four inches of fine powdery snow fell Christmas night - major streets in Boulder are clear, but our parking lot is an ice rink.  The dogs and hens on Emerald have been wonderfully cooperative, and Beatrice and I spent yesterday and today (until she went to work), watching The Croods, Centennial, and several Harry Potter movies on the television.  Lovey and Nedi have been very well behaved, except when I left to care for the Emerald critters this morning, when Nedi decided I had abandoned him, and sat outside Bea's door and howled until she got up and loved him.  (My cats - spoiled?  Never!)  Currently, Nedi is curled up asleep on my green sweater, and Lovey is curled up in the middle of the bed.
   Other than going over to Emerald yesterday, everyone stayed at home for Christmas.  I promised four visits each day, and I'm following that...  I'll be headed over there shortly, before I pick Bea up from work.  We were cloudy all yesterday, and had the snow begin to fall at 5 last night; had a few flurries this morning, but it cleared this afternoon, and we're expecting our low temperature to be -5 (F) by morning.  And I'll be out on the sidewalk in front of the apartment at 5:30 in the morning, as I have clients going to Denver International Airport then...  They'll pick me up, and I'll drive the car back to Boulder.  Then I'll be staying at their house, with two Brittany Spaniels until the following Sunday.  I must be out of my mind to agree to stand on the sidewalk at 5:30 in the morning, with the temperature at -5!
   Anyway, with Bea at work, I didn't cook tonight - I ate leftovers from yesterday.  Finished off the maple sausage we had for breakfast, then ate the glazed carrots and string beans with bacon....  We had a home made platter of cut apples and pears and baby carrots along with walnuts, cheese and crackers for lunch yesterday.  Baked a six-and-a-half pound roasting hen for supper, with the carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, gingerbread and pumpkin pie.  This morning, we read the instructions on the new Belgium waffle maker, and we had home made waffles for breakfast...  One is supposed to throw away the first waffle made, as it might have too much oil in it.  The hens thought that waffle was delicious!
  So Beatrice is off work on Sunday and Monday, but I'll be running back and forth between the critters at Emerald until Tuesday night, as well as staying with the Spaniels for the next 8 days - and I'll start back with daily walks of Rosie and Tess again on Monday...  But that's OK - we both have plenty of books to read, and I'll be coming home twice a day to spend time with my kits...  And then Beatrice gets to start her usual work week again on Tuesday.  I very rarely sit still - and taking care of such a wide variety of houses and pets makes life interesting!