Try 345 for toes video…

I’m afraid this video isn’t cute enough to justify the tremendous hassle of putting it up. But here it is…cute!

Stop to smell the toeses

On Saturday, my friend Sarah and I got pedicures for my birthday. My toes are now cleared for open toed shoes. Also? Oliver thinks they smell delicious.

And yes, those are pink toes. I’m hoping pink will last longer.

Have a good week!

Update: Hmm…video seems to be missing. Tune in tomorrow for the cuteness!

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Happy birthday, ya old coot

Today is my birthday. Aside from the desk, which is still awesome, I got a very important life lesson. And that lesson is this: if you have a migraine all day long, attending a birdwatching class is not a good idea.

Slideshow.

Recordings of birds chirping.

Ow.

The coot is what pushed me over the edge from mildly unpleasant twinges in my general head area to I AM GOING TO RIP OUT MY EYEBALLS AND DIG AT WHAT IS BEHIND THEM WITH A SPORK TO STOP THE PAIN!!!

But, other than that, good day. I started it out hiding from the light under a blanket on the couch. This always results in an Oli snuggle. BUT…I also got a snuggle from Obi. A real, honest, fervent snuggle from the brown kitten. He even kissed me on the chin.

When I braved a glance at the Book of Face on my cell phone, I saw this:

Put together by friend Ashley. Friends with Photoshop for the win!

Then I got to eat free lunch at a meeting. Free food for the win!

Then the pain went away long enough for me to actually get some work done. While on a client call, I had this:

Her name is Betty Davis and she is a pear and strawberry infused martini at Suite 1901. And, though she is pink, I love her. Though, in retrospect, I should not have had a martini because hey, lookeethere, my headache came back!

Kitten Thunder and I also turned on smell-o-vision and watched some sparrows beat the crud out of a squirrel trying to eat out of their feeder. The squirrel totally lost this battle.

And Obi and I played burrito cave monster until I was wearing more of his fur than he was.

Other than the lightning bolts of pain, I should mention, the birdwatching class was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to part two next week. I am also looking forward to the field trips – though I fully suspect I won’t think they are such a good idea at 6 a.m. on Saturday. Hopefully I suck it up and go anyway.

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for the well-timed birthday check that paid for my class. We’ll think of you next time a nuthatch comes our way!

***

It’s Thunder Thursday! This is about the cutest picture I’ve seen this whole month. Of course, everyone who HAS a cat knows the cat on top is trying to get the other one out, not in. But funny, nonetheless.

Thunder rolls

Obi has had the hardest time napping this week. So hard, in fact, he’s thinking about napping with me on the couch right now. Thank goodness for blogging apps for the phone.

This afternoon we had a little bit of rain. The storm rolled up the plains, slowly, over an hour. There was slow, low thunder that rolled up with it. Every time it thundered, Obi’s eyebrows would raise. He’d lift his head up to look at the window.

Then I got up and closed the windows – just before it started raining. Obi followed me from window to window crying “I was watching that!”

Yesterday we had a different kind of thunder. Motorcycle thunder. I don’t begrudge any man or woman the right to ride a motorcycle. And I realize that loud is, for some reason, cool. But our neighbor and his riding buddy like to sit outside his garage and rev. And rev. And rev. And rev. And idle. And rev.

I was disturbed. The cats were disturbed. Zensai was disturbed.

About ten seconds after I slammed the windows shut…they left.

Nap on.

Well, not in this picture. This is Oliver glaring at me for not sharing my tea. He’d been washing his brother, thirsty work. And Obi’s back there finishing the job.

Grudge

There’s not much to tell about my return home from my trip. The kittehs held a grudge for as long as possible, but I have been forgiven. Oliver and I have napped and snuggled and napped and snuggled. Then, this afternoon, we saw what real grudge holding looks like.

The Boy came upstairs to tell me about kicking Obi while they were on the stairs. Obi Underfoot, as you may recall, has a tendency to get close to feet. It was bound to happen.

Obi seemed to agree with this and came out of the cave to forgive The Boy. Then The Boy stepped forward to scritch Obi and stepped on his toe.

With a squeak of pain the brown kitten disappeared into the cave.

He gave The Boy a wide birth, and several glares, throughout the afternoon. He was caught in the kitchen while we were unloading groceries and The Boy forced him to hear an apology.  Obi heard. He did not forgive.

It took chicken at dinner time for that.

***

It’s Thunder, um, Sunday! Here is the newest edition to Kelly’s family, Captain Jack. From all reports it sounds like Mustang Sally has decided to like him. Who could resist?

The best box ever

Obi and Oliver have a favorite box. It is the perfect size for napping. It is upholstered in a fabric that is pleasant to scratch. And it has a lid that folds over for a hammock-like feel.

Best of all, this box appears for limited engagements. The fact that it goes away makes it all the more fabulous when it returns.

The cost of getting to spend time with this special box is that The Boy has to go away. You see, this box is his suitcase. It comes out of his closet the day before a trip. It stays out for several days after he returns.

But as long as The Girl doesn’t get her suitcase out, they seem to think this is a price worth paying. It is a most excellent box. For whoever gets there first in the evening, it is a preferred location for night long slumber no matter how many times The Girl calls.

The Boy came back from his trip Sunday night. The box was still out when I left Wednesday morning. Maybe The Boy will take pity on Kitten Thunder and leave the box out until I return.

Small comforts.

***

It is Thunder Thursday! Friend Kelly has adopted a handsome young kitten, who would be our featured kitty, but I am typing on my phone. So stayed tuned for a special Sunday edition of Thunder Thursday!

***

A special note from Thunder cousins, Spade and Gracie:

Gracie – pfffft

Spade – I was helping you unpack. I wasn’t stealing ANYthing from this suitcase. And I certainly wasn’t measuring it to see if I could stuff Gracie in it.

Gracie – pffffffst!  *glare* Why haven’t you burst into flames yet, vile human! I have focused all of my hatred toward you for two days!!!

Level Up

I learned, a while back, that things with levels are important to cats when it comes to establishing who is alpha. A “cats whisperer” on a TV show solved the problems of some roommates by suggesting their three cats needed a cat tree with three platforms so they could stop fighting.

Genius.

Every once in a while we get to see this behavior in Kitten Thunder. Like the other day when I was cleaning the main floor bathroom and Oliver was laying on the bottom shelf. Obi came in a jumped onto the sink, then walked across the toilet, onto the window and then hopped onto the top shelf.

Immediately, Oliver wanted on the top shelf. Obi, noticing his brother below him, started rolling around and showing his belly. But how do you be submissive toward someone beneath you? It was silly and fun to watch for several minutes.

Obi finally decided to throw himself off the shelf and Oliver settled back down to supervise my cleaning.

Later in the day they found themselves in the same situation on the condo. Obi submissive positioned himself over the edge of the condo and Oliver hopped up to the top level. Relieved, Obi asked if he could join Oliver for a nap and was allowed up.

Obi has no interest in being the alpha – he’s not ready for leadership yet.

A public service announcement from The Girl

In the middle of the night you might get up to go to the bathroom and decide that you do not need to tie the drawstring on your pajamas because you will soon be laying down again. Think again. It turns out that tying the drawstring is a vital step to keeping said string with your pajamas.

I’m not saying Kitten Thunder stole the string.

I am saying I found it in the cave in the living room this morning.

That is all.

And the downside…

It’s Wednesday morning and I am now starting a list of problems associated with the new desk.

1. The squirrel on the window sill makes Obi’s tail swish. My papers keep swishing with the tail and falling to the floor.

2. Obi thinks he can chase the squirrel through the wall when it jumps up onto the garage. This means running across the desk in front of the monitor and over my printer.

3. A squirrel eating bread with attitude to taunt your cats is really distracting.

That’s about it for the bad stuff. The awesomeness of the new desk far outweighs any bad things.

I’m sorry to say I don’t have anyone for Thunder Thursday. I invited Lori over to drink a bottle of chardonnay that I noticed on top of our fridge. The second she left, Oliver appeared and he is holding me down on the couch. It seems wrong to disturb him over a photo of someone else’s cat.

Instead, a photo of Oli and Obi “sharing” the bed in my office.

Sunshine in my eyes…

Day two of the new desk.  It has been pretty good so far. Some highlights:

We haven’t put the shelf for my monitor on the desk yet. I’ve spent a lot of time explaining to Obi that “out of the way” includes his butt. He is not even slightly transparent.

***

Even though I put bread on the window sill to attract them, the squirrel that appeared there scared the crud out of me. On that side of the house they jump down from the garage. Sudden like.

Oliver was in the condo with his head three inches from that squirrel but he didn’t notice because he was staring at me.  Obi was on the bed. I tried pointing. I tried pretending like I was throwing something at the window. I tried pointing again.

Two oblivious kittens.

Finally I stood up and used two fingers to turn Oliver’s head. As it swiveled toward the window his eyes became big and round. A squirrel!

Seconds after I took this picture, Obi slammed into the glass. He launched himself from the bed.

The squirrel? Didn’t care.

***

For some reason Kitten Thunder decided that my new desk makes sleeping downstairs for the afternoon power nap possible. I don’t know why. Oliver slept in the condo. Obi was on the bed. Both – in super cute fashion – were holding a back foot in their arms and against their cheeks like a blankey.

***

Obi found a shelf in the desk. It is a secret shelf and Oliver can’t figure out where it is. Every time he sits on the desk top and tries to look below he gets punched in the nose by a brown kitten paw.

***

The desk is perfect for sunbathing.