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      Wednesday, June 01, 2005

01:30 PM - 06/01/2005 The topic: Weeds ---------------------------------------------- I wish something would make me go out there and get working on the weeds again.  I am keeping up with the areas I’ve already gotten most of the grass from, but I haven’t gone any further.  I did soak the undone areas yesterday since it’s been so dry here.  Maybe they’ll be ready to work tomorrow. We got the Irish moss seeds last week, so as soon as the grass is gone (Brian said that maybe once the grass is gone, we’ll wait a few weeks before we put the seeds done and that will give us a chance to get up any new grass that I missed…which is kind of what I’m doing now with the areas I’ve done), Brian will figure out some sort of watering system and we’ll plant the seeds. Damned weedy grass. | Permalink

02:11 PM - 06/01/2005 The topic: Kitty needs home ---------------------------------------------- Anybody in the Knoxville area willing to take in a new kitty?  The owner’s new family turns out to be allergic. Poor kitty, she’s very pretty.  This makes me so sad.  Precious needs a home. | Permalink

      Thursday, June 02, 2005

06:46 AM - 06/02/2005 The topic: Contest winners! ---------------------------------------------- Okay, they were all wonderful.  I enjoyed reading each and everyone.  To be honest, I never thought I could put up a creative, 100 word story, I felt I just didn’t have it in me.  My 100 word story would have consisted of “Meow.  Meow meow meow, mrrp?”  I didn’t realize how hard it would be to pick a winner because I really liked all of them.  But, pick a winner, I did.  Well, actually, two winners. There’s a tie. WilKal’s first entry.  It made me laugh out loud.  I felt the childlike innocence of the cats, speaking to one another.  Like siblings would be. Rahel’s story took me by surprise. It was fresh. It transported me to another world, a world of magic and fantasy and I found myself wanting to read more, I wanted to turn the page to find out if my lady made it or not, if the herb worked.  Alas, there were only one hundred words and no more.  *grin* So, there you go.  As I said, I loved all of the stories and choosing the “best” wasn’t easy.  Thank you all for entering. (If you would like to re-read the entries, the post is here.) | Permalink

      Friday, June 03, 2005

11:13 AM - 06/03/2005 The topic: Frozen fruit discovery ---------------------------------------------- I found out this morning that if you buy a bag of frozen cherries, leave them in the freezer for about two or three years (maybe it was longer), thaw them out in the refrigerator overnight, then try to eat them isn’t a good idea. They were pretty bad, I didn’t even chew before I spit out the first one, then washed them all into the garbage disposal. Nasty. | Permalink

03:27 PM - 06/03/2005 The topic: ponderance ---------------------------------------------- Someone got to my spay/neuter page by way of a google search.  Searching for “thoughts of killing cats”.  I find this extremely disturbing. Were they looking for ideas?  Were they seeking help?  Were they looking for like minded folk? I tried resolving the IP number to a domain, but came up empty handed.  Nothing exists. I find this very unsettling. | Permalink

05:19 PM - 06/03/2005 The topic: Was this mean? ---------------------------------------------- Yesterday, late afternoon, it was about 6:00, I noticed that three of the kittens were already in the house.  So, I took advantage and chased Little Bit in, along with the rest of the cats. So, by 6:30 (about two to three hours earlier than normal), all of the cats were in.  I just got to thinking how hard it is on me to get them in later (especially those little black kittens, they blend and I’m out there barefoot with a flashlight) Brian manning the screen doors and I chase and he opens, hoping that no one goes out when one goes in.  I need to relax a little before I go to sleep and believe me, rounding up cats at 9:30 at night, isn’t what I’d call relaxing. The cats weren’t all that thrilled, the kittens haven’t learned yet that crying gets you nowhere.  They sounded pathetic, but we didn’t care. I actually shut down the computer around eight o’clock and went out and laid down on the sofa to watch television. I promptly fell asleep.  He woke me around 9:30 and said “let’s go to bed”.  It was nice.  I had a good night’s sleep, now I need another two weeks like last night.  I think I’m going to try to get the cats in earlier from now on.  Heck, they go out between four and five in the morning, coming in between six and seven in the evening shouldn’t be all that awful for them. | Permalink

08:48 PM - 06/03/2005 The topic: Handsome’s College of Street Smarts ----------------------------------------------     Hello there and welcome to Handsome’s College of Street Smarts.  I’m Handsome and this is my school. If you’ve searched high and low for a school that offers what you need and you want a curriculum that will help you in real life, not some wussiefied fancy schmancy courses that other schools offer, this is the place for you. Here you’ll find many different classes that will help you to get by in your daily life. You won’t find cooking courses, classes in computer repair or gardening. Nope, that’s not what you’ll learn here. At HCoSS, you’ll learn such useful thing as the fine art of levitation. This comes in handy when you’re being chased by a large dog or small, unruly child.       You can also amaze your friends at catnip parties.     We have courses in camouflage, which Richie demonstrates for you,         We’ll help you to overcome your fear of heights, by starting you out on a short beam and gradually take you up to the tallest branches of a tree. You’ll also learn to overcome your fear of cleaning yourself in public. There is nothing wrong with a quick bath when one is needed.  Better a moment to wash, than to walk around with little berries hanging from your butt fur. Other cats can be so quick to point and snicker and make fun of your personal hygiene habits.       Another one of the more popular courses at HCoSS, is the course in the “Glowing Cat Eyes” that we so often find useful in our daily life, when we are able to put others under our spell.  In the picture above, Kirby shows some new students how it’s done.     In the image above, Daniece practices on a young possum. In the picture below, Katie and Mystie practice on a visiting King snake, helping him to find his way under the gate.     Of course, there are also classes in street fighting. Street fighting will become second nature to you, where you’ll even be doing it in your sleep!   In the photograph above, Bart is showing his style. He’s most likely dreaming of getting his paws around the neck of an enemy.     Richie practices the back leg neck throttle on his sister, Daniece. (Don’t worry, nobody was hurt.) And it’s not all work, work, work, learn, learn, learn here at the College of Street Smarts. Every Friday, it’s time to cut loose. There is plenty of tuna juice in the kitchen (here the students try to see how many of them can get into a bowl at one time)     And plenty of catnip on the patio.   So, if you’re wanting more in a school than computing, gardening and cooking, if you want knowledge you can really use, then Handsome’s College of Street Smarts is for you. (And don’t tell anyone you heard it here, but a little birdie told me that the head of that so called “University” is a scam artist and planning on leaving the country once he’s gotten all of the tuition. Of course, that would never happen here…I promise…) This week’s Carnival of the Cats is being hosted at enrevanche.  Pounce on over there to catch up on this weeks’ Carnival and find out what’s going on in the wide world of kitty cats. | Permalink

      Sunday, June 05, 2005

07:50 PM - 06/05/2005 The topic: ponderance ---------------------------------------------- Why do I keep putting off cleaning the litterboxes?  We’ve got twelve.  Two of them are really big and deep, not really litterboxes, but storage containers.  One in the garage is four feet wide and separated into two equal parts. I’ve got me an empty laundry soap container, we buy bags at CostCo that are the same type grocery stores bag groceries in and I double those up in the container.  If I did it once a day, it would take me less than twenty minutes to do all of the boxes. Doing it every other day takes a little over thirty minutes. So, why do I put it off and not do it every day?  I’m sure the cats would appreciate it (don’t forget the cats are able to go out at least twelve hours every day).  | Permalink

08:29 PM - 06/05/2005 The topic: Something wrong with Monica ---------------------------------------------- There was something wrong with Monica this morning.  She was fine last night, put up a fight when it was time to come in, I have a scratch on my elbow, which happened when she jumped out of my arms. Not too much longer, she was on the patio and I yelled at Brian to open the door and let her in. I let the cats out this morning about ten to five, then I went back to bed. I finally went outside around 6:15 and checked on them all.  Ross, Joey and Phoebe were all playing chase and Monica was just sitting on the grass in a ball.  I checked her over and there was something going on with her back.  It was very tender up by the shoulder blades. And when she walked/ran, she held her tail at a strange angle.  She slept pretty much all day and later this afternoon, I gave her some kibble and she gobbled it right up, she rolled over on the cement and let Opie clean her.  So, she’s okay, but this kind of thing is always scary.  It reminds me of Lola so long ago, when the vet first diagnosed her (incorrectly) as having FIP. | Permalink

      Monday, June 06, 2005

10:36 AM - 06/06/2005 The topic: Monica ---------------------------------------------- Monica is doing much, much better this morning. When I did my every morning check of the cats this morning, she was out and about, running, jumping, chasing the other kittens and even running up into the plum tree. Whew….. | Permalink

11:15 AM - 06/06/2005 The topic: Productive weekend ---------------------------------------------- We had breakfast at Izzy’s on Saturday morning, came home, I changed into some work clothes (sweatpants, old teeshirt) and we got to work pulling and digging out grassy weeds around the pool.  Brian got all of the weeds gone from around the cathouse under the lime tree and I got quite a bit more pulled from the area by the pool, under the palm trees. Then I started to work in the place where Brian had transplanted a palm tree from out front.  When we were done, there were only three big areas that needed to be done, other areas just needed a little cleanup.  Then we went shopping.  The Felidae bucket was empty, and Brian wanted steaks for dinner.  I wanted to see if CostCo had any shoes.  They didn’t, only had men’s sandals.  Brian got steaks, I got some old lady underwear that come up around my waist (these bikini briefs aren’t really comfortable when I’m working and sweating).  We didn’t get a cart, Brian said we’re not buying anymore than we can carry.  It worked. We came home and Brian mowed the lawn. I did some laundry and that was about it. Yesterday, Brian left early for the property and I pulled more of the grass by the pool.  I spent a couple of hours down there and then I did laundry and the litterboxes. Brian got home fairly early (he broke one of the hoses for his tractor) and he worked on the generator (the one that was in the back of the Ranger when the shell got ruined by those creeps).  At one point I went out to see how it was going and he pointed out the problem he was having, gas was going to the carburetor, but not getting up to the float.  He showed me the tube where the gas is supposed to go up and he said there must be something stuck in there.  I asked if there was any reason he couldn’t blow it out with his compressor (I know nothing about mechanical things, even less about motors and engines).  He didn’t see what it would hurt and he tried it a couple of times.  Then I got a paperclip and he put it through the hole and there was nothing in it.  The problem was fixed.  He was surprised when he first started working on it to find there was water in the gas. And there was rust in the lines. He has no idea where the water came from, but it was most likely the rust that was blocking the flow of gas.  Anyway, it took less than ten minutes to fix.  It had been in the back of the Ranger for two months, where we lost our camper shell because of it, it’s been in the shop for weeks and it took only ten minutes to fix.  I got the cats in early last night, had a couple of drinks, we had salad and steak and that was pretty much it. After our walk this morning, I had breakfast, then went outside and started pulling more weeks.  I got the area along the fence finished and I’m really glad that we’re almost done down there.  There are still some places that there’s grass, but Brian is going to use Roundup on those.  Places that I can’t dig or the rocks are under rocks.  Good weekend.  Really good weekend. | Permalink

08:51 PM - 06/06/2005 The topic: Two less morons in the gene pool.. ---------------------------------------------- And when I see them, I curse them and hope they don’t take anyone with them when they die.  I hope when they bite the big one, they don’t do it with any other vehicle in sight.  They used to scare me. Now, they just piss me off. Who am I talking about?        Motorcycle morons.  I took this series of pictures on our July 5th trip around the county.  These bikers are by no means a rare sight around San Diego County. Just about any back road will find it’s share of these idiots.  Brian said on his way home from the property yesterday,  a group passed him (they were going the other way) and he said without a doubt, they were going at least a hundred miles an hour.  These roads aren’t big roads, they’re two lane roads. Curvy with double yellow lines.  The lines that indicate “no passing”. I don’t care when they die.  Because that’s obviously what they’re trying to do. Life on the edge. Well, when you take unnecessary chances. The sad part is when they don’t die alone. By this I mean, that they run into another car.  The occupants of that car will hopefully survive, but they’ll live with this the rest of their lives.  Or the people that see it happen. Those are the people who have my condolences. In the pictures above, the little car pulled over to the side of the road as soon as they had the chance. I’m sure they were pretty shook up.  If you look at the full sized image of picture #3, you’ll see a car coming in the other lane.  I know I’d be shook up. I hate these bikers for what they do to the people around them. They might think it’s funny, but I don’t.           Name of motorcyclist killed in crash released 6:57 a.m. June 6, 2005 RAMONA ? Authorities have released the name of the motorcyclist who died on Highway 78 Sunday near Ramona after he crashed head-on into a car, officials said. San Diego police said David Dwayne Fulford, 36, of San Diego was speeding east at 5:30 p.m. when his motorcycle crossed the center line, clipped a sport utility vehicle, sideswiped another car and then smashed into a BMW. Fulford was thrown from his bike and died on the road, police said. The driver and passengers in the BMW were hospitalized with minor injuries. Authorities closed the highway between Bandy Canyon Road and Haverford Road for more than two hours after the crash.   At least, this one went alone:     Body of serviceman found with crashed motorcycle: SANTEE ? The body of a 23-year-old serviceman was found Monday morning with his crashed motorcycle in a gully between the eastbound and westbound lanes of state Route 52 west of Mission Gorge Road, authorities said. A westbound motorist caught a glimpse of the red-and-black motorcycle about 10:40 a.m., returned to the spot and found the crashed bike, said California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings. Pennings said a CHP officer walked down into the gully, about 30 feet below the level of the freeway, and discovered the motorcycle and the body. Investigators believe the motorcycle was being driven at a high speed when it veered across the lanes of the divided freeway from right to left, flying several hundred feet through the air before landing in the gully, authorities said. “The tachometer (on the motorcycle) was stopped at over 10,000 rpm,” Pennings said, which indicated the bike’s throttle was open. The rider was wearing protective gear, including a full-face helmet, the officer said. On Sunday, La Mesa police said they were looking for a missing 23-year-old sailor who was last seen Thursday leaving a friend’s house in La Mesa on his motorcycle to return to his home in Clairemont. The identity of the body found alongside the freeway was not immediately released.   I wish law enforcement could do more about these guys. But there are hundreds and hundreds of miles of roads and there are just way too many of these cyclists on the road.  This is one group, these men on their fancy colored racing bikes, and matching outfits, that I have no problem painting with a wide brush.  I wish they’d all get a clue before they screwed up some innocent bystander’s life. Oh, and if there is any San Diego law enforcement reading this? In my original pictures, one of the license plates is clear as day. I’d be more than happy to send the images to you. | Permalink

      Thursday, June 09, 2005

10:04 AM - 06/09/2005 The topic: Patio cam was off this morning ---------------------------------------------- for a while.  Not a real long while, but long enough for me to do what needed to be done. Yesterday afternoon, I grabbed my book (Therapy - Jonathon Kellerman) and sat down in my rocking chair.  And I looked onto the patio.  And the glass in the sliding glass door and the screen door were almost impossible to see through with all the dirt, spray and dust and cat hair build up.  I guess it’s been a while since I’ve cleaned them.  I went over to the backyard cam/weather page (link is at the top of the page) and clicked on the “extended weather” button on the left, then clicked on the “7 day” forecast link.  Today, tomorrow and Saturday are all calling for drizzle in the morning. (You can check your own local weather by plugging in your city or zip code in the box provided on that page.)  Great weather for washing windows.  They don’t dry quickly and hopefully, they’ll be streak free. So, that’s what I figured I’d do this morning.  I have an hour free between when Brian leaves and I start watching Judging Amy on TNT.  And right now, it’s 9:01.  The living room door and screen are done.  And I was planning on doing the office door and screen while watching Judging Amy. Guess what?  Judging Amy is starting over from the beginning.  I’ve seen these a couple of times now. I’m not going to watch it again.  Television will be off soon.  And I’ll have plenty of time to wash the doors now.  No hurry.  Maybe I’ll go sit in my rocking chair and read the newspaper and look out my clean sliding door. | Permalink

      Saturday, June 11, 2005

03:16 PM - 06/11/2005 The topic: In between shopping and other things ---------------------------------------------- Check out what's new. The Occasional Cam, a work in progress. | Permalink

      Sunday, June 12, 2005

01:19 PM - 06/12/2005 The topic: Whoa… ---------------------------------------------- A moderate earthquake occurred at 8:41:46 AM (PDT) on Sunday, June 12, 2005. The magnitude 5.6 event occurred 9 km (6 miles) ESE of Anza, CA. The hypocentral depth is 14 km ( 8 miles). I heard it coming. I heard it coming for a long time (for earthquakes).  I actually had enough time to think about it before it hit.  “What’s that noise?  Are they working on an aircraft over at the local airfield?  Or is it an earthquake?” and then it hit.  The place rattled for a few seconds, then it was gone.  And I heard it rumble off into the distance. The cats scattered. Not all of them.  Some of them are cool under pressure.  But enough of them scattered (along with me) that it was pretty funny around here.  A few minutes after it had passed, my mom called asking if we were okay.  It was a pretty decent quake for having a center over seventy miles away. | Permalink

04:42 PM - 06/12/2005 The topic: Common sense is in short supply ---------------------------------------------- Someone posted a link to a news article about dogs mauling a boy in the SF area. It sickened me so, that I sent it to Laurence over at isfullofcrap.com, for his take on it.  He gives his opinion. He says these things so well. | Permalink

      Tuesday, June 14, 2005

11:09 AM - 06/14/2005 The topic: Handsome ---------------------------------------------- Handsome isn’t feeling well.  He started sneezing last weekend and drooling. I also noticed some green snot by his nose (which indicates a bacterial infection).  I called the vet this morning and am getting prescription for Baytril.  I had one tablet left from his first set of medication and he got that last night. Last night, he wouldn’t eat any chicken at all, which is serious.  This morning he snarfed down the little bit I gave him.  I tried giving him that l-Lysine paste, but what a mess that was. No matter how bad he feels, he’s still got a lot of fight in him. Poor guy. | Permalink

11:22 AM - 06/14/2005 The topic: Put your flags out ---------------------------------------------- It's Flag Day. | Permalink

      Wednesday, June 15, 2005

07:22 AM - 06/15/2005 The topic: Stop it!  You’re driving me crazy! ---------------------------------------------- Due to Annie’s incessant yowling in the bathroom in the middle of the night, I’ve decided to start closing the bathroom door so she can’t get in. I made this decision around one this morning, when had to get out of bed to get her to shut up.  She was standing by the shower door on the back of my toilet.  Did I open the door?  Did I turn on the faucet for her? No, I did neither.  I picked her up and put her outside of the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. Bathrooms have an echo, you know. Then she toddled down the hallway back to the office and I went back to bed. | Permalink

01:37 PM - 06/15/2005 The topic: Can a stranger find out where YOU are? ---------------------------------------------- I’ve seen this twice now.  zabasearch.com.  And it’s just wrong.  So many of us go through many steps to protect our privacy online and this company comes up with all sorts of links to our personal information.  All of our phone lines are unpublished.  I don’t put my real name or address out on the internet because, honestly, the idea of someone knowing where I live and dumping cats off, or even worse, coming here to do harm to our cats, scares me.  And what’s worse, with the things the way they are, I’m not being paranoid. I sent an email to the company to please remove my information and guess what? They won’t do it without me setting up an account/record (FREE!) with them. Then I can delete to my heart’s content. And this has to be done via snail mail.  In the meantime, who knows what mischief someone can do with our information? My suggestion?  Alert your state representatives.  Don’t know who they are?  Maybe this will help: To find your state representative, click here. To find your state senator, click here. Let’s get this website shut down. Something I hadn’t considered is one of the things they show is birth month and year.  This will be open season on the elderly.  All across the U.S. Bad thing. Very bad thing.  To find out how to opt out of this and other websites that have your information available for just anyone, go to The FTC’s Online Information Sellers - How To Opt Out page.  You might be surprised to find how many are out there. | Permalink

06:45 PM - 06/15/2005 The topic: Handsome’s feeling better ---------------------------------------------- Today is day three of his Baytril.  He’s been looking a little better each day and today, his drooling isn’t close to being as bad as it had been.  The first two days of the Baytril, I was able to get it right down him.  Tonight, he fought me.  He doesn’t find as hard as he used to and once I’m done, he doesn’t hiss and slap at me.  He lets me pet him. Tonight, though, he spit the damned pill out three times.  I finally got him in the kitchen, I got on my knees, held him between them, put my left arm around his chest, holding his legs down and got his left paws in my left hand.  Then I pried his mouth open with my right hand, which was holding the dissolving pill and got it far enough in his throat that he swallowed it.  He stalked off when I let him go. Sat there and gave me the evil eye, then let me pet him. Brat. | Permalink

      Thursday, June 16, 2005

11:34 AM - 06/16/2005 The topic: I’m a little irritated right now ---------------------------------------------- So, I got the new camera up and running.  I thought having a “users online” thing on each of the camera pages would be fun, you know?  I wanted them all to work together, so all five cameras would be counted in the total. Now, I’ve got a free script that works nicely, until I try to use it with a subdomain.  For those of you unschooled in website stuff, http://catcam.lisaviolet.com is a subdomain.  You can also get there by going to http://www.lisaviolet.com/catcam/ but the first one is easier to type. Well, the I can’t get the free script to work with subdomains, even using server side includes (don’t ask, I don’t understand it either, but then I think electricity is magic) of javascripts. So, I spent hours looking for a script to do what I wanted.  I found one at usersonline.net.  I went for the “elite” program.  Paid for it with PayPal.  The problem is, the site owner isn’t responding to my emails.  I’ve gotten one asking for some site info, that’s it.  I’m getting more and more irritated. I’ve sent a couple of emails asking about the status, but nothing in return.  I’ll give them another week, then file a claim with PayPal to get my money back.  In the meantime, I’ll look for something like it and if I can get it, I’ll get it and file immediately with PayPal. | Permalink

      Saturday, June 18, 2005

06:07 PM - 06/18/2005 The topic: Been holding off buying ---------------------------------------------- DVDs? Well, here’s your chance to get them at a great price.  Over at deepdiscountdvd.com, you can save 20% on your order when you use “SUPERSALE” in the coupon box at checkout.  And free shipping! This runs through next Saturday, the 25th.  So far, I’ve got a list of nine.  I’ll place my order Friday, that should give me a chance to come up with more titles. | Permalink

      Monday, June 20, 2005

10:41 AM - 06/20/2005 The topic: A potpourri of stuff ---------------------------------------------- The past few weeks I haven’t really had all of that much to post about.  Just everyday stuff. I finally got the occasional cam set up the way I wanted it.  Nice background, okay frame for the images.  Made buttons for the guestbook, too. Then I had to go to the other pages here with cameras on them and add the thumbnail and link to the new page.  (Hey, I tried doing a google search for “catcam” and my page is the fourth one listed, third searching for “cat cam” and fourth and eighth doing a search for “cathouse”. Kewl.)  The active USB extensions showed up early last week and now I can take the Ocam further into the depths of the house, like the bedroom (if anyone has been watching you’ll already know this) and deeper into the living room and maybe into the garage, I haven’t tried that one yet.  I kind of thought it would be fun to watch the cats at dinnertime. Then I had the brilliant idea of getting that “who’s online” counter, which after many hours of working on it, finally decided that I was wasting my time and requested a refund (amazing how quickly the author responded to that email when many of my others to her have gone completely unanswered). And after that I did many hours of research, trying to figure out how to get one counter work on all of my pages, whether or not they’re on a subdomain. It came down to this.  Some hosts have their CGIs to work across the board, others do not.  I submitted a ticket with my host and for the first time since I’ve had them as a host and had a question, they went beyond sending me a link to some other website for documentation.  It was explained in detail how to set up a symbolic link using SSH access. And it worked.  I only had one problem when I figured I could delete the CGI directories in the subdomains. Ooops.  This started a chain reaction that disabled many programs sitewide, so I had to stop it quickly and I had to redo the scripts that got deleted.  One of them was the guestbook that the cat pages link to and there was no way to rebuild that, I couldn’t find anything on my computer for it, so that started from scratch.  Which really wasn’t a bad thing because this new one is an updated version of the one I accidentally dumped and it has a few more options that are good. It will be harder now for those spambots to post links to their vi@gr@ and ci@lis and x@n@x websites (I munged those words because I don’t want bots picking them up and leading folks here in their searches).  And I have the option to add fields, which I added one and made it required.  So I’ll know which cat the person making the entry is posting about.  And I did some cleaning, windows, screens and the sliding doors.  Just in time, too, I think that summer is finally giving us a little more than a taste of the warmth to come.  While it’s still cool this morning, I’m going to vacuum and dust.  When I’m done, it will most likely be time to close up the house, the forecast is for temps close to 90? today and it will be hotter when the sun hits the windows.  It will be cookin’.  We also got a nice check last week so I’m going see where we stand on who we owe. I’ve pretty much kept up with the basics, but unfortunately, some of our vendors haven’t been getting paid as quickly as they really should be.  I don’t know how long that will take, since I also have to open a couple weeks’ worth of mail.  This weekend, we went to Wal-Mart after breakfast at Izzy’s Saturday morning and Brian got some more plants.  He got some more of the Lily of the Nile and some leather ferns.  When we got home, I started laundry and he started working in the yard.  He went up on the bank and pulled weeds, then brought pine needles from out front and put them down around the plants to work as a sort of mulch to keep the ground from drying out too quickly now that the heat is here.  Then he mowed the lawns. The yard looks good right now. I dug some more grass roots up.  Ones I missed the first time. One of these weekends, he’s going to set up a sprinkler system for around the pool, then we’ll plant those Irish moss seeds we got. Yesterday, he drove to the property and checked for dead mice. When he came home,  he washed the Escape, then we went shopping to CostCo. Got home, put all of the groceries away, then he was doing something outside and I came onto the computer and watched some dumbass movie, by the name of Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde, really stupid.  By the time it was over, Brian came inside and started surfing.  I went into the family room and laid down on the sofa, looking for something to watch on television.  Brian mentioned that he was getting really tired, so he came out and laid down on the loveseat.  I found “Secondhand Lions” had just started, so turned it to that.  We watched that, then it was “The Notebook”, then it was “The Day After Tomorrow”.  Then it was time for bed.  It was a nice restful day. And now, it’s time to dust and vacuum.  Dusting won’t take long, but I try to do the cat trees at least once a week and that takes a while. | Permalink

02:32 PM - 06/20/2005 The topic: ponderance ---------------------------------------------- Why is it that cats who have some sort of nose congestion, like Ciara with her herpes and Handsome with his FIV+ status, are really noisy when they’re awake. But when they’re fast asleep, you can’t hear them at all? If I can’t find Handsome, I stop and listen.  If I don’t hear him, I call him. This wakes him up and his breathing gets noisy.  Same thing with Ciara, she can be fast asleep on the back of a sofa, and she’s really quiet.  But when something happens to wake her, she starts getting noisy again. I think this is really odd. | Permalink

02:34 PM - 06/20/2005 The topic: Handsome ---------------------------------------------- I guess he needs more baytril.  I didn’t finish the course from last week and today, he was outside, I looked at his nose and his right nostril was filled with thick green snot.  Yippee. Well, at least he’s getting better about being pilled. | Permalink

02:40 PM - 06/20/2005 The topic: take your lumps like a good boy ---------------------------------------------- While we were watching movies last night at one point Georgie was on Brian. Brian said he felt a lump on Georgie’s back.  I couldn’t feel it, though I pushed down with my fingers up and down his spine.  A little later, Brian said “I found it” and I felt it.  About two or three inches up from his butt, on his spine (too far down for any type of vaccination problem - and it’s probably been close to ten years since he got one anyway).  A little bigger than a pea.  And it is smooshy. It felt like a lipoma to me.  It could also be a small abscess from a cat fight (he does have a scratch on his face).  If it’s no better by next week, I’ll be taking him in to have it checked out and tested.  I hope it’s nothing horrible. | Permalink

05:58 PM - 06/20/2005 The topic: cats on cameras ---------------------------------------------- This afternoon, every camera had at least one cat on it:   In the top right, you can barely see Potter wrapped between the legs of the cat condo with the palm leaves around the top.  In the next image, Lisa is in the catcam chair.  The middle image is the new Occasional cam (the Ocam), pointed at the bed.  Oliver, Wally, Richie, Rachel and Mickey are in that picture.  Then we have Mystie on the office cam on the bottom left and Daniece on the backyard cam on the bottom left. All cats, all the time. | Permalink

10:40 PM - 06/20/2005 The topic: Order new DVDs already and realize ---------------------------------------------- that you forgot some? Well, I did. And the coupon didn’t work a second time.  But guess what?  I found another one.  And this is good through the 25th (Saturday).  The coupon code is “USATODAY”. That’s at DeepDiscountDVD.com. UPDATE: Here’s a third coupon code “PRICESEARCH”.  A fellow cat lover just alerted me to this one.  Also good through Saturday. Happy shopping! | Permalink

      Tuesday, June 21, 2005

08:01 AM - 06/21/2005 The topic: My mom’s silly cat ---------------------------------------------- Bobby is a little hunter.  He’s always bringing home some sort of rodent.  The other morning, he brought home a mouse.  He was playing with it on the porch and mom said the mouse had slowed down considerably.  So, Bobby is sitting back watching the mouse and a blue jay comes along and sits on the railing.  Bobby looks at the bird, then back at the mouse.  Which one, which one?  Should he go after the catch he already has or take his chances with a fresh victim?  While he’s considering the options, the blue jay swooped down, grabbed the mouse and took off. Mom said Bobby looked very confused. | Permalink

08:24 AM - 06/21/2005 The topic: Pilling a cat ---------------------------------------------- I gave Handsome a pill yesterday.  But he likes to try to keep his mouth closed and sometimes when I put the pill down to his throat, I get scratched by one of his teeth. This happened yesterday and now the site of the scratch is swollen. I’ll be soaking it in hot water with dissolved epsom salts this morning.  That helps draw out infection. Daggum cats. | Permalink

08:30 AM - 06/21/2005 The topic: Rude awakening ---------------------------------------------- I overslept this morning.  I got up and let the cats out around four, then went back to sleep.  I didn’t wake up until after six.  And it was a barking dog that woke me up. I jumped out of bed and started doing the morning stuff I do every morning.  Feed KittyMeeze, open the garage door, open the garage blinds, check on all of the cats and make sure they’re all still with us, one way or the other. I couldn’t find Handsome.  I couldn’t hear Handsome. I couldn’t find Little Bit. I panicked.  I checked all around the pool, and with rapidly beating heart, looked in the pool.  No cat.  I looked under the pool pump, in the catnip, in the cathouses, no Little Bit, no Handsome to be found.  I looked on the bank by the doghouse.  Not Handsome, no Little Bit. Brian had gotten up and dressed and yelled out that he found Handsome. He was in the cat sleep center in the living room.  I’d looked there, but I guess he must have been curled back in a corner of one of the beds, it was dark in there and I just missed him. About then, I spied Little Bit on the bank, laying in the pine needles, fairly close to the gate.  She found herself a new spot. Well, good.  Brian told me to get my shoes on and we’d go walking and I said I wasn’t walking today.  I already got my heart rate up. | Permalink

05:11 PM - 06/21/2005 The topic: motivation badly needed ---------------------------------------------- I’ve got about a two inch stack of invoices I need to enter and I just can’t do it. I just can’t get started. I’ve piddled the majority of the day away cleaning my ears, picking at my Handsome bump on my finger, putting on Blistex, reading the ingredients on an old can of Diet Coke. Well, I did reconcile the company checking.  From last month.  Oh, and I got my shoe stretchers in the mail, so of course I had to get those in my shoes. To stretch them.  I’m supposed to be finished by the time Brian gets home.  Ha.  Pretty unlikely at this point. | Permalink

      Wednesday, June 22, 2005

06:51 AM - 06/22/2005 The topic: The new divider ---------------------------------------------- Do you like it? I made it last night using Paint Shop Pro and one of the pre-installed tube images. I kind of like it. | Permalink

06:53 AM - 06/22/2005 The topic: I hate it when that happens ---------------------------------------------- You know (well, honestly, if you’re lucky, you don’t) the feeling.  When you roll over in your sleep into a puddle of pee on the bed. Somekitty peed on my side of the bed early this morning.  I just scooched over to the middle of the bed and went back to sleep.  But I’ll be doing laundry today, this is something I can guarantee you. *sigh* | Permalink

10:28 AM - 06/22/2005 The topic: The checks are in the mail! ---------------------------------------------- Yeppers, we’re gonna have some happy suppliers.  Put over $32,000 worth of checks in the mail this morning.  Signed and sealed, now they just need to be delivered.  Boy, is that a load off. I’ve got a catnip order to go out (and I’m going to add a couple of fresh sprigs, the nip is growing nicely now, just to share), bedding to change, litterboxes to clean and then, I’m done for the day!  Woohoo! I like being caught up. | Permalink

05:16 PM - 06/22/2005 The topic: I wonder what else.. ---------------------------------------------- Some stuff Handsome has eaten: Green beans French cut green beans Pineapple Peaches | Permalink

      Thursday, June 23, 2005

11:26 AM - 06/23/2005 The topic: so very graceful ---------------------------------------------- I tripped on a tree root on our walk this morning. Fell. Lovely. So very, very lovely. Halfway through the walk. I feel okay now, but who knows how I’ll feel tomorrow. Ah, I’ll be okay. The one time it’s good to be short is when you fall. It’s not such a long way down. | Permalink

      Friday, June 24, 2005

02:16 PM - 06/24/2005 The topic: My first batch of DVDs got here! ---------------------------------------------- This is just like Christmas!  I got: Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid Runaway (with Tom Selleck) Shampoo Housesitter What about Bob? Heaven Can Wait (with Warren Beatty) Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Original Sin (uncut) Pulp Fiction (collectors edition) An Officer and a Gentleman Mystery, Alaska | Permalink

02:17 PM - 06/24/2005 The topic: fall fallout ---------------------------------------------- My left elbow is sore and my left knee is getting worse by the minute. But we did go walking this morning.  I’ve got the weekend to recuperate. Maybe swimming will help. | Permalink

      Saturday, June 25, 2005

07:50 PM - 06/25/2005 The topic: Any geologists read this blog? ---------------------------------------------- Hey, if you have some knowledge about rocks, could you go to my family album, stuff section and check out the rock?  There’s a QuickTime movie that’s a little over a minute long of the sides of the rock. I’d really like to know what I’ve got here. | Permalink

      Monday, June 27, 2005

12:22 PM - 06/27/2005 The topic: My garage kitties ---------------------------------------------- Angel and Autumn are coming into the house on a more regular basis, not just to poop under the sofa or loveseat (always a joy to clean, they both have reclining seats so the space below them is empty, purrfect for a squatting cat and squat they do, I used the Floormate three times under them to get the poop accompanying urine up).  I caught Angel inside in the mid to late afternoon last week, sleeping on the sofa. She didn’t mind when I sat down next to her, she came over to me wanting me to pet her and scratch her back and neck, then she settled down next to me.  The third day I found her there, I walked back to the office to grab the camera, but she ran when I came back and she saw that thing in my hands.  I’d love to get a picture of her because she’s one of the most adorable cats I’ve ever seen, she’s just so keeYOOOT!   This was taken in July 2001.  As she got older, she got a lot more shy and it became almost impossible to get new pictures of her. Autumn seems to have moved into the spot in the sleep center that was once occupied by Little Bit. She’ll let me reach in and pet her.  This morning I even got her to give me a little “that’s nice” purr. Maybe someday they’ll be sofa cats 24/7 like the rest of the crew.  They’ll lose their “ghost cat” designations. | Permalink

12:40 PM - 06/27/2005 The topic: My first pepper ----------------------------------------------     Isn’t it just adorable?  There are a few more growing since I took this picture and I’m quite pleased.  I am annoyed, though, that so far there are no tomatoes on the tomato plant.  Plenty of blossoms, they’re just not getting pollenated, darn it.  Well, at least CostCo has fairly cheap tomatoes now. (By the way, if you want to see more pictures of the yard, check the “miscellaneous” category over at the family album.) | Permalink

01:25 PM - 06/27/2005 The topic: Kewl stuff ---------------------------------------------- I was just farting around with my cellphone, finding new and exciting things to do with it (sometimes I get this wild hair and I start to play with stuff I’ve got and sometimes it can be a learning experience).  This since Brian got his replacement phone last week and because it was such a PITA to get stuff done, I just used one of the USB connectors I have and tested to see if it would work with his phone, it did, I found some software online and I was able to save everything from his old phone to the new phone, except the damned ringtones.  Anyway, I was playing with mine this morning and found I can upload pictures from my computer to my phone, instead of paying Cingular $2.49 to do it on their website (which I wouldn’t do).  I also found out this morning that if I wanted my cell to ring more than it does (I miss probably 95% of the few calls I get because I never hear the phone before it goes to voicemail) it had to be done via the Cingular office.  So, I got that changed.  Maybe now I won’t miss so many calls. Gonna play with the phone some more. | Permalink

      Wednesday, June 29, 2005

10:10 AM - 06/29/2005 The topic: It’s been a sad month ---------------------------------------------- I think this has been one of my saddest months online.  Two cats that I’ve come to love via the internet died after short illnesses. Cosmo, who could often be seen on the Tigger-cams passed away from acute kidney failure.  He was a big boy and he so reminded me of our Lisa Violet.  Ceegee and her husband did all that they could for him, but his vet just couldn’t undo the damage to his kidneys.  They’d shut down and there was nothing that could be done and Cosmo made it plain that he was tired and ready to go.  His guardians had to make one of the most difficult decision of all.  They set him free. Then, just a couple of days ago, Monday night, Edloe, one of the stars of the catcams over at isfullofcrap.com became ill.  Yesterday was spent at the vet’s office, where she got antibiotics, dewormed and tested.  Laurence’s worry was apparent throughout the day (he stayed home from work).  Last night, on the way back to the vet’s office, she passed away in her human mom’s arms. I’m just so incredibly sad right now, I can’t stop crying.  I’m going to miss her so much.  The stories that Laurence would tell of her exploits, the pictures he’d put up of her…Laurence’s final tribute is nothing less than heartbreaking. Goodbye, Cosmo.  Godspeed, Edloe.  Hug your kitties today.  Treat them well.  Because they won’t be here forever.   | Permalink

      Thursday, June 30, 2005

09:30 PM - 06/30/2005 The topic: Do ya ever do or say something ---------------------------------------------- when you’re upset that you wish you could take back?  Especially when you realize that what you said was taken even worse than what you meant?  Which was pretty bad in the first place? Well, earlier this week, I made a really mean, nasty, comment about something I totally got wrong.  See, someone blogged about a dead cat.  But I didn’t go to the link, I assumed (ASS of me, big time) this person was referring to a much beloved cat who had died.  And I was upset and I called him a “miserable son-of-a-bitch” and said that I hoped his next dose of Viagra turned out his lights.  Now, when I made the Viagra comment, I was thinking along the lines of men who take Viagra going blind.  And when I made the comment, I didn’t know it was a permanent blindness, but I was under the mistaken impression that it was a temporary thing.  And it was a really horrible thing to have said.  Under any circumstances. But this guy thought I wanted him dead.  Because of the “turn out the lights” part of my entry. Now, I want to apologize to you, Rob, of gutrumbles.com. And please, don’t paint all catlovers with the brush I’ve handed you.  I’m really sorry for what I posted. I’ll make no excuses because there is no excuse for what I said to/about you.  There was no call for me to have said something so nasty, and I’m really ashamed that I said such a thing.  Not all catlovers are as bitchy as me.  Please accept my apology.  | Permalink

10:40 PM - 06/30/2005 The topic: This week at the vet’s ---------------------------------------------- Well, both Georgie and Richie ended up visiting our local, friendly, neighborhood vet this week. Georgie had the lump on his back, which turned out to be a sebaceous cyst.  The doc said it shouldn’t be a problem.  Usually dogs get them, they’re fairly rare in cats.  (Remember Buddog had a big one on his leg, that eventually affected his walking?)  George checked out fine otherwise. Richie, though, Richie has had the most obnoxious breath.  I complained about it last month to Brian and he said he liked it.  Ish.  Looking in Richie’s mouth, it was very red around his gums, so I made the appointment for him. Richie has gingivitis/stomatitis.  The vet said we were lucky it was caught early, because usually owners don’t even know there’s a problem until the problem is much further along and the cat ends up losing teeth.  What happens is the body’s immune system sees the normal bacteria and tartar around the teeth and starts working overtime to get rid of it.  The vet said Richie’s nasty breath is known as “blood breath”.  He showed me how easily Richie’s gums bleed.  Poor cat. Richie is now on antirobe and prednisone for two weeks and next week, he goes in for a dental.  But the vet said we should be able to control it, well, get rid of it altogether and that it shouldn’t be a problem after this. | Permalink

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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

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