Welcome Back...to Chores!

After over 2 weeks of cousins and play time galore, Shane returned home to chores. The mornings are cool out, too, so he had to wear a coat!

Scooping horse poop in the cool is a big change from Pop Tarts and TV time in the morning! 

Don't worry too much about Shane. We really don't work him that hard. If I get half an hour of effort out of him, it's fine. Chores are a good excuse to make Shane outside. He usually has to hang out for an hour, but he chases bugs, twirls in circles, or runs with the dog for a chunk of it. Shane likes to talk and be around people anyway.

Sometimes funny things happen if you're observant. We heard some odd noises while we were working. It was Maddy.

You have to be clever about scratching your butt when you have no hands! We got a good laugh out of it.

And then I sent Shane to run and collect the bucket before it got bent out of shape!

The cats were out while we worked. Aria kept Shane and I company from a hay feeder.

From there it became a normal school day. I went to work and Shane.....Shane's computer broke. 

A fan failed and there were all sorts of error bleeps. Thankfully, Shane doesn't do anything other than zoom and browse the internet, so it functioned for the day. We'll need to contact tech support and get a loaner at some point. It's a short week, so it won't happen until after break. 

Shane was in class until around 3 PM and took care of his Japanese practice. I got off work near 5 PM, we did evening chores, and then relaxed with electronics for the night. A much quieter day than he's probably used to, but normal for here.

Some of the cats may have gotten complacent while Shane was out of town. That's not a smart place to sleep, Moose.

I was talking in general, too. I gave in to temptation and his the start button on the walking machine...

It led to Loki showing off his treadmill skills. 

Loki learned, because of Shane! 

Shane ran with Loki some and it wasn't really all the quiet. You can definitely tell Shane's home!

Cat Problems

You can be cute and annoying at the same time. Exhibit A:

The kitchen sink is more annoying than the bathroom one. I turned the water on. 

We won't talk about how Shane balanced the dirty plate.

And why do you need to steal the dog's food? 

A fun picture or Carrie giggling can balance out some annoyance. In this case, the picture was evidence the kittens had been up to mischief.

And then there's outright trouble. We've caught Aria peeing outside the litter box. First it was a towel I dried Loki off with. Then it was on a blanket behind the dog cage. Then we noticed the dog bed smelled, too. Then Shane left the closet door open and I noticed her peeing on his snowpants.

Cat pee is terrible. All of those items are trash.

There are standing orders to keep doors to all bedrooms closed. I asked Carrie about getting another litter box in case that was the issue and have said, "She can always go back to being a barn cat."

Maybe Tsuki or another cat has done it, too, but I've only caught Aria in the act. It seems like a new problem, but she could have been wetting Loki's bed for a little while (It's not like we actually smell checked it frequently).

I would be okay with letting the cats outside more often. Any time they choose to use the bathroom outdoors is one less we have to do anything about.

Thought I will admit, I do feel a small amount of trepidation about letting them out. It's based on "How would Carrie react/feel if one didn't return?" 

Carrie seems fine with it and aware of the possibility. There are hazards outdoors and a cat's curiosity could keep one walking. So far, Max ranges the farthest. She's come back with ticks several times while the kittens stay close and tick free.

Happy cat has joined the morning outdoor romp. She stayed on the porch at first.

Then she started to range a little further out.

Shane has started to think of Happy as "his cat." Tsuki's claimed Carrie, Aria likes to bother me, and Max does Max. Happy started off her indoor career sneaking into Shane's bed to sleep. She likes to hide most of the day, but she's very tolerant about him snatching her and burying his face in her fur (no matter how many times Carrie says, "Don't do that.").

So Shane got nervous when all of the cats came in but Happy. He went out to look for her. Carrie followed a little bit later and found her on top of the hay bales. She had to climb to the top to retrieve her.

Will Happy get to venture out tomorrow? I don't know myself. I'm not used to being the hesitant one, but I'd just as soon leave her in. Carrie's the one who opens the portal to the yard each morning.

And that's the full cat update. The kittens are full of energy, cause trouble, zoom around, and wake Carrie up at night. They also curl up next to her and she falls back asleep making happy murmurs, so it somewhat evens out (I get to deal with any grouch/tired the next morning!).

When you need something to post....rely on the pets

I was going to write after Carrie and Shane slept tonight, but then I spent an hour answering emails and typing in late grades.

But then, when the last email was answered, I rallied! Whatever should I write about!?

Well, I've got some goofy pictures. I'll let them carry my tired butt home tonight.

Tsuki likes the stirrers Carrie leaves in her coffees.

Since Carrie leaves a new coffee out in a new place every day they're a source of endless cat entertainment.

It should be safe. I don't think wood is easily irradiated from being reheated in a microwave multiple times.

Tsuki's still in the spotlight for this next series of pictures. 

I caught a glimpse of tail disappearing into somewhere I did not think I tail could disapper.

Loki followed me, but I don't think he knew he was being observed.

He sniffed, so he knew a kitten had been by recently, but where?

Where indeed?

Tsuki came out a little bit later. There must not be much to do under the pantry!

Bonus: This picture illustrates Max and Loki's relationship in many ways. 

Loki was sniffing for crumbs and licking up a discovery. Max growled and swatted him on the head...,but he was oblivious. She sat down obviously perturbed and looked at him licking away right next to her. If anything, he may have thought she wanted to play, but he was busy.

He really doesn't understand any of her cues and it's hillarious.

The last pic is from when Carrie and I were playing Rummy. Carrie went "Eeep!" as a cat attacked her cards from underneath! She went "Eep!" again when the same cat decided to crawl through her lap to get to the next chair and used her claws when she slipped!

 Stuff happens when you live with kids and animals. 

School Night Sleepover

Shane and I went to Grandma and Grandpa's to start the week! If virtual school can be done anywhere, why not travel?

Plus, they have great wifi.

We got a chance to see Bucket when we arrived. I think she spent the rest of our visit sleeping!

We arrived late Sunday and spent the night. One of the biggest differences at Grandma and Grandpa's is they like to leave the TV on for background noise. Fox news was discussing the weather.

Flashing lights? Noise? Storms? 

Hypnotized.

I turned the TV off after a little bit and Shane came to.

Shane let slip he hadn't finished some multiplication flash cards, so I helped get him started.

Grandma saw that he finished while I went upstairs to do my own work. 

Shane attended his classes from the floor of the kitchen. 

I disappeared upstairs in his bedroom. The LEGO rocket Grandpa and Shane made was way bigger than I'd thought! I showed it to all of my classes!

Grandpa and Grandma also did their work. "We had four offices running at once!" Grandma said.

My classes went well (save for one kid saying a bad word). I told the kids we'd driven to the in-laws to try and get some better internet! And I used it, too. I uploaded the first two weeks of class recordings to the server. That was gigs of data we couldn't spare at our house! 

Shane's class went well enough from what I saw....which was admittedly not much (5-10 minutes). His new teacher, Mrs. Taylor, was shadowing Mr. Bahn. She's supposed to take take the reigns Tuesday and fly solo from Wednesday on. 

Grandma was happy with Shane, but vocal about "We need to send everybody back!" I know our school district is getting ready to vote on sending back kids in PK-3rd grade for the next quarter (Nov-Jan). If they do (and it goes well), they could vote to have kids back in high schools part time by the end of January. 

Meanwhile, Grandpa pulled a frozen pizza from the fridge and they sent us on our way full. Shane and I left around 6:40 PM and got back home well after dark. 

It'd be an easier trip if not for barn care. If the whole family went I'd be willing to stay for days, but who will take care of the horses? Carrie stayed behind, so we only stayed for the day. She tends to get stressed more easily when I'm not home (and she likes to snuggle up with Shane for TV time too when he's not bouncing, hyper wild and making the dog bark like mad!). 

Anyway, it was a successful experiment. We'll try it again with Grandma and Grandpa and I plan to ship Shane off to SC at some point, too!

Virtual Schooling - Two weeks in

Virtual school has been a lot more work than I thought it'd be.

For me, at least. 

Shane thinks it's easy by comparison. He's gotten more Super Nintendo and electronics by being quiet when I'm working my tail off!

Indeed, one of the challenges for Shane is making sure he remembers to log in to his class. His main Zoom starts at noon. Unfortunately, I have a class session from 11:15 AM to 12:45 PM, so I'm in the thick of it when he needs a reminder.

There was an oops or two, but I started setting the oven timer to remind him (and me) when his class starts.

I'm better at getting him on the 30 minute small sessions he has one or two of each morning....usually. There are times I'm knee deep in my own preparations and I look at the clock and he's already a few minutes late and oblivious!

Somehow, Carrie was out of the house during this time window 3 out of 4 days (There was the farrier who came one day, errands another...)

I have meetings from 11:15 AM -4:30 PM with only a few minutes offline to use the bathroom, so I really haven't seen much of anything Shane's doing in class. I set up my email to be able to see his progress, but to be honest I haven't checked.

Our internet situation has improved, though. Instead of Shane and I fighting for and draining all our bandwidth, Carrie signed up for internet through the Caylx Institute. We had to pay for a year contract up front, but so far it's working.

We tried a bunch of different options when we moved in. We found out Sprint was the best option. They offered a 60 GB/mo hotspot or a 100 GB/mo hotspot if you used a phone for a similar price. 

Caylx was around $600 for the whole year and claims to be unlimited GB/mo. They go off the Sprint network, so I'm not sure how they can say or do that.

But it's working. For now. 

It didn't stop the cat from turning off my computer one day. Aria stepped right on the power button mid-class! 

The kids were highly amused.

She's been seeking all sorts of attention and doesn't seem to take the hint no matter how many times I push her onto the floor.

She helped me one time to many and I moved my laptop to the bedroom Thursday and Friday.

It'd be more frustrating if it wasn't funny. I think it's good for the kids to see me having those kind of problems.

Loki's been acting neglected, so I tried to let him in the bedroom while I worked.

He laid down for a hot minute before he started rolling around and wanted to play! I had to kick him out, too.

Whenever I get a lunch break, I take him outside to run for a couple of minutes to make up for ignoring him all day. Then it's right back to the grind.

I had 7 zoom meetings on Friday.

9-9:30 AM - Parent meeting on Zoom

9:35-50 AM - Planning phone call with coworker

9:50-10:15 AM - Shovel poop at the barn before office hours.

10:15 AM - 12:30 PM - Office hours on Zoom

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM - Sophomore Seminar on Zoom

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM - Staff meeting on Zoom

3:45 PM - 4:30 PM - Geometry meeting on Zoom

Emails and stretching my legs filled the gaps.

I got a request from Carrie during the staff meeting: Run outside and meet the bus! I was amazed the Caylx router's signal reached that far.

It was a bit windy, so I relocated to the rocks and waited for Shane's school bus.

There was a scheduled supply drop off. Carrie had taken Shane on an errand and was running late. She got a 5-minute warning on her phone and it was fairly accurate.

I ran out to the bus, grabbed the supplies, and never technically left the staff meeting.

There were some directives from above I would have preferred not to know about, so maybe it was a mixed blessing.

So far it's gone fairly well. Yes, everything takes longer. EVERYTHING. I'm working my tail off, but it feels like it could work.

I meant to do my grading over the weekend, but I needed time to recharge. I'll have to scramble Monday, but the break was needed!

Household Additions

"Barn cat" just means "delayed house cat" to Carrie.

I fell for it twice, but no more.

The kittens came inside to recover from being spayed and they haven't left.

And they get away with everything, because they're cute.

"You know, that's a terrible idea to allow," I said. "It's cute now, but that's a pain when they keep doing it."

My wisdom fell on deaf ears. I refused to pick up the mess. I don't know if Carrie or Shane did it in the end.

I know where my loyalties lie.

"Oh, hai. I'm in your picture!"

Shane and Carrie are both very pleased with having the pair in the house. Shane's less fond of the kitten poop (it's extra smelly), but it's not enough to convince him to side with the Barn Cat Coalition and kick them out!

The kittens immunity status is largely Tsuki's fault. Aria is cute and playful, but Tsuki wants to be a lap cat when she grows up. And the lap of choice is Carrie. 

She's very affectionate. Anytime Carrie sits down Tsuki is not long to follow. If Carrie goes too long in between sitting down, Tsuki will follow after her and call out.

And Carrie eats it up. She coos and giggles and her mirth is the only reason I'm not more sour on the interlopers.

And don't think for a moment I'm the only one taking pictures.

It's Carrie's favorite pastime. 

Many of the pictures here are hers! And these are just the ones I've decided to post!

I get frequent picture notifications whenever Tsuki is passed out on Carrie's lap.

And they get into everything.

Everything.

Nothing is sacred or off limits save the bedroom. 

The older cats take the hint when you take them off the table or counter and put them on the ground. The kittens keep at it. They refuse to be dissuaded. 

Aria's been difficult with virtual school. If Tsuki's claimed Carrie, Aria seems to think she has a claim on me. Either that or she finds the feeling of the keyboard stimulating under her feet.

It's a good thing they get along with the other cats and Loki. 

I haven't given up on the idea of them being outdoor kittens.

They'll come with us when we do barn chores. Then they'll roam outside hunting and playing.

But they keep coming right back. We can make a kissing noise and the kittens take notice. They know they've got it good and they have no intention of sleeping in the barn again especially with the weather cooling.