Bringing the Boy Home!

Sunday was the Day of the Return. I didn't want to get caught by surprise again, so I came prepared.

I could defecate in there. Shane's kept it as a drum and it's been taking up space under the sink. At least this way it could have a use (but hopefully not!).

The drive down was uneventful, but pretty. I listened to a short Agatha Raisin mystery and a sermon to fill most of the time (It was Sunday!). I beat the SC crew to the rendezvous Zaxby's by 15 minutes or so. I hopped straight into their car in the drive-through.

Nana and Pop were gracious enough to buy lunch for everyone. They saw a homeless man and drove over to give him a mana bag before we parked to eat. We saw another van drive up first and hand out coats before we drove over! It was nice to see people trying to spread God's love!

We sat, talked, ate, and enjoyed each other's company before transferring the luggage. Shane had a goofy smile on for the picture, so Pop helped him make it more natural.

Pop didn't stop when Shane hit the natural smile, though! 

Darkness starts after 5 PM in the fall, so things were getting dim as Shane and I pulled up to the barn. Carrie was helping Ellie with the evening chores. She took a time out to catch Shane as he launched himself at her!

Shane's learned that things change whenever he's gone for long enough. He spotted the new trailer right away and met Eowyn at the barn Honestly, I was surprised he recognized the differences in the trailer to know it was a new one!

Shane noticed Carrie had moved around the couches after the pee incident, as well. He might have said something else, but Loki was ecstatic and barking! He missed his boy!

Shane did some pushups to earn some electronics after running around like a madman. Loki helped.

Carrie fell asleep on the couch while we all watched some TV to end the night.

Shane had his Happy cat.

I put Shane to bed later and locked everything up. That included taking Loki out for one last bathroom break in the cold.

Then it was time to grade! I got in a full day's work between driving and grading.

Next week is going to be a short one for school. There's only two days and then we'll have some holiday time together as a family. I'm looking forward to it! 

The Pets Update

The pets are all eager whenever someone disappears into the main bedroom. I've been forced to learn to open the door a crack to check if any cat is already heading for the gap at speed. Tuski wants to be a ninja like Max (and she's harder to shoo out of the room when she does break in! She hunkers down under the bed).

The cats beg in the morning to be let outside. Carrie gets the final call, but I'm happy to let the "barn cats" play at being barn cats.

And it's cute when they play with the dog. Loki was trying to keep an eye on Laura walking Ernie in this shot, while kitty-kitty was keeping an eye on him. For what?

Tag of course!

Meanwhile, Max has no interest in dogs. She's happy to explore and the first one out the door. She ranges the farthest of all the cats. 

Aria is "my" cat. She's clearly claimed me and hunts me down wherever I sit to Carrie's great delight.

"Look at her! I want to take a picture."

Apparently, I used an incorrect look.

Tsuki is Carrie's favorite. I try to send the occasional kitten pic to boost morale if I feel it's flagging.

Tsuki has decided Carrie is her mother. She attempts to nurse. Nurse. She will nest, nibble, and suck on whatever blanket is on Carrie. I've never seen anything like it before.

And that bond with Carrie is the only thing keeping the cats in the house after they've had multiple "accidents." Aria's the only one who's been caught, but we've thrown away pillows and cushion covers.

Carrie's theory is that the kittens have peed anywhere they can nest and that smells strongly of dog or other cats. Loki's been banned from the couches for the cat misbehavior! We've picked up blankets, blocked the cat door into the guest bedroom, and provided a new litter box.

So far, it's been popular. Which is great, because cat pee is the drip of death to fabric.

I didn't want Loki on the furniture originally, but it feels unfair to change things now that I got used to it. It's fun to watch him bounce around after the cats!

Happy still loves him, at least.

I caught her giving him a kiss right on his face.

We really should work on leash training with Loki, but I'm not in a hurry to take him anywhere.  I suppose he could come on a hike, but he'd also neeed to get a collar and/or microchipped. 

Poop. I got 2 weeks behind again.

I got two weeks behind again. I have photos uploaded and laid out ready for writing, but the blog took a back seat again. Why? Well, you'll just have to see the updates as they come in. Next week is Thanksgiving break, so I'm planning to regain ground.

For now, I'm going to start with a poop story. I even mentioned it in the title.

Did you know that beans can substitute for litter pellets?

Navy beans are much cheaper per pound than the litter pellets. The kitten food is higher in protein and has led to 'rich' deposits in both odor and amount of pellets they cling to. Carrie made the call to try beans instead of pellets to save a few dollars and I figured it'd be worth a story at least. 

The beans probably don't stop scents as well, but I worry less when Loki crunches a few down. They probably provide some nutrition.

And the biggest advantage of the beans: They're organic material. We can flush them.

The cats find the process fascinating. Maybe they'll learn how to use the toilet themselves one day and save us a step.

The last time we had this much fun with beans they were in a suitcase.

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!).

Shane's first week back home

 Shane was happy to go out with the animals his first morning home.

He was less thrilled when I put him to work!

There are less cousins and more chores as the homestead.

Virtual school was mostly the same. Shane had less supervision, but maybe that will make him appreciate the next time Nana lays down the law (He is a social one!). 

Shane's been half bummed and half pumped about the tablet Nana and Pop gave him. He really wants full access to the internet and Roblox on it. Carrie has stated "over my dead body," so he's had to settle for Angry Birds instead!

I was going to make 'mini-pizzas' on tortillas for dinner one night (a lazy man's pizza dough). We were out of sauce and ended up making pepperonni quesadillas instead.

Sounds crazy, but Shane's a fan! I made one for myself, too. 

It was a busy week with school, chores, and Shane coming home. I actually forgot about his soccer practice! I had it written down, but he two weeks off broke my routine.

We did make it to the game on Saturday. Shane and I donned our yellow and he ran out proud.

Shane played defender 1st half.

There was a lack of hustling all around the field, but the kids were happy to be there.

"Drone!" Shane yelled.

If he can spot a random drone in the sky, you'd think he could keep his eagle eye on the ball!

The 'Banana Slammas' scored a goal near the end and Shane yelled, "We're winning!"

The other team scored a few minutes later and Shane dropped to his knees. I suppose the loss cut him to the core.

Shane was in the goal second half. I thought he played decently.

He was scored on three times, but he made a play on all of the balls. 

The first time, a girl dribbled in and half his team surrounded her. No one pounced. She dithered and then kicked a high air ball. Shane said he tried to get his way through the pack.

The second time, it was a lone attacker charging the goal from half field. There was another yellow player running behind, but it was basically Shane on his own. He charged out of the goal and almost out of the box! The kid kicked a rocke. Shane jumped and got both hands on the ball, but it deflected up and backwards and bounced into the goal.  

The third time...well, I don't think it counted. A player charged the goal after a sloppy goal kick. Shane dived for the ball and I guess he got his hand stepped on? I didn't see anything foul, but the refs checked on Shane for a bit and then let him do another goal kick.

Shane had some blocks and a couple beautiful throws. Instead of posing and waiting for everyone to look at him, he set the tempo. He scooped the ball, ran, and threw it past the other team. He was playing further forward than he should have most of the game, but I was happy he was trying to be active. I make a big deal out of how proud I am when he tries to make a play on anything. He was bummed about the shot he jumped and missed, but I went on about it was the first time I'd seen him jump and land both hands on the shot.

We have one practice and one game left. I wish there were more.

The game was the big social event of the weekend. I was hoping to get Shane a playdate, but the three main friends I tried were all unavailable (Henry, Dylan, and Hazel). 

We did get a visit from Landie Saturday. Ellie rode Magic and I ended up babysitting for a couple of hours.

I took the tablet away at first when Shane and Landie raided snacks without permission. They played on the treadmill and did hide and seek. 

I gave the tablet back at the end. Landie was interested for a little bit, but then she really wanted to watch My Little Ponies (and guess who got sucked out of tablet land by the flashing lights?)

Our house is far cry from partyland in SC, but it's home. Shane and Carrie watched a lot of Teen Titans together (the original series!). I've been trading texts and I'm hoping to have more social opportunities next weekend when it's Halloween!

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.