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| Balloons AND a living wage? Deal me in! |
Larry and I postponed our 3-day camping trip to the beach to next Sunday, because we figured sitting on the open sand in 100-degree weather this past week might not be a smart thing to do. Never mind living without air conditioning...so we've been hanging out here, chatting with my bug boyfriend about rats, visiting cat adoption places (because I am looking for an outdoor cat to scare vermin away), and doing other equally not-exciting things.
Dear Lord, I cannot believe I am cat shopping. You see, I noticed that Jennifer Jo has two cats that live outside only, and she convinced me that I don't need to be a cat lover to own a cat; so I am forging ahead with my feline-centric rodent-eradication plan. The kids are thrilled, even though I keep repeating, "This cat will NEVER be allowed in the house" over and over. AND OVER.
I swear, the smell of litter boxes makes me ill.
For now, however, it is time to get ready for our beach trip on Sunday. Meaning, I need to do the requisite 15 loads of laundry that always need to be done before any vacation and figure out how to keep 2 vegetarians and 2 carnivores fed for 3 days. I CANNOT WAIT to leave town and all my rodent problems behind me. I don't even enjoy walking around our neighborhood anymore - every time I see a squirrel (and we have a LOT of squirrels), I jump about 10 feet in the air.
No wonder the neighbors look at me funny.
In other news, David visits us next week (remember David, the child who abandoned us last August?) - we haven't seen him since Christmas, so yeah, none of my adult kids seem to have any trouble leaving home. I try not to take it personally.
And I hope I didn't just jinx myself with that statement.
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| Our xylophone collection |
"Feeling musical today?" he asked me.
"Just nostalgic," I told him. I swear, I cannot believe my house was once filled with little people like the ones we watched today. Those days seemed to have lasted forever, yet now they feel as if they never happened. Weird.
We just saw son#3 two weeks ago (first time since January 2nd) so I know the excitement you are feeling. He spent most of his time with his dad playing Pokemon GO, so I'm driving across the state tomorrow to spend an hour or two with him.
ReplyDeleteYES to cats. I abhor rodents. (A cat will also chase your squirrels, so there's that advantage.)
And that bit about kids leaving home? Since I have one who moved back I can't really say much, although he did finally learn that his parents nag him much less if he doesn't lay in the dining room floor with his computer for hours at a time. (Now he does it in the workshop behind the garage where he also sleeps.)
Signed, the woman who still has baby toys on the living room floor from Sunday night.
Three cats. Don't forget the one that haunts our place like a ghost.
ReplyDeleteWe have 7 cats. I still occasionally see live mice in the house... Usually if I leave the door to the sun porch/laundry room open, the cats take care of the mice. It's too hot to leave the door open in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you can have outdoor only cats in a townhouse community. Your cat might very likely bother other people. They can yowl all night, get into fight with dogs and other cats, get run over in the parking lot, etc. Not to mention someone reporting you the first time the temperature gets too hot or too cold or too rainy and they see you never take your cat in. Also, you would have to make sure they are a good mouser (if the purpose is to catch rats), which isn't always the case. And I've had mice in the house even when we've owned cats. The mice come up through the walls and into the cupboards and the cats can't get to them. Also when my cats do hunt outside they sometimes bring me a gift (like a dead vole). You probably wouldn't appreciate that. Pets cost money too. Are you prepared to pay the vet bills? You really don't want a cat.
ReplyDeleteCats don't belong outside...and if they are outside...they don't last long...disease...other critters...cars..even in the country. Ask your friend what happened to the last cats she had..and how long they lasted. As far as litter box smell...if you scoop it and keep it clean..no smell. I have three cats...all indoors...where they belong. Once in a while...right after the first cold snap...we do get the occasional mouse...but it's not alive for very long...the three felines make sure of that...maybe the best thing for you? Traps..big ones and lots of them. :)
ReplyDeleteI have indoor/outdoor cats (3). One only comes in in bad weather. However I live at the end of a pipestem driveway and back up to a patch of woods. There are no busy streets near enough to worry about and we have a big screen porch that the cats lounge around on. I think indoor/outdoor cats are far less neurotic than indoor only cats. Cats still have a strong wild instinct, they need some outdoor time.
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DeleteWhat? Less neurotic? A strong wild instinct? These comments make no sense at all. It is a proven fact that outdoor cats have a much shorter lifespan than cats kept inside. These comments also solidify my opinion that some people should not have pets...or children.
DeleteDespite having a dearly loved cat while I was growing up, I am also not a pet person. We do not have furry pets and the fish are my husband's responsibility. And yet, if I saw rodents, I might borrow/rent a cat from a friend. I must doubt, however, that cats are actually rentable. Every cat I have known would object to such an arrangement.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your trip, whenever it happens.
One cat is plenty and they are low-maintenance. Maybe you should get a neighborhood cat that you all agree to feed and water...
ReplyDeleteWe babysat a little one a couple of weeks ago, too, and I got pretty darn nostalgic.
I'm exhausted after time with a 5 year old now.
ReplyDeleteWe just did a week end with the 2 two year old. I had a lone diaper left behind... I think that maybe the girls think I am next to need them! Toys every where- but so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI had cats, dogs, rabbits, pigs, goats, cow, and now I have 0. When I had cats- 3- I still had mice. Now I let the snakes take care of them and they live outside.
ummm ... please don't get a cat if you don't actually WANT one. Traps are a much more effective way to get rid of unwanted vermin. And cats can live to be 20+ years old - do you want to spend the next 20 years taking care of something you never wanted in the first place? For the sake of whichever cat you would end up adopting and then booting out the door, please rethink this.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need to get a cat because our neighbor lady has enough for all of us.
ReplyDeleteOur older kids are campaigning for a dog. We've never had a pet because my husband is allergic to fur, feathers, fins and scales. (That's our story and we're sticking to it)
I tell young moms that I miss having little ones in the house and they always look at me like I'm crazy.
My son just pointed out that a snake would be good at catching rodents also.