When God runs over your stray cat, he dumps another one in your backyard (or Grilling on a Wednesday night)

The weather last night was ab fab, so I decided to test out the old grill. I made pork chops and they were great. They were pre-seasoned from the grocery store. A lot too salty for my taste, but still yummy.

Anyway, as I was grilling, I let the cats outside and they were doing their usual sniffing and eating grass and chasing bugs. Then we went in for dinner. A few hours later, I decided I really needed to clean off the grill or else I would regret it later. So Tigger and I headed outside.

In the time it took for me to walk the 10 feet to the grill, open it, and maybe swab it once, Tigger is standing nose to nose to a pretty white cat. There is much growling and noises you wouldn't think would come out of cats. I walk over to them slowly, not really sure how I can break up a cat fight. Tigger is all afluff and standing his ground. It is his yard after all.

I don't know what they said to each other, but in a split second, the chase begins. Tigger chased the cat to the side yard, and he/she/it leaps over my 6 ft fence like nobody's business. I was afraid that Tigger would try to follow. But thank goodness he didn't. He stayed put but the growling continued. I was afraid to pick him up, but he let. I dropped him off inside. He was still making quite the commotion. Bobby had heard all this from inside, because he was waiting by the door with a curious expression on his face.

My Tigger, the brave hero! He was going to protect me. I just hope he doesn't remember and try to climb the fence that way.

Not house related, other than it happened at my house

I found my first official gray, or actually white, hair this morning! Yikes! There have been a few that I spotted but could pretend that they were really, really blond. This one was different. Maybe it was the lighting. Maybe it was my approaching 30th bday. Whatever the case, I am publically avowing that I, Ms. No Longer At The Kids' Table, have one, if not multiple, gray hair(s).

That wasn't so bad. This will help me ease my way into discussions of metamucil and large, shapeless panties.

CATastrophe

I wished a bad thought and it happened.

I had wished the neighborhood stray cat (who I found out the neighbor does feed) would go away and stop bothering my cats. Well, he is gone, and not in the “I’ve been adopted by a loving family who will feed me and put a collar on me and not let me roam around” kind of way. Driving to work this morning, I saw Trash the cat laying in the road, which isn’t uncommon for him. However, the red liquid next to head wasn’t normal. He was run over. Seeing him like that broke my heart. He was a pain but I didn’t want him dead!

Now, I will be extra careful and not let my boys get out. It would be so horrible to drive up and see ‘lil Tigger sprawled out like that. As a kitten, he was actually hit by a car and rescued, and that’s how he came to me. As God as my witness, I won’t let that happen to him again.

Trash, I hope you are happy wherever you are now. Peace little buddy.

Prometheus And The Goblet Of Fire

I feel like Tom Hanks. Or more accurately, his character in Cast Away. You know the scene where he starts his campfire for the first time? He runs around half naked shouting and praising his glorious skills.

Well, I too have created fire. In my fireplace. Of course, mine started with a flick of a lighter (but it was complicated...I had to hold down a button while flicking). And my survival does not depend of my ability to start said fire, only my enjoyment of smores. And I wasn't half-naked because it's cold, hence the fire in the first place.

Yes, I braved my fears and actually used my fireplace. It is no longer just a pretty centerpiece for the living room. It has a use, a warm and crackly use. And it is not longer pristine white on the inside. Big black flame marks :(

I must confess that my manly friend came over the other night and lit the inaugural fire. He told me about his "theory" of making a good fire. Apparently its all about stacking the wood to create paths for the flames and smoke to travel. Little sticks at the bottom, progressing to the big log on top. It's still magic to me. Scary, black magic.

Later, I have to go stock up on marsh mellows. And fireplace cleaner. And pokers.

UPDATED: Paperwork Blues and Christmas Tree Injuries

I guess the honeymoon period of having my house is over. I got a homestead exemption form in the mail. Which was cool, because I was going to have to search the internet and download it, but the county sent it to me first. After filling in the document, which I barely understood, and making a photo copy of my driver's license, I noticed that I couldn't check any of the exemption boxes. It says that you must have lived in the house as your residence on Jan. 1st of the tax year. So I guess I won't get any benefits this year. But, I went ahead and mailed it in just in case it will prevent me from having to do it next year, when I probably won't remember.

Also, I got the real estate tax statement for 2007 in the mail. Then I realized that my housepayment has escrow so that it should be paid automatically by the bank when I send the monthly payment. But then I thought, how would the county know who my mortgage broker is? So I figured I needed to call the bank and let them know how much the bill would be. But their automated answering line said "Have you recently received your 2007 tax statement? Don't worry, it will be automatically applied, and you will see it on your next statement." But again I'm worried that it won't be, and maybe that message was for people who have already been paying their loan for more than a year. I guess I will be patient and see what my next statement looks like. I just don't want to go to jail for tax evasion.

(UPDATE: Somehow it worked! My taxes were shown on the January statement. So now I can assume all has been taken care of. Sweet!)

I took down my Christmas tree yesterday. The front window looks so bare. How quickly we become adjusted to change. It was hard to take apart, and the needles kept biting my hands. I have a few scrapes, but I survived. They go nicely with my sore arm that I got from playing Wii tennis. That's right, I'm sore from playing a video game. On a completely unrelated note, I signed up at the city rec center to get in better shape.

I definitely need to put up some curtains in the front window. I don't know what kind to get. Any suggestions?

And lo, the angel said unto him, Behold the third blog of the day

Something's missing from my mantel. Can you find it? Turn to page 47 for the answer. Or just read the next sentence. I don't have a stocking yet. I think my original stocking at my parents' house finally disintegrated. But I felt weird shopping for 1 stocking. Santa won't be coming to fill it up anyway. And won't it be kind of pathetic? One lil ole sock dangling from the fireplace? Or would it be more pathetic to have mine plus 2 little stockings for the cats?

Reason #354...

that I'm glad I don't have a kid right now (probably the lamest of them all). I can put out my nativity set, and I don't have to hide baby Jesus until Christmas day.

Apparently some parents leave out the baby until closer to the actually holiday. So the porceline, or wood, or plastic (if you have the lil' tykes holiday nativity set) Mary and Joseph are left to stare at the empty space until the big day arrives. Something about how we all need to sit back and anticipate the gift that is to arrive to light the world.

But I am an adult, and I don't really need a reminder about when Jesus is to arrive and since God is timeless, I'm not sure about all this linear calendar thing anyway. And no matter how many times I try to recount the nativity story to the cats, they always insist on putting baby Jesus out before Christmas. They just don't get it, and I don't think they ever will given their tiny feline brains.