King of Baby Mountain

Most of our unpacking is finished—although I should admit that the few remaining boxes are all mine and are all marked “flotsam and jetsam,” i.e. things that are impossible to find homes for.  

For awhile, we had all the baby stuff in a large pile in the dining room while we got organized, and also while the baby’s room was being painted.  Now the pile is markedly diminished, yet still contains a few large boxes and other items that create various ledges and levels.  Of course, the cats are quite pleased with this state of affairs and enjoy finding spots on Baby Mountain on which they can hunker down and get a few good z's. 

 They are going to be quite sad when the unpacking is finally complete.

Plum thinking, you mean this isn’t part of the permanent décor?

Not Big Enough

Is what Posy thinks of a king-sized mattress:

Dad's Shadow

Sometimes it can be a bit exhausting watching Dorothy fulfill her new self-adopted role as Dad's Shadow.  On the weekend when Sean is doing many a household chore, Dorothy is with him every step of the way.  Literally.  She will be visibly more than ready for a nap, but She Cannot Nap, Unless Dad Is Napping.

Luckily her father will on occasion take a break.

And then Dorothy will join him.

Although she has to keep checking to make sure he has not moved:

It is hard work being Dorothy the Bulldogge.

Yow Ling

I think Posy must know it is almost time for the Summer Olympics to begin, as she seems to have dusted off her previous Olympics' persona and become Yow Ling.  She's always been a vocal cat, but ever since our first night here -- which she spent very happily in the upstairs hallway, by choice, singing  all her favorite arias -- she seems to spend a portion of each day talking VERY LOUDLY.

That's right, I'm talking to you!

I've said this before, but it bears repeating:  for a very small cat, Posy has a very big voice.

Moi?

The basement and attic are still her favorite spots, and if you visit her there, she will trumpet a welcome.  Often several welcomes.

Here she is watching her father and sister work in the yard.  She is a few seconds away from opening her mouth and bellowing.

I admit it is sometimes tempting to tell her to put a cork in it.

Put a cork in what?!

But on the whole I am pleased that she seems to like her new home, and feels inspired to narrate her joy with many a musical roar.

On Guard!

Unlike in my apartment, Dorothy actually now has windows with views.  One of her favorite spots is to stand on one of the living room couches and watch the sidewalk and driveway.  She will bark at the occasional passers-by, and get very excited when her Dad gets out of her car.

There is a three-year-old who lives next door and who will now look for Dorothy in her window and give Dorothy a greeting.  To which Dorothy responds by putting her ears back and wagging her stumpy tail.

Here she is saying goodbye to her cousin Lily, and looking a little unpleased to be left:

Dorothy thinking, why would you leave when I am still here?

Cats In House

Plum and Posy are very much enjoying their new space.  While Plum is claiming primary spots – he likes to lie on the cool tiles of the foyer, and on the comfy mat right underfoot in the kitchen – Posy seems particularly fond of the attic and basement.  

Here is Plum artfully blending into the foyer tiles:

I'm beginning to think the central air I had in my apartment wasn't as enjoyable for my cats as it was for me, since they seem to enjoy being in the hottest areas of the house.  The first few days we were at the house, in fact, Posy could almost always be found upstairs in the attic rolling around on the carpet in the hot sun.  We’ve had to close the attic off now that it is in the high nineties, so after a bit of yowling by the attic door, to no avail, Posy decided she’d take the opposite approach and found herself a comfy spot on a bag of miracle gro in the basement.  My complaint about this spot is that when she does venture upstairs again, she smells awfully musty.

A few days ago I went to get something in my closet, and found Plum colonizing an empty shelf there:

It's not really the spot I would have chosen on a hundred degree day, but each to his own.  A little later I found him curled up behind the toilet, and then curled up on a shelf in the bathroom.


The pleasure of new spots to catnap!

Unpacking With Posy

It turns out that when it comes to moving tasks, Posy likes to "help".  In fact, she seems as willing to "help" unpacking as she did packing.  Of course by "help," she seems to mean lie down in the midst of what I am doing.  And then purr.  Here she is "helping" me unpack my desk:

A few days ago I sat down to write a bunch of thank-you notes, and Posy decided to help me with those too.  First she lay down right where I was writing the notes:

And then she decided that while so situated, she would clean her little furry person:

Don't mind me, Posy!  I'll just sit here until you are done.

Dogge Days of Summer

The past weeks have been weeks of unpacking and getting used to my new train commute, and we are still getting into the swing of things.  The pets seem to be handling the transition quite well on the whole.

Or in Dorothy's case, I think she is handling the transition well.  To be honest, for the past nine days I have not seen much of her.  As I had oft suspected, Dorothy is a one-person dogge, and that person is – alas! – not me.  I don’t see much of Dorothy these days because she is too busy following her father around to pay me any mind.  She is Robin to his Batman, and thus has to be within a few feet of his person at all times.  Oh well!  I do get a few Dorothy cuddles in at night, but that is because she is basically still sharing my side of the bed so as not to disturb Her Master.

She really seems to like the new house though.  We had a few days where we could not get her to eat much, which I think was a combination of her eating too much grass in the yard, and not liking her new kibble.  We're still in the process of finding the right food for Dorothy, who seems to have a lot of allergies.  We've gone from Taste of the Wild to California Natural to Merrick's BG to now Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast.  Hopefully she will like the Earthborn, and more importantly, the Earthborn will like her.

Dorothy is a little unsure of what to make of the suburbs when she goes on her walk—she’s not sure where she is allowed to do her business (where’s all the pavement?!), and I think she misses all the admirers she’d meet on a city walk.

Here she is having plunked down ungracefully on the living room floor in what has become her characteristic pose:  front paws like she is swimming the breast stroke, back right leg bent forward underneath, back left leg heading south.

Dorothy thinking, I've fallen and I can't' get up!

Dorothy and Her Southern Cousins

Dorothy’s cousins Lily and Avery and Auntie Meredith are visiting, and she is having as much fun with them as she did last year when they came to Center City.  Realizing that it had been a whole year since they had witnessed a bed zoomie, Dorothy dusted off her bed zoomie skills and obliged the girls by racing around their mattresses.  It was quite the spectacle!  Although it did cause her father to wonder out loud if perhaps she needed a helmet.

Dorothy loves to be included in any kind of activity Lily and Avery are doing, and she also insists upon being part of a girl huddle.  If two visitors are sitting on the couch, for example, then Dorothy, as a good hostess, is quite sure it is her role to jump on them and try to claim her spot in the ½ inch between them.  She thinks that if two girls are fun, than two girls plus a bulldogge is even better.

Here she is lounging with her cousin Avery:

And this morning, while I was at work, I got texted the following photo.  We’ll call it The Kiss.

Dorothy thinking, I’m not sure I should be cheating on my Dad.