I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane

Made the reservations for my three legged flight this evening. I'm leaving October 18 for DC to visit my good friend GuiGrl. It's about time, I haven't visited her since she married MarvelousMike seven years ago. She's been out this way three times, but that ain't near enough visiting and it's surely my turn now. Maybe I'll get a chance to say "Hey!" to Cicada while in the nation's capitol, you can never tell.

I leave DC for NC on the 23rd to visit my parents and assorted friends. Rented a car and bought myself a bluetooth headset for my cell phone (I am Borg, I have been assimilated) since I will be driving half way across the state to visit everyone. The dang car rental was only about $60 less than the plane ticket. Ouch! I'll fly home again on November 1st.

The Engineer is not going to like being abandoned for two whole weeks. Usually when I travel on my own, he manages to schedule himself to be out of the country while I'm gone. We'll see what he can come up with this year. Which means I'd better call the kitty sitter and put her on standby. Even if he doesn't go out of town, I may have her come in every few days to clean the litter box. The Engineer does not do litter boxes. He doesn't do any feline bodily byproducts.

I woke up yesterday morning and immediately knew that one of the girls had sinned on the new wool carpeting because of the can of carpet cleaner waiting for me at the site of the indiscretion. It was a hairball. Of course it was right next to the plastic the Engineer has laid to protect the new wool carpet.

Cats have an order of preference when it comes to upchucking:

1. Persian rugs
2. Wool carpeting
3. Shag carpeting
4. All other carpeting/rugs
5. Clothing or Bedding
6. Anything difficult to clean or that stains
7. and dead last -- Hard surfaced flooring: tile, linoleum, vinyl, hardwood, etc.

It is forbidden by
The Cat Code of Conduct
to toss one's crunchies into the litter box or outside in the shrubbery. That simply would not make a proper impression.

Just think, for two whole weeks I won't have to clean up any messes, scoop any poops, cook any meals for the Engineer, wash dishes or clothes or run errands...

Hmmm... Maybe I should make my trip a little longer.

Waiting For Harry

And it's hard, oh so hard.

I ordered the book from Amazon months ago. It came Saturday, as promised. I tore open the smiley faced little box and held the long awaited book in my hands, turning it over and over, looking at the front and back and fly leaves, ruffling the pages, but not peeking.

You see, I'm going to be traveling a whole lot in August and spending a week up in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho in a 100+ year old trapper's cabin (fortunately much refurbished.) The family does this every year. The Engineer and his Twin spend most days fishing. I love to fish, but not like they do.

The Doctors Demento (they have matching PhD's) don't consider it fishing unless life and limb has been risked.

This is Birch Flats, one of their favorite fishing holes.

To quote their annual joke, "There's no birch trees and it ain't flat." Then they laugh uproariously.

They scramble down the baking, black rock cliffs to the river, wade through the rushing current, swimming when necessary, to get to the productive spots, then they fish. They carry Motorola radios with them. Whenever one catches a fish, he radios his brother to taunt him - especially it it's a big fish. They take lots of nice Utah beer (next thing to water) with them to drink so they don't get dehydrated (and I know they pee on the fishes' heads to get rid of it, I've been fishing with them.) When they've either caught their limit or run out of beer, they head back to the car (usually a Cadillac referred to as "the rental heap") after stuffing any fish they've caught into their day packs and pockets. (Guess who gets to do the laundry for both of them at the end of vacation.)

To facilitate their ascent, they have a favorite culvert that's been well colonized by poison ivy. They use the poison ivy vines as climbing ropes. Oddly enough, one or both of them ends up with that particular rash every year. Since they have no nerve endings it bothers them not a bit.

So, no, I don't go fishing with them. I enjoy nature and the tumbling creek beside the cabin, take some photos and read.

I'm saving Harry for Idaho. Don't dare tell me how it ends!