Irony. I haz it.

   It usually takes me 1.5 hours to get ready in the morning. That's getting showered, dressed, hair & makeup, snuggling with Kizzy (as she rides around on my neck), feeding the dogs, and playing with them a bit.
   However, on those all-too-common days when my alarm has gone off for an hour and fifteen minutes before I've heard it once, somehow I am able to contract 90 minutes into 30, and dash to the bus stop just in time. A good illustration of how much I like riding, eh? If I went any faster, I'd be reversing time and scientists would be studying me.
   Another weird time thing: when I drive to work, I never get there as fast as I wish I could, and when I ride, it always goes too fast. That's the difference between swearing at traffic, and chilling out.
In other ironic news, twice this week my name has been printed as Rarely, which doesn't happen infrequently.

Aki Unconed

   Tonight when I returned home from work, I could tell Aki was feeling better (even if her wounds still look a little gnarly). So we headed to our agility class--the last one of this series. Only one other student showed up, perhaps due to the heat, so Emma & Max, and Aki & Taylor & me, took turns and ran the course for an hour ourselves. Suddenly we could feel all of the 94 degrees! But the dogs did pretty well despite that, and we had fun, which is the whole idea. Aki did fine without the cone and it was fun to see her bouncing around unhindered again.

   She and Taylor ran laps in the dog park after class (too fast for my camera!), chasing each other, exploring, & hunting by running zig-zags to canvas the entire area. (We saw a large groundhog on the way in tonight.)

Hiding in the shadows...

   Afterward I resisted the urge to just stand & bask in the afterglow of my superclean garage, got the weed wacker started finally, & trimmed the whole yard. After that, and dinner, I'm ready to crash! Good night, internets!

Spa Day!

   Today everybody got a bath... first Aki and Taylor, and then Zoey, who emerged with an even more brilliant and fluffy white coat. I put them outside to dry in the warm sun. They, of course, wanted to come right back in. Sorry, gang!

 Then it was Kismet's turn.

   Don't let the forlorn face fool you. Once she got over the initial shock of the sound of the sprayer, she did very, very well. And looked adorable and hilarious. She didn't like the bath, but she liked being toweled off and she forgave me for the whole ordeal about 0.8 seconds after she was done. The damp kitty followed me all over the house afterward, purring and seeking more attention.

   As you can see, she wasn't traumatized. She is extra-soft and fluffy with a brighter, peach coat, and she smells like lavender. I thought Atom was a ham, but she might be the snuggliest kitty I've ever seen.

    Lest you think she's all good, though, she does like to torture Aki. The dogs are not allowed on my bed. Kitty is. Kitty knows this, and is exploiting it to taunt the dogs.

    While Aki stares at her with her, "Are you freaking kidding me?!" expression...

A Bed of Her Own

Spring tree at sunset

Gypsy has claimed the dogs' bed as her own—I love it!!!

My gorgeous kitty, in the late day sun. I snapped these just before our daily trip to the vet's office:

The dogs always ride along with us. When I arrived and opened the back door, they were staring at Gypsy in her crate. They don't like her hogging all my attention! Guess they know who comes first in my house!  ;)

Home at last, and content to purr and sit on my lap... all night long, for the third night in a row. I haven't slept in my bed in a week, and haven't been sleeping all that well, with a purring kitty on my chest. But I know someday I'm going to miss this more than anything...

Appreciating the Season

   The spring flowers are spectacular, throughout my neighborhood and in my own backyard!

   And... OH, Taylor!

   I've caught him burying bones in my flowerbeds, and bedding down in (aka "crushing") my ground cover. It's a damn good thing he's so cute!

Here he is, in all his dorky glory:

Post-dog-park-sleepy-smile

Dreaming of romping through the woods...

Tired Tay

Too much running at the park = one zonked-out doggie!

Tay is A-OK

   The big man is sleeping soundly. It took 36 hours for his stomach to go back down to normal size. Now he's getting only sips of water and small amounts of food. I must find a way to teach him not to gulp them down, inhaling too much air.

Rear Window

Aki helps me keep my foot elevated.

Taylor isn't really helping much at all.

Gypsy is ready in case I need chest compression. 

 

I feel like Jimmy Stewart in "Rear Window", except all I can see is cat.

The birds have been very active outside. Glad I filled the feeders on Tuesday!

 

So far, no murdering out there. Update later.

Hangin' on the Couch

   I am a highly impatient patient, & am terribly bored after these first three days of lying around. Tired of the pain, ready to be back in my feet and running around again. Am I healed yet???

My caretakers today: Brett, Gyp, & Ak.

Miles to go before I sleep

   There's a commercial running on TV now (for Jeep) that features this beloved poem. It has always been a favorite of mine, as it concisely describes the beauty of winter and appreciate for the quiet of the season. This year, however, we've had less than an inch of snow in KC so far, and therefore have had no snowy hiking opportunities. (It has been in the 60s again all this week!)

   So I guess the one thing I can currently relate to the poem is the feeling of eery quiet brought on by the Percoset—feeling deeply alone when it dulls my senses and forces me to lie still to avoid the intense nausea. Miles to go before I sleep, indeed! The last two nights have been tougher than I ever imagined; I wish the surgeon wouldn't have downplayed the surgery & recovery time when we first met, setting me up for false expectations. But I am sure I'm on the mend... and will be glad to arrive!

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.


My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.


He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.


The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

— Robert Frost

There must be a secret

   There must be a secret cat law that says all vomiting must occur in the 4 o'clock hour... Two mornings in a row. (And little do I know it, but tomorrow will make three.) Sigh.

Rude Awakening

"Feed me now, or I'll get the belt."

   I'm taking it as a good sign that The Gyp is now waking me up to demand her breakfast! She ate almost a full ONE AND A HALF CANS of food today, plus a little dry food. This is huge news, and I couldn't be happier! (I did stack the deck by crushing up freeze-dried salmon and sprinkling it on top of her canned food, but all's fair in love & bribing your pets.

Sugarplums? No.

   The Shibas were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of squirrels danced in their heads... Murderous visions of naughty squirrels! Zzz...  Merry Christmas!!!

Kittylove

   For more than three weeks I've spent the evenings sitting in the family room with Gyp snoozing on my lap, and I've often slept on the couch rather than disturb her. So sweet.

Merry Christmas to ME!

I think I'm in love, and we haven't even slept together yet!

   Happy Birthday, too. I broke down & bought my very own combination-present this year: a Marmot down-filled 15 degree sleeping bag. Renee has been SO AWESOME to share all her gear with me, but I'm starting to acquire my own so I can begin some hardcore backpacking!
   Some people have drug addictions, I have a gear addiction. It's one thing I love to research & shop for. And use. (I'm totally hooked on adventure too.)
   I heard this quote on The Amazing Race recently: "To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live." — Hans Christian Andersen.
   When I was researching the quote online to see who said it, I came across this great article with different perspectives on the subject of travel. So I thought I'd share, since I'm getting ready for some more...

Snug as a Bug in a...

   Mummybag. And hopefully I won't wake up with the drawstring tight around my neck again... Note to self: no tossing & turning!!! How apropos for Halloween, if my friends had found me strangled to death in my tent on a crisp Saturday morning, being feasted upon by hungry werewolv... err, Shibas.

Dinner and a Campfire

   ...But wait! There's more! After enjoying a gorgeous sunset, I met everyone back at camp for a steak dinner (thanks Scott & Allyson!!!), and then we walked up to the Esbergs' campsite to enjoy drinks & snacks with everyone around the campfire. We laughed and talked for a while, and I found it increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open after such a fun-packed day.

   This time when I went to bed, I threw caution to the wind and left the space heater on all night so that we wouldn't be freezing again. I think the dogs were very grateful—Taylor only tried to escape a couple of times, as it was nice and toasty in our tent.