Lincoln is a big cat originally from the mean streets of Chicago now living in the idyllic burbs of Iowa. He blogs about life in general - focusing on the little ankle biters who generally leave him alone and don't pull his tail or whiskers.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Friday, May 07, 2010
Mother's Day Weekend Bathroom Massacre!
Alex's bathroom is going down! We are:
-Getting rid of the ugly patterned linoleum flooring
-Replacing vanity with pedestal sink
-Replacing "ferguson"
-Laying tile
We did some cosmetic work on it when we first moved in (light fixture was replaced, wall mirror was ripped out, and bathroom was painted chocolate brown), but are doing the big stuff now.
Thursday Night: Demolition Day
-Getting rid of the ugly patterned linoleum flooring
-Replacing vanity with pedestal sink
-Replacing "ferguson"
-Laying tile
We did some cosmetic work on it when we first moved in (light fixture was replaced, wall mirror was ripped out, and bathroom was painted chocolate brown), but are doing the big stuff now.
Thursday Night: Demolition Day
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Garden Planting Time
We planned and planted our vegetable garden last weekend, and plenty of "Lars Banned" substances were included!
First box
Top left to right - Big Boy tomato, Fourth of July tomato, cherry tomato, pumpkin
Next row - yellow zuccini, acorn squash, okra, cantelope
Next row - basil, lavender, oregano, strawberries
Bottom row - jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers, spicy yellow wax peppers, strawberries
Second box
Top left to right - sweet corn, green beans, sugar snap peas
Next row - cucumbers, brussel sprouts, purple eggplant, broccoli
Next row -yellow onions, cabbage, watermelon
Bottom row - stevia, rosemary, yellow squash, green bell peppers
Boston lettuce was planted all along the edges of both boxes.
Not to be outdone by the grown-up garden, Alex got a Sesame Street gardening kit with watermelon seeds to plant. We are keeping track of the plants and their progress. Jerry Kluver, eat your heart out!
First box
Top left to right - Big Boy tomato, Fourth of July tomato, cherry tomato, pumpkin
Next row - yellow zuccini, acorn squash, okra, cantelope
Next row - basil, lavender, oregano, strawberries
Bottom row - jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers, spicy yellow wax peppers, strawberries
Second box
Top left to right - sweet corn, green beans, sugar snap peas
Next row - cucumbers, brussel sprouts, purple eggplant, broccoli
Next row -yellow onions, cabbage, watermelon
Bottom row - stevia, rosemary, yellow squash, green bell peppers
Boston lettuce was planted all along the edges of both boxes.
Not to be outdone by the grown-up garden, Alex got a Sesame Street gardening kit with watermelon seeds to plant. We are keeping track of the plants and their progress. Jerry Kluver, eat your heart out!
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Easter 2010
Click here to view these pictures larger
check out all of our pictures from this past weekend (oh, and I finally got the smudge off my lens)
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Let the Games Begin...
It's Olympics time, and in our house, that means we are glued to the TV keeping track of the medals, the athletes, and Bob Costas's overwrought human interest stories!
In honor of the Games, I've dug up an old video we took of Alex on his first birthday which I set to the Olympics theme. I still get a laugh out of it...
In honor of the Games, I've dug up an old video we took of Alex on his first birthday which I set to the Olympics theme. I still get a laugh out of it...
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Ice Skating
Alex's cousins from Chicago are in town this weekend and we decided to take the boys ice skating. Cal and Mac have gone a few times before, but this was Alex's first time. He did a great job and enjoyed it...most of the time! Mom's hamstrings got quite a workout from holding Alex up, but she did get to enjoy skating for the first time in years! Cal and Mac had fun too!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Belden
We had to say goodbye to our cat Belden today, and while she's probably the quietest entity in our family, she is no less loved by all of us. Belden had been in declining health the past few months, due to mammary cancer. This type of cancer is basically terminal for cats, and she outlived the 10-12 month time frame by over 6 months. Cancer is a terrible disease to see anyone (or anything) succumb to, it's like they die a little bit more every day as they become less and less like how you know and love them. It brings us comfort to know that she is now at peace.
We had the pleasure of having Belden in our family for 7 1/2 years, and we weren't her first owners. Back in May 2002, I found myself getting my own apartment for the first time without any roommate (my sister was getting married!). I decided to get a cat or a pair of them, and was checking some of the shelters online to see what they had available. This little gray cat named Leokadia somehow grabbed my attention. She was between 3-4 years old and had a sad look in her picture. I just knew this was the cat I wanted. A few weeks later, I had successfully conned my future husband into driving down to the south side to just "take a look" at the cats at the city pound.
We went into the cat area, and lo and behold, she was still there, snoozing away. I asked to see her, she purred and dug her nice sharp claws into my shoulders, I was (literally) hooked, and the rest was history. Matt was kind of concerned and thought she seemed a little lethargic at first, but once she got out of the shelter she was a different cat. Oh, and as a side note, we also got another cat that day, who doubled in weight and now has a blog named after him...
I remember reading an article in the New York Times a few years ago about how house cats evolved from their bigger cousins, and I particularly enjoyed this phrase "With each migration, evolutionary forces morphed the pantherlike patriarch of all cats into a rainbow of species...that led to the most successful cat of all, even though it has mostly forsaken its predatory heritage: the cat that has induced people to pay for its board and lodging in return for frugal displays of affection."
Most cats I've known totally fit that description, including Lincoln. Not Belden, she was like a little dog in her devotedness to me. Following me around the house, snoozing by my head every night. Yet while she was very attached to me, she was definitely not a lap cat, and she did not like to be picked up, but she just loved to be near you. You couldn't ask for a sweeter pet.
I'll miss her dragging our socks and shirts around the house (she even did a blanket once or twice!)
I'll miss being able to count to 20 and have her jump up on the bed within that time period.
I'll miss her lightning fast cat reflexes.
I'll miss how she would try to drink out of water glasses, sometimes knocking them over in the process.
I'll miss seeing her and Lincoln contentedly cuddling next to each other.
I'll miss watching her venture off the back deck and bravely go out into the wilds of our backyard in the summer.
I'll miss watching her defend her turf and swipe at Otto when he would get a bit too friendly and try to "play" with her.
I'll miss her coming to watch Alex's nightly baths, perching on the toilet and staring as if to say "You mean you actually LIKE splashing around in the water like that?"
I'll miss her V-8 engine purring motor.
Goodbye Belden - or Bel, The Bel, Belford, Furd, The Great Sock Thief, The Gray Lady, LGC - Little Gray Cat, as we affectionately called her. You'll always have a special place in our hearts.
(And PS - support your local animal shelters, they have many wonderful animals available for adoption!)
Friday, January 01, 2010
2010: A New Year Odyssey
Happy New Year! I was struck yesterday about how "futuristic" 2010 sounds for some reason. I think I will now refer to it as The
Year 2010...
Year 2010...
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