It's My Birthday

 Well, not until tomorrow. But we had a party yesterday, with order-in Italian and this:

A leaning-tower of carrot cake, which I made my own self, since Dr Skull cannot make cakes at the moment. I am not a fifth-generation baker, as you can probably tell. Still, it was tasty. The cream cheese frosting was especially good.

The kid and his husband and one of their grad school friends came over; also Uncle Charger. We had a good time. Next week is the kid's spring break and he and his husband are flying off to Maryland to visit friends. Maryland is where the kid plans to move if the situation does not improve in Arkansas.

The kid painted this for my birthday:

Jasper and my little cat Junti, may her memory be a blessing, cuddling together for once.

It was 20 degrees and wimdy when I took the dog to the park this morning. There were two big dogs there so he had someone to run with.

Cat and Dog Pictures

The dog has learned to sit in the window like the cat.

Cat Pictures

My cats, not fighting for once:

Cats on the Porch

I finally got a picture of my cats on the little porch, their favorite place to be when the French doors are open.

Cat Pictures

Here's Jasper in the front window.That's the tiny rose bush Dr. Skull bought me for Valentine's Day next to her.

Yet Another Moving Report

This one about the cats and dog:

The little dog adjusted right away. He loves it here. He especially loves all the many windows that run floor to ceiling that he can look out of, watching vigilantly for bunnies and birds and squirrels, but also leaves that blow across the yard. Each time, he barks wildly and demands to be let out to chase them.

The cats have finally emerged from hiding, but now they wander the house wailing. Once they find me (specifically me, mostly, but sometimes Dr. Skull) they are fine; but until then, they walk the halls and scream: I'm lost! I'm lost! What is this place! I'm lost!

This lead to us making chirping kitty noises and saying, "Kitty! Kitty! We're in here, kitty!" over and over and then, finally, exasperated, "In here, dumb ass! Here!"

As a last resort, I go and pick the cat in question up and fetch her to me. Dr. Skull just shuts his office door and plays his guitar louder.

More Cat Pictures

Here's where Jasper likes to sleep while I'm writing. Sometimes she shifts around, puts her chin on the ENTER key. and created havoc in my manuscripts.

Cat Pictures

We brought the kid home for the summer today -- or, well, for the month of July. (He's taking an interim course in August, so he goes back then.)

Here's the cat, coming warily to greet him:

Real Life Drama at the delagar Household

The two cats converge on my chair, where I am busily writing my novel, my earphones on, Steve Earle singing about laying his guitar down in my ears. They are staring intently upwards.

This is never a good sign.

I twist around in the chair toward the window to see what has caught their attention.

Holy hell, it's wasp.

I leap from the chair, spilling my laptop and coffee and dignity. Two minutes later, the wasp is smashed, the dog has fled in terror and the cats are watching me from the Way High Up.

"Why did you let a wasp in the house?" I demand of them. "What kind of cats are you?"

They regard me with disdain. Obviously wasps are my department.

Kitties

Here is a photo of my cats.

Bonus content: the Tiffany window pane Dr. Skull got me for my birthday. If you look really closely, you can also see the orange robot.

Jury Duty, New Semester, Laundry

The year so far:

Jury Duty: I have jury duty. Here in Arkansas, that means I have jury duty for four months. Every week, I have to check a website and see if "my" case is going to court or not. (My case is the one my jury panel is serving that week.) If it is, I have to report in at nine a.m. the next day, me and about sixty other people. Then 24 of us are selected at random. If the 12 jurors are chosen from those 24, the rest of us get to go home. So far I've had to report one week and been sent home the other week.

This is the Future Liberals Want

My cat climbs into my lap and butts her head against my shoulder (her signal that I should carry her to her food dish and give her food).

I ignore her, since I'm in the middle of working.

She butts a little harder, and then claws me gently on the ear.

Me: Hey! Not acceptable!

Cat: (Claws a little harder.)

Me: (Capturing cat and looking at her eye to eye): That is not appropriate behavior. Do I claw you when I want something?

Cat: (Sullenly) Mwar.

Me: No, I don't. So you don't claw me.

Apparently I am trying to teach a cat ethics.   #LiberalBehaviorGoesTooFar

(The meme referenced in the title, in case you have been on Mars and missed it: This is the Future Liberals Want.)