Saturday, December 30, 2006

It's a man's world, unfortunately

Let me get this straight. Tara Conner, Miss USA, gets caught drinking while under age, an activity that is not only illegal, but could be deadly, especially if she gets behind the wheel of a car. But everybody deserves a second chance, right? Nobody's perfect and all is forgiven.

But.

Katie Rees, former Miss Nevada, shows her boobs, an activity that harms no one, and gets the boot -- from an organization whose sole purpose is capitalizing on the sex appeal of attractive women.

Wow. To quote Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, "Didn't you notice the powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity in this room?"

It truly is a man's world, as the late, great James Brown said. The women can't take over soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Coop de ville!

At long last, the coop she is finished.

Our handy dude did a really nice job with it, too. The coop at the former house was built on an existing dog run. Essentially all that needed to be done was to put a roof of chicken wire on top of it. Not a small job, but not terribly a complicated one, either.

Not so the current coop. Since no previous containment structure existed, this one had to be built. It is still using the side of the house as one wall (allowing the kitties access to it from a basement window) and the opposite wall is formed by the existing wooden fence. But the ends (including a handy gate) and the roof had to be constructed.

Our handy dude also outfitted the entryway with a kitty-cat cupola that allows them a high vantage point from which they can view all the tasty woodland creatures that visit our backyard, and a nice series of raised platform that allow them to hop up to the "viewing deck."

Here's a shot of Buster looking down on the almost completed coop from our bedroom window. "When the hell can I go out there?" he is obviously kvetching. Note the cupola in the background.


Here's a shot of the interior and two of the three raised platforms.


And finally, here's the triumphant Buster enjoying his stately perch.


Quite deluxe! "But Frinky!," you cry. "How do the cats get into the coop in the first place!?"

The answer, another series of platforms mounted on the basement wall. The basement window has now been outfitted with a pet door:


Yes, it's very nearly perfect for the kitties, except for the one squirrel who has learned to stand over the coop and hurl insults at the poor caged predators below. All I can say is, he'd better not get too close!

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Mary Cheney toon

I just thought this was funny...

Cooped up

The new cat coop is nearly complete...outside is done. Now we just have to add the series of platforms that will allow the kitties to access it through the basement window. I will post photos when the whole thing is done, but for now I can just say, "not a moment too soon." First, Buster is very much contemplating hurling himself through the window at passing wildlife:


And now he's getting a martyr complex!



Better get that thing done quick before he gets stigmata!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Furry pants

Argotnaut and I continue to settle into the new residence and make it our own. Or to be more accurate, make it our pets' own. We have had ramps installed from the back deck down to the back yard, and along the two sets of steps that lead down to the front sidewalk. Buddy and Pepe have been pretty good about using the ramps and they too are settling into a nice rut. They were treated to an unusual sight in Portland last week, however: a dusting of snow:



That on top of the wettest November in the history of Portland, 12 inches of rain in 30 days. Fortunately, this is about all the snow Portland usually gets.

Meanwhile, the cats are making do until the new cat coop is built:

Where's our cat coop, dammit?!


The handy dude who built our doggy ramps is now in the process of constructing a new coop, which the boys will, I'm sure, disdainfully enjoy.

I guess you can see who wears the pants in this family.

Until the coop is completed, the kitties have to be content with the window box. Buster has accepted this for the time being. Grudgingly.


The humans, meanwhile, are also settling in. Or at least I am. Argotnaut has been so busy with finals that she has yet to make friends with our new abode. But after a trip to the Midwest next week, she should have the last couple of weeks of December and the first week of January to sit in front of the fireplace and also soak in the hot tub. Speaking of the latter, I've been trying to get up to speed with all the chemicals and such that one needs to enjoy a spa. What with all the Ph balancing, alkalinity, calcium levels and bromine concentrations, I feel like I'm back in high school chemistry class. I can hear the guy down at the spa supply place now: "Well, you got the basics down, but to really do it up right, you'll need some ear of foxglove (which you gotta dissolve in rose water), six types of powdered tree frog and some eye of newt, and then you'll be set."

Mmmmm...human cauldron.