British Invasion

The last several days have brought numerous changes. Elway and I had mostly figured out that Mandy was company cleaning so we guessed someone was coming but it happened in an unusual manner.

Well, Wednesday night rather than getting ready for bed, Sam and Mandy dressed and left the house. When they returned, I was waiting for them by the front door, and they had a lady with them. She had the most unusual accent. I have never heard such a sound before. She stayed with us for a few days, and I have deemed her most lovely. We call her Ann because that is what Mandy called her. Ann admired me and laughed when I played with Red Lightening Bug. She was very pleasant to be around. Mandy said Ann is from a very far away from a place across the big water called Britain. Ann said I am exceedingly handsome!

Ann and Mandy played together for several days running here and there. Sam even participated in some of the fun and all three jumped in the big tub. I watched them from the window.

However, our Invasion did not end there and included more than the British. On Saturday, Sam left Mandy and Ann and went away. Later Mandy and Ann left too. Ann took all of her things, so I was not sure if I would see her again. But later that afternoon, Mandy, Sam, and Ann returned home with more visitors! They brought Bomom and Bonedad.

Yesterday must have been some kind of holiday. Sam stayed home with Mandy and they slept, baked, cleaned house and even woke us up from our naps to drag us outside while they splashed around in the big tub. Elway and I were less than thrilled to be awoken from our nap only to be dragged outside in the heat.

Then last night, all the people came back only they had two more people! There were so many people here, I could not keep track up them. Elway did not seem to mind the extra people. He walked around the table while they ate dinner and picked up bites off the floor. He said dinner was delicious, and I managed to sneak a bite from Mandy a little later. Elway sure had the right idea. I sat in the bedroom doorway and watched everyone from a great distance. At one point, Mandy picked me up and brought me out for everyone to admire me. I was uncomfortable, but I allowed everyone to look at me. However, Bomom dared to touch me and I told her just what I thought about that! She laughed and withdrew her hand. Mandy said I was being snobby, but to be honest I did not even know she was behind me when she touched me and it was just startling. I imagine you would not like to be touched by someone you could not see if you were being displayed for the whole world to see.

This morning, I am wondering if life is returning to normal. Sam went to work, and Mandy is moving slowly again. However, it will take a few days of this schedule for me to know that life has returned to normal. Bomom and Bonedad have a way of stealing Mandy away even when I do not seem them. So, I am waiting a few days to see if they are still here before I say for sure that life is back to normal.

I am going to remind Mandy that I am hungry for crunchies. I do not want her to forget to feed me.
Peyton

Weekend Happenings

This weekend was strange. Saturday morning Sam and Mandy woke up fairly early and we all had breakfast. Then the strangest thing happened—my people went back to bed! Not only that, but they slept until the sun was high in the sky! Peyton slept at their feet, but I curled up in the window and watched the sun pass through the sky.

Finally, Sam and Mandy woke up and got out of bed. I was worried they might eat and go back to sleep, but thankfully, they dressed. Then Sam started working out back again. Mandy started working in the house, cleaning in the kitchen and in the forbidden upstairs rooms.

I assumed Sam and Mandy would stay up late since they slept so late, but they didn’t. They went to bed at their normal time, and slept! They must have been very tired.

Yesterday, after their Sunday activities, Sam continued working outside, and I think he is almost done! I sure hope so because I’ve missed being outside because of some wet goop on the ground! Mandy wrapped up a gift and left Sam working. She must have gone to a girl party or something because Sam stayed home.

In the middle of the night, Peyton and I woke up Mandy and Sam when we were playing. We got a little rough, and Sam flashed his big moving light on us and growled some kind of threat that was a little more believable than Mandy's sleepy voice telling us to stop. We hit our separate corners until our people went back to sleep and then tried to play quietly.

Mandy is off to a fairly early start today. I think she is getting ready for company. I wonder who is coming. I guess I will find out soon enough. I’d better go. There’s no telling what that crazy girl will do when I’m not watching her.
Elway

Loud Work

Yesterday strange men showed up at our house and started making all kinds of loud noises! After a while, I figured they were not going to come in my house since all of the noise was coming from outside. When I came out of hiding Mandy gave me treats for being so brave! I went upstairs and Mandy opened the blinds for me. I could see the men outside and they were tearing out our bushes and dirt and sand was flying all over the place.

Sam came home early and talked with the men outside. After the men left, Sam worked on spreading the goop outback. It looks like that goop has covered most all of our patio now! He has almost completed his work.

Today the men came back and planted stuff in our yard. It looks beautiful!
Mandy has been cleaning up in the house again. I wonder if she’s just spring cleaning or if someone is coming. I have not been able to figure out her cleaning method yet.

I am going to attempt to take a nap, but Mandy has been interrupting my naps, so I am unsure how long I will be able to sleep before she wakes me up.
Peyton

Outside Wonders!

This morning Mandy opened up the doors and let us explore outside! Sam has been busy with that goopy concoction outside, and this morning I was able to examine his handiwork. He is doing a fine job, although I noticed a few places he has marked for touch-ups. However, I noticed the most particular change outside. It’s absolutely extraordinary! There is a hole in the ground next to the big tub!

I only noticed it today. I do not believe this hole existed before; otherwise I am certain I would have observed it. There used to be a small square that was different than the rest of the patio right next to the big tub. I could often hear water running underneath it, but I could never see the water. However today, the square was magically uncovered! I could see the water washing from the big tub into this small space. There is a bucket in this space and it catches all sorts of dirty wet items such as leaves and bugs. It is absolutely gross! I spent a long while staring at this hole in the ground. I think it would be rather dangerous, and I do hope that Mandy and Sam can either replace the cover or fix the ground. Mandy said it was because of the work Sam was doing. He had to move the cover so it was not painted in that smelly goop. Mandy tried to snap my picture while I was intrigued with this hole, but I am always aware of Mandy’s inner shutterbug, and casually walked away every time she grabbed the camera.

I tried to show Elway my discovery, but he was on guard mode. Mandy was cleaning the windows again. This time she was outside with me, and she was standing on the footstool. Elway watched closely to make sure everything Mandy did was safe. He also sat on the inside and pointed out spots she missed. I did notice that Elway did not have to point out spots very often.

Mandy has finished most of the outside windows. And now she is working in the house. Thankfully, I think lunch time is coming soon. Mandy has been very kind to share her food with us lately, so I look forward to her mealtimes as much as my own.
Peyton

Bloody Monday

Yesterday morning was fabulous! Although it would have been better had Mandy let us outside to play because it was beautiful outside. She only opened the windows with screens on them because she said the paint was still wet. Bummer.

Mandy decided to clean the windows yesterday, when something awful happened to her. I'm not really sure what happened, since I was in the other room. She started on the inside since the wet paint kept her inside too. I was sitting in the kitchen window when Mandy came rushing in. She started running water on her finger and called Sam. I could tell in her voice that something was wrong. As soon as she hung up from Sam she wrapped something around her finger and sat down on the floor and started making awful sounds. I came rushing over to look at her, but the loud noises she was making scared me. Peyton came into the kitchen and we calmed her down enough to get her to the couch. She sat crying and holding her finger above her head.

It was then we figured out she wrapped paper towel around her finger but it was turning red. It was very gross. Peyton and I sat a ways away from Mandy and watched her. It wasn’t long after that when Sam came home. Boy were we glad to see him! He held Mandy until she stopped crying and he looked at her finger. It was gross and Peyton and I left because it was really nasty.

Sam was able to clean up Mandy’s finger and calm her down. She was shaking all over and I could tell she hurt. Sam made her lunch and sat with her until she went to sleep. Then he went back to work.

Peyton and I gave Mandy a lot of space hoping she would sleep a long time. When she woke up I stayed with her all day. Whenever she moved around I jumped up and tried to stop her. I sniffed at her finger before I would give her permission to go on. Sometimes I would push her back to the couch and make her sit back down.

Last night Sam changed the bandage on Mandy’s finger and said it was looking a little better. Today we are watching Mandy. I have already tried to move around the window cleaning supplies to keep Mandy from finishing up. She hasn’t made an effort to continue cleaning the windows; perhaps she will do something else today. I believe that would be the best thing.

Oh look! Mandy opened the doors for us! I’m going outside to play!!
Elway

Gurgle Gurgle, Gone

Elway has started another battle with Mandy and Sam and it is a losing battle, in fact, I think he has completely lost this battle. I do not know why he feels the need to upset them and force them to take mean action to stop his nonsense.

Here is the problem…

Our water dish comes in two parts, a dish and a bottle that fits into the dish. When we drink enough water, the bottle makes a gurgling sound and fills up the dish with fresh water from the bottle. It is really a great dish. Unfortunately, Elway has become obsessed with the gurgling sound the bottle makes. He hits at the dish, knocking water all over the floor in order to force the bottle to make the gurgling sound. How kitten-like, really? Well, eventually Elway knocks the bottle over, and spills water all over the bathroom floor. The bottle then gurgles until all the water has spilled all over the floor. He always does this at night while Mandy and Sam are trying to sleep, so when they wake up in the morning they walk into the bathroom and step on a slippery wet floor.

Mandy’s first idea to fight this was to clean the dish, so we had to go without our dish for a while. Mandy gave us a boring kitchen bowl to drink out of while our fancy gurgling bowl went through the cleaning machine in the kitchen. However, as soon as we had our bowl back, Elway proceeded to knock it over in the middle night. Not just once. Not even twice. But three nights in a row!

Well, I cannot say I blame Mandy for what she did next, because I did not like walking through the puddle on the bathroom floor Elway created every night. She took off the bottle form our fancy dish and now she just fills it up with water for us without the bottle or the gurgling noise. The upside to this decision is we get fresh water twice a day, but it is rather disappointing that there is no gurgling noise. Someday perhaps my brother will learn not to push his luck. Perhaps, but it is unlikely.

Today should have been a relaxing afternoon, but it has not turned out that way. Mandy and Sam came home after their Sunday Morning activity, and ate dinner. Then Sam changed clothes and started slopping goop all over outside again. Mandy chased us down and cut our claws. It was necessary, but Mandy never cuts our claws when Sam is home, so I ran and hid. She had to solicit Sam’s help to catch me. The nice things about short claws are the wonderful treats we get for letting Mandy butcher our beautifully sharp claws, and the ability to really tear into our scratching posts. Then Mandy pulled out the Evil Villain and cleaned up our clipped claws--so much for our quiet and relaxing Sunday afternoon.

Sam is really making progress outside. I am watching to make sure he does not miss a spot.
Peyton

Blog Oddities

So I posted yesterday, I know I did, but when I checked the blog today, my post was GONE! So, I re-posted my update and that’s why there’s a double post today.

This afternoon, Mandy started hollering for me to wake up. She said she needed some help or something. So after much reluctance I dragged myself out of bed to see what exactly Mandy was doing. When I came out of the bedroom, Mandy had torn apart the front closet where Vacuum lives! She has boxes all over the place! What a mess! Not only that but boxes and packing paper exploded all over the kitchen table. However, stuff is starting to appear that I haven’t seen since we moved here. And some of it is stuff Mandy says predates us! I can’t believe she still has boxes to unpack! What a lazy girl. I mean it! How long have we been here, and she pulls out boxes today?! Unbelievable!

When Sam came home last night, he started working outside again. Mandy took us outside to watch Sam after we ate dinner. He’s glopping that smelly sticky stuff all over the ground. Normally Mandy is the one with the nasty stuff, but she puts it on the walls. I don’t understand why Sam is putting it on the ground. And it’s even stranger that Mandy is not at least helping him. She likes to play in that stinky stuff.

It’s starting to get dark outside, and Mandy says it might rain. That would be nice. Unless there are those loud noises that come with some of those storms. That loud banging is rather unnerving. Even Peyton dislikes it. We try to stay close to Mandy when those big storms roll through. Sometimes Peyton will even wake Mandy, if the storms come through at night.

Well, I think Mandy should put the closet back together. The front of the house looks awful but I am enjoying smelling all these items that are normally hidden in Vacuums lair.
Elway

Furniture Movement

The other night, after Sam and Mandy shut us in our room for the night they left and made a whole bunch of noise. Peyton and I had to wait until morning to figure out what our people did to make all that noise. When Sam let us out of the room yesterday morning the dining room had been torn apart. The forbidden table had been moved. Peyton and I checked everything out, but other than the rearrangement of furniture, which our people do regularly, it all seemed normal.

Later in the morning though, our normalcy was challenged. The doorbell rang, and Peyton and I ran to the bedroom for protection. Mandy said we were great guard cats. I think she was being sarcastic. When we came out a few hours later, a new piece of furniture was sitting next to the forbidden table. It is tall and it has doors that slide back and forth. Mandy cleaned it all up, and knocked a few packing peanuts on the ground. I love packing peanuts, but when I grabbed one and ran away, Mandy chased me down and took the peanut right out of my mouth! How mean! Then she vacuumed up all the peanut leftovers on the ground. I couldn’t believe the villain could eat the peanuts, but I could not. How unfair! But I did manage to slip away with a tiny peanut that I hid in the bedroom. I ate it before Mandy could take it from me. Meow!

Sam and Mandy have put the forbidden table back in the right place, and reminded me that I am not allowed on the table. I can’t even jump on the table to look at the new item. It just doesn’t seem fair.

Mandy has spent the last few days hanging out with us. In return, I have helped her clean house and do all her chores. She says she enjoys my company. I like to watch her do her chores. It seems like she does the same things over and over again. Very strange.

Well, Mandy really needs to get started today. There is a lot I think she is planning on doing, at least she had a long list she told Sam she wanted to accomplish. She’d better get started.
Elway

Back to Normal

When Mandy and Sam woke up yesterday, I thought Mandy might have been going back to work or leaving me for a while. She hasn’t woke up and dressed for the day with Sam since tax season, and I was sad that she might leave me. I jumped on the counter while she put powder on her face, and cried. She saw the big crocodile tears streaming down my face, and she was sad to see my cry. I let her snuggle me and wipe my tears away. She promised she would come back soon because she wasn’t going work. She didn’t lie either, she and Sam were only gone an hour. When they came home, I snuggled Mandy and told her I was so happy she came back to me!

Ajulie was still here when Mandy and Sam left. She slept late and then ate breakfast, but she gave her milk to Peyton. Apparently, he sat with her the whole time and asked sweetly. Meow. Whatever.

Ajulie packed up all of her stuff and Mandy took her away. I guess she is gone because she didn’t eat dinner with Mandy and Sam, and I don’t hear anything upstairs. She was fun to watch, and Mandy seemed to enjoy her company. Mandy was sad when Ajulie left. I liked watching Ajulie chase Peyton around. I think more people should chase Peyton. Meow!!

Today I am hoping Mandy stays home and gives us all of her attention. She really needs to clean the house, and I intend to help her. I just need to motivate her to get up and start working.
Elway

Chaos!

You would not believe everything going on around here. Life has turned upside down. We knew company was coming, but Mandy brought Ajulie home. She says we have met her before, but she is rather strange. She calls herself a monster, and it is an apt description. She stands next to Mandy as Mandy fixes our dinner, and then stays close by expecting us to eat. MEOW! Peyton comes out at night and watches her from a great distance. Whenever her toes twitch Peyton stairs at Ajulie and makes sure she isn’t about to pounce on us. She hasn’t pounced yet, but I know she wants to pounce, so we like to keep our distance.

Sam is also doing strange things outside. We always help Mandy paint, but she paints the walls. Sam has taken all of the painting tools outside and he is painting the ground around the pool. We are banished inside until all of the paint is dry, and I don’t know how long that will take. I can’t wait until we can go outside again. Sam can’t even come in the doors because he blocked them with this wet paint. Whenever he wants to come in the house, he has to go clear around and come in the front door!

This afternoon Mandy came into the kitchen and found water dripping from the ceiling! Oh no! She made Ajulie call Sam in from the back yard and he had to come in the front door. They cleaned up the water, but couldn’t figure out where it came from. So, Sam said he would figure it out after he finished painting.

Mandy and Ajulie have been spending a lot of time at the beach. When they come home they smell like sunscreen and sand. They also leave great piles of sand all over the house; it is a great big mess!

Well, I need to finish watching Sam. He’s moving stuff around outside!
Elway

Something's Up

Something’s going on, but I haven’t figured it out yet. Mandy worked hard to clean the house this morning, so I think our company is coming today. Then she got all ready for the day, but now she is sitting on the couch, playing on the computer and relaxing. She keeps talking to someone on the phone too, it sounds like delays. I don’t know what’s going on, and it’s a bit confusing, so I am selecting to stay hidden in bed. Life is much less scary when hidden away in bed.

Mandy and Sam worked outside again last night. Sam used the grass eater and Mandy worked on the patio some more. Peyton sat in the kitchen window and watched as Sam pushed the grass eater around, and I watched Mandy purge the patio of black dirt. Our outside is looking so pretty.

This morning, the evil Villain came out. I am beginning to wonder if I misjudged him. When Mandy pulled him out of his lair, she took him apart. I was able to look at his guts and all he has is a bag. Mandy put in a new bag, and I looked inside. He was pretty empty. Mandy took him into the bedroom and he cleaned the carpet, and then came back out to the living room. I hung out by the kitchen window and smelled the beautiful lilies. When Mandy turned Vacuum off, I slowly took my time sauntering into the bedroom. I knew he wouldn’t roar to life until I was safely in the bedroom and he didn’t. I sat in the bedroom doorway and watched him work. He stayed away from my toys and cleaned the carpet; he even managed to clean up my scratching post. Maybe he’s not such a villain after all. Perhaps he is just loud.

Mandy just got off the phone again. She seems sad, and looks like she might settle in for a nap. I guess whatever she found out means there is time for a nap, so I’m heading back into hiding.
Elway

Lazy Days

I have heard that Summer is full of Lazy Hazy Days, but today was a gloriously lethargic day. Mandy ended up sleeping on the couch again after lunch. This is becoming a regular habit, and I am a bit unaware why. Mandy has never slept during the day before.

After she woke up, she pulled Villain up the stairs and he roared to life disrupting my nap. Now, I know intruders are coming to my house, I just do not know when they will invade. Villain only travels up the stairs when trespassers are coming. I am fairly confident it will not be tonight, because Mandy is wearing outside working clothes again. It is beautiful outside, and the windows have been open today. When Elway and I are awake, we enjoy sitting in the kitchen window feeling the breeze rustle through our fur coats. The breeze was so strong this morning that I worried it my blow us off the counter! However, we were able to stay fixed firmly in place without the wind blowing us away.

Today Elway and I took our turns climbing the bookshelf. It made Mandy pretty angry, but it was fun. I made it all the way to the top! Mandy says if we decided to play king of the mountain again, we are only allowed to use the stairs. We will see Mandy. We will see. Meow.
Peyton

My Kind of Day

I love to spend time with Mandy, but at a distance. Normally Elway receives all the credit for helping Mandy around the house, but I do my share. It is a thankless job because I do keep my distance.

Yesterday, I greeted Mandy when she came home from the store. I stayed close to her as she put all her new items away, and watched as she fixed her lunch. Then I sat close to her waiting patiently for a bite of egg. I was not disappointed; however, Elway did get in on my egg, so I think I might have been cheated out of a few bites. Once Elway was full of egg, he went into the other room and napped, so I was left alone to watch Mandy. She must have been awful tired because as soon as she finished eating she was sound asleep. It is unlike Mandy to sleep so soundly during the day, so I opted to nap close by to keep a watchful eye on her.

She was asleep a long time, and when she finally woke up, she was groggy. I followed her around and she moved laundry around. She eventually settled down on the floor of the bedroom, but not before she took the dresser apart. Pretty soon, she had piles of clothes all over the floor and the drawers were empty. Then she put everything back in the draws, and they look very organized.

When she finished destroying the bedroom, she left the draws all over the floor, and came back to the couch. She still seemed rather sleepy, so I sat behind her on the couch and hit her with my tail to keep her awake.

When Sam came home, he helped Mandy put the bedroom back together. Then Mandy left and Sam went out back and was playing in the dirt beyond the screen. I watched him, hoping my pitiful looks from the window would remind him that I was hungry. However, he ignored me. I do not think he even saw my pleas from the window. When Mandy returned home, she took me out back and I yelled and screamed so Sam would hear us coming. He agreed to come in for dinner, so Mandy took me back in and fed me. I was happy for a scrumptious meal.

During the evenings, Red Lightening Bug has been coming out to play. I played with him off and on for a few hours. He was very playful, and I chased him from the couch into the kitchen, and up the walls. Mandy said I had some good jumps. However, I am worried about Red, his light is fading, and I am worried he might not be well. But even if he is ill, he is still very energetic.

Well, I believe Mandy is going to work some today. I think we are getting ready for some company, because she is doing that kind of cleaning. I wonder who will come.
Peyton