Putting in a Kitty Wonderland

November 21, 2020 Timothy Price81 Comments

Gwendolyn: “Wow! Is this kitty wonderland really for me?”

I have been wanting to put kitty hammocks on the opposite wall from the current two kitty hammocks. However, the problem I was facing was what to put on the opposite wall for the kitties to climb to get to the hammocks. When the kittens, Glenda and Gwendolyn, figure out how to get out into the rest of the house there are going to be a lot of issues with only two hammocks.

Another problem is the kittens are always climbing the walls to get in high places. I am planning on putting shelves near the ceiling for them to play on, but I had the same problem of what to put in the room they could climb to get onto the shelves instead of climbing the walls.

While looking for ideas online, I finally decided that a kitty play structure would do the trick. We found a play structure with the best features, dimensions, and height that looked like it would do the trick and I ordered two of them: one for the big kitties in the dance room and one for the kittens in the bedroom.

The play structures were delivered Thursday, so I spend much of the day between other chores and projects putting together kitty play structures. The kittens have really taken to their play structure. Gwendolyn really loves it. The big kitties helped me put theirs together, and four of them got on it before I could move it to the corner and secure it to the floor and wall. Since then, the big kitties have been lounging on and off on the play structure. I ordered hammocks, so next week I’ll be installing new hammocks.

All the parts. Silver beating up on a toilet paper roll. That’s a story for another post.

The instructions had me assemble the cat houses first.

Sasha helping out.

Spunk checking out Sasha checking out a cat house.

Marble went straight for a higher platform and started playing with her tail on it.

Spunk

Silver & Spunk

Marble, Silver, Spunk, and Sasha

Loki

Gwendolyn

The Kittens on the structure in its place in the bedroom. It replaced my nightstand.

Gwendolyn and Glenda

The big kitties’ play structure in its corner of the dance room.

Sasha is satisfied.

Hoodwinked

November 8, 2020 Timothy Price46 Comments

The newly wired-in deck in panorama.

Before Spunk disappeared, we were not allowing the big cats to go out freely. Since the kittens seemed to be on the verge of figuring out the kitty door to the rest of the house, we didn’t want an open kitty door that would let them outside. I have plans to extend the catio, but since the kitties always want to be with us on the deck, I decided to wire in the deck so we can open the kitty door and they can go out and hang out on the deck, but they can’t go beyond the deck.

I added three doors where the steps to the deck are and wired in the rest of the deck. The whole time I was working on it the kitties were in the catio meowing at me to let them onto the deck and beyond. I kept telling them to hold on, I was almost done. When I finished hanging the double doors, I opened the kitty door and called at cats to come out on the deck. They came running but soon became very confused that they were wired in, separated from the great outdoors beyond the deck. They felt hoodwinked. So far Sasha is the only kitty taking advantage of access to the deck and the deck furniture. All the kitties liked lounging on the deck before it was wired in. I think Loki, Silver, and Marble are being defiant and registering the kitty complaints for being hoodwinked.

Sasha lounging on the chaise lounge.

The newly wired-in deck in super-wide-angle.

Sasha on a comfy cushion. She doesn’t feel hoodwinked. She appreciates access to the deck.

Silver: “Give me free access to the great outdoors or give me couch!”

Broken Cycle

October 26, 2020 Timothy Price56 Comments

My car with windswept snow in the parking lot on Old Route 66 between 2nd and 3rd Streets.

Our months-long dry spell was broken today with a major windstorm, followed by snow.

The snow was still faling when I got home.

Silver and Sasha enjoying a warm counter.

Dale’s peach tree with Resa’s Tree in the background.

Snow caused the black bamboo to bend over and cover Marina’s Tree. The top of Lavinia’s tree is showing on the left.

Catio in the snow.

My decadent birthday dinner: home made, hot and spicy, green chile cheese fries.

The Blog Must Go On

October 2, 2020 Timothy Price63 Comments

Gwendolyn: “If you stop blogging everyone will miss seeing me grow up into a beautiful kitty!”

After a major pussy riot by all felines in the household, and a sound pussy whipping by said felines and other females in the household, I am being forced to withdraw all threats of not blogging.

Glenda: “And everyone would miss my cuteness!”

“How could you stop sharing THIS with the world?”

“People would miss out on all my great poses and being a Hellcat!”

“Don’t Eeeven think about it buster!”

“Meh!”

“Oh, brother! Dude!”

“AAahhh! What about all my girlfriends? AAaahh! What about all my admirers? AAaahh! What about all the modeling and acting I do for your blog? AAaahh! I’ll whack your pee pee if you quit blogging. AAaahhh! I’m going to whack it just for you thinking about not blogging and leaving me out in the cold!”

“I think I’ll give you a paw sandwich!”

“How about if I give you sad eyes?”

“You’re making me go all corny and flaky just thinking about it!”

“The thought of not being blogged!”

“I simply can’t bear the thought of it!”

“How can you Eeeven think about denying all those lovely women who adore me this beautiful face?”

Kitty Fun Friday

July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 Timothy Price54 Comments

Loki

Marble

Silver

Sasha

Spunk

¡Hace Calor!

July 11, 2020July 11, 2020 Timothy Price48 Comments

The forecast for Corrales was for 105º F (40.6º C). Our thermometer, which was in the shade at 16:18, showed 103.9º F (39.95ºF). The weather app on my phone showed 106º F (41.1º C) at 16:24. The air was dry at 17% humidity outside. It was hot and dry enough that the water feed into our evaporative air-conditioner could not keep up with the evaporation rate. The water level would fall below the pump’s inlet, so it could not pump water up to the pads until the water filled the base back up enough for the pump to suck up water and send it to the pads, where the water would evaporate quickly, and the water level would fall below the pump’s inlet again. If the water wouldn’t have been evaporating faster than the water filling the base of the cooler, the temperature in the house would have been 5 to 10 degrees cooler.

So what do the kitties do when the temperature is over 100º F outside? They lie around inside where the temperature 22 degrees cooler than outside.

Sasha cooling off on the base of the treadmill.

Marble stretched on the box on the table on the treadmill.

Loki giving me that “You’re bothering me boy!” look on the self in front of the treadmill.

Loki ignoring the paparazzo to concentrate on an electrifyingly cool nap.

Spunk discovered that lying in a small box in front of the cooler increased the airflow.

Silver in his favorite box on the table.

My Chair

June 29, 2020June 29, 2020 Timothy Price47 Comments

Sasha took my chair and wouldn’t give it back.

Challenges

May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 Timothy Price53 Comments

There seems to be all kinds of challenges in the blogosphere, mostly photo challenges, and writing challenges. Here are a few challenges I recorded.

The first challenge was the song that started out as a drum track that Joel put together. He sent me the track and gave me the challenge to make a song out of it. I laid down a bass track, followed by a rhythm guitar track. I made up a vocal track on the spot, so I have not written down the lyrics, then I laid down the lead guitar track. One take for each track. I named the song Joel’s Beat.

The second challenge was when I was finally able to get my car washed (car washes had been closed under the lockdown). I washed my car and what did I get? Dust and muddy kitty prints all over the lid.

The third challenge was for Big Baby Owl who had flown over to another branch on the cottonwood tree, then decided to climb the trunk of the tree to get up where Mama Owl was perched high above her. Big Baby Owl climbed and climbed, flapped her wings over the more difficult parts, and finally got into a fork in the tree about 10 feet from Mama Owl. She looked up at Mama Owl and Mama Owl flew off. Big Baby Owl was devastated. She just stood in the fork of the tree with her head bowed (click on the photos for an enlarged slide show).

The fourth challenge was photographing black Irises that are bleached purple in our intense sunshine. The irises look almost black to the naked eye, but properly exposed photos show how purple black really is.

The fifth challenge was doing super wide-angle photos of Spunk and living to write about it and post the photos.

Outside The House In The Rising Sun

April 21, 2020April 21, 2020 Timothy Price43 Comments

0A6A0250 — Silver is catching a sunbeam as it spills over the irrigation border.

I opened the kitty door a little before sunrise. I tied up the trash and walked outside to find the sun peeking over the Sandias. All the kitties, except for Lola†, were lounging outside the house in the rising sun.