SHUT THE DOOR!

After years and years of having an open door policy, I have given up and SHUT THE DOOR - to the bedroom.

We've had a parade of cats for around 20 years, and they've had access to most of the house all that time.  But now, as you may have read earlier, since June, we have four, yes, count them, FOUR, cats and ONE large (sweet) dog, and it has become a HAIRY issue, literally.

There's hair on the bed (the other bedrooms were already off limits), hair on the stairs, hair on the rugs, hair on the chairs, hair on the sofa, hair along the baseboards, hair in the bathroom sinks.  You get the picture - everything is covered with HAIR.  And no, it is NOT true that everything tastes better with cat/dog hair in it.  Bleah.

I could dust mop and vacuum every day, and still find hair/fur tumbleweeds rolling down the hallway.  There's so much hair, I often wonder why the cats aren't completely bald.  The dog contributes, too, of course, but there's only one of him, even though he's so big.

I do like the way the cats cuddle with me on the sofa and on the bed, though - until Feline Thermonuclear War is declared.  Then I'm trampled by what feels like a herd of elephants, accompanied by growling, yowling, hissing, and barking (the cats, not the dog - yes, our cats bark).  It sounds like mountain lions have overrun the house.  The dog cowers in his crate (it's his safe space).

To truly understand the phrase, "the fur flies," you need to see my house after a bout of FTW - there are big tufts of fur all through the house.  The cats don't discriminate among the rooms open to them.  It's an equal opportunity war zone.

Anyway, I went to Disney World with The Girl and The First Grand for a week early this month.  Imagine it - a week with NO ANIMAL HAIR.  What a concept.

It didn't even occur to me until after I got home and was immediately covered in animal hair just how much I try to cat-proof the house.  While I was gone, I didn't worry about where to put things down to avoid cats lying on them, whether the strings for the blinds were dangling enticingly or the blinds themselves were reachable so the ends of the slats could be used as chewy toys, or where I put my fingernail file (also a favorite chewy toy), or whether the shower curtain and liner were in a position to be shredded, or where I put papers to keep them from being barfed on.

Thus, after being home a couple of weeks, and one particularly bad night when I tossed all the cats out into the hall, I decided to SHUT THE DOOR to the last bedroom.  They'll just have to make do with the hallways, the living room, the dining area, the kitchen, one bathroom, the utility room, and the stairs.

And I get to use the bedroom again without any cat-consciousness.  Oh, happy day!  I can put away the fleece throws and old towels meant to keep the cats and their fur off my unseen, but attractive, comforter.  I can use the blinds normally.  I can fold clothes on the bed.  I can open the windows all the way.  I can get up in the middle of the night and not step on a fresh, wet hairball (oh, THAT'S a treat!).  I can get dressed without a lint roller.

With that ONE decision, I made some parts of my life easier.  Just by shutting the door!

There's a lesson there, somewhere.

If You Don't Like the Weather, Wait Five Minutes...

Yesterday, it was 73 degrees.  This is our house this morning.

No wonder half the office was out sick at some point this week.  We've had some really wild temperature swings this month.

Remember, I went downhill skiing three hours SOUTH of here three weeks ago!  And last weekend, I was running around the yard in shorts and a t-shirt.

Yes, spring is coming, even though Punxsutawney Phil predicted it's not arriving for at least another three weeks, but it's putting forth a mighty effort to break out and run rampant.

So here we are, stuck in the middle of it all, and now we have to figure out what to wear tomorrow.

Good luck with that!!!

Help! I Sat Down and Can't Get Up!

Animals!

I'm surrounded by ANIMALS!

How did this happen?!?!?

How, indeed.

It all started with one tiny kitten, found under a neighbor's porch.  Then he needed a companion, so we adopted another.  A friend had a cat with kittens and we took the one with the funny face.

You see where this is going.

With the ebb and flow of life, we lost some cats and gained some cats.  We were finally once again down to only two older cats, and thought attrition would take care of things, but alas.

That Girl moved to to Baltimore and, long story short, left us her animals.  Two MORE cats and a large dog, all young.

Yes, friends and neighbors, since last summer we've had four, count them, FOUR cats and a big dog!

I constantly pick hairs off my clothes.  I dust mop or vacuum several times a week, and when I walk down the hall, there are STILL animal hair tumbleweeds rolling along ahead of me.  Thank God none of them has long hair.

Two of the cats reenact the Civil War daily, leaving clumps of each other's hair all over the house.  They all get hairballs and throw them up where we are guaranteed to step on them.  Two cats eat too fast and throw up their food.  Of course, That Dog helps clean up the messes.  Best.  Treats.  Ever.  Eeeewwwwww!

Why do we put up with it all?  You know - yes, you do.

When I sit on the sofa, one cat curls up on my lap and falls asleep.  One climbs onto my lap, puts his "arms" around my neck and bumps his head against my chin.  One curls up on the back of the sofa behind my head and puts a paw on my shoulder or head.  One presses up against my hip and pulls at my arm with a paw, wanting to be petted.  That Dog drops a tennis ball on my lap.

All they want is to loved.

Isn't that what we all want, really?

Slip Sliding Away...

Saturday, I spent the day sliding down a hill on a couple of slats. Woo hoo!

About a month ago, a friend sent an email blast asking who'd like to attend a women's ski clinic. I'd been wanting to get back into it, so I piled on.

We met at the ski resort, and along with ten other women, we signed waivers, rented equipment, posed for a picture in front of the lodge, and away we went!

I was put in the group with experience, but not recent. We headed to the bunny hill and took turns attacking the gentle slope.  Well, "attacking" may not be the best description. Maybe "sneaking up on" would be more accurate.  I started down the hill, my brain shrieking, "NO-O-O-O-O-O-O!!!" all the way down! My skis wouldn't behave. My body was all over the place. I was stiff with fear. Just a complete hot mess.

After three times down the hill, I still felt out of control. Every time we stopped on the slope, I kept sliding into the woman next to me - how embarrassing! I was sure I'd NEVER be able to ski competently again. Our instructor made suggestions, all things I knew,  but just couldn't quite execute. No. Muscle. Memory.

Then suddenly, something clicked.

We moved to the next slope. A little longer. With a chairlift. My turns improved. I moved my weight forward on the skis. I attacked the hill. Yes, attacked.

By the time I was finished, I felt ready to ski on my own. I got to try the latest performance skis, rediscovered a favorite physical activity, and even got a report card - well, okay, a "progress report." I'm well on the way to recovering my old skills.

Colorado, here I come! Well, maybe Michigan first, but...

I can't wait!!!