“[T]he best of us must sometimes eat our words.” – J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, 1999
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
One Week and Counting
One week from today we leave on our 3-week vacation to our remote cabin in Colorado. There is so much to be done!
We will leave NJ on Wednesday morning, as early as possible and drive with 3 dogs and 2 cats as far as the Mississippi. That is our strategy—MIssissippi, Missouri, then Cabin! Our goal each day is to make a major river—with the last one being Bart’s Creek on our land. The cabin is about 20-odd miles directly south of Laramie, Wyoming, but in Colorado. No electricity, no post-office, no phone service, just a log cabin in the woods, 3 dogs and 2 cats—assuming we all make it across the two major rivers.
We’ve been working on “security” given some surprising discoveries about how our house and property is used in our absence. So, the web cams are running, the alarm system is tested. House sitters are lined up, the pool guy will be here every day to add toxic chemicals to the water, and the police will be doing a “house check”, assuming we get the forms back to them soon. Should keep all but the most tenacious or most stupid away from the house.
But, there is so much more to do! We need to work on our first week’s meal plan because as we drive through Laramie on our way to the cabin (the 3rd day on the road), we’ll stop in Safeway and stock up on food (and wine) for a week. So, we are negotiating meal plans, picking recipes and creating detailed shopping lists. You do not want to end up at the cabin and not have a key ingredient because it is a minimum 40 minute drive to the first 7-11.
The dogs are getting groomed so they don’t smell too bad in the truck on the way there. And, to minimize the dog hair. We just know that Bella will come into season on the day we leave and be in season the entire trip. Oh well, we’ve done it before, we can do it again.
I need to wash the truck. I like to start the trip with a clean truck. We’ll do an oil change in Laramie. It is about 1700 miles and very uncomplicated. Just drive about 10 mile south to I80, then about 1670 miles West to Laramie, then 20 miles South to “home”.
We have our favorite motels along the way—the ones that will take a dog. LIttle do they know that we don’t really walk our dog 3 times each evening and that each walk is a different dog! The cats like to sit in the window and watch the other people walk their dogs too.
I hope to post each day along the way and maybe even while we are there. Yes, we are “off the grid’ but thanks to solar panels, inverters, satellite dishes, and laptop computers, we’ll try to stay in touch.
After all, we need to check out the web cams often and watch the time-lapse movies of the pool activity, and ...
Posted under: Cabin News • Dog Stuff • Cat Stuff • Stuff You Gotta Know! • by Rick on 08/26/2009 at 06:57 PM
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Sunday, December 18, 2005
Sam is Answering the Phone
If you call us and the phone is busy for a long time, Sam—our Maine Coon Cat—may be on the phone. If you call and whoever answers just makes squeeking noises and pushes the buttons on the phone making an impromptu song from the touch tones, Sam answered.
Yes, Sam has learned to answer the phone. Or, sometimes he just knocks it off on the floor and then lays next to it. We don’t know why he has started doing this, but is is the newest of his long string of funny habits. I think he just likes to lay there and listen to the operator saying (over and again), “If you wish to make a call please hang up and try again.”
Posted under: Cat Stuff • by Rick on 12/18/2005 at 07:56 AM
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Thursday, October 21, 2004
Sam I Am is a Premier (Champion) Show Cat
Last weekend, Sam travelled with his breeders to Hastings, Nebraska for a cat show. He won his Premier title there. As I understand it, a Premiere title is the same as a Championship title, except for neutered cats. And, he will now go on to compete for a Grand Premier. (If I’ve got these cat titles confused, please post a clarifying comment. We are still learning the cat show vocabulary!)
Anyway, here is a photo:
For another photo, click More…
Posted under: Cat Stuff • by Rick on 10/21/2004 at 04:11 PM
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Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Two Shoes: June 1984 - September 27, 2004
Sadly, we had to finally say good-bye to the cat that has shared our lives for twenty years. Two Shoes had been failing in health since April and during the last two weeks had really started to show her age. We decided her quality of life had deteriorated to the point of no return when Rick found her on our gas stove at the cabin with her fur smoldering. She didn’t even know she was about to burst into flames! We had to make the difficult decision to euthanise her.
Two Shoes came to us at the same time as a very good friend of ours: Piper Worcester. We had just returned from living in Germany and we not yet moved into our new home. Our dog, Manda and cats Patches and Pud were all staying at the local pet kennel. I saw this gorgeous white and black cat with seven toes on her feet (instead of the normal five) in the cage next to our cats and found out that she was a stray and was destined for the Humane Society. Piper, who was at that time a groomer at the kennel, had found her wandering lost near her cabin in Allenspark. No way was that cat going anywhere but home with us! And so began her journey through life with us.
And what a journey it was…she came with us on our moves to the Netherlands and then France. She had to learn to understand Dutch and French when she went to the pet kennel! Most recently in her life the only travelling she did was to our mountain cabin every available weekend.
Rest well, sweet kitty. We shall all miss you.
Posted under: Cat Stuff • by Lynne on 10/05/2004 at 05:56 PM
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Saturday, April 24, 2004
Sam is at His First Show—Updated
Yesterday, Sam’s breeder came and picked him up to take him to his first cat show in Colorado Springs this weekend. It was really hard to let the little critter go. We’ve become very attached to him over the past couple of weeks.
He’ll get a bath and all groomed up, and he should be showing today and tomorrow. We hope to get word on his experience tonight. We’ve even thought about driving down tomorrow, but that is 4 hours of driving time down and back to see cats in cages…don’t know.
Sam was great in the motorhome last week on a long trip to New Mexico and back. And, he has adapted to life with 8 big dogs quite well. He pretty much rules the house now.
He is up to about 6-1/2 pounds at 19 weeks old…he’s going to be a big boy.
Update! Sam’s breeders, Trudie and Dennis Allen of TruTails Maine Coon Cats, sent us an email with their comments on Sam’s first show and some photos. Click on “comments” below to see them. (For some reason the “more” link is not working on this article).
Posted under: Cat Stuff • by Rick on 04/24/2004 at 02:16 PM
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