Vote for Gracie! (Thank you!)
If you have BBC America and aren’t already watching 24 Hours in the ER, I highly recommend it. Fred and I watched the first two episodes of it, and although there were times when I had to look away, or when my metaphorical balls crawled up into my body and hid (especially every single time they talked about the guy who was hit by a bus and then “folded in half” GAH), it immediately became one of my favorite shows.
The only problem was that since it was filmed in London, I have one hell of a time figuring out what they’re saying sometimes. I had to ask Fred several times “What the fuck are they saying?” and he’d translate for me.
I swear to god it’s about time to turn on the closed captioning when I watch TV.
I got super excited yesterday afternoon, because someone was unloading a big backhoe on the access road across the street. The guy who is supposedly, someday, perhaps, no-really-I’m-gonna dig our goddamn POND told Fred they’d have to unload the equipment across the street and bring it across the street and down the lawn to get to the back forty because they didn’t want to park on the driveway for fear that they’d crack the driveway.
As it turned out, though, the backhoe was meant to do work on the land across the street, and they worked diligently all afternoon.
This whole thing where you hire someone to do shit is just SO FUCKING FRUSTRATING. It’s like we’re standing here with cash in our hands, trying to throw it at anyone to DIG THE FUCKING POND, and they’re all like “Um, yeah. We’ll get right on that. In seven to ten days. I mean two weeks. Oops, it sprinkled, it’ll be another month.”
The economy might be in the shitter, but apparently the guys who dig ponds aren’t hurting any.
After the pond guy came out last week and walked all over the property with Fred and discussed what exactly needed doing, he told Fred that he thought they’d be starting “The beginning of next week” – ie, yesterday. No one showed up. No one called. Nada, nothing, zip.
As far as I’m concerned, he moseyed his way out of a job, and last night Fred called the guy who dug the original pond, the one that we filled in a few years ago.
We’ll see if we get anywhere with HIM.
I say if this pond-digging nonsense doesn’t work out, we dig a random big hole in the middle of the back forty, call it good enough, and buy new living room furniture with the money we saved.
(I’m not holding my breath on the new furniture.)
Charlie Peppers has been allowed some limited time out of the guest bedroom, running around the house with the big Peppers (and the rest of the cats). Patty Peppers has been out once or twice, but it makes her kind of nervous, so she tends to hide under the couch until we pull her out and put her back in the guest bedroom.
Both of the little ones are over two pounds now, but they’ve just turned two months old, so I’m not in any hurry to spay and neuter them. I’ll wait another month, most likely, and do it around the time they turn three months. Adoptions seem to have slowed down a bit, so there’s no rush to get them ready to go.
Charlie has turned into a total lovebug, and Patty’s starting to come around, too. Fred finally heard her voice for the first time yesterday (she’s been giving us the silent meows up ’til then). Her first instinct is to run and hide when the door opens, but she comes back out pretty quickly.
Charlie, keeping an eye on things.
“Tastes like.. chicken! I better send one of these to Dorothy, stat!”
I know that looks like some sort of dead rodent next to Charlie, but it’s not.
It’s NOT.
Poor, sad, deprived kittens with no toys to speak of.
“MY GOD, LADY, BEHIND YOU! IT’S A SERIAL KILLER AND HE HAS A KNIFE IN EACH HAND AND HE’S GOING TO EAT YOUR LIVER WITH FAVA BEANS AND A FINE CHIANTI! Oh, wait. No, there’s nothing there. Trick of the light. My bad.”
Molly Peppers shows off her long, elegant fingers.
She is just SO pretty.
Not the best picture, but this is what she likes to do, lay there and have her belly rubbed while she makes biscuits on my leg. When I think of what a scared little hisser she was when we got her, it just blows my mind. She’s always the first to run over and demand love!
“‘Allo, lady. You see that I have razor-sharp claws on my back feet as well as my first? The better to mess you UP with, my dear. Now admire my one white whisker, give me a gentle pet, and be on your way.”
“Pet. Me. NOW.”
These clothes were laying on the table, and Elwood decided it would be the perfect place to hang out.
Jake, on the other hand, prefers the bed. He’s no dummy!
Previously
2010: Oh skimmers, why can’t I quit you?
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No, my number one concern is that a woman, somewhere in Alabama, might have purchased a device to ensure that she’s able to get off.
2006: The stinkin’ kitten is not so cute!
2005: Annnnnnnnd that’s just a little glimpse into the dorkiness that is my life.
2004: ARRRGH.
2003: No entry.
2002: Wow. Apparently I’ve been doing the pet store thing for three years now.
2001: Day Zero.
2000: I’m back!
I ABSOLUTELY feel ya on the whole trying to throw money at folks and they dick around; been waiting on our roof guy FOREVER. Just come put the bloody damn thing on already.
I think we’ve had exactly one guy – the one who put in our septic tank – come and do the job quickly. SO frustrating!!!
It happens in Phx too. I have ZERO sympathy for these small business guys crying about the economy. It’s bullshit! Your story has been repeated by many of my friends, my hunny & I. So fucking frustrating!! Whew. Sorry, sore subject, obviously, hehe.
Gracie: 1122!
When I become unemployed, I’ll show up with a shovel unless someone beats me to it. You’ll get a hole of some sort, and I’ll get lots of exercise and some kind of pay, right?
You’re on, Jean! 🙂
I live in the South, but I am from NY and I can’t tell you how many times someone down here says something to me and I am all like “what???”. Seriously, I have no idea what these people are saying sometimes their drawl is so strong.
Christine, when I was driving down here back in 1996, I stopped in the hills of Tennessee, and that was the first time I ever thought “What the hell am I doing? I CANNOT UNDERSTAND ONE WORD THESE PEOPLE ARE SAYING!”
I still sometimes can’t, but I find that a nod and a smile goes a long way. 🙂
Maybe it’s a sign that you don’t really need a pond? I know a couple of people who have them and like them…but they had to dig them themselves. Good help really is hard to find. OTOH, are the duckies okay with just a kiddie pool forever?
Picking out new living-room furniture would be a lot easier and you’d use and enjoy it every day.
Good thing Elwood took it upon himself to hold down those renegade flying jeans. 🙂
I think that if we can’t get a pro to come out and dig the pond, we could just put in one of those small ponds and the ducks would be happy – but part of the goal of having the big pond was so that the back forty wouldn’t flood in the winter (since all the water would be diverted to the pond). I’m still hoping that the guy eventually comes through for us, but I’m not feeling too confident that he will.
Is it possible for Fred to rent a backhoe and do it himself? Or are you looking to have the dirt hauled away too?
Contractors are the same everywhere. I have to call the window guy today and I’m just dreading it. He’s got a really good reputation in the ‘hood but that doesn’t mean crap. We’ve all learned to really lower our expectations around here. If they don’t show butt crack, semi-clean up after themselves, don’t stink up our bathrooms, arrive within 30 days of hiring, and finish within 30 days of commencement, we rave review them.
Well, this guy was going to spread the dirt around the property to encourage the water that stands around the garden and at the front of the back forty to drain toward the pond. I’m not sure Fred would know how to do it correctly – but I think he’s moving in the general direction of trying to figure that out. 🙂
Y’all could probably do that better than the contractor as you know where water collects when you get the heavy rains. It would just be a matter of devising slopes to run off towards the pond. However, that sounds like a lot of manual grab-a-rake type work.
Jake and Elwood would be stars in Hollywood — they are both incrediably handsome (not to mention so cute!). Robyn, I’m amazed at how well you capture them on your camera! All of your cats are outstandingly cute, but Jake and Elwood have definitely won my heart. From what you’ve said, Robyn, they are so like Mr. Boogers, who was also my favorite Anderson Kitty.
They really do have a lot of personality, those two! 🙂
This is going to sound a bit weird, but since I know you think it’s fun when your readers dream about you – in my dream last night, you and Fred visited us at our family’s summer house by the sea in the south of Norway. We all went swimming in the sea, for some reason in the seaweedy place rather than off the pier in the deep water, and our bedrooms were heavily spider-infested, though luckily you didn’t seem to mind (and don’t worry, there are no poisonous spiders in Norway!).
So yeah, I’m not a weird stalker or anything, I swear – but I’ve been reading you regularly for about ten years, so I guess it’s no wonder that you should show up in my dreams 🙂
LOL – I love it!!!!
Elwood looks kinda crossed-eyed and creepy in the last picture.
Awww, Ellie’s a lovebug!
I have a kitten question so thought I would go to the expert. I have had all ranges of animals, but I have never had a kitten so ignore my ignorance please.
Approximately a little over a month ago, I suddenly aquired a tiny kitten in my horse barn. He/She has never allowed me close, as she runs and hides but loves to hang out with my horses. I purchased kitten food and have been feeding it daily in a protected old grainery. I have no idea whether the kitten has another home and/or is provided food, but it is eating well, so I guess not.
If it is to stay, which I do not mind, what is your knowledge about if, and if so, how to get it to interact with me in the future? If it stays, I do want it neutered and vaccinated. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Lori, I’m going to post your question in tomorrow’s entry so that others can help out with advice, too, but I’m going to bet that the best way to make progress in interacting with the kitten is to use food. Work on getting closer to the kitten as he’s eating – if need be, you can use canned kitten food or Gerber chicken and gravy baby food to make it more enticing. Once he allows you get close to him, start trying to pet him.
It’s hard to know whether that will work or not, though, because of course we don’t know whether he’s been around people before and is just skittish, or if he’s feral. Hopefully other people will have other suggestions!
Robyn, I don’t know if anyone else has said this before, but you keep having these crops of Peppers and I keep reading Peepers. I think you need to name a round of Peepers soon.
Question completely off topic – have you ever tried making your own cheese? I’m thinking of mozzarella and ricotta – soft cheeses – not the hard kinds with rind. If so, do you have a recipe?
I was feeling all sad about losing JoJo and thought to come here. Because you know, when you lose a cat, looking at more cats, itty bitty teensy cats that you want to love and squeeze and pet the stuffing out of*, makes you feel better.
And it does.
*no, this is not how JoJo passed, for the record.
I’ll have to check out 24 Hours in the ER. It sounds like something I would love. I have the closed captioning on all the time now. I started using it because my son and his family, which includes a 6 year-old boy, are living with us and in order to keep up with what is being said, it was necessary. He is not a quiet child. Now it feels weird not to have it on, even when I’m watching alone. 🙂
why not walk across the street and use your womanly ways to ask those guys to dig your pond. At least they are there – with the equipment. 🙂