Jerry

I've never pretended to be sane. (Actually, I have, I've just never been successful at it.) So when I stopped by our local pet store last week to buy crickets for Jack's geckos and saw that they were closing up shop, I was upset. I spent countless hours there with Makena looking at the puppies and kittens and that distraction would no longer be available to us. I was bummed. As I waited for service, I noticed one of two cats sleeping in a large cage. I just stared at it for the longest time... thinking... wondering... For as long as I have known my husband, he has always told me that we would NEVER have a cat. I think the precise quote was "OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Flash forward -- to the house of the living dead.


Meet "Jerry," the newest member of our clan. That is, if you can. Makena is kitty obsessed. She LOVES Jerry. She has to hold Jerry. Thankfully, Jerry obliges. Jerry doesn't mind Tiger and Tiger doesn't chase Jerry. When I came upon this scene, Makena was already lying there in that exact position. I had time to run off, grab the camera and snap a few shots.



Jerry is of the rag doll breed and came potty trained - which is more than I can say for my daughter. My zombie, I mean my husband, came home and was shocked by how fluffy Jerry was. I pointed out the bargain basement deal we paid for a purebred cat but that didn't really make him feel any better. He did soften when he saw how sweet Makena was with the cat, how happy Jack was and how calm Tiger was in the face of a feline presence in the house. But mostly I knew things were going to be okay when I caught him air-kissing the cat and crawling after him in our bedroom!

Jerry now joins: A dog, 2 geckos, 2 fish, 1 giant tortoise, 5 rabbits, 4 chickens and 2 horses.


Jerry is also incredibly smart. He figured out how to climb the ladder to Jack's bedroom loft and likes to hang out there when he needs a break from the love.

Is-a-cat lover.

Seeing red

Jack tested for his red belt in Tang Su Do karate. He had to present two forms and a half-dozen one-steps (self-defense moves). The last stage before he could receive his belt was to side-kick two boards. If he succeeded, he would pass.



I was thrilled. He now stands one belt and one year away from being invited to test for his black belt.

I was and continue to be so proud of him.

Is-a-karate mom.

The biggest lugers

We spent Christmas up at the lake house and never, since I left Canada, have I seen so much snow. Our tract of land that runs to the lake was the perfect sledding hill. We spent several days having fun on our little slice of frozen paradise.



(I love this picture of Jack and his banana peel hat.)


Everyone who came to visit could not resist the course we set up. We had to avoid trees, a picnic table, water pipes and the semi-frozen lake. It took some part courage, some part stupidity and a whole lot of luck to avoid calamity. I can -- since I am posting this-- say that we all survived. No one hit anything and no one slid onto the lake or fell through the ice. Not even Tiger who took a couple of strolls on the ice.


Our neighbors viewed our antics with alarm (for about five minutes) until we invited them to have fun (at their own risk) on the course. Their teenagers promptly turned our picnic table at an angle, packed it with snow, and created a ramp that got serious air if you hit it right. I did. Once. That was enough. My body wasn't too forgiving and my chiropractor has been kept busy ever since.

EM shot sideway view of Makena and me going down the course. I couldn't figure out how to rotate the footage so we appear to be going uphill instead of down. Go figure. Any way you look at it, it was ridiculous good fun.



Happy New Year!

Is-a-luger