I don't like heatwaves

Tulip kitty thinks this hot weather sucks. She has been lethargic and cranky. She's spent the last few days stretched out on various areas of the hardwood floor, looking for a cool spot. She plays with her toys, but only for a few minutes at a time, before getting a drink and sprawling out on the floor again. I feel bad for her. I looked at the thermometer and it was 80 degrees inside our house today. Kitty needs a lighter suit!

The windows are open and the ceiling fans are on. She doesn't really like the breeze generated by the fans, but she'll lay on the bed under one every once in a while. I'm glad it's starting to cool off for her.

Kitty ornament

For my birthday I received a Pawprints Pet Ornament from my friend Steve. We finally got around to making this ornament. Tulip was a pretty unwilling participant. Over the weekend I got the no-bake dough ready. Eve grabbed kitty and held onto her so I could stick her little paws into the dough. The first attempt startled her. I don't think she liked the way the dough felt on her paws. Maybe she just didn't expect it. In any case, I didn't press hard enough so we had to give it another try. The second attempt looked pretty good. Tulip tolerated it fairly well, but she was quite happy to be done with her part of the project. Here's the final result. We thought it was pretty cute. Now Tu is all ready for Christmas. Thanks, Steve!

That's a lotta duckies!

We don't have a lot of guest appearances on Tulip's Garden. However, I thought this was so cool that I had to share. My friend Caprice scored some serious good karma points the other day. On her way home she saw a mother duck that had been hit and killed on the road. She spotted 10 ducklings running around nearby, so she stopped and gathered them all up. They spent the night at her house, then went to a local wildlife rescue the next day.

They're darn cute! I'm pretty sure Miss Tulip would approve of their coloration.

OOOO!

Last night I fell asleep on the couch watching TV. When I woke up in the middle of the night, this was the scene under the coffee table. It's looking a little crowded in there these days, kitty!

New toy

I went out to dinner with some friends last night. After dinner we ended up at Muttropolis where I bought Tulip kitty a fleece rattle ball. I actually stood there and shook them all to see which one had the most pleasant rattle. Dork!

When I got home, kitty was lounging at the top of the stairs waiting for me. I opened up the bag and dropped the ball next to her. The rattle startled her. After I gave her a pet to reassure her, she sniffed at the ball a bit. The next thing I knew, she was batting it all over the house at top speed.

When I left for work this morning, kitty was rolling around on the bed with her new ball, which has come to be known at "snake" (since it sounds a bit like a rattlesnake). Can I pick the toys or what!

Phew!

Chasing around one of those plastic milk jug thingies really takes it out of a Tu.

Kitty argument

Right now Eve and kitty are in the kitchen. Eve went in there to make some tea. Kitty darted right in there after her. It's just after 8:00 PM and Tulip thinks it's time for a snack. The two of them are arguing over this. It's going something like this:

Tu: MRRRREEEEEEEEEW!
Eve: No Kitty.
Tu: MRREEEW!
Eve: NO! It's not time yet.
Tu: MREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Eve: KITty!
Tu: mmmeh.

Contemplating the litterbox

Tulip has been up to some weirdness lately. She keeps going into the bathroom and sitting in front of her litterbox. She just "stares" at it. She does it like 15-20 times a day. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her. She's not going in there and straining to use the box or anything. She just sits in front of it and contemplates it. Freaky!

That's Doctor Tu to you

I came home from my vacation with the flu. Yesterday morning I couldn't even drag myself off the bed. Miss kitty curled up in the blankets to watch over me. She nestled up against me all morning while I faded in and out of sleep. In the afternoon I mustered enough strength to make it to the couch, just for a change of scenery. Tulip followed along. Once I got myself settled in a heap of blankets, she curled up against my stomach. Even when Eve went into the kitchen, kitty stayed by my side. At one point she left, but came right back to take care of me. She even let me pet her.

In the past, whenever I was sick Dee used to take care of me. He'd always lay on me until I felt better. I've missed that ever since he's been gone. I'm so happy that Tulip has decided to take over his practice. What a sweetheart.

Mama's home!

We got back from our roadtrip this afternoon. When I came into the house, Tulip kitty was sitting at the far end of the hallway. She perked up when I called her name, but she didn't seem to be convinced that it was really me. I walked down the hallway to her and reached my hand down so she could smell it. As soon as she did, her whole face lit up. She stood up and arched her back so I could pet her. She let out a little chirp. It melted my little heart.

After we unpacked some of our stuff, Eve took a nap. I had some reading to finish, so I went into the office. Kitty joined me. She was very vocal for the first several minutes. Finally she jumped up in her chair for a big nap. She was out like a light, sleeping in her chair next to my desk, content as could be. She even tolerated a belly rub. Kitty missed us!

I felt bad when I had to leave her again to go to school tonight. I can hardly wait to get home and curl up in bed with her. It was a long few days without her. I missed her every night when I went to sleep, and I missed her every morning when I woke up.

Vacation time

Hello, Tulip fans. We won't have any updates for the next several days while I am on vacation. Miss Tulip will have several kitty-sitters while I'm gone. I imagine that means there will be some interesting stories when I get back.

See you next week!
-Raynay