Friday, March 29, 2019

Dogs suck?

I've been wanting to introduce Gus to a dog for a while.  We like pets. Although we don't want a dog up here where we live, we anticipate getting one someday.  Plus there are a lot of dogs in our building, and my sister and my niece have dogs and they live up here, so Gus may be exposed to one sometime.  I thought it would be nice to control the environment.

Our downstairs neighbors have a wonderful dog.  He is a large border collie named Jameson. He and Raz were pals.  I had to take Raz weekly to the vet to get fluids, and we'd run into Jameson outside.  I'd have Raz in his carrier, strapped to the four-wheeler, and Jameson would either be coming in or going out to potty.  They just really hit it off.  Jameson has even come to my house for a play date with Raz.

Knowing that Jameson is a very calm and quiet dog, I figured he'd be the best one to introduce to Gus.  Having a dog barking in your face is never very friendly.  So I invited him up to meet Gus.  I'm pretty sure Gus has never seen or been around a dog.  He's also very calm and not timid so I thought it would go well.  At first, Gus froze, he had no idea what to think, but then Jameson went up to sniff him, and that was too much!  That is a lot of dog to come out you when you are still small!  Gus ran under the bed.

Later, my niece decided to come over, so I told her to bring her dog (he's smallish a schnauzer/yorkie mix).  Gus was intimidated by Jameson, but not really scared.  Thirty seconds after Jameson left, Gus was out and normal. So I didn't think it would be a big deal. The difference is that my sister and niece's dogs are yappy.  Small yappy dogs are very annoying (for everyone).  So Moose ran in, barking, and it intimidated Gus.  He ran under the couch.  But Gus wasn't really scared, maybe startled, so he came out fairly quickly.  Then, he tried to figure out what Moose was.  Now Moose is a scaredy cat of a dog, and he's never met a cat he wasn't terrified of so he kept a respectful distance from Gus.  This helped Gus gain his confidence and not be worried about the dog.  Ten minutes after Moose arrived, Gus was playing and unconcerned.  The pic below is the first standoff while both critters were trying to figure out the other!
They never played together, Moose is too afraid, but Gus handled dogs just fine!  He's such a good boy!

Gus the character

Gus is a real character.  His personality is developing daily.  He discovered that he really does love string on a stick play.  In fact, his new favorite toy is the feathers on the string.  The other day I had him doing a half-pipe from one side of the couch to the other.  I think he even did a 720.  Think he'll make the circuit?  (I tried to add video, but I couldn't get it to work.)
Here he is playing with the birdie in the tree.


Anyway, he's also discovered that he likes plastic.  Raz, one of the cats I lost,  used to love to eat plastic, and I'd have to make sure that no plastic would be in his reach or he would eat it.  No matter how vigilant, I still cleaned poop out of the litter box that was full of plastic.  Gus doesn't eat it at least.  No, he likes to climb in it!




Gus also has decided he wants to travel.  He gets upset if we pull out the suitcases, because either I'm leaving or his daddy is leaving.  So he has decided he'll go too.



Gus continues to wake me up at odd hours of the morning, usually around 5:30ish. He wants me to get up.  He isn't really that concerned with food, but he wants to play.  Luckily, he is content to snuggle me awake, and I get lots of kitty loves and sometimes a sleepy kitty will let me stay down until my alarm at 6:15.  Then, we get up, I feed him, and go into the bathroom. He comes in and checks on me, explores the tub, and usually leaves, although he may curl up in the sink. I am not getting any sleep however.  I have no pics of this because I'm asleep.  lol.

Friday, March 15, 2019

Tree cat


I decided to get Gus a tree.  When I first got him, I didn’t know if he’d like one.  I have discovered over the years, that there are two main kinds of kitties.  The cave kitty, who likes to hide inside of things and attack from there, and the tree kitty, who likes to observe from on high and then attack.

I had three cats together before Gus.  I’ve talked about Jinx and Raz (since they died a week apart from each other), but I haven’t mentioned our kitty who died before we moved to the arctic.  Princess was a year older than Jinx, so she was around 15 when she died of diabetes. Anyway, she and Jinx were cave cats.  They never found a hole they wouldn’t climb into.  Whereas Raz was a tree cat and loved being up on dressers, cabinets, windows, etc. 

I had read that ragdolls tend to be cave dwellers, so I decided to wait to get a tree to see what he liked first.  The first week I had Gus, he appeared to like caves.  He hid behind my ginormous sectional couch, he hid under the bed, etc.  So, I ordered him a cat cave. You know, those boiled wool things.  
https://www.etsy.com/listing/249881276/cat-cave-cat-bed-house-furniture-vessel?
      ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_
search_query=cat+cave&ref=sr_gallery-1-7&cns=1




















Once he was comfortable with the house, and us (plus all the barking dogs, people banging around outside the door, and people opening and closing the heavy main door to the building), Gus started hanging out in our windows (we live on the second story, so he could view all the action in the street).  He gets on the back of the couch and runs around, he gets on the counter, etc.  So, I decided to get him a tree. 

Last time I was at Petco in Anchorage, I looked at the cat trees.  I knew I’d have to get something smallish, since we have a tiny apartment and I’d have to bring it on an airplane, or order and have it shipped.  I found one that was about waist high with a couple of shelves, and best of all it came in a box, so it would be easy to transport.  I didn’t get it that time because I had to much stuff to haul back, but I mentally marked it so I could pick it up the next time. 

I told my niece I was getting Gus a tree.  She told me not to she had already ordered him one! I was grateful, although I told her she shouldn’t have done that. 

Well it came on Tuesday.  They called me and told me to come get it, but I couldn’t since I didn’t have a vehicle, and I had parent teacher conferences at work for 2 days.  Needless to say I didn’t get it until last night.  Here it is.  A monstrosity.  It’s 7 feet tall.  It takes up a lot of space.  However, I’m grateful to my niece, and Gus loves it!






Monday, March 11, 2019

TV

Gus has discovered the TV.  I've had cats who noticed it before, but mostly my cats in the past have ignored it.  Princess was the only one who tried to interact with the TV, she'd love it when my husband would watch golf and she'd try to catch the golf balls on the screen.  Well, Gus likes hunting shows.

I don't know if it's because of the little animals he hopes to bag, or if it's just the movement, but he is fascinated with these shows.  (He doesn't watch anything else).
Gus hunting big game.
Also, along hunting lines, my husband purchased a very expensive pair of hunting binoculars.  They weren't what he expected, so he decided to resell them.  We expected to lose a little money, but Gus cost us $500.  How? He chewed up the box.  People want something that says it's new to be new and pristine.  The little devil had his own plans. He climbed in and proceeded to chew all available surfaces he could get his little needle teeth into. 
Gus in binocular's box.















Tuesday, March 5, 2019

First time alone...

I went to Anchorage with my sister and my niece for the Iditarod.  Even though I've seen it before, it was new for them.  All were excited for the new adventure.  The next morning, my niece and I woke up and got ready to go, but my sister was down.  She had the stomach flu.  We left her. She didn't get to do anything she wanted.  It was sad to spend all of that money and be stuck in a hotel room.

Gus snuggled up on Chad's lap
Back at home, it was the first time I'd left Gus for longer than the workday.  My husband worried that Gus would continue to not bond with him.  He didn't have to worry...
Gus stuck in the couch.

I got a text while I was at the Iditarod.  It looked like this, "Gus got stuck."

When Gus first came to live with us, he liked to climb down the side of the couch and slink around back to hide.  There isn't a lot of space behind my huge couch.  In fact, I couldn't believe he fit then.  Apparently, he's grown enough that he doesn't fit anymore.  Chad watched him for awhile, and when Gus figured out he couldn't go anywhere and his cries got panicky, Chad finally rescued him.





Movie review--The Man Who Killed Hitler and then the Bigfoot


When I got back from Anchorage, after the Iditarod, my husband tells me, "You have to watch this movie!"

"OK? What movie?"
"It's got a weird title, but you'll love it!"
"Sure, but I want to watch my TV shows."
"Watch this first. You'll love it, Sam Elliot is the star."

He had me at Sam Elliot.  So we watched, the oddest movie with the oddest title ever.
I kid you not.

I really didn't know what to anticipate with a movie with that sort of title. I, of course, anticipated the killing of Hitler and Bigfoot, but didn't know if it would be a comedy, a drama, or a cult monster flick, I had zero frame of reference.

It starts with the song, Lonely is the Night. Then focuses on Sam Elliot alone at a bar, nursing a whiskey.  That sets the tone for the whole story. In fact, the whole tale is a study on loneliness, and Sam Elliot's quiet reflection of his life is the perfect vehicle for it.

Don't get me wrong, it has some problems.  It is very low budget.  It has a few holes that are never filled except by your own guessing. The Bigfoot is a terrible, freaky, weird looking thing. Also, it supposes that there was just one Bigfoot.  In the world.

However, the movie is oddly compelling, it sucks you in. Aiden Turner (Ross Poldark) is the hunk playing younger Sam Elliot's character, and the raw emotion by both actors makes it well worth the watching.  (Plus, it was fun watching Sam kick three stupid gang bangers' asses while hardly breaking a sweat).

The grief of Elliot's character is palpable.  He never believed he had done anything deserving in his life.  He didn't get the girl, killing Hitler had zero effect on the world, and he didn't think of himself a hero--only a killer with no worth. Added to that, he was aging and lonely.  He contemplates suicide every day, and if not for his dog, would probably go through with it.  He struggles with having to put down the three gangsters who beat and attempted to rob him, because he doesn't want to be a killer or a monster. He is devastated when he has to kill the one Bigfoot--in the world.

I loved it.  I usually like lighthearted comedies, toilet humor, and romcoms.  I also like action and sci-fi.  Why?  Because I want to be entertained. I don't want my entertainment time to be dark and depressing.  I can watch the news for that.  This atmospheric movie, full of angst and human regret; however, was a real gem that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

And Gus?  He enjoys crawling in my lap when I'm holding still for a love and a thorough brushing.








Friday, March 1, 2019

Sweet Boy

Sunset off the porch of my building in Barrow, AK

I don't sleep well usually.  I go to sleep fast and hard, but if for some reason I wake up, it's over.  I was struggling to sleep last night. I read until the book almost hit me in the face, and figured this is it!  I put it on the night stand.  Then, I flipped, I flopped, I got up and went to the bathroom. I kicked the covers off, I put the covers back on, and I still couldn't drift off. (Meanwhile, the hubby snored sweetly away).  I hadn't slept the night before, so I thought it would be easy to drift off, I was tired!

Finally, Gus crawled into bed.  When Gus cuddles, he does it at 100%.  He melts; he makes little baby goo goo sounds and grunts.  He rubs his head on you and tucks himself in as tight to your body as he can.  He does this at his full length while remaining in his boneless Ragdoll state. Then he turns on the purr.  I enjoyed and relaxed, until he got to hot and went to sleep at the foot of the bed where he usually spends the night.  After that, blessed sleep for me!

What a sweet boy!

Gus asleep in my arms









Gus on the prowl

 So this summer Chad and I bought a house in Kansas.  Our plan was to invest money in rental properties so we can have a hope of retiring so...