Dear Friends,
You may notice that the Christmas letter has a new author this year. As many of you know, Tigger the Cat left us for the great catnip farm (or giant litterbox, depending on what you believe) last January. I, personally, never met the great man, er, cat, however, Liberty, Morrison, Alice and the Hoomans speak very favorably of him.
Perhaps I should stop here and introduce myself...my name is Obsidian Bartholomew The Cat. I joined the family in February. The Boy really missed Tigger and convinced the parents to take him to the Dumb Friends Society to acquire a kitten. After stops at two locations, they realized there were no true kittens, however, I had recently turned one year old and made a compelling argument that I be adopted, rather than some untrained kitten. When the Hoomans reached the "check-out" they were alerted to the fact that there was a BOGO event, therefore they received not only my fabulous self, but also Coco Puff (also known as Poco and BOGO) and the rest is history.... (Although the hoomans say that it is important to read the biographies of potential cat adoptees...somehow they missed the note of "cat surrendered because it bites...)
The Parents continue at their jobs--Mrs. Ranch at the same high school she has taught at since August 2002 and Mr. IM at his law firm that he opened in 2005. Mrs. Ranch realized earlier this week that this is her 25th year of being a teacher...a rather astounding number for a young cat like me. Business at the law firm is going well. There is a rumor that they have created a video for their website, stay tuned for viewing!
The Girl is a junior in high school. In exchange for a new phone, she participated in track last spring. As she states she doesn't like to run, she became a pole vaulter. She did very well and might have enjoyed the season. She still enjoys skiing on weekends and hanging out with her friends. The college quest has started in earnest, with several contenders. She has a part-time job and is saving money for a lovely classic pre-owned vehicle.
The Boy moved to public junior high after K-6 Catholic School. Turns out the local Middle School is really a junior high, grades 7-8 only, so he joined his classmates in that new adventure. Part of the adventure is riding the school bus to and from school as well as choosing lunch in the lunch line (instead of a month ahead). He continues competitive snowboarding on the weekends, which gives us all lots of adventures.
The other pets are doing well--Morrison and Liberty enjoy trips to the mountains with the family. Liberty has recently added an anti-arthritis pharmaceutical routine to her life. Alice continues her reign, now as the oldest pet, including the pet everyone is most afraid of.
We wish you all a blessed holiday season!
Love,
Sid the Cat (and the rest of the family, too)
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Showing posts with label Tigger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tigger. Show all posts
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Goodbye, Tiggy-Puff
This post is very overdue, I had intended to write an update on our friend on January 22, suggesting that he might live forever, but here it is, already half way through February.
As many of you know, we said good-bye to Tigger on January 24. He had a good long life--18.5 years in all, 18 of those years with us. He outlived his buddies MJ, Cass, and Indy, as well as the Jeep Wrangler, the Volvo, and that Subaru. He joined me while I was still in my 20's, and, well, here I am, clearly not in my 20's :)
Tiggy started his life with us in our favorite apartment in Denver--with a patio overlooking the duck pond and a great tree to climb. He was a funny looking kitten, inspiring the hit song, "Tiny headed Tigger, maybe someday you'll get bigger...." After a few months, we moved to the townhouse, where he (with some skepticism) welcomed Indy, then The Girl, and finally The Boy. Tiggy learned to love Indy. They loved to play "pets on the stairs", even after Indy grew too big to fit comfortably. Tiggy also like to have Indy chase him through the cat door, although that didn't always end well for Indy. My favorite picture of the two of them is both on their hind legs peeking out the front screen door to spy on the neighborhood.
Tiggy moved to the Suburban Ranch with us--he learned to love the new backyard and the stairs to run up and down (and down and up). He learned quickly not to sleep on the railing though, as he fell off and apparently gave himself a concussion and a detached retina.
On that note, he was not the smartest cat, in fact, in all truthfulness, he was not very smart...he is famous for getting his head stuck in things as a young cat, like yogurt cups and kleenex boxes. He didn't learn to purr until after MJ left us and was not good a personal hygiene, even in his prime.
Tigger was a good friend to both the kids though--when I went looking for pictures, there were few that didn't include him being toted, cuddled, or otherwise posed with a child. He never randomly attacked anyone (unlike his cohort, Alice). As a younger cat, he loved to sleep in cribs, baby swings, high chairs, and pack and plays. He and The Boy had an on-going (soft-pawed) battle for the crib...I would find them often in a silent battle for who owned the space. I'm not sure who actually won--I usually found them curled up together sleeping mid-battle. He was fearless right up to the end, taking on Morrison and Liberty for water (bowl) rights and causing them to have to wait their turn so he could stare at their water instead of his.
Good-bye, Old Friend, you will be missed.
As many of you know, we said good-bye to Tigger on January 24. He had a good long life--18.5 years in all, 18 of those years with us. He outlived his buddies MJ, Cass, and Indy, as well as the Jeep Wrangler, the Volvo, and that Subaru. He joined me while I was still in my 20's, and, well, here I am, clearly not in my 20's :)
Tiggy started his life with us in our favorite apartment in Denver--with a patio overlooking the duck pond and a great tree to climb. He was a funny looking kitten, inspiring the hit song, "Tiny headed Tigger, maybe someday you'll get bigger...." After a few months, we moved to the townhouse, where he (with some skepticism) welcomed Indy, then The Girl, and finally The Boy. Tiggy learned to love Indy. They loved to play "pets on the stairs", even after Indy grew too big to fit comfortably. Tiggy also like to have Indy chase him through the cat door, although that didn't always end well for Indy. My favorite picture of the two of them is both on their hind legs peeking out the front screen door to spy on the neighborhood.
Tiggy moved to the Suburban Ranch with us--he learned to love the new backyard and the stairs to run up and down (and down and up). He learned quickly not to sleep on the railing though, as he fell off and apparently gave himself a concussion and a detached retina.
On that note, he was not the smartest cat, in fact, in all truthfulness, he was not very smart...he is famous for getting his head stuck in things as a young cat, like yogurt cups and kleenex boxes. He didn't learn to purr until after MJ left us and was not good a personal hygiene, even in his prime.
Tigger was a good friend to both the kids though--when I went looking for pictures, there were few that didn't include him being toted, cuddled, or otherwise posed with a child. He never randomly attacked anyone (unlike his cohort, Alice). As a younger cat, he loved to sleep in cribs, baby swings, high chairs, and pack and plays. He and The Boy had an on-going (soft-pawed) battle for the crib...I would find them often in a silent battle for who owned the space. I'm not sure who actually won--I usually found them curled up together sleeping mid-battle. He was fearless right up to the end, taking on Morrison and Liberty for water (bowl) rights and causing them to have to wait their turn so he could stare at their water instead of his.
Good-bye, Old Friend, you will be missed.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Puff Tiggy's Christmas Letter
Greetings, Suckers, I mean, Humans! It is I, Puff Tiggy, the rapping kitty....
Bet you all didn't think I'd write this year! Ha! Despite rumors to the contrary, I am alive, and while not well, alive is something.
This year I celebrated my 18th birthday, and by celebrated, I mean I slept and the people brought me food. For most of the year I lived in self-imposed seclusion in the master bathroom. I went in one day, it seemed nice, so I stayed. After a few days, the people felt bad for me (ha!) and moved my food up there. About a month ago I decided to shake things up and have moved back to the pantry. The family thinks it is because I missed them...but they will never know my real reasons (cue evil laughter.....). In a few days I will celebrate 18 years of living with this family by sleeping in my custom made bed and eating kitty treats.
The family has been busy this year, doing things they always do (school, work) and some new adventures as well. (Keep reading)
The Girl played club volleyball last spring and summer and enjoyed it. She did not play volleyball this fall, but kept busy with Honors 10 English and a fun photography class. The other pets and I got to hear "hold still!" many times. She is thinking of running track this spring and is, of course, skiing this winter. She has a nice group of friends who give me ear scratches when they come over.
The Boy continues to snowboard with a team--he won a couple prizes last spring and again went to Snowboarding camp in the summer. He got to be a volunteer at Vacation Bible School this year and thought he was pretty cool. He is a 6th grader this year and is enjoying being in the Middle School wing. He continues to read everything in sight and especially likes graphic novels (comic books) this year.
Mr. IM's business continues to keep him busy. In his spare time he enjoys working on his car, walking the dogs, and various home projects. (Enjoy might be too strong a word for some of those activities). He installed a new patio for the side yard to keep Morrison from digging holes and it is a favorite spot in the morning or evening for all of the people.
My person is still teaching--this is her 15th year at her school. She keeps saying she never intended to stay in one place this long, but since she has, she might as well stay. She says that she loves her job and the people and kids she works with, but does occasionally fantasize about running away to a deserted area of Montana to raise goats (although I don't think she'd do it...it is cold in Montana and goats smell).
The rest of the pets continue to do what pets do...Alice quietly plots everyone's deaths, Liberty protects us (except for when I scare her by meowing ,and then she hides), Morrison digs holes...
The family's big adventures this year included a trip to Alaska in July. (We pets stayed home with D and A and their dog, Emma). The people were able to visit with Mr. IM's sister, brother in law, nephews, and mom and sightsee in Seattle. The cruise was with my person's parents for their 50th Anniversary. My person's brother, sister in law and nephew went along too. You can read about the start to their adventures here.
The family also has acquired a seasonal rental (whatever that means) so they are gone many weekends (don't bother breaking into the house, I am here to protect it and there isn't anything valuable anyway). Once in a while the whole family (including the dogs) does go to the apartment, but usually, it is just Mr. IM and The Boy--The Girl has an exciting social life. My person says she will write a post about the apartment later (but she's been saying that for months, so don't hold your breath...)
That may be all the news from here--best wishes for a blessed 2017!
Happy New Year from Puff Tiggy and the rest of the family!
Monday, January 11, 2016
Ah, January
Well, Good Evening before another semi-significant birthday! Big plans include, um, work, and going out to dinner somewhere. Anywhere, as long as I don't have to cook or clean up, right?
Let's see...I can tell it is January--even in Colorado I feel the lack of winter sunshine. In protest of the endless driving in the dark, I'm leaving my outdoor lights up until the last day the HOA will allow them (January 31, for the record) and then I may replace them with simple, white, twinkle lights...my own little protest. I have three new classes this semester--two are repeats (with different students) of classes I taught last semester and one is a support lab type class. So far I'm enjoying all my classes. I have several students new to me, and get to continue my two favorite classes of the year, so its all good. Three of my classes even have windows....so I can see daylight once in a while!
Morrison the puppy is settling in well--she actually sleeps better than Tigger. Mr. IM and I are awakened nightly, several times nightly over the last week, by Tigger's song of his people. Last night he stopped for a few minutes when I got out of bed, scooped him up, and plopped him in bed with us. My theory is that he gets cold...so I think I will knit him a sweater and force him to wear it. We'll see how that goes... (probably not well, given his history with sweaters). Morrison goes to bed between 8 and 9 most nights--if she stays up until 10, she is like a sleepy toddler and has to poked, prodded and sometimes carried up to her upstairs kennel. She goes out between 5 and 5;30 (Mr. IM takes her out at 5 when I get in the shower, however, her laziness has refused a couple times and has waited for me to get her at 5:30). Alice and Tigger still detest the puppy, but Liberty seems to (sort of) love her. She at least likes drooling on the puppy, which leads to lots of baths for Morrison, which Morrison loves...
The Girl has joined a club volleyball team as a practice player (don't know if I mentioned that yet?) so that fills my weekends while Mr. IM and The Boy are skiing (snowboarding). The Girl and I continue to try to keep up with Downton Abbey...waiting impatiently for January 26, when the whole season will be available (for a fee) from Amazon and we can just binge watch the whole season (between volleyball events, while the boys are in the mountains)
I have already finished a couple great books--Charles Martin's newest, of course, will probably go on my top 10 (and it is only January 11...11.5 months to go in this year) and I really enjoyed Ready Player One...a dystopian novel with an 80's trivia twist--if you remember the 80's you might enjoy it...it you loved video games in the 80's (or dungeons and dragons) you'll probably really love it. I'm also getting ready to finish book 3 of the Blackcoat Rebellion series by Allie Carter--teen lit at its best, but entertaining. Unfortunately, it will be YEARS before there is another Diana Gabaldon book....maybe I'll have to do something useful!
Good Night, from Morrison and I!
Let's see...I can tell it is January--even in Colorado I feel the lack of winter sunshine. In protest of the endless driving in the dark, I'm leaving my outdoor lights up until the last day the HOA will allow them (January 31, for the record) and then I may replace them with simple, white, twinkle lights...my own little protest. I have three new classes this semester--two are repeats (with different students) of classes I taught last semester and one is a support lab type class. So far I'm enjoying all my classes. I have several students new to me, and get to continue my two favorite classes of the year, so its all good. Three of my classes even have windows....so I can see daylight once in a while!
Morrison the puppy is settling in well--she actually sleeps better than Tigger. Mr. IM and I are awakened nightly, several times nightly over the last week, by Tigger's song of his people. Last night he stopped for a few minutes when I got out of bed, scooped him up, and plopped him in bed with us. My theory is that he gets cold...so I think I will knit him a sweater and force him to wear it. We'll see how that goes... (probably not well, given his history with sweaters). Morrison goes to bed between 8 and 9 most nights--if she stays up until 10, she is like a sleepy toddler and has to poked, prodded and sometimes carried up to her upstairs kennel. She goes out between 5 and 5;30 (Mr. IM takes her out at 5 when I get in the shower, however, her laziness has refused a couple times and has waited for me to get her at 5:30). Alice and Tigger still detest the puppy, but Liberty seems to (sort of) love her. She at least likes drooling on the puppy, which leads to lots of baths for Morrison, which Morrison loves...
The Girl has joined a club volleyball team as a practice player (don't know if I mentioned that yet?) so that fills my weekends while Mr. IM and The Boy are skiing (snowboarding). The Girl and I continue to try to keep up with Downton Abbey...waiting impatiently for January 26, when the whole season will be available (for a fee) from Amazon and we can just binge watch the whole season (between volleyball events, while the boys are in the mountains)
I have already finished a couple great books--Charles Martin's newest, of course, will probably go on my top 10 (and it is only January 11...11.5 months to go in this year) and I really enjoyed Ready Player One...a dystopian novel with an 80's trivia twist--if you remember the 80's you might enjoy it...it you loved video games in the 80's (or dungeons and dragons) you'll probably really love it. I'm also getting ready to finish book 3 of the Blackcoat Rebellion series by Allie Carter--teen lit at its best, but entertaining. Unfortunately, it will be YEARS before there is another Diana Gabaldon book....maybe I'll have to do something useful!
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Tigger's Christmas Letter 2015
Greetings from the (Sub)urban ranch!
I've heard through the grapevine that many people are disappointed that did not write a Christmas letter last year...let me assure you that I am alive and well...I am, however, no longer able to leap to the top of the desk in a single bound, so my computer time is quite limited these days.
Mr IMs continues to work at his own law practice. He keeps busy with work but takes some time off occasionally to hang out with the family--today he is skiing with the Girl, while the Boy attends snowboarding team. He is currently planning how to finish the side yard of the house to keep my new "friend" out of trouble (more on her later). This summer he got a new engine for his Subaru and a new hood--the auto shop at Mrs. Ranch's school was excited to get the old hood!
.
Mrs. Ranch started how her 14th year at her current high school and her 23rd year of teaching this year. She keeps busy with blogging and driving the children around...throwing in a few minutes of reading most nights. This fall she participated in her first yarn crawl and can't wait to do it again this year!
The Girl is a Freshman in High School. After several high school visits and some debate, she ended up at a school about half way between home and The Boy's school. She played volleyball on the undefeated Freshman team this year and joined a club team as a practice player. Last summer she went to Italy with Mr. IM's mom for a pilgrimage and returned with lots of great stories. She's not playing drums anymore, so the set has been dismantled and the futon returned to the bonus room...giving me a fantastic place to sleep.
The Boy is a 5th grader this year. He continues guitar lessons this year and even got a new acoustic guitar from Grandude this year. He continues to spend every Saturday from Thanksgiving to Easter snowboarding on a team--last summer he went to snowboarding camp and had a lot of fun. He enjoyed telling the family about all the late night tv he watched in his dorm room.
The people tell me that I'll be 18 in the spring. I still keep busy, making sure the people are up every day at 5. Some days they shout, "Dude, its the weekend!", but I think they are delusional...I don't know what a weekend is, but I do know I need a glass of water and fresh food every day at 5! Alice the Cat is 7 in the spring. She likes to hide these days and has taken over MJ's pillow on the adult's bed--drooling her way to sleep. Liberty, is probably 5 this year. She is enjoying being the "older dog", most days welcoming, Morrison, the Saint Huskimo puppy, born on September 11 and joining our family Thanksgiving weekend. Morrison's favorite activities are eating everything chasing everything and trying to get everyone to play with her.
The people's extended families are all well, Mrs Ranch's parents are busier in retirement than they were before they retired. Her younger brother and his family keep busy, her nephew will be five in the spring and provides the Ranch with lots of videos and photos to make us laugh. Mr. Ranch's dad retired this year and is job hunting in the Denver area. Mr. Ranch's mom also retired this year and moved into an adult living community where she keeps busy with all kinds of community and church activities. The infamous Mrs. Pretzel (IM"s sister) welcomed another boy to the family this October, bringing the people's nephew total to 3.
We hope this letter finds you all well and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our (Sub)urban Ranch!
Love,
Tigger (and family)
I've heard through the grapevine that many people are disappointed that did not write a Christmas letter last year...let me assure you that I am alive and well...I am, however, no longer able to leap to the top of the desk in a single bound, so my computer time is quite limited these days.
Mr IMs continues to work at his own law practice. He keeps busy with work but takes some time off occasionally to hang out with the family--today he is skiing with the Girl, while the Boy attends snowboarding team. He is currently planning how to finish the side yard of the house to keep my new "friend" out of trouble (more on her later). This summer he got a new engine for his Subaru and a new hood--the auto shop at Mrs. Ranch's school was excited to get the old hood!
.
Mrs. Ranch started how her 14th year at her current high school and her 23rd year of teaching this year. She keeps busy with blogging and driving the children around...throwing in a few minutes of reading most nights. This fall she participated in her first yarn crawl and can't wait to do it again this year!
The Girl is a Freshman in High School. After several high school visits and some debate, she ended up at a school about half way between home and The Boy's school. She played volleyball on the undefeated Freshman team this year and joined a club team as a practice player. Last summer she went to Italy with Mr. IM's mom for a pilgrimage and returned with lots of great stories. She's not playing drums anymore, so the set has been dismantled and the futon returned to the bonus room...giving me a fantastic place to sleep.
The Boy is a 5th grader this year. He continues guitar lessons this year and even got a new acoustic guitar from Grandude this year. He continues to spend every Saturday from Thanksgiving to Easter snowboarding on a team--last summer he went to snowboarding camp and had a lot of fun. He enjoyed telling the family about all the late night tv he watched in his dorm room.
The people tell me that I'll be 18 in the spring. I still keep busy, making sure the people are up every day at 5. Some days they shout, "Dude, its the weekend!", but I think they are delusional...I don't know what a weekend is, but I do know I need a glass of water and fresh food every day at 5! Alice the Cat is 7 in the spring. She likes to hide these days and has taken over MJ's pillow on the adult's bed--drooling her way to sleep. Liberty, is probably 5 this year. She is enjoying being the "older dog", most days welcoming, Morrison, the Saint Huskimo puppy, born on September 11 and joining our family Thanksgiving weekend. Morrison's favorite activities are eating everything chasing everything and trying to get everyone to play with her.
The people's extended families are all well, Mrs Ranch's parents are busier in retirement than they were before they retired. Her younger brother and his family keep busy, her nephew will be five in the spring and provides the Ranch with lots of videos and photos to make us laugh. Mr. Ranch's dad retired this year and is job hunting in the Denver area. Mr. Ranch's mom also retired this year and moved into an adult living community where she keeps busy with all kinds of community and church activities. The infamous Mrs. Pretzel (IM"s sister) welcomed another boy to the family this October, bringing the people's nephew total to 3.
We hope this letter finds you all well and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our (Sub)urban Ranch!
Love,
Tigger (and family)
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The Pets are a pain
Earlier this week we were pretty sure that Tony da Fish had done away with George the Snail. George was spending a lot of time on the bottom of the tank, upside down, not moving and kind of hanging out of his/her shell. Despite the absence of smell, which many of our snail expert friends claim is the best way to find a dead snail, we were pretty sure he was dead. But...because we thought he might not be dead, we put him in a separate bowl to see if he disintegrated.
Notice how s/he is oozing out of his shell? Icky.
Imagine our surprise when he moved! It still appears that George might not be well (a sick snail?) but he's not dead yet!
So I gave him (her?) a piece of lettuce and some fish food...we'll see. Today he (she?) has snotty things hanging off--either they are snail babies (?) or he has a cold....right.
In other news, I found Tigger sitting in Indy's bowl. At first I thought he might be using the water bowl as a litter box (he has used Indy's food bowl previously, as a sign of his anger)...however, since he turned around and started drinking water, I suppose he didn't. Weird cat...his tail is all wet...
Notice how s/he is oozing out of his shell? Icky.
Imagine our surprise when he moved! It still appears that George might not be well (a sick snail?) but he's not dead yet!
So I gave him (her?) a piece of lettuce and some fish food...we'll see. Today he (she?) has snotty things hanging off--either they are snail babies (?) or he has a cold....right.
In other news, I found Tigger sitting in Indy's bowl. At first I thought he might be using the water bowl as a litter box (he has used Indy's food bowl previously, as a sign of his anger)...however, since he turned around and started drinking water, I suppose he didn't. Weird cat...his tail is all wet...
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Guest Post from Tigger the Cat
Greetings from the (Sub)urban ranch!
I've heard through the grapevine that many people are disappointed that did not write a Christmas letter this year...let me assure you that I am alive and well...just banned from the computer temporarily. Mrs. Ranch says if I stop yacking up hairballs on her desk chair, she might consider letting me back on the computer. In the meantime she is letting me dictate this letter to her.
Mr Ranch's law practice continues to do well. He keeps busy with work and as a team captain for the Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He was able to take some time off last summer to go camping with the rest of the family. Mr Ranch and the other dads set up a zip line, archery range, shooting range, fishing, hiking, and a bunch of other activities.
Mrs. Ranch started her 11th year at her current high school and her 21st year of teaching this year...meaning she has spent more than half her teaching career in one place--crazy. She finds herself spending more and more time chauffeuring the children from place to place, but still makes time to read and even cross stitched a Christmas stocking for Liberty to match everyone else's this year. I guess Liberty complained that her stocking last year was labeled with a sticky note.
The Girl is a 7th grader this year. The people are starting to feel the pressure to choose a high school. I don't know what this is all about...The Girl still enjoys drum lessons (most of the time). She spent two weeks last summer participating in a rock band camp at the local music school. She had a good time and wants to do it again, but with a gig in a real place, like a coffee shop or bar instead of at the music school. The Girl was a big help to Mrs Ranch last spring when they helped with a virtual baby shower for Mrs Pretzel (Mr Ranch's sister). The Girl and the Boy and both looking forward to meeting their new cousin sometime next spring. The Girl participated in volleyball last spring and cross country this fall--enjoyed both. She also participates in youth group at church and yearbook at school. I'm sure I'm forgetting something she does, but I'm an elderly cat...so whatever.
The Boy is a 3rd grader this year. He loves telling us stories about school, his classmates, and his teacher's kids. He has allowed Mrs. Ranch topics for several blogs about "Boy-isms". He still enjoys Cub Scouts, rose to the rank of Wolf this year (I think that is right) and is working to become a Weeblo next year. He states that he no longer enjoys the Pack meetings though, because, "those other kids just run around and stuff". According to Mrs Ranch this is ironic, because he doesn't really sit much himself, but she's not complaining about having one less activity. The Boy started guitar lessons this year and is well on his way to learning every Beatles song ever written. He celebrated his birthday at home this year with a screening of Despicable Me 2 and some friends. It was a very calm party...very different from some of his previous parties.
The people tell me that I'll be 16 in the spring, but that I can't get my driver's license because I'm a cat. I'm ok with that...I pretty much sleep either on the chair in the kitchen or in Mrs. Ranch's closet. I do like to sing "the song of my people" at 5 am if Mrs. Ranch doesn't get up to give me fresh water. She threw her pillow at me last weekend...I told her it wasn't very nice by moving a little further away and singing louder. Alice the Cat is 5 in the spring. She is not slowing down, but is getting a bit tubby from eating my geriatric cat food. She still doesn't like the dogs (which is weird, since they are afraid of her) and quite often will hide if the family has overnight house guests, leading people to say things like "she doesn't seem that bad". Indy Dog will be 14 in February. She is slowing down a little, has learned to turn on the tv, and gets grumpy if the youngsters want to play and she is sleeping. However, she is not above chasing Alice or smacking Liberty so they will entertain her. The youngest family member, Liberty, is probably about 3 this year. She continues to prove all stereotypes about Saint Bernards wrong, by leaping through the house at a fast rate of speed and running from me, even when I'm sleeping.
The people's extended families are all well, Mrs Ranch's parents are busier in retirement than they were before they retired. Her younger brother and his family keep busy, her nephew will be four in the spring and provides the Ranch with lots of videos and photos to make us laugh. Mr. Ranch's dad will spend Christmas at the Ranch before returning home to attend a bowl game. His traveling companion, Maggie the Dog, is a lot of fun for Indy and Liberty but is way too interested in me for my comfort. Mr. Ranch's mom will spend Christmas day with his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew in the Seattle area.
We hope this letter finds you all well and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our (Sub)urban Ranch!
I've heard through the grapevine that many people are disappointed that did not write a Christmas letter this year...let me assure you that I am alive and well...just banned from the computer temporarily. Mrs. Ranch says if I stop yacking up hairballs on her desk chair, she might consider letting me back on the computer. In the meantime she is letting me dictate this letter to her.
Mr Ranch's law practice continues to do well. He keeps busy with work and as a team captain for the Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He was able to take some time off last summer to go camping with the rest of the family. Mr Ranch and the other dads set up a zip line, archery range, shooting range, fishing, hiking, and a bunch of other activities.
Mrs. Ranch started her 11th year at her current high school and her 21st year of teaching this year...meaning she has spent more than half her teaching career in one place--crazy. She finds herself spending more and more time chauffeuring the children from place to place, but still makes time to read and even cross stitched a Christmas stocking for Liberty to match everyone else's this year. I guess Liberty complained that her stocking last year was labeled with a sticky note.
The Girl is a 7th grader this year. The people are starting to feel the pressure to choose a high school. I don't know what this is all about...The Girl still enjoys drum lessons (most of the time). She spent two weeks last summer participating in a rock band camp at the local music school. She had a good time and wants to do it again, but with a gig in a real place, like a coffee shop or bar instead of at the music school. The Girl was a big help to Mrs Ranch last spring when they helped with a virtual baby shower for Mrs Pretzel (Mr Ranch's sister). The Girl and the Boy and both looking forward to meeting their new cousin sometime next spring. The Girl participated in volleyball last spring and cross country this fall--enjoyed both. She also participates in youth group at church and yearbook at school. I'm sure I'm forgetting something she does, but I'm an elderly cat...so whatever.
The Boy is a 3rd grader this year. He loves telling us stories about school, his classmates, and his teacher's kids. He has allowed Mrs. Ranch topics for several blogs about "Boy-isms". He still enjoys Cub Scouts, rose to the rank of Wolf this year (I think that is right) and is working to become a Weeblo next year. He states that he no longer enjoys the Pack meetings though, because, "those other kids just run around and stuff". According to Mrs Ranch this is ironic, because he doesn't really sit much himself, but she's not complaining about having one less activity. The Boy started guitar lessons this year and is well on his way to learning every Beatles song ever written. He celebrated his birthday at home this year with a screening of Despicable Me 2 and some friends. It was a very calm party...very different from some of his previous parties.
The people tell me that I'll be 16 in the spring, but that I can't get my driver's license because I'm a cat. I'm ok with that...I pretty much sleep either on the chair in the kitchen or in Mrs. Ranch's closet. I do like to sing "the song of my people" at 5 am if Mrs. Ranch doesn't get up to give me fresh water. She threw her pillow at me last weekend...I told her it wasn't very nice by moving a little further away and singing louder. Alice the Cat is 5 in the spring. She is not slowing down, but is getting a bit tubby from eating my geriatric cat food. She still doesn't like the dogs (which is weird, since they are afraid of her) and quite often will hide if the family has overnight house guests, leading people to say things like "she doesn't seem that bad". Indy Dog will be 14 in February. She is slowing down a little, has learned to turn on the tv, and gets grumpy if the youngsters want to play and she is sleeping. However, she is not above chasing Alice or smacking Liberty so they will entertain her. The youngest family member, Liberty, is probably about 3 this year. She continues to prove all stereotypes about Saint Bernards wrong, by leaping through the house at a fast rate of speed and running from me, even when I'm sleeping.
The people's extended families are all well, Mrs Ranch's parents are busier in retirement than they were before they retired. Her younger brother and his family keep busy, her nephew will be four in the spring and provides the Ranch with lots of videos and photos to make us laugh. Mr. Ranch's dad will spend Christmas at the Ranch before returning home to attend a bowl game. His traveling companion, Maggie the Dog, is a lot of fun for Indy and Liberty but is way too interested in me for my comfort. Mr. Ranch's mom will spend Christmas day with his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew in the Seattle area.
We hope this letter finds you all well and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our (Sub)urban Ranch!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Puff Tiggy, the rapping kitty...
Tigger the Cat not only gets to claim the title of oldest pet at the Ranch, but also the author of the yearly Suburban Christmas letter. Tigger was a shelter cat. We actually went to adopt a kitten and ended up with a half grown cat.
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As a kitten he was excited to fetch--chasing and retrieving a bouncy ball for hours.
MJ, our resident mommy cat, tried for years to teach Tigger to clean himself and to purr. The cleaning he has never really mastered, however, in a shocking turn of events, seems to have learned to purr since MJ passed away.
A couple of years ago he gave us a scare...we noticed that one of his eyes always seemed dilated. After a bunch of tests at the vet, we came to the conclusion that he did not have diabetes, as the vet feared, but rather had apparently fallen off something and detached his retina. He never has been a terribly coordinated cat...but seriously.
These days he is content to sleep on the chair of death in the kitchen or in the death closet upstairs as he ponders what is worthy of publication in the yearly letter.
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MJ, our resident mommy cat, tried for years to teach Tigger to clean himself and to purr. The cleaning he has never really mastered, however, in a shocking turn of events, seems to have learned to purr since MJ passed away.
A couple of years ago he gave us a scare...we noticed that one of his eyes always seemed dilated. After a bunch of tests at the vet, we came to the conclusion that he did not have diabetes, as the vet feared, but rather had apparently fallen off something and detached his retina. He never has been a terribly coordinated cat...but seriously.
These days he is content to sleep on the chair of death in the kitchen or in the death closet upstairs as he ponders what is worthy of publication in the yearly letter.
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