"We're so happy since he came into our home..."

That's what my hubby likes to tell anybody about Oscar and the happiness he has brought. Sure! It's been a load of sh*ts and giggles. Especially, the other night, when I had to corner the little fellow, ask the hubby to hold in him in a towel (for the hubby's protection) as I grabbed a Kleenex and proceeded to yank a piece of pretty, long, black thread from his rear orifice. WHAT THE HELL?!? The hubby was all flustered by the situation, mostly because the kitty had quite a mess on him to start with and boy did he stick. (Oscar, right.)

I tried to go as fast as I could cleaning up Oscar and calming down the hubby. And, yes, he was just as squeamish changing diapers. (The hubby, right.) So after releasing the kitty (who now looked stereotypical -wet spikes/disgusted look), I raced to the litter box corner to assess and fix the mess, before the hubby loses whatever he might have eaten during the day.

It was worse than I thought and required alot of breathing-holding to get started. This is an amazing feat for me, as 1. I can't swim therefore can't hold my breathe; 2. I'm a smoker since I was a wee sasslass. Not much air going in anymore. So the possibilities of dizziness and turning blue are real for me. Who knew there would be so many dangers just trying to take care of your pet?

So after all was said and done, my hubby was pissy about the mess and having been thrust into help without a choice, (which did make me enjoy it more, really) and Oscar, who was very adamant about expressing his feeling of being violated by the woman of the house. I didn't think he would get over that one. It's only been 3 days or so, so I'm still watching my back. (He is hunting me as I type this. I can see him out of the corner of my eye.  help (wrote it small so Oscar couldn't hear me.) Yes that was a funny. Not the hunting part though. He just attacked.

I'll have to take that as a sign that I won't get anymore peace from him for now. As I stated in the beginning, it's all been sh*ts and giggles. Bring it on!

Oscar's new/last training tool...(& my new bestfriend!?!)

Our Puss-N-Boots wannabe is now becoming a full blown young carnivore with urges that he doesn't seem to want to control anytime soon. And I'm running out of ideas on how to stop him from reaching the ceiling and yet helping him reach adulthood without an accident of some kind. After all, this is not my first pet and certainly not the first brat, two or four legged. Yet, he is slowly making me feel the slightest bite out-planned, out-calculated and out-energized. Despite the massive vocal and physical protests of my son ( my husband is neutral, at the moment), I've employed a tried training tool that is non-toxic, inexpensive, painless, stainless, etc.

The good old Water Bottle with Spray Nozzle.

You would think my son just saw me beating the cat with a golf club/any heavy object, when he watched me use my new 'tool' the other night. The little kitty wouldn't stay off the kitchen table, so I gave him a quick straight spray. And you should have seen Oscar go. You could see a cloud behind him as he carried on down the hall. And the noise that his baby claws make on the bare floors can be quite comical. (I'm not a sadist, so shut up!).  It was just the exact reaction that I had been looking for. I was tired of the immediate high blood-pressure, flying kitty fur, broken item used to discipline Oscar (nothing harsh, don't worry), running sprints trying to catch Oscar to complete discipline. All really work reserved for raising human babies.

The 'tool' is awesome, especially if it's an adjustable nozzle. You can get quite a bit of distance with the tight spray setting. And if kitty decides that it's still not enough to stop the bad habits. Always add cold water (cold button on water cooler/fridge door, very handy). I have found over the years that the most effective spots to spray would be in the nose/tummy/below the tail areas. Again, I stress, this in no way harms the kitty/cat.

What I d didn't do anything?

Oscar is still in  love with his caretaker (me), most of the time. It's been over a week since the 'tool' has been put in to play and there's less need to pull the trigger as sometimes,  just showing the 'tool' is enough to make him disappear. It's not over yet; I'm very aware of this. I just have to get the young master of the house to calm down about the whole process. He might change his tune.....(once he has his own to care for......That's just so corny. Yuck.) Anybody know if somebody has outfitted a 'tool' with laser-sight? If not, I might have to play with a Nerf gun and make a prototype. (Make mental note on List of Things To Do).

Free 54-40 Concert....Aaawwweeeessssoooommmmmmmeeeeee!!!

I know that I'm suppose to be too old to enjoy this kind of "got to find a mosh-pit" music but I not listening to all those naysayers. 54-40 was awesome, is awesome, will probably continue to be awesome when it comes to playing live sets.  Check out some of their videos on YouTube. They are, after all, a home-grown (sorry, just had to) band from British Columbia. And as they proudly stated, "It's been 25 years since their first album was released. It was the first of many #1s."

This great Canadian band sounds exactly like their recordings. I don't know if it was the sound system or the years of knowledge on how to tune instruments in the cold, but they rocked through ever tune. And they played as though they were having all the fun in the world, as we all hoped it wouldn't snow. (That's not a joke.)

This was all provided as a Labour Day Weekend in our little town with the Town picking up the tab. And yes, I could see the irony of this if the taxpayer (us) were picking up the tab, but they announced that this was provided by government grants. ( No, the irony of that is not lost on me, either. The crazy talk!).

It wasn't hard to keep warm if you did it right. Although I know I was getting some strange stares, (which I'm quite use to no matter what I do), I was moving like I wasn't halfway through life yet. I couldn't help myself. It was almost painful not to break into a good moshing, though I realized right away I wasn't wear the proper footwear. (Had to part with the steel-toed boots after 10 faithful years of safety and protection :) ).

My husband wasn't very aware of who this fantastic West Coast Band was (spent some years in a coma, I assume) but I dragged his ass with me anyway. His only comment so far was " How old are these guys again?" (Jealous? eh, eh, eh) And it's true, these are fine representations for females of all ages. I just had to say that because I'm deprived of Eye Candy almost 10 months out of the year. Men aren't the only ones who enjoy the warm months.

Any-hoe, back to 54 40 and their greatness. I can only hope that their stay was pleasant in the best way, so they might decide to reappear another future labour day weekend party in the park. (Quick Note: D'oh, no pix! One of my many handicaps. Sorry.)

So, I made a quick list of links of some other people's pix (couldn't post the actual pix due to something about copyright infringement, such and such...):

54 40  54 40 (2)......  Second thought, just google 54 40 band pix. You can look at more than 19 million results. I have some things to do first. Enjoy!