Looking Forward to Decemberween
I tried to write two posts since the last one. Really I did. They keep getting deleted or programs shut down unexpectedly etc etc. I tried. Honest.

Since last I wrote I've done scraping and painting and cleaning and pulling MORE nails from odd places around the house. I've raked the yard and planted bulbs for next spring--all sorts of hopelessly domestic and settled activities.

Nihao has taken well to the new house, despite the fact that her limited intellect causes her to be confused on a regular basis. She's never lived in a place with stairs before. As a result she managed to get lost downstairs at least twice a day for the first little while. I suppose the stairs could be very confusing to someone that close to the ground. You think you've oriented yourself to the few rooms upstairs, you explore this confusing angular area, and when you look up you're in an entirely different "house." Solution: Howl. Loudly. Now that Nihao has gotten used to the concept of stairs, she howls for entirely different reasons...none of which we are entirely aware. I sometimes think she misplaces me. I'll sit at the computer and she goes downstairs only to suddenly realize that she can't see me anymore. Result: more howling. It can only be good for the lungs, right? One thing's for certain, howling outside our bedroom door at 3 am won't be very healthy for her if she doesn't stop. So far the spray bottle seems to be working--if only because it causes her meowing to recede into the distance as she peeks over the top stair and sings gratingly.

All the research I'd done and people I'd talked to suggest that a feline companion would help her to feel less alone and she'd be entertained more. Sooo... about a week and a half ago, I answered a "free kitten" ad online and drove out to BFE north and brought home a little black cat. He seemed ok at the people's house, though he was pretty quiet and had slightly gummy eyes. Maybe some conjuctavitis? (sp?) No problem. We had some leftover medicine from Nihao's bout. It wasn't until I got into the car with him that I realized that he reeked. Awfully. The people had been running some sort of cat farm, it seemed. The whole area stunk of cat piss. If you've ever smelled it, you know it's unmistakable. The inside of their house stunk of stale cigarette smoke and body odor and lots of cats. When I got him home, the kitten was floppy and gummy-eyed and completely unresponsive. And really really stinky. The revelation hit after I gave him a bath and he suddenly started acting like a kitten-- playful and hopping around-- he had been allergic to himself. It was too hard for him to keep up with the grooming that would have been required in that gross environment. Huh. Whoda thought?

We named him Boo, though we had plans for another name. Boo just seemed to fit him better. He's like a little imp. His legs are too long for him and he's so black that his face looks like nothing but eyes. My brother once owned a rat named Bu, but that was short for Bubonic. As in plague. Hopefully no one will be confused.

Nihao is already taking it upon herself to hold him down with one paw and groom him until he wiggles away. They seem to get along well. Boo follows her around with an air of awe, and she, in turn, is entertained by his leaping and twisting and dancing over little specks on the floor. He's a weird little cat. Really likes to carry things around in his mouth. We have a ribbon on a stick that serves as a fishing pole for them, and when he catches it, he bites the end and then purposefully marches away dragging the ribbon, the pole, and the human right along. Tonight as we were making dinner he discovered that by jumping onto the trash can, he could make it to the counter, where legend has is that untold troves of butter and catnip await. I shooed him a couple times, before looking over to find that---what the fu......??! --- he was casually sneaking along the counter, carrying a paring knife in his mouth. Not just the handle. He was holding it by the blade. Geez-- what do they TEACH cats these days?? Fortunately, some double-sided tape atop the trash can has put an end to his escapades.