Confessions: How to end your week with a bang.

We have a cat. Max was a rescue and came with a few phobias (tv remotes) and several odd issues (eating fuzz). But, mostly he's a sweet, loving kitty.

However, one of Max's annoying habits is that he never yacks up fur balls during daylight hours. Never. Never ever. No, I'm always awakened at some awful hour to the sound of a cat strangling. Or, awakened by Larry shaking me while yelling, "Get up! Max is about to puke!"

Nice, huh?

Apparently, I am the only one in this house who can clean up cat puke. I've got skillz, I tell ya!

So, this past Friday at 3:15 in the morning, I was awakened to that sound. I threw back the blankets and my feet hit the floor in one smooth motion. I willed my eyes to adjust to the pitch black. Using my cat-finding-sonar, I ascertained that Max was hunkered down near the door to our bedroom.

Now, one thing you have to know about Max is that he gives me about 4.2 seconds between the first warning "cough" and the point where he actually explodes. There's no time to turn on a light or to put on my slippers. If I'm lucky, there's just enough time to grab him and move him to a surface other than my bedroom carpet.

So, I scooped up Max and made aim for the hardwood floor in the hallway just outside our bedroom. I didn't even take the time to stand. I tucked Max into a football hold in the crook of my right arm and ran for the doorway like a linebacker.

Did I mention that we always sleep with our bedroom door open? Always. Except that night, when we had pushed the door mostly closed to block the light from Burrito's late night television viewing in the family room just down the hall.

In two running steps, I pile drived my head into the bedroom door, nearly slamming it through the frame. At the same instant, Max's 4.2 seconds of warning came to an end.

Surprisingly, Larry woke up right about then and sat up long enough to ask (none too pleasantly, I might add), "What is going on???"

Poor Max! He wouldn't let me pick him up for the remainder of that day. As much as my head hurt, I kept wondering about how badly he'd have been hurt if I'd have stood up and carried him out in front of me like I often do in those situations.

So, how do you end your week with a bang???

My Backyard Friends

This little guy visits my backyard every day.


He's a cute little guy - and yes, it's obvious he is a guy! He gets into everything in the yard including my bird feeder. So, despite the fact that I keep the squirrel feeder well-stocked, I've discovered that he'll leave his feathered friends' food alone if I scatter a little seed on the ground.

Look at those little paws. No wonder he can get into mischief!

The birds aren't afraid of him and sometimes they flutter down from their feeder to help gobble up the seeds on the ground. (See the Cardinal behind the rock?)

Here's a better look...

This bad boy is quite mean to the other birds - he'll even run off my doves that are twice his size. But, he's fun to watch in the birdbath!

And then there's this wild critter...

Max is none too happy to share the yard with the rest of them.

Some days I just can't accomplish anything.

Maybe it's his purr.
Could be that cute pink nose and long whiskers.

Might be the eyes.
This is Max.
He's mine. Or, maybe I'm his.