TGIF

It's Friday and it's so much cooler! Thank goodness! I couldn't have taken much more of that stifling heat. And neither could Scruffers.

It's back to a normal summer temp but things in the house are not completely normal. Heather kept all the doors open to every room during the heat wave and it has continued. I finally get to hang out with Scruffers any time I want! The only thing stopping us is him.

He'll figure out that I'm fun to play with one of these days...

Cranky-Spanky

OK, I've just about had it with the heat - and with Craig and Heather. Yes, I'm cranky-spanky. But dealing with the 100 degree+ temperature outside and Heather chasing me around trying to suffocate me with a wet towel did not make me very happy. Not to mention Scruffy's attitude.

Here's how it started. Last week the temp warmed up and Heather realized she couldn't close her office door or she and Scruffers would suffer in the heat. So slowly but surely, Scruffy has had to deal with an open door. I came in to visit and meet him many times those first few days, but now I really don't care what Scruffy does.

So, yesterday: it was supposed to be hot - maybe even hit 97. It was 87 degrees in Seattle at 8:30 in the morning. The fans were turned on and Craig fretted to no end about my well-being. He researched online how to cool off kitties and he found some website that recommended getting a cold, wet towel and wrapping your kitty in it. OK, I don't know about you but that idea sounds cruel. Every time I get wrapped like a kitty burrito in a towel it's to get medicine shoved down my throat or in my eye. And let's not forget that cats don't like to be wet! Hello! And then there's my claustrophobia. Whoever wrote that was a certified idiot.

But no, Heather and Craig had to try it. I had to put up with it 4 times yesterday. If only I had pulled a Scruffy. He took one look at the towel and hissed and swatted at Craig so he only had to deal with it once. Heather didn't dare get scratched.

Then, on top of it all, Scruffy had to find a cool spot to hang out, and where did he choose? Obviously not anywhere downstairs where it was cooler because he's still scared stiff of the evil ceiling fan. And Heather was not about to turn it off to accommodate him. So he ended up lying down in front of the entry to my kitty box room on the tile. So I couldn't go to the bathroom until Heather figured it out and moved my kitty box.

The absolutely worst part about yesterday? It reached 92 degrees inside the house and didn't drop under 90 until 9 p.m. Miserable! At 10:30 last night it was 84 degrees outside. Finally cool enough for me to run around and chase bugs in the yard, but not fun to be inside. I woke up this morning and it was still 86 degrees in Heather and Craig's room.

Heat Wave Continues

It's so hot even the stuffed animals are wilting in the heat. Current temperature (according to the Burlington regional airport) is 97 degrees.

Ugh! Need I say more? My brain is so fried I can't come up with anything more to say even if I wanted to.

Please, Mother Nature, turn down the oven!

Do NOT Touch

Do NOT rub Scruffer's belly. He can't stand this heat wave more than me, the long-haired kitty.

He is hiding under the far corner of the guest bed to make sure no one gets any dumb ideas - such as disturbing him.

I learned my lesson already today... I slowly sauntered over to meet him and he slowly hissed at me. Too hot to move quickly.

Heat Wave 2009

Why is it so hot? Does Mother Nature have something against me? I am a long-haired kitty. I can't handle this type of weather.

Don't talk to me. Or touch me. I am unsnuggable right now.

Office Assistant Hard at Work

Scruffers: "Oooh, was that the phone? Too bad I can't get it from here... I guess I'll let Heather do all the work today."

(Photo: Scruffers in the middle of his daily 6-hour catnap.)

Where are you going?

Why is Heather packing? Is she planning on leaving me? I saw her last night - stuff spread out all over the living room floor (obviously Craig's out of town because he'd never go for that!) and packing list in hand.

I kind of wish I were Scruffy today because Scruffers is oblivious to it all. He's stuck in the office and can't see Heather packing up to leave us. OK, maybe I don't want to be Scruffs - do you know how hot it was in that office yesterday? Not to mention I am much better looking, younger and livelier.

But that's besides the point. Really, it's quite unnerving to think that Heather might take off when Craig's gone. Who will feed us? Who will rub my belly at 4 a.m.? Who will make sure it doesn't get too hot in the house?

Maybe if I unpack her stuff while she's not looking she will get the hint and stay home...

Who is Chartreuse?

What? You haven't met Chartreuse yet? He's one of the guys who lives here at the house. He met Heather and Craig years ago when they stopped by McDonald's. Chartreuse wanted to escape (to0 many small children) and Heather agreed to let him move in. Below is our conversation.

Giuseppe: I saw on your tag you were made in China. What was it like there?

Chartreuse: Hot, crowded, and full of young children in the factory where I was born. I was happy to be packaged and shipped to the U.S. to start a new life.

Giuseppe: How did you get the name Chartreuse?

Chartreuse: (Laughs) Funny story... Heather and Craig named me based on my color. But neither of them knew that Chartreuse was a green color, not a variation of fuchsia. I had the name for a few years before someone told me. Heather offered to rename me, but Chartreuse is a part of my identity. I am Chartreuse - no matter what color I am.

Giuseppe: What do you like to do for fun?

Chartreuse: I really like to hike. One of the advantages to being tiny is that I pack easily and I can fit anywhere in a backpack. One of my favorite trips was touring SE Oregon (Steens Mountain) and Nevada's Great Basin National Park with Craig, Heather, Doug and Beanie a few years ago. Hiking to the top of Wheeler Peak was amazing! Do you know what it's like for a tiny bear to look out at 13,000 feet? Pretty spectacular, I tell you.

Giuseppe: Do you have any plans this summer?

Chartreuse: I hope to get some backpacking in and maybe do the Clear Lake Triathlon with Heather. Wish us luck!

Don't forget to vote!

My new poll! I know, I'm shameless - vote for me! Giuseppe Gattino!

Scenes from a Busy Work Day

Giuseppe: Must knead and purr, knead and purr...

Scruffers practices interacting with clients during his on-the-job training.

Monday the Thirteenth

Monday the 13th. That's right.

I woke up this morning - promptly at 5:30 a.m. - and had to beg for breakfast. I swear, as the summer drags on Heather and Craig keep getting up later and later. Today they had the nerve to sleep in till 6:30. On top of that Heather fell back asleep and didn't roll out of bed until 8! And they think cats are lazy. Jeez!

I had already finished breakfast, washed myself, played a while, stared out the window and was settling in for my mid-morning nap when Heather decided to crawl out of bed.

Finally we started our work day. And that's when we found out that Heather's work computer was on the fritz. Heather spent most of the day swearing softly at that computer while erasing all unnecessary files to make room on the hard drive. After a few hours of that fun, she decided to use my work computer. And lo and behold, my computer was acting up too. Ugh! So I was forced to abandon my blog posting plans and play all afternoon. I tell you, it's tough being a kitty!

The Office Assistant Has His Say

Why does everyone want to interrupt my nap? I like to sleep from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. every day. How hard is that to get through your little noggins? Please don't bug me when I am napping. I don't wake you up in the middle of the night, do I?

It Looks Like a Good Week from Here

Yesh! It's a new week and this week looks to be much better. The Fourth of July is over - and hopefully that means all the neighborhood idiots ran out of fireworks (or fingers)! And finally the heat is gone! Yay!

I admit it, the fourth was a little tough. I was OK until our neighbors set off a chain of fireworks and then I was forced to hide under the bed. They were so loud and scary sounding. But the heat is what really got me. Ugh! It was too hot on Saturday and Sunday and I know I whined too much, but I was miserable. Heather could barely move on Sunday too. She just laid on the couch and periodically got up to refill her glass of iced tea.

How did Scruffy Gray fare? Um, not so well. The heat was really hard on him and the firework's forced him under the bed. How do you reassure an abandoned kitty that he's safe on the Fourth of July? He spent Sunday pacing all day in a continued stress response. Then he tried to go downstairs and the evil ceiling fan was on. I don't know what happened to him (he won't tell me the story) but he is scared to death of the ceiling fan. Upon spotting it he ran to the guest room and hid under the bed all day. And he hissed at Craig and Heather.

He seems better today. He snuggled in with Craig so they could read the paper together and then he purred on Heather's lap before it was time for his all-day nap.

And me, I'm much better today too! I feel like playing again and running laps around the house. And trying to coax Scruffy out of bed to play with me...

Chernobyl Kitty Strike Again

What is he doing? Scruffers, is that you?

It must be the heat affecting his brain, that's all I can say.

Or maybe it's from a lack of food. Can you believe Craig forgot to feed Scruffers breakfast this morning? He was wandering around the house trying to figure out what was going on. "Hello? Why has everyone eaten but me?" I can't believe he was so darn polite about it. I would have let them know, believe me!

Housework - phew!

This morning I had to help Heather make the bed. Boy, was it hard work! Between chasing the sheets and attacking Heather's arm, I was all tuckered out by the time we finished.

I don't know how she does it without napping between chores. Oh yeah - don't forget to clean out my kitty box while you're at it!

It's a bad time of year to be a long haired kitty

If I stare at the machine long enough, will someone come over and turn it on? I'm dying in this fur suit!