Linus & home repair

Look! Evidence that Linus is playing! He rummaged through the toy pile until he found a bone he liked. As soon as I got the camera, he stopped.

The stuffed platypus from Ty is his favorite toy. We frequently have to retrieve it from the backyard. One day Chris picked up in the yard & tried to get Linus to play with him. Linus refused & later snuck out to bury the platypus under the photinias. Chris recovered him & has decided that playing with it in the backyard isn't a good idea.

He has come out of his shell so much. He's happy & hyper. He's all wriggly whenever he sees us. He's started jumping on us & on Einstein to get to the front of the petting line. We've decided that we're not going to do what Cesar would & insist he be calm and submissive before we give him affection. He's not used to getting it or wanting it. However, the jumping has to go especially since he does it while we're walking and/or carrying things. He's so happy & such a sweetie. He is umimpressed with the Nylabones a friend recommended to us. The one he dug out of the toy basket was one of those freeze-dried real bones. If he continues to chew on it, we'll get him some more. Anyone want some Nylabones? Einstein's never cared for them either.

Any ideas on how to stop Linus' whining in the morning? We think he's just waking up & wants out. I got up with him this morning at 6 (which is late for Linus) so Chris could sleep in. On the theory that maybe he's waking up to the sunlight we're going to toss a blanket over his crate tonight. Cross your fingers for us. I did do some more research on barking collars. It looks like that ones that the dog sets off himself have maybe a 30% success rate. Collars that are activated by remotes are the best when combined with verbal training. Would you believe that it is extremely cheaper to buy a collar to shock your dog than another more humane way (noise and/or vibration)? We're going to keep working on it but I was grouchy enough this morning that researching it was therapeutic.

Kyanos came down some this morning. Linus responded well to verbal warnings to leave her alone. He watched her very intently while Einstein fell asleep. So things are going good on the Linus/Kyanos interaction front. I was doing some knitting & Linus decided to help out by jumping up on top of my laceweight cashmere/silk blend strung with beads. Everything was saved & Linus curled up in the now clear spot beside me. Linus has also taken to hopping up in Einstein's papa san. So far Einstein is allowing it. We'll see how long that lasts.

We actually started working on the master bathroom today. We'll finish up tomorrow.
Photos are over here.

Nap Time!

I had a fun weekend out with the gals, staying up late, & eating way too much junk food.
The inevitable happened & I crashed when I got home on Sunday. Chris needed to run some errands so Linus got to join us for his first Nap Time.
Nap Time started because I couldn't sleep on the couch anymore without my joints waking me up in screaming pain.
When Chris got home, he found out that someone had joined us.

Kyanos must have decided that Linus was safe. You may also have noticed that the boys swapped sides of the bed at some point.

Panda

Chris and I finally had time to unpack the bag with Panda. We'd put the cards we'd received in there. They'll be put in her photo album. There was also a votive candle but it's scented so Mom will get it.

The box is very nice. It has nice simple lines with a photo area on the front. I'm not sure if I'll put her photo there or just leave the sunset one it came with there. It has her name on a brass plaque on the front. Unlike Darwin's (which has a lock & keys), Panda's box is sealed. We don't plan on ever opening either one so that's a plus in our book.

She and Darwin are up on the mantle. I never thought I'd do something like that. However, the mantel (along with some "pretties" that rotate) has a framed copy of our wedding invitation, a Waterford cat & a cross, along with a Tibetan singing bowl so I think they fit in.

We have a print of St. Francis surrounded by animals done by Lucy A. Synk (picture is shown is this article)hanging on the wall upstairs. I saw it at her booth at the KC Ren Faire years ago and knew exactly where to put it. I used it as the center of a shrine to my cat, Ches, who died way too young. We're planning on adding photos of Panda & Darwin - along with the cast of his pawprint - beside the print.

Meeting of the Pack

The newest pack member, Linus, finally got to meet the oldest (& smallest) pack member, Kyanos.
Kyanos came down to see where I was. She announced herself and Linus woke up. She strolled up and Linus lifted his head & they spotted each other. Kyanos looked straight at him and then proceeded to ignore him. Linus kept looking at her & then looking away. Kyanos hopped up on the couch & eventually left.
Nothing exciting.

Panda says good-bye

Panda went to sleep shortly before 9 am at Angel Vet with Chris and I.

She's been a huge part of our lives. She was the first pet that Chris & I picked out together.

Thank you all for your love, support, & prayers.

She's at peace now.

Dogs & Cats Oh My!

The Old Geezer cat is still doing ok.

We're adopting a buddy for Einstein from the Flower Mound Humane Society. I've been a member for several years now so it just seems right to find our new family member there.
His name is Linus. Which continues our tradition of scientist dogs.

Chris is thrilled since this means I have to clean up everything off of the floor.

The most wonderful old geezer cat around!

Panda is 17!!