We had what I'd like to refer to as a "Baby Preparedness Drill" last night...thanks to our kitty Beaver.
He's lovin' on me as start to type this blogtastic story about last night..How can I resist his love?? 
Let me backtrack a bit...
We purchased a new sectional
( our first "real" furniture purchase) well aware that our kitty had torn up our old hand me down leather couches..He used the uprights as a scratching post, and we, as bad parents, didn't do enough to stop him.
Why, you ask?By the time we realized he was scratching, it was too late. I did attempt to throw a wrench in his love of the couch by using
"Away Kitty" spray at $5 a pop, and it did nothing to curb his scratching addiction.
So, I had been begging NZ for a new sectional for what seems like forever
(Which was probably only a few months, but once I get my mind set on something, it is all consuming), and he
forwarned me that once the new sofa was in, the kitty would be
OUT. Of course I wanted new furniture so I willingly agreed that
Beav cat, as much as I love him, would become an outside kitty.
It's now been at least a month since we brought Mr. New comfy sofa home, and it's been covered with blankets .
Wanna come over and camp out in our blanket fort, anyone? We don't even attempt to uncover them during the daytime, since we're not so sure
Beav's addiction only hits at night..So, here were have this beautiful new sofa, and it's covered up. It's quite a sight.
Anyhow,
NZ's door finally arrived to replace our kitchen access door which currently has a kitty door in it, so he can switch out the kitty door with a new solid door, thus making
Beav an official outdoor kitty. We'll put the kitty door in our garage access door, so he can call the garage home from now on (
note to self: roll up car windows nightly!). Now that it's like
actually going to happen, I feel so guilty for kicking
Beav out of the house. My biggest fear right now is the Raccoon Bully that seems to love
Beav's cat food as much as
Beav does. Not only does the coon stalk our house, he actually welcomes himself inside while we are home! Nick caught him in the kitchen Thursday night.
No kidding...A coon...in MY kitchen. YUCK. Anyhow, moving the food and the cat out to the garage leaves room for the fight of the century, with both animals being in one small enclosed area...together...with one bowl of food to duke it out over. I'm wishing we would have purchased one of those electronic cat doors with the magnetic collar..so only
BEAV has access to the garage.
That alone woulda saved me the sleepless nights I had when we used to keep out kitchen access kitty door open at night. Since the return of the coon last week, we have been locking our kitty door that leads to the kitchen every night. If Beaver is in the house, he is in for the night...if he's out, well, he is supposed
to be out for the night...but come 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, the familiar wail that only
Beav can manage to pull off awakens me and I
begrudglingly go let him in. I'm a
pushover like that.
Last night, I had
Beav locked in for the night, and he decided he wanted out just before NZ and I signed off to bed. I let him outside, and told NZ out loud that there was NO way I was going to let him in before morning...I was mad at
Beav for wanting out after I had him inside, safe and sound...
2 o'clock rolls around.
I hear the familiar scratching at the cat door, along with the occasional head butt attempt to bust his way in
( those locks are sturdy!) ..I contemplated getting up and saving him the brain damage, but reminded myself that I was NOT letting him in..
A few minutes later, a familiar kitty cry right outside our bedroom window. I laughed a little to myself, thinking,
how pathetic... but was going to stick to my guns and weather out his cries. Fast forward through an hour of crying/singing/wailing, whatever you want to call it...right outside our window and NZ wakes up.
NZ:"Is that Beaver?"
Where has he been, the damn cats been crying like this for over an hour!Me:" Yes! He won't stop. It's been going on for over an hour, baby."
NZ: " Well, aren't you going to let him in? Where is he?"
Me: " Right OUTSIDE our window..and I said I wasn't letting him in tonight, but I can not sleep with his constant crying."
NZ: " Go let him in"
So, I, the pushover that I am, went and peered through the kitchen window and saw the most pitiful little black kitty sitting right under our window, wailing his little eyes out..
I should have grabbed a camera for the sight, but good Lord, it was 3 o'clock in the morning, who takes pictures of their cat at that hour? I unlocked his kitty door, swung it a few times for him to hear that it was open, and a few minutes later, we had a kitty
purrring his little heart out in our bed with us.
Suppose Beav is just preparing us for parenthood. Thanks, dude.
Anyhow, we've got about 150 feet more to dig out and repeat the retaining wall process...and I'm thinking, I'm going to be able bodied soon, so I am sure I will be put to work too..
The office is nearly finished! ( see above) It's finished enough to move furniture back in, thus freeing up our guest room ( future room of BabyZ) again!
Two of my long time BFF's are coming to visit me really really soon...and I am thrilled. NZ's got some Dodger tickets for us and I am hoping to get in some beach time/ shopping time with them while they're here in my neck of the woods. No matter what we do, we always have fun together. 
Nick was in St. Louis, MO for the beginning part of the week and with all his celebrity encounters in "the Lou", one might think his"there on business" explanation was a bit of an alibi. He and his co-worker were there for a trade show, and were able to catch a few Cardinal vs. Pirate games underneath the St. Louis arches. What could be better than a few ballgames after a long days work?? 
..that's why I made these tonight.
