I get asked that a lot. Lately I haven’t known what to say. I know there is a lot that is new, but how interesting do others find it? I’m still working on my project, although it has been a slow week coming up to the holiday. I had a seminar end this week, and the other didn’t meet. So I’m off to live in my now quiet head.

I have my costume for Tahitian competition. Well, all but the flower. I have to decide on a flower, and it has to be real. So that means it has to last all day (from 7 am to about 6 pm).

Last weekend I was busy meeting up with friends–even after a long day at the garage sale. It seems that most people are out of town this weekend or have other plans, but perhaps something will come up spur of the moment. A friend is supposed to have a party either Friday or Saturday, but I haven’t heard anything further.

Oh, I finally got a Nintendo Wii, which is supposed to be for my son. I have been playing. It’s a lot of fun. I ended up with a sore arm from playing tennis.

Work? Well, it’s still the same, although it seems that some new interest could provide more immediate funding. Just have to see.

The cats are pretty much the same. So is the dog. I have one cat with an immune disorder, and he’s not looking so good right now. Not much I can do about it other than keep him comfortable. It’s kind of icky to watch him waste away.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there.

Also Happy Birthday to my son who is 15 today. Happy Birthday to Hamlet, the cat, who is 7 today.

This new contraption just came yesterday…

It’s a must-have at my house. I have been through 4 Littermaid litter boxes, 3 Performa litter boxes, and this, I hope, is the last automated litter box I ever buy. At least I hope I don’t have to buy a new one next year. The Littermaid boxes lasted about 6 months before they died. My first Performa died within a couple of months so under warranty, I got a replacement. The replacement made it just past it’s warranty before it died. The last one hadn’t died completely, but the noise it made on it’s last legs made me want to kill it.

This new box is pretty cool. Kinda spacey. There are only two pieces. I pulled them out of the box, plugged in the base and set the round top on the base. In less than five minutes, I had a working automatic cat litter. The whole top turns to sift the litter (no rakes!).

The biggest problem is that the cats like to watch it turn, and absolutely have to stick their necks inside to see what is going on. Every time it ran yesterday, at least three cats were watching. Mesmerized. This was more exciting than the birds outside.

It holds a nice amount of litter. The cats seem to like it. It was used within 10 minutes of being set up. (No, this is not a paid post. I just think this is cool.) Also, it only takes up a 2 foot by 2 foot space. The old box took up 40 inches in length of floor space which doesn’t account for walking area for the cats to actually get into the box. Oh, and the clumps go into the drawer that you line with regular garbage bags. No more special bags, litter pans, etc. If you have cats and need an automatic litter box check the site out. They have video.

Well, it’s official. The doves have moved. Perhaps it was too stressful to be stared at by three cats all day long. They are nearby because I have heard them cooing, but I don’t know where they moved to. Maybe they built a new nest in one of the trees in front. They didn’t seem to mind when I went out the front door. Poor kitties will have to find some other entertainment.

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My cats are tormented by two doves who have taken up residence under the awning. They have been busy for several days building a nest, so there is a lot of activity. The cats watch intently from the livingroom window. I wonder if the birds can see the cats.

It looks like we will have several weeks of torture. They haven’t laid eggs yet, but they have performed all the activity required for making eggs. That’s more than my cats can handle. I’m mostly concerned about all the bird poo I will have to scrub from the bricks and sidewalk. This is the first time birds have nested here.

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Please vote for me over at the Blogger’s Choice Awards for “Best blog design.”

I sent my son off into the sky this morning. He should arrive back at his dad’s house this evening. It will be interesting to see how the seminar he went to stays with him and how he affects others. It’s quiet again here, which I have to get used to again. The scaredy cats have come out of hiding. Now they are in “needy” mode.

He wanted to go to the next seminar in the series, so we got signed up this morning before getting to the airport.

The final part of his seminar all the parents, relatives and friends were invited. It was very moving to see the teens get up and speak, especially when they acknowledged their families. Not all the teens spoke. I was rather surprised that my son did because it seemed like he wasn’t going to. I was also surprised by what he said.

Since I won’t be home, my cats will have the run of the house. I wonder what mischief they will find. I doubt that I will find them like this.

I have a seminar all weekend beginning today. Darn thing lasts 12 hours a day. I wonder how I will survive it.

The most exciting thing that happened yesterday was I got locked out of my house. I made my son stop the video games to help clean up the backyard. He didn’t realize that the new door handle is very spring loaded and the spring popped after he closed the door. That was fun. We had to climb over the backyard fence–over six foot tall wood. At least the yard got picked up. Much less dog doo and lemons.

I spent most of the day doing my own thing or watching my son play video games. Once he remembered that he could get online to play that is all he did. I watched him unload an entire clip into some guy. I guess the guy was on his side, but kept shooting him and reviving him. From what I’ve seen, these online players are idiots. I watched one run down a team mate on a motorcycle. The game? Call of Duty 3. My son didn’t even want to go to the movies. Oh well. It’s his vacation, and he doesn’t get to play them often otherwise.

The weather is supposed to be better here today. I hope so because the wind was horrible. Our poor little shallow-rooted trees can’t handle winds above 50 miles per hour. At least this year, I didn’t lose any trees in the backyard. My lights out front managed to stay mostly on the trees.

The cats are still in hiding. The two youngest don’t like strangers. Apparently, there’s a very strange person in the house.

I thought of something to write last night, but by this morning I have completely forgotten. My day consists of getting ready for a party this evening. All white. Should be fun trying to get out of the house without getting dirty. I don’t own white clothes for that reason. I had to run to the store this morning, and they are surprisingly not that busy–at least not where I went. I found a purse to go with my dress–and for half off. I love it when the things I need are on sale. I don’t have the patience to browse any store, so I got what I came for and left.

While I’m writing, one of the cats just threw up tree pieces. It’s a fake tree. Darn cats are eating my fiber optic tree! I hadn’t set it up until last night for that reason. I don’t think I can stand a whole week of yelling “Get out of the tree!” There are no ornaments. Ornaments are just too attractive to cats. Last time I put up a tree with ornaments I had fewer cats and every morning the ornaments towards the bottom were on the floor. The tree is mostly for my son. Cats could care less about the menorah. In fact, fire makes them stay away. Well, I have to go clean the carpet.

Can a former boyfriend really be happy that you have a new boyfriend? I wrote about the ex who seems to call right when I’m seeing someone else. I told him about Mr. O. He said he was happy for me. But is he really? Is that possible? I was never all that happy to hear about his girlfriends. So maybe this is a case of overthinking, but I still have to wonder. I won’t make myself crazy wondering. It was just on my mind this morning.

I’m looking at what I have going on this week. I’m less busy than last week. I have no family out here, so it looks like I will be spending Thanksgiving with my dog and cats. In past years, I have cooked a meal. I don’t eat turkey, so it’s usually chicken. My pets love the smells, but the cats are picky and don’t really eat baked chicken. Crazy cats. The hula/tahitian dance show is Sunday, which means I will be busy all day with that even though I dance for about 10 minutes total.