Traveling with cats

So about a month ago I asked a student in our lab if she would be interested in making some extra money by watching my cats while I was in Nebraska. I, also, told her that if it went well I would ask her to watch them again when I go to an ESA conference in Tennessee. She agreed but I didn't see her until the day before I left for Lincoln which means the cats got to travel with me! Many of you know that my cats are not terribly fond of leaving the house. Tzani will cry the whole way; Woudin will cry and drool so badly that I think there is something medically wrong with him. Thirty minutes in a car with two crying cats can drive you insane. I decided to try to start out on a good note so I bought them toys from Pet Co and brought the toys home. I placed the bag on the floor while I tried to take care of some chores in the house.

Woudin found his toy, removed it from the bag, and started playing with the toy. Doesn't he look happy? I bet you are wondering about Tzani; have no fear I got her an herbal toy. It has a buckwheat center which can be warmed up to comfort an elderly cat. Sounds like it is the right choice her her, right?

She doesn't seem sure about how she feels about this "toy." I decided to put the toys away and keep working on my chores to get ready to go. I changed the towels in the bottom of their carriers and placed a pillowcase from my bed on top of the towels (thanks for the suggestion sister BG). After that I started getting ready for bed and look what I found?

I guess he was ready to go; I told him we weren't leaving until tomorrow (meaning today) but he stayed in his carrier. I woke up with him on the bed but after he ate he went back into his carrier. All morning he stayed in his carrier and Tzani hung around me. She would get upset when I took stuff out to the car but otherwise fine. When it was time to go they got a bit upset but seemed okay. The problems didn't start until we were in the car and moving. I thought having Woudin in the back seat where he could see me since he seemed more calm and Tzani in the front close to me would be a good idea. Tzani was okay and calmed down since I could open her carrier and stick my hand in to pet her. Woudin, however, was drooling like a cat with rabies. I was so worried about him that I missed my turn into Ogden to get gas.

I decided to pull over in Manhattan at the Home Depot and rearrange the cats. Tzani went onto the floorboard and Woudin came into the front seat. Woudin was drooling so bad I thought he might have a serious medical problem but when I opened his cage and started petting him he started to calm down. He continued to drool but it wasn't as bad except when I had to stop the car to get gas and to go potty. He drooled pretty badly for awhile after that but did calm down.

About halfway there, Beatrice, Tzani was vocalizing again. I swear she was saying "are we there yet and how much longer." She calmed down again but once we got closer to Lincoln she got vocal again; her carrier isn't tall enough that she can stand and stretch but Woudin's is so he is the lucky one.

The weren't happy with being in the bathroom while I got them situated in the bathroom (cat litter, water, but no food) and then got my stuff up from the cat. Yes, the cats are like the Marines- first in and last out. I'm sure you noticed no food; I left their container of food on the kitchen table at home (DAMN IT). I remembered everything but the food. Fortunately, there is a Pet Smart close by and it carries the cats food so I went and got them some food. I then went over to Walmart to get some groceries for my mini-fridge and supper for me. When I got back I let the cats explore the room.

Here they are checking things out; this is my stuff but that's not mine.

Tzani adapts better than Woudin; after she wandered around for awhile she decided to get up on the bed and hang out with me while I uploaded some photos for Facebook.

Woudin is adapting but he still hasn't made it up to the bed. Notice that he isn't drooling here. That stopped after we got up in the room and he was out of his carrier.  He is currently passed out on the floor curled up next to "his" cosmic banana (yellow thing in the photo) which is filled with the "best catnip in the world."  Tzani is curled up next to him; maybe they are waiting for me to shower and get ready for bed.

D O N E........ with experiments!

I wish I had pictures of the clean cabinets where I kept my sieves, of the incubator where I held my colonies, of the walk-in incubator which held my experiements, or the drawers where I kept miscellaneous items such as pens and insects to photograph but I don't.

However, what I do have is the relief that I no longer HAVE to work every DAMN weekend collecting data. I have decided to start taking Friday and Saturday off since one day off is no longer motivating me to get through 6 more days of "crap." For the time being I will continue to go to the lab but only to do more data analysis and create graphs in SigmaPlot.

Oh, yea..................

I looked up the graduate school deadlines and as long as "he who shall not be named" gives me timely revisions I should be able to graduate in December. 

YEA!!!!!!



Irregardless, I have drawn my line in the sand; I am leaving KSU in December with or without a job and with or without a degree.  It scares me to think that I may not have a job and pisses me off  that I may not have a degree but I can't afford another semester, mentally or financially!

Let us all pray to our respective deities that whatever is best for me is what happens to me! :)

On a completely different note,  my on-line dating life has became more interesting since I admitted that I'm planning on leaving Kansas in December.  Now you might think that these are men that are only interested in casual sex but you would be wrong.  You may suspect that they also want to vacate Kansas but all of them are established  with good jobs and homes; only one, yes there is more than one (three to be exact),  has the potential and desire for moving but only if he and his game studio partner get their game on the market!   WTF!!!!?  I guess I will just roll with it and see where it takes me; you know I'm praying this isn't a sign that I need to stay here. I love, love, love my "family" but I want to travel to different, new scenery!

 

Colby, KS

A friend of mine from Colby posted this and I thought to myself really?!! So I thought I would check it out and post it for your viewing pleasure.



Why didn't anything fun like this happen when I lived in Colby?

Summer Reading Program

It took me many years to learn how to read.  I was held back in first grade and put in the "special" reading program until I was in the third grade. Then I took off like a rocket ship.  I participated in the "Book-It" program when I was in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade; I, also, participated in the summer reading program at the local library. These programs has prizes for a certain number of books; I remember it being lots and lots of fun! I even won the Jayhawk (yes, yes, I know) reading program award for reading the most books (over 300) in the 6th grade.

However, when I was allowed to read books from the adult library there were no reading programs for adults.  Fortunately, when I lived in Fort Collins,Co and Manhattan, KS there were adult reading programs.  You receive a prize for signing up and then you were entered in weekly drawings to win prizes.

This year the Manhattan Public Library started their adult reading program the first week of June.  I signed up and received a bag of black tea.  Today I received a call around noon to tell me I won the drawing for this week.  I was surprised since this was the first time I had won a drawing!!!! I enter these programs because I love to read and it is fairly easy for me to read 5-10 books a week. However................

    now, I have a new mug to drink tea or coffee in and.............


I can get a free Happy Meal from McDonald's. I'm sure my favorite 5 year old will appreciate whatever toy I get from the Happy Meal.




What do you do for summer fun?

Irises, Irises, More Irises, and a Rose

The Irises are blooming and have been for awhile; it seems very strange and quite early to have so many pretty Irises; I wonder what Mother Nature is thinking about all these Irises!

I'm sure I have shown you some of these before but I find them very pretty and I hope you enjoy them as well!

The next two are over by the red barn; they didn't bloom last year because they were new to the soil but this year they are blooming rather proudly.

I have so say I really like them both;
what are the odds that I can have a few of these when I leave?


The purple one is very dark but I think I had too much light for the color.
I guess I should try it again. :)






My friend has many different types of purple Irises.
The blue beard on the purple is quite startling.

I'm sure I have shown you this one before but it is still one of my favorites. I really like the contrasting shades and the yellow beard.





I don't recall this lovely Iris blooming last year.
I want one of these as well.
I think my friend will need to provide me with an Iris "shopping" list!

Finally, a single rose.  My friend cut some stems from a rose bush and planted it in the ground.  The bush is growing quite well and has several roses this year!