Spring Break

Mommy is on Spring Break from her work at college this week, so that means extra Phoebe time. I can not believe how long it has been since Mommy updated my diary!
It has also been a long winter! I still go out on the porch to make sure things are all right outside of my door, but I don't stay too long when it is cold. It is finally starting to get a little warmer...one day this last weekend, Mommy even opened a window and left the porch door open so I could go in and out and smell all the new almost-spring smells. The robins are back, so the good weather can't be far behind...

The Summer is Flying By!

Wow! I can not believe the summer is going by so quickly. I spend most of my days out on the porch where it is warm and there is lots to watch. Mommy opens up one window before she goes to work in the morning, but she only works for 3 hours a day right now, so by noontime she comes home and opens up all of the windows and I get to lay right by the screen door.

Mommy has been very busy doing work for her new job. She is an adjunct college professor now (whatever THAT means) and she is anxious to do a good job and get a good curriculum developed as quickly as possible, so she has been spending a lot of time reading and researching. But, that's okay, because she usually lets me watch. Right now she is teaching something called a 'jumpstart' reading class Mondays through Fridays...but that ends next week. Then, this fall, so far she only has to work two half days (mornings) per week. I am very happy about that.

After the sun goes down, Mommy makes me say 'nite-nite' to the porch and come inside (she doesn't like to waste the air conditioning on the porch...plus she likes having it completely locked up and the inside door deadbolted.) But, that's okay, because she put fresh catnip on a lot of my toys....so, when I come inside, I play for awhile before settling in for the night. I also go upstairs a lot more now...since the 'fosters' are all gone,

I am quite happy to have the house back all to myself again--no more fosters! Now, I go upstairs in the morning again and wake Mommy up if I want her to get out of bed. I have even knocked her alarm clock down a couple of times...I hadn't done it in awhile and I forgot how funny fun fun it is. At night, I will follow her upstairs and downstairs just like I used to...and I even go into THAT room again. Mommy figures I am over being upset.

I Finally Have My House Back

Phew, what a relief!
All of the fosters are gone. The last one, the one Mommy called Bailey, left on Monday...although I have heard Mommy talking on the phone about her...

I was really starting to get uncomfortable with the situation. When Mommy started this foster stuff way back on March 15, she said it would only be for a short time. But then, She brought home another bunch almost as soon as the first family left. I think she would have taken ANOTHER family this week, but I heard her talking about going away this weekend, so she is not going to be able to do any fostering for awhile.

I knew Bailey was gone as soon as she left. When Mommy got home from the humane society that day I came right inside from the porch and greeted her. She was surprised by that because I had been acting very snobby lately to show her how displeased I was about sharing MY house. Now, I am spending a lot more time near her...I am not hiding anymore. I know that makes Mommy happy...maybe if I keep her happy she will let me keep my privacy for awhile.

Now, as for this going away thing. Apparently, there is some big anniversary party for one of Mommy's cousins in Maine. They even asked Mommy to do something for the party...so Mommy has been working on printing a bunch of old pictures and creating captions to tell a funny story. She worked pretty hard on it and finally finished it this afternoon.
Mommy goes to Maine every year. She likes to stop at her cousin's summer lakehouse, and she also loves Bar Harbor. My porch is decorated like a Maine cabin...so I guess I like Maine, too...though I don't like when Mommy goes there and leaves me home alone. She makes sure that someone is always here to take care of me, but no one is the same as Mommy.

Too Much Action!

Mommy is having wood floors put in the front rooms of the downstairs. Two men came on Saturday and started the job. I hid on the porch for the day. They came back this afternoon and I came upstairs to the computer room. It is noisy downstairs and I don't like it.
Mommy tells me in a few hours, all the floors will be finished and all the furniture will be back where I like it.

I don't like being upstairs too much, either. Because, you know, THEY are up here. That family that Mommy calls the Baileys. They are in a separate room, but they are still there!!!
I had just gotten rid of Miss Kitty and I THOUGHT things were going to be normal again...but then THEY showed up and it all started again.

I also don't like that I gained two pounds since December. That was very upsetting for me to hear. Mommy has a problem with her weight, too, so she understands. I will try to lose the two pounds. Mommy is trying to get me to be more active, but it is summer time and it is so nice and warm/hot on the sunporch that some days I can just lay out there for hours and not move a muscle...it is so comfortable.

Well, I guess I will try to rest up here for awhile until the men go away. I am not sure I like the idea of the wood floors (Mommy says they are really 'laminates' whatever that is.) They are already in the back part of the downstairs..the kitchen and family room and the bathroom where my litterbox is and when I run, sometimes I skid on them! Now I'll probably be skidding all over the place! But, maybe that will help me lose weight.

Tag! You're It!

Tocca Dolce and Merlin have tagged me for a game!
(And, I AM 'all it,' you know!!)

Here are the rules:
Each player starts with seven random facts about himself/herself. Cats who are tagged need to write in their own diaries about the seven things and the rules of the tag game. You need to choose seven cats to tag and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment that they have been tagged and to read your diary.

HAVE FUN!

Here are my seven random facts:

1. I tricked Mommy into adopting me. She really wanted a small, quiet cat...and she thought that is what torties were. I have a great 'facey face' and looked lovingly and longingly at Mommy when she had to choose between me and another tortie kitten. Then, as soon as I was adopted, I started meowing and being very active. I have an angel sister, Spice, who was a dilute tortie, who was small and quiet. I am big and noisy. I surprised Mommy, but she says it was a happy surprise. I taught Mommy that all cats have very different personalities.

2. Mommy is not the first person who adopted me from the shelter and Phoebe was not my original name. I was taken but returned after a week because those people did not like me. They had named me Matilda. They said that I was trying to scratch their rugs. I don't know what they expected from a kitten! Anyway, it all worked out well, because if they had not returned me, I would not have been there for Mommy to find me when she needed me! Mommy says that it was actually a plot...that Spice had come from heaven and told me that, if I wanted the best home ever, then I should make sure to get back to the shelter quickly, because Mommy was going to be looking for a new cat. I planned it all very well!

3. I love to use obscure references. Mommy has taught me a lot about old movies and entertainers. I love George Carlin and Richard Jeni quotes. I also like to quote from movies and television shows. I think it makes me sound smarter--even though Mommy says I still have a lot to learn. However, I do know a lot about a few movies/tv shows like: "My Cousin Vinnie," "Moonstruck," "The In-Laws" (original version,) "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Designing Women," "WKRP in Cincinatti," and "The Golden Girls." You will sometimes find references from these and other movies/shows in my posts. Someday, I might even quote Hubert Humphrey and say, "I'm as pleased as punch."

"....with God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

4. I think Catster is the greatest thing...and Mommy found it by accident! She was sitting waiting for a doctor's appointment last summer and found an article about different kinds of online networking sites. It talked about Dogster and Catster and even said that some people met through these sites. SOMEONE out there in Catster land met up at a Bruce Springsteen concert after they realized that both of their cats were big Bruce fans. I wonder who they are. Mommy looked at the site after she got home and I told her I liked it, that it looked like funny fun fun, and that I wanted my own page!

5. Mommy tells me that the 'greatest singer-songwriter of our generation' is Glenn Frey. Some people say that Mommy is a LITTLE obsessed with Glenn Frey. I know a few things about him. He founded the group the Eagles and Mommy just loves his voice. I have to agree with her on this, because, she is my Mommy and I really don't listen to a lot of music. Anyway, I know all about Glenn Frey because Mommy has pictures of times she has met him and she tries to go to at least one concert a year--even if it means leaving me while she travels to a show. Last year, she was front row center in Atlantic City and came home excited because she was 'officially spit on' by Glenn. I guess that means that sometimes he spits accidentally while he is singing...and Mommy was in direct range. I don't know why she was thrilled about that. I drool about treats sometimes, but she doesn't seem too excited about it. Anyway, Mommy and I are both VERY into musicians from the 1970s (at least I pretend to Mommy that I am.) Some that 'we' like (other than Glenn Frey) are Dan Fogelberg, America, Jackson Browne, and other members of the Eagles. Mommy has also met Joe Walsh and says he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Mommy and I also enjoy listening to music by Brian Setzer, Jude Cole, (numerous others,) and my human cousin Matthew, who plays the saxaphone. We love music in general. Mommy loves to sing and act. I help her rehearse.
I am glad that I am not a male cat, because Mommy probably would have named me Glenn.

6. I love the cats on Catster because I can meet them without really meeting them! In person, other cats get me very nervous. I had to live with some foster cats for over 2 months. Even though they were in their own room, I ALWAYS knew they were there and I was kind of freaked out by the situation. In theory, I like Miss Kitty/Sophie very much and am glad she found a good home with the in-laws. I also hope the kittens have great homes. But, it sure is nice to have my house back to myself!

7. I have some special friends on Catster. They include Samba, the sealpoint Siamese from Alabama; Tocca Dolce and Nico, who are fellow George Carlin Fans; Vincent Gambini, because I love his name and that movie; and also many others whom I admire from afar...including Hunter who is very smart...and some of those I am tagging. There are many great cats and human parents on Catster!

I tagged these 7 felines to play:
1. Binks
2. Emma
3. Jesse James
4. Monroe Meow
5. Nutbutt
6. Samba
7. Vincent Gambini

Diary Pick of the Day!

Oh, this is too exciting! Mommy told me that if I worked on my writing then maybe someday I could be a famous author. This is a great first step!
I hope everyone enjoys reading about my funny fun fun life and my busy big days!

Warm Weather and the Porch!

Today was the warmest day since last October. Mommy opened up all the windows on my porch and let me enjoy all the smells and sounds of the outside again. I love to sit by the screens and look out at all of the action.
I am so happy with the warm weather, that it is not even bothering me as much that we have the foster cats here.
Mommy told me that I have to be polite for another four weeks. In a way, I wish I could meet them (there's KITTENS in that room,) but then I might get nervous and do something I shouldn't.
So, I guess it is best that they stay in that room while I stay in the rest of the house. And, this time of year, my favorite room is the porch!

Easter Oppossum

Have you heard of Turducken? That is a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken. I guess it is very big down South. Well, My Mommy started joking about other combinations that bad cooks might like for Easter and came up with turlambgoat.
Then she was kidding about the animals that live around our house that come to visit sometimes and came up with rasquirlmunk...rabbit, squirrel, chipmunk. My cousin (Mommy's nephew) came up with raposquirl...rabbit (or raccoon) oppossum, and squirrel. The funny thing is, we haven't seen many oppossums around lately. Until LAST NIGHT. When Mommy got home from Easter dinner at her sister's house it was dark 0'clock. I was very happy to see her at first, but then, I got VERY upset. Even more upset than I am about the foster kitties!
SOMETHING was out there and Mommy had to check it out. Well, sure enough, there was an oppossum right outside drinking from the 'pond' next to the porch. We turned the lights on and it looked confused! But, Mommy praised me for being such a good guard. We turned the light off and it waddled off around the other side of the house. I was fine after that, but it was pretty exciting.
And that is my story of the Easter Oppossum!

A New Foster Sister????

Well, Mommy went to some kind of training for volunteer work at the Humane Society last week, and I guess she told them that she has enough time right now to try a foster cat. I disagree. I think that any extra time Mommy has should be devoted to me. Even though I spend most of the day doing important kitty-cat things like watching the things going on outside of the porch, I still think that Mommy should not have any other interests aside from taking care of me.
So, I heard a message on the answering maching one day this week about a 'nice cat who is expecting a litter within a week,' and could Mommy foster her? A nice cat? I don't believe that other cats are nice. I like being the ONLY cat. And, I don't even know what a litter is--but from what I am hearing, I think it involves kittens...but aren't they just smaller cats?
So, Wednesday night, Mommy was very busy cleaning out the front bedroom. She calls it her 'music room,' but she doesn't go in there to make music very much.
It has a bed which I enjoyed during the winter afternoons...but now that it is spring, I spend afternoons on the porch. So, I guess Mommy thought that the room is available. Hmmph. I still might have wanted to use it! It also has a nice little hidey hole next to the bed which I didn't even know about, because Mommy had it filled with boxes and stuff--so I never even noticed it! But, it looked VERY interesting when it was all cleaned out. I guess it would be a good place to nest. Well, I certainly knew something was going on.
Thursday around lunchtime, Mommy came home with a cat...and I don't know if I like her! Of course, she is in the 'music room,' so I haven't really met her...but I still know she is there...and every once in a while, when I think about it, I am not happy! Of course, I hung around outside in the hallway for the afternoon when she first got here, so I did get a quick look at her. She is orange and white. She actually looked friendly and kind of happy to see me, but I bushed my tail and backed away to make sure she knows that this is MY house.
Mommy got me some new toys and is giving me extra attention, which is okay, I guess.
Mommy doesn't talk much about the foster cat in front of me, but I think she is calling her 'Miss Kitty.' The humane society people said that the only name she came in with was 'Kitty Kitty.'
I know that it really shouldn't bother me so much...I have the whole rest of the house to myself...it is (not including that room) over 2000 square feet not even counting the basement...but STILL...I might have WANTED to go into that room...
Mommy knows I am not pleased, but she is trying to tell me that I have to be polite because I am a very lucky girl and this is just a visitor. She is letting me spend as much time as I want on the porch--even though we had a big snowstorm this weekend and it was cold...she put the heater on so I could stay out there and have a good time.
I am very nervous about this. I already do not like having a visitor...but what about when the babies come? Won't I hear them mewing and get more upset? Or is Mommy going to try to get me acquainted with this foster cat after awhile?
This is all very new...

Oops, I did it again...

Well, I guess I have Mommy scared again. I did not mean to scare her. I admit that I am not feeling wonderfully well (Mommy has Lupus and I hear her say that sometimes when she is not having a good day but doesn't want to say that she feels bad.) But, I am resting now near Mommy and I know she will watch me closely today. I am sure that she will call the V-E-T just to make sure there is nothing more she should do. I say, no, she should just do what she is doing. It is not good weather this week anyway. And, you know what? I don't think Mommy has been feeling wonderfully well...but she has not called HER V-E-T. I think Mommy and I will both be okay.