There's A New Girl In Town

Mr. Grumpbump thinks I am crazy.  He said so last night, just before he fell asleep.   His thoughts are that I have no reason when it comes to cats.  

The crux of his pronouncement was our new kitten, Pepper.

Pepper, a/k/a Monkey born 2-24-2013

Ever since Tigger's death, I have wanted to adopt a third cat.  We've been comfortable with two, but Tigger was such a pleasant cat and I truly believe that we can manage three.  Also, I was fairly confident that we would adopt another boy cat since Macy and Delilah barely tolerate each other.  

A co-worker, who sponsored me for the SPCA Meow March in February, told me that a stray cat had given birth in her mother's yard and that they were monitoring her and her four kittens.  She invited me to come see the kittens once they were about seven weeks old.   The kittens (two boys, two girls) were adorable, of course, and I immediately made up my mind to take one of the boys for my own.  However,  during the visit, Pepper seemed to me the most interested in me and was more comfortable being held, petted and loved on than her other brother or sister.  When I texted Mr. Grumpbump a picture of the kittens, he remarked that Pepper was very cute.  I'm not surprised by his comment as she is very similar in appearance to Tigger.   However, she's a girl and I wasn't sure how that would go over with the ladies-in-residence, Macy and Delilah.

So I left that day without a kitten, telling my co-worker that I would discuss it with Mr. Grumpbump and get back with her.  Two days later, Friday, April 19, I picked up Pepper and brought her home.  I took her to the vet that next day, Saturday, and Pepper got a clean bill of health.  

Eight days later, we are adjusting to Pepper's extremely energy and playfulness.  Neither Delilah or Macy have been that welcoming but they aren't aggressive with Pepper at all.  They just voice their displeasure and Pepper decides to do something else.  Pepper is living in our guestroom.  We moved a cat tree in there and the floor is littered with cat toys.  Pepper has not been on the patio; it's still way too much for her and I don't think she has a comfortable feel for the interior of the house yet.  

We love the name Pepper because of her coloring - although she is mainly tabby-striped, there are lots of black  dot marking on her back and belly.  However, a more descriptive name for her personality is Monkey, and that's what we call her a majority of the time.  Here's an example of her frenzied playtime and why Monkey works so well for her.

This means that for a while there will be a majority of time and pictures and videos focusing on Pepper so if you aren't of a kitten-mind, this is not the blog for you.  

And in case you were wondering, knitting is going to be a bitch when Pepper is around.  

Lighten The Load

It's been tough adjusting to my diet.  I had no self-control; when I was in the store, I just had to fill my cart.  Even though, at home, I knew very well that there were lots of other options.  Additionally, it's not as if I was making good decisions, most of what I bought was the cheap stuff.  So, I put myself on a diet.  I would not go out and buy anything more until I used up what I had at home.  And now I'm proud to say I'm sticking by that diet.

If you think I was referring to food, well that would be a pretty good guess.  But I wasn't!  I fooled you, I was referring to my stash of yarn.  (Although, as an aside, I'm in the Weight Watchers program - in seven weeks I've lost 14 lbs!)

Bulk of My Stash

When I started the soft wave ripple afghan at the beginning of the year, I promised myself that I would only knit with the yarn currently in the house and not buy anything else.  And, as of April 7, 2013, I've kept that promise.  

Finished!  

I started by gathering up the several full skeins of cotton yarn and started knitting washcloths.  I've been giving them to a co-worker, since I have several baskets full of them.  I have been using an internet-famous free pattern - Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth.  

My next step was to start on another lap blanket, using only the scrap, leftover yarn from my other projects. I found a nice, easy chevron pattern called Chevron Colour Block Blanket.  I'm trying to be a bit more random with the color choices and usage.  The cream color will probably be the dominant color (I've got the most of it.  The beginnings of this blanket are full of mistakes, but I eventually found my rhythm and now the pattern does not mess me up.  You have to purl the wrong side of this blanket (where you can see all the color changes) and there are several yarn-overs that you must purl through the back loop.  In  the beginning, I would miss those all over the place; therefore, on the right side, it creates a hole.  Super annoying.  However, since this is a scrap blanket, I forgave myself.

Chevron Scrap Blanket

The weather this weekend has been super gorgeous so I was doing a lot of knitting out on the patio yesterday.  In the middle of a row on my chevron scrap blanket I start thinking about crocheting.  Why?  I don't know, but I could not get rid of the thought that I should be crocheting.  My skills are strictly beginner but since I'm on this yarn diet, I found a skein of red Bernat Satin (I think) and started on a hat.

Almost done - but I will add flower to blue band

I found an almost iridescent blue yarn (I have just a smidge left) and used it for the band.  I will also have enough to add a flower.  While digging, I found a skein of some leftover purple (maybe the same Bernat Satin?) that has enough to make a duplicate of this guy. I'll be giving these away because the hat is too small for my head.

I love to tell people that Mr. Grumpbump will not allow me to buy any new yarn until I use all the yarn I've previously purchased.  He does give me the wonky eye when we go to Michael's and I come back with a bag full of yarn.  This yarn diet is completely self-imposed; I would love to buy more yarn but only when I make a serious dent in the stuff already in my possession.

I have a ton of baby yarn that will need to be used next.  I would like to try to crochet something more than hats, so maybe I will have a go at a baby blanket.  I've never started a crochet project from a straight chain; I've only done patterns (like the hat) that require you to chain just a few stitches and then form a circle.  There have got to be circular projects, right?

Before I end this post to go searching for new projects, I must tell you that Delilah is making me worry.  She's been in a funk for the last two days.  I am comforted that she is still eating normally and appears not to have any bathroom issues.  However, she is restless - moving around a lot and napping in a lot of different places.  For example, yesterday and today I found her sleeping in front of Tigger's memorial.

A little creepy, yes?

I told Mr. Grumpbump that Delilah needs either a boyfriend or a boy kitten STAT.

Quick Update

I can't call my ripple afghan complete - even though the knitting portion of it is done.  Because of the scalloped beginning and ending, I decided to go with a sewn bind off.  It's really the best choice because it's a bit more stretchy and blends into the existing stitches without looking stiff.  The only drawback to this bind off is the time it takes to accomplish.  I started last night and I'm only up to 46 stitches (and I've got 230 on each end!).  

I haven't even mentioned that I have a ton of loose ends to weave into the existing stitches (for every color change, I've got a tail to weave in).  But the most daunting (and boring) task at the moment is this sewn bind off.  I have to persevere and not lose focus so I can get this afghan in the washer and photograph the end result.  

In case you are wondering, the cats are great. 

Also, I'm participating in Meow March 2013 for the SPCA of Central Florida.  If you want to sponsor me (fundraising runs through the month of March), please click the link below.

Debbie's Fundraising Page

If you have already given, THANK YOU.  If not, please consider donating any amount you can.  The shelter cats and kittens really need your financial assistance.

Delilah might need a cat boyfriend....

Cold and Hungry

I'm very close to finishing my ripple afghan.  I have two more repeats of the pattern (16 rows total) and then about 4 rows of edging and it will be off my needles.  Of course, I have a ton of ends to weave in and I have to bind off the provisional cast-on.  So I am probably looking at next weekend before I can actually call this complete.  Of course, by then, the temperatures here in Central Florida will be back up into the 80s.  It has been really nice to knit this blanket while the temperatures have been in 40s and 50s.

Almost Complete

Two weekends ago, I was in D.C. It was just a short visit, only two days.  I took a day trip to Philadelphia, where I got to eat an authentic Philly cheese steak from Geno's.  The sandwich was delicious but the real story is how incredibly cold it was that Sunday morning in Philly.  It was all we could do to eat it while the freezing wind cut right through us.  The only good thing I can say about cold weather is you can really make do with a lot of hand-made knits.

Me at the Love Statute

Me and Sister-in-Law eating at Geno's

Liberty Bell and Me

I had to leave Mr. Grumpbump and the cats at home during my weekend trip.  Of course, they got along famously without me.  The cats didn't even complain if Mr. G forgot to feed them; they love him that much.   Not that it would hurt the Mace; she's a bit on the pudgy side.  The vet recommended we put Miss Macy on a diet, meaning special food and no treats.  Lucky for us, Macy appears to like the food (she eats it) as does Delilah.  I have continued to feed Delilah wet food every morning and evening because, like the rockstar she is, Delilah never gains weight and remains an itty bitty kitty.  

I can't leave Miss Macy alone in her weight management struggle, so I have also decided to try Weight Watchers again.  Mace and I commiserate nightly about our struggle with hunger.  :)

The Mace Face

Did I Mention I Have Cats and I Knit?

"Hey, Mr. Grumpbump, call your cat", these were the words I used tonight as Delilah scurried through the living room.  He whistles for her a few times and she scurries towards him.  Delilah walks around this house as if she bought and paid for it several times over.  Her tail is always straight up in the air and she carries herself with absolute confidence.  She makes herself comfortable wherever she feels like.

Delilah

Compare that to Miss Macy, who stays out of the way, hugs the corners of the living room, and rarely makes a sound.  Macy doesn't travel far to settle down; she's either in the cat tree in the front room or squeezing into the shoebox left behind by guests.

Macy

Our little family gets quirkier and weirder each day but that's not a negative.  I think it brings us closer - we know how weird we must seem to the outside world.

I've been knitting small projects here and there.

I knitted two scarves for my sister-in-law, who lives in Minnesota.  Nothing fancy at all.  Just picked up two skeins of homespun yarn using a garter stitch pattern and the simple scarves were done in no time.

Shirley modeling her new scarves

I also knitted a few more dishcloths (will probably send those to someone), along with a really cute infinity scarf/cowl, which I actually have worn to work on several different occasions.

My goal is to make a huge dent in the yarn I have stashed in my bedroom closet.  To further that goal, I've started a new ripple afghan.  I actually bought the yarn well over a year ago.  This pattern is new for me and it is more of a wave (ripple) than my other afghans, which feature chevrons.  The greens in this afghan will be a perfect for our existing bedroom sheets and duvet cover.  I already have my next two afghans planned out in my head, but they will require the purchase of new yarn.

Start of New Afghan

Christmas Time!

I smell coffee brewing and it's wonderful.  Christmas day 2012 is here and I'm at home with the kitties, while Mr. Grumpbump is at work until 2:00 p.m.  Macy's Christmas gift to me is that she is sitting on the couch with me and exposing her fluffy belly and accepting a few rubs from me.

Macy

I attended my knitting group's Christmas party a few weeks ago, which was a super fun evening, and in the course of buying presents for secret santa and door prizes, I ended up buying 10 skeins of a discontinued cotton yarn by Adrienne Vittadini.  It is the most lovely shade of red.

I knew I wanted to wear this color but the yardage for each ball was only 87 yard so I had to start with something small.  I found a really cute, easy pattern for a cowl on Ravelry called Sweet Memories.  Of course, I made a mistake right off the bat and only cast on 170 stitches and I used smaller needles than the pattern calls for (size 7 instead of size 8).  I was worried that this would be too small to loop around my head and that I would just end up with a yarn necklace.

I finished it yesterday and worn it to dinner at my mom's house.  I would like it to be longer (and probably will be if I knit it on size 8 and cast on the required 200 stitches), but it's really cute for a first try.  And my first tries don't always work out.

Me and my cowl

Love this red

My mom tried it on and it looked great on her.  This red is a really pretty color.  I wish it were in something other than the cotton yarn.  I cast on a new attempt this morning and hope I can have this done by next week.

I told Mr. Grumpbump that I would not buy anymore yarn until I had made a significant dent in the stash in my closet.  I also told him that I found it odd that no one ever gets me a gift related to knitting for my birthday or Christmas.  He said that everyone just assumes I buy everything I need for myself so they don't have it.  And he doesn't believe me that I will swear off yarn buying.  He thinks I'm addicted.

I did get a wonderful gift for my birthday from my mom - the gift of housekeeping.  She arranged for her housekeeper to come by my house and give it a thorough cleaning before the arrival of Mr. Grumpbump's family at the first of the year.  Those ladies did a marvelous job and my house has never been that clean, ever.  It's just so nice to come home from work to a spotless house.   I had so much stress because I was just trying to plan how I was going to get the house organized, cleaned and ready for guests while continuing to work full time.  This gift relieved all of that stress (I managed to organize most of our junk in the few weekends leading up to the house cleaning) and now I get to enjoy my two days' off for Christmas.   One of the best gifts I've ever received.

When Mr. Grumpbump gets home from work, we will open the few presents that "Santa" has left for us and I will try to make decent headway on my second cowl.   A very nice, lazy day for me and my kitties.

Delilah

Another Grumpbump Valley Sunday

Today, we laid Tigger to rest in our backyard.  We had him cremated and his ashes are in a memorial stone that we placed in the plant beds next to our pool.  It feels comforting to know he's back home with us.

R.I.P, Tiggerman

Less than one week after we lost Tigger, his former owner emailed me, asking if she could visit him.  I had to tell her via email that Tigger had passed away on October 30.  She did not email me back.  But, in a bizarre turn-of-events, she emailed me back last night and told me that she was (understandably) devastated by the news and that her birthday is actually October 30.  We had Tigger put to sleep on her fucking birthday.  She went on to say that she appreciated us taking good care of Tigger.

Of course, her email opened up the whole loss-of-Tigger wound again and I cried for quite a bit.  Not a very pleasant evening.

On the knitting front, I have started working on a pair of socks (finally).  My next knitting group meeting is Tuesday and I wanted to have at least the heel done by that time.  That means I should be knitting right now instead of blogging.

I spent yesterday with my mom and we had a very pleasant time.  My goal was to buy a couple of cute decorative planters and some hard-to-kill and low maintenance plants.  We ended up with a hibiscus (even thought we already have those planted outside of the patio) and a croton.  Already on the patio is a norfolk island pine (which has seen better days) and a dieffenbacchia (aka dumb cane or Mother-in-law plant).  The dieffenbacchia was one of the plants at my Grandmother's memorial service.  It is so low maintenance and yet it is thriving.

Croton on left; Hibiscus on right

Mom and I went to Old Time Pottery and I ended up buying some storage ottomans for our bedroom.  Not necessarily because we needed the storage but because Delilah needs some help jumping up on our bed.  It's the same theory as us having a pool table simply for Macy to be able to sit up high and watch out for that sneaky Delilah.

But I also bought some cute lanterns and candles for the patio table outside.  Mr. Grumpbump and I moved the patio furniture to the other side of the house (close to our bedroom) because the only outlets were on that  side of the house.  However, we don't have any lights yet, so these lanterns should work for now.

Aren't they super cute?

Mr. Grumpbump has to work on Thursday, so we will be doing a late Thanksgiving lunch (around 3:00 p.m.).  I asked a friend of mine, who is a caterer, to make an apple pie for Mr. Grumpbump for his Thanksgiving dessert.  I just can't wait for two days off of work.

Macy is revisiting the family room cat tree and most times of the day you can find her on the top rung, sleeping.  She's a big girl and some of her hangs over the edge of the rung, but she is sleeping soundly and apparently comfortably, so we let her be.  She's also got this very weird habit of sitting in front of the door to the garage and meowing in her little-baby-kitty-plaintive voice until you let her go in the garage.  I don't understand the draw of the garage and you can usually find her on the astroturf remnant that Mr. Grumpbump uses when he exercises out in the garage (since the floor is tiled, the astroturf gives him some grip).  Macy's confusing us but we aren't complaining because she is being very social with us and much less shy than ever before.

You dare interrupt my sleep?

And Delilah?  If she ever changed, then you should kiss your ass goodbye because that is a sign of the apocalypse.

Celebrating and Remembering

Now that my afghan is complete, I should be devoting all my knitting time to the shawl project.  And while it does currently reside beside me on the couch, I am only periodically picking it up and knitting a few rows (unless Mr. Grumpbump asks me to do something, then I'm all about, "Hey!  I'm busy knitting here!").

Macy insisted on being in the picture

Actually I'm cheating.  Cheating on this project that should be demanding all of my attention.  I can't stop thinking about getting a new project started.  I want to make a pair of socks (haven't worked on socks in well over a year) and I have a pattern for a super cute hat.  I even bought expensive yarn to make it.

Sumptuous Yarn

I really want to do all these projects at once!  And I never seem to factor in time to do my household chores, which I really resent having to do.  I am trying to convince Mr. Grumpbump to let me get housecleaning help for these last two months of the year.  He has a bunch of family visiting during Christmas and New Year's and I just don't want to waste time deep-cleaning the house. Now I just have to find someone reputable to come in and give me a quote.

Our household is still in disarray since Tigger's passing.  I don't mean to suggest that we haven't been able to move on because we have.  Life is back to normal and I don't feel so sick to my stomach at having a sick creature in the house.  The lingering feelings are those of guilt and failure.  As a result, I cannot bring myself to get another cat.  It's hard to tell if the other cats miss Tigger and therefore would thrive with a third cat.  I personally feel that Tigger brought a certain balance to our house.  We have seen serious changes with Macy, who now seems very attached to us.  Macy does not shy away from us petting her and joins us on the couch without provocation.   I can't tell if she is clingly because she misses Tigger or if she feels safer and more content without Tigger's presence.  I initially thought she seemed depressed, and I have been a helicopter cat guardian by monitoring and scrutinizing everything consumed or drunk or pooped or peed in this house.  I can't afford to miss the symptoms of any illness the second time it happens.

Next to her favorite human

Tigger is now home with us; his ashes in a paw print tin.  I am trying to find a nice memorial stone to put in our garden.  Both vets we took him to sent us sympathy cards.  Even though Tigger was a cat, he was in our life every single day.  Every single day I fed him, gave him water, petted and kissed him.  Every single day he lived with us.  I didn't even do all of that for my husband!  And to have him here one day, seemingly happy and healthy, only to lose him without being prepared for the finality of it.  I feel like my life report card has a gigantic F on it for caregiving and no matter how well I take care of Delilah and Macy, and any other cats we  rescue along the way, I can't make up for failing Tigger.

Today is my second wedding anniversary with Mr. Grumpbump, and we are attending the wedding of our good friends later this afternoon.  We are blessed with very beautiful weather and at the end of the night, there will be CAKE!  

In The Market For A Change

 I am trying to convince Mr. Grumpbump to let me have a garage sale so I can sell everything in our living room.  And use the proceeds as a down payment to the purchase of real furniture.  You know, where everything matches?  My living room is schizophrenic and a study in the various shades of brown.  Yuck.

But, when I look at the cost of furniture - oh my gosh, it just makes me sick.  Look, I am not really concerned with appearances or keeping up with the joneses.  I just want something cute and comfortable.  I predict that I will wasting a lot of time on craiglist.

I finished my ripple afghan tonight! I had this stinking project on the needles since January.  It took me forever to bind off the stitches (two nights).  I used Sewn Bind-Off technique because it gives the edge a bit more stretch and looks very clean.  I am so happy I have a completed project.

Try to ignore the cat hairs

I love ripples

Tomorrow will be one week since Tigger's passing and  I miss him every single day.  I wake up expecting to see him begging for breakfast and look for him when I walk in the door after coming home from work.  The guilt I feel is still very strong - why was I not able to save him?  I'm second guessing all those decisions from a week ago, and I have difficulty with accepting this part of the circle of life (cue the Lion King music).

Time Is Running Out

I am so close to finishing my afghan/lap blanket.  It's been on needles for months (started it in January!).  I spent lunch hours and weeknights just de-tangling and winding the yarn into center-pull balls.  My goal is to finish it by tonight, meaning off the needles and cleaning up all loose ends (there are always plenty of loose ends when you knit with many color changes).  I also want to throw it in the wash to soften up the acrylic yarn.  I used the Michael's store brand (Loops & Threads) yarn for this project, cheap but durable.  The other afghans felt so much better after a wash.

Which leads me to wonder, why am I posting about being so close to finishing?  Why am I now working on it this very minute?

It's still really tough adjusting to life without Tigger.  While we don't see any real change in Delilah, Macy is a different story.   Macy has taken Tigger's spot as Mr. Grumpbump's shadow.  She hangs out with him much more and he's very careful to give her lots of rubs and attention.

Of course, I have changed.  I resolved never ever to allow one of my cats to languish in a hospital with no definite plan or course of treatment.  Tigger should have been at home with us last weekend, but he was my first sick animal and I just kept wishing and hoping that he would miraculously heal.  I'm still doubting the way I handled his whole crash from seemingly healthy to terminally ill.  This means repetitious discussion between me and Mr. Grumpbump.  

Also, I am now hyper aware of Delilah and Macy's eating, drinking and bathroom activities.  I noticed Macy drinking from the water bowl three times yesterday and I almost went it panic mode.  Before Tigger's death, I never saw Macy drink water, but I can concede that she must have been drinking as I scoop out her litter box every morning.  I feel like I failed Tigger as his caregiver; keeping Delilah and Macy healthy is my penance for that sin.

Sweet Macy Gray

Queen Delilah

The Word Today is Comfortable

I've had a busy month - October ended up being full of activities.  Unfortunately, the end of the month has turned out to be devastating.

The first weekend in October, Mr. Grumpbump and I went to the beach to celebrate my mother's 65th birthday.  We had a super weekend with the family, doing what we do best - eating and drinking.  There is a certain energy I get when I'm with people who love me unconditionally, no matter how fat or obnoxious or self-centered, etc. I am.  I feel so comfortable in their presence.  The weekend was uplifting in so many ways.

And top it off, the weekend we were at the beach was sting ray mating season for the Gulf Coast.  Crazy.  Mr. Grumpbump and I were entertained, truly entertained by watching a manta ray swimming up and down the shore line.  He did the same thing over and over and we were mesmerized.

The next two weekends I got to participate in bridal activities (first, a bachelorette party, and then a bridal shower, which was actually afternoon tea at the Ritz Carlton).  I wasn't so comfortable going out to a club for the bachelorette party; however, I ended up having a good time with great girls.  The afternoon tea was so much fun.  I'm not a huge tea drinker but when it's being served in my own tea pot, with finger sandwiches and petit fours.  I loved it so much, I made reservations for this past weekend and treated my stepmother to afternoon tea for her birthday.

However, we got some of the worst news ever.  Our darling Tigger has become very ill.  So ill that we will have to say goodbye to him today.  The sensation of losing your pet is like someone punching you in the heart.  We have exhausted medical resources to cure Tigger but there is nothing more we can (humanely) do.  Tigger seems to thrive being home and in his familiar surroundings, so we will not be hospitalizing him anymore.  He will spend his last day at home, where he can sunbathe or watch the geckos and squirrels run around and be comfortable and comforted in his surroundings.

I don't have children so I don't really have an appreciation for childbirth and the joys and sorrows of motherhood.  I roll my eyes when some mothers spout that tired cliche, "I brought you into this world and I can take you right out".  Well, I didn't bring Tigger into the world, fate led me to him and we were together for 9 months and three days. But I will certainly be there to guide him on his way out and to remind him that he is much loved and cared for and I will always treasure the time we had together.

Tigger (10-30-2012)