Indoors

Three big changes indoors:
1) A third cat
2) Paint on the walls
3) Deep freezer

For those of you who might think I've turned into a crazy cat lady (ok, maybe I already am, but that's beside the point), I have not adopted another cat. Instead, I've taken temporary custody of a cat that used to be mine. I'll explain. When I was still in high school, my parents allowed me to get a kitten after one of my favorite of our family cats died at the hands of an awful, awful veterinarian (that's another story for another day). Zoey, the new cat, obviously couldn't come with me when I left for college a few years later, so she became mom and dad's charge. Parents do that kind of thing a lot : )

Now I'm returning the favor. Mom and dad have retired and are off on a three - perhaps more like four - month road trip. I'm taking care of Zoey while they gallivant around the country (much deserved). Since Zoey remembered me even though I only spent three or four weekends a year at mom and dad's house, I figured her adjustment here would be alright. For the most part it has been, but Bug, another female, seems pretty threatened by Zoey. Don't say it! I know you're thinking "Oh, just like a woman." Even cats want to confirm traditional gender roles. Bah!

Anyway, here's Zoey. She's twelve years old and a little arthritic, but she still plays a good bit and doesn't back down from a hissing-fit with either Vasco or Bug (both of which are at least three pounds heavier). She is lovable and talkative and I like having her here.

2) Paint on the walls. Our living room is now a very pretty sage green and the kitchen is a great cross between tropical aqua and french country blue. The hallway is a slate gray, which isn't gloomy like it might sound. Because there are a lot of white doors and molding, the hallway is inviting and calming, instead.

Hallway

Living Room (the picture quality isn't great but it gives the best idea of the color of all the pictures I took - you can sorta tell a difference when you compare it to the white in the vase)

Kitchen window with the new paint color and drying peppers from our garden

A wider-angle view of the kitchen color

3) Deep freezer. Josh's parents generously got us a deep freezer. Josh and I refuse to eat mediocre food on a daily basis, but we are seriously poor (I would make more money on welfare!). I'm not complaining - I have a great lifestyle - but it does mean that a lot of planning goes into our meals. A big part of that planning involves buying lots of whatever meat, veggies, bread, etc. is on sale and freezing the majority of it. The sorry little freezer in our refrigerator just wasn't up to the task. So Tim and Renay took pity on us and got us this shiny new one:

Chicken, ground beef, french onion soup, pesto, broccoli, pierogies - we've got it all and the freezer still looks pitifully empty. What a nice problem to have.