Lucy - Queen of the Nap

The 2012 Summer Olympics have officially kicked off, and did anyone guess that the festivities would involve the Queen of England leaping out of a helicopter with James Bond? LOL! Hilarious! I have always pictured Queen Elizabeth as this rather grim woman who occasionally steps out onto the royal balcony to wave solemnly at her subjects. Granted, I know almost nothing about her. Okay, not almost nothing - nothing. Apparently she has a sense of humor! I love it.

Well, we have our own Queen in this house.

Meet Lucy Bowtie, Queen of the Nap. Of course, all cats are good at napping. But I believe that Lucy's napping prowess is on the level of royalty.

She can nap anywhere, anytime.

Alone, or with company.

On her bed, or anyone else's bed. What the cat wants, the cat gets.

The dogs can sleep on the floor.

Since she has a habit of walking on me and meowing loudly when I am trying to sleep,

sometimes it is fun to poke her and wake her up.

But you have to watch out for "Irritated Feline Super Powers."

They shoot out through the eyes, and can be dangerous.

Cooling Off

One of the best things about our new area is the close proximity of great places to hike - and cool off! What a treat on a hot summer day! Lucky has always loved the water, but Lady never was too sure. She would gingerly step into the water, taste it, and then look at me. I would offer all sorts of encouragement, accompanied by enthusiastic hand gestures and pantomine, trying to coax her into a more adventurous approach. That has changed this summer! Lady has abandoned her dainty ways, now honing in on every creek or stream within 50 yards of the trail. 


Katie, who is usually Lady's sidekick in all things, will have nothing whatsoever to do with the water. She won't even stick a toe in or take a drink. I told her she's part labrador retriever, but she apparently doesn't believe me. No matter, we all had fun, wet or not! 

We've Moved!

There have been occasions during my time on blogger these past few years when a blog I regularly followed suddenly "went dark," with no explanation or update from its author. It drives me crazy when that happens, as I find myself wondering about it for weeks. Did the author suddenly get bored with blogging? Get hit by a truck? Decide on a whim to abandon modern technology and go backpacking across Australia's outback?

Well, I fear I have inadvertently become one of those missing bloggers. It happened purely by accident. I moved, and although I fully intended to post updates during the transition, I got swept up in a tsunami of activity and blogging fell completely off the radar. I hope my readers will forgive my disappearance, and have patience with what will undoubtedly be infrequent posts for the remainder of the summer as we continue to get settled in.  

Moving is such an ordeal! I tend to forget over time how much upheaval and work is involved. Makes me wonder how military families do it, moving every few years for an entire career. Lady, Lucky, Katie, and Lucy managed remarkably well, although there was some concern when favorite toys got packed up, and boxes and bins appeared everywhere.

I was particularly surprised at how Lucky, Katie, and Lucy took the upheaval in stride, considering that at age 12, they are all "seniors." Moving at age 11 1/2 was much more upsetting to Jessie, my former German Shepherd - so much so that a friend's daughter was specifically assigned to her on moving day, to be her support and buddy while everyone else moved boxes and furniture. I wonder if dogs (and the cat) manage change better as part of a "pack," where there are other dogs to take cues from and to provide reassurance. 

Lucky and Lucy were opportunists, taking advantage of beds stacked high, and cozy comforters found in surprising locations. 

Although Lucy was extremely displeased at being relegated to the bathroom during the actual move, and voiced her displeasure loudly to anyone who would listen. 

But other than that, they did great and are all getting settled in at the new house. We didn't move far, just to a neighboring town, and I will be posting photos of the new place as soon as it can be seen in some way other than over and around cardboard boxes. :-)

Hope all our blogging friends are enjoying a great summer!