Back home

I left Darla's Monday morning for my drive back. The temperatures took a deep divee and it was a bit drizzly most of the way home. This was leaving Worden. I like to see the corn!

I had to stop at Avanti's in Normal to get gondolas for dinner. I could have driven back Sunday but Avanti's is closed on Sundays, and I didn't think Darla was too tired of me yet, so I stayed. It was a better drive with overcast clouds than it would have been on Sunday.

I veered off of Main Street/Illinois 51 to find Route 66 in Normal so I could see Sprague's Super Service station. I saw the Route 66 sign and the service station was just beyond it.

It is in a part of Normal north of the campus area so in all the years I was there for school, I never knew where Route 66 was. During my time I think the station was out of business and likely an eyesore. It was purchased in 2006, fixed up and listed on the National Register of Historic Places two years later. It's now owned by the Town of Normal and is a local landmark too.

It was neat to see though I didn't go inside where there's a gift shop and visitors center.

Unpacking at home, I almost forgot I picked up these seeds from a U of I Extension Service booth at the honey festival we stopped at. I put three kids through U of I, the least I can do is take their freebies. The cats grabbed the jar opener, though, and chewed it up.

Yikes.

Ruby the model

These cats usually hide when I pull out my camera but Ruby was very cooperative the other day.

She looks different from the opposite angle. Must be the eyes.

Pretty girl.

Neighborhood Watch

I wasn't sure what the cats were looking at but it looked like they were being the Neighborhood Watch.

Nope. Turns out they were hunting a fly. It didn't stand a chance.

Harvest puzzle

This is one of the puzzles I picked up from a neighbor's porch. Had the note been on the box, I wouldn't have grabbed this one. At least it says where the missing piece is.

Piper usually doesn't bother me when I'm working on a puzzle but here she is ... and caught in the act of taking two(!) pieces in her mouth and racing away. No wonder I lose so many pieces.

It's done but I'm missing three pieces!

Funny that instead of a brand, the tractor says, "Farm Tractor."

D has a stocking

I've been searching all year for a Christmas stocking for D. The one I had been using was a bit too small. When I saw this one - and noticed that it had a D on it - it seemed like it was meant to be. And that Longaberger basket I don't need was $2.09.

Ruby loves it. I may have just purchased a fancy cat bed.

Sleeping beauties

Piper ...

and Ruby.

Togetherness.

Gotcha day anniversary

Yesterday, July 26, was the cats' one-year anniversary of being with us. They've grown a lot. They're still more skittish than I'd like but they're still young. Maybe in another year they'll be calmer?

Here's Ruby. She loves to sit like this on the back of the dining room chairs. She seems to like me more than Andy and sits with me in the evenings. She's cuddly but still likes to lick me ... too much.

Piper seems a bit more adventurous. Here she is on the kitchen counter. When I'm getting ready in the morning, she hoos up on the bathroom sink and waits for me to turn on the water so she can get a drink. Usually when I get out of the shower she is sitting on the bed waiting for me. She sits with Andy every night so we say she's "his cat" but she sleeps by my legs. Ruby comes to bed with us too but usually wakes up and starts licking our faces so she gets tossed out.

They both like to play, like treats, enjoy sitting on my puzzles and follow me around all day when I'm home. They're both scared of loud sounds and sudden movements. Let's hope they get calmer and cuddlier in the coming year.

Is it dark in here?

It seems Piper wanted to turn light but I think she was chasing a fruit fly.

Random moments

All dressed up for a wedding on Memorial Day weekend in Virginia. They look so nice.

L on Memorial Day getting acquainted with a horse at Fort Wilderness.

And winning an award the next day for generating the most sales leads in the second quarter for the resorts team.

Here she is with her friend, J, who she met years ago working for Journeys in Lombard. He's since moved to Florida and works for DVC too.

The peonies are really late to bloom this year. This one is trying to bloom, but not quite there.

Deterring the cats

I need to pay more attention when I'm geting puzzles that they will fit on my puzzle board. This one didn't so I had it (I thought) covered up with enough things overnight that the cats would leave it alone. They did not. I woke up to pieces strewn about the living room and dining room and the puzzle edge all torn apart. That's when I grabbed a tablecloth and put over the puzzle. Now, they're laying on the tablecloth.

The next morning I woke up to the tablecloth and half of the puzzle on the floor. Hmmm.

So then I tried covering it with the tablecloth and anchoring it down at at corners. They still sit on it but hopefully won't knock it off the table.

By some miracle, there are only three pieces missing.

Blooming bushes

Our Bridal Wreath looks really good this year. I should have taken a picture earlier before the delicate blooms got battered by rain.

Pretty bushes in our yard.

And the hostas look good. I transplanted some from outside the fence into the yard just a couple of weeks ago and they seem to be thriving. I need to add some more dark green and variegated ones to this area.

Oh, no! The vase of flowers I set on the dining room table got mysteriously knocked over while I was at work Thursday. Pretty sure I know who is to blame. Interestingly, they only messed with one of the vases. The one on the buffet was left alone.

Cat friends

Our neighbors have three indoor/outdoor cats who apparently are very curious why our cats stay inside.

Make yourself at home, cat. I'm not sure what this one's name is but she's a beauty.

This one is funny with their black cat, Frankie, sitting on our air conditioner. The other cat is just chillin' on the sidewalk. Our cats are in the window checking Frankie out.

It’s getting warm

We came home from running an errand the other night and both cats were sitting in the open window waiting for us.

Cat library puzzle

Piper usually doesn't bother my puzzles, but this one must have been particularly interesting.

Ruby prefers puzzles with bigger boxes. This one doesn't quite fit her.

All done with one piece missing.

Make me move

Piper loves to sit on this countertop despite our many efforts to make her get down. We think the dishwasher makes it warm and toasty for her.

Yes, I’ll wash it

The problem with getting the linens out early for a holiday is that the cats think I've given them a new place to rest.

I blame Ruby

I grabbed my coat to go move my car during work yesterday and noticed a slit in the back. The stuffing was poking out!

Pretty easy to put the blame on Ruby who loves to sit on the backs of the dining room chairs. And look at those claws! Maybe I'll learn to hang my coat up? Probably not.

Yoga cats puzzle

This was one of the puzzles I picked up a week or so ago.

It's all there. It was still wrapped, new in the box, but with these cats you never know if a piece or two will go missing. Now, I get to clean off the table and start preparing for Easter so no puzzles for a while.