The Jazz Cat's Happy Mardi Gras

The Jazz Cats partied all night last night in honor of  Fat Tuesday.  Ed and Phantom even wore their Mardi Gras masks for the occasion.    Boo took one look at the mask ran for his life.  Cadence, yeah right, him wear a mask?  No way!

After all the fun and merriment last night, today they are ready to give up hair balls for Lent.

What will you give up for Lent?

Ken and I are undecided.

No animals were harmed in the shooting of these photos.  The only casualty was one sparkly Mardi Gras mask.

Christmas With The Family and Phantom "Out of His Frame"

Christmas was fun and now I can recover.   I enjoyed spending time with the family and the food turned out pretty good especially for a beginner.   I am slowly coming out of my sugar induced coma from all the pies and cookies I've been eating.  I feel like I have gained 10 pounds, but I don't know for sure because I am avoiding the scales until I get in a long run.  My mom, brother, sister in law, nephew and niece came over and the Murph and the Boy were here, as well as all the Jazz cats.

The Jazz cats immediately ran and hid in their favorite hiding spots as soon as everybody got here.  Cadence downstairs in the boys closet, Ed and Boo upstairs under the couch in their "room".   Phantom has been hanging out and sleeping in my closet.  That's where my brother found him.  My brother wouldn't bring his little dog, a Chihuahua that resembles a squirrel, over here because I am sure he is afraid Phantom will eat her.  I found my brother and his entire family standing at my closet door looking down at my very large black and white, naughty cat.  They couldn't believe how big Phantom is.  My sister in law asked me if that was his regular size or if he was fat.  I said he's just really big boned and very muscular and sturdy.  My brother pipes in that Phantom might be big and muscular, but he's way fat too and definitely "out of his frame".   He also says I 'm killing Phantom by feeding him too much.   Poor Phantom!  He's been on diets before, but never lost any weight.  He needs to be put on a treadmill for an hour everyday.  That's his only hope.  Personally, I still don't think he's that fat.  He's just big and maybe just a little, teeny, tiny bit "out of his frame".

The Boy even behaved and hung out with everybody instead of hiding behind his computer monitor.  It looks like command central down in his "apartment".  His dad gave him a server for Christmas/Hanukkah and I gave him a security appliance for Christmas (whatever that is) and he's been busy streaming media and setting up firewalls and god knows what else down in his area.  He has about 3 or 4 computers ( or pieces of)  and old refurbished laptops he has doing different things down there.  He's barely been back two weeks and already I'm having to dodge around dirty clothes piles and wade through trash, empty water bottles and food wrapper just to get to this command central he has set up.  It's all way over my head anyway, and I don't mean just the trash and dirty clothes.

Overall, it has been a very, very good Christmas.  I am so looking forward to the new year.  Hope it will be as blessed as this past year has been.

Boo loves his christmas toys!

Phantom's been naughty so he got coal....

Jazz cats getting along

A stocking standoff between Boo and Phantom

Our favorite tree 

Ed on his favorite chair playing with his christmas toy

Dining room decorated

The too tall Christmas tree

Phantom "out of his frame"

Jazz Cat's Relaxing On Their Favorite Christmas Comforter

You can always find Cadence in the dark.

I bought this comforter last year at Pottery Barn.  I think it is perfect for Christmas.  I love it!  Obviously, the cats love it too!

Reindeer Phantom

Phantom didn't think this was funny.  He didn't like it one bit.

Fun Harassing The Jazz Cats Today

Phantom and I prefer the "black cat" Riesling.

Phantom is monitoring the food situation.  Cadence is just scarfing it down.

Phantom and I will leave the Moosehead beer to the Murph.

Crazy Ed and Boo with their Aussie Beach Dogs Shiraz....

Cadence wants no part of the reindeer antlers that I put on him.  I'll get a photo of him wearing them before Christmas....

Thanksgiving and Christmas Decorating With The Jazz Cats

Today was Christmas decorating day.  We still haven't eaten our Thanksgiving dinner, but we got a lot of decorating completed.  Last year I had a tree in every room in my house, all with their own themes.  This year I am living at the Murph's house so it was a little more difficult trying to figure out where to put everything.  All my decorations were bought for my house with a space in mind.  Here at the Murph's house I had to improvise.

We used most of my trees, but not one in every room.  He has way too many rooms that we never even use.  I put up four big trees, one in the living room, one in the office, one in the dining room, one in the family room and one in the Boy's room.  My 9 ft tree didn't fit under the Murph's 8 1/2 ft ceiling, but we got it in there anyway.  The top is a little tipped over to one side, but maybe nobody will notice....

I added my Christmas village houses with the Murph's and we have quite a little village, complete with an ice skating rink, a snow skiing mountain, library, toy shop, church, Irish pub (for my piss drunk Irishman), train station, country inn and another Victorian house and golf shop.  Sparkling "snow" is all over the house now.  I had some stuck to my forehead when I woke up this morning.

The cats LOVE all the trees.  Each one has their favorite that they are sleeping under.  They haven't tried to climb them yet which is good.  Phantom is to big, Ed and Boo too old and Cadence knows better.  Ed and Boo like the tree that's in the living room best because that room is their usual hangout anyway.  They were all over the place while I was putting them up and decorating them, especially Phantom.  He had to supervise everything.  I guess the trees meet with his approval.

We have lights outside along with garland, a blowup Santa and a blowup snowman, but the lights are not set to techno music like I had hoped.  I think we are doing good if we get the icicle lights hung over the porch roof.  Dancing lights set to music is just out of our expertise.  Phantom couldn't get outside to supervise us although he certainly tried.  He's an indoor only cat.

Now it is time to relax and wait on the turkey to finish cooking so we can eat Thanksgiving dinner.  We are having turkey, the Murph's grandmother's secret stuffing recipe, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls and apple pie.  For the Jazz Cats, turkey for Phantom and Fancy Feast chicken florentine for the rest of them.

The jazz cats are very thankful that it is Thanksgiving too.  I asked each of them what they are most thankful for and here's what the said.  Phantom is very thankful for turkey and dressing and that his boy's home from college for the holiday.  Cadence is thankful that he didn't get squirted with water today like Phantom did for going after Ed.   Ed is thankful that Phantom didn't catch him and bite him today and that he gets to hangout under a really cool tree with a nice fluffy, soft tree skirt.  Boo is just thankful to be alive and able to eat soft food everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Jazz Cats.

Back Home For The Holidays

Today we moved back home for the holiday season.  The cats were loaded up, piles of clothing that I didn't even wear and shoes and stuff all moved back home.  The jazz cats are a little tired from the drive.  Phantom and Cadence have already ganged up on the two cats we left home, Ed and Boo.  It's going to be a stressful couple of days getting use to it here again.  Hopefully, we will get the Murph's house on the market after the holidays and my house will be sold and we can move south to the coast somewhere after that.  I am ready!

My calves are still sore from the marathon on Sunday. It takes forever to heal these days.  The Running Nazi and I might to another marathon in February in New Orleans.  There is also a 1/2 marathon in Birmingham this weekend that she wants me to do.  I don't think that would be a good thing for me considering how my legs feel right now!  

Back to the real world and I don't like it.  I've already missed my annual doctor appointment that I thought was tomorrow, but was actually today and I wasn't even here yet.  Oh well.....  I have a lot to do tomorrow.

On a positive note - can't wait to decorate the house for Christmas.  I love it this time of the year with the Christmas tree up and all the lights and decorations and of course, friends and family.

Paybacks on The Jazz Cats

I did Spinervals today for an hour, but really wasn't feeling motivated. The Murph backed out and just did his usual weight training because he said it was "too windy".  (Spinervals is held inside the gym, NOT outside).  It is very dreary, windy and overcast here at the coast and I think it made me a little lazy.  It wasn't windy in the Spinervals class though so the Murph would have been just fine.

The cats kept me up all night too.  Phantom jumped up on the bed around 4 a.m. because there was no cat food in the feeder.  He usually wants to eat around 4 and if there is no food then he harasses me by walking over me and making sure he really mashes down hard with his paw and then he purrs loudly in my face.  Cadence did his usual on and off the bed, pawing my face every hour from 2 a.m. until I finally got up.  He's not hungry, just needy.

The cats were ready for their naps when we left to go work out this morning.  The Murph made sure he woke them up as soon as we got back.  Paybacks!

Jazzing Out

Jazz Cat, Phantom jazzing out this evening.  The Murph started playing their favorite jazz CD just for them.  Cadence was completely zonked out in the cat carrier next to the Bose and Phantom was camped out on the rug right in front of it.   Crazy Cats!

Up All Night

Last night Ed decided he was going to sleep with us so he jumped on the bed at some ungodly hour waking me up.  Then the Murph knocked him off the bed so he disappeared for awhile.  Long enough for me to fall back to sleep before he jumped back up on the bed and started walking on me.  At least he didn't purr loudly in my face like Phantom does or slap me with his paw like Cadence.

Ed pretending to be innocent.

The other night Cadence kept jumping on the bed and pawing at my face and then Phantom jumped up and scared Cadence.  Cadence dug his claws in the bed, in me and in the Murph as he fled, jumping all the way across the bed to the floor to get away from Phantom.  Then the loud purring started and kept on for a while, in my face.  Phantom looks and sounds like a large overgrown bumble bee. After Phantom decided to jump off the bed (with a loud thump that always wakes us up if we aren't already awake), Cadence jumped back on the bed.  This lasted pretty much all night until we got up around 7 a.m. to feed the little bastards (that's what the Murph calls them).

You can tell just by looking at him that Boo doesn't miss a meal!

As we were leaving the condo to go workout, little Cadence was looking at us with sleepy eyes waiting for us to leave.  He was ready to catch up on his sleep after we were gone.  After all, he had been up all night playing on top of us.  The Murph told Cadence that he would be back in 15 minutes to wake him up.  Revenge!  He didn't of course, but when we got back from our workout, he did make sure to find Cadence and wake the little "bastard" up!

 Poor Boo doesn't have any of these bad characteristics.  He just behaves and makes sure he doesn't miss the soft food he gets for breakfast.  I think I will kittynap him and take him back with me to the condo. 


Tonight the Murph informed me that the cats are locked OUT of the bedroom!  Sorry guys!

Ed sticking his tongue out at me...

Home....

Today we had to come "home" for a couple of days.  I can't say I am that happy to be back here.  The Murph and I are both ready to leave here for good.  He is originally from up north (yes, a Yankee!) and I have unfortunately lived here all my life.  Right now we are going back and forth from here to the coast. We have two houses here, mine is on the market and we plan on getting his on the market by spring.

I really don't know why I feel so depressed being back.  I know it's only for a couple of days and we do have some things to do, but without the Boy here and the Jazz Cats, it just doesn't feel like home.  The Murph says "well what about me??"  That's true, but he's with me here and the coast and he's going to be with me wherever we move.  I'm just ready!  I think I have been ready to get away from here for 20 years!  I guess I never really knew how much I am ready until now that I have been away.

Ok, I am going to suck it up and make the most of it!  I am looking forward to running with the Running Nazi tomorrow and Thursday.  We are running 5 miles tomorrow and 8 miles on Thursday.  She's tapering for Chicago.

Other than that, I can't wait to get back to the coast!  It is getting harder and harder to come back here!  ICK!!  DOUBLE ICK!!

"V for Vendetta" and the Jazz Cat Giving Me the Stink Eye...

Last night the Murph and I watched a movie that the Murph said was REALLY good.... and he was right!  It is called "V for Vendetta".  I loved it!  It starred Natalie Portman as Evey and Hugo Weaving as V.  GREAT Movie!  I highly recommend it.  It sort of reminded me of "Phantom of the Opera" with the mask thing and all.  Jazz Cat, Phantom is named after the "Phantom of the Opera" because the Boy was reading it in school at the same time we got Phantom and Phantom does look like he is wearing a mask.

Stink Eye!

 Unfortunately for the Jazz Cats, we had to turn off the John Coltrane jazz we were listening too (it was Coltrane's 85'th birthday after all, if he were still alive that is...) to watch the movie.  Phantom and Cadence are soooooo predictable when the jazz starts playing. Here they are before we turned Coltrane off.  It looks like Cadence was giving me the "stink eye" but he was really just saying "leave me the hell alone, woman!  It's Coltraine!"  I don't know where they disappeared to after the music stopped.

They were very, very mellow before it stopped though.

Embarrassing!

Big Stretch!

Spinervals and Jacksons...

Thursday was, of course, Spinervals day.  I was informed that I was shrinking fat cells and increasing red blood cells and reassured that this was perfect training to get ready for the upcoming sprint triathlon I am doing next month.  All that and I even ran about a mile afterwards before it started raining.

Just got back from eating at one of the best restaurants in Pensacola...  Jacksons.  I got the wood grilled salmon with asparagus and cheese grits.  The Murph got crab cakes.  Very good!

Jazz cat, Phantom is sitting here watching me type, probably wanting a pork chop or something.  Sorry Phan man, I already ate and it was DELISH!  Go eat your Purina cat food.

The Murph and I stopped for drinks on the island on the way home.  I decided to try something new and got a cucumber and sage white sangria.  It came chock full of cucumbers.  The Murph laughed and said I was getting my daily allowance of vegetables.  See... even my nutrition is on track as well as my exercise training plan....

I am doing good!  Right??

Just Relaxing

Relaxing day for the Jazz Cats!

Running with the Running Nazi, Rocking chairs and Snuggies...

My triathlon training is going REALLY well right now.  I actually did a 10 mile run today with the Running Nazi.  It was my first long run in over a week (last long run was when I did 13 miles with her over a week ago).  I did do a few hard 3 to 5 mile runs at the coast last week.  The Running Nazi did a 20 on Sunday and a 7 miler yesterday, then a 10 miler with me today.  She will probably do another 10 to 13 miles tomorrow after spin class.  She did spin class and weights today before she ran with me.  I feel like a slacker cause I just did weights before the 10 mile run.  I am soooo lazy!

The Murph and I are back at the coast.  We decided to leave Ed and Boo at the house with a sitter for now.  Ed's happy and not getting bitten and attacked by Phantom, so that's good.  Ed was doing "wierd" things to Boo, but they are "just playing" according to the Murph (yeah right!).  The Jazz Cats, Phantom and Cadence were happy to see us.  I am happy to see them and get back here for sure!

Tomorrow we go shopping for a bicycle for the Murph and a rocker/recliner for me.  It's a necessity.  I can't sit still for anything!  I have had the same wooden rocking chair since I was a teenager.  It has followed my everywhere for the past 25 years.  It was the only piece of furniture we had when I married my first husband.  He didn't dare try to sit in it either buddy!  Sadly,  I decided to leave the rocker at the house instead of lugging it down to the condo.   The only problem is, I can't sit still without a rocker.  It's the only way I can sit through a television program or stay in the same room for over 15 minutes.

Go ahead, call me Granny.  Call me whatever!  I'm burning more calories while I watch tv than you are and YES, I have a snuggie too!  A pink one, of course.

The Murph, Alpha Male...

We have been living at the beach condo for almost a week now.  Phantom and Cadence, aka the Jazz Cats, have adjusted fairly well.  Cadence seems to actually love it here.  The first couple of days Phantom's favorite place to sleep during the day was our bed.  The Murph didn't really like that at all.  He would walk in, see Phantom, make hissing noises and pretend to slap at him, tell him to get off the bed, etc.  I told the Murph to leave Phantom alone.  He liked laying there and he was having to adjust to the new, smaller place.  Phantom would just give the Murph a bored, lazy look that seemed to say, "you're a fool!"

Then yesterday, suddenly, Phantom is laying on the guest bed.  Today he's in there laying on the guest bed asleep.   I haven't seen him on our bed at all the last couple of days which is highly unusual.  At first I thought, well that's good!  He needs to be in the other room because then when the boy comes home he can sleep in there with the boy.

Now I'm a little suspicious as to why Phantom suddenly "decided" to sleep on the other bed.

I asked the Murph if he did anything to "encourage" Phantom to get off our bed.  He says no.

"Did you squirt him with water?"

"No"

"Did you threaten him in any way?"

"No"

"OK, what did you do, what did you REALLY do?"

"Nothing, really, I LOVE cats, I wouldn't do anything.  I think Phantom just decided he likes it in the other room better..."

Hmmmm......

Today we head back home for a couple of days and decide if we are going to bring the other two cats, Ed and Boo, to the condo.  Probably not.  This place has enough cats!

My Kind of Day

Today was my kind of day! Slept in a little later. Made it to the gym in time for Spinervals class which is half of the time on the spin bike and half of the time doing free weights. Weather at the coast is PERFECT! After class I did core with the Murph and then hit the road for a short run with my ipod. Later, it was beach time. Then we went out for oysters, wings and adult beverages. Just got back in.

The Jazz Cats are doing great. The Murph doesn't really like Phantom's preferred place to lounge and hang out..... our bed! I told him to leave the poor cat alone. He's adjusting.....We went to see the boy at school yesterday and took him to lunch and did a few errands he needed to do. Then we went to PetSmart and got the cats a climbing tree for the condo. It is fairly large so it took a while to get it in the SUV. I think the Murph was a little embarrassed wheeling it into the condo. Wish I had the camera! Don't know why the cats don't like it. They LOVE the one I bought for them at home. Guess they just need to get use to it.

The boy called this afternoon and said he made an 84 on his first reading exam. Yea!

Overall, things are GREAT!

Moving Day with the Travelin Jazz Cats

Yesterday we moved down to the coast to be closer to the boy.  Now we are an hour away instead of four.  We decided to take Phantom and Cadence with us to see how they handle the move and then go back for Boo and Ed next week.  I was really concerned about how the cats would handle the drive.  It was raining and windy the entire way.  Tropical storm Lee was coming up from the coast.

I found this calming potion for cats at GNC.  I got some of it down Phantom, but not so much down Cadence.  It has hops in it so it must be some kind of kitty cat beer.  I am not sure but Phantom seemed VERY relaxed.

I noticed as I was driving both cats were very calm and quiet.  The Murph had left the satellite radio on a jazz station and as long as I kept it on that channel, the cats were fine.  I tried to change it to another channel and the meowing started.  I switched it back to jazz.... silence.  I never realized the cats liked jazz! They prefer Miles Davis and Dizzie Gillespie to Lady Gaga.  I knew they were intelligent well-bred cats. My new nickname for Phantom and Cadence......  The Jazz Cats!