Excitement, and Melly's Love

Monday night (last night, as I'm typing this), Josh and I had a bit of an adventure. Long story short, he discovered the hard way that he is very allergic to shellfish, and we spent a few hours in the ER while he was pumped full of various anti-inflammatory medications. 

Now, I should mention that Melly's usual nighttime routine is to come and say hello before retiring to the floor or the foot of the bed. She likes attention when the humans are awake to actively bestow it; she isn't interested in sleepy nighttime cuddling.

But, as I said the other day, Melly loves Josh. Adores him. So, when we came home Monday night (or, very early Tuesday morning) and immediately flopped into bed, it was only partially a surprise that Melly jumped up and quietly draped herself across Josh. Absent were her usual vigorous head-butts, nips, and demands for attention; she just wanted to snuggle her darling.

This was the scene when I woke up Tuesday morning. The close proximity lasted about a minute before Scarlett became offended and departed. 

The New Chair, and some Remodel Photos

One of the pieces of furniture that Josh brought with him is a blue armchair (with ottoman). I love how it looks, but was worried that the textured fabric would be very appealing to cats' claws. I put some blue tape, sticky side out, around the chair in an effort to dissuade the furballs from clawing it. Turns out I needn't have worried; they just want to sit on it. 

Melly's preferred spot is the ottoman, so I put one of her beds on it to try and contain the cat hair. Scarlett likes to tuck herself back into the chair, which allows her to be sheltered on three sides and affords her a good view of the living room (and any approaching encroaching tuxies).

I think you probably got a good idea of the scope of the home remodel from the bathroom pictures, but these shots of the hallway always make me laugh. For some reason early on, it was decided that the cupboard at the end of the hallway could stay; aside from it and the floors, everything was ripped out during the remodel process. We used the cupboard to store tools while we worked, and it's the only place in the whole house where the original sheet rock, with it's odd stucco-like texture, remains. I still haven't put the doors back on... Melly doesn't mind, though.

Closet Kitty & House Preview

I still haven't put the doors back on any of the closets in the house since they need to be sanded and painted and have hardware installed, and really, who has time for that.

This lack of doors is just fine by a certain vertically inclined tuxie, who delights in finding the kitty-sized nooks and crannies up on the shelves and between boxes.

Several of you expressed interest in remodel pictures, but I realized when I went to post them that I need some better "after" shots, so I'm working on that. In the meantime, here's a before/during/after of the bathroom. Of the whole house project, this is my favorite part. It's weird to say that the bathroom is my favorite, but after about a decade of living in crumbling old apartments with equally crumbling old bathrooms, it is an incredible luxury to have something sleek and modern.

Staking a Claim

I was worried the cats would have a hard time getting used to Josh moving in since the process involved some big changes in furniture, and you know how cats hate change. 

I took these photos a couple of hours after we brought the furniture in:

"Oh, this is nice. Good view."

"This ottoman is mine. 

All mine.

Only mine.

Hear that, Scarlett?"

"I see that you have covered the couch to protect it from my hair, humans. 

I understand.

As long as you understand: it's mine."

"A perfectly Melly-sized basket! Thank you!"

Yeah. They're clearly having a lot of trouble adjusting.

Well, it's been a while...

This last year has been so full of change that I truly didn't realize it's been eight months since my last update. Good gracious.  

Well, here's a brief overview of the goings on:

1. The House

After buying it in November, I spent the rest of the month doing demolition and gutting it down to the studs. Through all of December and most of January, we (a revolving crew led by my dad) put in all new everything: plumbing, electric, insulation... plus all of the cosmetic stuff.  It was a massive project, considerably more involved and expensive than I had anticipated. (If you're interested in before and after pictures, let me know--they're almost unbelievable.) I finally moved in at the end of January.  For the first week or so that I was in the house, Geoff kept the cats at his condo. That way, I was able to finish up the painting and get all settled in before they arrived. It worked out great, and they adjusted quickly. 

At first, I put the cats in the bathroom, but they wanted out immediately.

2. The New Guy

Despite my generally pragmatic and often pessimistic worldview, I remain an eternal optimist in the romance department. (I often wonder how this appears to people who don't know me well. "Another boyfriend? Really, Natalie?") So, after the last breakup, which was utterly dreadful, I attempted online dating again. Several of the dates were the sort that make for great stories after the fact, but eventually, I met Josh. Even though we met online, he never felt like a stranger, which I partially attribute to two very odd coincidences: our cousins live a block away from each other and went to middle and high school together... in Iowa; and I own his twin sister's hat, which a friend bought for me two years ago. Anyway, I'll spare you the gushing, but I'm very lucky. And he moved in yesterday. 

Melly has claimed Josh as her own.

3. The Heat

If you follow me on Instagram (@nerdnat) or Melly on Facebook, you know that it's been very, very hot here in the Northwest this summer. The cats are on a constant quest for the coolest spot, although Scarlett, bless her, always needs to be near me, so her quest is limited to the coolest spot within about a 10' radius of where I am. She has been getting increasingly undignified the hotter it gets, so I have an ever-growing collection of pictures that look like this: 

In summary, I hope to post a bit more frequently now that the Giant Life Changes seem to be slowing down!  I miss you all.