Thanks

Thank you to all that sent us your good thoughts. We're working our way through the grieving process. 

One of the things that struck me is how much more colorful one little black and white kitty could make our world.

No one appreciated mom's knitting in all its stages like Jack. 

He loved that I would run string right in front of him then have the audacity to say the yarn was not for Jack to bite. He loved tucking himself into half finished sweaters or having shawls in progress draped over him. He loved having second socks being measured on first socks that were dropped on top of him. He loved Mom's warm lap being there for him at naptime. He loved cup cosies that could be used as cat hats. He loved batting at a spinning spindle.

Jack loved life and we were blessed to share it with him. One of these days I will tell you his story, but today I have some knitting that needs my attention. If I am lucky it will have a Jack hair or two on it.

My Sweet Boy

My Sweet Boy Jack is gone.

I took these pictures yesterday. And today we came home from church and found him...

I am going to miss him.

My New Model

My handsome boy decided to model my knits for me. 

Mom, are you sure this is a good idea?

Oh I like the stitch you used!

Hmm...

Maybe you should knit me a sweater.

Auntie Lizard, Momma says this is yours once she washes my fur out of it. Don't worry it is fully Jack approved.

As promised

So even though the kitchen has been done for months, you poor people have not seen it. Ready to oooo and ahhh?

First up can I just say how nice it is to have a sink and faucet back in the kitchen? It was Grrreat!

Especially when we did not need to hike to the bathroom for tea water. Oh poor me having to walk a few extra steps for clean water delivered to my house.

Jack really likes the new countertop area. He found he cannot jump very well off of the new flooring so he only jumps from the dining room side. Which means half of my counter space is safe from kitty paw prints. 

The new kitchen is just what I wanted. We decided the wine rack area is of more use to us if we use it as a tea rack instead. 

 Now it is starting to get the lived in look. Which I think is better because I can bake in it now. I did have a moment of trepidation before I used my cast iron skillet on my new stove top. D just looked at me and said are you going to get rid of your cast iron?

No.

Then you should just use it. And so far it has worked well for me. I am very careful not to slide pans across the top, but then I already was programed to not slide things. All's well.

I love it and am so happy we did it. One of my baking days I will show off my new baking area. It has been too hot to bake so maybe in a few weeks. 

Socks on a Cat

Well since I can never seem to pin down D for his sock pictures, I called upon his stunt double Gustav.

First up we have Bittersweet Woolery's Frog Prince socks. With all the winter we were having I decided I needed something bright. Oh boy did these fit the bill. Good thing they were in my purse when I had to wait at the service station for a new battery. Winter killed off my old one.

Now the astute among you will note that the socks are in fact two shades the one on the left being more yellow while the one on the right is more green. I swear to you they were knit from the same skein of yarn. Now D has some totally unique super bright socks. Since he really is my Frog Prince.

Next up we have Gus modeling the first Pining for You sock from Socks that Rock Mediumweight. 

I did a nice little cable down one side since it adds a bit of excitement to a lovely plain-ish yarn color. 

This was not a warm day so Gus was not opposed to having wooly things draped over him. 

Finally my sock was still on the needles for the photo shoot and that does not make for a happy kitty knitting model so Jack nosed in to prove my knitting is kitty approved.

Now up on the needles for D is Mt. Rutsen Studio Margarita socks. I was saving this yarn for the dark winter days but somehow it missed the rotation twice now. I could not think of it sitting till next year, and since the grass may be uncovered it still is not growing yet. This color shall amuse me in the mean time. Totally not in my normal color selections but I am adoring it so far. Now if I could just find a cable to highlight the color.

I'm going to go feed the cats then look through a few knitting books

Instinct

We had quite the hubub here the other morning. You know how sometimes in the morning you're just not quite with it? You don't have your glasses on and everything is out of focus? Yesterday morning was one of those mornings for me and D.

Part of the reason for me was that Gus was yowling and carrying on in the early morning. That boy sure has some lungs. Jack was tucked in with me. D got up and he likes to sit for a bit in the morning and gather his thoughts usually in the dark. You don't want to gather those thoughts too quickly or you'll be placed in charge of making breakfast.

As I walked into the living room D was saying to Gus; why are you looking at the curtains? I look up to see a fist sized, dark shape move across the top of the curtains. Before you get too freaked out remember I have smaller fists. I grabbed my glasses so I could see and sure enough a mouse was up on our curtains. Freaky!

We both go into What-can-we-use-to-get-it mode. Jack however went into his Mine! mode. D grabs a dishcloth as his weapon and I decide a pep talk to Jack is my most effective thing. My track record is not so good when it comes to mice in the house. Who knows it may even be the same mouse. I tell Jack this time he needs to kill the mouse! D-E-D, dead this time. (Bonus points if you know what movie that is from.)

I start tapping and shaking the curtain to send the mouse D's way and after much scurrying it ends up on the couch. All we saw was a blurr going over the arm of the couch followed by Jacks butt and tail. It all happened so fast! Jack emerged a moment later with something in his mouth and proceeded to the dining room. What? Where do you kill your mice? He dropped the mouse and then sprinted after it and caught it again. I ran to get a paper towel, shouting encouragement all the way.

I returned to find the mouse laying motionless in front of Jack, and my husband with a look of awe on his face. Jack was praised. The mouse was given a paper towel coffin and placed in the outside trash bin.

As D says he was all instinct, a pure killing machine.

Greenies treats and many fur strokes were given in praise to our boys. Gus for pointing him out and Jack for doing the deed. I must tell you I think the mouse was twice the size of a normal sized mouse.

Later in the day I came across this article. Which talks about what would happen if all the cats on the earth died. Other than my heart being completely broken, the rodent population would increase. I refer you to this line from the article:  A study in New Zealand in 1979 found that, when cats were nearly eradicated from a small island, the local rat population quickly quadrupled.


Can you imagine a quadrupled rat population? Even if I can I don't want to!

Well done boys, well done.

Jack's Tale

I was awakened sometime between three and four this morning. You know how sometimes you awake gradually to a noise and you're not sure if it is real or something from your dreams? Today was one of those days. My noise was something between a squeak, a chirp and a click. You see where I am going with this don't you?

Well because I was still groggy I did not. I flipped on the light in the hallway and saw Jack. You remember my cat Jack don't you. Sweet lovable Jack.

Well this morning's Jack was not sweet, lovable Jack, at least not to the mouse he was holding in his mouth. To the mouse Jack looked a bit crazy, like a cat that would wear a hat. See what the mouse means?

No wait he looks Amish in that hat. The mouse saw him more in a predatory pose. Closer to this one.

Jack proceeded to take the mouse to the dining room and play with his food. He was performing acrobatic maneuvers that would put the Blue Angels to shame, catching the perkier and perkier mouse each time.

I told Jack he needed to kill the mouse and he disagreed with my moral code. Eventually he got bored, tired and laid down watching the mouse. He would pop up to catch it but you could tell his heart was no longer in the game.

D and I tried to catch the mouse but we are no cats, the mouse ran under a piece of furniture. (Dang you misplaced ottoman.) And it got away with one heck of a story to tell. I am hoping that the fear of Cat was sufficiently placed in him so that when he made it home he packed up and left Yarnkettle land.

I did learn an interesting fact about myself this morning. In spite of being a "Tough Farm Girl" I will squeal like a little girl when the mouse is running my way. The reaction was repeated enough times to remove any doubt from my husband's mind that it was a one time thing, I am officially a squeal when the mouse comes at you kind of person. Sigh.

So the mouse is still running around the house and Jack?  He slept like he was coming off an 18 hour shift.

Cat you better kill it next time or else...No Tuna!

My Knitting Companions

I don't know who was more thrilled the I learned to knit, me or my companions. The funny thing is that the usually choose the same side of me to sit on. 

Gus is my left hand cat.

And Jack is my right hand cat.

You can make a pretty good mom and yarn sandwich this way. 

Jungle Gym

Jack got a new house this weekend, well not really I think he got it a couple of months ago, but mom did not put it together for him. Bad Mommy!

I think he can dig it. I walked by while he was investigating and before I could get back with the camera he had hopped up and moved in.

Hey Mom the ball rattles!

D said it sounded like kitty pinball all day. 

Happy knitting or kitty pinball whichever you choose to do today.

Ooops

I woke up to the sound of a cat throwing up. Dang it, after yesterday went so well I had high hopes we were on the end of this thing. The vet told me we should see dramatic improvement adding in the prednisone (which we had seen). And if Gus did not stop throwing up he needed to see him on Monday.

So as I stumble out in to the hallway at 5 am, trying to avoid any dark spots on the carpet, I am already dreading the news he will tell me.

Here I must tell you I am a bad mommy because I was happy to see Jack throwing up instead of Gus. Gus is still puke free!!!! Poor Jack cleaned out his system of hair balls. I remember saying how odd it is to see Jack doing that.

So no vet visit yet for us. Well at least we're avoiding an urgent one. They both seem fine and that is the best gift a cat can give his mother.