Tag Archives: cats

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Water heater hell.

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After 5 days of heating water on the stove for sponge baths… life was pretty bleak. (not to mention stinky) But our plumber came through and replaced not only the malfunctioning control board but the two elements as well. For free! I’m not exaggerating when I say my first shower after the repairs was longer than most sexual encounters. (I’d say it was more enjoyable as well, but feelings might be hurt.) Life was good! For 3 whole days….

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Until the hot water ran out and the unit was flashing another error code. F3 means compressor failure…. which didn’t sound good at all. After hours on the phone with our plumber, the FW Webb supplier and the Bradford White manufacturer… it was determined to be programmed incorrectly and was quickly resolved. Yay!

But no. It was also revealed that Webb had taken a water sample because the destruction of the elements was so severe and unprecedented there had to be an organic cause.

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These were the results, which I don’t claim to know anything about. Yes, we have high iron. Our whole area does because we live on clay near the river. Naturally the plumber and supplier are saying we need a whole house filtration system which will cost somewhere near $5,000. If we need it, fine. But I wanted a second opinion and fired off a copy of the results to our next door neighbor who is high up in the state water department. He’s basically drinking the same water, so if he says we need one I’m more apt to believe it. His wife sent me his response…

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Ok, so they have moderately hard water. This may cause premature failure of the heating element. If they have a lot of calcium buildup inside the dishwasher I could see this being an issue in the hot water tank, or maybe they notice etching on their drinking glasses. The pH and hardness are safe to drink, no issues there. The pH along with the hardness can result in scaling within anything that has hot water touching it. Meaning pipes, fixtures, heating elements. Do they notice these things?

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We yanked out the dishwasher when we moved in, but have no etching on our glasses. We’ve never had trouble with our water, and we’ve lived here almost 20 years. The plumber came back yesterday and took more samples. Said they need to find out why those elements burned out so quickly. (because you know they’re not going to admit it was a faulty unit) Our neighbor told us to send along those results as well. It pays to know people.

And in case you’re wondering?

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was not inconvenienced in the least …. and probably wonders why we don’t just lick ourselves clean.

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Toys.

24 Comments

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten loves to play.

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Which is why we have an entire drawer dedicated to cat toys.

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He loves his toys long and hard … and his favorite mouse is looking a little worse for wear these days.

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But then so am I, so I shouldn’t judge.

His favorite new thing to do is carry a ball to a spot under the coffee table….

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And then wind himself around a leg.

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He goes around and around in a circle and it’s quite comical to watch.

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Until I took a closer look and realized most of the coffee table legs now look like this…

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Sigh.

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Random drivel.

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A while back my husband dragged an ottoman into the living room. The fact that it barely matches the armchair and doesn’t match the sofas at all drives me crazy….

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But it’s perfectly Lord Dudley Mountcatten sized and he loves it …

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So it stays. Sigh.

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Can someone please explain this to me…. because honestly, I’m flummoxed. Who in their right mind craves alcohol free gin?

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Live your best life… without alcohol? People really do be crazy.

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Why am I posting a photo of our water heater? Because the insanely expensive, fancy schmancy hybrid heat pump unit we installed barely 3 years ago is dead. After 2 visits from our plumber and one from the company’s rep, it was determined the computerized control board has malfunctioned. It’s a rarity, but once in a while you get a lemon. And we all know if there’s a lemon to be found? We will find it. Problem is, the boards are expensive and no one has them in stock.

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But along with the aggravation comes a new appreciation for why people only bathed once a month in olden days. Heating pots of water, and schlepping them to the tub is bad enough, but trying to duck in out of the cold shower spray long enough to wash and condition a head of long hair is torture. Maine well water in early spring? Like a quick dip in the Arctic Ocean…. minus the penguins. So if you happen to see me in the grocery store this week? Be sure and pass upwind. I haven’t showered in 3 days..

🤢

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A breath of fresh air.

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We had some lovely weather this weekend and it felt good to open the windows for the first time this year.

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As you can see….

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We weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the sunshine and warm breezes.

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Dudley, who so far has been an indoor only cat, got his first whiff of spring.

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And I do believe he’s hooked.

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He went from window to window and totally flipped out when he heard the birds he’s always cackling about.

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In our backyard, in April?

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That can get pretty noisy.

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Art I most definitely do not need.

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One little picture of Dudley on Facebook. That’s all it took for the Catopia algorithm to switch into high gear. And today? Unfortunately it’s bathroom themed.

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Yikes.

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Not anymore, no. Although thanks to Covid and an injured knee…. there is a whole lot more of it.

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Wow.

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I’d say this poster is a little cheeky, but that’s a tad too on point.

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If Dudley wanders in and hands me the toilet paper? I’m totally ditching Facebook.

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Shopping for cats.

23 Comments

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My Facebook page is currently flooded with cat related products. I’m not complaining, it certainly beats the ball wash and butt deodorant I used to see. And hey… if I enjoy doing beer flights?

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I’m sure Lord Dudley Mountcatten would not be averse to a flight of kitty chronic.

This next product looked promising for me winning the cat box war.

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Though ridiculously large, it’s self contained and would stop our furry menace from flinging litter.

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Hmm. Guess that’s a no.

And I hate to admit it but yes, I broke down and ordered something silly.

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A personalized mask of me and Dudley. Granted I haven’t worn a cropped, midriff baring blouse in 20 (okay, 25. Geesh!) years…. but the hair color and wide hips are pretty close.

😉

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me (2)

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Update.

39 Comments

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And I know more than a few of you have been waiting for this …

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was not pleased with the new litter in his box.

How not pleased was he? Every time he needed to poo….

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I caught him digging in my houseplants. He would pee in the box, but not poop…. and it was a total nightmare. After picking him up and placing him in the box at least 426 times… only to have him jump out of it like it was on fire… I gave up and switched back to the old litter.

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With predictable results. $29 bag of Skoon?

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You can kiss my ass.

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So, Skoon.

25 Comments

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( Yes, I’m really going to blog about cat litter. Dudley is a new family member and the boring minutia of his daily life must be shared, just like mine. Enjoy! )

The weird cat litter came in the mail today.

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And it must be seriously odd, because look at the expression on that cat’s face.

First impression?

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The pieces are large, tis true… but their claim of being dust free is an unadulterated lie. A veritable lung clogging cloud rose from filling the box which you can see by how much stuck to the sides.

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The very high sides of yet another box I purchased in the ongoing how do I stop the litter flinging saga. This is number 5…. but who’s counting?

As for Dudley –

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He wasn’t impressed. After walking around it a few times…

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He put two feet in…

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Then turned around and said, WTH mom? You can’t blame him, the poor guy has had a new toilet every week since he moved in. But I’m a determined soul, and will figure out a solution if it kills me. Me, and my wallet.

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Random

26 Comments

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Remember when I posted about giving the husband some Red Sox memorabilia for his birthday?

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Here’s Lord Dudley Mountcatten sitting above the mint condition 1968 pennant. It arrived in a long padded box, wrapped in layers of wax paper, tissue paper and bubble wrap. It was cherry! Until Dudley pounced on it, ripping it in two places and punching a giant tooth hole in the tip. Sigh.

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Here he is eyeing the kinetic sculpture when my husband gave it an inaugural twirl.

Needless to say I put that out of reach shortly after.

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Cats, I love them… but it doesn’t mean they don’t drive me crazy.

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I got this announcement from WordPress the other day. And while I’m flattered they’re keeping track of my posts, I had to wonder at the random number. Is 1337 something to celebrate?

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I ordered this customized coffee mug for a friend and can’t wait to give it to her. ( our names are underneath the chairs but have been removed to protect the not so innocent ) That’s me on the left with the margarita and the figure I haven’t seen for 20 or so years. Hair, drinks, skin tone and shirt are customizable but they didn’t have an overweight and menopausal option, go figure.

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But I admit, it does describe our relationship perfectly.

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In other news…. I’m scheduled to receive my first Covid vaccine this morning. Maine has done a remarkable job with the roll out and I’m looking forward to being on the road to fully protected as well as doing my part to stop the spread of this horrible life altering virus.

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