Why I Heart This Weekend

Kyle and I found ourselves in the first weekend we can remember this year (2011) in which we had no pressing engagements. We decided to treat ourselves with delicious new recipes, movies, and relaxing.

We began the weekend by sleeping in until 9am. A rarity for me, it felt amazing to get so much sleep. Kyle scheduled haircuts with our local hairdresser for 10:30a on Saturday. It was the first time she'd ever seen us together and we had a great time chatting it up while we both got our hair cut. Another great feeling.

I love grocery shopping. People might think it's absurd, but I love menu planning, making a list in order of how the ingredients are located in the store, going in and grabbing everything and timing the whole store-run. I also love seeing how many things I can buy on sale. This weekend I was able to stock up on canned tomatoes. I love it! I, therefore, had a lovely outing to the store, and upon my arrival back home, I set Kyle to trimming and cubing a pork loin for a new dish described by Emily on the GOFR. It's a divine crock meal, I might add. New flavors, perfect combo. But that was not the only culinary art created yesterday. I made two loaves of banana bread, both overflowing (literally) with goodness, one specifically with mini chocolate chips. Delicious!

We accomplished much in the food-prep and kitchen-clean-up, which always helps me feel better about my house and my life, incidentally. Kyle went to the nearby RedBox to grab the new Robin Hood with Russell Crowe and The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Nicolas Cage on Blu-ray. Both were highly entertaining. While I'm not a Crowe fan in the least, this take on how Robin Hood came to be an outlaw is phenomenal. Well worth a watch. The other was purely entertaining, very funny, and displayed lots of cool magic. We were so relaxed; the day was perfect (and sunshiny, too).

Today dawned and I realized we lost an hour of sleep, which was unpleasant, but we rebounded well. After church we stopped by Culver's for lunch where I was able to satiate a craving I didn't even know I was having: breaded pork tenderloin! I love them and this one (with pickle, tomato, and lots of ketchup) was awesome. We had another afternoon of cooking and cleaning up the kitchen, this time Stephanie's recipe for Chipotle Mexican Meatballs. With Kyle home, he got to do the dirty work of sticking his hands in raw beef: he loved it! I got to avoid doing that, which I loved! Tomorrow, we'll be making guacamole (first time ever), chopping some tomatoes, sauteing red & green peppers and an onion, and serving this all (with the meatballs) on tiny tortillas. We can hardly wait.

I finished my day with Bible Study, which is so uplifting. I'm so grateful for this group of women who've allowed me to be a part of their study for four years. It's been a fun and meaningful time for me.

Needless to say, as you can probably guess, I don't want this weekend to end (which is why I'm still awake and writing this ridiculous post). Oh well...I get to see my nieces, nephew, sister, and brother-in-law this week, and that, my friends, is enough to make this week worth starting!

The Quest for Sleep, Update

We have clearly figured out that the last method described (2 gates + 1 folded card table on its side) is the very best and most effective at keeping Quincy in his part of the house and letting us sleep peacefully. We have had no other incidents. It's been blissful. I've been sleeping a ton (as in going to bed with Kyle between 9 and 10:30p and waking up at 6:30a), and I'm feeling much better about pretty much everything in life.

We are still insanely busy, just hoping for March to go by quickly while letting us enjoy the few trips back home to see family for birthdays, a Spring Break for me, and hopefully getting together with some friends (maybe...still don't know if that can happen with our weekend schedules).

I have a story I need to recount to you about my day last Thursday, but, in truth, I also have a paper to write by Thursday at 4pm. I think the paper takes precedence, considering the state of mess it's currently in.

Today, Kyle worked 14.5 hours. Yes, he really did. Trying to make up time for his "snow day" last Friday. Bless him. If you think of it, say a prayer for the man. With his 2-nights-per-week class and his 10 hour work days, he's about dead by now. Which is why we want March to pass by quickly. He will be done with the class at the end of March.

Until I can get back to you to regale you with the story of my last Thursday in February, I wish you well and good health.

The Quest for Sleep, parts 5 and 6

Sunday evening, we struck gold.

Kyle realized that almost the only way we could prevent Q. from climbing would be to block off the lower half of the tower o' gates. To do this, we employed the card table. When it is folded up and on its side, it provides an adequate barrier, too high for Quincy to jump above and too smooth for him to climb. We were very much counting on this working.

Monday morning, we awoke to Kyle's 4:45a alarm. I think we both might have smiled sleepily, thanking God and Quincy for an undisturbed night of sleep. I rolled over, attempting a few more hours before I needed to arise.

But, at 6am (a mere 30 minutes prior to my alarm), the scritch-scratching began. Since I'd had an unprecedented night's sleep, I lay awake but still, wondering how long he truly could keep it up. Thirty minutes later, I couldn't stand it anymore, and it was time for me to get ready for the day. During that stint, he paused a few times for a few minutes each, just enough for me to begin to doze, and then he'd start up again, with more vigor. Eventually, it did reach the knocking stage.

When I told Kyle this part, his answer was that he should put the bottom gate up with the card table leaning against it when he leaves in the morning. If that works, we might be able to drop the top, plastic gate altogether.

So, that's what he did this morning, and you know what, Quincy didn't bother me. He was happy to see me from the other side of the gate this morning.

I'm not willing to say we've found a 100% fool-proof way to keep him at bay while we sleep. But I will say that for last night, it worked like a charm. I feel more rested than I could have imagined a few weeks ago. It's awesome.

Evidence

In an effort to demonstrate Quincy's above-average cat-intelligence, I give you the following evidence.

While you will be tempted to think these are set up, I assure you that I have found in the past two months each of these displays. In truth, Quincy has created these on his own and is either leaving them for us to find or is saving these small, perhaps the choicest, pieces for a snack in case we don't feed him.

This is what I found on Thursday after work:

How, exactly, does a cat even do that?

I might suggest that a cat with opposable thumbs

(I've seen 2 of them this winter) could, by who would?

I guess it might be fitting that a cat belonging to Kyle and Myself would have some intensely OCD tendencies. It's apparent Quincy does.

These are ones I have found previously, and are almost as unbelievable as the above, although I really think the 3 in a row on that slim ledge takes the cake. You decide. Is this ridiculous and kind of amazing at the same time?

This one, three in the corner, is the most common one I find.

When he decides to snack on them, he will pull each, individually out with his paw.

I've watched him do that time and again, although I've never seen him arrange them.

Here is a surprising one I found last week. 1 in each corner.

Maybe he's an artist at heart.

The Quest for Sleep, part 4

Last night Kyle and I had a date night. This doesn't occur very often for us because, it seems, something always goes awry on date nights. Usually, it involves being late somewhere, a misunderstanding, and then hurt feelings. Maybe we have "date nights" more often than these rarely scheduled ones, but seriously, we kind of avoid them.

We went out of town for dinner, which was lovely. Kyle had a coffee-encrusted New York strip with asparagus covered in Hollandaise sauce, while I had Atlantic Salmon with chile-lime butter sauce, along with corn cooked with cilantro and home-style mac & cheese. We were in heaven. However, I forgot my ID, so the nice bottle of wine we ordered was something that was only served to Kyle and which I had to sneak drinks from throughout the night (that is, I snuck drinks from his glass, not the bottle...oh dear). It is stupid. It is the story of my life. What woman wants to take a purse with her everywhere? Especially on date nights when she knows that her man has his wallet. I hate purses. I never want to carry them. I try not to at all possible chances. And this has led me to forgetting my ID several times when all we want is a glass of wine with dinner. It's so aggravating.

Anyway.

That was the lead-up to bedtime in the Wilson household. We got home late, were once again exhausted (it had been a full day for both of us), and still had to put sheets on the bed and put away our down comforter (because I'm claiming winter is OVER) and find blankets to substitute for covers.

This weekend, I remembered from my childhood that cats hate aluminum foil. The sound of it, the feel of it under their paws...they loathe it. Er...they are supposed to. I've told you many times that Quincy (or Quindle, as my friend Sara likes to call him) is not like other cats. He's smarter, and he's weirder. He loves water, for instance. Even being sprayed in the face with it (thus that form of correction is futile). He also has been known to steal errant pieces of aluminum foil, carry them away from you, and then proceed to lay on them. So, this foil idea was a gamble. I knew this going in. But, come on, I had to try.

I covered the sides of the gates facing Q. with foil, save for one small section which had to slide on the wooden, bottom gate. We both decided that if the entire upper gate is covered, this small section probably didn't matter.

We set them up (same manner as last night) and proceeded to sleep, hard, for just a few hours. See, my sleep pattern has been so disturbed for so long in the 3a-6a range that I wake up sometime or several times during that particular time slot. And, last night, I had a nightmare anyway, so I was awake for a while.

Around 6, there was a terrifying CRASH! followed by the tinny noise of foil shaking for 30 seconds. And then, there was another smaller crash, a few minutes later. We didn't get up. Same thoughts, same words as last night. Same disbelief. This time, Kyle said, "I'm not getting up until he scratches," which was smart. Except I kept picturing him maimed and bleeding on the other side of the bedroom door, inches away, feebly crying but unable to muster something louder. Plus, I really had to go to the bathroom.

I walked out to find the top gate, that plastic devil, laying cast aside on the floor, actually propped up on the still-standing, still-stable wooden one. Quincy was nowhere to be found. I called him several times, looked in the rooms on my side of the gates, but he wasn't there. I felt badly for him, but cursed him at the same time. And I went back to bed.

Circa 8am, the scratching started. I stepped out of the room to see what was up and the Little Devil eeked his way into the room. Kyle was immediately up and flailing his arms, hitting the bed, and chasing Quincy around the bed. When Q. wedged himself between my side of the bed and the wall, Kyle did his best to push him toward the door, which only managed to infuriate said creature. He sped around the bed in another loop of the room. Kyle chased him, yelling, and Quincy turned, stood his ground and hissed like I have only heard him do two times prior (both toward Kyle and his antics to scare him out of a particular space). It was quite the little drama.

My assumption as to what happened last night is that Q. was hiding under his when-I'm-scared-I-feel-safe-here chair in the guest room, and when I called to him, he was too scared to come to me, near as I was to the gates. So, he was behind the gates, with us, but his fear (and perhaps strained and sore muscles) kept him in hiding for two hours.

This, people, is the saga. It continues, of course, because every day is followed by a night, one in which we seriously ask ourselves...what do you we this time? We're getting pretty creative, as you have heard. Sometimes it seems only a door will keep this social kitty from bothering us. Not our bedroom door (oooh, the scratching), but another door perhaps in the kitchen or laundry room. Are we really going to have to buy a door? Oh my gosh. This pet is starting to get expensive.

The Quest for Sleep, part 3

How is this cat causing so many problems and issues? Look at him? He's beautiful and that face is so sweet. And how peaceful is this picture? He's reclining on my...well, what is that? Oh yes, it's my stretching guide from the physical therapist that he's torn halfway out of the binder. Thanks, Quincy-man.

The saga continues...How Do People Win against the Will of their Pet? (I think I'm very thankful right now that we aren't parents...we would so LOSE if this were a kid who was beating us at the game of life and sleep and will power.)

Night #2 of sleep separation for Quincy began with us, very anxious, but also deliriously tired. Since the stacked gates had worked finally the night before, it seemed only natural to continue that.

Here's what it looks like:

Interestingly enough, Leslie had said something last weekend, as we told the immediate family our intentions of keeping Quincy to himself at night. She thought there would be one way he could get around (or over) this barrier. I scoffed at her. He doesn't have claws...there's no way.

But, in fact, Leslie, you were right.

Saturday morning rolls around and at 8am, I heard a thwumpfff. I was already coming out of sleep (a deep, luxurious, full 8-hour sleep; simply unheard of) when I heard it. I lay still for a moment and whispered to Kyle, he did it again!!

The scratching started shhh....shhh.....shhh....shhhh.

"How did he do it?!" We both, in turn, asked. But we had no answer. Upon our investigation, both gates were securely latched. The only options were that he catapulted himself from the couch over them (which I just cannot imagine--not saying it couldn't happen, I just can't picture it), or, like Leslie foretold, he climbed them.

How did he do this? In my greasy, sleepy state, I was utterly confused.

While this is a very smart cat (more on that later), and a limber cat, he is not small by any stretch of the imagination. He's big-boned, very fluffy, and perhaps getting a bit portly. I don't know how the gates could support all of his weight enough for him to climb up and over. On the other hand, it didn't happen until 8am, so he spent the entire night contemplating how to outsmart the system. You know he did.

It was unbelievable.

So, again, I ask: What are we going to do?!

Here I am, very defeated.

Look at how Proud that Stinkin' Tail is?!

The Quest for Sleep, part 2

We made a decision on how to discipline Quincy, and it was not a light decision. We deliberated for a few days, all the while receiving fewer and fewer hours of sleep because of his...loving nature.

You may mock us (feel free, I do it often) and you may think it's overkill, but when I reveal the outcome, you also may be shocked.

I know a lot of people who think cats are dumb animals, and while they do some stupid things, because of this bundle of furry energy in our midst every day, I now believe cats are quite smart, and cunning when they need to be. Quincy has actually turned out to be a problem solver (more on that later). And he knows things, like the sound of Kyle's car engine as compared to mine or the equally-sporty truck across the street. Whenever he hears Kyle's car, he runs to the door in anticipation of some fun.

Our decision for discipline for him was to purchase a child-proof gate to put up in our hall, so as to afford him some space for nighttime roaming, while keeping him far enough away from us that we wouldn't hear his cries of protest (he hates, like most cats, being confined for any reason). But see, because I know this cat, I know how smart he is, we decided to purchase two gates and to stack them. No matter how tall (even if labeled "TALL" by the manufacturer), Quincy would outsmart the gate. He would use the couch as a springboard and launch himself, however precariously, across the divider.

I bought one "tall" wooden gate and one normal-sized plastic gate. Last night was our first attempt at sound sleep. I was really excited at the prospect because I'm exhausted. I need some respite from the little dude's night roaming and cuddling and playing.

The setup was normal plastic gate on bottom, big wooden gate on top. As we lay in bed, I remember saying to Kyle that I felt as if we'd wake up to the all-too-familiar scratching at the door because I had an inkling Quincy would bust these gates down to get to "his people." We laughed and quickly passed out.

I woke up somewhere around 3:30a (the usual time, these days) and strained my ears for signs of struggle outsider our closed bedroom door. I couldn't make out any distinct sounds (distorted as they were by the fan in our room). All of the sudden I heard a CRASH!!, and my heart pounded ferociously....He didn't. Seconds later, shhh....shhh.....shhh....shhhh. Kyle awakened with a "no he didn't....how did he do that?!"

Investigation revealed that he'd plowed through the lower gate (it's plastic), probably with a running start from the kitchen. Kyle attempted to reset the gates and tossed the cat over them.

It couldn't have been more than an hour and a half when I heard a thump! And the soft scratching followed. We both went out that time, completely incredulous. Kyle had only left the "tall" gate up and Quincy had, indeed, used the couch (which is several feet away) as a launching point for propelling himself clear of the gate and into our sanctuary. Stupid, brilliant cat!

This time we ratcheted up the gates' staying pressure, kept the heftier wooden gate on bottom, and did our best to secure the flimsy plastic gate on top. We went back to bed shaking our heads. Meanwhile, Quincy was furious.

I'm not sure I ever went back to sleep. I could heard muffled cries through the door for a while after the second banishment, and honestly, we both felt badly for doing this. Which is insane. The cat, truly, is ruling the roost here.

Tonight, we will try again. Or, perhaps we will rethink this. Surely, if we locked him in a room, he couldn't open a door, could he?