It's not the heat, it's the humidity

After a morning spent shuttling Sadie the Dog to the vet for what feels like the fifteenth time in the last month and an afternoon at my desk working, I threw myself into the warm pool and sat in the early evening heat to dry off. It was probably the most pleasant hour I've spent in the yard (weather-wise) all summer. After yesterday's oppressive humidity it felt comfortable: hot in a Southern California outdoor living way rather than Florida's sweaty tropical summer that Long Island usually emulates in August.
I thought it would be a great evening to take the camera, go for a walk and see what interesting shots fell my way. And I got maybe 20' from the front door when I noticed that the air was becoming thicker and the lens of the camera had completely steamed up.


This is the shot I took BEFORE I wiped the lens - same angle, same exposure - just taken through a damp curtain of humidity. I swear there must be a 30% difference in humidity from the back of the house to the front. The south-west house elevation is protected by a 45' cedar and the pool area is enclosed by maples and beeches, oaks and conifers, while the front of the property is open to the mid-day sun. This accounts for the difference in temperature and moisture content in the air. We notice this in winter when it will often rain on one side of the house and not on the other (torrential downpours excepted).
Today it fooled me again into thinking that maybe we could do without air-conditioning and open the windows wide. But only for an instant.

I'm so sorry...

Yesterday in an effort to make the puppies a little more comfortable in the heat and humidity, and to shave 4lbs off Sadie (so the vet wouldn't shout at me), I had the dogs groomed right down to a puppy cut. They looked so cute and neat afterwards, as well as thinner and younger. People stopped to ask if we had a new puppy as Polly's grey had been left behind on the groomer's floor. I was delighted (and sure the vet would be impressed, too) until sometime in the late evening when I realised something was missing; my shadow had disappeared. Sadie almost never leaves my side but right now she seems to be suffering from extreme embarrassment over her new haircut and (rightly) blames me for it. She's taken to hiding in another room, any room other than the one I'm in.
I can't believe I'm being guilted by a dog...

Refresh Your Stinky Room

Dutch Boy paints introduce Refresh, the first premium quality paint with Arm & Hammer Odor Eliminating Technology and zero VOC.

It's talking a big talk with GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality and Green Cert certification and the website has a cool interactive video but as my mac doesn't come with sense-o-smell I don't know how well it really works. All I can say is that Sadie the dog had an "accident" a week or so back and even Nature's Miracle couldn't get the smell out. I eventually poured a packet of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda over the stain and left it overnight. Result: Smell completely vanished. If Refresh has the same effect as an open container of baking powder at neutralising odours I would definitely try it. And if Dutch Boy throws in a competition whereby I could win paint AND big bucks, I'm intrigued. What about you?

Here's what you do: Go to My House Stinks and submit a photo of your horrible room (there are a few examples up already so you can see what the competition is like). The winner of the most "annihilated-looking" room wins $5,000 and 50 gallons of Refresh to help rejuvenate their living space! Second prize: $2,500 and 25 gallons of Refresh; 3rd prize: $1,000 and 10 gallons of Refresh! Voters are eligible to win gallons of paint too, when they rate the rooms. Drawings monthly until October 2009.

If you win (or you decide to try the paint anyway) come back here and tell the interwebs what you think. Deal?

I might as well be in the frozen north...

While the rest of the country is enjoying the first week of Spring, the north-east is stuck in some sort of permanently frosty winter: icy blasts, temps in the 20s and 30s, occasional snow showers - I could be in northern Canada.


Speaking of which, I layered up yesterday and walked to the beach where a line of Canada geese were surveying the waves on the Sound.


If I had been on my own they'd have stood on the sand patiently but I had the dogs. So up they flew.


And landed maybe 6' nearer to Canada in the safety of the surf.


Nice job Sadie!

Lighting Up

The landscape lighting has been a trifle temperamental since we moved in. It seems constantly being jumped on by squirrels and cats, kicked by landscapers, and knocked over by tree surgeons and snowplows was more abuse than the lamps could take. In places the cable had been completely severed. Although we've re-coupled, duct-taped and generally mended all the parts, it had got to the point that only on fully moonlit nights was it safe to venture down the paths. We finally assessed the risk of serious injury to ourselves or visitors versus the cost of a new system and invested in a set of low voltage lights for the driveway and added a couple of new lamps to the set on the front path.
The dogs were very serious about getting the job done right. Sadie oversaw every lamp connection, leaning on The Guy a couple of times to remind him to screw the bulb in before moving on to the next spot. This is a pretty simple system to install, and even taking time to bury the cable it only took a couple of hours. The downside is that once the lamps are clipped into the cable they cannot be moved and one lamp (on the corner of the path, of course) wouldn't work. We have no idea why that one lamp isn't cooperating but as it snowed last night it will be a while before we can investigate further. And really, will it matter? A few feet of snow, a couple of visits by the snowplow, a falling branch or two and by Spring we'll probably only have half the lamps working again.

Seasonal change

The hibiscus may still be flowering but there is a 50% off sale at the nursery so I wandered over there this morning and selected three evergreens, two Russian conifers and a dwarf blue spruce that can overwinter in the big pots outside the garage.


Of course we'd didn't just discard the hibiscus. After the lovely surprise I had when last year's plants flowered again this year I got Sadie The Guy to dig three holes in the same sheltered south-facing spot and plant them. Even if they don't make it through the winter they will probably still flower for a couple more weeks.

Playing Nice

Today's cute photo - Sadie and Cassis sharing a quiet moment.

Sadie the Stoic

We're having a quiet Labor Day weekend. Poor Sadie had another cyst removed on Friday, this time from her ear. Not that you can tell from this photo but she is back to her normal bounding self. She should also be wearing a cone (not a cone of silence, nor the cone of uncertainty but a regular old dog cone) but she looked so pathetic we just took it off. Polly would have scratched at the stitches until her ear fell off, but not Sadie the stoic. She knows that it would be foolish to touch the stitches, that it would hurt, so she will just suck it up as she always does. Brave puppy.

Dog dishing

Hey Sadie, how come we aren't allowed to run on the beach today?


Well, Polly there's a ton of slimey, green seaweed on the beach and you know it makes modernemama mad when we track it into the house. And when you smear it on the sofas.


So I guess we have to walk on leash. Just one question: How come the cats never have to wear a leash?

Sadie's disguise

Sadie had surgery to remove a large cyst caused by an ingrowing hair follicle. She was a trooper and came through it all excellently


We made her wear this attractive T-shirt for a while, which didn't impress her at all


But did cause a visitor to The Cool House to ask who the kid with the long black hair was.....

First BBQ of the Year

The temperature hit 68F, the yard has been cleaned up, it's barbeque time!


First Hoegaarden of the summer (and yes that is a Krups scale bowl we are using as an ice bucket!)


Polly banished to the bridge while there are hamburgers about


Sadie drooling


Life is just a bowl of cherries - and cherries are the perfect summer dessert.

Baby Gates

Note to self:
NOT ALL WOOD NEEDS TO BE POLISHED. Specifically, NEVER POLISH WOOD STAIRS WITH PLEDGE.
Sadie fell down the stairs last week. Not the back stairs that I slid down but the front ones that end in the slippery parquet. She tumbled down the stairs, slid the length of the foyer and was stopped by the den carpet inches from the glass table.


I needed to keep Sadie on one level for a few days and as she is my shadow we had to dig out the baby gates we bought when we first laid the bamboo floors. They may be ugly and awkward for us to negotiate but they do the job of keeping the dogs on the ground floor.


Surprisingly enough it is Polly who has suffered more with the re-introduction of boundaries. It really hampers her herding instinct when she can't reach those who need herding (usually kittens) and she's taken to spending even more time in the yard, occasionally tapping on the door so someone can answer her call and reassure her that we haven't left her.


Luckily there were no permanent injuries from my over-zealous cleaning jag but just to remind me that it's all my fault, the dogs reproach me by looking at me like this.

Looking East

Thunderstorms and downpours meant we were inside for much of yesterday, but when the rain finally cleared out around 4PM there was a phenomenal sunset, so I took the dogs to the beach. The setting sun reflected pink and grey on the calm waters, and the lights were just coming on over at Eaton's Neck and Asharoken. So pretty.


Not quite as cute as Polly, though.


Or Sadie, for that matter.

Never leave a cat candle unattended

A quick run to Ikea Long Island early this morning for tea lights, floating candles and a silver tray to put more candles on resulted in me getting just one of those items. However I did get some more red pillar candles which Hermes has been very interested in. Good thing they weren't lighted.
So far the kittens have been much better than I expected about the Xmas decorations. Hermes did rough up Melchior quite a bit, and the Swedish sleigh was hooked off the dresser and taken for a wild ride. But at least they haven't tried to climb the tree!


Sadie has been trying to pretend the whole Yule thing is a mirage, except for Ginger Cookies, which smell so deliciously of butter and brown sugar and which she is MOST CERTAINLY NOT ALLOWED TO EAT.


I also bought a couple of Lotten throws in Ikea as the red ones on the sofa in the photo have been slept and drooled on by cats and dogs alike and are not something you'd want to cuddle up in on any cold winter's evening. The new throws aren't especially festive looking but they are very soft and cozy, and hopefully they'll be really warm, too.

Balcony kitties

Balcony kitties
Originally uploaded by modernemama

They've been hanging out here for a while but they are making their way downstairs now. I took them for a check up today; Maya weighs 2lbs and Hermes 5lbs.
So far they have stood their ground against the other cats and the dogs and even pushed Sadie and Polly away from the dog food so they can get at the dogs' Nutro.

Another house related injury

polly, sadie and jefke
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

These three innocent animals are not the reason for the sprained foot. Rather it was a combination of clumsiness, I reached for the toy to the left of Polly and tripped, a 70s design flaw: the raised step into the den, which I failed to clear when reaching for the dog toy, and procrastination: we didn't take the platform out when we thought about it on New Year's Day.
Whatever possessed the original owner to divide the den by a four inch high platform, laid on the diagonal no less, I cannot fathom. A couple of days after we moved in Steven tripped over it carrying a full espresso, this was the evening after we had had the carpets steam cleaned so they were white at that point....
Since then the big dog Sadie has tripped up it and the little dog Polly has fallen off it while asleep. I feel I have to yell "mind the step" to guests and workmen who are new to the house. In short it's not only an eyesore, it's dysfunctional too. And as soon as I can bend the foot again I'm getting down there and taking the platform out.
PS The name of the toy I was reaching for? We affectionately call it Bear Corpse.

Celebrations

Lots of things to celebrate this week in addition to finishing the first bathroom remodel. I got my Social Security number at long last and that means I am a certified, numbered real person and with that and my Dept of Homeland Security photo id I was able to renew my NY state driving license, which expired in November. (Living in NY and being dependent on your husband's visa is both demeaning and frustrating; I've been a kept woman and felt like chattel. It does little for one's self-esteem, especially when they take away your driving privileges because your visa has less than six months to run, even though you've been granted an extension for three years). And the number of places I'm asked to show my driving license here? Banks, stores, airports..... it's impossible to exist without one. But enough of the Kafkaesque nightmare that is USCIS, Department of Homeland Security and NYS DMV. I am now legitimate again.

Sadie
The biggest celebration though is that after an entire month Sadie the dog has decided that the Fatboy dog bed isn't so scary and she's taken to sleeping on it at night (after Cassis the cat has made it cosy and warm. I'm still waiting for Polly to pluck up the courage to try her bed out.

Polly
Ooh, and one more huge celebration. I did not know this until two minutes ago but today is NATIONAL GARLIC DAY. I love garlic: roasted, fried, preserved in oil, in Rogan Josh, leg of lamb, sliced in poached sea bass, Skordalia it's all good. I think I will keep the celebration going all weekend long.

Noncompliant Dogs

sadie lounging
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

I was so fed up of the kitchen looking like an animal doss house that I ordered two Fatboy modern dog beds from Design Public. If you clicked the link you will have seen the extremely cute black lab lounging on his red Fatboy bed.
Maybe my dogs didn't like the colours I chose (lime green and brown), although dogs are colour-blind aren't they? Maybe I didn't adjust the stuffing enough for their comfort. But they have flat-out refused to have anything to do with them. I have resorted to putting blankets on top of the beds to entice them, which sort of defeats the purpose but nothing works.
Here is a nice photo showing the dent that Sadie made when she stepped over the dog bed on her way to find a better place to sprawl out and here is Polly ignoring her bed.


Steven suggests I give in and give them their old duvets back but I'm persevering for a while. I want a sleek, modern kitchen with sleek, modern dog beds and I'm not prepared to give up yet.

The eldest and the best

Midge 1987-2006
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

Midge the cat died Thursday afternoon in her favourite spot in the garden. She was nineteen, born in Oxford, England, moved to Belgium when she was just a kitten and then to the US six years ago.
She was so big that the customs guy at Newark Airport wanted to know if I had a dog or a cat in the crate. She loved to spend hours outside soaking up the sunshine or sheltering from the rain. She slept with us every night until this week when she could no longer get up the stairs. If you were sad she would jump on your chest and stay there until you felt better. Even a sniffle would cause her to run to give comfort.
On Thursday she was weak but she crawled to the door and I lifted her out into the yard and took the paper and my coffee so I could sit out with her. She made herself comfortable in the undergrowth and dozed most of the day. After I walked the dogs they insisted on going over to see her. They looked at her and wagged their tails and she raised her head up. I went in to get changed and came out to get her and bring her inside for the evening and she was dead. Steve came home two minutes later.
She really was the best cat , always happy, never bad-tempered even when Cassis used to leap on her back from 10' away. She tolerated the new animals Wilba, Polly, Sadie, Cassis and Jefke although she didn't like them the way she loved her humans. She was the last animal left from the kids' childhood and the last European. She will be sorely missed

Feline frustration

I thought the dining room was done but Wilba the Cat had a few other ideas. Wilba is ten years old and cross. I have no real idea why she is miffed, although it might have something to do with the two male kittens who joined the family a year or so ago, then again she isn't very keen on Sadie the big dog, but it could just be that she prefers salmon to cat food and she hasn't been getting any recently (salmon? we have a house to finish, you know).
Anyway, she likes to punish us by pooping in inappropriate places. For the longest time it was the bath, yucky but a cinch to clean up; we had a sparkling bath from scrubbing it down twice a day.
Now, though she has taken to using the dining room carpet as her personal litter box. The white dining room carpet. Except that it's not white anymore, no matter how much we scrub with carpet shampoo and Nature's Miracle the stains persist.
And because the drapes almost touch the floor and I'm paranoid about them being stained, today I made Steve move the curtain poles up four inches to avoid any kitty contamination. He is unamused: twelve new holes to drill, twelve old holes to spackle and paint over, and we still have to find a solution to the kitty poop problem.