New York Renovator

We went on a two-day trip and left our half-Siamese baby, Livvy, alone in the house. Well– we also left the two Yorkshire terriers and the cockatiel, too, but they are mere pets. They are also contained (the dogs in a large penned area and the bird in a cage), so Livvy has the rule of the roost while we’re gone.

I have several “pet cams” set up around the house to keep an eye on the critters whenever we are out of town. Previously, we’ve always taken Livvy with us when we travel but this time we decided to leave her home to watch over everything. The surveillance camera monitored all the activity in the house, and we were able to get a good idea of what exactly Livvy does while we’re away.

The first thing she did was hop in my desk chair and snooze. She always sleeps in my desk chair when I’m away.

After a few hours, she realizes that we aren’t back yet. She waits for our return.

Nobody comes in. Hm. She saunters over to the Yorkies. She seems very pleased when they go bananas in their typical Yorky way. They bark, they spin in circles, they crash into each other and trip over the food. I can’t see her on the camera, but I just KNOW she is snickering at them.

We left her PLENTY of food, but she does like her meals “fresh.” She she tips over the cat food bag for a quick bite.

Hm. Nobody comes running to sweep it up.

WHAT IS TAKING THE FAMILY SO LONG?!

She inspects the camera.

“I’m going insane!!! It’s booooring around here! Don’t leave me alone with these nutty dogs!!!”

Unrecorded on any camera, Livvy wanders upstairs. She ferociously gnaws on the white cords to my window miniblinds. How do I know? I come home to find the blinds all mangled and chewed beyond repair. It was her only bad deed but FOR PETE’S SAKE she’s eaten through seven miniblind sets since the summer!!!!

FINALLY we arrive home, and she’s all happy and love-y again. Happy Face.

I wonder if Livvy is the first cat to ever climb Blue Mountain, in the Adirondack Mountain range of New York State? Our climb was quite the adventure! The mountain rises about 3700 feet into the atmosphere, and the views are incredible. The climb, however, is rather laborious. Livvy could only get so far.

She wanted to stop constantly, to smell the balsam fir and ferns. These were new smells for her.

Some of the trails were pretty rough.

After over 2 hours of hiking (and being carried in a cat carrier some of the way), Livvy stopped. She was probably 20 minutes from the summit, but the climbing was very intense and I didn’t feel comfortable hauling her carrier up such a steep incline (and back down again). I was afraid one of the guys would slip and Livvy would go tumbling down the incline. Also, Livvy had had very little water and I didn’t want her to continue climbing. So we stayed put on the trail and waited while the family reached the peak.

While we waited, several other groups of climbers passed us by. Each one of them exclaimed about Livvy— “Well, that’s a new thing!” ‘OH, what a beautiful cat!” Livvy got lots of attention. I really think she may be the first domestic cat up Blue Mountain! It was good to get away from home, away from the hustle and bustle of work and the city and news about the economy and annuity rates and all that stuff. Livvy ABSOLUTELY LOVED the Adirondacks. We came home a week later, and she was disappointed—- I think she thought we were going to live there! Ah, if only!

If you want to read more about our climb and see some spectacular photos of the views from the summit, you can read my article about our adventure, on my New York Travel blog.

We’re back! We were gone for a week in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York! The Adirondacks is the largest park in the country. It’s 6 million acres of mountains, lakes and thick forests. In the northern parts, it’s pretty rugged. I was going to leave Livvy to fend for herself alone at home while we were gone, but at the last minute, we decided to bring her. I am so glad we did! She had a blast and was a very good kitty. Can you find the kitty?

She had quite a few adventures, and so did we! I’ll have more about that to come. But I think she just MAY be the first domestic kitty to climb a certain mountain! Does she get a la flor dominicana double ligero? Stay tuned! LOL Happy weekend, friends.

Can you spot her? Where could she be?

Hint: It’s where cats love to be….

Isn’t she the sweetest thing?! She often hops onto the clothes dryer to nestle in a laundry basket. She cares not if the basket is filled with socks and shorts, just as long as it’s warm and cozy. Gotta love cats.

We took her with us on our trip to Virginia. Yes, a 10 hour drive EACH WAY. She was…. vocal. We didn’t need to lock her in a carrier, she behaved well enough with her harness and leash. But we think she howled during the ride because she probably got carsick. After a few hours, she settled down and snoozed. She even used the litter box! What a good girl!

When i told my brother in Virginia that I would be bringing Livvy, he was incredulous. “You’re bringing your cat?!” he said. I explained that Livvy was a member of the family, that Siamese are special, etc etc. He doubted, can you believe it! But as soon as he saw her, he said, “Oh my gosh, what a beautiful cat!” And by the time we were packing up to go back home, my brother asked me if he could have Livvy. I said of course not! What would all her blogging fans do without her?!

It’s rather funny. After spending untold $$ and hours (and blood and sweat and tears) renovating our home… the first thing we all want to do to relax now that it is *almost* over is.. GO TO SOMEONE ELSE’S PLACE ON A VACATION! lol. Well, as much as I absolutely love my home’s new look, a vacation would be sooo nice, especially if it was to an Outer Banks rental. I have been through North Carolina, but never to the coast and Outer Banks. And the kids have never been out of the state, except once when they were babies. They are the ones who really need a nice vacation after all this intensive work.

I have always wondered what exactly was “Outer Banks,” so I looked it up. It’s a very long chain of islands along the North Carolina coast, covering almost half the coastline of the state. Did you know that the Outer Banks was where Wilbur and Orville Wright took off on their first flight, on December 17, 1903? And did you know that the first (recorded) English baby was born on the Outer Banks– Virginia Dare of Roanoke Island, on August 18, 1587. The Roanoke Colony disappeared shortly after her birth. The story is sad but fascinating. This is from Wikipedia:

[John] White [Virginia's grandfather and leader of the original settlement, who had left several years before] landed [on Roanoke Island] on August 18, 1590, on his granddaughter’s third birthday, but found the settlement deserted. His men could not find any trace of the ninety men, seventeen women, and eleven children, nor was there any sign of a struggle or battle. The only clue was the word “Croatoan” carved into a post of the fort and “Cro” carved into a nearby tree. All the houses and fortifications had been dismantled, which meant their departure had not been hurried. Before he had left the colony, White had instructed them that if anything happened to them, they should carve a Maltese cross on a tree nearby, indicating that their disappearance had been forced. As there was no cross, White took this to mean they had moved to Croatoan Island, but he was unable to conduct a search. A massive storm was brewing and his men refused to go any farther. The next day, they left.

The place is brimming with history. AND beauty. Oh, I do so love the Atlantic Coast. I could spend forever there.

Photo from Wikipedia "Outer Banks."

Today, the lovely Outer Banks is a big tourist site, with beautiful rental homes. And no wonder. Just look at the rental homes, aren’t they lovely?! This is the Beachcraft by Carolina Designs, one of the best (I think) because it is so beautiful, and so close to the ocean. *sigh* It’s lovely.

WOW.

It would be wonderful to *finally* relax, soak in some sun, waddle my feet in the Atlantic Ocean, and watch the kids relax and find seashells. *sigh*

February is a big vacation month for us in the Northeast, but you don’t want to wait until then to prepare your vacation plans. If you will be leaving your home for any length of time on a holiday, you want to be sure that your home and all its contents will be safe (and still there!) upon your return. Here are a few security and home care tips to prepare your home before you leave for any extended trip:

• Turn off your water supply.
  In your basement near the water meter (where the water comes in to your home), there’s a valve that controls the input of water. It’s recommended that you turn off your water supply before an extended trip. Be sure to do this and empty your plumbing of water if you turn off your furnace during your vacation, so that a deep freeze does not freeze your pipes and cause them to burst. I’ve heard through the grapevine that some insurance companies insist you shut off your water supply AND drain the water from your plumbing before a vacation, or any damage will not be covered.
• Turn off your furnace, or set it on low.
  This is best if you live in a high humidity area, to prevent mold and mildew. You can even get a timer to have the furnace turn on periodically; or, set it at 55 so it will run when the temperature drops.
• Unplug large appliances.
  The refrigerator, hot water tank, computers, power-sucking TVs, etc… these don’t need to be on. If you have those “vampire” appliances (appliances that still use energy even when in “off” mode), unplug them all.
• Place a “hold” on your mail.
  One of the first things a thief looks for is if the mailbox is being emptied regularly. You can go to the [...]