Cabin Fever

I'm not the only one around here dying for spring. My boys have spent the better part of the last several days lying in the pasture soaking up the rays during the hours when the sun was shining and temps were finally above freezing. No, I don't have pictures of this because as soon as I exit the house they all jump up and run eagerly to the gate in hopes of a treat. This is fantastic for herd management tasks, since it is so easy to get them to come into the catch pen. But not so hot for taking pics of them lounging around in the sunshine. Of course I could try to take a pic from the house using Papa Bear's awesome Canon Rebel with the long zoom lens... But alas, I can't figure out how to get it out of Macro mode. Shhh - don't tell him that, since I asked him to put it INTO macro mode for me a few weeks ago to take some yarn photos for the Etsy shop I'm building to sell my alpaca yarns. And other nifty stuff. But back to spring fever. So my cats are getting restless in the house, too, after the bloody long, bloody cold winter. Not that we ever let them outside - their outside lives have consisted entirely of roaming the enclosed screen porches and decks at our former houses. But there is definitely something in the air here lately, because they have all taken to massive cat-wrestling sessions as of late, normally something only reserved for special occasions and normally only between Mojo and Kali, who used to wrestle a LOT before itty bitty baby nom (aka, Zoey) showed up to keep the peace. But lately, Zoey has taken to inciting Mojo into wrestling matches as well. Every morning around 5:00am. Right next to my face, sometimes even on my pillow (since that's where Mojo likes to sleep, so that's where Zoey comes wandering over to rile him up). It is a tad disturbing to wake up to a cat-wrestling-match centimeters from one's face every morning. I poke Mojo and he jumps off the bed, followed by baby nom. Then I turn over and fall back asleep. About 20 minutes later I awake in a Déjà vu to cat fur growling near my face again. Poke, snooze, repeat. If you're a logical person (assuming there are any logical people who read this blog), you're probably asking, "So why don't you just lock all the cats out of your bedroom, if not at night, then once they start acting up in the morning?" Good question. The answer is simple - because our bedroom has no door. See blue curtain in the picture below, next to Mojo. I mean, Duh. So to ease the feline (and human) tension around here lately I have started letting the girls outside on the back steps after I come in from chores in the morning. They think this is ultra-ultra cool because a) there are no screened in walls and b) they are not in harnesses or on leashes. Their bravery has not taken them much beyond the safety of the back steps and along the house, so for now, they get to enjoy this minor freedom. If/when the snow and ice melt and they become much braver, we'll have to temper their freedom with harnesses and leashes I'm afraid. Both of these cats were living wild and free when we adopted them, so I'm sure it's not a big stretch for them to remember what real freedom feels like. Real freedom zips along at about 70mph on our stretch of the highway, which is a short 35yd walk from the house. So the routine is come back from chores and open the back door, where they both wait like tigers ready to spring. They burst outside where baby nom immediately gets into rubbing herself all over the cement stairs. It's really comical but hard to take pictures of, due to the movement and her blackness against a light background. If any of you have ever seen the movie How to Train Your Dragon, Zoey reminds us a LOT of Toothless, the Night Fury in the movie. They LOOK a lot a like, I'm not kidding you. And those eyes... my goodness, those green eyes. After a few seconds of sniffing around the top step, Kali usually heads down one side of the stairs and Zoey down the other, or they both wander up the east side of the house along the wall where the snow has melted. The highway noises tend to scare Kali quite easily, so it's not long before she's begging to get back into the house again. Please excuse the peeling paint and chewed up storm door. Our landlord had a dog (or several) before we moved in and the damage is still there. Unfortunately for Mojo, we can't let him outside at all. If he even looks at something other than his special grain-free food, he'll be puking for days. Poor thing. Within five minutes, both of the girls go gladly back into the house. I mean, within five minutes, Kali asks to be let inside, and I have to scoop Zoey up and take her with me back inside. After which, calmness ensues for approximately five minutes. What are your spring rituals?