Cats in exile

T had allergy tests last week and modern medical technology has determined that she is allergic to planet Earth.  Despite Krypton's willingness to let earthlings adopt their young, they refuse reciprocity (or maybe their planet blew up...) so T is stuck on Mother Earth.  And due to the meddling of morally superior, Latte sipping, Birkenstock wearing, granola eating environmentalists, we can't cut down all the trees and burn the grass.  So we are stuck changing our diets to avoid anything made with wheat, soy, milk, nuts, or eggs.  Brown rice is ok but white rice isn't (this is when I start to suspect they make up this stuff).  And Felicia and Dinah are exiled--nay, banished!--because of their refusal to keep their dander AND saliva to themselves. For the record, I can't recall any slobbering cat episodes but they do shed hair and presumably dander prolifically as the cylinder of our vacuum consistently demonstrates. 

C took the news well all things considered.  (Of course, when T gave him the choice of cats or mommy, it does put the boy in an awkward position.  Fortunately he had the savvy to choose mommy to stay.)  He loved having Dinah lay with him as he went to sleep.  M will miss roughly picking them up and carrying them around or flopping on top of them as they slept peacefully in the sun.  E will miss poking them and bellowing "No Kitty" before chasing them around the house--"For no reason" as C would say.

Everyone came along this evening to return the cats to the adoption center where we got them.  They were rather aggravated about being penned in the carrying cases and moved to the new environment and were hissing and bellowing when moved into their room.  We opened their cases but they stayed in them until after we left.  The kids had a grand time playing with all the other cats and moving from room to room to see the cats. 

When we got home, C drew a picture of Dinah to keep to remember her. 

Don't want to grow up

Last week was very exciting for C.  So exciting, in fact, that he went outside to wait for the bus early several days--standing in the driveway to make sure he would see it if it came early.  One day, it was the school's field day.  Another was the class pizza party.  And finally, Friday was the last of 2nd grade.  He really liked his teacher and his class this year.  He made a card for his teacher and bought her some books and a large cache of supplies for next year.  For the summer, he has a math and social studies work books to work on and should continue to read 20 minutes a day to get ready for the big exams in 3rd grade.  C checked out a big pile of books at the library on Monday and is reading them w/o being forced to do so.

On Saturday and Sunday, he had his dance performance.  He had told us his group had the "worst" music:  it was "French."  When we arrived on Saturday and got the program, we saw the boys would dance a polka.  Hmm... not so French.  The boys were dressed in sailor's hats and scarves.  The music was upbeat and the boys did an energetic dance.  They got the loudest cheers and most applause of any of the performances. 

Last night, C confided that he didn't want to grow up:  "My wife will ask me what I'm doing on the computer and tell me to stop playing with Legos."  Yup, that's a pretty good prediction. 

M and Lil E had good years in preschool.  Their year ended two weeks ago. M was a great helper to the teachers and helped two new girls fit into the class. Lil E still asks in the mornings, "Go to preschool?"  No more preschool.  "Go to church?"  No, it's not Sunday.  "Saturday?"  Good process of deduction but now every day is Saturday...

The kids like going to the pool.  C always finds someone he knows to play with.  He enjoys diving for objects on the bottom of the pool and squirt guns (of course).  M gets a noodle and swims around the kid's end, making friends with kids and adults alike, mostly (I think) so she can borrow their toys and floatation devices.  Lil E prefers to stay out of the water (she must have some Oma in her).  She'll sit up on one of the chase lounges and pull a towel over her legs.  She also likes to inspect the toys others have brought to the pool and to get into the snacks in our bag.