cute.

{found this over at Snippet and Ink this morning}

it is pretty much the cutest thing I've seen all week

this is sweet.

{found here}

Mac...

Used to be teeny-tiny.
I weighed him on Friday.
He's now 16.8 pounds.
C'est la vie.

a new tradition...

Last night the philosopher and I got back from a quick little trip to Vancouver with L's mom, Christy. It was a lot of fun. We picnicked by a rose garden, ate interesting food and spent hours walking through Stanley Park admiring the gardens, interacting with the raccoons, looking at the trees, and talking.

The raccoons were very, very unnaturally social and absolutely adorable. They were so used to people feeding them peanuts and such that they would walk right up to you with their big eyes asking for food.

We also spent over four hours at the Vancouver aquarium looking at fish and watching the dolphins play. Oh, how I love dolphins! It was the first time, that any of us could think of, that we've been to an aquarium that wasn't solely focused on entertainment. There was a big social push for sustainability and alternatives with our fishing practices. It used to be that the aquariums went and caught their whales, dolphins, otters, sea lions, etc... But surprisingly, and sadly, most of their whales, dolphins, and sea lions were rescued.

...And then we walked and talked a little more.


{all photos by my philosopher or myself}

the quixotic writing process...

is subject to the attention-seeking whims of Mac.


Exhibit A: Big Mac sitting in my lap, on top of my books,
obstructing access to the keyboard and purring like an air filter full blast.

bhahhh!

{image found here}

I've been really loving goats lately.
Maybe it is because a few weeks ago the philosopher and I
passed a farm with baby goats for sale on our way home from the lake.
Or maybe it is because goats remind me of my friend Janell in Texas
who used to raise goats for FFA.

My mom's banker once told us that his family has a pet goat
not for profit or anything but just "for the love".
And when I was younger my sisters had two pet goats...
though I don't remember them much.

Right now, while I'm free from all the yucky duties that go along with
farm animal management, the idea of having a big back yard
with a cool tree house and a couple of pet goats
sounds really, really good.


hmm... or maybe a cow!
ps: did you catch Janell's bluebell t-shirt?
In case you don't know, bluebell has the best vanilla icecream.

This is Allegra.

See that cute bundle of fur on the left, laying next to Mac?
The one that doesn't look like a chicken.

Her name is Allegra. She is neurotic.

She has taught the philosopher and I what it must be like to be a parent.
When your kid is swinging from the chandelier,
throwing spaghetti against the wall,
keying your car, or perhaps something worse...

When you are just about ready to stuff 'em into a crate,
drive far into the country, and just let them loose
they do something sooo cute
you forget why you were ever upset!
for the record: I would never really stuff my kid into a crate... I don't think! ;)
{Please don't report me to CPS }

What is it, you ask, that this adorably innocent-looking cat
is doing to drive us mad?
Screeching, screaming, clawing the couch, racing in circles...
Over and over and over again.


And did I mention she's clawed a hole
into every large plush piece of furniture we own
and built herself a little cave?
Our box spring, our sofa, our white leather chair...
Even duct tape can't keep her out!
{At least the holes are on the bottom so no one really knows!!}

The last thing I heard the philosopher say before I started this post
(or rather, the last threat I heard him make)
was that Allegra was about to loose her voice box -
and not of her own volition.

But then, I know he'd never do it. Because she's just so darn cute when she sleeps!

By the way, if you would like to learn more about kitty neurosis,
living with a neurotic cat, or just want to read something
HI-LAR-I-OUS, check out this book by Stephen Baker.
{His book on neurotic dogs is pretty funny too!}

And Katie makes three

{photo by Anne Geddes, of course!}

My sister had her third baby on Saturday.
Little Katie has been much anticipated.
We're so happy she's here!

Coming into the light with over 9 pounds of health
and a head full of black hair
I've got a feeling this one is trouble.

This is Mac.

I don't know if he has ever been properly introduced, although I know I've mentioned him before a few times. He is usually very busy sleeping and stretching and being cuddly cute. Sometimes when I'm really struggling to concentrate on papers and such I look at him and think he's got it made. I think in this dream he was surfing. Or sliding into first base.