Brothers

It may be another 95+ degree heat wave, but that doesn't stop my kittles from snuggling like it's the dead of winter! That's M with his head buried in P, fast asleep! :)

My Little Lump

Here's G, jointly frog-legging it and cooling off her belly in the grass this past weekend. I'll admit, this angle isn't the best to show off her girlish figure (although you can see her gorgeous white play button on her bum), but who cares - she's still the cutest little lumpy bumpy pittie I've ever met. :)

Note the strategic location in the shade, slightly away from the hot, hot sun!

Wordless Wednesday: With a Caveat

Here's the caveat: Yes, that bathroom counter is capital G, Gross. We are currently deciding when and how to renovate this very bathroom (thus the lovely stains on the left hand side of the countertop and the misaligned wooden cabinet). Until then, a cat cooling station it will remain!

Three's Company

Here's a rare sighting of all three of my "kids" in one shot. As you can see, despite being physically located within the same 10 square feet, they just can't help themselves and one is always forgetting to pose.

I call this one, 2 and a Half Pets:

And this one, M is under the impression that I'm about to feed him (note: everything I do seems to give him this same impression), so he is o-v-e-r posing for a picture. G, however, is smiling for the camera and P? Well, P is my perfect child, who the most well behaved animal I have. He just doesn't really care what's happening!

Rolling in the Grass

One of G and my favorite past times is to wake up a little early on a weekend, gather up a blanket, some toys and water and head over to Riverside Park.

Whereas I enjoy whatever ebook I'm currently engrossed in on my Kindle, G takes the opportunity to graze like the half-cow she is and munch as much grass as caninely possible.

Once that gets old (I know, I know, it doesn't really ever get old), G loves to stretch out and enjoy rolling in the grass - even if she does start posing a little scandalously!

...And now a word from the cat

Hi everyone!

It's been so unbelievably hot we've just been face-planted in front of the air conditioners. It's been tough trying to balance how hot it's been with how high our electric bill will inevitably be, but with 2 cats and a dog who stay home most days while I'm at work, I don't really have a lot of options.

Even with the A/C running 24/7, I often find the cats and the dog splayed out on the tiles just trying to stay as cool as possible. We now have 3 ceiling fans installed in the apartment (in the living room and both bedrooms) and while they help - if they are blowing hot, humid air around - well, there's only so much they can do!

How's everyone else handling these hot days with your pets?

Pet Friendly Reno: Paint Stripper

I wanted to share this product with all you dog owners who may be starting a renovation or restoration. 

As I've mentioned here a few times, we moved into a new apartment in mid-March of this year. Though we made it through a turbulent start to things, we're now getting acclimated and looking around at things we can start to improve (there are a LOT).

One of the first items I've been wanting to tackle is the original molding (and doors) which, as you can see in the below picture, have over 100 years of paint and spackle layered over them (nice wood floors though, eh?).

I researched pet-friendly stripping compounds, and found this lovely little product called Ready Strip - which is advertised as safe enough for to stick your hand in (yes, that image on the left is a hand dipping into the bucket). The reviews were tepid at best, but I figured I'd take a chance.

The product is interesting. Basically, you slather it on to a surface with a brush and it goes on in this light green color. The product is all natural and the smell isn't offensive, so there's no need for masks or gloves or anything of that nature. You then allow the compound to sit for a few hours until it turns white. White means you're ready to scrape!

The product claims it can take off up to 7 layers of paint in one application. Well, since I'm pretty sure I have about 40 layers on there, I'm on my third application and still scraping - although I've hit the wood in some places, so I'm super pumped.

There is no question this is tedious work and the remover claims to do about 50 square feet per gallon (it's not cheap!), but there is something extremely reward about pulling off the layers and layers to find the original wood in tact. So far I've found the molding was electric blue, maroon, light green, beige and yellow (or maybe just dirty).

Once I get a little more headway, I'll post an updated photo!