Whew, busy times, busy times. \u00a0Two weekends ago we took a too-brief KC pass through, which was just exhausting; \u00a0So much so that it led to the omission of an update last week. \u00a0It was a good trip I must say. \u00a0Didn’t get to do everything I wanted to, but when does that ever happen. \u00a0We ate some good food, saw as many people as time permitted, and cursed the foul weather constantly. \u00a0As usual, our trip required scheduling with a pet sitter, as no\u00a0local businesses here\u00a0are inclined to board\u00a0a killer canine\u00a0such as Teagan. \u00a0This is a somewhat ridiculous situation, but not all-together bad as I think both the dog and cat would just as soon stay home anyway. \u00a0We’ve got a friend that stops by a few times a day and gives them food and water, and of course tosses the ball for Teagan a bit. \u00a0Well, it went just fine as usual, but Kane did seem noticeably happy to see us when we got home. \u00a0He was meowing and carrying on, and following us around like his long-lost buddies. \u00a0(Generally speaking, of course, cats are perfectly content\u00a0to be left in peace.) \u00a0This behavior carried on a for a few days after we returned when I noticed he hadn’t touched his food bowl. \u00a0I texted the sitter and nope, he hadn’t filled the bowl as it was already full the whole time. \u00a0Hmmmm, the little guy really IS upset, he’s on a hunger strike?!!? \u00a0As it ended up, after careful inspection, I’d accidentally filled his bowl with dog food when we left and the picky little monster\u00a0wouldn’t eat it. \u00a0For SIX DAYS. \u00a0Not a bite. \u00a0We’ve had several extreme circumstances that have led to feeding cat food to the dog (i.e. we’re out of dog food and don’t want to drive two miles to the pet store) and it hasn’t caused so much as a sideways glance from Teagan. \u00a0Apparently it doesn’t work the other direction though. \u00a0All ended well. \u00a0I gave him an extra big bowl of kitty chow, he scarfed it all down, then\u00a0immediately returned to his regular routine of ignoring us.<\/p>\n
Now this past weekend, we didn’t do quite so much. \u00a0The weather here is markedly different than KC, it’s already in the triple-digits with blazing hot sun. \u00a0I was looking forward to a quiet afternoon on my back patio Friday, but the heat was so stifling it drove me to the Hop House for some a\/c. \u00a0Saturday we hung out at the pool for a bit, but it was really too hot to be outside at all. \u00a0Sunday we went on an unexpected shopping spree. \u00a0I realize it is a common occurrence to go to a warehouse store (Costco, in our case,) and leave with more items than anticipated. \u00a0We really took it to the extreme this time though. \u00a0Our shopping list consisted of eggs, toothpaste, and coffee. \u00a0We left with a basket full of stuff the likes of which I have never seen, and that’s the truth. \u00a0I have to think it was our all time record Costco tab. \u00a0The big hit was a new TV. \u00a0Honestly, who goes to the store for coffee and leaves with a TV? \u00a0Maybe it’s more common than I know… \u00a0Seems odd to me. \u00a0Hey, I’m not gonna say I ain’t excited about the new toy. \u00a0In the continuation of a long-running project, we also purchased several new LED fixtures and bulbs, as we are replacing the horribly inefficient incandescent ones currently in the house. \u00a0In all actuality, I seriously doubt this project is going to save us so much as a single cent. \u00a0One of the three things I learned during my nine years studying electricity at CMSU is that light bulbs, no matter if incandescent, CFL, halogen, LED, etc, will all use exactly the same amount of wattage when they are turned off. \u00a0This then leads me to the inescapable conclusion that we aren’t going to save a whole lot of money swapping out light fixtures that we never turn on anyway. \u00a0Oh well, it makes me feel like I’m doing some kind of home improvement\u00a0I guess.<\/p>\n\n\t\t