We Grit Our Teeth And Celebrate

This is the latest I've ever started my summer break.  I remain eternally grateful that I chose a career which affords me summers off, but it's still kind of rough to have to wait on it.  I think I've finally found my groove, although I have to admit that there has been an ongoing snag.

I got to sleep until 7:00 yesterday.  That is something of a miracle considering the state of things around here.  While I have made a serious commitment to the whole "being on vacation" thing, the resident felines are still not completely on board.  They continue to wake me at what anyone would consider unreasonable hours.

Said "hours" have ranged from 4:00 to 5:00 in the omigod-are-you-kidding-me morning and the strategies are really quite inventive.  I have been pounced upon full force by the Very Complicated Kitty.  I have opened my eyes to find the same cat an inch and a half from my face just waiting for me to be ready to receive a rousing yowl.  He has raced in and out of the room and all about the manse until I get out of bed in what can only be described as self-defense.  Good thing, too.  At least once the knitting was discovered to be in dire peril.

And it's not just the VCK.  No, the Absurdly Gi-normous Kitty has done his share to keep me from getting the rest I need.  I started from a deep sleep the other morning to find him perched on the bookshelf next to the Betta bowl and looking at me as if to say, "Look what I found!  When did we get this?  I had no idea we were growing our own sushi!!!"  He has launched his gi-normous self up to the top of the dresser and begun hurling items down upon his brother's head.  This very morning, he chose to embody the concept of "path of destruction" and I now have to rehang a few pictures in the boudoir, not to mention find all the decorative pebbles he kicked out of the equally decorative bowl in the salon.  The manse is in a veritable shambles.

It has been a trial.  And no.  I am not exaggerating.  I would know if I was exaggerating and don't try to tell me that that lack of sleep might cause me to see things as being just a wee bit worse than they are.

Yet in spite of it all, I still raised a glass of Mountain Dew and dispensed lots of sloppy kisses on July 3rd to acknowledge the anniversary of the day we all managed to be in the same place.  It's been a year since Da Boyz become official brothers.  To my utter shock and delight, they bonded within minutes and were sharing window space like they'd always done so.  I took this picture not long after the VCK settled in:

July, 2010...the cuteness spans the many months and can still knock you right over with its mighty strength.

And they're still sharing window space, as happily as they did back then.  The magic hasn't worn off.

Sometimes it isn't easy and requires a certain amount of give and take, spacewise.

But they make it work...

Yes, I am getting up far earlier than anyone on vacation should ever have to but I guess it's a small price to pay for being in the presence of such brotherly love.  Who am I to question the fates?

I'll just consider the early awakenings as an opportunity to spend more time basking in their glow...

SA