Bath Time!

Today Lil Kat and I gave Ty (da kar) her first bath! She was pretty muddy from camping trip. We had to work really hard to make her sparkle like new. If only Lil could work that hard to make himself sparkle on a daily basis, the world would be a fresher place! Gotta love him!

All Wet

Yesterday we packed up our belongings from the camp site. It had rained the previous night. So there were a lot of things that were wet. I decided we should just wrap them up and throw them in the car.

When we got home, I tossed the wet stuff back on the patio. I figured we would dry them before putting them away. This morning it looked like it might rain again. So I decided to leave the stuff out on the patio. When I got home, I hoisted everything up on the patio fence rails to air out.

It is quite windy here. The air show dry everything out. I think I will let the kids take down all the stuff and fold it up properly. It is a chore to get this big tent to fold up and fit into the small bag. We don't need to store the stuff too permanently. I think we are going to go camping as a family next month. We will not be hiking 10 miles during our trip like the Boy Scouts do.

Camping Weekend

Yesterday we woke up in the wee hours of the morning to go camping. This was required for Little Kat to progress to the next level of boy scouts.

The scout leader had a truck pulling a trailer full of food and supplies. We drove out of town and found ourselves on a narrow road. At some points only one car could travel at a time both ways on the road. Many of the houses there were built right up against the street.

The major activity during the camping weekend was a hike that was supposed to be a few miles each way. It was a big surprise. Turns out it was 5 miles to the destination, and 5 miles back to camp. We sent Kit Kat with Little Kat on this marathon hike.

A few hours later, we got a text message from Kit Kat. She had bad blisters. And she could not make the hiking trip home. Mamma Kat got a street name from Kit Kat over the phone. We then used the GPS in the car to navigate our way by car to pick up the kids. It was a tough weekend. We are going to need more sleep tonight to recover.

Fence Repair

Last week I called up a fence company. I had their guy come out to provide another estimate on our fence repair. I told him he was out before, and now I had the money to pay him. He said prices had gone up.

I asked him how he could lower the new price back to the original estimate he gave me. He said they could not haul away the old broken fence, and it was save me a bunch of money. I wrote him a check. He said the install people would call me within a week.

A week later, I had not heard anything about my fence repair. So I called the guy up. He was surprised the installation team did not call me. He got them to schedule a time to come fix my fence. Later I got a call saying they had to reschedule. They said they don't install fences in the rain. Finally today I got home and we had a new section of fence. Little Kat says it looks funny because the new wood color does not look like the rest of our fence. I like it though. The old fence was broken in many places due to a tree falling down.

Next step is to find some money to add a new fence in the far back of our yard. A lot of our property is unfenced. Time to fence it in.

Auto Manufacturers

Little Kat has been getting more and more interested in cars these days. I think some of it has to do with Mamma Kat taking him when she was looking for a new car.

Today Little Kat wanted to know the names of auto manufacturers. I went to the CarMax site, and printed out the different makers of the cars they sell. There were about 40 brands.

I had Little Kat read and say the names of about 40 of the manufacturers. The Japanese ones were hard to sound out. Strangely enough, Little Kat is taking an interest in the Smart cars. He thinks they might be affordable.

Strange Car

I got home from work early today. It has been a tough week. I decided I could afford to come home on time for once. But when I pulled up to the house, I spotted this little blue car in my driveway. It was a Ford Focus.

Mamma Kat was complaining. She took in her new car for an upgrade. They gave her a free loaner car. However it was a go kart on steroids. She was not happy at all.

LOL. Mamma Kat did not even want to go on the highway with this thing. We used to think that Little Kat would one day drive a Focus. Mamma Kat is rethinking that plan.

LOLcats

There is some new movement called LOLcats. Apparently it hinges around pictures of cats with funny sayings. The official site is something like "I Can Has Cheezburgers".

In other news, Little Kat talked Kit Kat into sleeping out in the tent tonight. They still have the tent pitched in the back yard. It is a little cold out. However they are getting practice in for our trip next week to go camping with the Boy Scouts.

The fence on one side of our yard is falling apart due to rot or termites. I want to replace it with a vinyl fence. But that is going to require us to save up for it. So right now I am bracing the fence with some new pressure treated wood. Let's hope it holds up.

The New Dora

News flash. Dora the Explorer has a new look. I confess. I am a fan of Dora. Her shows are always simple and positive. Now with her new look, I bet her shows will have even more power.

When we took a trip to Florida, I saw Dora in the distance. I think it was at Universal Studios. However I could not run up to her and get an autograph or picture. I was in a real long line and could not lose my place.

Does anybody know where I can send fan letters to Dora?

 

Answering Machine Blues

Our home answering machine had degraded. It still said hello when people called, and recorded the messages. However the messages would be hard to understand. Time for a new machine.

Mamma Kat went to the store. They only have one brand of machine in any given store. Doesn't anybody use good old answering machines any more?

Well I finally hooked up the new machine that Mamma Kat got us. It was tough because the phone jack is behind a heavy desk that has even heavier objects on top of it. But the mission has been accomplished. Give us a call at the home number.

Tricky Salesmen!

I recently purchased a new car. I wish buying a new car was as easy as looking up the price and figuring out what your payments will be but I soon discovered it was a lot more scary out there than that. You have to play a game in order to get a reasonable deal.

First, you have to know that the MSRP is a joke and if you buy something at this price you will be giving a salesperson a nice bonus. No matter how much they protest, the price should be somewhere past the "invoice" price. Be willing to walk away if they cannot bring the price down that low. They will soon be calling you. I actually got a good price quote from an internet quote. I did notice that a lot of dealerships refrain from putting a quote in writing. They want to call you with details or get you to come in but do not fall for it. Ask for the quote in writing or tell them they will not get your business.

Next, it helps if you have a firm trade in price. I always go to Carmax before going to a dealership so I can get the maximum price on my trade in. If the dealership offers to give you $7000 for your car you can tell them you will have to wait to buy because you have to sell you car to Carmax for $9000. Make sure you have your actual quote from Carmax because they will want to see it but they will match this price.

Last, know your financing options. I went to my Credit Union before negotiating a deal. I knew what my payments would be but I still let the dealership try to beat that price and to my surprise they were able to go down quite a lot.

I know the dealership wanted me to think I was a "super" negotiator but I still think they made money. I was just happy to get the car I wanted for a price I thought was reasonable.

Happy Hunting!!

Missing In Action

It has been a long and hard week for me. I was studying hard to pass an industry certification exam early in the week. And I was working hard to complete a programming contest for the second half. By the time the weekend came, I was out of gas.

My brother visits me every Saturday. He is a good cat. So I did not want to cancel plans with him this weekend. I kept falling asleep as we were watching our second movie together though. When he left, I had to go upstairs for a cat nap. It turned into a long slumber though.

I woke up in the middle of the night very thirsty. Mamma Kat had not come to bed. I came downstairs to find nobody in the house. That was strange. I checked the driveway, and Mamma Kat's car was still here. Then I saw that the bag containing the new tent the family bought was missing. I figured everybody except me must have been out in the back yard camping out to test the new tent. After a few minutes I found Mamma Kat coming in the side door. She was checking on the kids who had pitched the tent and were sound asleep out back. Whew. Now I can go back to sleep in peace.

Fence Repair

Last year the a huge branch from the neighbor's tree fell down and crushed part of our fence. I told my neighbor not to worry about it since we wanted to replace that fence anyway. However our neighbor insisted that he pay to get it fixed.

I had the guys who installed the fence come by and estimate the damages. It would cost $500 to replace the section of fence that got smashed. I was given a 25% good guy discount, bringing the total cost to $385. That is still a good chunk of change.

Today my neighbor came by and gave me $385 in cash to replace the fence. This is a big deal. Times are tight and money is scarce. We wanted to replace much of the fence that surrounds our property. But all of that will have to wait. There are more pressing things that require our money.

Welcome TY!

Well, we have a new member of the family! No, not another kitten but a new car!!!!! Since I could not afford my dream car, I got the second best thing. It is a 2009 Honda CR-V EX-L in Urban Titanium. We call it "TY" for short. Because it was cheaper than my dream car, I was able to get the model that was fully loaded with all the bells and whistles include voice activated navigation! The best part is I was able to get a great deal on financing so my payments are extremely reasonable. As a matter of fact, they are less than I paid for a new car in 2004! I will keep you posted on TY

Grocery Shopping

Mamma Kat went to school. The kids were very quiet. I took a look around. The kitchen was a mess. So I had Little Kat get to work on it. He came back later and told me we ran out of dishwasher detergent. We both looked around, and decided he was right.

Little Kat and I made a list of high priority items we needed from the store. Toilet paper was very high on the list. Then we got in my truck (Little Kat insisted we take the truck), and drove to WalMart. I was surprised that they had everything we needed.

I even picked up some grass seed while shopping. Little Kat lobbied for some Beef flavored Ramen noodle. Seemed like a fair request. We bought a huge box of them.

Kitty Kar Kraze

I decided it is time to buy a new car! I know I want another SUV. I am not sure if I want to get a newer version of my current car or get something different. I have only owned Hondas and I am not sure I want to try something else because I have been so happy with them. I have been researching different cars and checking out different options and I finally think I know what I want. I wonder if this weekend would be a good time to buy something new? Wish me Luck!

Staying up Late

I stay up late each night, studying for my college class, and also for a certification test I need to take. The loss of sleep catches up with me though. Yesterday I ate an early dinner and took a nap. Little Kat knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to watch a movie. In my dreams I mumbled, "No thanks".

By the time I did get up, I found that my work had called me. It is never good to get a call from work after hours. They had a serious problem and needed help. I told them I needed to be in the training I was attending. Their solution was for me to go in to work before training.

I stayed up late again studying. Around 2:00am, I heard some noise upstairs. So I finished up my work and went up to check it out. There were no lights on. So I went to bed. Mamma Kat said she had just gone to bead after staying up late to read. I got a couple hours of shut eye, then was the first to wake up and leave for work. It is a tough schedule.

Dinner Plans

I am in a week long class. They provide breakfast. So I grabbed some bagels and cream cheese this morning. Mamma Kat has to go to school tonight. She asked me to pick up some dinner as we are running low on groceries. Mamma Kat requested some pasta from Pizza Hut.

Before leaving work, I thought I would get some Pizza Hut info. I discovered that Pizza Hut now has lasagna. In addition to some pasta, I think I will pick up a lasagna too. Garfield would be proud. I am sure the kids will approve too.

This is the first time I have attended training at this facility. Fujitsu is the company that is doing the training. I like it here because they give you all the drinks and snacks for free. It probably costs them a couple bucks a day. But it makes me happy.

Here Comes the Snow

Late last night it started snowing outside. By morning a little snow was on the cars. It was enough to keep Mamma Kat from going out to pick up breakfast.

This evening it started snowing again. The weatherman said we may get 4 to 8 inches by tomorrow. So the whole family went out to spread rock salt on the driveway.

We spread out the remainder of the rock salt bag we had. Luckily we have another huge bag that is unopened. Little Kat is hoping for a day off from school tomorrow.