I love Lucy

And Lucy loves to be a crank.

This is Lucy. She is the oldest of my three cats at about 17. As I like to say, Lucy has seniority.

I got her when I saw a sign that read "Free Kittens" in front of a neighbor's house.

Some things about Lucy:

She loves catnip.

She likes to sit right on the very edge of things. I think it is so she can make a fast getaway.

She once escaped from the house for three days.

She came back from that adventure knocked up.

She had three kittens that I gave away by putting up a sign that read "Free Kittens."

She is a very thin, kind of pointy-looking cat.

She is the epitome of how I would describe cat-like agility: so graceful, yet fast and strong.

She likes to sleep in a bucket with a towel in it.

She got very sick last year and I didn't think she was going to make it.

She was described by the vet as a "miracle cat" because she did make it.

She has a bald spot on her neck as a result of her mystery illness.

She will never regrow fur there, so she has a little cut-off sock that she wears to cover it.

She hates to have her belly touched in any way.

She can't stand George, but will tolerate Aspen.

She has the best meow. It is so loud and expressive and well-enunciated.

She says each syllable of it distinctly: meeeOWWW; and you can see her mouth form the sounds.

Anyway, I figured since you met Aspen and since George is everywhere on here (because he is a pushy camera hog), that you should meet Lucy.

A quick look back

For those of you who are new here, this is what the kitchen used to look like, as well as the inspiration kitchen.

Here are some pictures of the packing up and demolition of the old kitchen.

And I found a recipe for Chevre and Mango Steak Bites that I think I will make as one of the nibbles for my kitchen-warming party.

Like a rolling stone... that they compact at a pressure of 100 tons

I now have countertops.

Two dudes came yesterday morning at 8 to install them. Which was early for me, but it was worth it.

They look great. The countertops, not the dudes.

The material is called Caesarstone, which is a quartz composite.

So, what is left?

Tile on the floor. The guy I want to hire will be available in a few weeks.

In the meantime I want the kitchen people to hook up the sink, cooktop and oven. I also think they should be able to finish the open electrical outlets.

They don't want to install the dishwasher and refrigerator until the floor is in so that those things only have to be moved and hooked up once. That will reduce the possibility of denting anything, I guess.

But if they finish the sink, stove and oven, I can start using those and stop washing dishes in the bathroom and making tea on the barbecue.

And then there is the backsplash and painting. Those are things I want to do myself to save money.

So those go to the bottom of the list. I figure I can get the painting done in one weekend and hopefully get the backsplash done in another.

The bottom line: It will be at least another month before the whole thing is DONE.

Click on the photos to get the bigger picture.

George is a bad jumper

So he climbs a ladder when he wants to get up on the counter.

I actually like that he can't get up there easily.

But it is cute to watch him scramble up a ladder.

I have some video somewhere of him climbing a bigger ladder. And then falling off of it while he was trying to climb down the ladder.

He is pretty quick for such a fat cat.

The car is in the shop and...

It turns out it was NOT merely a flesh wound.
The estimate by the insurance guy was to fix the dent in the hood and repaint the area. He came up with a figure of $478.10
But the guy at the auto body shop told me that after they got the car in the shop and got the hood open, they found more damage.
There was damage to the condenser, the radiator and the radiator support.
So they are replacing all of those. Oh, and the grill, which I already knew about.
And he told me that the dent in the hood is not the kind that can just be banged out and repainted.
So I also am getting a new hood.
They had to order the parts from Audi. He said they did that Monday and it would take a few days to get them and then about another week to get the repairs done.
So I am in the rental (a Buick. Yay!) until at least the end of next week they think.
I didn't even bother to ask him what the new total was for fixing the thing.
Since the accident was not my fault and his insurance is paying, I really don't care how much it costs. I just want it done right.

Baby barbecue

No. We didn't barbecue any babies.

It was a barbecue in honor of my nephew's first birthday.

Doesn't that picture make you want to eat cake?

No new pictures, but a kitchen update

The countertop guy came out yesterday to make the templates and the regular workers did a little more work.
But I think things are at a standstill until the counters are ready. The guy said they might be able to install by the end of the week or early next week.
I would bet it is later rather than sooner.
I hope I am wrong.
The cooktop and sink are waiting on the counters.
The dishwasher and refrigerator are waiting on tile.
My tile guy is on another job right now, but I am hoping to get a start date from him that falls within the next few weeks.
The manfriend is telling me I can do it myself, but I am scared of doing the floor. I think I will attempt the backsplash. But the floor needs to be solid, so I think I need a professional.
For those of you who may have forgotten about the inspiration for my kitchen, click here. It is all about the white cabinets, the contrasting countertops, the stainless appliances and a cool tile backsplash.
I still love the idea of the subway tiles, but I also really like the glass mosaic tiles (1"x1" squares) in frosted white, greens and blues. If I go to look at tile tomorrow, I will take some pictures of samples.