10K a Day - Week Ten!

Tooting my own horn.

I'm enjoying my walking challenge. It's almost the end of week 10, and I feel so much more energetic!

Whiskers Wednesday - Angel's Anticipation

A few weeks ago our handsome friend Brian and his beautiful sisters received a big brown box from the package human. Inside the box was a most pawsome cat tree. Even Sascha, who isn’t usually very adventurous played with it, and napped in the big roundy perch at the top of the tree. We were very happy and excited for them.
So a week after that, when the package human came to our house, imagine my excitement. A cat tree for me and Casper!! Yay! Casper said not to get too crazy because it might be something else. I thought-- he’s old, what does he know?
When Mom came home, she brought the big box in the house and then proceeded to take it into my bedroom...and then...she just left it sitting there! I couldn’t believe it. Can you believe it took her three weeks to open that box?!

Last Sunday she opened it. Finally! I couldn’t wait to climb that cat tree! She started taking stuff out of the box. Not only was it not a cat tree – IT WAS ANOTHER MONSTER VAC!!! What the Hello Kitty!?!

This monster vac isn’t as loud as the other one, but it spits out hot water and then sucks it back up. Gross! Now, why would anyone want such a screwy thing as that - especially when they could have a cat tree?

Now Mom, I know you must be feeling really bad about the trauma this has caused. But, you know -- you could make it up to us.
Cat Tree! Cat Tree! We want a Cat Tree!! Oh yeah, and don't forget the catio, too! I think that should do it.

Hardesty Library Revisit

A couple of you liked the stack of books in front of the library (from Friday's post). I can't believe I hadn't caught the other cool feature in the entry, so I went back yesterday and snapped a couple more pictures.

By the way, he's reading "Popular Science" and drinking a can of Coke.

Weekend Walking Trail Review - Jackson Park

Jackson Park is only a mile from my house and it's a nice place to walk, but when the sun is beating down, it doesn't supply much shade. So when it's a cloudy morning, like it was earlier today, I like to walk here.

The newer portion of the trail, at the back of the park, is not very scenic. Sometimes it's the details where you find beauty and sometimes you have to look at the big picture to find the best sights. Either way I can always find something interesting if I just remember to look.


The front part of the trail is where this park really shines.

I didn't see any snakes, but believe me I remembered to look for them. All in all a very nice place for a Sunday morning walk.

A Day for Appreciating Freedom

Happy Independence Day!

LOOK Light Opera Oklahoma

Thursday evening I went with six friends from work to dinner at El Guapo, in the Blue Dome District, and then to see "Kiss Me Kate", presented by Light Opera Oklahoma. The restaurant had pretty good food, excellent service and a high energy ambiance. The play was fun, fast paced, and performed by some very talented actors / singers / dancers.

Good food, fun with work buds, and a rambunctious musical. A very nice night indeed.

Free Friday

The company I work for generously gave us two paid days off to celebrate the July 4th holiday, so today was a free Friday! My day started with sleeping late--especially nice after being out late last night, having dinner and seeing a play with some work buddies. After a long soak in the tub, I went to one of my favorite places, the library located a few minutes from my house. The day has passed quietly and leisurely--just what I look for in a pleasant free Friday. Thank you, Employer.

I appreciate the very nice libraries we have here in Tulsa!

Whiskers Wednesday - Casper the Kitchen Kitty

Our mom says she doesn’t like rude, mean people, but last night she sat and watched a totally rude guy on TV, for TWO solid hours!! She says her liking to watch “Hell’s Kitchen” baffles her mind, too, but she can’t seem to stop herself.
I don’t care too much for that show. First, because even with all that food being cooked, I can’t get one little whiff of any of it from the TV box. Next, all that yelling and “BEEP, BEEP, BEEPing” hurts my delicate kitty ears. But, mostly because that Gordon Ramsey is so BEEPing angry. But, now I think I have it figured out. I never saw one single cat in his kitchen. That poor guy--maybe if he had a kitchen kitty, he’d be a lot happier -- and nicer!

Mom said to make sure I tell you she uses Chlorox wipes on the

counterts all the time! Well, duh, like I would get up on a dirty counter.

Sunbathing Angel

A nice sun bath...

...and then she's going...

 

..going...

Gone!

 

Let the catnap begin.

Weekend Walking Trail Review: Back to Haikey Creek

Yesterday I got a late start for my weekend walking trail walk, due to a hair appointment and a few other errands. Because of the extreme afternoon heat I really planned on using the elliptical, inside where air conditioning makes summertime bearable. But, to my surprise I wanted to go to one of the walking paths. I knew I needed to go to one that I was certain had plenty of opportunities for shade, so back to Haikey Creek I went.
When I got to the walking / jogging trail, there wasn't a single car in the lot. Hmm, second thoughts... well, I can always get back to the car fairly quickly if the heat and humidity seem too much. It was hot and the air was thick with humidity, but keeping a moderate pace and sticking to the shady areas as much as possible, I was actually fairly comfortable.

Summer has been tough on the creek, too. The water has become shallow and, as my cat friends would say, quite whiffable, in areas.

 Other than that, the walk ended up being very pleasant. In part this was due to the beauty of a bright blue and white summer sky. It is one of my most favorite sights, and never fails to move me! .

When I got back to the car, another lady had arrived. She walked for a bit and then started a cautious jog. Show-off. I hope she had plenty of water.

Riding in the Way-Back Machine

“Brandy” by Looking Glass is one of my all time favorite songs. Every time it comes on the radio, I’m transported back to my happy teenage place. Not the awkward, embarrassing, inferiority complex laden moments of those years, but back to the fun, free, light times. I recently heard my time-travel song while driving home from work. The fact that it still comes on the radio as frequently as it does--after 38 years--makes me think it must have a similar effect on lots of other people.

When I got home I looked through a stack of old albums, and found it. I found several other good albums like Elton John’s “Yellow Brick Road”, Chicago, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, America and others. I don’t have a turntable to listen to them on, but I can’t seem to let go of them either. I guess I don’t have to be able to listen to them; I feel a little younger just looking through them. Can you dig it?

Going in the Right Direction

Driving home from work all week, I've been looking over at the northbound lanes under construction, thinking, wow, I'm definitely going the right direction. Of course, when I go to work in the morning, I go through this work zone, too, but because it's so early in the morning the traffic is much lighter then. 

I'm sure that in a week or two the construction will be moved over to my going-home lanes. I wonder if someone will be resting their camera on the steering wheel snapping a picture of all us pathetic non-moving commuters. Maybe the title of their blog post will be "Sucks to Be You." But, of course I'm way too classy for that.

Whiskers Wednesday - Angel the Conquerer

Mom's shoe rack is a good place to hide from the scary vacuum cleaner, until he roars into the closet. Mom says she has to keep bringing out the monster vac so it can pick up all the fluff-bunnies we leave laying around on the floor. We know who leaves all that white floof behind... right Casper?

(By the way, Mom, some of these shoes are ready to be put out to pasture. You've done all you can for them and it's time to let them go. It would be the shoe-mane thing to do.)

I tried staring the monster vac down; one of my most intimidating moves. But, he did not blink! I've never seen anything like it.

 

 I even executed my best wrestling move, the Flying Angel. I pounced right toward him. Nothing!! What kind of creature is this?!

My very best moves seemed ineffective. Only one thing left to do... take evasive action!

 ...and do the 'nana nana boo boo' chant. Finally! It was all too much for him, and he retreated to his closet. Hah! I don't think he'll be bothering us again.

The new Mary Kay car?

Happiness Inside

The rewards certificate from DSW Shoes comes in an envelope marked "Happiness Inside". I like getting my $10 off coupon--especially when the other envelopes contain bills--but the statement makes me stop and think about happiness and appreciate the coupon a bit more. I guess it doesn't take much to make me feel happy.

Catio! Catio! We Want a Catio!

Our pal Max at Psycho Kitty clued us into a wonderful innovation. Click on Catios to see the slide show.
Come on Mom, we want a catio! We'll start scooping our own litter box if you'll give us one--well, maybe we'll keep more of the litter from going out of the box...

Look out, Outside World, here we come.
Purrs from ~~Casper and Angel~~

Weekend Walking Trail Review: Creek Turnpike Trail

Today I went back to Hunter Park for my walking trail review. If you remember from a previous post, I really like this park. At 8:30 this morning the park was already alive with activity. I'm sure, like me, some of them were trying to beat the heat; even at that time it was already 83 degrees F.

 This time I started further up the trail in order to get a look at a portion of the trail I didn't make it to the last time. The trail at Hunter Park is connected with the Creek Turnpike Trail and it was becoming a nice challenge for me, with some pretty good inclines.

 

 A few weeks ago I'm not sure I would have been able to make this walk. Ah, Progress--gotta' love it!

Out with the Old, In with the New

   

The Hotel Phillips in Bartlesville, OK has closed its doors after almost six decades. It was the required hotel for visiting out-of-town employees of the oil company where I work (at the moment). But now there's a new, bigger, better hotel located next door to our office complex. The Hilton Garden Inn is the new required hotel for our company.

From comments by some of those fellow employees and some of the reviews I've seen, it may have been time for her to take a break; she was getting worn out and run down. The good news for the Hotel Phillips? There are plans for the 144 hotel rooms to be converted to 80 to 90 apartments for renters over 55-years of age, with 20 percent of the units available to "lower income seniors." That sounds like a nice and fitting way for the old hotel to go into semi-retirement; an encore career of sorts for her.

Everything changes. The best we can hope is that most of the changes are positive. That's my hope for this historic building.
Hmm, I wonder what in my life needs to be retired, or even better, re-purposed.

Whiskers Wednesday: Cats Love Salmon, Too!

Last night our mom cooked salmon. Now she knows we love salmon, and just in case she forgot, we made sure to remind her. We meowed loudly, we licked our chops, and we followed her every move while she prepared it. Even with all these efforts, she still did not share!!

Please understand, we didn't want to get tough with her, but it was obvious that we had to shun her.

It only lasted a few minutes though; surely she had learned her lesson, plus we didn't want to miss out on any head-scratching time.

Next time, Mom, please avoid putting us through this stress by just remembering, WE LOVE SALMON, TOO!
~~Purrs and hugs from Casper and Angel~~

What's not to like?

"Beware of people who dislike cats." - Irish proverb

Just Doing It

Walking my way into Week # 7

Sunday is for Serenity

Weekend Walking Trail Review

This morning I tried out the walking path at River Parks between 41st and 51st Streets. If you wonder why I keep taking you to River Parks, it's because the entire trail covers more than 25 miles, so I'm taking it a stretch at a time. This portion was NICE.

For most of it, the biking path was separated from the walking/jogging side.

The river was flowing, the sky was a bit cloudy,

the trees were green,

 and at the 41st end there was a kiddy park where little toddlers were having a big time playing.

Tulsa streets may be crumbing under our tires, but we can be proud of our well maintained park trails. Hmmm, where to go next?