Welcome Home

Sir Wile E. Trixenhopper has officially taken up residence at the House of 9 Lives. She has been trying diligently to get some good photographs of Trixter, but he is a nervous little guy, full of energy and always on the move. Because he doesn’t like the flash on the camera, She hasn’t been able to get any good photos inside, and the opportunity hasn’t presented itself for a nice outdoor photo shoot.

We do have this picture. She was goofing around with photo editing and this was the best She could come up with. (Hint: We don’t have any pretty, green grass like that).

Trix has turned out to be a very sweet boy. He is getting along perfectly with Gily, and we have all accepted him into the household without a hiccup, so far! The transition has been so easy, even He and She are amazed. They’ve started referring to each other as Dr. and Mrs. Doolittle!

Trix has been at home with us for one week now. He completed his heartworm treatment on June 29th and was discharged on July 1st. We were all a little disappointed to find that he needed a little bit of training as far as housebreaking was concerned, but we think he completely has the idea now. Though, He and She do keep a close eye on him and he isn’t allowed to run around inside unsupervised very much. He is doing very well outside with a big yard to exercise in. They have opted (against all recommendations otherwise) not to put him in the invisible fence collar. They have found that with Gily as a companion, he hasn’t shown any desire to dig out. Plus, with his compromised leg, digging might not be too easy for him. However, he can run like a rabbit! He is still in recovery, so they haven’t encouraged any strenuous exercise, but he has shown he has the capability.

Through all of this, Gily has become a champ. He has taken to the role of big brother quite naturally. He even “herds” Trix away from the car when they are pulling up into the carport.

Bringing another dog into the fold was something they were very hesitant about, but Trixter has proven to be yet one more blessing! Thank you all so much for your past and continued good wishes for this little guy who only needed someone to love Y

Alley

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Merry Christmas!

Okay, She is really getting blasé about taking photos for the blog. Why, she didn’t even take any photos during our big Christmas Party weekend. But, we do want to report that every thing went very well for both the parties. We were all very happy when everything was done and returned to normal, but He and She had a great time. Oh, and Gily had a wonderful time!

They had been a little concerned that he might not do well with a lot of people here, or with small children, but he turned out to be the champ we all thought him to be. He charmed all the guests from the oldest to the youngest. And, he demonstrated his love for riding on the four-wheeler, too!

For a few days after all the running and playing Gily did while all the kids were here, he slept really well. It was kind of hard to distinguish him from the rest of us cats!

Thanks for checking in on us, and from all of us here at The House of 9 Lives, Merry Christmas!!

Customize your own free greeting

Alley
*****

Picture That!

She hasn’t been taking very many photographs around here lately. The lighting is just terrible since they are gone during all the peak daylight hours and the weekends have been mostly dark and cloudy. So, you’ll have to forgive us for not posting any recent, adorable, feline photos.

We do have some pictures that we think you might find interesting though. Somehow, through the years, these almost one-hundred-six-year-old photographs fell into their hands. (If you click the photos and go to Flickr, you can view a larger version of each one, by choosing the “all sizes” option.)

These are photos of Roswell, New Mexico, during the Pecos Flood of 1904. The condition of the photos isn’t pristine, clearly. Still, it is amazing how much detail can be seen, considering the technology used and the age of the pictures. In the last photo in the lower right hand corner, you can see the photographer’s studio, Walton’s Views.

While He and She don’t know much about how they came to have these photos, and there are few references to the flood and the photographer on the internet, she did find the following.

It is said that the remains of Billy the Kid (William H. Bonney) and the wooden marker from his grave were washed away by this flood as it overtook the Fort Sumner Cemetary where he was buried. The current marker for his grave is only an estimate of where the remains actually lie.

Another reference to the flood from an article at the time stated that compared to all the devastation to the land, the loss of property was small, and there were no reported fatalities.

There was very little information on the photographer on-line. She could only find this reference to “New Mexico Photographer William R. Walton” in this auction for two photos from the same event. We suppose Mr. Walton did not have a website for his studio.

Even though She was able to find few references and supporting documentation, it was still exciting to know they had possession of these articles from a significant historical event.

In trying to decide exactly what to do with the photos that would honor them in the way they should be, she decided to contact the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives to see if they would be interested in having the photographs to assure their preservation. The response she received is positve. Now, she just has to contact them by phone to arrange how to get them there.

Just think, this humble little household in Central Alabama may be crucial in restoring these interesting bits of history to their rightful place.They regret they haven’t been taken better care of through the years, but are hopeful someone will find them as fascinating as they do.

Alley

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Landscapes

He and She had not been able to ride the bike for the previous two weekends, but on Saturday, the weather was just right, so they hit the open road.

It was a pretty uneventful ride that took them through the Talladega National Forest. Here are some pictures from the day.

To some people, these pictures may look just like many of the others we have shared before. However, each trip is different, and though the landscape is similar, it is all very unique. We are fortunate here in Alabama to have several types of landscapes, from the mountainous areas in North Alabama to the plains in the east, and the most beautiful white, sandy beaches on the coast. She is hoping to eventually ride from one end of the state to the other to capture digitally all the beauty that Alabama has to offer!

Alley

Curves Ahead

We finally enjoyed beautiful weather on a day that He and She didn’t have to go in to work. Of course, that meant the Harley was taken out for a little exercise. They met up with Bamajama and rode out Highway 63, across beautiful Lake Martin and into Alexander City. They stopped for lunch at Ruby Tuesday, then dropped in at Carlisle Drugs for a tasty Malted Milkshake. After, that, it was on to the open road. They took Highway 280 to 231 North, and then turned off onto Alabama 25. It turns out that Alabama 25 is a beautiful road and quite popular with motorcyclists of all tastes. She attempted to take pictures of all the many twists and turns, just so you could see how the road winds and climbs through the beautiful scenery. Instead of posting all the pictures She took, I’m just going to share a few with you here. Clicking on any picture will take you to Flickr, where you can see more photos from this ride.

There were quite a few of these:

 

Several of these:

 

And, more than a few of these:

 

At the peak, they were treated to this view:

After descending through more twists and turns, they ended up in the town of Leeds, Alabama, just outside of Birmingham. She thought the downtown area was quaint and charming.

 

Located in Leeds, Alabama, happens to be Barber Motorsports Park. They hadn’t planned to visit, but they rode up to the building and in the parking lot, they got to see a lot of exotic cars, like Morgans, and Lotus (Loti?), and rare motorcycles like a ’57 Harley Panhead, a Kawaski Mach III – 5 cylinder, a Sommer, and an old Cushman scooter. I would love to share some pictures with you, but unfortunately, after she snapped the one below, the battery in the camera died.

 

They have decided they will definitely go back with a charged battery, and they will pay for admission and see all the wonderful collector’s items inside the museum!

Actually, the name of this post might be just a bit of a misnomer. Instead of “Curves Ahead”, it could actually be titled “Angles Ahead”!

Alley
*****

Bloom Where You are Planted

He and She were off work recently for an extended weekend during which they did a lot of motorcycle riding. The weather was really beautiful each day, and they were able to officially kick off the bike riding season in style.

On one of their day trips, they had dinner at a restaurant in Opelika. They’ve been wanting to try it for some time, so they stopped in at Cock of the Walk.

On the way into the restaurant, they encountered this proud fellow:

He was willing to pose, but he wouldn’t show off his beautiful plumage for the camera.

Cock of the Walk is a very unassuming place. You are fed from tin plates and tin cups as if you had just gathered around the campfire after a long day of riding the trail. (They had been riding the trail, so to speak, except their trusty steed has Harley Davidson written on the tank). Here are the grilled chicken fingers and white beans he orderd. That slice of onion you see is pickled. That was a neat departure.

The atmosphere is rustic, and the food plentiful. She was a little disappointed to find out it is basically a Catfish restaurant (she doesn’t eat fish – what’s up with that?), but ordered the Fried Chicken Fingers as an alternative. One of the sides they offered was cheese grits, so she couldn’t pass up that opportunity.

She really enjoyed those grits! And, they had cornbread, just like Mawmaw used to make!

Not pictured here was the wonderfully delish coleslaw. She is not usually a colelsaw fan, so it was a pleasant surprise for her.  All in all, the food was pretty good.

The view from their table looked like this:

The pond surrounds the dining area, and is inhabited by these:

Just outside their window in the pond, she saw this:

It made her think of the quote by Mary Engelbreit, “Bloom Where You Are Planted”. These old logs must have served for years as supports for a once sturdy pier. Over time, the pier deteriorated and disappeared, but the pilings still stand. Not only do they stand, they thrive. Somewhere in all of this, I’m sure there is a life lesson about finding contentment and adjusting to one’s circumstances.

I guess I can understand that. Just look at Alley. She has certainly found a way to be happy here at the House of 9 Lives, where she has been “planted”!

See how she blooms in the sunshine? 

Flirt

Alley’s Law

Many of you are probably familiar with “Newton’s 3rd Law”, which can be boiled down to the simple statement: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”.

Also, I’m sure everyone has first hand experience with “Murphy’s Law” (Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong). We know a lot about that one, here at the House of 9 Lives.

Today, however, I want to share with you my understanding of the universe, with “Alley’s Law”: Each and every basket of warm, clean laundry shall be kept, at a minimum, to the body temperature of a sleeping kitty, and must be shed upon as much as possible.

There. I think my work here is done.

Alley
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