The Beatdown

A couple weeks ago, I bought HeroScape to play with Mason and Christopher. I set the board up on the table upstairs but didn't have time for a game. Having never played before, I didn't realize the there is a lengthy set up involved and also a choice of several different senarios



Day after day Mason would ask, "can we play the game today, Dad?" Day after day I would respond in the negative. Finally, I had time to play the other night...

I had set up the board in a 2-versus-1 game that was recommended in the instructions. The object was for the 2 players to achieve a certain goal in 8 turns or less or else the opposing player wins.

With my adult brain and superior strategic skills I decided to take on both of the boys in this scenario. Should be a piece of cake right? "Maybe I'll let them win", I thought.

No need for that.

On the fourth turn it became apparent to my strategically superior adult mind that I was going to lose. Fast. On the next turn perhaps.

Definitely on the next turn.

Maybe I had better stick to Pokemon.

Somethin' Stinks!

No, it's not the litterbox.

Not me, I showered (sometime this week, I'm sure).

This is actually another feline inspired story so please bear with me.

We have a large feeding-trough-inspired cat dish because we have four cats and we'd have to be feeding them constantly if we didn't. We used to keep it in the garage and leave the door cracked open for the cats to get in and out but it started to grow exceedingly furry out there so we moved the cat trough out to the back porch. This seemed like an equitable solution at the time and at first it was working marvelously.

Then the trough in question started turning up halfway across the yard, knocked over, emptied. We thought maybe it was a fluke but then it started happening every. single. night.

So, we moved the kittenchowtroughthingy back into the garage and that worked out for a couple nights. But last weekend, while Meri and the kids were gone to Grouse Creek (and I was left at home alone to work) the cat trough turned up knocked over and empty again. To top it off there were multiple muddy tracks in the garage that looked like they belonged to raccoons. At least that is the conclusion I arrived at because I have actually SEEN raccoons in our garage on several occasions when going out to check on a noise at night. As further evidence the cats also peed themselves all over the garage which, if you know cats and raccoons, is how cats react when a raccoon invades their territory.

Simple solution: put the cat food in the house at night. Raccoons are nocturnal right? So, I dutifully filled said feeding trough so the kitties could eat for the day before I put their food away for the night.

11:59pm.

Bedtime.

Time to bring the catfood in.

Open the door to the garage.

Walk down the stairs.

Run RIGHT back up the stairs and SLAM the door because as my foot reached the second step a pointed black and white face peeks out right next to my foot and OH MY GOSH IT'S NOT A RACCOON IT'S A SKUNK!!!

I do not do not do not do not want to be sprayed. I carefully peek out the door. The skunk is high-tailing it for the garage door and Mr. O'Malley (our tabby) meows at me playfully from the top of our car. Good thinking, Mr. O. Close proximity to a skunk makes me want to climb on top of something as well.

Guess we'll be putting the cat food in a little earlier from now on...

Kassie Is A Kitty

Kassie is a kitty.

Just ask her. Go on... I'll wait.

Over the last year or so our daughter has been gradually been transforming into a feline entity of cute and cuddly proportions. Until now.

We have had various stages of cats/kittens for the last year or so. When we moved to Saratoga Springs last August we were very thankful for them because there is a huge vole problem out here. Voles are nasty little burrowing mice that mess up the lawn and whatnot. Having cats turned out to be a real boon because we hardly have any voles digging up our lawn thanks to our furry friends.

Anyway, Kas has always loved our kitties and she is generally responsible for various functions important to any kitten: naming, cuddling, snuggling, wrestling, strangling, mauling, etc. She goes around the house on all fours as often as not and if you ask her a question you are likely to get a meow and nod or shake of the head instead of actual words.

Now, time for cat geneology. We originally picked up two free farm kittens a couple years ago. One disappeared when we were gone for an extended weekend and the other (dubbed Splotch for her pretty black fur with orange and white splotches) became the mother and later grandmother of all future generations of Munn cats.

When we moved to Saratoga Springs from Lehi, Splotch decided to go a little wild and left her kittens with us while she roamed the neighborhood hunting and killing. Soon, after her kitten Kiki had kittens of her own, Grandma Splotch showed up to teach her poor neglected grand-kitties to hunt. She had a surprise as well a couple weeks later: a batch of half-feral kittens of her own. Most of them were very shy and would run away as the first sign of a human. But, not all of them.

One of Splotch's new kittens was quite vile. This kitten, we'll call him Heeeeee, did not run from humans. Christoper and Kassie were trying to catch it in the garage and I decided to give them a hand. The kids cornered it and I made the grab much to Heeeee's (and soon my) dismay. Heeeee lived up to his namesake and hissed mightily while turning into a veritable tornado of fur, claws, and teeth. I was the proud recipient of no less than three kitten bites and numerous scratches. We had a cat carrier nearby and I decided that would probably be a good temporary home for Heeeee until the children were out of sight and I could deal with him "properly". I went in the house to tell Meri about the goings on and when I returned to the garage I was in for a surprise.

Kassie was standing in front of Heeee's cage and they were having a competition to see who could hiss the loudest at each other! "He heeeeed me dad! He heeeeed me!" We laughed about that for a long time.

Heeeee went off to animal control to be tested to see if he was rabid (or rabbit as Mason says) and Kassie has added a new kitty behavior to her repertoire. She now does scary kitty impressions for all and sundry so BEWARE.

P.S. Luckily no one is rabbit.

Purpose

Ready.
Set.
Go.

Going to try to use this site basically as a family journal. I'll be keeping it for my own purposes but welcome friends and family to view anytime to keep up to date with our happenings.

Believe me, I know what you're thinking: booooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg...

I'll try to throw in a little humor to keep things interesting. For example, I'll tell of my experience with a skunk last night and give the details of Kassie's infatuation with "heeee-ing" cats and kittens.

Pictures will be included more often than not and hopefully that will be entertaining to anyone who dislikes reading. You know who you are.

Signed (once and only once),

-William Loren Munn