My dad liked to wear sleeveless tee-shirts. I have heard this type of tee-shirt called a muscle shirt, but I can’t see that applying to my dad. He did not have big muscles in his upper arms. I didn’t care because he had enough muscles to pick me up, so I could snuggle with him at his shoulder. I liked that the tee-shirts were soft, and the knit made it easy to sink in my claws to hold me right where I wanted to be. Mom complained because sometimes I made small holes when I did that. Dad didn’t ever seem to complain about those small holes. Before we would go on a trip, Mom would check Dad’s tee-shirts for holes and spots. She said she wanted to only pack the ‘good’ ones. Most of Dad’s shirts had spots or those tiny holes. Mom would often take Dad shopping for new tees to have the ten she wanted to pack. She even had a special drawer for the ‘good’ ones. Like I said in my last post, Mom is weird.

Mom has given away, and packed up most of Dad’s things. She plans to have a sale when the weather get warm again. She doesn’t think there is much value in Dad’s old shirts. She told me that they made really nice rags, but she doesn’t need more rags. Then she got the idea to cut them into stripes, so they could be crocheted. We looked on the internet for instructions to make rag rugs. I thought that would be great, because I could sharpen my claws on the rug. She said she doesn’t need more rugs that would quickly smell like Missy, the dog. She found instructions for baskets. Instead of working on her latest quilt, she has switched to cutting and then crocheting Dad’s tee-shirts into what she calls baskets. These are colorful and almost remind me of Dad, but they aren’t as good for sharpening my claws as the other baskets she has around the house. I’ve reduced some of these to shreds, but that is another story. Here is the first two baskets Mom has made. The first one is big enough to hold her quilt project, but she says it is too big. This last one is much smaller. Miko says it is still a good size for her. I haven’t tried to fit. What do you think?

Over the weekend we had rain. I usually don’t mind a rainy day, because that usually means that Mom spends more time watching TV while she works on one of her quilts or currently the tee-shirt baskets. If she is sitting, I consider it my job to assist her. I like to sit on her lap while she works.

The rain has stopped and the sun has come out. Mom says that the forecast calls for a whole week of sunshine and 70s. I hope that means we will get to go out on our leads. I’m sure Mom will find some yard work to do while we explore. She has added a lead for Missy to allow her to be outside with us, but keep her from going across the street. Missy knows how dangerous it is to cross the road, but she still does it. I think she should just enjoy the warm weather and lay in the sun. It feels so good. I know that in a few months it will be too hot to enjoy being out for very long. I really wish the weather would just settle down to something nice. Mom says that since we live in Texas, that is never going to happen. Maybe I need to find a better word for weather. A nice name might mean that it could be nice. Let’s try Steady. Think it will work?

My Mom has been neglecting my blog. I think she needs better time management. I know she has something she calls allergies. She said that the ongoing wind has increased the dust and pollen in the air. It makes it more difficult for her to breathe which in then makes her tired. We have gone to bed before 8:30 every night this last week. She has also been working on lots of projects all at once. She has been doing what she says is spring cleaning. She has dusted the window shades, the book shelves and even dusted the dog fur from under the beds and other furniture. I think that stirs up as much dust as the wind does which adds to the allergies. I will admit the house does look better.

She has also repacked her suitcase collection bringing out short sleeved things and packing away wool sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. We did discuss the possibility that she has too many clothing items. We will see what she puts out for the estate sale she plans to have in July. I know she likes to have options. She did get a little short with Miko when the silly kitten thought the folded long-sleeved shirts were a great place to take a nap. Mom was muttering about packing cat fur.

Next on her list was the counter top in the van. She said that it hadn’t been scrubbed thoroughly in a long time. She wipes it down when we are traveling, but because she voted to have it oiled like the house countertops, it has dirt that gets stuck in the corners. Yesterday, she spent an hour scrubbing before she brought in the stove top to let it soak before she scrubbed it. Today she plans to reoil the counter top. I assume she will continue with the spring-cleaning in the van. I know she likes to show it off when people ask about it. She told one of her friends she would love to find a buyer while we are on our trip. She said they would have to come get it once we were home.

When she takes time to sit at her computer, she has been organizing pictures to make a slide show for the Celebration of Life party she is having for Dad the first weekend in April. It would have been his 83rd birthday. They had discussed what they each wanted rather than a traditional funeral. They both wanted to have a party for friends because family was too far away. She has her menu planned and has started to invite neighbors. I have a feeling that we will be put into the van so we don’t get scared and run outside. Personally, I like to greet her friends, but there may be too many of them all at once for Miko. We also know that Missy will just bark. The van may need to be defurred after the party if we are in there. All of this is why Mom needs better time management! She needs to make time to keep up my blog. I have people who depend on me.