Alex

So, I've had this post ready to go for a couple weeks now. For some reason I am having problems uploading pictures and definitely did not want to post this one without a picture of my bud Alex. But, every time I try to upload a picture I lose my Internet connection. No idea why....I so don't know about the technical computer stuff. I'm looking for a solution and when I find it I will definitely put up a picture of him.

We have a cat named Alex.

Alex came into our lives in the Fall of 1996. He is coming up on 13 years old and the fact that most people are surprised when they find out we have a cat has made me a tad bit remorseful lately. Sadly, he is the forgotten member of our family.

Alex is a stunningly beautiful cat. He has incredibly soft, long hair and the markings of a Siamese - dark tipped white hair with darker ears, dark tail, a dark patch on the back of his neck and the most gorgeous blue eyes ever. He is small, usually weighing in around 9 pounds. It's not uncommon for us to hear "She is a beautiful cat" from first time viewers.

And, no, the she above is not a typo - Alex is male, but his mannerisms and looks often confuse people into thinking that he is a she. His nicknames around the house are Lexi , Ally and Alice. Alex wouldn't hurt a fly....literally. He cannot catch a fly. He tries - he stalks them and jumps after them and bats them with his paw, but he is not a hunter. He has never caught a mouse, a bird, a snake, a lizard....he is not a hunter. Which, as I look back, has been a blessing. Growing up we always had cats that would proudly bring their kill back to the house and leave us the one or two pieces that they don't eat. So glad I don't have to deal with that, however, we do have a mole that lives in our flower beds that I would love to see gone!

As I was writing the above paragraph, I do recall a time when we lived in Bellingham that we caught Alex standing proudly over a dead mouse. I believe we took a picture because neither Josh nor I could believe that he actually caught it himself. We did have another cat at the time, as well as two dogs, so it is possible that they helped him out a little so kind of boost his manliness for a while. Didn't really help though, since he just sat and stared at the dead mouse at his feet for a while, not having a clue what to do with it.

So, why has Alex been the forgotten member of our family. Now, I believe he has always been overshadowed by either other animals or people. When we got him as a kitten, we had also just gotten our first Greyhound, Nick. Just a few months later we adopted our second Greyhound, Dixie. We had a cat named Cora when we got Alex, but sadly she disappeared. Later we adopted Levi from the Farmer's Market. He was another beautiful cat, but he was crazy! He was the neighborhood bully, so we were always having to take care of his issues. He also beat up on Alex a lot, so I'm sure that he was happy when Levi left. So, Alex has outlasted all of our animals. He's kind of like the unlikely winners on Survivor....sit back and do nothing until you get to the finals and then wow everyone with your personality...

And then, in 2003, Laine came along. Alex was okay with her until she started to move around. Neither Laine or JJ have ever done any of the horrible things that kids can do to cats - the tail pulling, patting, chasing...but he doesn't like to be bothered, so he made a home for himself under our bed. It was his routine for years to make his first appearance of the day when the kids were asleep. It was then that we often heard..."I didn't know you had a cat" as he sauntered out of the bedroom.

Alex still spends most of his days under our bed. He now likes to sleep with Laine, jumping up on her bed as soon as we sit down for story time. And, he even now will come up and cuddle with JJ and enjoys his attention for a limited time. He is an incredibly patient and sweet cat.

Fun Summer Plans

Okay, here it goes...my first blog post. I figure if I start with a list of fun things I want to do through the summer, it would be good to follow up with reports on those that I actually did. Kind of help me have a focus on what to write about. We'll see...

So, every year, or at least ever since the kids came along, I try to come up with fun things to do in the summer. I guess I always have in the back of my mind lots of things I want to do with them. Now it's even more important than ever since they are both getting to the age where they'll actually be creating memories of their childhood. Here's our list this year...some things are on the calendar already, some are just things we'll try to fit in when we have time.

• Long Beach vacation - Christian and Ramona's wedding in August - 5 nights in a beach house with 17 people - sounds crazy, but it will be tons of fun with all the cousins there!
• Whistler vacation - Our first time going to Whistler in the summer - 3 nights
• Camping at the Lynden KOA - never gone camping with the kids before...enough said
• The Fair - the kids ask about the fair all year long, and we'll be seeing Foreigner...
• Birch Bay Waterslides - we'll have to plan to go before August...hopefully Homestead can hold onto it until then
• Tennis Camp for both Laine and JJ - in Fairhaven, so I'll get to enjoy 2 hours browsing in one of my favorite areas
• Swim lessons for Laine, Soccer Camp for JJ
• Plover Ferry - the Ferry that goes from Blaine to Semihamoo - it's free and I have a great source that says it's the best thing ever!
• Free movies at Bellis Fair - I haven't looked into this yet, but in the past they've had some good movies - and who can pass up free? The kids love it since we rarely go to the movie theatre since it's so expensive and there's no guarantee that they will sit through the whole thing
• Kids Bowl Free at Mt Baker Lanes - there's bound to be a few rainy days this summer, right?
• Tending the garden - first year for the garden and hopefully the kids will enjoy the veggies
• JJ's Birthday - you have to have a party for a 4th of July baby!
• Stanley Park/Vancouver Aquarium - we haven't taken the kids there, but that is a place my parents took me when I was little, so it's kind of a nostalgic place for me...although, I'm sure it's changed a bit in the last 25 years!
• Vancouver Zoo - it's so close and when you buy the year pass from The Woodland Park Zoo you can't go wrong
• Mariner Game
• All the great parks in Whatcom County - Berthusen, Hovander, Lake Padden, Whatcom Falls, Big Rock Garden, Larrabee, Bloedel, Lynden City Park, Fairhaven Park, Semihamoo Spit....the list goes on and on - we are so lucky to have all these wonderful places!
• Make homemade ice cream - yummy!
• Hang out with friends and family - always a good time!
• Lynden Pioneer Museum - this was Laine's choice when I asked her what she wanted to do this summer - we've been there once about a year ago, and it is worth the visit - lots of old time stuff to browse through

As usual, it's quite a list and I have to make sure we do have some down time as well. We'll be busy, but I'd rather have it that way than doing nothing. Of course, we have to leave time to take care of our house and yard. I'm so looking forward to a wonderful summer! I think the recent beautiful weather we've had has helped with that - I just heard it's been 22 days with no rain here. If only it could stay like this for the next three months. Well, a little rain here and there is not a bad thing, just not the whole summer, please!