mr. clean

Dennis has been driving me bonkers playing with our broom, 'helping' me clean the floors, and so I got out one of his Christmas presents early, a tiny broom and dustpan set of his very own, red and black with Dirt Devil printed on it (very manly). He could not have been more ecstatic about his new toy and immediately went to work sweeping every surface and toy in his room. They have a vacuum in that same line, but he's still a bit afraid of the vacuum. Or maybe he's just smart enough to pretend that he's afraid of the vacuum. So now I'm thinking maybe I'm a little afraid of the vacuum...

I do admit to being a bit terrified by the antics of our Mafia Cat. She's taken out a number of chipmunks lately, leaving their carcasses strewn about the front walk. Yesterday I told her she was doing a good job, but it would be so great if she'd take the body elsewhere, since this particular one was right on the middle of the front step, just outside the door. The next time I went outside, it was gone, but this morning when I went out, she'd left a severed chipmunk head, a tail, and some random organ in a little pile on the front step. Creepy. Very creepy. It feels like we're living in some cat version of The Godfather. I feed her regularly and she gets attention. This could be retaliation for me not letting her move into the house (as she's clearly let me know she is ready to do), but I don't have any desire to fool with a litter box. I take care of Dennis' 'litter' so to speak, and I don't need another provider of such inside the house. But the cat doesn't understand all that, she just looks in through the window and sees the dog reclining on one of her dog beds (or the couch--she knows she's not supposed to be up there but I find hair on it that gives away her dirty little secret). I know the cat would like that kind of life as well. Honey has a hard job. She has to put up with Dennis climbing all over her and petting her very exuberantly, exclaiming "DOG!" while he pets (smacks) her head and grabs her ears. Somehow I don't think Marzipan would be quite as patient. She's nice to Dennis when he's outside, and she cries outside his window whenever he's crying, but I don't know that she'd take too well to tail-grabbing toddler antics. Dennis looks just fine without cat scratches on him.