Hijacking the blog

By The Investor
Morning Scratch human

Kat 3 preparing a few weeks ago for the Cats of the Household Monopoly Championships, which has yet to be scheduled. Here, she is making sure the hotels are not rigged. 'I don't want a repeat of the problems at the Scrabble Championships!' Kat 3 said.

Cat House Hotel vacation update: Because of the work to our home, Bogdan, Sara and Kat 3 may be at the hotel for as long as another two weeks. Bogdan and Kat 3 are fine and enjoying themselves. I'm worried about Sara, because she hardly ever leaves her safety spot under the blanket in the basket. I hope to visit them soon, but I'm not sure that will be doable until next week. I miss them a lot.

While they are there, however, they will get some special spa treatments, including a nail clipping! I'm excited about not having to enlist the man for help in that task anytime soon.

Here's some photos of the house/Morning Scratch facility. We aren't allowed to enter the living/kitchen areas because it is cordoned off with plastic (hence the poor-quality photos taken through windows). The plastic kept the bad mold spores in the immediate area when cleanup was taking place. They also cleaned the air in the house with a HEPA filter.

Floors are up in the kitchen (apparently the mold beneath the floor was disgusting), and portions of drywall were removed to see if mold grew there, as well. You can't see it here, but parts of the cabinets were removed, too. We got mold test results today, and apparently the remediation removed the mold! Next up: Putting everything back to new.

Here's the dining/living area. Our new bamboo floors will hopefully go in May 7. Before that can be done, all the work in the kitchen on drywall, cabinets and plumbing needs to be completed.

The insurance company is taking care of all of this and we are being told that when work is complete, insurance representatives will contact us about subrogation, so the builder will have to pay (as it should be). Other problems the builder has not fixed we are going to fix so that we can FINALLY just live in the house. We'll then take him to small-claims court. We found out today he is building more houses. I really don't want to say his name here, but if you are buying a new house on the Central Coast, beware!!

Thanks for reading. The fun will return soon!!

Still on vacation ...

Sara, Bogdan and Kat 3: Examples of the Golden Spiral? Hm. Not really. (Photo taken two weeks ago, when they were blissfully unaware they would soon be without their beloved sliding glass door window.)

By The Investor
The Morning Scratch human

I did not drive to Santa Barbara yesterday because of the rain. Honestly, I'm a scaredy-cat and didn't want to drive two hours there and back while it was raining.
I called them though, and Bogdan and Kat 3 are doing great! Bogdan is enjoying sitting in high places and looking down on everyone, while Kat 3 loves taking in the sights out of the business' front window from the comfort of one of several cat trees.
Sara is still quite scared, but if one of the nice girls carries her out of the cage, she will walk around a small area near the safety of her basket (just in case someone drops something or hisses and she needs to quickly return to under the blanket).
They all say hello. They also hope Lilly Lu feels better soon! They are purring for her. Sophia is holding an auction for Snuggles to help Lilly Lu pay her doctor bills. Check it out.
I hope to make it down to Santa Barbara soon so I can pick up Bogdan's report for you all, but we'll have to see how things go because I work today though Wednesday.

This photo was taken Monday before I left. It's the only one I haven't shared yet. Kat 3 sure felt comfy there right away!

Vacationing at the Cat House Hotel

By The Investor
Morning Scratch human

Since Monday, Bogdan, Sara and Kat 3 have been at the Cat House Hotel in Santa Barbara. Here are photos I took as I was leaving on Monday. I am off work tomorrow, so I hope to visit them and take photos. I also have a report to pick up from Bogdan that he would like me to share with you.

Bogdan: 'OK. Let me get this straight. It's my birthday. You put me in Sara's carrier with the PINK blanket when I like BLUE. AND you're leaving me here? I'm NOT cooperating and leaving my carrier. Put me back in the car and take me home!'

Sara: 'Mom, don't leave! I'm scared. Under the blanket and in the basket is the safest place, right?'

Kat 3: 'Mom, turn on the flash!' (Can you see I had to yell that?)

Kat 3: 'I love the Kat House Hotel! The nice girls here fill my food bowl more often than it is filled at home!! Yippee! Silly Sara and moody Bogdan don't know all the fun they are missing when they are hiding. I can't wait to meet new friends during free play. Teehee!'

Bogdan's the birthday boy!

Here he is: Mr. Bogdan, also affectionately known as Boo Monster, Buddha and Bogdanasaurus.

It's the investor writing...

Tomorrow, April 16, is Bogdan's 6th birthday. He's been with me since he was about 7 months old. He is a smarty pants and a troublemaker, and I'm so lucky he is part of my life. Every chance he gets he reminds me he's the one in charge, but he also makes sure I always know he does, in fact, appreciate me. What a guy!

Unfortunately, there will be no big party. Tomorrow, Monday, we'll be driving to Santa Barbara. Work on our house starts Monday, and the cats will be at The Cat House Hotel for at least two weeks. I will visit them on my days off and hope to post photos here. (I take them so far from home - it takes about two hours to get there - because they get pampered at the Cat House... much better than being in a small cage at the vet's office!! My kitties deserve only the best!)

When they return, the girls (Sara and Katrina) and I will throw a party, with plenty of wheat gluten-free stinky goodness. He'll also get his new cat tree he so very much deserves! (Shhh. It's a surprise!!)

And now for some photos ...

We wanted to save this for a Frootbat Friday, but it's important we post a young Bogdan photo. Here he is at about 7 months. Look at those ears!!

Here's a profile shot taken a few weeks ago. He looks oh-so distinguished.

And he won't be happy about me sharing this, but here he is snuggling with me. I think at these moments he actually considers calling me 'Mom.'

Just wanted to share ...

We really liked this video.

— Morning Scratch staff

A word to our readers, from the editor, Bogdan, and the investor, human

Sara: 'Yawn. I'm tired of being woken up.'
Bogdan: 'Tell me about it.'

Bogdan: I apologize that your daily Morning Scratch has not shown up promptly on your computer screen. It has nothing to do with me.

Investor: Yes, that's right. Bogdan has finished, what?, at least a billion stories for you, but I've been unable to type them recently.

Bogdan: Even worse, I've spent hours locked in the garage or a room because of strange humans coming into my house, without my approval!

Investor: I don't want to be a downer, but here is the story. We may be away every once in a while and unable to post because of problems we are having with the new Morning Scratch facility. We bought this brand-new house and moved in mid-January. Within two weeks, there were problems, particularly with plumbing and leaks.

Bogdan: It's not a house. It's the Morning Scratch offices.

Investor: Right. So, unfortunately our builder doesn't understand that even though the house has been sold, problems caused by his subcontractors' sloppiness are his responsibility. Long story short: Our hardwood floors downstairs and our lower kitchen cabinets and countertops need to be replaced because of water damage. Other problems exist, but we won't get into them here. The builder isn't fixing these problems, and so lawyers and insurance companies are involved. Finally, in the last week or so, insurance company people and remediation people (there's mold) and cabinet people and flooring people, etc., have been coming in and measuring and talking and deciding ...

Bogdan: And?

Investor: With all of that going on, I've been unable to do my part for The Morning Scratch. We will deliver the paper as often as possible; however, the following weeks/months may be hectic. During reconstruction of our downstairs (and I don't know exactly when that will start), the house - uhm, facility - will be uninhabitable. That means, the cats will be off to The Cat House Hotel to live in up in Santa Barbara ...

Kat 3: Woohoo! I'll get to play games with kittens!

Kat 3: 'Kittens at The Cat House Hotel are a lot more fun than my brother and sister.'

Investor: ... And the man and I will be living in a hotel while work goes on.

Bogdan: Yes, I guess that's a sufficient excuse, typist, for not always showing up for work.

Investor: New articles may not show up every day ... but don't forget about us! We won't be gone for long.

Sara: And we want to thank all of you for checking out our bloggy. We love your blogs, and you've all been so welcoming and pretty!

Investor: I just wanted to share what's going on and why we may disappear here and there for a few days ...

Bogdan: It's because we're all hiding from the fixer men. Well, not ME. But the girls are, of course ...

Bogdan, Morning Scratch editor, helps to pick out new hardwood floors.

Happy Easter

Looky, my Peep is a beach babe.

Hissy fit costs Kat 3 Scrabble champ title

Younger sister's behavior overshadows Sara's tourney win

By Bogdan
Morning Scratch editor

Kat 3 was kicked out of the first-ever Cats of the Household Scrabble Championships after throwing a hissy fit and claiming the letter bag was rigged.
Referee Mom disqualified Kat 3 for unsportsmanlike behavior.
It all started when Kat 3 forfeited a turn last night. She says she "couldn't spell a descent word with those letters if her life depended on it."
She then verbally attacked the referee and claimed "the letter bag is full of U's, I's and V's."
"It was my first turn, and look at those letters!" Kat 3 squealed.

"What could I spell with these letters? Nothing worth any points!" Kat 3 said at the championships last night. "Who put all these U's and I's in there??"

Her competitor, Sara, won the game by default and took the tournament title.
"Kat 3 is just spoiled, that's all," Sara said. "She's used to Mom letting her win and giving her what she wants. But this was the championships!"
Later, Kat 3 apologized for her behavior. "It was uncalled for. I guess it would have been boring without all those U's," Kat 3 said, pouting.
"But it's OK about the Scrabble championships," she continued. "I'm now going to focus on game training for the Cats of the Household Monopoly Tournament."

Sara comforts Kat 3 the morning after Kat 3's loss in the Scrabble Championships.