AHHH...Life in the Country

Well, it's sorta the country. I mean, we have a septic tank. Does that qualify as "country living"? (Which I think needs emptying because it smells kind of funny around here. Though I suppose it could be because we are "upwind" of a horse farm. Randy says it's the neighbor's tank but I think that's just wishful thinking on his part. How is anyone supposed to know anyway? Do they have gages that let you know when they are full or does one just "wing it" and hope for the best? Oh well, as long as I'm not the one emptying it. Plus, I think I'll make sure I'm gone that day. You know, so I won't get in the way and all that.) Another reason that I think it qualifies as "country" here is because there are no streetlights anywhere. Nary a one. When it gets dark, it's black as pitch. If I go out in the evening and forget to turn on the porch light, I can forget about finding my way back home, too. After living in the city all my life I was clueless as to what true darkness is. Good for sleeping though...or it would be if that darn wolf would just shut up. Randy swears up and down that there are no wolves out here but Michaela and I remain unconvinced. After all, my nephew lives in the same town and there was a bear strolling through his yard a while back. We all know that where there are bears, there are wolves, right? Coyotes too.

The REAL reason I know it's the country is that there is no trash pickup. Yep, gotta pick up your own trash  and bring it to the dump. They call them "dump runs" and it's what we do for excitement around here. As in, "Hey guys, you wanna go on a dump run?" The dump is only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays so you have to time things just right. Like, you wouldn't want to change the kitty litter on a Sunday or anything like that.

Compost pile you say? What's that?

I DO have to change litter boxes now. Michaela got a kitten and mom got the litter box. "After all, Mom, I'm only eight you know. Do you know any 8-year-olds that change litter boxes?" I tried to think of a few but came up blank, so I gave in gracefully and only gagged about twenty times during the first cleaning. Not bad for a newbie.  (Kittens are FOUL little beasties, let me tell ya. They put puppies to shame...even puppies with Giardia.)

I wonder if puppies can be trained to use litter boxes too? Actually, I wonder if puppies can be trained at all at this point. My carpet wonders, too.

Speaking of carpets, I caught the puppy and the kitten working in tandem the other day unravelling the carpet on my stairway. I KNOW McKookenstein was the culprit who instigated the whole thing but Skittles happily joined in. There was no paw twisting involved. I caught them redhanded and they didn't even have the decency to look ashamed of themselves. They chewed up the corner of a new area rug too... before the price tag was even off of it.

I wonder if it's okay for a kitten to eat puppy food and a puppy to eat kitten food?