Up the Cat Tree Super Highway

 

ELLIE:  Hey, Mister Waffles! I made it all the way up the cat tree!

WAFFLES:  ALL the way??? Barely. You're not even close to the top.

ELLIE:  Beep, beep! Coming through, Mister Waffles! 

WAFFLES:  Sheesh...never thought there'd be a traffic jam on my very own cat tree.

ELLIE:  Beep-beep, beep!

WAFFLES:  Clearly we're going to need some kind of EZ pass thing. Rush hour's going to be a nightmare. Just wait until there's SNOW. 

ELLIE:  Almost to the top...

ELLIE:  Ok on second thought, this is super high. Like really super CRAZY-high. 

ELLIE:  Look out, Mister Waffles! Coming down!

WAFFLES:  Kids.  

30 seconds later...

WAFFLES:  I'm still, and will forever be...

WAFFLES:  KING OF THE CAT TREE!

About Today's Photos

You might notice that Ellie is teeny tiny in today's photos. These are actually from a little over a year ago. Though she's still a VERY little girl! Even at about 1.5 years old, she's still way smaller than Waffles. 

But that doesn't stop her from overtaking Waffles on the cat tree even chance she gets! And now that she's a little more grown up, there's nothing high enough for her!

Snowcat Fun

ELLIE:  Mr, Waffles! The white stuff is almost as tall as ME!!!

WAFFLES:  You're pretty short, Ellie. I've seen bigger. This isn't even enough to get the man in brown shorts stuck in our driveway overnight. 

ELLIE:  There's a man in brown shorts??? Isn't he cold? 

WAFFLES:  This is Colorado, Ellie. The Rocky Mountains. The men in brown shorts don't let a few snowflakes cramp their style.

Snow Scenes

The snow has finally been falling here at the mountain house. Still no 2-3 footer, but a few inches here and there has definitely turned it into a winter wonderland.

When it snows, our furry neighbors come to visit. 

Looking for a tasty pine tree snack.

When it snows, the sunrises are spectacular.

When it snows, the snowplows opening up the road to the ski area are a welcome sight.

When it snows, you-know-who is you-know-where.

When it snows, these you-know-who's are doing you-know-what.

Five Years Ago Today We Became Mountain Cats

WAFFLES:  So Ellie, do you know what today is?

ELLIE:  I'm pretty sure it's about to be Monday, Mr. Waffles. 

WAFFLES:  But it's not just any old Monday, Ellie. It's a special Monday.

ELLIE:  You mean like there'll be cake Monday? Glogirly LOVES cake.

WAFFLES:  Five whole years ago today, me and Katie (she was our boss) and Glogirly left the city lights of Minneapolis and drove to the mountains. 

ELLIE:  You mean like in a car and stuff? 

WAFFLES:  Yes, in a car and stuff. 

ELLIE:  Isn't that a super long drive? What about your litter box? What did you do when you had to go?

WAFFLES:  Glogirly put our litter box in the car. But that's not the best part of the story.

ELLIE:  Using your litter box in the car on the fast road is a pretty good story I bet.

WAFFLES:  Ellie, it's five years ago today that me (and Katie too) became Mountain Cats! 

ELLIE:  But I was BORN a mountain cat, Mr. Waffles. 

WAFFLES:  Show-off.

About Today's Anniversary

Waffles is right! Five years ago today, Glogirly, Katie, and Waffles piled into the car and headed west to the Rocky Mountains. We had sold our Minneapolis townhome and would soon be calling Colorado home. At the time it was a big super-secret, but it didn't take long before we sprung the exciting news here on our blog. 

One of our favorite blog posts was a conversation between Katie and Waffles that took place shortly before our furniture and boxes arrived. We were all sharing a sleeping bag on the floor while Glogirly was looking for YouTube videos on how to build a fire because we ran out of fuel for our boiler. Oh...we could go on! It was the beginning of Glogirly's crash course in mountain living. LOL!

If you'd like to relive that funny post, just click on over HERE.

And did you hear??? It finally SNOWED!!!

Copy Paste

ELLIE:  ZZZzzz...

WAFFLES:  ZZZzzz...

ELLIE:  Copy paste??? Mr. Waffles, what does copy paste mean? Is like a copy cat? Or maybe like we're pasted together, like that white pasty stuff Glogirly used on colored construction paper when she was little. What do you think, Mr. Waffles? Mr. Waffles???

WAFFLES:  ZZZzzz...

ELLIE:  He's still thinking.  

Ellie and Waffles in Black and White

Gloman had his black and white monochrome camera out last weekend, so OF COURSE we had to share some of Ellie and Waffles. Little Ellie looks like a Hollywood glamour princess with her dark eyeliner and dramatic lighting. 

We got some much needed snow over the past week too. Glogirly has been skiing every chance she gets. Here are just a couple of beautiful winter wonderland scenes out our window.

Christmas, AGAIN?! Plus Prayers for our Boulder County Neighbors

ELLIE:  Mr. Waffles! It's like Christmas all over again!

WAFFLES:  That's because over Christmas we had a houseguest and you were too chicken to come out and open presents. Even though she was super nice and stuff. AND gave us presents!

ELLIE:  I'm not a CHICKEN, Mr. Waffles. I'm a CAT!

WAFFLES:  A chicken cat. 

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

WAFFLES:  Look out, Ellie! That toy's going to turn your nose BLUE!

ELLIE:  No way, Mr. Waffles. You're just saying that so YOU can play.

WAFFLES:  Well you are kind of hogging it. 

ELLIE:  Yeah, but it's got a rainbow feather!

WAFFLES:  You mean it had a rainbow feather.

ELLIE:  Wait, what??

WAFFLES:  You broke it already???

ELLIE:  Don't worry, Mr. Rainbow Feather. I'll save you!

DISCLAIMER:  No rainbow feathers were harmed in the making of this blog post. 

 

Prayers from the Rocky Mountains

Many of our friends and readers know that we live in the Colorado Rockies. Specifically in Boulder County. Last Thursday a devastating fire tore through the towns of Superior and Louisville, both in Boulder County and very close to our mountain community. We watched the enormous plumes of smoke and flames from our balcony. Hurricane-force winds in excess of 100 mph made it all but impossible for the brave firefighters to stop the raging fire from spreading and consuming hundreds of homes and businesses. We sat in horror watching the live news reporting and praying the wind would not change directions and threaten our canyon. It's heart wrenching to pray for your own home when so many others are losing theirs. 

The devastation is beyond comprehension. 

991 homes have been destroyed and 127 damaged in the Marshall Fire that tore through over 6,000 acres. It's the single most damaging fire in the history of Colorado. And only 17.5 miles as a crow flies from our home. 

Our hearts go out to the families who have lost so very much. Homes, businesses, pets...their pain is unimaginable. 

Please hold your loved ones close. Everything is ok until it isn't. Life can change in an instant.