15 Week Countdown - Week 4: Hello Ellie!

Welcome to Week 4 of our 15 week countdown to retirement! (Just click over to HERE if you missed the big announcement.)

We thought it would be super fun to relive the arrival of sweet Ellie. She joined our family in September of 2020 and life has never been the same here in the mountain house. She's still a petite little girl, but oh my...these kitten photos of her are SOOO cute. We can't believe she was ever that small. We hope you enjoy her adoption story and all of her kitteny-cuteness!

Hello ELLIE!

WAFFLES:  Wait a minute...who are YOU???

ELLIE:  I think my name is Ellie. What's your name?

WAFFLES:  I'm confused. Ellie???

ELLIE:  Hi confused. It's nice to meet you! 

WAFFLES:  I mean, I'm, I'm Waffles. 

ELLIE:  You mean like pancakes? You don't smell like pancakes.

WAFFLES:  You really don't smell like pancakes.

Surprise!
Last week we promised you a surprise, and boy do we have a BIG one! ...well, actually she's only three pounds. We're so very happy to introduce you to Ellie, the newest member of our family and our blog. We brought Ellie home on Saturday, September 12. Just like our beloved Katie, Miss Ellie is an anniversary kitty. Glogirly and Gloman celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary and decided it was time. Time to bring a new life into our home, time to share our love, and time to turn Waffles' world upside down!

Ellie has only been with us for 8 days now, and it's safe to say we are ALL in love. Ellie was born on a farm in rural Colorado. A very nice lady who lives on the farm, and who adores cats, knew that she wasn't equipped to care for this tiny kitten and her still-a-kitten mother. She contacted a small, local non-profit organization called The Feline Fix in Commerce City, CO. 

For more than two decades, The Feline Fix has championed the welfare of cats by providing a wellness clinic, spay/neuter services, a humane TNR program, and adopting & fostering. They are Colorado's leading spay/neuter source for free-roaming "community" cats and a significant provider of affordable spay/neuter services. They have spayed/neutered over 42,000 cats at their clinic, preventing the births of hundreds of thousands of unwanted cats in Denver and its surrounding areas. 

Ellie was living in a foster home when we found her online through Petfinder. (The same website we used to find Waffles almost 8 years ago!) Our adoption experience was a unique one given the precautions so many shelters and clinics have in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Glogirly filled out her adoption application online, and once it was approved, a Zoom meet-and-greet was set up for Ellie & her foster mom, Glogirly & Gloman, and Nicole, the adoption coordinator from The Feline Fix. 

Before the call, Glogirly was having a very hard time imagining adopting a cat without being able to be with them in person. To hold them, talk to them, and play. She had butterflies in her stomach when the Zoom call started. She and Gloman got to see Ellie interact with her foster mom and play with feathers and red dots. Waffles was sleeping on Gloman's lap during the whole call...it was a family affair! 

It took all of 15 seconds for Glogirly to fall in love and whisper to Gloman, "She's the one...we have to adopt her!" And the very next day, Glogirly and Gloman drove to The Feline Fix to pick up Ellie and bring her home, to her new forever home.

You're probably wondering where her name came from. Her foster name was Ella. Such a pretty name which totally suits her sweet and feminine face, with that beautiful eyeliner! She's SO tiny and cute that we decided to call her Ellie. Miss Ellie Belly. Gloman calls her his sweet little bean. ...like Jelly Bellys.  

One Week Later...
We had no idea how Waffles would take to a new kitten in the family. He has always had a very hard time with new animal smells. In fact, when Katie would go to the vet, Glogiry would have to separate them for a few days after they returned home. Waffles was so sensitive to the unfamiliar smells, it was as if he didn't even recognize Katie.

So we were ready and had our guest room set up for Ellie. Sure enough, there was a lot of hissing, growling, and moaning those first couple of days. Ellie's whole world had changed too. New people, a new environment, and a new cat. While in her foster home, she didn't have any contact with the resident cats in the home. She needed a little time to acclimate and feel safe. We supervised their contact and Glogirly slept in the guest room with Ellie. 

Then something amazing and wonderful and beautiful happened. 

As Waffles became more comfortable with this tiny new kitten, Ellie became more confident and began exploring the whole house. Pretty soon, when the feather toy came out, both Ellie and Waffles were playing. 

Next, they started chasing each other around the house, wrestling like a couple of kids. Waffles has been incredibly gentle with her. It's as if he's aware of his size and strength, and purposely shows Ellie a gentle touch. 

Ellie has discovered a new and SUPER fun toy. An orange striped TAIL!

Waffles' extra-long and wiggly tail is just too much of a temptation for her. But when she chases it, or even catches it, Waffles shows patience and compassion.

Soon, Waffles started sleeping in the guest room. In Ellie's Sleepypod. Usually, while she slept on top of the bed.

And then this happened.

Just eight short days, and they've become BFFs. 

Ellie has found her place in the world. She's such a happy kitten. A lover, a cuddler, and a gamer. She watches Waffles closely and is quick to copy. Once she saw Waffles sleeping on Gloman's lap, she did the same. Once she saw that Waffles sleeps every night in bed with Glogirly and Gloman, she was was right there, all night long.

And for Waffles, it's a whole new world too. Already he has a relationship with Ellie that he's never had with another animal. Katie was incredibly loving too, but she was much more independent and enjoyed Waffles from a distance. Now he has a chance to experience life up close and purrsonal with another kitty. 

Here we go!

We can't wait to share more of Ellie and Waffles' adventures with you!

You may have noticed a new header image on top of our blog page. Little Ellie is in the driver's seat of the Jeep, though she can barely see over the steering wheel!

Check out our new Meet Us page and our new About page for more!

15 Week Countdown - Week 3: We Wear Short Shorts

Welcome to Week 3 of our 15 week countdown to retirement! (Just click over to HERE if you missed the big announcement.) 

Today is a VERY special day at the mountain house. It's Gloman's BIRTHDAY! Each year here on our blog we've tried to do something fun for his big day and our absolute favorite was back in 2016. We were still living in our downtown Minneapolis townhouse. We hope you enjoy our birthday celebration for him. And we apologize for the ear worm you will likely be stuck with once you read it. 

A "We Wear Short Shorts" Birthday

WAFFLES:  Ok Boss, is this where the H goes?

KATIE:  Hurry it up, Waffles. Gloman's coming down the steps any minute. We've got work to do.

WAFFLES:  He's going to be SUPER surprised, isn't he! I bet he doesn't even know I can spell Happy Birthday. 

KATIE:  You can't, Waffles. The sign came already spelled.

WAFFLES:  So how many pairs of shorts did we get him for his birthday?

KATIE:  Enough that we're going to string them all up on this clothesline. Now where's the end?

WAFFLES:  I got it! I got it!

KATIE:  Waffles, it's not a toy. It's a clothesline. Now hand it over.

WAFFLES:  I got it! I got it!

KATIE:  Waffles?!

WAFFLES:  Uh, Boss? I thought you said it wasn't a toy.

WAFFLES:  Boss?

* 60 minutes and an untold number of shorts later*  ...can you find Waffles?

He Wears Short Shorts ♩♫

So you're probably wondering what's up with all these shorts and what looks like laundry day at the Townhouse, right? Well Gloman REALLY needed some new shorts. And you see, he has this thing about shopping. He hates it. So instead of bringing Gloman to the store, we brought the store to Gloman. 

Glogirly went a little crazy and bought a BUNCH of shorts for him to try on. Lots of styles, colors and sizes. This way he could try everything on in the comfort of home in front of the windows for the neighbors to see. Once he chooses his favorites, Glogirly will just return the rest. 

Though we're getting kind of used to having a 100 foot clothesline strung though the house.

We set all of this up early in the morning on his birthday, before he got out of bed. When he came downstairs from the bedroom... SURPRISE!  

So how many pairs of shorts do YOU think he had to try on? 

15 Week Countdown - Week Two: Snowmageddon

Welcome to Week 2 of our 15 week countdown to retirement! (Just click over to HERE if you missed the big announcement last week. 

You may have heard about the snowstorm in the Colorado mountains late last week. It was a BIG one! In fact, the most snow we've gotten in one storm since we moved here. And one of the biggest in decades for Colorado. Would you believe there was so much snow the ski resorts actually CLOSED?! It's been crazy town here, that's for sure.

At the mountain house we got over FOUR FEET.  

So it only made sense to choose one of our favorite snow conversations between Ellie and Waffles for today's post, "Snowmageddon." And because the snow is just so unbelievable, we're sharing a few new photos from the aftermath below.

Snowmageddon

ELLIE:  Mr. Waffles, should we go check out all that snow and stuff, don't cha think? Mr. Waffles??

ELLIE:  Mr. Waffles???

WAFFLES:  Sleeping, Ellie. Sleeping.

ELLIE:  You're sleeping? Are you sure?

WAFFLES:  Barely. 

ELLIE:  Barely sure or barely sleeping?

ELLIE:  The snow, Mr. Waffles. Shouldn't we–

WAFFLES:  Go back to sleep, Ellie. The snow will still be there when we wake up. 

ELLIE:  Promise? 

WAFFLES:  Zzzzzzz....

2024 Snowmageddon - The Aftermath

The infamous driveway! We had to bring in the professionals to help remove all the snow. There was nowhere to push the snow so we hired a very brave guy with a huge blower attachment to a skid steer. While he was working on the road, an avalanche was triggered just in front of our house. All is ok...but WOW!

No one is going to be walking up to our front door anytime soon!

The trees were gorgeous, though some were weighted down with over a foot of snow on the branches!

The view out towards our deck. 

The view FROM our deck. There's a railing in there somewhere! LOL!

This mound is about 7' high.

This is Long's Peak in the way distance. It's the tallest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park and currently covered in white. We can see it from our living room window.

The Internet Challenge

We have a Starlink Satellite on our roof for internet. It's really the only reliable high speed option for where we are located. It's made it trough countless storms and weather events. The dish is even heated so that snow will melt from it. But the 4-6 foot drifts on our roof was no match for it. 

Our neighbor Bob came over to assist while Gloman braved it on top of the roof, clearing a path to the dish and unearthing it so it could once again see the sky.

Glogirly hung out in the snow, helping to supervise the operation.

Here's a view from the roof with Bob and Glogirly watching from below and providing moral support.

SUCCESS! We have internet once again!

15 Years!

WAFFLES:  Did you know this is the FIFTEENTH year of our blog, Ellie?!

ELLIE:  I didn't even know you could count that high, Mr. Waffles. 

WAFFLES:  I'm not even 15 years old. 

ELLIE:  So that must mean our blog is REALLY old.

WAFFLES:  Glogirly said she wants to say something. Do you think I should let her? I mean she's not a cat. Doesn't have fur. No tail. 

ELLIE:  But she wears cat ears on her ski helmet. That should count, right? 

WAFFLES:  Well, ok then....

GLOGIRLY:  Hi friends, Glogirly here. 

As our blog enters its 15th year, we’ve decided it’s time to ease gently into retirement. Our blog and most importantly, all the friends and readers we’ve connected with over these years, has been one of the most important and rewarding parts of our lives. It’s hard to find the right words to express what your friendship has meant to us as you’ve welcomed us into your inboxes and your hearts. You've laughed and cried with us. You've always been right there rooting for us, sharing your love along the way.

For the next 15 weeks, we’ll be celebrating our blog’s history by posting our most favorite posts of all time. We hope you’ll come along for these trips down memory lane. Glogirly the blog isn’t going anywhere…just like our love for you, all of our posts will remain right here, forever.

So let's get this party started! And what a better way to kick things off than with one of our favorite daylight savings time conversations between our beloved Katie and the ever silly Waffles.

The Daylight Savings Bank 

KATIE:  Ok, Glogirly. It's time for breakfast already. 8AM and you're still in bed. Did you forget to turn your alarm clock forward last night? This Daylight Savings stuff is going to starve us to death.

WAFFLES:  Boss! We have a daylight savings account? Like at the bank? With an ATM card and everything? 

KATIE:   Waffles, there's no savings account, no ATM card. Daylight savings means we LOST an hour yesterday. 

WAFFLES:  Did we bounce a check? Is that why we lost an hour? Are we in trouble with the daylight savings bank?

KATIE:  Waffles, there is no bank. 

WAFFLES:  Oh my COD! Did someone rob it?  What about all our daylight savings? 

KATIE:  Waffles, now listen to me. Forget the banks. There's no such thing as a daylight savings bank–

WAFFLES:  But where does everybody keep all their daylight savings? What, are we supposed to keep it under our mattress???

KATIE:  Waffles, daylight savings is when we turn the clocks forward by one hour every spring. 

WAFFLES:  Boss, it's not spring. There's still snow and stuff. This sounds fishy.

KATIE:  Whatever. Every year on the second sunday in March we turn the clocks forward by one hour. That's what we did yesterday. 

WAFFLES:  But if we changed all the clocks, how will we know what time it is? How will we know when it's time for dinner???

KATIE:  Oh, we'll know.