rain

Got up at 6 to clear the gutter/downspout next to my bedroom window (which means going upstairs onto the back deck with a step stool and clearing the leaves and twigs out of the drain-usually done naked since, well, we back up on the woods, and it's the middle of the night, and who wants wet clothes to deal with). Nicholas took advantage of my sleepy state to dash out and up the stairs; he was so flummoxed at this freedom to indulge in terrorism, though, that I managed to chase him back downstairs, punish him, and stow him safely before the upstairs cats had time to have hysterics. Cleared the drain, towelled off.

Came back down and fed the cats, read LJ for half an hour, and was going back to bed (still sleepy! :-) when I heard the splashing that meant that the downspout was clogged *again*. So, back upstairs (no Nick) and got soggy again. Besides it being nicer to listen to the rain without the splashing, backup at the downspout means the water overflows by the door to the porch, which has gradually (over all the times no one cleared the gutters) rotted out part of the door frame and caused a leak. And the tiles in my ceiling by that and under the other leak (an unsecured bit of flashing around an exhaust pipe) are both damp and brown :-(

For all that, I'm glad of this soaking rain. The plants need it, and I love listening to it. :-)

(no subject)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4320586.stm

Bush God comments 'not literal'

A Palestinian official who said the US president had claimed God told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan says he did not take George Bush's words literally.

Why not? The rest of us did...

sleepy day

I do mean to vacuum my apartment, maybe do some other cleaning, get a few groceries so there will be something in the house for the grrls when they get back tonight. But the weather is so soporific. I'm sleeepppy...

Haven't decided whether to go to the match tonight or meet C& M at the airport. It's a big game, and against our archrivals, but I really can't wait to see them and hear all about their trip! And while they totally told me to go to the match, it seems like it would be much nicer to have a friend there to help carry the bags, drive you home, etc. instead of having to take cabs and things.

Their kitties are going to be SO excited to have them back! :-)

good and bad

Good: Entire apartment vacuumed. Several rooms still need a good going over with a mop and sponge (kitchen and bathroom, principaly), and I should probably do a bit of dusting at some point, but the largest cleaning chore is taken care of. And I moved Rupert downstairs (I left him in the mudroom upstairs, and getting suitcase through there is enough of a chore without him in the way...)

Bad: Found one or two cat stains cleverly hidden behind furniture that are going to need cleaning. And discovered that a good portion of the carpeting in front of the living room windowsis soaking wet. At first I thought it was just splash from the windows (floor level) that I should have closed when the rain was heaviest, but then I noticed the top of the cat tower (knee height was also damp. Whihc means that the leak by the porch door was so bad that water wasn't just dripping onto and staining my ceiling tile, it was dripping *through* it. We really need to get these leaks fixed. At this rate we will probably have to replace most of the doorframe. :-(

Time for lunch (tea?) and a shower, I think, then groceries.

oh, yikes!

Poor kids. I just got a call from Chris and one of their flights was late, so they missed their connection and aren't getting in until three hours later, nearly midnight. :-( I shall certainly be picking them up now!