You did what? You invited guests to sleep in my bedroom? Without asking me? How crass! If they are sleeping in my bed and I am sleeping in your bed, where are you sleeping? Oh no! It’s too hot! Could you eat some tuna before you go to bed so you have some nice tuna breath? Do you think they will leave if I barf on the bed? Do I have to share my mousies?
By the end of next week, we will have houseguests. We have two different groups coming. First the beloved husband’s daughter and her husband are coming in from Denver and the day they leave, a college chum is coming for a couple of days.
It will be fun but houseguests always make me nuts. Maybe I should say they make the cats nuts but I think I make the cats nuts and the cats make me nuts. (Hope you followed that!) You see my cats are shy. At least two of them are or maybe one for sure. That means that they don’t eat, pee or anything else when there are people around — except for me of course. They have no problem doing all kinds of gross things when I am around!
To work around this, I get up before everyone to get the cats fed and in the evening, I plan their last meal when either everyone goes out or to bed (depending on the age of the guests!).
The guests also sleep in the cats’ bedroom. There are no guest bedrooms. We have four bedrooms – one for me and the beloved husband and three for the cats. They move around depending on their inclination. That means that I have to check under the beds before people go to sleep so no cat gets locked in for the night. Nothing bad would happen except that the cat would wake them up around 4 a.m. Or perhaps there would be a hairball gift in their luggage.
We are going all out. I bought a new sink drainboard — nothing but the best for our guests. There are tickets to our local baseball team and a trip to Grumpy’s, our local biker barbeque joint is planned.
The kids (they are in their forties!) always have a few things 
planned on their own to keep the trip interesting. We will probably talk into the night about almost anything. Since my step-daughter is bringing her husband, my head will spin and I will be exhausted. He is quick-witted and funny and sometimes hard to keep up with mentally. Those are the best times.
This will be the first time I am meeting the college chum. The down time is limited as there are two baseball games and some sightseeing planned. Before you know it, everyone will be gone!
Just to kick up the excitement, the first floor of the house is torn apart. Only three people can sit in the living room and there are drop cloths, tools and boxes of stuff all over. We are hoping that it will be finished by next week so we can put the furniture back. In any case, we have a wonderful screened-in porch and there will be drinks so all is cool.
Courtesy of Yuengling Brewery
Here is something to get into the summertime mood!
Photo credits: Iron Pigs logo courtesy of Iron Pigs Baseball Team, biker courtesy of Dream Weaver Photography via Flickr
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
Most of our friends and family live close enough that no one needs to sleep over. Years ago, my mother-in-law thought it would be fun to spend the night. During the night, our cat found her sleeping body and decided it was just another human to snuggle with. My mother-in-law woke up screaming when he started walking around on the bed looking for a comfy place to begin his nap. She hasn’t spent the night since then.
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You are lucky in many ways. Living close by means you get to see them more often too.
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Renovating and having guests? You are brave, woman.
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Brave? Dumb? Do they mean the same?
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It depends on whose thesaurus you use.
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Love the photo of sweet Jake! Slash wouldn’t like house guests either. I hope the cat gang gets through it ok and everyone has a great time together. Nice song! 🙂
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I’ll let Jake know but I think he looks a bit cranky myself.
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Interrupting nap time perhaps? I love the blues and greens in the background highlighting one gorgeous black cat. Jake ROCKS!
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I wish you the best of luck – especially as you appear to be building, or renovating, or something. I fully understand your issue, although mine revolves around only one of my many cats. She is so terrified of the dog that I have to send the dog to my parents so she can sleep in our room when guests are here.
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Good grief! Where does she sleep when the dog is there? I used to have two cats that hated each other and I had to keep them separated. That was a real pain.
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Haha! Your cats remind me of my dog. When we have guests, she makes it a point to make the guests understand that it is not their room but hers. Only hers.
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People laugh when I call our third bedroom the “dog’s room” because technically, it’s supposed to be a guest bedroom. It has the nicest bed, tidy furniture, a great TV, and lovely window coverings. It even has one of those “memory foam” mattress toppers. What can I say? My big dog has arthritis. He prefers a squishy soft comfy bed. *shrug*
Our animals always get a bit out of sync with visitors, but when the visitors leave, and things get back to normal, they tend to be wondering when the next bit of excitement might be penned on the calendar. It sounds like your visiting days will be filled with activities, and even though the cats may not be too keen on the disruption in their usual schedule, they’ll find their own ways to stay out of sight or otherwise inconspicuous.
My oldest dog is nearing 10 years old, and even though I never thought I’d see the day, he’s finally actually come around and learned how to maintain “personal space” around new faces. He’s a nosy one, and always seems to have his humongous head in someone’s face, but these days he’s finally become a bit more chilled out and laid back. Maybe I should take notes from him. Everything about him these days seems to say “relax” and “take it easy.”
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I have no problem with being woken up at 4 am (it would feel like home), hairballs in my luggage (it’s better than pee, which is what we tend to get), and half finished home improvement projects (you have seen my house). So you don’t have to worry about us. The cats, on the other hand… if there are any secret super high value treats with which we can attempt to buy their love, tell me! I’ll bring ’em!
Looking forward to it!
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Treats for the cats? We have a bumper crop of catnip here. Maybe just some medication for me. Your dad has me painting today so there is hope in sight!
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Our two cats are jealous. They never get to be in the guest bedroom. It gets pretty crowded in our bed with them. For me, my summer (vacation) is nearly over. Teachers in our district return Aug. 1st and students will be back on the 8th.
I’m sure your kitties will be counting the days until they get their room back. Have a great time.
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Good grief! You start back on August 1st? That’st the best part of the summer!
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Bummer! I know. On the plus side, we’ll be done about May 25, 2013 — if I live that long. 🙂
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Ok, I am secretly very happy that I am not alone in pet weirdness. The fact that the cats pick and choose their sleeping quarters….sorry, I laughed out loud. You will be needing those drinks..keep em cold and keep em coming! Have a great time, I look forward to reading about your adventures.
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