Joe the cat

This is our cat, Joe. He has adapted quite well, and I'm pretty sure he feels completely at home in AZ. He is in the Mesquite tree in front of our house in the picture below. In the summer heat, he stays in during the day, goes out in the morning and evenings.

Joe was very good on the drive out here. I was amazed. He did have a little trouble doing his business though. At the hotels and rest stops, I would take him for walks on a leash, which he really did not like. He had a hard time finding a private spot when attached to me. We were at a KFC somewhere in NM on the second day of travel. Parked next to us was another car with cats in it. They had put a litter box out of the car for their cats to use, and Joe went right in and helped himself! AHHHHHH! relief at last! We picked up a litter box for our last night on the road after that. What a trooper our cat Joe is :)

Joe has discovered lizards out here and enjoys 'playing' with them. Toads also make fun toys.

This is a full view of the Mesquite next to the house. Eric had just given it a nice pruning. They are pretty trees, but quite messy. They have bean pods that drop all the time, and tiny little leaves like a Locust tree. Sweeping the pods off the driveway has become one of my pastimes. It is kind of meditative, like knitting(which I have done none of). Pods all over the driveway do not make for good skateboarding, so it is a necessary task. It is also a good activity when trying to avoid other things, like sanding drywall(see above post).