Merlot in the FRIDGE? It is to weep.

*weep*

Hey, could you like put the cats in the fr-- wait, no, there are laws. And pawprints in the butter. And they'd just drink your wine anyhow.

OOh goody! I get to be one of the first to comment this time! Usually I get up down here in Melbourne, Australia and check on Aunt Purl first thing in our morning, and there are already 67 gazillion posts, and I get all flummoxed thinking about what to say...oh. Sorry, am I going on?

Suffice to say that love of cats runs deep. How deep you only find out when a vengeful nature/neighbor/virus etc rears its ugly head and suddenly you're hosing your windows and climbing ladders with knives and things of that ilk. Yay for you, I'd be doing the same for our moggy Gilbert!
Wet sheets hung over open windows to cool any incoming breeze is the way we tend to go over here, if that's any help.
My sympathy to your Merlot.

Thank you for the condolences on my merlot. It was over 90 in here at midnight Sunday, so I acted purely out of wine- (and self-) preservation!

Oh the tragedy of chilled Merlot (sigh). But mostly the poor hot kitties. I feel the same as you do on this...It's okay for me to suffer, but the poor kitties, they look to me to look after them. You're doing a great job kitty mom!

You could put a bowl of ice in front of the fan so it would blow the cooled air on your (owners) cats. That's how air conditioning started you know - in the movies houses - big bowls of ice in front of the fans. Purl, if you're going to ruin fine Merlot then please go to the store and get one of those 5-liter boxes of Peter Vella or Almaden or Franzia and put that in fridge. Never mind that I normally drink box wines (with ice because I like them really really cold!!), I just hate to see/hear you talk about ruining really classy stuff - the kind that probably costs $10+ for .75 liter. Meanwhile, I sit here in MA in front of the fan: the temp is 80 at 7 in the morning and the humidity is 82. It's supposed to be hotter than yesterday because the sun will be out. Enough whining! I have to get dressed and go to Artic Inc. East, where I go stand outside to get my bones warm. Have a lovely and rub the kitties with a cold cloth for me. (((Purl))))

honey no a/c in the VALLEY? yikes, you poor thing. it's even hot here in San Diego right now...must be 80...sorry, couldn't help myself. come visit!!

It is all about self preservation in emergencies like these - save the important things first the cats, the wine and your self. In that order. Girl hop on a plane and come here - i promise the a/c at international plaza is working!

i actually had the same cats-getting-heatstroke discussion with a co-worker yesterday. it seems we maybe have a little of the same crazy.

Oooh, no A/C. I sympathize. Ours died in June and we had to wait until July 11th to get it fixed. In Baltimore. Where it is not only hot but also so humid that if you sit still for more than a couple of minutes you begin growing mold. Our cats survived though by retreating to the lower level and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out full length on the tile floor. And glaring at us. There was lots of glaring. Wait...some of that glaring was me...I don't do so well in the heat.

What was even worse was that the air conditioning actually functioned...but when it ran it spilled gallons of water all over the floor. There were some days when I was almost willing to put up with the water damage for the coolth.

I hope you get some relief from the heat soon! My poor sister does not have AC and couldn't buy a window unit because everyone was sold out. (Here's photographic evidence of her tortured state:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teruterubouzu/26695433/ )

We had 90+ for two weeks in a row and it has finally cooled down.

But...but...wasn't Saturday the day when Saturn was supposed to go bye-bye and life gets better for we Cancers? How could this happen???

Maybe it's time for a nice Chardonnay. That should be chilled after all. But the Merlot? Oh no, no, no!
Good luck with the no AC situation. I'm sure the cats will be fine. Oh, and do you want an update on Mason and the kitty pi? I fixed him good - I gave his kitty pi away to my son and daughter-in-law's cat. So there!

Oh, Laurie! I, too, leave work early to check on the cats when it is hot out. We only have window AC units, so the house never really gets entirely cool. But sure enough, when I go home, those cats are positioned directly in front of the AC unit and near the fans that are carefully positioned to keep their little furry bodies comfortable. The cats! They are important!

Hey Laurie,

Now that we are best friends and all, we valley girls must stick together! Email or call (get my number next time we are at SnB together)me. My mom has a property management company in Tarzana and I could get someone good there same day!

Try to stay cool!

Debra

Whew! And I bet you don't have a nice cool cellar in that house you could retreat to. I feel for you.
Next step would be opening the Merlot and pouring it into ice cube trays so you have ice cubes that won't dilute the wine. When you get to that point, time to take the kitties to the vet, just to sit in the a/c with them.

Hang in there...

That's awful! Poor kitties. My cool kitties started crying when I told them. Hope the A/C guy actually comes tomorrow. And that he has tight pants. And that what is under said tight pants is as hot as the weather.

Girlfriend you do make me laugh.
It's been too hot here too --the humidity is killing everyone.
Poochalena (my 80 lb Dalbrador)lays over the a/c vents, you open the door and she looks at you with this look that says "yeah right --you expect me to go out there??" And as she walks the hair is just dropping off of her.
So I have a cool but white dog hair covered home...

Oh my god, you poor thing! I finally broke down and turned on my a/c over the weekend - not for me, but for my cat. Lovely to know I'm not the only one completely ruled by a feline. ;)

Oh man... I know what you mean - I have a furball that does *not* do heat. He pants like a dog when he overheats and moves about the bathroom floor seeking a cool tile.

Something that is miserable to do but actually helps is to rub them down with a cold, wet towel. The evaporation can help through the worst of it, but it might be tricky wetting them down a second time.

Poor Purl. Poor cats! One can only wonder in horror the revenge that Sobakowa might try to have due to the lack of A/C! I too am a window unit person and think back longingly on the days of CH/A. Oh how I miss them! Hope the A/C repair guy is super cute in tight jeans!

Sending cool thoughts your way! Another cat person who who would worry a great deal if my AC went out, too. :)

i remember a/c. *sigh* my building is too old for central and has poor wiring and oddly shaped windows. so far it hasn't been too bad, but watch. just because i said that...
on another note--only two more weeks till my film festival is over and i can come to sn'b. YAY!

I've said it before and I'll say it again... Nature is a Mother!

I CANNOT imagine 107 in the valley. Oh wait, yes I could...and lordy!! From one momcat to another, for you to go out and do window-opening surgery in that weather with nothing but a dream of non-refrigerated merlot and an a/c man with tight pants is nothing short of pure kitty love. I have 2 myself, and they are spoiled SILLY.

So that's where you L.A. people wear your knitted woolly hats and scarves--at the office in July. And you chill all the red wine you need to get through this crisis. I am so sorry for you.

Well, you could drink it? Or would that cause you to lose all sense of self-preservation in the heat?

I love the wine meself. Yup.

Ugh. Having grown up in the valley with a father that believed that the air conditioner should be saved for a really hot day, which was certainly not under 90, I feel your pain. Thankfully, we had no cats to suffer with us, but now that I think about it, perhaps this is why our parakeet disappeared one summer day...

As i was reading this I thought, 'Yeah the fridge is cool, the cats could just go in there.' Then I realized that you can't do that. And it also highlighted for me how I am too full of bad ideas to be responsible for pets. But as the daughter of a heating and cooling technician I have never known the heat of a house without AC. who knows what I would do!

I'm so glad you put the merlot in the fridge and not the poor cats!

darling, as someone whose air conditioner is on all the time, whether I'm home or not, I feel your pain. Or is that sweat? I tell myself that the air is on because otherwise the animals (turtle and cats) would overheat, but really I like walking into a cool apartment at 6 p.m.

Thanks for the laugh today! You story reminds me of when I turned off my air and forgot to turn it back on before I left for the day.

I had the air on and turned it off while I was getting ready...it was too cold and there were no knobs to turn it down. Either HIGH or nothing. Anyway, in my attempt not to be to late to work, I forgot to turn it back on. I lived on the top floor and the roof was flat. It got up to 103 here in Chicago that day. I ran home from work to find my two cats at the door. It looked like they hadn't cleaned themselves for weeks. Their fur was all muffled. Felix and Bert's eyes were half closed and he just stared at me. Then, Bert let out this nasty meow, whipped himself around and walked away from me towards the airconditioner. I believe I got bitched out by my cat.

I have since moved and have central air now and it is on a timer.

Here is a hint: freeze plastic bottles of water and put them where the cats sleep. It makes them feel better.

Dear Crazy Aunt Purl,

I went through this last year when not one but two hurricanes knocked out the power down Fla. way for more than a week. I didn't care about sleeping in the closed-coffin heat, it was my cat I was concerned about! What they will do to stay cool is often go in a closet or another closed area, since the shade is appealing to them. Try aiming the fans towards such an area, it might help the little darlings out.

PS. My boyfriend loves it when you put captions above pictures of the cats' heads. Esp. the ones about their poop. I guess boys are like that. Take care!

you are so good to your cats! i was catsitting the sweetest, most adorable, lovely little cat last week, which was awesome. however, my roommate has a penchant for turning off the a/c, regardless of 103 degree heat indexes, and i fretted the entire time that the little kitty was getting too hot... didn't think of oh, say, a FAN. well done me...

Most merlot is so terrible it deserves to be in the fridge anyway. But be nice to your Pinot. It is delicate.

You might consider white wine until tomorrow. Alsatian Pinot Blancs are very refreshing.

Poor thing! Like you don't sweat enough already. I think I'd camp out at work, who'd know? I'm normally a selfless person, but in that case the cats would just have to deal... I hate heat!!

Remember how you keep saying that you "LOVE THE VALLEY"? Yeah, right. This is why we DO NOT LOVE THE VALLEY. The heat is unbearable.

Since you are stuck there for now, at least you'll be prepared for the next heat wave. Glad you unstuck all of those painted windows, etc. You might want to consider getting a good ol' fashioned SWAMP COOLER. Just like Leslie said, this is the original air conditioning. I think they sell these new-fangled portable swamp coolers at Best Buy. You have to empty the water drawer alot, but at least it keeps the room cool and your hair curly!

I'm sure the cats understand...they must have lifted their head for a 1/2 second to possibly spy all the hard work you did for them. :D

"I am NOT drinking the merlot" or something like that...

have you seen "Sideways" yet? Great movie...

Sorry for your AC problems...that truly is horrible. I have a little window unit for the bedroom and the rest of the house just bakes...I keep shades drawn and stuff, but still.

If you can't sleep, life is tough. Currently the dog and all three cats are probably camped out on my bed...heh...

Here's hoping the AC man is cute...

Hi Laurie, When I used to live in Indiana there were times when I was too poor to have A/C, and I found out the mall and the movie theater are your friends. You can also try to sleep under a damp sheet with the fan turned on you - well, if you can sleep that way. I moved to SF - it's 66 here today. Nice, huh. If that sounds good, you might want to consider getting FAR away to Nor Cal from Mr. X and the heat.

I just want you to know I worry when you don't post.

I start calling the local police stations and hospitals. Then I check the local bars...

I feel your pain about the kities...and the wine. When I lived in CT, my kitties took to frozen veggie bags on the floor. I'd put them there, so they could cool off for a while. I, of course, made sure it was veggies I wouldn't eat..like peas...and just let them lay on it!! As for the Merlot, hell. Sorry, dude.

I second and third the suggestion about bags of ice (put them in or on cookie sheets so no nasty puddles of water) on the floor. Kitties can lay next to them and get cooler.

Ice in the water bowls helps too.

And, I hate to mention this, but the wine's likely to make YOU feel warmer. It's back to sweet tea for you darlin'.

Here's to cold A/C and hot A/C repairmen!

Oh that is horrible!!!! I think my AC has been on for the last 2 months already!

Perhaps you can take the cats to work? Teach them to do some office stuff (like stapling or making copies for someone) so your boss wont notice???

take care!

Vin Gris is meant to be chilled and may fill your needs until the return of AC...a great cold, red summer wine.

I love the AC! I don't know how my dogs and cat would survive the summer without it...or how I would survive either. I also put ice in their water.

I have to agree with Nancy about wine making you warmer. But sometimes you gotta sacrifice one comfort for another. My new summer drink is a Tom Collins. I never thought I'd like gin...but it is suprisingly good with lime juice, sugar and club soda. Kinda like a mojito. Mmm...mojitos!

My condolences on the merlot...I'm sure your kids love you for going to such extremes to keep them comfortable. Then again, they could probably care less (o:>

Take care and keep cool

I'm with L.A. Ell. Nature is trying to tell you that the valley is not suitable for human habitation. Move closer to the water, it really is about 20 degrees cooler over here. Good job on the window cracking job though. These kitties have no idea how lucky they are ;)

One day recently it dawned on me that I had not seen our cat for a while but got sidetracked by something else and forgot about her. Went to the refrigerator for a cold drink and guess who jumped out! She was in there probably about 20 minutes. So now,whenever I am looking for her, the refrigerator is one of the first places I look, no kidding.
My hands are sticking to the keyboard and forget about yarn sliding through my fingers. No A/C in our house.

Laurie, I feel your pain. I really do. We have one airconditioning unit in our bedroom, live in a hundred year old house, in Maryland where it is humid as hell right now. I think satan is glad he doesn't live here! It's too hot to knit!

A little trick. Early in the morning, close up everything and put the window shades down. It will keep things significantly cooler. When the sun goes down, open the windows. I know you are being fixed tomorrow (well, not you, your air) but keep it mind if, heaven forbid, it ever happens again.

Glad to see you posted! I miss you when you are gone. We stalkers are needy people.

Crazy Aunt Purl

Hope the cats are thriving and the AC gets fixed. I think it was Martha Stewart who recommended putting "left over" wine in ice cube trays for using in stews or to chill a drink. However; one must have left over wine in order to put such left over wine in the ice cube trays to use later in stews - you see my problem???? My husband and I love your blog and are looking forward to your next adventure.

Poor kitties, poor merlot.
Did I mention I love reading your blog??
It always makes me smile. Which, at the end of a long day with 5 (yes 5) children, I could use a good laugh!

Put the Merlot in the cats.
Put the cats on the grill.
Baste with lemon juice and oregano.
Serve with wild rice and a Liebfraumilch.
Wait for hunky A/C guy.

you wine loving freak...so what if you chilled this merlot. the heat would have turned it into vinegar. blech. you saved it.

as for the cats. mine always managed to find the coolest spot in the house. i'm sure yours have too.

hope the AC guy is majorly hunky!

Satan rents a bus every summer. "All expense paid 2 week vacation to New Orleans." He passes out brocures. He even has TONS of outdoor activites planned. You never see these tourists. Know why?

They look at the brochure... 2 weeks in New Orleans. In summer. No thanks, we're good.

I thought I was the only one who had to take off the parka to go outside in the summer. No wonder there's an energy crisis in Southern California. It's all those blankety-blank offices who are sucking up all the power!