I Found the Bat-Cave!

...or at least, Wayne Manor, and we all know that mansion sits above Batman's hideout.



The closest I could get...


I'm dog-sitting, and decided Jackson could do with an abbreviated walk this morning, thank you rain. So instead of turning out onto the main road, we turned back down our street toward the dead end. 

Little did I know. 

Jackson doesn't understand my fascination. He'd rather I take him on his regular, longer walk, in the oposite direction. But really, vast grounds surrounding an impressive pile of bricks set well back from the road. What other explanation could there be?

It's Batman.

Well, that's a bonus of dog-sitting, I guess.

I'm not really a dog person. I do well with Magnum, my dad's mature (as in, 12 years old) Malamute/Shepherd mix. But these friends of my parents have been wanting to make a road-trip out to Montana and didn't want to leave their new-ish rescue dog alone or in a kennel.


Very cute. With sharp claws.


Enter Red.
Living with parents.
Still jobless.  
Hey, it's easy money, I figured.

I should have asked for more. Jackson is a high-maintenance two-year-old Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix. That's right. Two. As in, puppy. As in, "play with me now!" I'm not really a "playful" person in the way he needs, but I'm learning. Mostly I'm learning that tug-of-war is a better option than him trying to climb onto my lap for attention and scratching me with his wolf-like claws. He doesn't know his own strength, and it is up to me to teach him not to jump on me.

I thought we were getting somewhere, but then yesterday I saw an awful lot of bared teeth. Even after I put him out on his runner to use up some energy, he was fired up. I think he got into some kind of bad weed. Or something. Cocaine. I don't know.

Oh. And there's a cat. My new nemesis. Spice is clearly allied with the Dark Side. I had forgotten they even have a cat until my hostess was running me through my duties. The cat's hardly ever around, so I don't think I'd even met her before.
She's quiet.
Unobtrusive.
I could go all day and not see her.
She's a luxuriously soft long-hair cat.

Spice. Isn't she purr-ty?...with Darth Maul eyes.

What's wrong with that?

When I agreed to house-sit and had been freely told "Feel free to bring friends over," I began talking with Brett about possible times he could visit. It would be great. A whole house with no parents (mine) or kids (his) around.
Nice.
Especially because lately, due to (in chronological order) his finances, my finances, my car and his job, we've not seen each other in three weeks. THREE WEEKS!  And on that visit I was accompanied by Aphrodite, so again, no alone time.

Dog-sitting was like a golden opportunity. Was. Enter the Dark Side.
Brett is hugely allergic to cats.
BRETT IS HUGELY ALLERGIC TO CATS!

Yeah. That's how it feels.

Stupid "Spice".
Stupid, sweet, fluffy, unobtrusive "Spice".
Emperor Palpatine, more like. Never seen, but controlling what happens, and all for evil.