THE 3-Ds AT HOME: HELP!!!

So, furst of all, here is the result from the pool for "Domino at her Best".  And which 'best' did YOU like best?  Number 6, titled "HELP" was the runaway winner.

"Help!  I really mean it -- Help!!!"

This is our house as it was.  Serene and beautiful. 

Then something strange started to happen.

 Domino had a rather uneasy feeling.

 Not to mention Dylan, who is always on guard.

"Dere's sumfin rottin in da state of my gardin!", says he.

Domino sees red flags! 

On the other paw, Dante seems clueless.

 Well, maybe some of the flags are yellow and orange, too -- but you get the drift!

 Then yesterday there was such a commotion outside in front, that all kitties stayed inside and dared not even look out the window!  When we checked after the noise had subsided, this is what we saw.  We didn't have a driveway anymore!!!

And where once there was an idyllic garden space outside our front door ...

 ... now there was only devastation!

Where once there was a lovely patio seating area just outside our front bay window ...

... now there is NOTHING!  Worse than nothing!  There's dirt and debris all over the place.   There's no place to sit and even the bushes are gone.

Why?  Why?  Why, you may ask?  And in this you are not alone.  The 3-Ds want to know, too, why they're outdoor haven has been destroyed -- of all things by a CATerpillar!

 "Yoo crack me up!" says Dante.  "I noo all along dere wuzza problem.  Fings is not always as PURRfect as dey may appear."

Dante is right on the money with this one (which is a good thing because the reno is going to be very expensive!).  The soil in our area is just about pure clay.  As a result it shifts and anything built on top of it shifts, too.  

We've had problems with the front steps for about 10 years now, and keep getting temporary fixes.  Well, the time has come to get it fixed once and for all.  To do this, they need to destroy everything and start from scratch.  Even the driveway had sunk several inches over time, and we had temporary patches in front of the garage so the car wouldn't get damaged going in and out.

To top things off, we always went for the cheapest solution and never hired real professionals -- friends of my son, and then one of our neighbours -- all with bad results.  

This time we have real pros at work -- the best in the business, and a guarantee that will last as long as we're in the house.  No more sinking or shifting for us.  Or for the cats.

Dante will likely miss the big gap on the stairs because chipmunks would hide in there, and he was always poking his paw about in the crack, trying to catch one.

"Dat's OK, says Dante.  "I gots biggah fish ta fry!"  Yes, that's right Dante, there's a nice salmon in the fridge for all of us to share, although a plate of fish and chipmunks does go rather well together.

Stay tuned for the results in about a week from now!  For the front walkway and driveway, that is (not Dante's dinner).