Happy Birthday... Humphrey!

Yes, I am writing an entire post about a cat's birthday.

It all started because I actually know both Humphrey and Ollie's exact birthdays, and today was Humphrey's. This information was mentioned casually to Amy this morning and she was off and running. She wrote the above sign (with help only for spelling), and made Humphrey a birthday hat.

My mom tried to get Humphrey to pose with the hat which went about as well as one could expect, so we settled for putting it on his tail.

Amy insisted on making a cake. Since my parents are here and Don is home and there would be plenty of people to eat it, I couldn't refuse.

This was also a good chance to try the easy yellow-cake recipe I found after declaring that I would never buy a box of cake mix again. It was absolutely terrific and validated my decision to avoid fake-cake whenever possible.

We all sang to Humphrey, then ate his cake. Humphrey was no where to be found at the time, but Amy did leave him a small piece in his dish.

Happy Birthday, furry one!

Be Our Guest

Mondays are usually power-days for me, but this week has started off a little directionless. Mostly because the house is, broadly speaking, pretty much done. There are certainly plenty of little projects that need attention (that I am avoiding for one reason or another), and always room to build on and improve what I've done so far, but this week's must-do list is surprisingly short. So for now I thought I'd give you a little tour of our guest room. It is a bit spartan, but I wanted it that way so guests would have plenty of room for their own things, and since this is such an "extra" room for us, I don't want to invest a whole lot in it, just in case we have to contract our space again in the next house.

This bed was, until very recently, our master bed. But some princess-and-the-pea (me) complained mightily about needing a new mattress, so this whole set-up was shuffled on down to the guest room. Our whole scheme here is to encourage people to visit us by offering very comfortable quarters. Especially since our old house had zero guest quarters.

Adam's dresser looks really nice in here, and having it slightly out of the way keeps me from filling up its drawers with "miscellaneous" stuff.

A special thanks goes out to Ollie, for his help with this photo shoot, managing to appear in full-wash-position in every shot.

This is why, until guests actually arrive, I keep the whole bed covered with a sheet.

The cats think this room is great, and I hope all human guests will, too.

Thoughts on Fostering

Today was a big day in the crazy-cat-lady realm. I feel rather emotionally exhausted, interestingly not unlike how I felt on THE September 11th... though obviously under much different circumstances.

Last week someone put in an application to adopt Garfield, one of the three brothers who we have been fostering since early July. All week long I knew he would be going to his new home today (and therefore took a lot of pictures). I did not know that the man adopting him would also decide to take his brother Harley, too (and therefore I did not get any recent pictures of Harley). They are off to the home of a single father with two adolescent boys and a boxer puppy. All us crazy cat ladies at Feral Cat Rescue were slightly uneasy at first, because frankly, not many men want to adopt cats. I personally stewed over this all week, hoping and praying that this would be a good and safe home for these sweetest of sweet cats.

Anyway, after meeting this man and his boys at Petco this morning we were all assured that this would be a good home for Garfield, and even happier when he agreed to take one of his brothers, too. Now there is my peace of mind knowing that the kittens will have each other in yet another new environment and have feline companionship while the house is empty during the day. It's all good.

And of course, this left me in the situation that I have been pondering for weeks - if two get adopted, will I keep the third? And the answer is, yes! I signed the papers and brought Humphrey home to stay. He seems a little lonesome for his brothers but I must remind myself that he is a cat and it does no good to project my human emotions onto him. He is comfortable and loved (especially by Amy who has favored him all along because he tolerates being picked up), and that is really all that matters to a cat. For them there is no past and no future; they just live in the present and are happy there.

So, fostering kittens... emotionally draining because I get attached. How can you not when you have this handsome little silent-meower jumping around the house?

It is hard because I don't want to mourn their loss - it should be a celebration of two more cats finding a home in the world. And I need to learn to release my control-death-grip that I like to have on life and learn to trust that the needs of every little critter will be provided for, even if I am not personally the one cracking open the can of food. God cares for the sparrows and the lilies and the kitties and all of us. Right? Right. But I will miss them.

So there, my crazy-cat-lady monologue for the evening. Thanks for your patience! And by the way, the "crazy-cat-lady" bit was from Don, who referred to me as such with utmost affection, and neither he nor I consider those who take care of multiple felines to be at all crazy. At least not very crazy.

This Week, in Pictures

Family here, a boat ride, a busy garden, the pool, Don's last week of work at the station, and of course, a few cats. Feeling short on words these days (maybe it's a summer thing?) but there still has been plenty going on. More verbiage sometime soon!

House Guests, or, Why I'm Not Sewing

So, I know I mentioned recently how the kids and I have been in the habit of going to Petco. This has not been fueled only by Amy's dog obsession, but also by the fun the kids and I have visiting the (many) kittens available for adoption each weekend. Well, long story short, last Saturday I got talked into fostering a litter of kittens. I know, I'm crazy. But according to my mom, I'll only have the energy for this sort of shenanigans for a certain amount of time, so I might as well jump right in while I do. And we certainly do have a lot on our plates in the next few months, so I am praying that these darlings go to permanent homes quickly. But in the meantime, we are all soaking up some serious kitten cuteness.

These three brothers were from a litter of five; their sisters have already been adopted. They are about 4 months old, I believe - bigger than that itty-bitty puffballs, but still quite small. And they are such good boys. I started them out in my sewing room with some gates up across the door, and over the last few days have been letting them come and go as they please, but mostly they are happy to just hang out and play and nap together in their little cozy hideout. Juliett and Ollie have been tolerating the intrusion reasonably well, and for the most part they all stay out of each other's way.

Now, for introductions. Incidentally, I'm not really crazy about their names, and if they were here to stay I'd probably change them... but no sense in confusing them right now. Anyway.

This is Humphrey (on the left). He is definitely the most forward of the three. They are all very social and friendly, but he is the only one who has ventured downstairs, and he is the only one who has uttered a single meow. He tolerates being picked up (over and over) by Amy, and never tires of chasing the feather wand.

Next up is Garfield, who is an exceptionally handsome cat - a perfect orange tabby with huge ears and a very long tail. He is ever so slightly more aloof than his brothers, and seems a bit more "grown up". Despite his confidence, however, he has been terrorized twice by Juliett and usually ends up under something whenever the older cats are around.

And last is Harley. Also very handsome and dignified. Usually hangs back a bit when the kids are around, but definitely gets in on his share of the play and affection, just not in the impish way of his brother Humphrey. I think he has the makings of a lap-kitty. All three are purring machines and are always up for some lovin'.

And the kids are doing marvelously with them, I must say. Amy likes to pick them up more than anything, which I try to discourage, but they are quite patient with her. And William simply loves to walk (!) around with the feather wand in hand saying "kit-tee! kit-tee!" And they follow him up and down the hall, expertly dodging his toddling footsteps.

Yes, I know I'm in danger of becoming a crazy cat lady, but I promise, this is only temporary! It's awfully tempting to want to keep them, but five cats is just not sane for our place in life right now. As a foster family we are responsible for bringing them back to Petco for a few hours each weekend for their adoption events, so pray that they find good homes quickly. They are such sweet little souls and deserve to get settled someplace for keeps.

I realize that my readership is not very large, but if anyone is out there in SoMD and looking for a cat check out this group for Harley, Humphrey, Garfield, and all their friends. Thanks!

A Valentine

Just popping in with a quick warm and fuzzy picture for V-Day. That's Mister Ollie Man snuggling with my mommy, who is staying with us for the week. Happy times, all around.

More from me in a bit... tonight feels like just too much of a put-my-feet-up night.

Wishing you all a lovely mid-February!

Today

Today was a good day.

It began with a partridge in a pear tree, er, I mean, a big, fluffy CAT in my Christmas Tree. Again.

Sorry the picture is out of focus - forgot I had set my lens on manual to catch this naptime shot yesterday:

Back to today. Amy and I both got haircuts this morning, followed by a little treat:

After lunch there was some serious brother-sister snuggling on the couch:

And to complete the festive mood, it snowed all day!

According to Amy, "When it snows, it will be Christmas." Have I mentioned yet how much I am loving the fresh enthusiasm and anticipation that is filling up our house this season?

Merry Christmas, today and every day!

Some Thoughts

Busy as ever with this little guy and his big sister, but as I've found myself thinking about the week's activities in terms of blog-ability, here are some snippets of what is On My Mind these days:

:: I thought myself so on top of things when I ordered birth announcements within a week of getting home from the hospital and planned to include them with thank-you notes, but shipment was delayed, and as result thank-yous have been delayed. For all of you kind people who have sent gifts, I am sorry I'm behind in my acknowledgements.

:: Day 2 of serious potty training. Two successful tinkles in the potty, many pairs of soggy underwear. Is this success?

:: Breastfeeding is SO much easier the second time around. Thank goodness.

:: We ate green beans from our garden with dinner tonight (pork tenderloin on the grill and little red potatoes). Fabulous.

:: When we unpacked groceries today we discovered a package of pita pockets in the bag with our lettuce. We did not buy pita pockets. Whoever was in line ahead of us must have, and is surely a little annoyed that he or she left a bag behind at the store. However, with nothing we could do to make the situation right, we used them for tuna salad sandwiches and toasted the person who inadvertently bought us lunch.

:: This list seemed like it was going to be much longer and far more witty when I was composing it in my head, far away from a keyboard, of course.

:: Don is the best. The days that he is home always make me wonder how we get by when he is at work. It's not like I put my feet up when he's around, but everything is happier and easier with an extra set of hands, someone else for Amy to play with, and my best friend to talk to.

:: Moments ago there was a cat hanging on to the back of my chair by his toenails. I think that means it's time for me to wrap this up and play with him for a bit so he doesn't spend all night chasing our toes under the covers. And meanwhile I'm sure I'll be thinking of all the other newsy bits I meant to add here. I'll be back!

May, So Far

The rose bushes in front of our house are blooming again. We can take absolutely no credit here - they are part of the pre-installed shrubbery and are maintained by all the busy bee law mower and landscaping people. In fact, every March these guys come through with one of those chain-saw-style pruners and whack this huge rose bush practically to the ground, and ever year it responds with even more vigorous growth and blooms. All. Summer. Long. So much for a delicate touch when pruning roses.

Here's a picture from our pool opening last weekend. This started out as a hugely cranky morning for Amy and me. Most of the crank came from spending a very hot and sticky Sunday morning at Walmart with everyone else in town - buying vegetable plants, and this pool, only to get out to the car and realize that the Subaru was not going to be quite as accommodating of awkward cargo as the Explorer is and consequently driving home not being able to see out my rear window.

THEN thinking it would be a great idea to get all my plants to the backyard in one trip by loading them in the pool. Then having Amy do nothing but get in my way and make the walk around the house the most sweaty, annoying, pool-bending 50 yards I have ever experienced. This is the sort of thing that happens when Don works on the weekend. Anyway, we recovered, and later in the afternoon Amy had a lot of fun scooping things out of the new pool with her butterfly net. Day salvaged.

Last week Amy had her first "real" haircut at the salon. She's had little trims before, on her bangs and to even up some ends, but she's never had enough length to really get a style going. Above is a before picture - if I could get her to keep pigtails or barrettes in it wouldn't matter so much, but as much as she likes wearing "pony hair" she can't resist pulling them out inside of an hour.

So I made her her very own appointment where I get my hair cut and she made it through the experience without any meltdowns. The lollipop won her over from the beginning. She got some better bangs, and a nice amount off the back so now she has less of the "baby hair" look and a little more going-on-3-year-old style. Oh, and we capped off that experience with a special mother-daughter lunch at Panera Bread. She and I can pretty much have a real conversation over a meal now, and being out at a restaurant with her, just chatting over lunch was a huge flash into the future and how much more fun such outings are going to be with every little bit that she grows up.

And what general update would be complete without a shot of a cat in the middle of something?

Still to come, some pictures of this quilt, all finished at last. In the meantime I've got to put on my bookkeeper hat for a bit, then get to bed at a decent hour. Happy Month of May!

Easter

Despite my initial moping about Don having to work for most of Easter weekend, Amy and I rallied and I can now say it has been a joyous Easter indeed.

Saturday morning we colored eggs. Amy was all excited about the process, but was happy to take a hands-off role: "No, Mommy, you do it"...

And of course Ollie was on hand to supervise.

Saturday afternoon involved a drive around town on the quest for an "Easter Book." We finally found The Easter Egg and, while not a religious story, it satisfied both of our needs to read something to get us in the spirit.

This morning we went to church, participated in the church's Easter egg hunt, and returned home for a visit from the Easter bunny, lunch, and another Easter egg hunt in the backyard. There really is nothing like a young child's enthusiasm to make holidays feel special and traditions seem fresh and new.

We capped off the day with dinner at our friends' house and returned home in time to get in pajamas, read our Easter Book, and talk about all the fun things we did before Amy fell fast asleep with her bunny and all her little yellow chicks.

Hope your Easter has been just as full of sunshine and blessings. Christ is Risen!