reading: Icebound. This is the book about that female doctor at the South Pole who found that she had breast cancer and had to treat it herself for months, because the weather in the winter at the South Pole is so bad that they couldn’t land a plane to evacuate her. I’m finding it a far more compelling read than I expected – the information about life at the South Pole is fascinating.
Finished recently: Twelve Sharp, by Janet Evanovich. I just love me some Ranger, Morelli, and – oh yeah! – Stephanie Plum. Sure, the books are formulaic – you know there’s going to be hot Morelli sex, Stephanie’s going to be felt up by Ranger, someone’s going to try to kill, and it all turns out in the end – but it’s a formula I happen to enjoy.
Also finished recently: A Density of Souls, by Christopher Rice. I hated it. Ugh. It bored the life right out of me.
* * *
From my comments:
Were the cubs soft? Did they like to be “petted” like cats do or were they busy playing?
You know how when kittens are very small, they have that cottony-soft fur? That’s what the cubs felt like, that kind of soft. I wondered if they’d smell like kittens (to me, kittens smell like raw peanuts), but they had their own (not unpleasant) smell. Did I mention that I kissed them both on top of their little heads? I KISSED TIGERS. How many people can say that? They didn’t mind being petted, but they were more interested in playing and looking for their Mama. Fred rubbed one of them at the base of his tail to see if he’d get the Elevator Butt reaction and didn’t. Later, I rubbed the other one at the base of her tail and she raised her butt a little bit, but not like our cats do.
* * *
Anyway, did they mention where most of these animals come from? Are they from circuses or are they from people who think they can raise them and then realize they were very wrong?
They’re from all over the place, actually. Some were privately owned by people who realized they were in over their heads, some were rescued from circuses. One tiger was used for photo opportunities as a cub (in a circus, I believe), but when he got too big for that, they just tossed him in a cage where he was mostly ignored until he was rescued. The most recent rescue – of 6 cougars and 2 tigers – took place when a sanctuary in Florida failed to obtain and maintain proper licensing, and were ordered by the state to find new homes for the animals.
I have to say, the animals who end up at Tigers for Tomorrow are extremely lucky. They’re well cared-for, and loved by people who have made rescuing exotic animals their life’s work.
* * *
I’ve lived in Alabama my entire life but had never heard of Tigers for Tomorrow until now.
That’s ’cause they just moved to Alabama from Florida. They were spending so much time repairing damage from hurricanes that they decided to move to a less hurricane-prone area. They merged with Bluegrass Farms Wildlife Sanctuary in Attalla, which has 140 acres in a valley surrounded by mountains.
* * *
How did the And3rson kitties react when you arrived home from your tiger escapade? Did they smell the tiger cubs scent on you?
I honestly thought they were going to stampede us and sniff us all over, but except for a few moments of intense sniffing, they didn’t seem too perturbed by what they smelled on us. Actually, they seem more concerned on Monday mornings when I get home from the pet store and have been snuggling kittens!
* * *
Can you update us on what podcasts you’re listening to these days? Thanks!
At this point, I’m listening exclusively to
Keith and the Girl podcasts every morning. They always make me laugh out loud at least once every podcast, and I really look forward to listening to them every day.
* * *
Robyn, what was the heaviest weight Tubby ever weighed in at? Just curious cause I have a fat kitty who weighs 17lbs!
The most he ever weighed was 24.5 pounds. Can I claim that it was mostly muscle, though? ‘Cause he was a surprisingly muscular cat under all that fat. He was the only cat I’ve ever seen who actually had a double chin, though.
* * *
Robyn, We got the Soft Paws and LOVE them. However, I am consistently having to replace one or two a day on our little tykes. Was it like that for you? I think they are chewing them off, little stinkers. Just wondered. Thanks!
We kind of go through periods where we have to replace one or two caps a day on Tommy and Sugarbutt, then we’ll go several days without having to replace a single one. The only suggestion I can think to make, is to make sure you’re using enough glue. I know the instructions say to only fill the cap about 2/3 (or half? I don’t remember.) full of glue, but I fill them most of the way up.
And be careful not to get the glue on your fingers ’cause that SUCKS. I got glue on my finger, and then cat fur on the glue, and walked around for two days with a blob of black cat fur stuck to my finger and I thought I was going to die from the sheer annoyance factor.
* * *
With all your cats, have you ever had problems with them “spraying” things to mark their territory? You know the thing that male cats do when they back up to something, lift their tail and spray their urine all over the item. If so, what did you do about it.
I am thanking god right now that I’ve never had a problem with a male cat spraying to mark his territory. If anyone has suggestions for this reader, feel free to leave a comment!
* * *
I guess it’s time to take my wedding band and engagement ring off. The only time they fit well is after I’ve walked 4(.16!) miles in the morning, because my hands swell up. Then my rings fit just perfectly; the rest of the time they slide around and threaten to slide off my finger.
They’re not anything fancy, my engagement ring and wedding band, just simple jewelry, but I love them. Just looking over at them on my finger when I’m typing something makes me smile. I hadn’t worn them in at least a few years, because with the yo-yo dieting, they never really fit well for long, so I gave up and put them in my dresser drawer.
After I had the surgery, every once in a while I’d take them out of the drawer and try them on. And literally, one week they were too tight, and the next they were just a tad loose. I think I’ve been wearing them again for about a month.
Time to put them back in the drawer for the time being, or find a chain I can put them on and wear them around my neck until the time comes that my weight has stabilized and I can have them resized. To have them slide off my finger when I wasn’t paying attention and lose them would break my heart.
* * *
I just went out back to scrub down the bird bath (half water, half bleach, let it sit for ten minutes, scrub it out with a scrubby pad, rinse well), and while I was out there, I decided to move the bird bath and the bird feeders.
Except that I no longer have the physical heft necessary to get the damn bird feeder pole into the ground. I soaked the ground where I wanted it to go, and I stabbed the pole into the ground, and then I stood on the end of the pole (there are two prongs that go into the ground), and the damn thing went two inches into the ground and would go no further.
Maybe when Fred gets home he can get out the sledgehammer and pound the damn thing into the ground. For now, it gives the cats something to freak out about. They’re running around, low to the ground, sniffing wildly at where the bird feeders used to be, thinking “Something is different… but WHAT?”
That is, when they’re not hanging out on the bird bath slurping down the fresh water.
* * *
All of today’s uploaded pictures are
here.
* * *
Previously
2005: But really, is there anything less threatening than giving someone the FINGER?
2004: No entry.
2003: Ever have one of those days, or is it just me?
2002: He can’t close a drawer all the way to save his life.
2001: What next, I ask you?
2000: Surely y’all know me better by now?]]>
I have tiger envy. 🙂 Anyhoo, can you give your recipe for a cleaning solution again? I think you mix amonia, water, dish soap ??
My ring size changes dramatically with the outside temperature, as well as with weight gain/loss (well, I’m assuming it would change with loss… who knows?).
At Wal-Mart (and probably other places), they sell plastic ring guards that are like tiny clear tubes with a split. You put your ring(s) in the split, and it makes the ring just a bit more snug. There are multiple sizes of guards in a package.
I can’t remember the name of the ones I bought at Wal-Mart, but they were in the jewelry dep’t. A clerk could probably help you.
Hi, i had that problem with rings but I took it into a jeweler/jewelery repair place and they can put a little metal piece in there that will make it fit. When you are ready to get the ring permanently sized they just take the metal piece out. You can bend the metal piece to resize it as you continue to lose weight (it is just attached at one point in the inside of the ring and makes a little metal flap(?) inside the ring that makes it smaller. It cost about $10 I think.
To the lady with the male cats spraying, I think they only do that when they aren’t “fixed”. I have had male cats for the last 14 years and have never had one spray anything, and the have all been “fixed”.
I know what it feels like to not be able to wear your wedding bangs because of either too big of hands or too small. I just recently had to take mine off (rings are too big!) and the fact that nothing was on that finger kept freaking me out. I kept thinking I’d lost them! I went to Walmart and bought one of those cheapy rings just to have something on my finger. They are inexpensive and expendable but some of them look nice.
Hi Robyn,
I hear you about the rings! I had my engagement ring resized from 10.5 to 8.25 after wearing it with a sizer until it was about to fall off. Now at 8.25 I have another sizer on there, so it’ll last a few more months. I may have it resized one more time when we get our wedding bands. Which will be soon egads. I notice BIG differences depending on the temp outside, and what I’ve been up to.
We may have to venture into SoftPaws land – Rod’s furniture, recently moved over here, is taking a serious beating from kitty claws. Does it help with stuff like that?
Last but not least – Tiger Envy! Love that. I have it too, alas!
Kathy
A neutered stray male cat adopted me a couple of years ago and he sprays. I had a problem in the house for awhile, but I guess as he started to feel more at home he stopped spraying. I had the house painted about a year ago and it would be easy to see if he had sprayed. For awhile I was walking along the walls every day looking just above tail height for telltale signs. He still sprays the bushes in the yard, but I don’t care about that.
He had been abused and was a very timid, cringing boy when he moved in with me so I never hit him, but when I caught him spraying I yelled “NO!”, tossed his butt outside, closed the screen door, then slammed the door and left him outside for hours. He knew what I meant!
My neighbor had a female cat that sprayed. I nearly fell over when she backed up to my truck tire one day and let go like a fire hose!
Thanks for the info on the “spraying” cats; and, yes, ours is neutered, but still does it. I think it all depends on WHEN they are neutered. The other two males we have were fixed before puberty set in, so don’t do it. The “sprayer” we have now is a stray, so I don’t know what the story is with him. I hope he stops it before winter, because right now I don’t feel comfortable to leave him in the house when we are gone or overnight.
About spraying cats: I had one male cat who was fixed at six months and who sprayed every time our other cat (an old,
peaceful female) walked over what he considered his territory in the house. It was a horrible nuisance, and after a while
the old-lady cat began going to where the
male had sprayed and urinating over that
spot. Then, the old-lady cat died (of natural causes, at the vet’s) and the male
stopped spraying.
Some cats just don’t want to share their
turf. My vet says that cats are hard-wired: they do what they do, and humans just have to adapt.
Better buy lots of baking soda…
I’ve been reading for a while and just had to comment. Today, what forced me out of lurking was the Stephanie Plum talk.
(There’ve been other things accummulating as well.)
I LOVE those books. LOVE them.
Other things:
* I also just recently discovered the wonderfulness that is Rescue Me. Holy hell, that show rocks.
* The Closer–when I saw that you found it recently and love it, it warmed the cockles of my heart.
* A bit ago you made an offhand comment about the movie The Break Up and how you thought that the dynamic between Vaughn and Favreau was more interesting–just thought I’d add that they’ve been friends for ages way before either of them got a break. The movie Swingers is loosely true to their early experiences. Favreau drives me nuts, but I do love me Vince…oh yum.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi and pseudo bond over the multi-media commonalities.
🙂
OK. I have a female cat who used to spray until I went and had her spayed like I should have done in the first place. It was just one of those things that kept getting put off, and since she’s an indoor cat I wasn’t all that worried about it. Then I babysat my parents dog for a week, cat freaked right the heck out and started spraying everying.
Now I love my cat, but it took every ounce of strength I had to not strangle her that week. Dog went home, cat got spayed and all seems to be well.
But if anyone can tell me how to get that tiny, only when it’s humid, can only smell it once every couple weeks, driving me insane cat pee smell out of my couch, well, I will love you forever and be your best friend. And send chocolate.
Robyn,
I am currently on this hummus kick where it’s all I want to eat. I thought I remembered you and Fred snacking on garbanzo beans that had been roasted in the oven. I checked the recipes but couldn’t find anything that looked right. Did I imagine that or don’t you (or maybe it was Fred) have a garbanzo bean recipe snack?
Thanks,
Teresa
Never mind. I found the roasted chick peas recipe.
chick peas = garbanzo beans, my bad.
Thanks
Have you read “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson? Before you attempt Mt. Katahdin you should read it. It is hilarious and written by someone who attempts to do a bunch of hiking despite not having much hiking experience.
I think that for the wonderous once in a lifetime tiger experience, you deserve a lifetime free pass from Fred. Anything “bad” you do, you can now say “But I took you to see the tigers!” and automatically get a reprieve. What do you think??
Robyn,another side effect of losing weight is that you have to tread water while you’re motionless in a pool or lake.
No more bobbing like a cork!
Has your center of gravity changed each time you lost another fifty pounds?
When I lost my chunks of weight many moons ago(now back on)I was always tripping over myself.
It was funny how my arms grew longer as well.
You are an inspiration to us all,girl!
Oh and your ring set IS lovely!
you can use nailpolish remover with acetone (make sure that it has acetone, or it won’t work) in it to remove the glue. that type of glue is the same as is used for fake nails. let it soak for a few minutes and it should just rub off.
I read Icebound, and like you, quite enjoyed the descriptions of life at the South Pole. There’s a piece in it about showering in 2 minutes. So one day after my swim workout I timed myself. If you smear shampoo on your head before you turn on the water, and you pay attention to the essentials (wash as far as possible, then wash possible), you CAN shower in 2 minutes precisely. That said, I rarely test myself, I just get clean 🙂
I just finished reading Rosie’s Thomas’s novel about a female researcher at a research station in Antarctica called Sun At Midnight. Not as good as Icebound, but still sort of fun in a Maeve Binchy feel-good story kind of way.
Cheers!
Hi Robyn! I wondered if you have watched Psych, the new detective comedy on USA. It’s cute. Between that and the Closer, it’s how my husband and I are making it through the summer!
I love the stephanie plum series! This one wasn’t nearly as funny as the earlier ones though.
I have! I have kissed, petted, cuddled both a baby and adult tiger.
It is the MOST awesome thing. Did you get to hear them “purr” or really it is actually more of a rumble. Big kitties are awesome and I am glad you got that experience! 🙂
Tigers! Wow! All of those special guys. I loved that you kissed their heads. We’re headin’ for China and that includes a Panda Sanctuary where we can get up close and personal with a baby. I’m goin’ for a photo of me kissing a little-ha!-Panda Head. Thans for another day-brightener.
Pat
Y’know, some readers think Fred should buy you a purty gold necklace (for your rings) as a thank you gift for all the baby tiger joy. 😉
I LOVE Janet Evanovich. I got 11 last week, read it 1 day, gave it to my dad to read (he always reads the J.E. books right after I do, and we discuss it book-club-like), then the next day, the library called with my reserved copy of 12 Sharp, so I read it the next day, and gave it to Dad yesterday to read.
I kinda-sorta-really love Morelli, but I want Stephanie and Ranger to be together forever. lol