7/2/10 – Friday

Philadelphia area readers:

The Philadelphia-area shelter I volunteer for in a dire situation. A new director is coming in and is going to set a number of cats beyond which any extras will be put down. Right now it is looking like hundreds. Most of these cats are highly adoptable- healthy and friendly. If you or anyone you know is able to adopt or foster for a couple months until the danger has subsided, please contact Cat at cat_hoffman@yahoo.com. I will pay your adoption fee if that is an issue, and drive up to 3 hours (New York, Baltimore, DC) to deliver. There are all colors, ages, and sizes…I know many of them and can help pick out one with the right personality for you. You WILL be saving a life.

Thank you so much!
Cat Hoffman

 

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Go sign this petition!

Gaston County Animal Control’s Director, Reggie Horton, is purposing legislature to stop the shelter’s adoption program and rely entirely on the “gas chamber” to solve the overpopulation problem. It will save the county the enormous sum of $7,000.00 annually. We can not allow this to happen. It is extremely urgent that we get as many signatures as possible. The Board of Commission will have to make a decision before June 30, 2010.

Go here to read more about the topic, and sign the petition. It only takes a few minutes.

 

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©Henry County Care & Control

Henry County in Georgia euthanizes 200 – 300 cats every month.

Every MONTH.

That is an incredible number. Go over to Covered in Cat Hair to find out more about the situation and how you can help.

 

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©Laurie Cinotto

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee is having their annual Dog-A-Thon fundraiser! Click on the picture to make a donation. If you don’t, it will make Charlene Butterbean sad – and you don’t want to make Charlene Butterbean sad, now, DO YOU?

 

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Wednesday, as some of you noticed, marked a year since Mister Boogers died. I told Fred last Fall that Mister Boogers’ death seemed to have kicked of a Year of Suck – first Mister Boogers died, then we had the four kittens who died, and then Fred lost his job.

So it was kind of neat that Fred started his new job – a job that he’s really excited about – on the anniversary of Mister Boogers.

I miss Mister Boogers, still. There are times when Jake or Elwood looks up at me and they look so much like him that it takes my breath away. He would have loved those two (though to be honest, if he had still been around when they showed up, I’m not sure we would have kept Jake and Elwood), and he would have hated and then loved all the fosters who have come through in the past year.

Good ol’ Boogie.

 

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I don’t think I’ve mentioned that Fred and I have started watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix, starring my third husband Kyle Chandler, who I have loved since way back in the Homefront days. We’re a little more than halfway through the first season, and I’ve gotta say, I disapprove HIGHLY of all this underage drinking. Tim, drinking with his brother. Tyra, saying “Let’s get drunk” to her mother. I guess what surprises me is not so much that there IS underage drinking as much as how casual it is. Like, everyone does it and they don’t even attempt to hide it from their parents. What the fuck, I ask you?

But it’s a good show, and I highly recommend it, not that y’all haven’t already been watching it all along because I’m always the last to know about the shows worth watching. Every time we finish an episode, Fred says “I can’t believe what a good show this is!”

Indeed.

So we’ll keep on watching, if only to answer the burning question, the question I ask myself every time Fred hits “play”, the question that makes my heart race and my hopes rise, only to be cruelly dashed in the next instant:

Just when WILL Tim Riggins wash his hair?

(Seriously. That boy looks like he’s got the stank going on. Surely Tyra and Lyla can find a cleaner football player to moon over?)

 

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I have a question about the cats humping/”twitchy”/dominant behavior.

But there is no way in hell I am going to ask it.

If anyone can read my mind, an “Always,” “Sometimes,” or “Never” answer will suffice.

 

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So glad my cats aren’t the only green-bean-freaks in the kittycat world. I have to immediately put a lid on freshly picked green-beans before Zsazsa sees them, or she strews them all over the house. Sometimes I’ll give her one or two to play with. She loooves them.

Before Fred pulled up the pole beans, he went through and picked what was left. Then we put the bowl on the counter, with the intention of occasionally giving the cats green beans to play with. Unfortunately Bolitar – WHO IS A BAD BOY – has figured out how to get up on the counters, and so he’s been having a good time jumping up, getting a green bean, and then running off to play with it. Yesterday, he took two okra pods off the counter, and I have no idea where they are.

He’s a troublesome one, that Bolitar.

 

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Um, Robyn… if y’all ever want a “proper” vacation and need a Crooked Acres sitter, send me an e-mail. For me, that’d be like the best vacation EVER. Kittehs? Yes, plz!

Rousing games of “Do I smell cat pee?” Sure!

I’m totally serious. I might need to come a day or two early to learn ’bout all the farm critters, but I’d be more than willing to study quickly so y’all could go and have a nice relaxing getaway.

You better believe that if I could ever talk Fred into leaving the farm, you’ll be the first call on my list! 🙂

 

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Do your cats check your breath? My cat has a breath inspection every day when I get home from work. She only gets excited if she smells gum though. For some reason she loves to eat minty fresh gum. She will actually dig in my purse looking for it. So strange, these cats.

I actually don’t have any breath-sniffers among our bunch, although when she was a kitten, Miz Poo would practically stick her head in my mouth, sniffing wildly. I know we’ve had a few litters (Phyllis, Dwight and Phyllis come to mind) who were big-time breath sniffers. I wonder if some cats outgrow it, and some never do?

 

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I gotta say, Robyn, that your blog is the best laid-out one that I read. I’ve been checking out a lot of new blogs lately, and most of the bloggers could really take some lessons from you. Yours is easy to navigate, easy to read and excellent photos. Not to mention that you are a charming hoot (but you already knew that).

Why, oh why, do some bloggers insist on putting crappy music on their sites? And you can’t turn it off! If I never hear Music Box Dancer or My Heart Will Go On again in my life, I’ll die a happy old hag.

Awwww, gosh, THANK YOU! I try to make my site pretty easy to navigate (nothing annoys me more than discovering a new site that makes it difficult for you to go back and read old posts), I’m glad you approve.

I don’t know why some people insist on forcing their music upon you – maybe they think the music should be part of the blog-reading experience. If I were going to have mandatory sounds on my blog(s), it would be the sound of many cats purring. Wouldn’t that be soothing?

 

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Hey Robyn, have you ever heard of strawbale gardening? We’ve done it for the past two years and it is awesome. It works really well, and the best part is there is no weeding! Been meaning to mention that to you for a while now, but just finally got around to it. Happy Friday!

I had never heard of it before, actually, but it sounds pretty interesting. Maybe next year, among the raised beds, we should have an experimental straw bale or two!

 

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Has anyone tried Stainerizer to remove cat pee? Sounds like a great product if it works.

I’d never heard of Stainerizer (warning – that site talks to you and can’t be turned off). Readers? Anyone tried it?

 

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OK, I know this is weird, but I had this dream last night that I found 4 kittens in my bookcase. I pull them out, turn to my husband and say, “We have to give them to Robyn and Fred to foster.” Although in the dream, I was worried that this would put you into kitten overload! My subconcious scares me sometimes.

I had a dream that I was driving by a church, and someone pulled out right in front of me, then pulled into a subdivision where I just happened to be going. They swerved over onto a random lawn and started putting kittens out of their car. As fast as they got them out of their car, I grabbed them and put them in mine. I kept saying to myself “Fred is going to KILL me!”

They were all brown tabbies.

And when I woke up, I realized that we live right next door to a church, and I’m wondering if that’s where the dropoffs could be coming from.

 

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Holy moly! I know that you’ve SAID that Elwood was big, but…. I didn’t realize he was quite so, um, ROTUND. Wow.

Who’s the biggest cat you have now, anyway?

The scale reports that Tommy’s the biggest cat at 13.5 pounds. Elwood’s not too far behind, at 12.5 pounds. Sugarbutt’s a couple of ounces heavier than Elwood. And Jake weighs three pounds less than Elwood. No wonder Elwood looks so much bigger than Jake!

 

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I know ‘freezer camp’ is a phrase you use. Maybe another can be ‘it’s time for some chickens to go to the blue coop!’

Ha! Maybe so. 🙂

 

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Joe Bob is so pretty. Is he as soft as he looks?

He really is, he’s soft and silky and just as sweet as he can be.

 

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Do you have a recipe for the refrigerator dill pickles? I looked on the recipe site but either there isn’t one or I’m blind.

I got the recipe from Annie’s Eats. I haven’t tasted them myself, yet, but Fred reports that they “taste like dill-flavored cucumbers”, and gave them two thumbs up, for what it’s worth.

Also, are you watching the NJ Housewives? I finally caught up yesterday and holy jeezus! I thought Danielle could not possibly be more crazy, but I was wrong wrong wrong. She’s a psychotic 14 year old in a 50 year old body. & thank god she got that boob fixed.

Um. EXCUSE ME. Are you saying that someone COOL enough to follow Paris Hilton’s brilliant pretend-to-be-on-the-phone thing is NOT the coolest gal in Jersey?

She is a complete nutball, that one. But unlike Kelly from NYC (who has, I do believe, a serious mental issue), I think Danielle knows exactly what she’s doing. I love how she creates drama where there is none! She drives me nuts, but I have to say, thank god for her. If she wasn’t there to drive the Manzos crazy, the show would be nothing but Ashley pouting around acting like a spoiled brat, Caroline sobbing about her empty nest (with the damn kids STILL LIVING THERE), and Teresa’s girls needing a good, hard smack.

Actually, most of the kids on that show need a long timeout in the corner and a whack with a wooden spoon, if you ask me.

The “ham game” makes me want to punch those kids. Ham isn’t dry! It leaves goo everywhere! It’s NASTY! Stop that shit!

 

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Are your bruises still there?

Two weeks later, my bruises are 99% gone, and my elbow doesn’t hurt at all. I managed to escape with nothing broken this time around, thank god!

Watched the Real Housewives of New Jersey-question for Friday if you watched it-was Teresa stirring the pot? Danielle is a nut case but I think the Manzos handle it better. Do you also watch Watch What Happens? Did you see Danielle sing on it and what did you think?

Teresa was ABSOLUTELY stirring the pot. She had the crazy eyes a-twirling, and come ON – after throwing the table at the end of last season, she thinks it’s “silly” to not make polite conversation? For the love of god.

I did see Danielle sing, and I actually think that unlike Kim (Atlanta) and Luann, she won’t need to be Auto Tuned to within an inch of her life in the final product. She can sing, kind of, and the song was interesting.

Is she a lesbian? I doubt it. I think she’s just trying to get more attention, and has decided that this is the way to go about it.

And someone please stop that woman before she Botoxes again!

 

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A tomato sandwich???

I am unable to determine whether this comment is censure or a request for more information, so I’ll go with the latter.

A tomato sandwich: two pieces of bread, a light layer of mayo, slices of tomato, a sprinkle of salt. Put in mouth, chew, and swallow.

 

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Do you ever have a slug problem? We plant a few squash every year, and the slugs make a tasty treat out of them.

Strangely enough, we don’t have a slug problem, and I’m not sure why. We don’t put down anything to deter the slugs, they just… aren’t there. Now that I said that, watch. Tomorrow morning Fred will go out to check on the garden (“Yep, still there!”), and the slugs will have decimated the squash plants.

 

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Robyn, if you haven’t seen this already, I think you should 🙂

I hadn’t seen that – and I love it!

 

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We’ll be headed out to the adoption center in a few hours, so I can get the Rescuees settled in their cage. Adoption hours take place this evening and again tomorrow, so I’m keeping my fingers VERY crossed that they’re all adopted super-quickly. Y’all keep your fingers crossed, too!

Kittens… and a bucket of squash! Of course. Where else would the bucket of squash be, after all?

Sweet little Lieu.

Gavin, lookin’ smug.

I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I’d rather not know.

Sheila, with a toy in her mouth, fighting with Lieu. Who says kittens can’t multi-task?

Melted kittens. (Garrity in the front, Reacher in the back.)

Don’t Sheila and Reacher look like they could be related?

Sheila, fighting with Bolitar.

Lieu, sound asleep.

And a Rescuees movie, without Lieu. Lieu hadn’t shown up yet when I shot this stuff.

 

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“The heat… is so hot… I am melting… save yourself!”

 

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Previously
2009: No entry.
2008: I envisioned an evening wherein Fred and Trey discussed how Trey’s shrimp was too shrimp-y and then Fred could talk about the organic eggs we bought a few years ago being “too egg-y”, and they could bond like the weirdos they are.
2007: I gave him The Eyes and said “Oh NO you did NOT!”
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: Had I, in fact, ONCE KILLED SOMEONE and the memory was trying to break free into my conscious mind?
2003: “Yeah, I see you, you portly little cat. You don’t scare me!”
2002: Some Eminem lookalike just drove by and put a flyer on my mailbox.
2001: I have the sinking suspicion that we’re going to be homeless by August 1st.
2000: No entry.