Category: CAE

I am having The Organ That Shall Not Be Named removed next Wednesday

coughcoughcoughUTERUScoughcoughcough

and thus I am spending a lot of time sitting around feeling like there’s something I should be doing, but when I try to pin it down, I have no fucking clue what it is. The house is cleanish, the laundry is done, the bills are paid, the checkbook is balanced, and I even cleaned out the worst of my desk drawers yesterday. I’m going to get groceries later today, and will make several dishes that can be frozen so that Fred will have to do very little cooking while I’m recovering from surgery. On Monday I’ll clean the house and make sure we have sufficient supplies of cat food and litter in stock (might require a trip to Sam’s, now that I think about it).

Other than that, I can’t think of a damn thing I need to do. I always get this way when something big is coming up, I get antsy and spazzy and at loose ends. Even when I’m about to go on vacation, I get all “But this desk drawer needs to be organized RIGHT NOW, I don’t care how late I have to stay up and get it done!”

Did you know that That Organ weighs less than a pound? I think it can be bigger and weigh more if it’s been stretched out by having a lot of kids (Michelle Duggar’s must account for half her body weight). Less than a pound. That figures – there go my dreams of having mine out and shrinking to Super Model size.

Stupid That Organ.

You don’t think my appendix thinks I’m talking about it, do you? NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU, APPENDIX. GO BACK TO SLEEP.

Someone who is not blood relation to me highly HIGHLY disapproves of the fact that I am having a partial hysterectomy. This person is fond of lecturing Fred long and loud about how I should NOT have a hysterectomy, that THEY (okay, SHE) could have had a hysterectomy when such-and-such happened, but she insisted on keeping her That Organ, and on and on and onnnnnn. Her disapproval is not assuaged by the fact that I am keeping my cervix and ovaries. She is not swayed from her disapproval by the talk of painful, never-ending periods nor the small fibroid that has taken up residence. She. Does. Not. Approve.

Has she expressed her displeasure (about the removal of an organ that does not concern her in the slightest) directly to me? Why, no. No, she has not. She prefers to lecture Fred at length.

She adores the sound of her own voice.

If she were to confront me about the fact that I am having That Organ removed despite her strong disapproval, I would say:

1. “Not your decision. Doesn’t involve you.”

2. “Not Fred’s decision. Not his That Organ.” (Though I did talk to him at length before I scheduled the operation. I’M NOT A MONSTER.)

3. “And thank you ever so much for believing that I am so goddamn ignorant that I am unable educate myself, weigh my options, and make my own informed decision without your extensive input. Clearly it was a spur-of-the-moment decision and I have no idea how to do research on any subject, ever. Please, please educate me. SHOW ME THE WAY. Obviously I SHOULD have begged for your input, given that in the time I’ve lived here, we’ve exchanged perhaps 1,000 words total.”

UGH.

And that’s all I have to say ’bout that.

 

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Warning about Kindle book prices- I heard a news story on NPR’s Marketplace yesterday that Kindle book prices will likely be going up. Apple cooked up some kind of deal with publishers for the iPad, to the general effect of Apple charging more for ebooks if publishers give their business exclusively to Apple. So now Amazon will have to charge more, too, if they want to keep access to those publishers. Crappy that more competition is resulting in higher prices.

Bastards! All of them!

 

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Oh, and I know you mentioned that you saw Food, Inc. but I can’t remember if you liked it. I was going to rent it yesterday and decided to wait until I knew if you thought it was worth a watch!

Oh, I liked it a lot! I don’t remember anything about it (I’m surprised I remember my name these days), but I know I liked it. A lot! 🙂

 

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I have a question, but you may have addressed it before. What do you scoop your litter boxes into? I have been using plastic grocery bags, but I’d like to stop using them. I just didn’t want to lug a big container (like empty litter pails, which I put the bags into, but I don’t always have one available) into the kitchen twice a day to scoop the two litter boxes, then lug it back to the garage. I’m not really sure there’s another option, though.

I used to buy plastic bags at Sam’s Club in bulk – I think they were 10 gallon bags – reassuring myself that I wasn’t killing the environment AS MUCH because they were smaller than the plastic bags you get at the grocery store, and they’re also a thinner plastic. (Also, less prone to having holes in the bottom. How many times in years past have I wandered through the house scooping litter boxes into grocery store bags, spilling nasty litter all over the place? COUNTLESS times, I assure you!) Recently, I bought biodegradable bags in bulk from eBay (“in bulk” should be my middle name) and have been using them. The upside: biodegradable! The downside: I can’t fit all the litter clumps from 7 litter boxes in one bag. Sometimes, I can’t fit all the litter clumps from 7 litter boxes in TWO bags. So, biodegradable, but I use more of them.

What earth-friendly options are the rest of you using? I’m always interested to hear other suggestions!

 

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Hubby works for Lowe’s. They have a new policy for employees that they ALL must be on the floor helping customers between 10-2 weekdays and 10-5 on weekends. That means no trucks can be unloaded, no forklifts (unless getting something for a customer) etc. My guess is either you went right before those hours and they were all trying to get their back stuff done or you just had a bunch of bad luck that day.

I’m thinking very hard here (can’t you see the smoke?), but I’m 75% sure it was after 10:00. I wonder if perhaps they just don’t get much call for assistance in that area, so the employees were concentrated in other areas of the store.

 

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Go and see Avatar – I loved it and I find it hard to sit still through movies at the best of times.

Pardon me while I guffaw at my hilarity. I love accusing others of being skimmers, maybe because I myself am a skimmer.

We DID go see Avatar, a few days after Christmas. I only mentioned it in passing, though, so I can’t blame you for missing it.

Also, no way is Fred going to leave the ranch for a holiday any time soon! You have zero chance of a trip to Florida!

Oh, I don’t think I have zero chance – especially once the chicken yards are combined and we can worry a little less about the chickens falling prey to marauding raccoons or possums or whatever. I put my odds at, oh, 25%. Maybe 10%. We’ll see! If it comes down to it, I can always take myself to Florida!

 

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How big is that tv, Miz Robyn???

It is… 52 inches? 46? 39? Fuck if I know. I better ask Fred.

I was right the first time – it’s a 52 inch LCD TV. I finally convinced Fred that we needed to replace our 62″ huge-ass piece of shit TV. As a result, Fred whines and moans and complains about how “tiny” the new TV is, but you know what? I can SEE the freakin’ picture on this TV, so I’m happy! When we had the old TV, we rented the most recent Harry Potter movie, but had to turn it off after 10 minutes because the picture was so dark we couldn’t see what the fuck was going on. We rented it again after we got the new TV (AND a Blue-Ray player), and the picture was crisp and clear and easy to see.

As a bonus, the Blue-Ray player will stream Netflix movies. Fred was supposed to get it set up (with a wireless something-or-other) before I have surgery next Wednesday, but I’m not sure he’ll have time.

I guess I’ll just have to content myself with endless episodes of Roseanne and Friends and Sex and the City!

 

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Regarding the smell of canned cat food on hands… I have no idea if this would work, but you know those stainless steel bars (shaped like soap) that are awesome for ridding hands of onion reekage? The package claims it works on other “strong scents” so I wonder if it would help with cat food. A long shot, I think, but maybe…

I need to get one of those bars, because I swear to god I chop an onion just about every day and walk around with Onion Hands, which is ever so pleasant.

 

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Just saw a snip of History Channel’s “Modern Marvels: THE EGG” – some really neat stuff on that show, several kinds of “free range” organic operations, and a cute funny English chicken farmer (in America) at the end. Have you seen this show? If not I thought of you & thought you’d find it interesting. Aigs!

I have not seen that show – but I’m definitely going to check it out! (Though I’m not positive that we get the History Channel.)

 

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Does the doll chime?

When my daughter was a wee one I bought her a pricey, at the time, chiming bird and she would never play with it. Now I’m wondering if she thought it was creepy.

The doll does not chime. Though it does breathe fire and threaten to steal my soul, is that similar?

I kid.

Y’all’s hatred for the doll in yesterday’s comments cracks me up. I kind of like it! Creepy’s not always bad, you know. I’m going to position it facing the front door so that anyone who breaks in will be frightened off by it. Or will have their face chewed off by it, one or the other!

Miz Poo has been spending a LOT of time rubbing her face on the doll. I hope the doll’s not giving her any ideas!

 

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You might answer this on the Friday question day, but I wondered if you were watching the “Real Housewives of OC”?? what do you think of the new girl and her husband. Am I the only one who thinks he is a pompous ass?! I forget their names. She is blonde, they have twin little ones and a nanny.

Oh, INDEED I am! Alexis and Jim is who you’re referring to, and EVERYONE thinks Jim is a pompous ass, believe me. They’re a fairly insufferable couple, the two of them (some sites refer to her as Jesus Barbie, which couldn’t possibly be a better nickname). I can barely stand to look at her, with her humongous fake boobs and humongous fake lips. She’s going to be crippled by back pain within 5 years, if she isn’t already. I thought Jim was a TAD more likable in last week’s episode, when he was trying to help Alexis’ two brain cells figure out how to force Gretchen and Tamra to get along, but still. Alexis and Jim have TWO nannies, yet still poor Alexis must break away and have a few hours of “me” time at the spa every now and then. THANK GOD she’s able to do that, she CLEARLY spends all her other time (when she’s not lunching with friends or working out at the gym or hanging out at the track) just giving and giving and GIVING.

I think the producers must have some sort of stake in making sure that Donn is the ONLY likable husband (or man, really) on that show.

I don’t know why Alexis is so hell-bent on making Gretchen and Tamra make up. The two of them get along perfectly well in social situations, who cares if they secretly loathe each other?

Lynne and her husband are a fucking mess, and I think that if they got their shit together, took the fucking PHONE away from their spoiled little 17 year-old and stopped giving her money, Princess would shape right the fuck up. I have no patience for parents who won’t parent and then whine “Where did we go wrooooong?” My prediction: Lynne will be in rehab before the next season starts.

I have actually felt sorry for Tamra this season, since she’s obviously so deeply unhappy. She needs to stop worrying about what the hell Gretchen is doing, and worry about her own ass. In case you hadn’t heard, Simon has filed for divorce (and good fucking riddance to HIM.)

Vicki doesn’t seem to be around much this season, does she? I know she was slated to have some big blowup with Alexis in last night’s show, but I haven’t watched it yet, so don’t have an opinion on that. I think that almost splitting with Donn last season scared her into realizing she’s got it pretty damn good. Her reaction was super odd when he gave her that ring last week, though, wasn’t it? She almost looked scared as she was opening the box!

I like Gretchen, but she needs to stop laughing like a hyena every time she says something even slightly humorous. Also, do we really NEED another makeup line? Please. Also also, FUCKING LOSE THAT LOSER SLADE. Thank you.

Your thoughts, OC lovers?

 

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So, I emailed the shelter manager yesterday to ask if there was going to be room for Steely Dan and Fagen at the adoption center soon. I’m having surgery next Wednesday (I’m going to be spayed! Well, partially spayed. I bet the vet wouldn’t charge nearly as much as my surgeon. AND I’d get to go home the same day! Too bad the vet has a no-operating-on-humans policy. Or I assume she does, anyway.) and I had hoped to get them settled before then. Not that they’re any problem – they’ve meshed pretty seamlessly with our cats, and if they needed to stay longer, they certainly could. But I won’t be lifting anything heavy for a few weeks, so either they’d need to go soon, or wait ’til I recovered enough to lift them.

(Yes, Fred COULD take them to the adoption center and get them set up, but I prefer to do it myself.)

Anyway, she said she was sure we could figure something out, and then later she emailed me and said that since I was going to Petsmart to scoop litter boxes and make sure all the cages had food and water (I was filling in for the regular Thursday evening volunteer), I could just bring them with me and get them all set up.

So, I did. Those boys went into the carrier very easily, hardly made a peep on the drive to the store, and were mostly curious about what was going on at the store.

I honestly expected that they’d both run into the litter box and hide immediately upon being put into their cage, but they looked around curiously for a long time.

(And then Steely Dan went into the litter box to hide, while Fagen sat in the cage. I rather expected it to be the other way around!)

They’ve both been given very strict instructions to look super cute (NOT a hard job for them) and to get themselves adopted before the weekend is up!

Send happy adoption thoughts this way, would you?

Steely Dan on the couch; Fagen shooting hate rays from between the couches.

Steely Dan: “I don’t know, it’s kind of nice… Our own food and water, litter box, some cool toys…”
Fagen: :::HATE:::

Steely Dan: “I think I’m going to go hide in the litter box.”
Fagen: :::HATE:::

(Fagen was hating because I had just snuggled and kissed him, then removed a few eye boogers from his eye. O the indignity!)

 

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This boy right here? He’s 3 pounds, 7 ounces of pure needy love. You come into the room, you pet him. ONLY him. You try to pet one of his sisters and he WILL NOT HAVE THAT.

Did I mention that these guys are enjoying the heck out of their brand new Ham-Mick?

They really are.

Seriously!

Also comes in handy when the fightin’ urge strikes. You can fight in comfort!

 

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Why so serious? (Jake the lunatic.)

 

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Previously
2009: The volume of a tiny pig squealing is utterly amazing.
2008: At one point I turned around to say something to Sugarbutt, who was sitting by the screen door leading to the back yard, smacking at the cat door, and I saw every single chicken sitting on the back steps, staring expectantly at me, hoping I’d send some food their way.
2007: God. That sounds just like a herd of elephants, I thought.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: I DON’T KNOW YOU, I CAN’T CHAT WITH YOU, PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE.
2003: Pictures found.
2002: That’s just the kind of sucky slacking emailer I am.
2001: You know, if I had ANY self-control at all, I’d wait to buy these books ’til they come out in paperback.
2000: No entry.

I love, love my Kindle – esp for the huge, heavy books. A hint: go to the Kindle books page on Amazon regularly and they always have free books (look under the Kindle bestsellers). A lot of the first books in a mystery and even fantasy series are offered regularly as are other authors – and the classics are always free as their copyrights have expired.

Oh, I stalk the Kindle store every day to see if there’s anything new I can download for free. I just finished reading Suite Scarlett, which I downloaded for free (and enjoyed a lot!). I’ve downloaded other free books as well, including a Jane Austen novel I can’t remember the name of. Pride and Prejudice, I believe. The free downloads are awesome!

 

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Don’t know if you can organize it but you really should not have to have your blood taken that many times in a week. The docs should be able to consolidate what they need and have you go in one time for a draw. Want me to come down there and kick some doc butt?

It really wasn’t the fault of my doctors – I didn’t think far enough ahead to realize I was going to require having so much blood taken in the space of one week. Had I, I would have encouraged communication between the surgeons and the hematologist to see if one session would have gotten all the blood required (and I’m sure my insurance would have appreciated it, too!). I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time! (I’ll keep you in mind for doctor butt-kicking, though, Elaine. I’m sure they need their butts kicked, just on general principle.)

 

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Feb 10 is not that far away. The Uterus seems to have powers though. It got you sick so you could not remove it and therefore kill it. I would try to fool it by saying the wrong date for the surgery, a later date of course, any time you speak about the surgery. Then if you must communicate you could write a note with the date on it. I don’t think Uteri can read.

and

I believe Elaine knows Uteri…I too, suspected this was a plot by your uterus. Go with Elaine’s plan to speak aloud a later date. And for goodness’ sake, if you have to write the actual date down, take no chances! Make sure you’re wearing pants, where the Uterus can’t see, just in case it taught itself to read. 😉

Very VERY good point, Elaine and Jean! The uterus is a wily organ and should not be underestimated. From here on out, when discussing the upcoming surgery, I will say the date in Pig Latin – Ebruaryfay enthtay – as the uterus is known for being unable to speak foreign languages.

 

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How did Fred do in taking care of you while you were sick?

The problem is that when I’m truly sick, all I want is to be left alone. He’s very good at that, coming in to look at me and ask “Are you better yet?” every once in a while, but leaving me alone otherwise. It’s when I’m on the mend that I want to be pampered, and then he knows I’m just lollygagging and rolls his eyes when I weakly say “Could you bring me a drink? I’m so thirsty…” :::dramatic hand to forehead:::

I only asked him to scoop the litter boxes for me once while I was sick (well, one and a half times – the half would be when I didn’t want to haul my ass upstairs and asked him to do the litter boxes up there, and did the downstairs ones myself), and did so uncomplainingly.

He’s not a bad nurse.

 

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Do you have a case for your Kindle and if so, which one? I am trying to figure out what kind I want.

When I ordered the Kindle, I got this case for it because it was the cheapest one I could find. But it’s a pain in the ass sliding the Kindle into the case, especially when you’re at an appointment and they call you back, and you have to fumble with getting it back into the case and zipping it closed.

So I got another case – it looks kind of like this one, but I got mine off eBay, because holy hell are Kindle cases expensive. It’s a lot more convenient than the first case, because you can leave the Kindle in the case, and just open the case like a book. But like I did, I highly recommend you look on eBay for a case, because did I mention those things are expensive?

 

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Robyn, as a fellow WLS patient, I had to laugh my azz off at this comment you made:
“I left the office with enough time to run to McDonald’s and get a cheeseburger, which I ate in the parking lot of my weight loss surgeon’s office building.” What a contradiction in terms – McDonalds cheeseburger/WL surgeon — ROFL. But I totally understand.

I was sitting there eating, and thinking “With my luck, he’s going to walk RIGHT by my car and see me here, eating this crappy cheeseburger and give me shit for it!” He didn’t, though. It’s a big office building, so I got lucky. 🙂

 

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Yogurt is slimy and gross. Gak. I can manage it if I eat the Yoplait Whip kind, but that’s about it. I take acidophalus (sp?) in pill form daily b/c I used to get yeast infections so often. Works like a charm.

Enough people mentioned the acidophilus pills, that I picked up a box of them yesterday and will give them a try!

I did find ONE yogurt I can stomach – Light & Fit Key Lime Pie isn’t bad. I mean, I’ll never CRAVE it, but it’s less yogurty than the other flavors I got.

 

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I always thought it had to be live yogurt for it to counteract the antibiotics potential side effects – is the stuff you take the live one? I hate yogurt too – bleugh!

Yep, you’re supposed to be sure they have “active yogurt cultures including L. Acidophilus”, and Light & Fit yogurt does. Actually, I picked up several different brands to check, and all of them had that listed. I think it’s the norm, these days.

 

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As for the vinegar as a douche; it works like a charm. Only one time and the infection is gone. It is what I use to get rid of a yeast infection; but be fair warned it burns like the dickens. Especially, if the infection is really bad.

That’s what the nurse told me, that it burns like hell but works really well. I’m still going to aim for prevention, just to be on the safe side. I don’t need any burning, if I can possibly avoid it. 🙂

 

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I’ve also heard that cranberry juice works to prevent a yeast infection when on antibiotics.

I’ve never heard that! I’ve heard cranberry juice helps with a urinary tract infection, but hadn’t heard that it works for a yeast infection as well. It’s a miracle juice!

 

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Yogurt suppositories knock out a yeast infection in one night! (As long as it’s plain, unsweetened yogurt.) I’m a nurse and luckily have easy access to many vagina-sized syringes (hee) and I fill one up with yogurt and inject it to do its magic on the yeastie beasties overnight. Pharmacies will give or sell you syringes as well.

This makes me want to go into a pharmacy and bellow “May I have a vagina-sized syringe, if you please!”, just to see the reaction!

 

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Even though we’ve never met, I must really trust you because I swear every time you put up one of those widgets collecting money for kitties, I click! If you weren’t honest, you & Fred could’ve gone to Tahiti by now! 🙂

Hey, Tahiti’s expensive, give us a few year to bilk y’all out of your money to build up enough money to really live it large in Tahiti!

Seriously, though, the reason I always link to the charity who’s raising money for these causes is because I don’t want to have anything to do with handling the money! Let them deal with it, I’ll just point y’all in their direction. 🙂

 

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Steely Dan kinda looks like a furry Mister Boogers.

Indeed he does, down to the white on his chest, and the white paws!

And Fagen looks like Fancypants!

 

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Does the ear in the second picture looked like some photoshopped skull picture to anyone else? Is that weird?

I can kind of see that!

 

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In the comments yesterday, Suzanne (who’s helping with the fundraising for Misty, the kitten who needs surgery for megacolon), said:

Robyn…you have my utmost appreciation for posting Misty’s story for all to see. In less than four days we are almost at goal…thank you for taking the time to spread the word. Between you and your friends, you are going to make one little kitty a very happy and blessed girl…healthy too!! My thanks to everyone who contributed, almost 50 animal lovers…AWESOME!!!!!!! With respect and best wishes to all, Suzanne

But then, later, I got an email from her. It turns out that there was a miscommunication (or lack of communication) from the charity aiding Misty’s owner in raising funds for surgery, and the surgery will cost more than the $1,000 they originally thought. Suzanne said, on the ChipIn page, in part:

So we contacted the vet with the awesome news that we had reached our goal of $1,000…she’s completely in awe that we collected that much in donations in only four days…

But…Uh oh…not so fast…apparently our goal number is so far off!!

The Birmingham vet bill will be closer to $2,000…so we have gone ahead and changed our goal to $2,200 and we will continue to “solicit” donations until we can reach that number.

I am so utterly sorry for any confusion. This is what happens when you are not completely in the loop. I (Suzanne, the fundraising queen) get pulled in by groups and people other than my core volunteer groups (SNAP and Forgotten Felines) and so I don’t talk with the vets on a personal level. I rely on the information given to me by, say, No Greater Love, and it’s leader.

So we thought for a little while yesterday that the goal had been reached, but as it turns out, it hadn’t. The goal has been raised on the ChipIn page, and thus far they’re 55% to goal. So keep spreading the word, if you would.

 

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Awww, look what I found on my memory stick!

That’s Mike, mid-yawn, next to Hydrox, with Gus in the background!

Mike, Hydrox, and Jake, sharing a bed (and doesn’t Jake look thrilled about it!)

It was a nice surprise to unexpectedly see their little faces again!

 

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Yesterday, every time I walked into the foster room and sat down, Fagen made a beeline for my lap. It took coaxing to get him actually up in my lap, but he ended up there every time. Steely Dan would sit up, stretch, look at me, and go back to sleep, but Fagen would roll around in my lap and purr and purr. I told Fred last week that although Steely Dan was the friendlier of the two, I thought that Fagen would end up being more of a lapcat. He clearly wanted so badly to be held, even as he was skittering away from us.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re both still skittish, but it’s nice to see Fagen slowly overcoming his fear to come and get the love he craves!

Chomping on the camera strap.

Atop the cat tree, Steely Dan decides whether coming down for petting is worth it.

Considering.

 

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It’s da Newt. (And thus ends what turned out to be the Week o’ Newt!)

 

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Previously
2009: First time in my life the weight on my driver’s license has been anything but a flat-out lie, believe you me.
2008: If you can’t wander around in your nightgown and parka in the country, where can you?
2007: more than once I got frustrated and called Fred at work and wove an impressive tapestry of profanity that impressed him
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: You don’t actually have to say the words “You’re a dumbass” to get the idea across, and thus when your wife is mad at you later and you so very innocently say “Are you mad about something?” and she says “YOU CALLED ME A DUMBASS!” and you say “I did NOT call you a dumbass!”, you are wrong and she is right and you’d best commence to begging for forgiveness, you fucker.
2003: Little bastard.
2002: I can’t believe I’m FUCKING FALLING DOWN.
2001: No entry.
2000: I apologize for the lameness of this entry.

Challenger’s House is having a raffle! Check out the great prizes above. The drawing will be on Sun December 20th. Tickets are $5 for 1 or $10 for 3 – you can call Challenger’s House (256.420.5995) and buy your raffle tickets that way.

The money, of course, goes to a very good cause!

 

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This will be a quick one – I’ve got a mammogram very early this morning, and then I have errands to run, so I don’t have a lot of time before I have to leave.

 

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I need another mug like I need a hole in the head – I NEVER EVEN USE THE DAMN THINGS! – but I’m having a hard time restraining myself from buying this one. Seriously, is that not adorable? Also, this one.

Must. Resist. First I start buying mugs I won’t use, then I start developing an unnatural attachment to the boxes they came in and then HELLO HOARDERS CAMERA CREW, COME ON IN! WATCH OUT FOR THE 638 CATS!

 

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Desi emailed to let me know that you can get free access to Consumer Reports using a library card. Check it out!

Consumer Reports Online Access for Free.

 

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I am not sure where I got this, but I always thought a Dutch Oven was when you are in bed with your partner and they fart and pull the blankets over your head (Or pull the blankets over your head then fart). Either way, farting was involved.

That would be the alternate, much less fun and much more pungent definition of a Dutch Oven!

 

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Have you tried PW’s chicken spaghetti? It’s the only thing I cook a whole chicken for.

I have not, but I do have a recipe for chicken spaghetti that I made just last weekend (Fred was out of lunches for the upcoming week, so I whipped up a batch of chicken spaghetti, which gave him lunches not only for this week, but next week too! Don’t worry, he freezes them, doesn’t let them get nasty in the fridge). My recipe for chicken spaghetti involves a lot less cheese, no green peppers, and zero pimentos, which are the work of THE DEVIL. Mine also includes black olives, and mushrooms. I’ll try to remember to get mine typed up and posted over at my recipe site one of these days.

 

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Even though I have never thought about purchasing a dutch oven, now all of the sudden I feel like I HAVE to have one. May I be one of your lemmings, Robyn?

Indeed you may. You NEED a dutch oven, you really do!

 

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OK, cook some stew or pot roast or beans in your big pot. Then cook same in a dutch oven, in the oven or on the stovetop. That should convince you that you need one.

Everything seems to cook better in one. Use your big pot for cooking soup or pasta.

P.S. we’re talking cast iron here, right?

Of course it’s cast iron – enamel coated cast iron, so it’s easy to clean, doesn’t need to be seasoned, and yet still a total workout when it’s time to cook! Mine are Lodge Dutch Ovens, and did I mention I LOVE THEM?

 

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Because you gave me a reason to look up the etymology of another idiom, I found this:
http://www.word-detective.com/2007/03/01/champchomp/

I think I knew it was champing, but to be honest, I don’t like it. (As if THAT matters, lol) I don’t even like it now that I know it came from “champion”, because it doesn’t seem to make much sense. This is one of those times I will NOT be sorry to see a word/phrase evolve into the incorrect form.

“Chomping at the bit” does roll off the tongue a lot easier than “Champing at the bit”, doesn’t it?

 

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I’ve lost count — how many felines are y’all taking care of now?

11 of our own + 5 Cookies + 4 Wonkas = 348!

(Or at least that’s how many it feels like we have when they’re all running around the kitchen screaming that they are STARVING! TO! DEATH!)

Which reminds me – last Friday, local reader Jean challenged me to get as many cats in one picture as possible. I guesstimated that 10 in one picture was going to be the max we’d be able to achieve, but imagine my surprise when at snack time one night the kitchen was overrun with cats, and Fred started snapping pictures.

Fifteen!

And yes, I know that #1 is only Newt’s tail, but I’ve decided that it still counts! I’m really, really surprised that we were able to get that many cats in one picture. AND that no one was smacking anyone else, since there’s a LOT of hissing and growling and smacking when they’re waiting for snacks to be doled out.

 

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In the first picture, with the Cookie and the Blues Brother, does the Cookie have ear tufts like a lynx? OMG.

Three of the Cookies have these tufts of hair at the ends of their ears – I don’t know if there’s a particular name for them, but I’ve been calling them “points” – as in “That’s not Orange, Fred, that’s Keebler – see his points?”

The point at the end of Pink’s right ear.

Those two pictures above are Keebler – they show his points quite nicely, don’t they?

The other Cookie with points is Blue, but I didn’t happen to get a picture of hers.

 

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“Awesome” seems to be making a comeback. I thought we lost that with Lionel Ritchie. What I was noticing was people saying Yea Yea Yea instead of simply yes or yea. Being on the receiving end makes it seem like the person is actually irritated with you and is trying to get you to shut up.

I have to admit that I use “awesome” a lot – I picked it up in the 80s and never stopped using it!

That “Yea yea yea” thing drives me nuts – I think people are using it to show that they’re enthused or that they understand what you’re saying, but I always hear it as “Shut up so I can say something much more important and interesting!”

 

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Dead cats? OMG. I watched Hoarders maybe once or twice and I just can’t bear it. Besides the godawful mess these people have created, at least in the ones I saw, they had trouble accepting help to clean it up. Had to look at every single thing. Interrupted whatever progress there was to make sure nothing “important” had been thrown out. It scares me.

I used to watch Clean House sometimes too (muted) and that scared me, too.

But dead cats? Wouldn’t they smell? OMG, the houses already smell don’t they? Ok, officially creeped the eff out now.

People, please skip this if you’re eating.

I think in one of the shows – the one with the cat hoarders – someone explained that the cats die, but there isn’t time for them to start stinking up the place, because THE OTHER CATS START EATING THEM.

Gah.

But yeah, those houses have got to have the most horrific smell to them. One of the hoarding specialists on one of the shows (I don’t remember which – I think it was the guy who lived with his alcoholic father) said that the smell of the house was burning the back of her throat.

I’ve never seen Clean House, but enough people have mentioned it, that I’m going to have no choice but to check it out!

 

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I tend to forget this until I see all of them together, but Keebler (back left of the picture) is much darker than his Meezer sisters. Look how strikingly dark those stripes on his legs are!

Pretty, pretty Hydrox. I love the way his whiskers look so striking against his black fur!

Another shot of Keebler. Look at him, looking so innocent when he was JUST biting that tail right in front of him and making his sister cry!

They are such sweet little monkeys, I can barely stand it!

 

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“Well, hellooooooo, ladies!”

Gus and Veruca, snuggling.

Violet.

Veruca keeps a suspicious eye on Elwood.

All four Wonkas in one bed – and Miz Poo as a bonus!

 

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I can’t help it, this picture makes me laugh and laugh. Sugarbutt slept right through this horrific invasion of his privacy.

 

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Previously
2008: You know how a body at rest wants to stay at rest?
2007: Mister Boogers regarded me
2006: How these cats aren’t the size of Tubby, I will never know.
2005: No entry.
2004: And if I ever get the urge to go shopping at the mall on a Saturday two weeks before Christmas, I’ll lay down until it goes away.
2003: Thank god I’m not famous. I could handle being followed around by the papparazzi, but live interviews on the TV and radio? Fuck THAT.
2002: My favorite Christmas entry, ever. Chock-full of the Bitchypoo Christmas Spirit.
2001: Of course my world revolves around me and the people I care about. And yours revolves around you. Except when it revolves around me.
2000: I think they should hire me to play his girlfriend – the stripper with a heart of gold – because I just love that man right to pieces
1999: No entry.

Vote for Suzanne!!!

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

 

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I was reading a site the other day that led me to another site, that ultimately led me to a site for some special kind of sea salt. The person who’d linked to the sea salt had raved about how excellent and amazing it was, and honestly when it comes to food or food preparation tools, it’s not that hard to get me thinking “I NEED THAT!” So I was reading about this amazing sea salt, and I was seriously thinking about ordering some (I am such a freakin’ lemming), and then I came across a sentence that included the words for the discriminating palate.

I closed the web page.

My palate does not discriminate. I do not have a discerning palate. I have a low-down and dirty pedestrian palate that is attracted to the lowest of the low. Diet Coke. Egg McMuffins. Laffy Taffy.

A few weeks ago, to thank someone for the help they’d given him, Fred ordered a small box of chocolates from his store. They were special, hand-made chocolates that were filled with things like honey from bees exposed only to the Xtabentum Orchid in Central America (I did not make that up). He had nothing that included milk chocolate, because guess who likes milk chocolate and cannot abide the bitterness of dark chocolate?

Me and my pedestrian taste buds.

Of the twelve chocolates he sent, there was only one (Opium: The flavor & aroma without the narcotic) that I liked. Most of them, I just didn’t care for. (The Opium was really good, though – after I ate it, I felt like I’d eaten honeysuckle)

I do believe I’ll stick with Dove chocolates, with the occasional foray into Godiva, thanks.

 

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Okay, recipe-havin’ people. Give me recipes for things to do with cooked, shredded chicken, would you? I made some fabulous Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce last week (a recipe left in my comments – I used flour tortillas, warmed them in the microwave instead of frying them, used cheese only on top of the enchiladas, not inside them, and half as much butter as the recipe calls for), and am planning to make Baked Chimichangas next week. I can always use more suggestions, though – we don’t want to get bored, and we’ve got a LOT of canned chicken.

 

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If you love your dutch oven, please explain to me why it’s better than just a big pot. I always see recipes calling for a dutch oven but I don’t have one and have never used one.

I loved my 6-quart Lodge dutch oven so much that I went and bought a 3-quart dutch oven to use when I don’t need such a big pot!

I love my dutch oven because it heats much quicker and more evenly than my other pots. It’s the perfect size for just about anything I want to use it for. I always use it to make jams and jellies, I boil chickens in it, and at this moment I’ve got black beans soaking in it (I’ll be canning those later). Since I got my dutch oven, I almost never use the big pot I already had.

Everyone else, chime in here – let’s convince Shelly that she needs a dutch oven! 🙂

 

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I watched Four Christmases and Funny People over the weekend…Funny People was the worst movie I have seen in a long time, did not bother to finish it. I have not seen anything I really liked in a while, what are your recent LIKES, REALLY likes, and loves…from this year or years past?

You know, in recent memory the only movie I recall liking (aside from Food, Inc) was Star Trek, which we saw at the theater over the summer. We liked Taken, The Wrestler, Yes Man, Slumdog Millionaire, and Milk. Other than that, I’m truly drawing a blank.

Perennial favorites: Forrest Gump, The Stand (the miniseries), The Shawshank Redemption, When Harry Met Sally, The Bridges of Madison County (it took a couple of viewings before I actually appreciated that one), annnnd… that’s all that comes to mind.

What about you guys? What are YOUR recent and all-time favorite movies?

 

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I swear, you could just about braid that ear floof.

 

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Orange (left) and Blue.

I! HAZ! A! COMPLAINT!

Our front room (one half of which is our living room, and the other half of which goes mostly unused and I’m trying to convince Fred we should turn into another foster kitten room, but I’ve been unsuccessful thus far) gets kind of cold when the weather turns cold, so I have an electric throw on the couch to keep warm. The kittens love to curl up on it whether it’s turned on or not.

Orange, Keebler, and Pink.

Hydrox, Orange, Keebler, and Pink. Blue must have been off doing something important.

 

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Happy Spanky.

 

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Previously
2008: (you’re welcome for that visual)
2007: She’s a force to be reckoned with, that one.
2006: They are NOT OUR CATS. They have owners, damnit, and they’re not us!
2005: No entry.
2004: It is FUCKING cold downstairs in our house.
2003: And then I got the Best Picture EVER Taken.
2002: Fluff? Perhaps. But very entertaining fluff.
2001: “Who’s Robyn?” said the realtor.
2000: “You little bastard!” I yelled, and then ran at him
1999: Through three moves and a name change,
they’ve managed to keep up with me, sending address labels all the way.

Vote for Suzanne!!!

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

 

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FOAM pics of the day.
Food: Dehydrated zucchini slices.
Outside: The Hydrangeas in the front flower bed are happy as can be.
Abstract: Orange (Lorna Doone)’s ear (and part of her head).
Myself: Bonding with a Wonka in the foster kitten room. (I assure you that although it looks like that picture on the wall looks super crooked, it’s completely straight. Something weird with the camera angle, I guess.)

 

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New jam flavor available! This is Painapple-Habanero Jam, and was Fred’s idea. It’s a temporary flavor – I don’t expect demand for pineapple-habanero jam to be overwhelming, so once the jars I’ve got are gone, they won’t be available again.

If you missed it before, there are three other new flavors available, too – Cranberry, Apricot, and Apricot Confetti.

 

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Those of you who advised me on making stock – I still haven’t made any, but I’m getting closer. My question for today is, letting the stock boil will make it cloudy, I know that much. But if I don’t care whether my stock is cloudy, does it matter if I let it boil? Will boiling it do anything bad to the flavor?

 

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For those of you who mentioned clipping the turkeys’ wings in yesterday’s comments, I responded by saying that Fred and I had discussed it, but he was opposed for a reason I couldn’t recall. When he got home, I asked him what the reason was, and he reminded me that it was because the turkeys can actually JUMP to the top of the fence and then jump down, they’ve gotten big and strong enough. So we could clip their wings, but it wouldn’t stop the marauding.

The funny thing is that yesterday, after I posted that entry, the turkeys did not leave their yard at ALL until literally two minutes before Fred got home. Then they all came over the fence and marched toward the driveway, then stopped under the bird feeder (hanging off the Poltergeist tree) to partake of some dropped bird seed.

It was like they knew, in some dim corner of their turkey brains (though of course, we all know that turkeys do not HAVE brains) that it was just about time for Fred to come home, and they wanted to be there to greet him.

Apparently they think they’re puppies.

 

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You know, I love Woot beyond all reason. Every morning, I get all excited and surf to Woot to see what they’re selling, and I just KNOW that this will be the day that they’re selling EXACTLY what I needed (but didn’t know I needed, of course). Usually, whatever they’re selling is interesting, but not really something I need. The next morning, though, I’m not any less excited to see what they’re selling. I’ve actually only bought from there three times (phones, lights for the big coop, and a netbook), but one of these days I’m going to surf over there, and it’s going to be something I really, truly need more than anything on earth.

Maybe tomorrow!

 

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I also have a kitty question – my wonderful feline companion of 9 years died suddenly this week of undiscovered tumors. He died while they were taking the x-rays that showed he was full of them. After sobbing for 36 hours I started reading the website of a local pet shelter and I’m thrilled to say I’m adopting a beautiful Maine Coon cat on Saturday. One of the stipulations in the adoption decree is a guarantee that I will not de-claw him. My cats have always been at least front-declawed, otherwise they rip up the furniture. Do you still use those those claw caps? What do you think about de-clawing? Thanks!

Aww, Kathi, I’m so sorry for your loss!

I’m glad you’re adopting a Maine Coon, those cats are so hideous that it’s hard to find people to adopt them.

I’m kidding, of course! Everyone loves Maine Coons, they are so gorgeous!

As far as declawing, I recommend against it. What a lot of people don’t realize is that in the declawing procedure, it’s not just removing the nails, but actually removes the actual toe bone. It’s really an amputation rather than a simple removal of the claws.

We have gotten horribly lazy and lax about putting the Softpaws nail caps on the cats, actually haven’t done it in several months. But if you keep up with it, it’s a great alternative to declawing. At first the nail caps fall off and need to be replaced every few days (and they don’t all fall off at once, but one or two at a time, so you have to keep an eye on their claws), but after a few weeks, they stay on for longer and longer periods of time, and won’t need to be replaced as often.

(Tip: buy your Softpaws/ Softclaws on eBay; it’s a lot cheaper. Also, it’s fun to experiment with different cap colors! I always enjoyed using pink caps on Tommy’s paw because the pink was offset by his black fur quite nicely. It was pretty!)

If you’re not willing to go the Softpaws route, simply clipping their nails on a regular basis can keep them from tearing up your furniture. Clipping their nails is fairly simple, just use clippers (which you can find at any pet store or even Walmart or Target, I believe) to clip off the end of their claws. You’ll want to watch out for their cuticle (which you can generally see), but if you don’t try to cut them too short, you shouldn’t have a problem.

PS: Send pictures!

 

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Robyn, I just recently purchased the Rota-Dent, but I haven’t used it yet. Can you tell much of a difference when you brush with the Rota-Dent? Do you like it? (I am trying to feel better about spending a chunk of money on a toothbrush.)

Andrea, honestly I don’t notice that much difference, but my dental hygienist swears by it and I am an obedient dental patient (though I still haven’t bought the water pik she insisted I need. YET.). So I use the Rota-Dent in the morning, the Braun in the evening, and the regular toothbrush when I’m feeling too lazy and just want to get ’em brushed and done! 🙂

 

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The lady who had the kittens I babysat last weekend suddenly had to leave town (her father in Texas went into the hospital), and so she turned the kittens over to Challenger’s House.

Well, more specifically, to ME. When the shelter manager told me that the woman had to leave town, I said that I could take them for a few days, if need be, but didn’t have room for them long-term. Yesterday morning, I took possession of them, and I’ll have them until Sunday, when I’ll turn them over to their new (permanent) foster mom.

They’re awfully sweet. The woman who had them told me she’d tried to stretch their feeding time to every 4 hours, but they were losing their little minds at the 3-hour mark, so she’d been feeding them every 3 hours (last week when I babysat them, she had been feeding them every TWO hours). At nearly 3 weeks, I believed they should be able to wait four hours between feeding, and so I determined after their 10 am feeding that I’d wait until 2 to feed them again.

Yeah, right. At 12:30 – 2 1/2 hours after I’d last fed them – they started screaming. And they were not KIDDING, they wanted food RIGHT FREAKIN’ NOW, MAN.

So I fed them at 1. And then at 3:30 I was sitting at my computer (they were in a big carrier in the computer room), and I heard smacking noises, and so I went over to see what was going on.

When they’re this tiny, it’s instinctual for them to search for their mother’s nipple when they’re hungry or just want comfort. In the absence of a mother? They find other things, usually on each other. And that can be a problem, because these tiny kittens suck really hard, and they can cause some serious physical damage to each other. Not to mention that drinking each others’ urine is not a good thing.

After feeding them at 4:00, I separated them, put them in separate carriers, each with their own heating pads (that they could get away from if they got too warm) and warm fuzzy blankets, and each with their own stuffed momma kitty with a beating heart (only, in orange instead of gray. And thank god that I have two of them!). They griped a little bit, but each settled down pretty quickly and didn’t peep again.

I actually had to wake them up at 8:00 to feed them. I stretched their next feeding to 4 1/2 hours later, and they were fine.

I’m guessing that being in the same cage, one would wake up and be hungry, so root around and get the other one riled up, and they’d both start screaming to be fed. With them in separate carriers, they seem to sleep better.

I’ll only keep them separate for a total of a couple of days. Saturday afternoon I’ll put them back together and see how it goes. Usually (so I’ve heard), a couple of days is enough to break the pattern.

The little girl. They’re not named – I’m going to leave naming them up to their foster mother.

The little boy.

Little boy, with milk face.

Boy on the left, girl on the right.

We have located the complainer!

 

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Blue (TimTam). Kind of looks like she has long monkey arms, doesn’t it?

::thlurrrrrrp!::

I’m imagining a Barry White voice, here. “Well, helloooooooo, laydeez!”

 

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Veruca, concerned.

Violet, slurping.

Mike, considering.

I’m starting to think that the ear floof is taking on a life of its own.

 

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Tommy, trotting across the yard for a snuggle.

 

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Previously
2008: “Mom” jeans are okay with me, I’m no fashion plate, believe me.
2007: Are you SHITTING ME?
2006: Meme-licious.
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry.
2003: “I JUST SAID THAT!”
2002: At least it knocked Johnny Poopoopants out of the loop.
2001: How the hell can you cheat on Survivor, for the love o’ god?
2000: Oh, you’re giving us the COT free of charge? Well, let me do a friggin’ happy dance for that!”
1999: No, I’m the same old awful, lazy, horrid person I always was

I am from Austin, TX and this area, like most, is flooded with abandoned and homeless animals. The Centex Humane Society is about 90 minutes north of here near Fort Hood and is one of the only no-kill shelters serving this part of the state. Last week a fire occurred in the middle of the night and over 100 animals (99 were cats) were killed and it destroyed a large part of the building, severely limiting the ability of the shelter to keep animals until they find a forever home. They are really in need of donations to rebuild and get back on their feet.

Read more about the fire and see a picture of the aftermath here and here.

Go read about the Centex Humane Society shelter and donate if you can!

 

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FOAM 5: Food: Eggs, fresh from the coop, just washed. (We don’t usually wash eggs, but these needed it.)
Outside: The Poltergeist tree in the side yard. My favorite tree.
Abstract: The comforter on my bed. I adore it, but it’s getting old and dingey.
Myself: Look, me with a kitten! What a shocker. That’s Orange (Lorna Doone), and we’re hanging out on the bed in the Cookie room.

 

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Hey Robyn-about the water fountain. Do any of your other cats use it to drink from? I am contemplating buying one, only because my cat Basil (who is the spitting image of Sugarbutt) LOVES to drink from the tap in the bathroom. I hate leaving it dripping-he and his brother Monkey get paw prints all over the counter, and then they shake their head and get water spray all over the mirror.

One of my clients told me that her cat won’t even look at it, so i am having second thoughts. (since they go for $40 a pop)

I have two of the Petmate fountains upstairs (one in the foster room, one in the bathroom) and a Drinkwell downstairs in the laundry room near their food. They all get plenty of use. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all our cats use the fountains at various times – some of them drink from the top, where the water comes out, and some of them drink out of the “bowl” part at the bottom.

The fact that your cats like to drink out of the faucet certainly makes me think they’d like the fountains. And hey, think of it this way – if you get it, give it a try, and they don’t like it, you can always sell it on eBay. 🙂

Personally, I prefer the Petmate fountains, because they’re quieter. The Drinkwell, on the other hand, doesn’t need to be filled as often.

We did have a Cat-It fountain for a little while, but Miz Poo was the only one who’d use it, and then I broke the globe when I was cleaning it, and that was it for the Cat-It as far as I was concerned.

 

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So what’s the Crooked Acres opinion on chicken tractors?

I have 4 chickens in a chicken tractor. It was moved over the summer but it’s parked (on top of my former garden site) for winter. They get scratch and kitchen leftovers for entertainment, in addition to chicken feed. You know…they seem happy enough but they are also dumb, dumb animals. 😛

I would like to have a bigger yard for them or free range but I couldn’t be sure of their safety/suffering avoidance that way, either.

Oh, I think chicken tractors are awesome! I’ve tried for the last couple of years to convince Fred to build a few so the chickens could keep down the weeds between the rows of plants in the garden, but he just hasn’t had a chance. My usual gripe with chickens who don’t get space to roam is that they’re generally confined to one small space, they peck all the bugs and grass and weeds up, and then they’re left on this little dirt-covered space. With the chicken tractors, they can be moved so that they get fresh ground and all that healthy greenery and bugs, and I think that’s pretty cool.

 

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not.a.skimmer.swear! I haven’t seen any posts or pics lately about the pigs….. what’s up with that? Are they gone to pig heaven (the butchers?).

No, not yet – the latest two pigs are going to freezer camp at the beginning of December. We’ve opted to go back to the guy who did our second set pigs, because we like the job he did (though we truly don’t have any gripes about the job any of the three places we’ve taken pigs have done), he’s the closest to us, and (most importantly), he’ll process the pigs. The other butchers in this area stop processing anything but deer this time of year; this guy doesn’t do deer at all.

I probably should write about the pigs more often, but I tend to forget to take the camera out to the back forty with me, which is a reason you don’t see a huge number of pictures of the dogs and chickens, too!

 

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Robyn, I was just checking my Twitter feed and Whoorl recommended a site new to her and I wondered if you knew about it? Foodzie is like Etsy but for food. People place their home made food items there to sell. You probably do OK selling stuff directly from your own website but I just thought of you as soon as I saw Whoorl’s recommendation.

Oh, I know about Foodzie – I try to stay away from it, because I’m pretty sure I could spend $200 there without thinking twice. That place makes me DROOL.

The main reason I don’t sell stuff on Foodzie is because I feel kind of, well, outclassed by the sellers there. I mean, look at my jar of jam. Now go look at this fancy shit. I COULD go the fancy route, but I’m not that creative when it comes to that sort of thing and honestly? I don’t got time.

Of course, $4 for mine buys you 8 ounces of jam rather than the 4 ounces you get from them, so there’s that.

 

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Hey. Remember how we weaned the Wonkas and I was all “Yeah, I don’t think I want any more bottle babies” and then God laughed and sent me the Cookies?

Well, we’ve gotten the Cookies mostly weaned (except for that spoiled rotten Pink, who really could be perfectly well weaned by now, but when you’re faced with the Eyes of Hope and “Ba ba? Ba ba?”, only the most heartless person would deny the little princess.) I said to Fred the other day “Oh, thank god, the bottle feeding is now mostly at an end!”

Fred’s even feeding the Cookies when he gets up in the morning and giving Pink her bottle so I don’t have to get up at 4:30 any more! It is GLORIOUS.

So then.

The day before yesterday I was in the kitchen, and the phone rang. I saw by the caller ID that it was the shelter manager.

“Hi,” she said when I answered the phone. “Is this the kitten daycare?”

“Oh, god,” I groaned. “Whaaaaat?”

Two 11 day-old kittens had been abandoned by their mother on this woman’s patio. She wasn’t necessarily looking to get rid of them, she was doing okay with bottle feeding them, but she has a job and can’t take the kittens with her.

Susan reassured me that I didn’t have to, that I could say no, but honestly, I didn’t mind taking them for a few hours. I mean, I get them for the day, I feed and snuggle them and kiss their little faces, and I hand them back over.

AND I don’t have to get up at 4:30 to feed them!

(Seriously, though. God really wants me to have bottle babies in my life, huh?)

She dropped them off yesterday morning, and they ate pretty well, they pottied just fine, and they purred like mad for me. They’re not named, and I don’t know if she’s planning to give them up – she said she was going to try to find a home for them because she travels a lot, but then she said she might get attached to them – but they’re awfully cute.

(I wasn’t able to get good pictures of them this time around, but they’ll be back Saturday, so hopefully then!)

The all-black one (I think it’s a girl, but I didn’t look that closely, so I could be wrong).

The black and white one – definitely a boy.

Mr. Black and White has a ring around his tail. It’s so cute! (I was calling him “Ringo” in my head, of course.)

They’re adorable, but I have to admit – at this age, all they do is eat and sleep and they’re kinda boring. Shhh, don’t tell anyone I said that! They’ll take my Crazy Cat Lady title away!

 

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My poor Wonkas. They had their vaccinations on Wednesday, and all day yesterday when I’d pet them, I’d accidentally pet the injection site, which was still sore, and they’d cry at me, and I’d feel like the most evil person alive.

They forgave me, though. They always do, thank god.

Kitty yoga.

Violet practices her awesome karate moves.

 

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The Cookies are doing well. I put them in the bathroom for a little while yesterday so I could get their room cleaned. Have I mentioned that the way they track food and god knows what else all over the hardwood floors drives me nuts? I finally convinced Fred that we should move the desk out of that room and then put all three litter boxes where the desk was. I vacuumed and mopped the floor, and it looks a million times better in there.

Now that they’re mostly off the bottle (except, of course, for Princess Pink, who’ll give up that bottle when we pry it out of her cold dead paws), we put the kitty condo over next to the bed, so they can climb up on the condo, and then climb up on the bed. They don’t do it when they’re in there alone, but when I go in and lay down on the bed, they about have a shoving match to see who can get up on the bed the fastest.

Pink and Hydrox both require a little help to get up on the bed, but they seem to have no problems getting down.

Did I mention that I weighed Hydrox two days ago and he’s at a pound and a half? He is one solid little guy.

“I HAZ A COMPLAINT!”

“EXCUSE ME HI I HAZ A COMPLAINT AND MY COMPLAINT IS MORE COMPLAINY THAN HERS IS!”

When you mix canned pumpkin with canned kitten food and feed it to light-colored kittens, you inevitably get orange noses.

Is it just me, or does she look strikingly like a Gremlin?

 

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Snoozin’ Spanky.

 

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Previously
2008: (You should imagine that I was swearing at the top of my lungs, this entire time.)
2007: Well, of course. Of course he was in the house. Where else would a squirrel be, after all?
2006: In lieu of an entry today, you get a plea.
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry.
2003: I’m not holding much love for Tubby at the moment, believe you me.
2002: And also, I have short and stubby legs.
2001: I think that our dog thinks she’s a Mexican jumping bean.
2000: In fact, my new motto is going to be “Bitch, whine, moan. Lather, rinse, repeat.”
1999: I would name her Molly.

Foster kitten calendar for 2010 is now up! ————————–>

 

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I was sitting at my desk yesterday evening after dinner. Fred was in the kitchen doing the dishes. He walked into the room, picked up the phone, and started dialing.

“Who are you calling?” I asked.

He shushed me, hung up the phone, and redialed. A moment later, he did it again. And one more time.

“Holy shit,” he said.

“What?”

He shushed me.

“Wow, really?” he said into the phone. He answered a few questions, and then hung up the phone.

Turns out, he won us tickets to go see Momma Mia!

I bet this means we totally don’t win the lottery this week. He used up all our luck winning us tickets. Damnit!

(We’re taking bets on whether we’ll actually be able to stay awake for the entire show, given that it doesn’t start ’til 8.)

 

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Did I mention that we got a driveway alarm a few weeks ago? We did, and man is it NICE. I’m no longer ever surprised by someone coming to the door while I’m off in la-la land staring at my computer. They come down the driveway, the driveway alarm rings, and I get up to peer out the window like the suspicious old lady I am.

It kind of sucks when they park directly in front of the sensor and the alarm goes off 13 million times when they park, then get out, then walk around their car. That doesn’t happen all that often, though, and I really like having the alarm. Yesterday, the alarm ding-donged, and I assumed it was the UPS man dropping off my new headphones (more on that in a minute), so I ignored it. And then the front doorbell rang, and I figured I’d better check to be sure it was the UPS man, and instead found that there was a white car parked in the driveway.

I went to answer the door, and there was a guy standing there, wanting to know if we had any eggs for sale.

It used to really annoy me when people would stop by to see if we had eggs when the sign wasn’t out, but it doesn’t happen all that often, and I’ve gotten kind of used to it.

But anyway, I have a question for y’all – a large number of our egg customers are Hispanic. Fred and I have both noticed that no matter how good their English is (and it’s usually pretty good – if they can’t speak English, they send their kids or grandkids to the door), to a one they seem to avoid the word “dozen.” They’ll ask how much the eggs are, we’ll say “Two dollars a dozen”, and then they’ll request twelve or twenty-four or thirty-six. Or “two packs.” Never ever do they say “dozen”, and I’m curious if anyone has any idea why that is. Babelfish tells me that the Spanish word for dozen is “docena”, and if I weren’t afraid of looking like a poser, I’d tell them dos dólares por docena.

(I’m not sure I’d be pronouncing it right, though. And I’d feel pretty self-conscious about it, since I know zilch in the way of Spanish otherwise.)

 

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Regarding the headphones I was expecting to come via UPS yesterday: last weekend I was going to vacuum the house, so I got out my good noise-canceling headphones because vacuuming the house is BORING and I need to have something to occupy my brain. Keith and the Girl works well in that respect.

So, my good noise-canceling headphones were only giving me sound in one ear, which was annoying. I took off the headphones, looked at the cord, and saw that the cord leading to the left headphone had been chewed nearly all the way through. I asked Fred if there was anything he could do to fix it, and he fiddled around with it for a while before telling me I was out of luck.

I tossed them in the trash and went to boringly vacuum the boring house, and it was very boring.

Then on Tuesday, I was going to make applesauce, and I got my iPod out, and put my backup headphones on, and the fucking things were only broadcasting in one ear. And the fucking cord had been chewed through. And I cursed Jake and Elwood, who yawned at me and went back to sleep.

(I know it’s my own damn fault for leaving the headphones laying around, but GODDAMN CATS. I can’t have ANYTHING NICE AROUND HERE.)

So I ordered new headphones on Amazon. And they arrived yesterday in the late afternoon.

Wasn’t that an exciting story?

 

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Thanks, you guys, for letting me know that pumpkin is in short supply this year. I’m going to hit Walmart and Publix later today, and hopefully between the two of them (and hell, I’ll even enter Piggly Wiggly if I MUST) I’ll find a can or two. My kittens need their pumpkin! I will not be denied, damnit! If I HAVE to, I’ll buy fresh pumpkins and make and can my own. I will!

 

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I was walking out to the back forty last night to check for eggs and toss scratch out to the chickens (and bring George and Gracie their daily treats) when I heard the sound of something hitting the roof of the workshop, which is located next to the maternity chicken yard. I stopped and looked over, and for all the world it looked like a small branch had hit the roof and was rolling to the ground.

Except it didn’t look quite right, so I took another look.

It was a damn squirrel. The nearest tree branch he could have fallen from was at least thirty feet up. I was sure a fall like that would seriously injure, if not kill, him. But he hit the ground, bounced once, and then hopped up onto his feet. He took one look at me (and at the chickens staring at him in surprise) and ran for the fence. He must have tried to climb that fence in six different places before he finally made it over.

This is not the first time I’ve seen a squirrel fall from a tree, but it’s the first time I’ve seen one fall that far. One day last year, Fred heard one hit the bed of his truck, which was parked in the same general area. I guess squirrels must be fairly resilient; I still can’t believe that squirrel wasn’t hurt. I had no idea squirrels spend so much time falling out of trees.

I’m wondering now if perhaps Maxi and Newt aren’t quite the mighty hunters we think they are. Maybe they just hang out under the trees and wait for squirrels to fall into their mouths.

 

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All your cats get vaccines every year? What do they need to get every year? Mine have gotten the ones they get when they are kittens and the 2 rabies shots and that’s it, really, that is it, I never get them any other shots, they also never go back to the vet because they never get sick. My oldest cat died at 17, he had been to the vet 2x, once as a kitten for his shots and once when he had a clogged urinary tract. They are indoor cats though, so that may make a difference.

I had to look at the printout I got from the vet, but this is what Miz Poo got the other day and which all our cats should be getting once a year:

FVRCP: These vaccines include Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR), Calicivirus (C), Panleukemia (P). Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR) and Calicivirus (C) both address specific disease associated with common respiratory infections in cats. Panleukemia, otherwise known as feline distemper, is neither leukemia nor distemper but actually the feline equivalent of parvovirus. This disease, transmitted by feces, bedding, bowls, and other common items, causes cats to shed the lining of their intestines through bloody diarrhea. The mortality rate is 60-90% and there is no cure.

Feline Leukemia Booster: Feline Leukemia is not leukemia, but instead consists of a virus that attacks the immune system. Like FIV, cats do not die from feline leukemia, but instead fall victim to other diseases that, if they had a healthy immune system, would not be a hazard to their health.

Not all cats need the FeLV vaccine. Indoor cats that never venture outside or live with other strictly-indoor cats do not need this vaccine. Although dogs can sometimes bring in the disease, this is not common. Any cat that goes outside or lives with cats that go outside needs to be vaccinated for feline leukemia. This disease is transmitted through saliva and can be transmitted via water and food bowls, grooming, or any moist surface. It can stay active for up to 48 hours on a moist area.

Rabies

Now, the only reason I really want to be sure our cats are up on their shots (and stay up on them) is because (1) Maxi and Newt are outside cats who are allowed inside, and I would absolutely hate it if they brought something inside and got the rest of the cats sick and (2) The fosters we get who haven’t been tested yet. Like I said, we’re careful about washing our hands, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

If we only ever had our cats in the house, and they were all indoor cats, I have a feeling I’d be okay with letting things slide, shot-wise.

 

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Hey! Do you have a rss feed for comments? There are some days I don’t comment but would like to have the comments come to me. I know, I know. You give and give… and we beg for more! 🙂

If you scroll down to the bottom of the entry and click on the number that indicates how many comments there are, it’ll open the comments (or the comment form, I guess). Once that’s open, directly above where it says the number of comments, there’s a link that says “RSS feed.” I’m pretty sure that’s the comments RSS feed, but I can’t guarantee it. Let me know if it doesn’t work for you or you can’t see it, and I’ll… well, I’ll randomly click around and then demand that Fred help me, is what I’ll do. 🙂

 

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Here in Australia, we find pumpkin in the fresh veggie section, I’m always like pumpkin in a can ???? when i read about it. Pumpkin is so nice, steamed or baked are my favorites.

Oh, it’s in the produce section here, too – but I prefer the convenience of popping open a can and mixing it with kitten food rather than having to actually prepare the pumpkin. If it comes down to it, I’ll go buy some fresh pumpkins, cook them, and can them so I’ll have them on hand!

 

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I weighed the Cookies last night, and every one of them is over a pound. Three of them (the girls) were all at exactly 1 pound, 1/2 ounce. Keebler was 1 pound, 1 ounce, and Hydrox was the big guy at 1 pound, 3 ounces.

They’re growing up!

It’s funny, when you look at her, Milano/ Pink looks like she’s noticeably smaller than the others, but apparently not. Maybe she’s just got a big head!

Lorna Doone/ Orange, hanging out on top of the container of baby wipes.

We have this little bitty kitten-sized box in the Cookies room. It was there when the Wonkas were in that room, and they loved to push it around the room. Gus would stand with his front paws on the box and just push it from one side of the room to the other. The Cookies, on the other hand, like to just go into the box and hang out in there. Every now and then I’ll do a head count, realize someone’s missing, and start looking. Most of the time it’s Milano who’s missing, and most of the time it’s because she’s just sitting in the box, staring off into space. I don’t know what she sees, but it’s apparently quite interesting!

Awww, look at who’s a little poser! He totally knows you all have a crush on him, and he’s milking it. Suckers!

“MY GOD IT’S BEEN TEN MINUTES SINCE WE ATE WE ARE STARVING TO DEATH!” Look at Lorna Doone, there, with the determined look on her little face. She’s turning into quite the little climber!

“Hello, SUCKERS. You know you love me. You feed me a bottle and snuggle with me, please?”

Nine times out of ten, when I walk into the room, most of them are snuggled up in this big comfy cat bed.

 

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It’s a big weekend ahead for the Wonkas – tomorrow morning I’m going to let them out into the rest of the upstairs! There’ll be a door (that Fred built) blocking the hallway so that they can only go into my room and the bathroom in addition to their own room, and so that the other cats can’t get to where the Wonkas are. But this means that the amount of space they’ll have will, like, triple. And if they’re anything like every single other foster kitten we’ve had, they’ll end up hanging out on my bed most of the time. They’ll go back into their room at night, but will have the run of the upstairs during the day. I suspect they’ll like it quite a lot!

I don’t know why, but she loves to stand at the back of the water fountain and bend over the top of it, and drink from the top. I keep expecting her to lose her balance and fall in, but it hasn’t happened yet!

“::URRRRRP!:: Oh! ‘Scuse me!”

“Is it nap time?” Indeed it is, little girl. Let’s snuggle up and snooze!

“Who, me? NOTHIN. Just sniffing this fuzz. And maybe eating a beetle. That’s all!”

“Lady? Why you can’t hold that camera straight, ever?”

 

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Miz Poo keeps an eye on Jake and Elwood. She thinks they probably need to be smacked.

 

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Previously
2008: So, the Crooked Acres election results are in!
2007: Goddamn bossy fucking cars.
2006: With a squeak, she fell into the tub and just sat there for a moment with a look that very clearly said “Do you believe this shit?”
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry.
2003: So, Jackie, how’s the weather up there in Vancouver Washington?
2002: My life. So very exciting.
2001: Instead, when the question was posed to him, he looked at me as if I were perhaps mentally deficient.
2000: Have I mentioned that I love that man?
1999: And when you’re not good at something, unless you’re hugely delusional, you pretty much know that you’re not good at it. Even if you don’t know, there’s always someone more than willing to point it out to you.

Vote for Suzanne!

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

 

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I’d ordinarily do a little bit of an entry before the comment-answering begins, but man – there just isn’t shit going on ’round these parts. How about some randomness?

The house is a mess. I vacuumed the downstairs last night for the first time since Sunday, and was appalled at all the crap the Dyson picked up. (And I didn’t even vacuum the guest bedroom! I didn’t want to traumatize the baby kittens.)

I made a batch of Sweet-Hot Habanero sauce last night, and it smelled so good that I think I’m going to make the sauce without habaneros for myself.

Made another batch of Caramel-Apple Jam. It’s so popular, I might have to just keep it as a regular feature on the jam page. I’m going to make Caramel-Apple turnovers again this weekend to use up the partial jars I end up with at the end of each batch. I suspect they will be super tasty.

Took Sugarbutt and two of the Wonkas to the vet. They all got fecals (diarrhea for the kittens, blood in the litter box from Sugarbutt) and none of the fecals turned up anything at all. Had a long discussion with the vet about fleas and how – since here in Alabama the weather pretty much encourages flea growth from April on – the problem isn’t so much that Advantage and Frontline aren’t working, but that the environment (ie, house and yard) needs to be treated to stop them from growing. Did you know that fleas don’t generally hop from animal to animal, that once they set up house on an animal and find it hospitable, they stay there? I had no idea. I thought they were roaming little motherfuckers! Bought some spray from the vet’s office. I haven’t seen a single flea since we treated the Cookies last week, but I’ve gotten paranoid about it. (Tip: If you’re looking for something to spray your house with to discourage fleas, look for something with “insect growth regulator.”)

Motherfucking tiny little ants discovered there was a corn syrup bottle in the cupboard that I hadn’t properly cleaned last time I made seed cakes for the squirrels, and threw a par-tay. I had to empty out the cabinet, scrub it down, and Fred sprayed a trail of ant poison across their trail. I opened the cabinet later that day, and there were dead ants everywhere. It was like the ant version of the opening of The Stand. Two days later, they’re still stomping across the poison and dying, then landing on the counter. I’m wiping up ten to twenty ants several times a day. (Thank god they’re nowhere near the area where I prepare food.) What I want to know is HOW THE HOLY FUCK did they stumble across that corn syrup? What were they LOOKING for? (Corn syrup, apparently!) Do ants just randomly send out scouts all over my kitchen all the time and I simply never notice? At least they were those tiny little ants and not the big juicy ones. Gah, I hate those big ants. They creep me out.

After my bragging yesterday about not being fazed by wasps, one flew at my face yesterday, and I nearly dropped dead of a heart attack.

I got into the car yesterday to go to the vet, and thought “Why does my car smell like MEAT? What the FUCK?” It wasn’t until I got into the car to come home from the vets that I realized it wasn’t meat I was smelling. It was vinegar. I went to Sam’s the other day, picked up a box of two gallon-size jugs of white vinegar, and one of them leaked a bit in the back of my car. (Both bottles are still sitting in my car because it was raining when I got home from Sam’s and I don’t unload the car in the rain except for the stuff that needs to go into the freezer.) I’m not sure why I thought it smelled like meat. At least vinegar doesn’t leave a stink behind.

Every time I type “Sam’s”, I think of Sam’s, and it’s making me crave a sub and a whoopie pie.

Fred came in from the chicken yard yesterday and said “I sure am tired of shitty litter boxes.” He’d come through the laundry room, so I assumed someone had befouled one of the three litter boxes in there. I said, “Oh, sorry. Did someone stink it up in there?” and he went on to rant a little more. Which is when I realized he meant “nest boxes”, not litter boxes. Some of the chickens have taken to sleeping in the nest boxes (they’re not supposed to. Those nest boxes are for egg laying. They’re SUPPOSED to sleep on the roosts like normal chickens.) and left lots of poop behind, which means that after we gather eggs, we have to clean off the poopy ones. I’ve done funner things.

I’ve said the sentence “Did you just wipe your BUTT on me?!” more times in the last week than you could ever imagine. Last night I said it to Mike when we were sitting in with the Wonkas before bed time, and Fred laughed and said “I assure you, I did NOT!”

Tomorrow’s our 11th anniversary. Fred told me last night that for my anniversary present, maybe he’d put a coat of polyurethane on the pantry (which is still sitting out in the garage). I’m hoping maybe the second coat of polyurethane could be my Christmas present, and then for my birthday, perhaps we could move it into the house! A girl can dream.

I am tired of the motherfucking rain. I could use a good year-long drought PLEASE.

 

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LMAO over your 2004 comment…
“In case you were wondering, we are officially Crazy Cat People. We have 8 cat beds in this house and only four cats. How fucked up is that?”

Wanna do a recount?

I recall that wayyyyy back when we got Spanky (he’s 13 now!), Fred fretted about how many cats we had – and we only had three. Then we went up to four and we were all “This is SO many cats! How can people LIVE with more cats than this?!” I refuse to say that we’ll never get any more cats, because every time I say that, we end up with like 3 more.

One day I’ll get up and go through the house and count cat beds. But I’m a little afraid to find out how many we have.

 

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Love the cookie names for the new little guys, so cute. Have you ever used candy bar names?
I’m the momma of “Snickers Nelson” and he suggests you sometime in the future use these:

Snickers – Baby Ruth – Starburst – Skittles – Tootsie – Gum drop – jelly bean – Kit Kat – Hershey – Gum Drop

I’ve never personally used candy bar names, but I’m pretty sure Snickers and Twix have been used by the shelter in the past. I’ll save the rest of those names for a future litter, though. I really like the idea of naming a cat “Kit Kat”!

 

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How much do I love it that 1999’s entry is Why We Don’t Need Another Cat, by Fred. Har!

and

I noticed the same thing! I went back and read Fred’s letter….Fred, what say you now about those reasons you listed 10 years ago???

I haven’t even discussed this with Fred, but I think his answer would be along the lines of “Shut up.” 🙂

 

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Jake and Elwood are so cute. I am not sure what you call it… the rounded part that sticks out with their nose and mouth… the muzzle?!?!? but theirs look especially pronounced. Is it bigger and rounder than most or is just the way they look in pictures?

It should not surprise you that I subscribe to Cat Fancy magazine, and in just the past few days I was reading a back issue, and discovered that that part of their face is called the “whisker pad.” Makes sense, doesn’t it?

I think that their whisker pads are definitely more rounded than the average cat’s whisker pads, especially Jake’s. That’s what makes him look like such a lunatic, I suspect!

 

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You must be the champion of all bottle-feeders! I’ve done that for 5 different kittens in my life & I’m not very successful. If I ever get one again, I’m calling you!

Oh, let me tell you. When they refuse to latch on to the nipple and just bite at it and then act like they’re starving, it is SO frustrating. The Cookies are the first batch that nursed properly (though the Wonkas got it after a few days) and now it’s a crapshoot as to whether they’ll latch on and nurse or just bite the nipple. We’ve started trying to get them to eat food, but they couldn’t be less interested. I shoved a bit of food in Hydrox’s mouth yesterday and he made the MOST disgusted little face. I love it when kittens make the disgusted face, it’s so exaggerated.

 

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And something I’ve been drifting back to over and over in the last few weeks, so what the hell… I just hope this comes off in the spirit in which it is intended and not as an assy question. (Remember: I was traumatized by kitten-in-pain dreams last night! Go easy on me!)

I didn’t read you for very long prior to your move to Crooked Acres, so I don’t know what your eating/cooking/food/activity habits were like then. But I am constantly amazed now to read about all the cooking and various types of food prep you do – canning, freezing, etc. (My hand to God, I thought about making toast for breakfast the other morning but it was just too much work. You made homemade jam before breakfast. That broke my brain.) And then of course there’s all the activity and exertion that comes with managing the various animals and grounds – sloppin’ the hogs, feeding the chickens, fighting off the turkeys, herding the cats, all that.

Meanwhile, one of the doctors I work for has just talked a patient out of having weight reduction surgery because – in addition to her having several existing medical conditions which make her a bad candidate for any kind of surgery – he said that there are some indicators that it’s not the permanent fix that people think it will be, that five or more years after surgery a lot of people have regained a significant percentage of the weight they lost.

Now, I don’t know whether or not that’s true, but its accuracy is irrelevant to what I’m thinking about. Which is this: Do you think, if you had moved to Crooked Acres without having had the WLS, that your new lifestyle would have resulted in significant weight loss over time, and the maintenance of that weight loss? Or do you think that you wouldn’t be able to do the things you do now without having lost the weight in the first place? (Or something completely different..?)

I often think that if I could change one or two habits, that would make me healthier enough to then change one or two more, and then… – but I wonder, in your particular case, which you think is more of a cause and which is more an effect – or if you think there’s a cause/effect thing at all.

This is what I think – I think that if I’d still weighed 300 or more pounds when we bought this house, there’s no way I could have physically done all I’ve done over the past three years. I wouldn’t have felt safe standing on a ladder, I don’t think I could have painted all those rooms and all that trim, I don’t know that I could have mowed the yard with the push mower. I think I would have attempted all that, but my size was literally holding me back from everything I wanted to do.

That said, I should point out that most of the hog-slopping, chicken-feeding, and turkey-wrangling is done by Fred. I don’t feel like I lead a particularly active life, but I do think it’s more active than it was before we moved here.

Really, I don’t know – I don’t think that the lifestyle change would have led to significant weight loss, but who knows?

 

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Oh! thought I’d remind you, tonight on Bravo is the Atlanta Housewives reunion, suppose to be lots of screaming and drama drama drama….Which one of the housewives shows do you like the best ?

I double-checked, but my DVR was actually set up to tape the reunion, so I’ll be watching that later today!

I have a soft spot for the O.C. Housewives, though I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a better show or just because they’ve been around so long. In second place would be New York, and the New Jersey ladies are in third place. I don’t think that Atlanta is that interesting, frankly – I’ve fast forwarded through most of Nene’s “Who’s my daddy?” story because I find it BO.RING. I’ve also fast forwarded through most of Lisa’s as well, because her “Who’s your teammate? I’m your teammate!” shtick gets on my nerves. I’ve gotta say, Kandi and Kim have been the most interesting this year. I hope Kandi’s around for the next season – she’s the only one on that show who’s not a complete idiot.

 

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Mike and Violet are suffering from diarrhea, I’m sad to report. I took them to the vet to have a fecal test done, and they didn’t find anything at all. I’ve started them on Slippery Elm and Forti-Flora, and if they’re not better by Monday, back they’ll go. I’m hoping that if things aren’t better by Monday, I can get a good fecal sample here and run it up to the vet, rather than having to put the babies through that trauma again.

Not fond of having a fecal sample taken, to say the least. Can’t say as I blame them!

Such a little worrywart.

Gus, contemplative.

 

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Yesterday, after my run to the vet and back, I was eating breakfast, and I suddenly heard the Cookies get especially vocal. It sounded like there might be a problem, so I went and cracked the door to the Cookie room open, and saw the kittens in their cage just sitting there howling. But… there didn’t seem to be quite enough kittens in the cage. I did a quick count, realized that one was missing, and stepped into the room.

Skipping across the floor, super proud of himself, was Keebler. As it turns out, the Cookies are still small enough to squeeze through the cage bars. It’s a tight fit, but a determined kitten can do surprising things, and it appears Keebler had decided he had places to go.

I immediately became worried that one of them would try to squeeze through the cage and get stuck, or they’d change their minds and try to pull their heads back through the cage, and their head would pop clean off and go bouncing across the floor, spilling marshmallow fluff all over the place.

So we’ve started leaving the cage door open. At bedtime we did put them in the cage just because I feel safer with them contained (like they’ll be safer, I should say. Not that their wandering around the room at night somehow threatens my well-being. Just my sanity!) Most of the time, once we leave the room, they eventually end up back in the cage, curled up and sound asleep. When I go in there, they all spill out of the cage and come howling at me.

It’s rough to try to feed one kitten at a time when the other four are crawling all over you, trying to steal the bottle from whoever’s being fed, and clawing at your hand because they are STARVING. I solved that issue by taking them one at a time up onto the bed. The other kittens can’t get up onto the bed, so it works out pretty well.

I bought this Snuggle Kittie last year when it was half-price at Petsmart. It’s got a little “heart” that runs off two watch batteries that fits into a pocket on the bottom of the cat and sounds like (or is supposed to sound like) a mother’s heart beat. I figured sooner or later I’d have kittens who were small enough to appreciate it. The Wonkas were completely uninterested in it, except for Gus, who used it as a bed. The Cookies, on the other hand, loved it immediately. They snuggle up to it every night – in fact, when we first got them, they’d nuzzle up to the Snuggle Kittie, need on it, and purr like mad. It’s a little sad, actually, but also very sweet. Every now and then one or the other of the kittens will flop across it and it’s so cute I can barely stand it.

Pink’s a loner. She spends a lot of time off by herself (though when I’m in the room, she seems happiest curled up in my lap). Everyone else was sleeping in the cage, but Pink was curled up on this cat bed in the middle of the floor. She needs her space, that one.

“Um, hey… Someone said there’s a bottle around here?”

Hydrox sometimes sleeps with his eyes open and it CREEPS ME OUT.

“Uh, hi. Did you say there was a bottle up here? Because I could use one. RIGHT NOW.”

 

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I love it that even when they’re all grown up, Tommy and Sugarbutt still snuggle from time to time.

 

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Previously
2008: Hint: throwing extra adjectives into a book summary doesn’t actually make it sound more interesting.
2007: “Jesus christ, LENNY. I’m not going to PET THE DEAD SQUIRREL.”
2006: Isn’t it nice that I named cats that aren’t mine?
2005: No entry.
2004: List of fives.
2003: (Also, Nance called me “nice.” That bitch!)
2002: But I don’t guess that introspection is the forte of that particular diva.
2001: Who tells stories about you?
2000: This morning, red and goopy.
1999: (Side note: I did nothing, and that just pisses me off. I wish I could go back and smack the shit out of that jerk. I hope his life is hellish).

Vote for me! Please?

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

(It’s to become a 6-month paid blogger for SAM-e. Details are here.)

Thank you all for your votes! 🙂

 

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The lamp in the guest bedroom has been dying a slow death over the past few weeks, probably because it’s gotten more use in the past month than since we bought this house. First the Wonkas were in there, and now the Cookies. Finally, a few days ago Fred tried to turn it on, and it wouldn’t turn on. He took it apart and peered at it, and declared it dead.

So I stopped by TJ Maxx to see what they had in stock, and they didn’t have the brushed bronze look that most of our lamps in the house have, but I saw a silver lamp that seemed like it would do. And $25 is a pretty good price for a brand new lamp.

I bought it and brought it home, and then finally got around to setting it up in the guest bedroom yesterday.

And it is hideous. It wasn’t until last night when we were feeding the babies and I glanced over to see the lamp sitting there that I realized just how hideous it is.

We’ll be getting a new lamp for that room soon, believe you me.

(Here’s where I’d put a picture as proof of its hideousness, but I forgot to snap a picture, and the babies just got put back down after a lengthy feeding-and-bathing session and I am NOT going in there and risking waking them up and setting off the howling. You’ll just have to take my word for it.)

 

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My goal this weekend is to get pictures chosen and uploaded, and calendars for 2010 created.

 

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By popular vote, the Comment! Answering! Extravaganza! lives on.

If you win the Sam-E blog contest, will you have to stop using the word Fuck? Will it have to be a nicey nice blog?

I don’t know if I would like that. It’s so funny when you say it. (I’m still voting for you everyday.)

HELL no – this site will still be up and running. I’d do a separate entry for SAM-e that was all sunshine and kittens. (Not that I honestly expect to win.

 

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After you are done bottlefeeding the new batch, do you give them back to the neighbor or you taking them to Challenger house? And how the heck does everyone know you foster kittens? Someone put up a sign?

They’re now officially Challenger’s House kittens (I had to check with the shelter manager to be sure it was okay), so we’ll foster them ’til they’re ready to be adopted.

I don’t know how everyone knows we foster, but I think that maybe Fred told this neighbor way back when we took Maxi’s kittens and fostered them for Challenger’s House, and she remembered. Or maybe she just knows that we’re crazy cat people and that I don’t work, and hoped we could help out!

 

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I’ve lost track…how many cats are in the house now? When I die I want to be reincarnated as an Anderson kitty…

and

If my math skills are correct, there are 22 kittehs now! 21-4=17 17+5=22 😀

::Sigh:: You are correct. Our previous high of 21 has now been bested. I’d really like it if we didn’t get any higher than that in the future, BUT I AM NOT SAYING NEVER (because that’ll just come back to bite me in the ass!)

 

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Since you are the kitteh whisperer I have some questions about transitioning an outdoor kitten (7 months) into an indoor kitten. My parents are about to attempt this. Litter training is the big question at hand. Do Newt and Maxi use the box, or do they go outside? Did you have to “teach” them about the litterbox, or did you put them in it and they just got it? I told my mom to go w/scoopable litter cuz I thought it would feel more like outside. Ugh, I’ve been out of vet med for 11 yrs. and my brain is empty! I’m afraid they’ll never be able to convince him that he’s inside only. Looking for any and all recommendations.

Maxi and Newt pretty much got the litterbox immediately – we put them in it, and they knew exactly what it was and what to do. I think it’s instinctual for most cats who are old enough (and at 7 months old, their cat is certainly old enough). I’d say put him in the litter box, and if he looks confused, take his front paws and show him how to scratch around in the litter. I bet he gets it pretty quickly, though.

 

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Do you have any idea what happened to that young woman Bonnie — formerly of Bontasia, then she had a blog that I think was called This Will Fall Away or something like that? There hasn’t been an entry there for a year or so and the last entry there was rather a disturbing one. I sincerely hope she’s okay.

I haven’t heard a thing from Bonnie, and I don’t know how to get in touch with her. I hope she’s okay, too! Anyone out there know anything??

 

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How exactly do you have to “stimulate” them to pee? Rub their lower abdomen?

You rub their hind end with a paper towel. Works like a charm!

 

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We had a darling cat hanging around my house and the more time she came back the fatter she looked. I let her in one day and sure enough she was pregnant Thank goodness she was okay with staying inside and she and my calico got along perfectly. She has now had the babies in my closet but now I don’t know what to do with them. She had three beautiful babies and I can’t keep them. I know they are not ready to go to homes until they are 10-12 weeks? just guessing on that but then what? My husband love cats but not four more and of course the momma isn’t spade and I don’t know what to do or who to call. If you have any readers in St. Louis that would like to adapt an adorable kitten in time for a Christmas present would you send them to me? I am in awe of you and all you do for the kitties but my babies are only three days old and I’m already attached. Anyways, any suggestions for me would be great and helpful Thanks and sorry for the rambling!

Robin, if you want to send me some pictures, I can put your whole story at the top of one of my posts so everyone will see it – and even if no readers in your area want to adopt, they may have suggestions for you! (And yes, 10 – 12 weeks sounds about right.)

 

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I was also at the doctor’s office yesterday. There was a poor woman who waited over FIVE HOURS to speak with a doctor. She didn’t have an appointment–they were trying to squeeze her in. She was FAR more patient and tolerant than I would have been. After a couple of hours, I would have made a huge stink!

This reminds me of a few years ago – I think it was my six-month follow-up appointment with my weight loss surgeon, so it would have been August 2006. I waited for over an hour to see the doctor, and when it had been an hour and ten minutes and the doctor was nowhere to be seen, I went to the front desk and asked to reschedule, because I wanted to get the fuck out of there (though I told them I had an appointment). That lit a fire under the doctor’s ass, and he came in and was a condescending douchebag, and ultimately declared that I needed to have my gallbladder out.

(I still don’t honestly believe I needed to have it out, but that’s neither here nor there. And speaking of my weight loss surgeon, if anyone asked if I’d recommend him, I absolutely would. He does good work. But I’d be sure to caveat the recommendation with “But he has less personality than Jon ‘Douchebag’ Gosselin.”)

 

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How do you tell Jake and Elwood apart?

I tried to get some good pictures of Jake and Elwood so I could really show the differences, but the little brats wouldn’t cooperate, so here – here’s the very first picture I ever took of them.

Elwood’s on the left, Jake’s on the right. Elwood’s eyes are just the slightest bit darker than Jake’s, though to be honest I can’t tell unless they’re right next to each other. Jake’s cheeks are rounder, and as a result, when he looks at you a certain way, he looks like he’s mentally unhinged.

Elwood’s tail is shorter and thicker; Jake’s tail is long and thin.

Fred says Elwood is heavier than Jake, but I can’t say that I’ve noticed that at all.

If you see a gray cat and touch him, and he immediately starts purring, that’s Elwood. (Jake purrs, but he takes some convincing.) If you’re minding your own business and a gray cat comes along, purring, and rubs up against you and tries to herd you in a certain direction, or climbs into your lap and rubs his face against you, that’s Elwood. If he looks at you and tells you to go fuck yourself, that’s Jake.

Half the time when I label a picture as being either Jake or Elwood, it’s just a guess on my part.

And on another note, Jake and Elwood are the least finicky eaters I have ever seen in my entire life. They will eat ANYTHING. I’ve never seen them refuse any kind of food at all.

Last week I was sitting at my desk eating dinner, and Elwood came along to lick my plate when I was done (yes, I let him do that, and yes, it’s not a great habit, but it’s not like I let him eat off the plate WITH me. Yet.) I just happened to realize, as he leaned down to take a bite of leftover squash casserole that it had onion in it, and I gasped loudly and said “Oh buddy, no, you can’t have that!”, and my gasp and exclamation startled him so badly that it scared a fart out of him, and then he ran off, leaving the stench behind.

 

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By the way, have you (or any of your readers) read The Gargoyle? I’d like to get someone else’s feedback on that one. I had a serious love/hate thing with both the author and the main character, and I still can’t decide how I felt about it overall.

I haven’t read it – but I went and read the summary on Amazon, and it looks kind of interesting!

Anyone else out there read it and have an opinion?

 

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Holy crap. Meezer mixes and a tuxie. I could just plotz.

Embarrassing confession time: it was literally IN THE LAST WEEK that I realized “meezer” = “siamese.” Before that, I’d seen the word, but just thought it was a bastardization of “mouser.”

::blush::

 

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Dear God:

Why, when I say “I’d like to not have any more bottle babies” do you laugh and immediately send me more of them, BUT when I say “I’d like to see more poop”, you grant my request? Could we have some CONSISTENCY, please?

Sincerely,

Robyn

There’s poop. There’s plenty of poop. These kittens? Champions of the pooping. Which would be great if they only pooped when I was stimulating them before or after mealtime, but they specialize in ninja pooping. I’ll walk through the room, and all will be clean in the cage, and then I’ll get to the door of the room and turn around to look at the sweet sleeping babies, to find that in the three seconds my back was turned, two of them pooped in opposite corners of the cage, and the other three tromped through it.

I’m getting somewhat decent at giving wee babies baths. They don’t like the bathing, but they enjoy the cuddling afterward – and they forgive pretty quickly.

I love how well this batch of kittens eats – most of the time, they latch on immediately, and eat until they’re full. It’s nice to not have to dribble formula into their mouths and wait for them to swallow, or squeeze the bottle slowly while they swallow.

My favorite thing in the world is when they latch onto the bottle and their ears start wiggling. I’ve got to get a movie of that, because it’s so cute, and I know these guys will be eating on their own before I know it!

Please note that the sides of the bottle are sucked in because he’s got such suction going on. We have to occasionally pull the bottle out of his mouth to break the suction so he can get more food in his mouth. Hydrox is the super-champion eater.

Orange (I think she’s going to be Lorna Doone. I’ll be assigning names this weekend.) I adore that thousand-yard stare they get when they’re really eating well.

Orange WILL NOT eat while laying on her belly. She MUST be standing up, this is the position she prefers, and don’t you try to convince her otherwise!

 

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Mike’s sweet little face just KILLS ME DEAD.

I don’t remember what he was looking at, but it must have been quite something!

 

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Previously
2008: He’ll tell you that he “let” me get Kara, but the truth is that he always loves the female cats with the intense eyes and I’d say that he probably wanted her even more than I did.
2007: Bless his fluffy little head, he’s not the brains of the outfit, for sure.
2006: “I don’t know, babe,” I said finally, hoping he wouldn’t go through another four or five possibilities. “It’s a fascinating mystery.”
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry.
2003: I believe that might be a personal record, right there.
2002: My poor baby.
2001: it’s MY journal and I’ll exaggerate if I want to.
2000: No entry.
1999: Why we don’t need another cat, by Fred

Vote for me! Please?

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

(It’s to become a 6-month paid blogger for SAM-e. Details are here.)

Thank you all for your votes! 🙂

 

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We like costco ground meat a lot. Higher quality and lower price than the chain grocery stores. How was their price on kitty litter compared to Sam’s?

I actually don’t know, because the only kind of litter I use is Fresh Step (the dust is a killer, but it clumps really well), and once I’d checked to be sure they don’t carry it, I didn’t even check the price on the litter they do carry.

(I feel very Vincent Vega, with that answer. “I don’t know. I didn’t go into Burger King.”)

 

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For the non cat owners, what is FIV?

Via Wikipedia: Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus that affects domesticated housecats worldwide and is the causative agent of feline AIDS. Approximately 11% of cats worldwide, and about 2.5% of cats in the USA, are infected with FIV.

(If I ever slip and say “HIV” instead of “FIV”, please point that out to me so I can correct it. My brain keeps trying to get me to say “HIV.”)

From the reading I’ve done online, it’s unusual (though not impossible) for kittens to get FIV from their mother, so I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they come up negative with their second test in 53 days.

Unlike Feline Leukemia, which can be spread through casual contact, FIV doesn’t spread as easily and FIV+ cats can often be integrated into a household with FIV- cats with no issues.

A vigilant pet owner who treats secondary infections can assist an infected cat to live a reasonably long life. (Via Wikipedia)

 

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I’m wondering… do you vaccinate your permanent cats for FIV? For many years, our cats were strictly indoor-only, so we didn’t get any vaccinations (no risk, so no benefit). But we recently moved to a house on a road with very little traffic and a nice fenced back-yard, so the cats have started spending time outside (they LOVE it, by the way, and I feel terribly guilty that we couldn’t let them outside for so long). We did the standard rabies and combo vaccines (distemper and whatnot), and also decided to do FIV. There are lots of wandering neighborhood cats, and FIV is so easy to spread, we didn’t want to take a risk. With your cats being outside, but maybe not so many neighbor cats to interact with…. what do you think of the FIV vaccine? Worth it? No? And even if all the other cats were vaccinated, would you still want to keep a confirmed FIV+ cat away from them? (vaccine not being 100% preventative)

Except for Maxi and Newt, none of our cats come into contact with any cats who wander through the property (I’ve never seen any strange cats come into the back yard, and our cats are kept inside at night – again, except for Maxi and Newt.). We’ve considered vaccinating those two for FIV, but if they were ever caught by animal control and tested for FIV, they’d come up positive because of the vaccination, and would likely be put down.

FIV, from what I’ve read online, is not that easily spreadable – it requires deep bite wounds and scratches, where the infected cat’s saliva enters the other cat’s bloodstream (again, via Wikipedia), and I’ve read of cases where people integrated FIV+ cats into a household with FIV- cats with no issues.

(I’ve also read that neutering male cats can help to lessen the spread of FIV, as neutered males aren’t as territorial. If you go by our cats, I’d have to agree with that – the most aggressive cats in our house are Maxi and Kara. How do I get THEM neutered, can someone tell me please??)

 

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I am shocked you don’t watch Food Network! It’s like a default channel for background noise. Sometimes I learn something worthwhile, mostly I get annoyed, but it’s better than ESPN.

I don’t even know if we get Food Network. And I don’t really leave the TV on for background noise – we only have one TV (I know! It’s like we’re living in the freakin’ Dark Ages!) and it’s on the other end of the house from where I spend most of my time during the day. I listen to the radio for background noise!

 

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Did you always tell your younger sister tall tales? I’m the oldest of five-the sister and brother closest in age to me I teased, fought with- a lot of sibling rivalry. The baby brother (8 yrs younger) and sister (11 yrs younger) I teased a little but mostly adored and protected like a second mother.

No, not really – I seem to recall telling her once that I was adopted (how dorky is that?!), but that’s all I can recall. I’m sure she’ll correct me if I’m wrong!

 

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The big question is – did you leave the towels up there then forever since the cats like them so much? And Now I’m thinking you probably need to add flour sack towels to your list of things to buy since you don’t have any to actually use. I understand this concept, this is why we end up with tissue paper and boxes left out for weeks – because the kitties like ’em.

Oh, that pile of towels is still up there. Every once in a while if there’s no cat up there, I’ll pull out a towel or two. The pile is slowly diminishing, but I suppose that if I want to get all my towels, I need to put a cat bed up there for them to lay on instead!

 

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We are moving to a house with a bay window and I will need to get cat beds. Do your cats favor one kind over another? (Right now our tabby will sleep on anything but always chooses to sleep on the thing you most don’t want furred up. Our Siamese gets annoyed that we are taking up so much room in HIS bed.)

My cats aren’t terribly picky – it’s really about location; if I put a bed on my desk, they’ll eventually end up in it, no matter what it’s like. They really like the round Berber Faux Sheepskin beds, like this.

Also, I have these square beds with high sides that I picked up at Big Lots.

And they like them. They’re also fond of cushy beds with high sides.

But if I had to recommend one, it’d be a faux sheepskin bed – they come in small (like at the Petsmart link) or they come in a larger size, which you might have to venture over to the dog section to find.

 

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I just looked through your virtual tour of your houses. The first tour was so different! The Spud had toys all over her room, Miz Poo (who you referred to as “the kitten” followed you everywhere, AND there was a picture of “4 of the 5 cats.” !!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

HA – I can’t believe there was a time when we only had FIVE cats. And I’m sure I regularly said “I can’t believe we have FIVE cats. That’s so many! We’ll never have more than that!”

For those of you who don’t look over at the sidebar, there’s a link (to the right) that says “Virtual House Tour”, and it’s got tours of all three houses we’ve lived in since I started this journal ten (!) years ago.

Man, I can’t believe we used to have a cookie jar collection.

 

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Do you just walk around the house with the camera strapped to your side all the time? Or do you have a camera in every room or? I ask because it seems like whenever my cats are doing anything amusing or cute, the camera is in another room or too far away to have even a chance of capturing the moment before it ends.

Nah – usually either something’s going on in the computer room, and I always have at least one camera within arms’ length so I can start snapping pictures in just a few seconds, or I’m going into the kitten room and grab a camera to take in with me. For every cute picture I get, there are probably ten that I wish I’d caught. With 21 cats in one house (albeit temporarily!), you can pretty much bet that any time you wander through the house with the camera, there’s going to be something interesting to take a picture of.

 

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I finally got myself and my girls some new kittens. Both of our much loved Cats passed over the summer. You would think they are still here, as much as we talk of them. But someone dropped some kittens at a bank here in town,and I stopped in and you can guess the rest! But the kittens would not purr for 2days? they do now, a lot, but have you ever seen that before? they are both sweet personalities, and beautiful tabbies…..Thanks love the blog!

Oh, I’ve definitely seen that before – are they very young? It seems like when they’re very little, they don’t know how that purring thing is supposed to go, and then they accidentally do it, and decide it’s kind of neat, and then they do it all the time!

Or maybe they were just nervous for the first few days. 🙂

 

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I’ve had several requests for close-up pictures of the boys who are going off to the adoption center today. I did my best to get pictures yesterday, and paired them up with “befores” – some of the “afters” are not so great, because these kittens were on FIRE yesterday, racing around like crazy. When they weren’t doing that, they were sleeping like the dead. In other words, it was hard to get good close-up pictures of them, but I did my best!

(And for the record, Terry is NOT becoming a permanent resident – he and Sookie are staying here for a little while longer because they’re not completely healed from their surgery. And there’s no way I could decide to keep Terry – because there’s no way on earth I could take Sookie to the adoption center alone. I’d feel horrible for her!)

Click on any of the pictures to see a much larger version.

Bill, before and now. I completely forgot he was such a little fuzzball! If you recall, Bill’s the one who sat around all the time with his eyes squinted mostly shut. Terry’s eyes were worse, but Bill seemed to be in more discomfort, thus the squinting. Now, Bill has his eyes open most of the time (except when I try to use the flash around him!), and we can see that he’s cross-eyed. Just adds to his charm, if you ask me! You can see how before, he had a jagged eyeline, which is why at first I thought his lids had been ripped at some point. He’s such a handsome boy.

Hoyt, before and now. Before, Hoyt’s right eye was bothering him the most – now, it’s not bothering him at all. It’s still (if you look closely) a bit smaller than the other eye, and occasionally he squints the right eye a little, but ointment or eye drops fixes that pretty quickly.

Sam, before and now. You can see pretty clearly the missing parts of Sam’s upper eyelids, before – especially his right eye. Now, he’s got a lovely, smooth eyeline. The other cats have big round eyes now, but Sam’s got more of an exotic slant to his. Such a gorgeous boy!

Lafayette, before and now. I’m sorry the “before” picture isn’t the greatest – I lightened it the best I can. If you look at it in the larger size, you can see how it looked like there were chunks of eyelid missing from both sides. Now, he’s got that same lovely, smooth eyeline. He opens his eyes more now, too – and he’s actually not as cross-eyed as he was when he was wee. Still a bit cross-eyed, but like Bill, it just adds to his charm. I love his serious little face!

On the table: Hoyt. On the chair: Lafayette, Terry and Sookie.

I swear, that blanket had been laying on the table for PERHAPS ten minutes before Hoyt sensed its presence, and jumped up there to fall asleep on it.

Smilin’ Hoyt.

From my comments:

I thought hissing and spitting were the same? Can you enlighten me? Thanks!

Boy, you’ve kind of got me stumped! The only way I can think of to describe the difference is that hissing is a longer sound, like a long exhalation, whereas spitting is a short sound and sounds like the kitten or cat is actually spitting something at you.

Anyone got a better way to describe it? I know the difference, it’s just hard to explain it!

Robyn…will this be the hardest group to leave at the adoption centre of all the groups you’ve had? What with all their issues and surgeries they are just the cuddliest, funniest bunch!

Maybe. All the groups are always very hard to leave, because I always fall completely head over heels in love with them and can’t imagine having to give them up. There’s always a point where I say “I cannot do this. I can’t take them there and leave them. I’M KEEPING THEM ALL!”

(I’m kind of going through that right now.)

What helps is that I stay in the cat room with them until they seem comfortable, and I wait until they’re distracted by toys before I tiptoe out of the room. And they’re ALWAYS distracted by toys and sniffing the cages, and checking out the food. I almost always hide at the end of the aisle and watch them to make sure they’re okay, and so far not a one of them has suddenly looked up and said “Hey. Where’d that lady go? WHY WOULD SHE ABANDON US LIKE THIS?!”

You’d think this would get easier, but so far (4 1/2 years, close to 100 fosters), it hasn’t.

And now off I go to get the boys settled in their temporary homes, because I am CERTAIN that someone’s going to come along and fall in love with every one of them TONIGHT.

(Fingers crossed!)

 

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“Ha ha HAAAAA! Those little kittens are going, and I shall be the king of the house once again!”

 

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Previously
2008: O lord, what is a wimpy hater of wasps to do?
2007: No entry.
2006: It’s like when you’re in the car and you smell something, so you turn down the radio and sniff harder.
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry.
2003: “That’s because it fucking HURTS!” I yelled.
2002: TV talk.
2001: Is it just Fred and I that immediately think “Chrissie-anthemums”, or did y’all see that episode of Three’s Company as well?
2000: The Spider Dance.