Six more

I am now fostering six, nine week old kittens.  There are four females, all some variation of calico, and two males.  One of the males is extremely skittish and takes some times before he is willing to come out of hiding.  I love having kittens but Jasmine won't put them down.  Whenever their out of their room, she is always holding at least one of them.  I've only named two of them.  One of the males I'm calling Steel and one of the females (my favorite) I'm calling Pickles.  I don't go looking for names, they either come to me, or they don't and these two names, fit these two cats. 

Boobies

This is the last one for the night, I swear.  I don't know why I have kept this blog from you all for so long.  It's been like a wonderful treasure I've kept for myself.  The crazy chronicles starts in February so you will have to go to the older entries.  I gurantee you, you won't want to stop reading.  Her life is incredible and she should write a book and have a movie based on it.  Boobs, Injuries, & Dr. Pepper

A little crazy goes a long way

I can't believe I have yet to post this story.  I'm not sure if it will be as funny on here as it was at the time but you will get the gist.  A few night ago, me, the husband and Jasmine went to dinner at Logan's.  After a little while an older couple came in and sat across from our booth.  I had been people watching and noticed the look in her eye when she would look at the man that was with her.  We proceeded to eat our dinner but all through I would glance at this couple.  Eventually, even Jasmine was watching them and I said to her, you noticed to huh?  My husband wanted to know what I was talking about and I said, just a minute.  I then leaned over (I FREQUENTLY talk to strangers just because I feel like it... it's a newer habit) and asked if they were married.  She said no but they would be in three weeks and then asked why I wanted to know.  I said because she had that "look" in her eyes when ever she would look at him and they were either really lucky (being in love that long), in a newer relationship OR that they were both married but to someone else and having an elaborate affair.  Ohmigod, I thought my husband was going to spit tea all over me.  His face immediately turned red.  The woman by the way thanked me for my comment and said she was so glad that it showed in their faces and she glowed the rest of the dinner.  My poor husband's face stayed red until we were safely in the car.  They were a very nice couple (another thing I noticed is that she was extremely polite to her waitress) and we chatted on and off throughout both of our dinners.  As I've gotten older, I have become extremely honest in my comments to people.  Now I'm not going to suddenly exclaim in the middle of a store that "You know, those jeans do make your ass look huge."  But I have become known to say what's on my mind.  It's a trait that I like in myself and don't really mind if others don't.  It's also a fun thing to use to embarrass my husband.  You see, I don't embarrass easily, at all.  And then I'm the one that embarrasses myself.  There's little you can say about me, in public or private that is going to turn my face red.  There's only one time in the almost nine years that my husband and I have been together that I even remember turning red and it was a few weeks ago.  My mom will easily recall this event and I don't think I will EVER live it down.  We had just picked up one of the dogs from the vets office and since Glory Jeans is two doors over, I thought I'd pop in for a coffee.  Now, at this point and time, the window on the driver's side of my car, didn't roll down easily.  It would come off the track and you would have to maneuver it down with your hands, while pushing the down button.  I prefer to use the drive thru rather than walk my lazy butt inside so I stopped in the middle of the parking lot, parallel to the building to try and get the window down.  My mom made a comment that it must look pretty ridiculous from outside the car and I'd better hope no one is watching because it looks like I'm stuck.  No sooner do those words come out of her mouth than I notice a waitress coming out of the bar across from me.  She's obviously saying something to me but again, hello, window won't go down so I open the door.  She says are you ok?  I said yeah why?  She said ohmigod we all thought you were stuck inside your car and we were wondering if you couldn't get out.  Yeah, THAT turned me red.  I'm imagining a bar full of people talking about the nutcase in the parking lot and then the waitress goes in to tell them the woman was just trying to get a coffee.  I decided to walk in to get my coffee rather than try to get the window down anymore.  My mom laughed till I thought she was going to pee herself.  I was still red when I got inside Gloria Jeans but it was all I could do not to laugh while placing my order but then I thought I'd look like a nut for a whole other reason in a whole different store.  Like I said, I usually embarrass myself.  Probably to a point that I've gotten so used to it that it doesn't bother me.  I will change clothing in the middle of a parking lot without so much as a blush.  My mom hates it.  When we went to Ohio, I realized when we got there that my clothing wasn't appropriate for the weather so I grabbed a different shirt out of the trunk and changed right there in the car.  All the while with my mom saying she hoped that someone walked by, even though that really wouldn't have embarrassed me.  That doesn't mean I like to walk around naked or anything but I had a bra on that covers more than most bikinis. 

I also tend to get songs stuck in my head... sometimes for days on end.  It's really difficult to fall asleep at night when you have the latest stupid pop song on repeat.  (and I don't listen to pop music)  You want to change the station but it seems like every station in your head is playing the same song.  Last night it was Benny and the Jets by Elton.  We'll see what it is tonight.  It seems like when something happens, I always end up with a theme song in my head as if in a movie and the appropriate song always comes along for the moment.  A friend of mine has this same problem but he has ADHD to the extreme so it really gets on his nerves when it happens.  At least I like Benny and the Jets but I didn't want to wake up with it still on repeat in my head first thing this morning.  Ok, that's enough of my crazy for one day.  You only get it in small doses.

Oh just bite me

Doodle, my very first foster that was adopted in February, is being returned.  I am very unhappy about this situation.  I have no problem taking her back into my life, she was a wonderful dog.  The problem I have is the reasoning.  The woman has two children, ages 4 and 6.  From what she says, Doodle was sleeping on the couch, when her son (4) got on the couch and Doodle grabbed him by the throat.  She didn't break the skin but the woman felt she couldn't keep her for this reason.  The only thing I have in the woman's defense is that she was crying while on the phone with one of the other volunteers.  My opinion?  Doodle was asleep and the little boy came running through the house, jumped on the couch or even Doodle herself, startled her and yes she snapped at him and then realized what she'd done.  I would never believe that she would do this on purpose nor that she would have continued the behavior once she was awake and alert.  My daughter was able to ride her around the house and rough house with her and never did Doodle even nip at her or growl.  I will not have this dog be considered another bite case.  I have offered to take her back as my foster but have yet to hear anything.  (even though I have the matted mess, Monty)  I would love to have her again, even if for a little while.  We loved this dog and let all sixty pounds of her sleep in bed with us every night.  At least the lady didn't just drop her off at her local shelter and is driving the five hours to return Doodle to us this Saturday. 

Tomorrow our windshield is being fixed.  I was driving and a rock smacked into the windshield, cracking it.  They are going to try a quick fix and see if that takes care of it, otherwise they will be removing the windshield and replacing it with a new one.  (this is all done through our insurance)  It's an inconvience to be without a car for the day.  My other car is... not drivable at the moment.  I always take my husband's car to work on Saturdays since my car has the car seat, it's just easier.  After work this past Saturday, I started the car and everything felt normal until I put it into gear and then I felt something give in the brake petal.  I managed to drive down the road to Hobby Lobby after talking to my husband to come meet me.  I had no brake whatsoever in the front.  I was using only the rear pads to stop.  We think it blew a brake line but we won't know till husband gets under it and takes a look.  I sure as hell wasn't driving it home so we left it there and husband's friend towed it back to our house.  I've been lectured both by my mom and husband about how dangerous it was to drive the car to hobby lobby, yadda yadda. 

I was viciously bitten by one of my mom's outdoor cats today.  Ok, ok, mom I'll tell the truth.  I kind of provoked her.  She's always been a loose canon and it doesn't take much to get her going but I was expecting her to play with me, not try and eat me.  She grabbed onto my hand with her jaws and didn't let go till I forced her jaws to open.  And then she proceeded to growl at ME!  Evil Hitler cat.  (she has a hitler mustache and considering she's always been a bitchy cat, we call her hitler from time to time)  Now I have another bite to keep an eye on.  They're starting to call me a sadist at work with how seemingly uncaring I am when it comes to getting bitten or scratched.  Yes it hurts but it goes away and sometimes you have little choice in the matter.  I told my director the other day that I have pretty much been bitten by every common animal in the area from small to large.  I will list the ones that come to my mind first.  Mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, degus, guinea pigs, rabbits, (both of which hurt far more than you would expect) lizards - big and small, several different (and some wild) species of snake, birds - everything from a finch to an amazon, raccoons, skunks, deer, goats, horses, donkeys, squirrels, dogs, cats, and I'm sure there are plenty I'm leaving out.  I don't fear the bite, I fear the pain that comes in the seconds, minutes, and hours AFTER the bite.  Oh and now, I've also been bitten by humans... Jasmine.  Maybe I am a bit of a sadist after all.   *wink*

Buh-Buh-Buh Benny and the Jets... sorry it's stuck in my head

I've really become addicted to scrapbooking and I haven't even started!  I was originally only going to do my foster animals.  (let's face it, after a while, I'm going to manage to forget SOMEONE)  Now I think I'll do some family ones as well.  I was thinking one of me and Shawn as we met, got engaged, had a kid, got married.  And then Jasmine growing up.  And of course, I have a ton of my person animals, past and present.  I could spend a ridiculous amount of time in Hobby Lobby just looking.  I always thought people who scrapbooked where boring.  It's fun and creative.  It also creates memories in a way that you can't do in a regular photo album.  Yes, I'm in scrapbook love.

Apparently, we have a male cat visiting us occasionally.  When we came home this evening, we noticed a very strong cat urine smell at the front door.  I thought that was odd but it didn't immediately occur to me that it could be a stray or a neighborhood cat though.  I don't leave food out for strays because we're not really in an area where there are many and I don't have any outdoor cats that aren't confined.  I mentioned the smell to my husband and he said he'd noticed it too.  I went outside with a flashlight as it was dark by now and found that something has been living under our porch.  The bottom is enclosed so something had to dig under.  It's obviously not something large but it has been there since the last rain.  My husband swears he heard a cat meowing while he was outside but again, I do have cats that are outside and they meow... loudly.  I left some food out to see if it eats anything.  I'm curious as to why it's at my house.  I have no unfixed cats so he's not here for a girlfriend.  He also sprayed my front door which I'm not real pleased about but it was obviously the first time.  I'm wondering if there's a smell that I can put on the door or by it that would deter that behavior.  Now if he comes and eats.... I will probably continue to feed him as well as trap him and have his cajones removed... promptly.  Several vets in our area do ferals at a very low price.  It's still strange that he's hanging around.  My husband said how do you know it's a boy?  Well, girls don't spray dummy. 

I bought two plants today.  One is a hibiscus with beautiful rich red flowers.  I couldn't leave without that tree.  I swear it was like that flower spoke to me and I had to have it.  I also got a flowering vine that is very pretty but I can't recall a the moment what it's called.  The hibiscus has a really strong smell to it.  Something I never noticed with my other one.  Although the flowers on the new one are much larger than the one I have in my back yard.  I'll have to get pictures before that flower closes up.  I hope I don't manage to kill it, although my thumb has turned noticeably greener this year compared to last.  I managed to grow catnip this year, as well as snapdragons.  Both of which I have tried the last two years in a row and got nothing.  I have about two hundred morning glory seeds that already have roots and I haven't even gotten them planted yet.  I'm going to cover most of the cat house with them this year. 

Defeated

Saturday was another not so great day in my rescue world.  For me it was heartbreaking.  We had a huge adoption event with a couple other rescues in the area.  Quite a few dogs got adopted, quite a few went on home visits.  (we allow our dogs to stay with you for a period of time before you officially commit so you can decide if it will truly workout)  Towards the end of it all, I went to visit the cats we had and noticed a particularly mean cat that we had in a cage without a cage card.  I asked about it and found out he was an owner return.  We had told this woman several times that she needed to make other arrangements for this cat.  (i.e. don't bring it back to us and then told her what we would be forced to do if she did) She wised up and just showed up knowing we would be having an event, knowing we wouldn't make a huge scene in front of tons of people.  I guess the woman had bites all down her arms from the cat.  She said he'd always been mean and they had him 4 paw declawed at six months old.  First of all, we do not condone declawing and strongly urge our adopters to find alternatives.  Not only that but there is NO reason to do all four paws on a cat.  There is no furniture they can destroy with their back claws.  She took away every defense that cat had other than his teeth... so he used them... a lot.  He became very mean and aggressive, frequently attacking her as she would walk through a room.  (not playful attack but trying to kill his prey attack)  I've never seen a cat behave this way.  If you find a feral cat, trap it, they will hide at the back of the cage and only lunge at you if you push them to do so.  This cat would lunge at anything that moved.  I was told he would be euthanized on Monday if no one offered to foster him and try to work with him.  He's dangerous and already a bite case so it would be irresponsible for us to knowingly adopt him out, just as it would if he were a dog.  I spent about an hour trying to calm him down, to no avail.  I eventually took my chances on opening the cage, knowing that my time was running short working with him.  He lunged and bit my arm.  Had I not been wearing a sweatshirt, he would've broken the skin, easily.  As it is, I have a nasty purple bruise.  I still persisted, trying to convince him that I would not hurt him and trying not to jerk away to fast when he lunged.  I got no where with him.  I was his last hope for survival and I ultimately made the decision to end his life.  He would never be able to live happily with humans and we certainly couldn't let him loose as one woman suggested as he had no defenses against wild animals.  I left feeling defeated and awful.  I have really never seen an animal act that way.  It was as if he had rabies.  I was able to pet him a bit in the parking lot while he was trying to figure out what was going on.  I wanted to pet him and reassure him that I wasn't out to hurt him and in my own way, apologize for what humans had done to him.  A cat is not born that way and we'd had him since he was a kitten before he went to this woman.  And by the way, she was the only one the cat was attacking to that degree.  I just couldn't risk having an animal like that in my home with a two year old child.  Otherwise, I would have taken him, without a doubt.  I wanted to try but I'm not going to risk my daughter getting hurt.  I was proud of myself for saying no as awful as that sounds.  I have NEVER refused an animal that I knew would be put down.  I had to learn to say no eventually.  Even now, I'm wanting to call up my director and tell her not to do it, that I'll find a way to work with him.  Poor boy.  He was midnight black with amber colored eyes.  He had a nice full face.  Really a good looking black cat.

Mat Picture

A picture of some of the mats I took off him.  Keep in mind these are SOLID pieces.  That means that entire area was pulling on his skin.  Most would be larger but there were times he insisted on taking a break and I'm not going to argue with his jaws.  And Lisa, the smile is already starting to return little by little.

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