Uma's First Camping Trip - Day 2...

DAY 2…Fourth of July started sunny and beautiful! The sun was shining; the birds were singing; and the campground was blissfully quiet. Dad says coffee by the river at sunrise is a wonderful thing.  I don't drink coffee but sunrise by the river was pretty pissa!

After breakfast we drove to Dixville Notch to do a little hiking. We cannot do long hikes – my parents aren’t in as good shape as I am. Me, I could walk all day! We did a short, but very steep hike up to Table Rock. Table Rock is just what you think it is - a big, flat rock that sticks out the side of a mountain. You can walk out onto Table Rock but we didn’t. The last part of the trail was too steep for me. Mom was going to try it but another hiker said it was quite windy out there. Mom is not the most graceful person so she decided to take a picture from the viewing area instead!

Mom used the hike as an opportunity to practice her compass reading skills. This is really hysterical because she has the worst sense of direction! Mom says she is geographically challenged. The good thing is, if you ask her which direction to go, she is completely wrong about 99% of the time! So, if you are ever lost with my mom, ask her which way to go. Turn 180; and head in the opposite direction. You’ll be at your destination in no time!

After hiking we went back to camp. On the drive we passed this. Yup, Errol Int’l Airport is what it says. Hilarious! We had a little lunch, and took a nap in the sun. Dad can’t sit still for long so we took a walk around the campground. What a nice place! (If you are a tent camper, site 42 is the one for you!) Everyone is so friendly! We met people from all over New England. We even met 2 guys who rode motorcycles all the way from Connecticut! Lots of people who camp have dogs. I noticed that because I don’t really like other dogs. I had a very lonely childhood and don’t know how to relate. Mom and Dad try so hard to help me but it’s difficult. Too bad because I would get to go to so many more places. I’ll keep trying!

Uma's First Camping Trip - Day 1...

DAY 1…Dad brought home a little house on wheels. He said it was an RV. He said we were going to hook it up to the truck and take it on a vacation. I’m skeptical but what the heck! Dad borrowed the RV from a friend. Unfortunately, it had been sitting for about a year and needed some work. It took days for Mom to clean it and for Dad to fix all the broken parts. Seems like a lot of work just for a weekend getaway. Actually, it probably was not. Dad is always looking for something to fix and Mom is always looking for something to clean! Anyway, Dad said the hard work was our gift to the family who loaned the RV to us.

Of course, Mom and Dad decided to take this trip at the last minute, so there was lots of rushing around. Mom made list after list of things to bring; clothing, food, cooking stuff. Don’t forget my things Mom! Since this was so last-minute (typical!) AND July 4th weekend, my parents couldn’t find a campground with any openings. Finally they found a state park waaay up in NH with 1 RV site left. The reason they had an opening was because the largest RV site was for a 20 footer – good thing that’s what we had! The park is called a primitive campground. Basically a patch of grass, a firepit, and a picnic table; no hookups (that means no electricity or water but we brought our own), no showers (brought our own) and pit toilets (brought our own, thank goodness! It was a long drive but I didn’t mind. I slept most of the way. Mom did too. If it’s moving, we are sleeping. Makes a long drive for poor Dad! Good thing he likes to drive!

The campsite was great! It was right on the Androscoggin River and there was no one else in our section. It was like we had the whole place to ourselves! There were a few moments of panic when Dad realized there was no electricity in the camper (it has a battery for power). No electricity means no pump; no pump means no water; no water means no washing or flushing! In a 20’ tin can on a hot summer weekend that would have been a bad thing!! Thank goodness it was just a loose connection and disaster was averted.

After setting up we had some lunch and took a little nap. We missed the parade in Errol but went into town for fireworks at sunset. I had never been to fireworks before and did not like them at all! Between fireworks and other dogs (I don’t like dogs either) I was pretty stressed so Mom and Dad had to take me back to the truck. At least they could still see the fireworks while I sat safely inside.

Back at camp 10pm is quiet time. We all had a long day so we got ready for bed. I wanted to sleep on the bed with my Dad but that got vetoed immediately! Dad packed my favorite dog bed so it was OK. I settled down quickly. I needed my sleep so I would be ready for hiking (a.k.a. squirrel chasing) in the morning.

Two of a Kind

Hi! It’s Chad! My cast is off and I am back in my foster home for a week or so. Mom says she’s going to hate to see me go. She has been really mushy lately. I guess I stole her heart with my good looks and charming personality! Mom told me if I was in high school I would have been Prom King and Class Clown. What can I say? I like attention! I like to be stroked pretty much anywhere; I like to stretch out against your side or be cradled like a baby; and I love to put on a show. Just give me a toy I can roll around and sink my teeth into and I’m happy to entertain myself, and you, until I wear myself out!

I’m solo but all the other foster residents are pairs. Zipper and Velcro are ready for adoption too. They were originally from a litter of 3. Their sister Snap (my foster parents are so weird when it comes to the name thing) has already been adopted. Isn’t that great? Zipper and Velcro will be going back to the shelter with me this week. I hope we are as lucky as Snap was!

Button and Buckle (again with the names!) are another pair living here. Their mom was very, very mean. They had to be separated from her and came to live here. Both of them have been sick. Buckle seems to be feeling a little better but Button is still struggling. Hopefully she will be back on her feet soon.

There are also 2 babies here. Cagney and Lacey were about 4 weeks old when they were found alone on a busy street. They got off to a rough start so they are struggling too. It’s important to make sure sick kittens eat and drink enough so Mom stuffs them with food and medicine. It’s also important for them to stay warm. We all take turns snuggling with the babies to keep them warm. With all this TLC they should make a speedy recovery!

Light at the End of the Tunnel... (Kitchen Renovation Part 5)

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 2003)

Boy, we sure have accomplished a lot in the last month. Gabe hung all the cabinets. He did all the lower cabinets by himself (Heaven forbid he should call a friend to help), and our friend Jack helped with the upper cabinets. All the cabinet doors have been installed and the knobs are on all the doors. He still has to put the knobs on the drawers. I am allowed to put things in the cabinets that have knobs. So I started doing that right away. I know you will find this hard to believe but I have everything organized by category. All Tupperware is in the same cabinet, all cooking and baking materials are together, as are all boxed and canned goods. I even have the boxed and canned goods organized by type of food, and everything is lined up in nice, neat rows with the labels facing out so I can read them. I know this will not last but it gives me a sense of peace starting out this way. Hey! Stop laughing at me! The granite countertops have also been installed but they are currently covered in plastic so I don’t get paint on them (see painting story below) so I did not get good picture yet.

The 3 season porch is almost complete (Porch 12). Gabe has roughed in all the electrical outlets and put up paneling where the exterior clapboard used to be. For the past 2 weekends we have been laying floor tiles and grouting. What a pain in the neck (and back, and shoulders, and arms, and legs). I spend most of Saturday on my hands and knees like a washerwoman, cleaning the grout off the tiles. All that’s left to complete the porch is to connect the electrical outlets, seal the tile grout, and put up some trim molding around the French doors. Then I can put my furniture back in and decorate. It will be so exciting to have a room done! I can’t wait. We will be out there every night. Well, we will actually collapse out there each night once it gets too dark to work in the kitchen!

Now let’s talk about painting. My vacuuming nightmare has been replaced by the painting nightmare. I want to paint my kitchen red. Brick red, barn red, something nice and warm and rich. My first mistake (from what all the “professionals” tell me) was going to Home Depot to get the paint. I found a color square that I liked on their Glidden display called Victorian Red. I had them mix me a gallon and went home to paint. My second mistake was not painting a test area first. I just started painting. It was pretty bright and on the pink side but I figured it would darken when it dried and I would need to do at least 2 coats anyway. Those of you who read my last update know how clumsy I can be so I was very careful going up and down the ladder with the bucket of paint, trying to be aware of my surroundings at all times. I was even talking out loud to my self – “Move the paint can."  "Put the roller down before moving the ladder."  "Oh, oh, where are the paper towels."  "Don’t trip over the dog.” I painted the entire room in 2 ½ hours. Just as I finished Gabe walked in and said with a sharp intake of breath “Oh! Is this the color you really want to paint the room?” Since I had been staring at the paint for hours it was looking pretty good to me. I called my cousin, who lives next door, to get a second opinion. When Kerri walked in she said with a sharp intake of breath “Oh! Is this the color you really want to paint the room?” I started to think I was in a little bit of trouble so I called over to my Mom, who lives a few houses down. She could not come over but my Aunt was visiting so she came and had a look. When she walked in she said with a sharp intake of breath “Oh! Is this the color you really want to paint the room?” Now I know I am screwed! Off I go, back to Home Depot. This time I picked out a lovely Oriental Red. A darker shade than what I had on the walls. I got a gallon and headed home to paint again. When I walked into the kitchen after not looking at it for a few hours I understood why everyone was gasping. It was bright red/pink! Like a dummy I decided the new paint would be just what I wanted so I started painting the whole kitchen again. After another 2 ½ hours of painting I finally got finished…and it was too dark. Almost red/purple. Aarrgghh!!! I’m a little slow but I finally figured out that I should paint a test square before doing the whole kitchen. So I had Gabe cut me a few pieces of blue board and I painted 3 coats of each of my 2 colors on them. One was still too pink and the other was definitely too dark. Now that I was getting smarter I decided to go to a real paint store with real painting professionals to get my next color. I went to White Street Paint. I picked the 3rd color and went home to paint one of my squares of blue board. After 2 coats I realized this was the wrong color too, too orange. I was starting to despair that I would never find the color I was looking for. I went back to White Street with the blue board and paper swatch from the first color red. I showed them what I wanted (paper swatch) and what I got (blue board) and asked if they could give me the color I was looking for (yes, the 4th color). We looked through all the paint samples and I picked a color called Ruby Red. I put a couple of coats on the blue board Gabe cut for me and it looked like what I wanted so I went for it. Gabe put a coat on the kitchen Saturday and I did another coat on Sunday. It still needs one more coat to cover the previous colors completely but it looks great! Boy, by the time I finally get finished painting I will be a pro!

The Revolving Kitten Door

It’s been pretty busy around here since Mom last blogged. Let me get you caught up. Fat Albert returned to the MSPCA and was quickly adopted. Yea Fat Albert! Melon arrived because he was constipated. He is a Manx (no tail) and they can sometimes have problems with their bowels. He had to go back to the shelter for medical attention when his constipation turned to diarrhea. He’s doing OK for now but has to stay there for extra attention. He was a nice guy so I hope he gets better. Annabeth slept over for a few nights. She was supposed to get fixed but she didn’t weigh enough so she got to have a sleepover with us for a few days. She was fun!

After Albert, Melon and Annabeth went back to the MSPCA, Mom brought home 3 orphan kittens. All girls; 2 stripey ones and 1 tortie. They were very shy when the got here. I tried to tell them how great it was here but they had to figure it out for themselves. One of the stripey ones is now so affectionate she’s a bit annoying! They are about 6 weeks old so they won’t be here long.

Mom also brought home 2 more babies to add to the group. They are only 4 or 5 weeks old. They lived outside with their kitty mom, but she was mean so the kittens came to stay with us. They are really sweet and settled in quickly. How could you not love that face??

And me, I’m Chadwick, Chad for short. Mom says I’m a hot mess! I was a stray. No mom; no sibs. When I arrived at the shelter I had a very bad eye infection. It was going to have to be removed so I came here to wait until my surgery date. A few days after I got here I broke my ankle. Mom was pretty upset. I refuse to tell her how it happened and I have sworn all the other kittens to secrecy! Conveniently I was already scheduled to have my eye operated on so when they knocked me out they put a cast on my leg too. To my surprise when I woke up I found I was missing an eye, I had a splint on my leg, and my testicles were gone!!! To add to my embarrassment they tried to put this crazy cone thing on me. I figured out how to get out of that contraption pretty quickly! I may look a mess but I am a hardy boy. I have not gotten sick (other than the eye) and have lots of energy. The cast doesn’t slow me down one bit. I can run as fast as any kitten here. Jumping is a problem because the cast doesn’t bend but I can climb with the best of them! You should see me scramble to the top of the cat tower! Once my cast is gone you better watch out!

The Names Change but the Faces Remain the Same

It’s been a while since Mom posted a story. She says she’s been too busy to write because she has been dealing with poopy kittens – that’s us! In addition to the kittens that were born here – Jack Sparrow, Hector Barbosa, Tia, and me (I’m Elizabeth) - she also took in a very sick orphan kitten named Tinkerbelle and a kitten with a booboo on her butt named Mona.

Tinkerbelle was very sick when she first got here. In fact, she almost died. Tinkerbelle had bad diarrhea and really smelly poo so we all called her Stinkerbelle. Mom worked hard to make Stinkerbelle well. She gave her lots of medicine, force fed her, gave her IV fluids, and bathed her multiple times a day. Slowly but surely Stinkerbelle started getting better and has completely recovered. Since Tink is healthy now Mom says we must drop the ‘S’ from her name. Tinkerbelle is pretty happy about that and so is Mom!

Last week my siblings Jack, Hector, and Tia returned to the MSPCA and immediately found new homes. Hooray!!! Tink and I were not quite big enough so we get to stay in foster a little while longer. While she was at the MSPCA Mom met a lonely kitten named Mona. Mona was originally in a different foster home but she had a booboo on her butt so she had to stay at the shelter for a few days. The vet checked her out and she was doing OK so Mom brought Mona and her medicine home so we could keep her company. Her butt is still a little sore but she is doing well and, unlike Tink, is eating up a storm! She was eating so much we started calling her Fatty Pants! Mom recently discovered that Mona is actually a boy so we needed to come up with a new name. Mom was thinking about calling him Fatty Arbuckle but it wasn’t “sticking” so his new name is Fat Albert. Albert says you can call him anything you want as long as he gets lots of cuddling and lots of food!

Tink and I are ready to go up for adoption but we are going to hang out here until Albert is ready to return too. He has a checkup in a few days so it may be soon. We can’t wait to find our forever homes just like the rest of our siblings did!

My babies are 4 weeks old now and growing like weeds. Pretty soon they won’t want to snuggle with their old mom anymore so I take advantage any chance I get to cuddle with them! They have started to use the litter pan. They don’t quite have the hang of it yet so there is lots of crying and complaining during the “process”. Most of their teeth have come in and they have tried eating canned food but, once again, everyone is still trying to get the hang of things. They are much more active and have begun to wrestle with each other. It’s awfully cute since they don’t have fine motor skills yet!

Our foster parents have decided to name us after characters in “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Jack Sparrow is the black and white boy. He’s the adventurous one and looking to get into mischief. Jack was the first born and is still first in almost everything. He was the first out of the den, the first to try food and water, the first to run and climb. Interestingly, he was the last to figure out potty training!

Hector is the white and black boy. Hector is 2nd born but the baby of the bunch. He’s a big momma’s boy!  He is the only one with long hair. He has a big, round head with the cutest baby face!  He looks a bit like a panda bear.  Hector is the last to try everything and is a bit whiny. Hopefully he will grow out of that. To Hector’s credit he was the first to poop in the potty. He cried the whole time but he did it!

Elizabeth is the brown tiger with white. She looks a little like a calico and is the prettiest of the bunch. She comes running whenever she hears Mom or Dad’s voice and loves to cuddle. She was the first to figure out how to get over the baby gate and out of our room. I get very nervous when I have children on both sides of the gate!

Tia is the gray with white girl. She is just adorable and quite smart. She figures things out very quickly. She was the easiest to potty train and the first to “discover” food.

Everyone had a checkup recently. The babies got their first vaccinations and we all got dewormer (just a precaution) and a manicure. The shelter staff thought we looked great and we all received “2 thumbs up”.    Hooray!

We Have Plaster... (Kitchen Renovation Part 4)

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 2003)  

 My grandmother recently asked Gabe if the kitchen would be done by Christmas!! He was highly insulted. Things are rolling along now and I finally got to do something besides clean up after everyone else! Gabe got all the electrical roughed in so it was my job to hang insulation. You should have seen me with my tape measure, exacto knife and staple gun. I looked like a construction chick on one of those home improvement shows! How do you get one of those jobs anyway? Not that they would hire me. Even though I look great in the gear I am like a Lucille Ball comedy routine when I actually try to do the work. First of all I was hanging insulation during the hottest days of June. And you have to wear long sleeves and long pants because, baby, that insulation gets itchy! So here I am measuring the wall, rolling out insulation, cutting it with the knife… Ooops! The knife blade is dull and rips the insulation to shreds. I take the knife apart, replace the blade and cannot get the knife back together. What an idiot! It’s not like it’s hard. It only has 4 pieces and I just took it apart so I should know how to reassemble it. After sitting on the floor and muttering to myself for a few minutes. Gabe comes over to rescue me (as he always does). He puts the knife back together in 5 seconds (somehow this does not make me feel any better). Ok, back to the insulation. Cut the butchered piece of insulation a little straighter and smoother now. Drag the ladder over to where I want to hang the insulation. Climb up the ladder and realize I forgot the staple gun on the floor. Climb down the ladder, get the staple gun and go back up the ladder. Now I realize that the ladder is not positioned properly so I try to lean over to the wall. As I teeter on the ladder I realize this is a bad decision so down I go again to move the ladder. Back up the ladder. Where is the staple gun? Back on the floor where I put it when I moved the ladder. Back down the ladder, get the staple gun, back up the ladder. It has taken me about 1/2 hour but I have hung my first piece of insulation! The work progresses on like this with small improvements in efficiency as I get the hang of things. I fight the urge to hang the insulation with all the lettering going in the same direction (that’s my anal retentive side) so I can get the project done this century.

 

Once the insulation was finished Gabe and a friend hung all the blue board on a single Saturday. I spent that Sunday cutting up all the leftover sheets of blue board into small pieces so the trash men would not hate us more than they already do. Yep, more cleaning. We also got all the spare wood cut up and moved to the wood pile. No, I did not do any of that cutting. It involves sharp blades moving at a high rate of speed so I am not allowed anywhere near. Gabe cut, I stacked. The weekend after the blue board was hung our friends Billy and Bruce came to plaster. It took them about 12 hours but they finished the whole room and it looks beautiful! It looks like a real room now! Gabe primed the whole room the weekend I did the cancer walk. I felt guilty about not being around to paint but I was walking for a good cause.The cabinets have arrived and are in the garage at the moment. We did carry a few base units into the kitchen so Gabe could start thinking about how to install them.

The walls are straight but the floor…that’s another story. The floor has a 1 1/2 inch difference from one end to the other. It has such a bow in the middle that we are thinking of leaving it the way it is and installing a Koi pond! I guess that won’t work. The kitties would try to catch the fish and I would end up with dead Koi all over the place, which means…more cleaning!! There are some products on the market that you can put down to level the floor but we have to make sure it does not raise the height too much or we will end up with a 2” step up into the kitchen. That’s not going to work with me stumbling around. I’ll trip on it every day. Since I am a black belt I should be able to roll across the floor and recover my footing like a ninja but that will be hard on the floor and hard on my body.

So, where are we? The ceiling and walls are done. The ceiling fan and all the lights are working. Electrical work is just about finished and cabinets are ready to be installed. Plumbing and gas lines still need to be done. Then it’s counters, appliances, and floors. We’re almost done, right???

And yes, we are still eating takeout.

Three Weeks Old

The babies are growing so quickly! They are three weeks old already. They are much more alert and active. Their beautiful blueberry eyes are open. They may not see very well yet but their hearing has improved. They all get very excited and wobble out of the bed whenever they hear Foster Mom or Dad’s voice.

 Actually, they have started walking more and wobbling less. Sometimes the weight of their fat little bellies shifts and they topple over; Or one bumps into another and sets off a chain reaction, kinda like dominos. Mom says it reminds her of her cousin Paul when he started playing Pee Wee hockey. If one kid fell they all fell! In addition to practicing forward motion the babies are also working on reverse. Not so easy when you are still trying to gain control of your gross motor skills! Occasionally one of them will get so excited they will sprint across the towel. They only make it about 6 inches before coordination fails. They come to a dead stop with a slightly surprised look on their faces, wondering what just happened!

I am a little nervous about the children leaving the nest. I don’t often leave the room and if I do I don’t stay away for long. I tried to move the children into the sweatshirt drawer a few more times (Peaches opens it for me) but my foster parents kept moving them back. The last time I got caught it was midnight. Everyone was fast asleep. I thought for sure the dog would give me away but Uma was snoring too. The traitor turned out to be one of my own kids! I don’t know which one it was and they’re not talking. Dad woke up and that was the end of that. Everyone got hauled back to the kitten room and closed in for the night. Now I’m not allowed out without supervision. Another week or so and the babies will be very mobile and very curious. Me hiding them is going to be the least of everyone’s worries!

 

Two Weeks Old…

 

It’s been 2 weeks since I gave birth and everyone is doing quite well, including me. The children are growing fast and changing every day. At lest it seems that way! They have all gain about 4 oz. and now each weighs almost a pound. Their eyes are open and their ears have unfolded. They still nurse and sleep quite a bit but they are awake for longer periods of time now. They can roll over, although with their big heads and big bellies it takes a little rocking action before they gain enough momentum to flip!

 

They have also started to crawl. A few have actually crawled out of bed! The calico somehow ended up over the side and couldn’t get back in. The black one has gotten out twice. I think he’s going to be a handful. In a week or two they will be “toddlers” and things should get really interesting! Once that happens my foster mom will have to keep the door to our room closed so no one gets lost.

 

My foster parents have been leaving the door propped open so I can come and go but I almost lost that privilege too. One day Peaches showed me this great set of drawers under Mom and Dad’s bed. The drawers are filled with comfy, soft clothing and Peaches knows how to open and close them. I liked the sweatshirt drawer so much I decided to move the babies into it. Unfortunately I did this when Mom took Uma for a walk. Mom was quite surprised when she returned and found the babies bed empty! She quickly found the four of them snuggled  comfortably in the sweatshirts. Needless to say, now both Mom and Dad do frequent headcounts and keep a close eye on me! 

I’m in Vacuuming Hell! (Kitchen Renovation Part 3)

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2003)

This is how the kitchen renovation is going:
Demolish kitchen
Vacuum kitchen
Vacuum basement
Cut out old plumbing
Vacuum basement again
Vacuum kitchen again
Lay down tar paper on floor
Vacuum basement again
Lay down subfloor
Vacuum basement again
Install pull-down stairs to attic in cellar stairway
Vacuum basement again
Vacuum kitchen again
Find problems in ceiling-have to tear it down
Vacuum kitchen again
Install French doors
You guessed it…vacuum again
And so on, and so on, and so on!

If I thought I would be going to hell when I die (I won’t because I have heaven insurance. I took my grandmother and mother-in-law to see the Friends of Lawrence Welk years ago so I now have a speedpass straight to the pearly gates) this would be it for me.  Even though we are behind schedule and seem to take 1 step back for every 2 steps forward, thing are progressing.

The porch is enclosed! It looks amazing. The minute the guys left I moved the folding table and chairs out there. I have to share the porch with the appliances for now but I don’t mind. The porch is awesome! I painted the porch ceiling before the guys came to enclose it thinking it would be easier and I would not have to be too neat. You should have seen me up on the ladder on the porch (which is about 5’ off the ground), with a bucket of paint and my roller with the extended handle, trying to paint the roof while facing the setting sun, with the dog running around on the porch trying to catch the hornets buzzing around us. I can see the headlines now “Woman and dog found unconscious in driveway covered in white paint…Story at 11”.

We finally picked out kitchen cabinets and the granite for the countertops. The cabinets are due to arrive the first week of June (we won’t be ready) and the granite installation is probably 8-9 weeks away (we have to be ready). We are at the point now where I am not able to do be of much work (like plumbing and electrical) so my life is getting back to normal. Gabe's, however, isn't!

We are never as far along as we hope to be. The dumpster is gone and we got charged another $50 because we were over the weight limit. I'm not surprised with all the junk we stuffed into it. Gabe put down the plywood subfloor and worked on leveling off the walls. You'd be surprised to hear that nothing is straight in this house! We also have problems with the ceiling. When the wall between the dining room and pantry was removed we found that the ceiling heights did not match exactly. Gabe has not been able to get the ceiling leveled so he ended up tearing it down (more vacuuming). We were hoping to just restrap it and plaster over it. Aren’t we silly?? When he tore down the ceiling Gabe discovered that some of the ceiling beams were running parallel to the roof peak instead of perpendicular to it. We have no idea how this happened or why someone would have done it. By the way, the ceiling beams that were running the wrong way were not attached to anything either. Gabe can’t believe the roof has not collapsed on our heads! Unfortunately for us this is something that has to be fixed immediately so that takes time away from progressing on the kitchen itself. Another setback was realizing that once we plastered the ceiling there would be no access to the attic so Gabe had to install pull-down stairs in the cellar stairway (yes, more vacuuming).

As I said, the subfloor is down and the walls are ready to be insulated and covered once the electrical work is complete. I’m pretty good with an exacto knife and a staple gun so I can put up the insulation. Aren’t I a big help? Also, the French doors have been installed  Of course they hung those last week during the snowstorm. I am told they dropped the doors trying to get them off the truck. Oh, and the doors fell on Gabe. You know him, the guy with the bad back? Good thing I was not there to see it. I would have had a heart attack.

My major headache is trying to figure out what to get for takeout every night! You would think this wouldn’t be a problem, huh? I feel like every time we finish a meal it is time to start thinking about what to buy for the next one. Who knew eating out all the time would be such a big deal? And I am starting to gain weight too. I guess I will just have to work out more. Since I won’t let Gabe work on anything but the kitchen I have made myself responsible for all yard work and painting the house this summer. I would also like to seal my driveway. How hard could it be??? Ambitious, aren’t I?

One Week Old

My name is Midnight. I once had a family of my own. They loved me but not enough to get me spayed; and not enough to keep me when I got pregnant. They did love me enough, however, to bring me to the MSPCA. The shelter staff ran tests to make sure I was healthy and sent me to this great foster home.

My babies and I will be here for at least 2 months. It was a big relief when my foster parents made me fell so welcome! They even gave me a private room. Being pregnant makes me a bit emotional so it’s nice to have a separate space away from the resident cats and dog. I’m sure I will want to meet them eventually but right now I have to focus on my children. I am a very attentive mom and keep the babies spotlessly clean. I don’t often leave them but if I hear the slightest peep I rush right back to the bed. I don’t mind if my foster parents touch the babies but I always keep an eye on things. You can’t be too careful these days!

I was here less than a week before I went into labor. I have lots of soft beds to choose from but decided to have my babies under the bookcase. Once I had thoroughly cleaned each kitten from head to toe, my foster mom moved them to a soft bed right next to the radiator. It’s a big, cast iron radiator so it’s nice and warm. Labor was quick. I had a kitten about every 20 minutes. There are 4 in total – 2 boys and 2 girls. The girls are gray and calico. One boy is white with black; the other is black with white.

Nothing much happens the first week. The babies just eat, sleep and poop. (That’s about all I have been doing too!) Their eyes are not open. Their ears are folded over. At 1 week old each is about the size of a sausage and weighs a little over 7 ounces. The most exciting milestone so far is their umbilical cords have fallen off. They sleep quite a bit. I like to watch them snuggle together. The little black one usually ends up on the bottom of the pile! They often appear to be dreaming. They will wiggle around, and sometimes hiss. It’s awfully cute! They are only a week old and have not had any life experiences yet. What could they be dreaming about?

The Babies Are Here! The Babies are Here!

Boy, Midnight has been such a pain! She never shuts up! She doesn’t like to be alone so whenever Mom or Dad leaves the kitten rooms she starts to cry. She just thinks everyone has nothing else to do but sit around and rub her big, fat Buddha belly! I don’t like it when Mom and Dad spend time in the kitten room with Midnight and leave me locked outside. I have been watching how they unhook the latch to open the door. I have been trying to do it myself but I haven’t quite figured it out yet. When I do, they won’t be able to keep me out!

Midnight has only been here for a week so we don’t know her very well yet. She has been talking and demanding attention the entire time so we thought that was her natural personality. At around 4:00pm last Friday we discovered there was another reason she was being so vocal. She was in labor! Mom and Dad were very excited (this is our first birth). Mom was posting updates on Facebook and Dad was on the floor on his stomach trying to get pictures of the event. Midnight, the black cat, decided to give birth on a navy blue blanket under the bookcase. Yup! A nice small, dark space where they could barely see her. Under the circumstances Midnight was very tolerant, but she did draw the line when Dad said wanted to get the flashlight. This is all second hand info by the way because, once again, I was locked out of the room.

Midnight squeezed those babies out pretty quick! There was one about every 20 minutes. There is 1 black and white, 1 black, 1 gray, and 1 calico. At one point Mom and Dad thought there were 2 black ones, then realized they had counted the same kitten twice or they accidentally mistook Midnight’s foot for a kitten. Mom says she thinks there are 2 boys and 2 girls but she will check again when they are a bit older. I don’t understand what all the excitement is about. Who cares what color they are or whether they are boys or girls. They are about the size of Marshmallow Peeps and just about as active. That’s all they do right now is sleep and eat. Borrrring!

Oh Oh, She’s Preggo…

 

Hi Guys. It's Peaches. I have been lonely since my friend Bella (a.k.a Stormy) left. She wasn’t any fun when she arrived but once she was feeling better we became best buddies. We wrestled and played tag; I showed her the best sleeping spots (currently the sweatshirt drawer and, yes, I can open it all by myself.). Now she has gone to her forever home – my Nana adopted her – and I’m trying to get used to her not being here. I try to play with the Siamese but I just get hissed at and smacked on the head. Uma plays sometimes but she usually gets carried away and ssteps on me. Mom and Dad play with me too but it’s not the same as having a cat of my own.

Looks like I’m going to be alone for a while. Mom brought home a pregnant cat. Yea, she’s going to be fun to play with…NOT! I’m trying hard to introduce myself but she just hisses at me. Uma wants to be friends too but Midnight (that’s her name) likes Uma even less than she likes me. Mom says she doesn’t know when the babies will come or how many there will be. Midnight seems to be getting bigger every day so they better come soon!

And She Lived Happily Ever After…

Don’t you just love a happy ending? Well, have I got one for you! Stormy, our latest foster kitten has made a complete recovery and found her forever home. 

Stormy was surrendered to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm on December 31. At the time she only weighed about 2 ? lbs and was near death. The staff feared she would not live to see the New Year. They gave her fluids and medicine, and kept a close eye on her. The volunteers rallied around Stormy. They gave her warm baths, fluffy blankets, and yummy food to eat. It’s a miracle she made it through those first few days but she did.

She was still quite ill but it was decided she would come home with me. There was not much more they could do for Stormy medically so a nice, quiet foster home was the best place for her to continue her recuperation. She rallied almost immediately. She was skin and bones but was eating well. With medicine to combat her upper respiratory infection, and delicious food to stimulate her appetite she slowly but surely gained weight. After about 6 weeks she had tripled her weight, and was bright-eyed and playful. How exciting! Every time we went to the shelter for a checkup the staff and volunteers were thrilled to see ho much better she looked.

Stormy did have a minor relapse but that was to be expected under the circumstances. Another few weeks of antibiotics and she was in tip-top shape. While here, my mom and her boyfriend Erick fell in love with Stormy and decided they wanted to adopt her. Each of them had rescued a stray cat in the past that looked surprisingly like Stormy. My mom’s cat Nermal, was a starving little kitten living under her rhododendron bush. She took him in and he was her special companion for years. Erick’s cat Purrcilla is also a stray and she looks amazingly like Stormy. Stormy has moved to her forever home and is not having any trouble settling in. She has not met Purrcilla yet but has met Dakota the lab and Suzy the poodle mix. Her new name is Isabella (Bella for short because she is so beautiful!) and she loves her new home. How’s that for happily ever after!

Lordy, am I tired… (Kitchen Renovation Part 2)

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2003) The big kitchen demolition was this weekend. We were ready to go. We had extra pairs of goggles, masks, gloves, and lots of tools of destruction. What a project! I was up at 6:30 Saturday morning (Gabe was up at 5:00am) chomping at the bit to get started. There was a big, orange dumpster in my driveway just waiting to be fed. I told everyone who had offered to help that we were starting at 9:00 but by 7:45 we could not wait any longer. I had no idea how loud a bang you can make throwing cabinet doors into an empty dumpster! I probably woke up a few people in the neighborhood.

As soon as help started to arrive each person was issued a mask and safety goggles and sent to a corner of the room to start tearing down walls. There were a few times throughout the day where I would be working so hard on my section of the room that I would "forget" what we were doing. Then I would turn around and receive quite a shock (see photo). I may have actually stopped breathing once or twice! By the end of the day the dumpster was filled to overflowing (and we thought it was going to be too big) and everyone was covered head to toe in plaster dust. What a great day! Special thanks to all our friends who were able to help out. With their assistance we completed the demolition 2 days ahead of schedule. We are truly blessed to have such people in our lives. 

I spent the next 2 days vacuuming insulation, plaster dust, nails, etc. from the kitchen (Yes, you have to clean the kitchen after you destroy it. Can you believe it??) and the basement. It did not occur to us that all the dust and such would sift down through the floorboards and into the basement. I hate vacuuming and here I am spending half my weekend vacuuming an empty kitchen and a dirty, old cellar!

Oh, and not to add any pressure but the patio enclosure guys called and will be coming weeks ahead of schedule to enclose the porch. So now we have to have the porch ceiling painted before next Tuesday. 

And have I ordered kitchen cabinets yet? Oh no! I'm not even positive where my appliances are going to go! I spent hours last night looking through catalogs to determine what the best configuration of cabinets would be. We have a follow-up appointment with the kitchen designer this coming Saturday. I hope what I have laid out will actually fit otherwise it's back to the drawing board!