Pages

Thursday, May 30, 2013

How is This for a Photobomb?

5/30/2013

{To see a larger image, go here.}

I wanted to take pictures of this little rug rat playing; but, she would not cooperate. She was far too curious about the camera to go about playing with her toys. So, I will have to try again when Dan is in there too. She is rapidly becoming a confident active kitten. She runs about the tiny bathroom crashing into things at times. We are going to have to move her into the office soon to give her more room to run around.

And yes, her eyes have a little crud around them. She does a pretty good job bathing herself but needs a little help from time to time. (I did bathe her face with a damp washcloth after food/play session.) She is coming into her own and growing up very fast. Her eye coloring is changing from blue to gray and her stripes are beginning to show up more. I am very curious to know what she will look like when she is older.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Another Reason for Blogging Procrastination

Well, I did a very stupid crazy thing last Sunday that will get in the way of blogging. On the way home from general shopping, I saw an old man selling newspapers trying to keep a tiny spitfire of a kitten from crossing the busy traffic without touching the little thing and my heart immediately went out to the little thing. How it managed to get to the median unscathed, I will never know. I immediately jumped out into the traffic as soon as I could safely do so. My poor Dan thought I was going to kill myself in the process. By the time I got to the kitten, it was already in one lane and disappeared under a car. The person rolled the car forward and I grabbed the kitten and quickly crossed traffic again. Dan had parked at a nearby restaurant and I happily got into the truck.

First Picture, Day of rescue, 5/26/2013

{shot with Dan's iPhone and posted on facebook}

The poor thing is very young. We weighed it upon arriving home and it was 14.2 ounces and based upon size and other factors, we determined it was between 4 and 5 weeks old. I placed her in the second bathroom’s bathtub for the remainder of that day and overnight. The next morning, I cleared out the bathroom and then took everything out of the bathtub including the kitten so that it would have more room to explore and play.

We took her to an animal hospital that was open (it was a holiday here in the states). We knew it was good place to take her because that is where Gracie’s problems were quickly determined when our own vet could not figure her out.

Anyway, we had her tested for everything under the sun. All tests came back negative. Praise God! They determined that she is more 4 weeks old than 5; but, is healthy. Now, she will remain quarantined for two weeks until a follow up checkup. I am hoping to get her vaccinations started at the same time. It will all depend on her size by then. And, when she reaches two pounds, we plan on getting her spayed and her a new home.

Two days after rescue; 5/28/2013

To see a larger image, go here.

She is adjusting extremely well. I honestly think she might make someone a great traveling companion because she calmly laid on a towel (I had burrito wrapped her). She got her front paws free and played with my hair eventually falling asleep on the way home. Most cats and kittens hate being in a vehicle; but, this one took to traveling like a champ.

Anyway, I have my hands full with Gracie and I honestly do not think I can handle having another cat in the house. We already have elderly Chessie (will be 16 years old on June 26th) along with Gracie (who will approximately 5 years old this fall). The kitten will currently remain nameless as I do not want to name her for fear of getting attached. Yes, I know, silly of me.

So, there you have it; our newest adventure on top of all the things we are currently dealing with. Ha! But, I think it is all worth it because she is such a sweet brave little thing.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Naming Neighbors

Do you ever come up with names for you neighbors? – The ones, in this day and age, you never (or rarely) meet? I do. Dan gets amused whenever I refer to a particular property by my personal name for each one of them.

When we first bought this house, the man across the road immediately got a name in my mind. He is “The Farmer” to me. The man has a bull, cow, mule, dog and some chickens. The dog is the livestock's constant companion. I think there are baby chicks as there were little moving black specks among the flock. Let me tell you, the hens and the rooster are HUGE! Anyway, the cow gave birth last year and I believe he sold it sometime within the last month. I am assuming the cow is pregnant again and will give birth again sometime this fall. The name “The Rancher” would be more appropriate considering he does not farm (garden). But, “The Farmer” is stuck in my brain.

The next neighbor to get a name is a man who introduced himself to us one day while we were doing yard work. He lives next door. He is actually the assistant pastor or a youth minister of a local church. So, it is “The Preacher” for me.

The next neighbor to get a name is the one straight across the road from us. He is “The Welder”. He does welding work from time to time and you can see sparks flying. Once in a while, I am fortunate to hear the ringing of metal from being pounded with a hammer.

Then you have “The Gardeners”. When I first saw one of them, he had the biggest red tractor and was giving rides out back on his land to one of his grandkids. They also have a huge greenhouse on the land. We met them one weekend and I actually think it is the lady that is the gardener and the man just supports her efforts. They have lived in this area for years, were schoolteachers, are childhood sweethearts and significantly older than us. Even though I now know their names, “The Gardeners” is stuck in my mind. Not only do they own a business selling plants, they also have free range chickens (allowed to roam all over the property) and goats. Their goats gave birth to a total of 17 kids (so far) this spring. Eeeps!

The last person to get a name from me is the neighbors who live on the other side of us. “The Clothesman”. Seriously. But, the dude living there apparently likes to hang his clothes on a clothesline. It also appears that he does his own laundry as I never see the lady’s or the kids’ clothes hanging on the line. So, it is “The Clotheman” for me. Ha! We have not personally met them; but, they do seem to be nice folks.

Do not get me wrong. I am just naturally observant. I think it is just part of being deaf. If there were anything to be out of place, then I would know something is majorly wrong. Also, I am naturally interested in the livestock and the gardening going on around me. I am learning all I can before actually diving into the care of livestock and gardening. It is obvious that no one gardens around here and I now know why. It is hard work fighting against critters. Plus, it is much easier to hop in a vehicle and go down the road to HEB (10 to 15 minute drive) for all your vegetables, fruits and herbs. However, I have to say that there is something satisfying about growing a garden even if you never harvest anything. At least, I am trying and am determined to keep on trying until I succeed.

So, there you have it. You have just learned something new about me. Yes, I know I am weird. Ha!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

A Few Words III

Has it really been a month since I last posted? I thank all of you readers for hanging in there with me. I am not sure what I will do in this blog in the future. There may be changes due to the fact that I just do not have the time or the inclination to blog these days especially since it is now summertime.

  • Weather and Gardening:

    The weather has been fabulous here. It has been a very unusual spring. It is usually blazing hot by this time of the year. But, most days, it has been cool. It is even cool this morning; although it will get into the high 80s (F). But, reports indicate a cool front is coming through and temperatures will be low once again. A high of 77 (F) is indicated for Saturday – extremely odd for where we are living.

    I am thankful for the cooler weather I mentioned because it is giving the major plants we planted over a month ago a chance to establish itself before the blazing summer heat strikes. I have mentioned before that we have two apple trees and a lemon tree. All of them are doing well. I also have a blackberry bush that I planted and to be honest, I am surprised it is doing well. It even produced a few measly blackberries!

    As for my garden, it is not doing well. We are fighting critters (most likely gophers) eating our fragile plants. We will build several screens to protect future plantings. I am determined to try again in the fall in spite of my disappointment with the spring gardening.

    I do believe that laying down hardware cloth in the ground has worked. The critters cannot come from below the ground. However, they are coming from above ground and eating off the tops of the plants. I have lost all my cucumber plants which I wanted so badly for pickling. I also lost quite a few pea plants not to mention the carrots. I had planted garlic; but, critters dug into the ground and destroyed them.

    I do have strawberry plants thriving; but, the berries keep getting eaten. I also have bell pepper plants growing and they seem to be doing well. The herbs are thriving too and so are the marigold plants that I put in the middle of the garden.

  • Home:

    We are making very slow progress on the house. Dan is currently working on transforming the kitchen lighting situation. I looked for something to replace the current light; but, I did not find any that I like and would work. So, Dan and I came up with the idea of ripping out the current framing (trim/molding) and replacing it with a design of our own. Actually, I designed it from memory of something I seen in the past and he is doing the wood work. I think it is going to look very nice. We shall see when he is done with the project. And yes, I will take after pictures. (The above picture is a before picture).

    I have so many ideas floating around in my head and many of them are projects that will both functional (for us) and a good thing for the cats. For example, I have seen modular bookcases; but, most are not aesthetic pleasing to me and/or do not fit in with our current design/architecture (ranch/craftsman) not to mention they are mega expensive! So, I went a searching and found something that I think would work with a few modifications and Dan will build them. They will provide a way to showcase my Krystonia figurines and allow the cats to get up high.

  • Photography:

    I still take pictures regularly. However, I have not really challenged myself in this area. It takes time to process each picture and make them blog worthy as they are shot in RAW format. But, I am planning on sharing them with everyone soon.

  • Health:

    Since my last post I had not really suffered a headache or migraine until several days ago. I discovered that emotional distress will bring on a migraine almost immediately. My one personal fault is that I am too hopeful, naive and forgiving. I need to deal with a few issues that are both past and present related in order to heal.

    In the meantime, I am doing better than I have before. I think I am ready to get back into walking and general exercising once again. We shall see how well I do when I begin again.