4 Weeks...

I have friends concerned I have passed on, since I haven't posted in almost 4 weeks. Yep, got a worried phone call a week ago, and it's nice to know someone's checking up on me, now I am heading into "Grey Panther" territory (not to be misconstrued as Cougar Country!) All it takes for me to get behind, is take off a weekend to go to the beach, then another to play tourist in Washington DC with visiting friends. Well, it's time to get back into the saddle (aka Desk Chair) and try and catch up or I never will (sort of like getting to my basement!) 

The kittens are now almost 10 weeks old and have free run of the house while I am at home. A week ago, so I could get some sleep at night, they and their mother stayed in the bathroom (cozy with heated bed and all the accouterments a fine hotel would provide). 

But now they can sleep where they chose (usually with their mom or each other in a sleeping bag on top of the "birthing tent"). They had their first vet visit last week and they didn't all get an A+ from their vet (who is also who I work for, but no bias there!). All four have very slight heart murmurs (Grade 1 which they will hopefully outgrow) and one has a scratch on the eye and he is on meds for that, and another one has "cradle cap"--well, really folliculitis, possibly from them wrestling and rabbit kicking each other! So, add cat nurse to my list of duties! And it's been so long since I posted, I am having trouble remembering the details of how 30 days have passed and what I filled those days up doing! 

Well, I spent part of a Saturday counseling the new owner of a Cornish Rex they got through rescue; I went to Wild Casino Night at the local Scion dealership (no, I am not a gambler...not in the least) because the new owner of one of my kitties works there and I met some of her car club friends and got free food and soda but didn't even win anything in the raffles). 

I gardened (and luckily took photos before the wind, rain and heat took their toll); I had 2 visits from the adoptive family of two of my kittens and met another couple on my waiting list...all positive experiences, from helping educate them regarding cat health care and in finding out about our fondness for Meryl Streep movies and Jackie Kennedy's fashion sense; 

I also had houseguests for a long weekend (not long in the bad sense) from friends who are adopting a second cat from me. Kristynn and Tommy are those kind of friends you can talk to about anything, call at anytime, and just be yourself around. I am fortunate that my cats brought us together! They were coming up to visit the kitten they had picked out and ended up falling for Sonny! He is now know as Sunny Bunny Bear aka Furrydance Sennen Cove. Of course, it helped that they had to share the guest bedroom with him, but he is the most affectionate, demonstrative cat...he hasn't met a person he didn't faun all over! No, I take that back...when he came back to me about 2 months ago, he was all hiss and growls and swats, but that only lasted a few days and that behavior hasn't returned! I think it's because he knew he was back home and he could heal his emotional issues. 

We did a lot in four days--had an awesome bbq the first night (lightly blackened flatiron steaks), and Tommy's special french toast and lots of bacon and real maple syrup one morning and ate at one of my favorite restaurants after spending the day playing tourist in DC, riding the Trolley Car Tour round the city. And while it rained hard the first two days they were here, it was temperate and the rains held off the day we toured the city. 

They told me that my guest room (all antiques...used to be my bedroom furniture before Mike and I got together) overlooking the lake, up on the 2nd floor at tree level, combined with the gentle sound of the rain reminded them of time spent at grandparents house. So sweet a memory. The only down side to their visit was quite a big deal...on day one, when Kristynn went in to visit Sammy, my stud cat, by herself and he must have perceived her as a threat and lunged at her and bit her. 

I am so familiar with interacting with cats and watching their body language that I did not think to tell her not to go in to his room without me. She was just thinking of him as her sweet kitty's father, not as a hormonal tomcat. He is not usually aggressive, but being a tomcat, just like any unneutered animal whether it be a dog or a horse or a cat, they are very territorial. She spoke to her doctor right away and while she wouldn't go to the emergency room as I had recommended, she did get on antibiotics right away but in spite of that, did have to have some followup care after she got home. 

This occurrence has made me change how I interact with Sammy, I am a bit more wary around him and I will not let anyone go in his room without me. When I go away now and have my petsitter watch the cats, he will need to be in his big floor to ceiling cage with lots of food and litter boxes so they aren't putting themselves at risk, though he may never do this again, it's another consideration for me as to do I want to retire from breeding cats and just neuter Sammy and let him retire too.. 

I have done a little gardening, and am pleased that the hedge rosemary and the white clover I planted are thriving (thanks to the rain most have been complaining about) and I am hoping that by next summer I will have my clover "lawn" that doesn't need mowing and waist high rosemary blooming with their pretty blue flowers and giving me more branches to liven up my BBQ's (soak dried branches in water and lay them on the coals or lay fresh branches on the grill and the meat or veggies on top on them). 

I cleaned and filled up the bird (aka squirrel) feeders and already word is out that Teri's got treats out again, after everyone moving on to more fertile ground. I used to have a visitor often of a "blue point" squirrel and finally, after spotting him way up the hill at someone's place that will feed him...I decided I wanted to woo him and the birdies back! I hung out my cat prayer flags and just felt at peace again, funny how that works... 

And to end the 4 week hiatus, tonight I have clean sheets on the bed (no, not for the first time in four weeks, thank you) and that is a nice way to end a weekend (although some may say otherwise). What follows are some photos of my month...