Funny, I always thought the spud belonged to you and Fred and that you and Fred had been married since the beginning of time.
Nope, I have a whooooole past y’all don’t know about. 😉 I was married to the spud’s father at a very young age, and we were married for 8 years. He stayed in the Rhode Island area (where we were living when we divorced), retired from the Navy, and eventually met his now-wife. Rhode Island is an absolutely gorgeous area – especially where we were, near Newport – and I probably didn’t appreciate it enough at the time.
Fred and I have been married since Halloween 1998, which means we’re closing in on 14 years of marriage. (Yes, we got married on Halloween, and no we didn’t dress up, though I wish now that we had. It was in a small chapel, and the only people in attendance were the spud and a friend of the preacher, who served as a witness.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Was Miz Poo terribly lonely in your absence, and did a certain chubby calico mind Logie’s flirtatious TV-watching ways?
Miz Poo doesn’t like it when she sees me packing a suitcase, and she’s always EXTRA vocal when I come home, but according to Fred she’s perfectly fine while I’m gone. She might be a bit needier, so he gives her extra attention, but for the most part she’s fine.
And Alice actually isn’t terribly possessive of Fred. If she goes to climb up on his lap (which she often does at TV time in the evening, but not necessarily every evening) and Logie is there, she’ll look a bit disgusted and settle down as far from Logie as she can. And if Logie gets too much in her face she’ll smack her, but I think she figures there’s enough of Fred to go around!
However, sometimes Elwood also tries to climb on Fred, and he’s usually the boulder that breaks the camel’s back, causing Fred to make all the cats sit on the couch instead of on Fred.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I wonder if things might go more smoothly between them now that she’s spayed? Not that I blame the boys for being too skeered to go back in there.
That’s regarding Jake and Emmy. Fred took Jake into the foster room with Emmy before we realized that she was going into heat, and when she “talked” to him, I think she was saying something along the lines of “Hey big boy, come here often?!”
Fred tried to take Jake into the room with Emmy while I was gone, and Jake was NOT having it. Emmy was okay – said a few things, maybe called him a chicken – and Jake begged to go back outside. I think an Emmy-Jake friendship isn’t meant to be, since Jake is pretty much avoiding the upstairs at this point, but we’ll see. It would be nice if she could have some feline company in there!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I forgot to mention this the other day, but I loved that your neighbor thought to get between the bush and the road before he tried to rescue the baby kitty, to keep it from running into danger. He sounds like a good guy.
Oh, he is – they’re definitely animal lovers over there. Fred and I were talking to his mother a few weeks ago, and she saw Joe Bob and asked if she could pet him. Fred went to pick Joe Bob up so she could, and Joe Bob said “I DON’T THINK SO, MON FRERE” and ran inside the house. I’m glad she’s got her own kitty to love on, now! She told Fred that the kitten is a sweet little lovebug. I just wish I knew where he came from! Fred and I have looked all over the place and haven’t found any other kittens, so it’s a mystery.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Stumbled across this tonight and thought of you. Could be handy for fosterers too. 😉
How neat is that!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Rupert MUST be somone’s daddy… Maybe Newt? Is he old enough for that? Is it even possible for a white cat and a tux to make an orange tabby baby? Probably not…
I think Rupert is probably a year or two younger than Newt.
Oops, actually that’s not true – I just went and double-checked Newt’s page and Newt’s estimated to be about 6 years old. That’s the same age as Rupert, so maybe they’re from the same litter? Fred thinks that Rupert must be related to Coltrane, because they have the same kind of meow (which I need to capture on video).
Speaking of Rupert, I don’t know if he actually belongs to someone in the area, but he’s here pretty much 24/7. We have a small wagon that Fred leaves under a rain/ sun shade in the old chicken yard. That’s where Rupert really likes to sleep. That, and on the side stoop, and in the driveway. I was working in the garden yesterday, and he kept following me around when I was gathering everything I needed, and kept trying to explore the buildings I was opening the doors to. (The old blue coop is where we store empty feed bags, and the garage is where my gloves were.) That boy has certainly made himself at home, and he comes over without hesitation to be petted when I go outside.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Do you long for Maine still or has Alabama stolen your heart as well?
I do long for Maine, but I also know that there is just no way on earth that I could ever live up there again. I’ve become the biggest wimp in the past 16 years here in Alabama, and the cold would kill me. When I was up there last week, the cold weather just about killed me – I was in jeans and a hoodie and jacket, and still cold. And people were walking around in shorts!
If I were to win the lottery, I’d buy a place in Maine for the summers, but how much time could I spend there, really? I’m sure trying to move 13 cats to Maine for the summer wouldn’t be traumatic at ALL.
Honestly, the only thing keeping me in Alabama is Fred. It’s a nice place, and I feel like an ingrate for admitting it, but if Fred were to, y’know, accidentally fall in the pond and drown after putting MY GOOD WOODEN SPOON in the dishwasher (WHO THINKS THAT PUTTING WOOD IN THE DISHWASHER IS A GOOD IDEA?!), I’m not sure I’d stay in Alabama. Actually, I’m fairly certain I probably wouldn’t.
(Luckily, we have an agreement that I get to die first. Just not anytime soon.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
45 is “very old”?! Say it ain’t so!
and
How does it feel to be about 1.5 years away from “very old?” 🙂
Even when I wrote that, at the age of 32 (god help me, I had to get out the calculator to figure out how old I was in 2000), it was tongue in cheek. I don’t consider 45 “very old”, honestly I don’t.
It’s ancient.
(Hee, just kidding! I’ll be 45 myself in January and I find that I don’t consider it all that old. 🙂 )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I love the name Rufus and will name my next pet that (and hopefully the next pet will be stuffed and not require any care or feeding – and especially won’t drag paper/plastic out of the recycle bin and shred it to bits all over my house ). Anyway, do you trip on those steps or is it just the angle that makes them seem dangerous? Or maybe just my klutz bias showing through?
It’s just the angle – however, we were having an issue with them getting slick in the rain and I did fall down them not once, but twice last year. Fred bought those strips to make the stairs non-slick (I can’t think of what they’re called – they’re kind of like sandpaper), but I’d still like to have a railing to hold on to!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I know this is one of the unanswerable questions like “How would you describe the color yellow to a blind person,” but — what does lobster taste like? Other than lobster.
Here’s why I ask: I am NOT a seafood aficionado – I can eat the very very mild flavors of fish (I think it’s mostly cod or haddock, whatever it is they usually use in beer-battered fish-n-chips type stuff) as long as I have some lemon and/or tartar sauce for it, and I love fried clams as long as I have lemon and they’re not too huge/chewy. My parents are both nutso for crabs (my mom grew up on the Eastern Seaboard), but the smell makes me a bit queasy. I’ve tried catfish (wild and farm-raised) and nearly vomited; I managed to choke down a piece of salmon with the help of a big swig of water, and I know I’ve tried and/or been exposed to multiple other forms of seafood, having relatives who live in seafood-heavy areas and who like to fish. I like tunafish sandwiches, but the smell of warm tuna (as in casseroles or steaks) makes me retch.
But lobster… the *idea* of lobster has always fascinated me, and I feel like maybe I’m missing out on a wondrous gastronomic delight, but I have never been able to justify the expense of ordering some so I can try it, and never been around anyone from whom I could swipe a bite. And of course it’s not the sort of thing you can easily find samples of.
Given the seafoods that I do/do not like (as mentioned above), do y’all think lobster would be up my alley, or no? (It may just be the butter I’m tempted by… lol)
This is just my opinion, but I think that lobster and crab are very similar, so I’m guessing that you probably wouldn’t care for lobster. The rest of y’all, feel free to jump in with your opinion on the topic!
I like most seafood – lobster and shrimp being my favorite – but I can’t eat tuna. That’s not because of the taste, but because of a mental block I have; I ate a lot of tuna as a kid – A LOT – and I can’t stand the idea of it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Corbie reminds me of my Jack, another gorgeous tabby. Whenever we move and find a new vet, they always comment on how gorgeous he is, especially his eyes.
Jack looks like he and Corbie could be long-lost twin brothers, just about! Which is to say, Jack is one gorgeous kitteh. (Also, I love the name Jack, and the only reason we don’t have any cats named Jack is because that’s Fred’s stepfather’s name and it would be annoying to always have to differentiate between Jack the man and Jack the cat.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Whipper and the Newbs (aka Logie and Newbery) hanging out on the cat tree in the sun.
Darwin considers…
And decides that Corbie’s box will do nicely, thank you.
Morning sun!
Fightin’ time.
All four Noms – and Miz Poo – in the kitchen. Logie’s face is cracking me up. Here, here’s a closeup:
“STOP PUTTING YOUR STUPID TAIL IN MY FACE!”
Newbery was very interested in what was going on on my monitor. He’s a Gmail fan, apparently.
Sleepy Miss Razz-ma-tazz.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Are you READY for the Corbs? Can you HANDLE the Corbs? I’m not sure you can, but be warned: his beauty has been known to cause heart palpitations.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this basket, which I bought off Etsy. It was intended for the foster room, but I left it on the table for a couple of hours, and the next thing I knew, one of the cats was in it, and it’s been occupied ever since. Someone knocked it onto the floor, and Corbie said “This works for me!”
Corbie in his box, happy as can be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Previously
2011: Actually, that’s another way Dorothy and Alice are alike: they’re small, but they have NO fear when it comes to the other cats.
2010: Oh, I loved her immediately.
2009: He still says she’s ugly.
2008: No entry.
2007: Vampire Kitty likes to spend his days on top of the cupboards, where it’s warm and relatively dark.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Um, Robyn?? Rupert DOES belong to someone in the neighborhood… YOU!! Not sure if it’s because he resembles or is related to Newt or Coltrane but I think there is something very familiar about his face, like he’s a soul we’ve met before.
Does Emmy ever try to escape the foster room to look for companionship or is she pretty happy being a loner upstairs? My Einstein (who was the daughter of a barn cat and barely tame herself as a youngster, but turned into the most sweetly snuggling old lady there ever was) would have been perfectly content to be the only cat on the planet… ever.
Oh Corbie, handsome Corbie, box-dweller Corbie, my eyes can almost handle the brilliance which is da Corbs. I love that we get frequent references to “Corbie’s box”. Norman is also quite fond of snuggling himself in corrugated cardboard. We have several boxes scattered around the house for his napping pleasure (though one of them seems to have been claimed by Simba and fat-boy snacks on the walls… yep, he’s weird).
She never shows the slightest bit of interest in anything outside the foster room. I was so careful when we first got her, because I was afraid she’d run into the house and we’d never see her again, but she shows zero interest. In fact, the one time I went brain-dead and left the door to the foster room wide open, she came over to the door… so she could hide behind it. 🙂
I was just going to ask about letting Emmy out into the general population, but that image pretty much settles the question! I keep thinking, “Poor Emmy”, but she is probably pretty content in her little world. She’s going to be who she is, no matter what we all want her to be…
Oh well.
Then I’m going to stop worrying about her. She’s obviously happy and content up in the foster room, even if you are around to annoy her. 😉
Corbie looks outstanding in that bowl! He sure is a beaut!
I think lobster is a lot like crab…but a bit “chewier”…..
Lobster, to me, is what would happen if a shrimp and a crab mated and had babies. It has the crabby flavor, though a bit milder in my opinion. But the texture is on the firm side like shrimp, but not quite as firm as shrimp.
Oh, shrimp. I forgot how utterly and entirely I loathe shrimp. Years ago, my then-husband made me try his special beer-barbequed shrimp which he assured me would make me an instant lifelong convert into shrimp-fandom, that I would be begging him to make them every day. It smelled okay (I like just about anything barbeque), but I was only able to chew twice before I spewed. I made him clean up the puke.
So I guess no lobster for me! Thanks, y’all’s musings have been helpful in putting that to rest.
Christine Q (above)-That is imo a good description of lobster. Here are my personal likes/dislikes: I like most mild fish. I LOVE shrimp, will eat stuffed clams (mostly because its just breading and well seasoned). I like tuna both cold and hot. I can’t stand the smell of salmon and don’t know if I like the taste because I won’t try it. Catfish is good but is starting to go the way of fishy-fish as far as flavor. Crab is NOT my thing. Again, like Christine said, lobster is somewhere in the middle. It’s not a strong flavor but it’s a bit more chewy than I like. It’s like shrimp string cheese. I say it this way because most fish flakes. The lobster I’ve had does not flake but is a bit like string cheese.
Funny story time-I grew up in NE but never really liked things like clam chowder. Well, when pregnant with my first child we took a vacation through NE. So we were in Vermont (I think. It’s where we spent the most time.)Anyway, we went to lunch and they had this seafood stew I decided to try and it was one of the best things I had ever eaten! The next day we decided to go back because I loved the stuff. WEEEEEELLLLLL, my pregnancy affected brain said I’ll have that stew again! My pregnant stomach had other ideas! I couldn’t even stand the smell of it that 2nd time. My husband still loves that story.
String cheese! I love that analogy, and I think it’s a good one. 🙂
Christine Q, I hate fish but love lobster. It’s best when cooked fresh (doesn’t have a fishy taste, I mean.) I suggest you try it with lots of real butter. At least once.
I find crab just a little bit too fishy/gamy. Lobster does not give me a good feel.
I think you should come to Maine and try some. 😉
*Lobster does not give me the SAME feel
I LOVE LOBSTER! [Damn typos]
I love crab…but not lobster. It’s texture for me.
I’m ok with lobster, but CRABS are my love… Of course, I’m a Maryland girl. 🙂
I love the look on Corbie’s face in that last picture! What a gorgeous boy he is.
It is normal for many cat Mom’s, especially barn cats/ferals to push babies away around 8 weeks or when the go into heat. They don’t all do this of course but Emmy is obviously at the “go away I never made kittens” stage. I suspect she might tolerate another cat that tolerated her, but she may just not be all that social with cats or people. A great future as a barn kitty and perhaps house kitty in old age, we’ve had several change like that as they become seniors.
Kara and Maxi are still at that “I never had kittens” stage. 🙂
You’re not supposed to put wooden spoons in the dishwasher? I always put mine in there. Is there a reason you don’t? Have I ruined all mine?
Side note: I love Jake and Elwood. I love Gray cats. They make my heart melt.
Oh and Lobster is soooooo yummy.
Well, I should have said that he put my ONE good wooden spoon in the dishwasher after I’ve repeatedly told him not to – and now it’s split down the middle. Grrrr. (Though maybe truly GOOD wooden spoons don’t do that?)
I always washed my wooden spoons in the dishwasher when I had one. The heat does a good job of somewhat sterilizing them (like wooden cutting boards, they can harbor bacteria). I never had one split though. I can see how that would suck a lot.
P.S. Of course Fred is going to deny being deliberately incompetent!
I have ALWAYS heard not to put wood things in the dishwasher. Including my knives with wooden handles. it has something to do with breaking down the wood on them I think. Of course I’ve never owned any expensive sort of wood things, but I can assure you that any of my spoons, knives, whatevs that I got lazy and put in the dishwasher more than twice, were ruined. they’d either split, or get mushy on the edges and then splinter off (REALLY irritating if you’re the sort to taste test from the spoon – I’ve honestly had splinters in my lips from it), or something irritating.
*silently raises a hand* um.. well.. yea.. I put wooden spoons in the dishwasher.. cause if I don’t they don’t get washed for weeks, and I figure it is better off in the dishwasher then sitting by the side of the sink guilting my husband into doing the dishes (it has a soft voice so the guilt takes a while) (and yes, I don’t do dishes)
I also figure I can buy new spoons..
Hahaha – soft-voiced guilt! The guilt here is loud and very abrasive. 🙂
I have to tell you, I laughed for five minutes about the wooden spoon in the dishwasher situation. I have been saying for years that someday they’ll find my husband’s body floating in a river, and all my friends will testify that he totally had it coming. Only this morning I fished my two best knives out of the dishwasher, for the 1589th time.
Seriously, HOW MANY times do I have to tell him? How hard can it be??? He swears up and down he’s not doing the thing where he does a crappy job of doing the dishes so I’ll get irritated and stop expecting him to do them, but I have my suspicions!
they apparently learn this at an early age and it MUST be genetically coded! My nine-year old son who does not have a father in our lives at all does this. The things he WANTS to learn he has no problems with – but things like loading the dishwasher and/or where something goes when it comes out of the dishwasher? Nope. No matter how many times he does it – I still find things in the wrong places!
AMEN!! I swear the boy-child does household chores badly on purpose so I’ll just stop asking him and do it myself.
I love lobster in rolls, bisque and Thermidor, but am not as much a fan of it boiled and served with butter. I guess I like it best as an ingredient rather than by itself. Although I have yet to turn it down boiled and served with butter!
Where did you get the hammick?
Love your blog!!
We got our Ham-micks from Forty Paws, here. The cats looooooove them. 🙂
“it would be annoying to always have to differentiate between Jack the man and Jack the cat”
I used to have a male cat named Chris and then my mom remarried* and I got a stepsister named Kris and lived with her for a few months. I was talking to my mom one day in her kitchen and said something like “Well Chris kicked litter all over the bathroom again . .”
My step dad yelled from the living room, “I’ll tell her to knock it off already!”
HA! I love that. 🙂
I just wanted to tell you that I LOVE YOU. You are so funny and charming and your posts really make my day, every day. I, wish I lived near you and we were neighbours but then you’d probably get sick of finding me on your property all the time, petting all your critters and asking what you were cooking up in the kitchen. And although we’ve never seen him (not that I can recall), I love Fred, too. You guys are super-duper awesome.
Hee hee! He’s appeared in photos – and more than just his hands holding some kitten or other – and he’s a good-lookin’ cat-lovin’ man!
I agree with sour puss! I KNOW we’d be “real” friends if I lived near you lolol
I thought you were 43! I must have lost a year somewhere.
Whew, I finally caught up, I’ve been so behind. I can’t comment on everything so I’ll just say I’m glad you had a good vacation and I’m glad you’re back!
I don’t know how you get anything done with those adorable kittens around!!! I’d squeeze the floof right out of them! Seriously-I would still be in pajamas when Fred got home, laying on the floor with kittens running all over me. *sigh* you’re so lucky to have such sweet little faces all around you!
Do you remember which seller(s) on Etsy for the baskets? What are the approximate dimensions and approximate costs? Thanks!
It was Wexford Treasures, and the basket that Corbie’s in measures 4.5″High, 15″ across the top, and base 10″ wide diameter. That basket cost $32.99, but she’s got other sizes for other prices. The one that Darwin is in (in the post for May 25th) is slightly bigger – 4.5″High, 17″ across the top, and base 12″wide diameter – and cost two dollars more. They’re really well made baskets, and the cats love them!