Look What The Storm Dragged In <----- Dorothy's new blog!!!! Yay!!!!
Leonore over at As a Linguist awarded me an ‘Irresistibly Sweet Blogger Award,’ which I found irresistibly sweet in and of itself! (Thank you, Leonore.)
The rules are that I have to share seven random facts about myself, and then share the award with other bloggers. Like Leonore, I’m going to share it with seven other bloggers.
First, seven random facts about me:
1. I can wiggle my ears. I actually made a short video of myself doing that very thing back in 2006. You’ll note toward the end that I got confused and started raising my eyebrows and then laughed at myself.
2. I can also raise one eyebrow (my left). Frankly, I am so chock-full of amazing skills that I’m aghast that the paparazzi aren’t stalking me 24/7. Or at all.
3. I have been exceedingly lucky in my kitten fostering. Of the 160ish (note to self: update that list already so you’ll know how many cats you’ve fostered!) kittens and cats I’ve fostered, I’ve only lost five. The first was Mia, the mother of my very first litter of fosters, and the other four were a litter of days-old kittens who weren’t given any time with their mother before she was euthanized. They passed on, one after the other, and there was nothing I could do to save them. That came on the heels of our losing Mister Boogers, who was possibly THE most personable cat we’ve ever had, and that was really just a bad, bad time for me. I never hesitated in continuing to foster, though.
I have a picture of the litter I lost hanging on the wall next to my bed and I look at it most nights and remember them with love.
Hamilton J. Porks III, who lasted the longest. I was so sure he was going to make it (all signs to the contrary, in retrospect).
I didn’t write about them as it was happening, because I wanted to make sure they’d make it before I did, and then they didn’t. The two year anniversary of their short lives is coming up in July, and I’ve been thinking about them a lot lately. Thinking about the pain of their passing helps to make me realize just how much joy there’s been in this fostering experience I’ve had over the past six years, and how much more joy is yet to come.
Okay, enough of the heavy stuff! Let’s keep it light from here on out, shall we?
4. I was born in Maine. My father was in the Air Force, and we moved a lot (places I’ve lived: Indiana, Canada, Michigan, Guam, Loring AFB in Aroostook County, Maine (before the base closed)) before settling in Lisbon Falls, Maine when I was 12ish. I’ve also lived in Rhode Island (my first husband was in the Navy) and now Alabama. I consider myself to be a Mainer, and I would happily eat seafood at every single meal.
5. Fred and I sleep in separate bedrooms. He’s a light sleeper and once awakened, has a hard time going back to sleep. He’s also one of those weirdos who only needs about 5 hours of sleep, and I need more than that. I also prefer to stay up later than he does. Also, he can’t sleep with cats crawling all over him, and I don’t even wake up when they do. So every night, we lay in bed in my room and talk and snuggle for half an hour or so, then when he’s tired, Fred goes off to bed in his room (which is right next door to mine). It bothers some people that we don’t sleep in the same bed (I find it kind of odd that it bothers people who aren’t, y’know, IN the relationship), but it works for us.
6. When I was a child, I was scared to death of every bug in existence (I called them “beechies” for some unknown reason) and that followed me into adulthood. When I first moved to Alabama, I was in the shower, and I looked down to see a HUGE spider glaring up at me, and I got out of the shower immediately, shut the bathroom door, and refused to go back in there until Fred had killed it. My fear of bugs lasted until we moved into this house and after about the 50th screaming “OH MY GAWWWWWD THERE’S A WASP!!!!” fit I had, I got over it. These days, if I see a wasp, I grab a tissue (or magazine) and grab it and squish it WITH MY BARE HANDS (that are holding the tissue or magazine). I won’t deny that I’m always afraid, in the back of my mind, that it’ll fly at my face, but I’ve come a long way, baby.
7. This will come as a surprise to some of you and not at all to others, but I swear a lot in real life. A LOT. I find that when my computer is being obstinate, nothing makes me feel better than weaving a tapestry of profanity at top volume. Also, if I get excited about a topic, out come the naughty words. I don’t swear here, though, because I’ve always meant this to be a family-friendly site, and if y’all ever see one slip through, I’d appreciate it if you’d alert me!
This list of recipients I’m passing this award, in no particular order, are as follows:
Your Daily Cute. Cute, cute, and did I mention cute? Very irresistibly sweet.
A Cat Called Freya, and Teego too! Freya and Teego and their new brother Chatzi. All three of them, absolutely gorgeous and just as sweet as they can be. Poor Freya, she certainly has to put up with a lot.
Tails from the Foster Kittens. Connie fosters kittens and has six cats of her own, and I always love seeing that she’s updated.
Daisy the Curly Cat. Daisy and Harley are certainly THE most fashionable cats I know, bar none. Not only sweet and sassy, but also very instructive. I particularly like Harley’s “How Does That Work?” series, because I always learn something new!
House of the Discarded. She rescues cats and kittens from a high-kill shelter and gives them a new chance at life. She recently started her own rescue, and she is one amazing woman.
50 Kittens. Probably the foster blog I’ve been reading the longest – I didn’t know there were other foster blogs before I found Ted and Martha! Love ’em.
Moderncat. I call this porn for the cat owner – they showcase the most amazing stuff, pretty much all of it out of my price range entirely, but I love to go and drool over this blog on a daily basis. Irresistibly cool!
These, of course, are not the only blogs I read and love, they’re just an irresistibly sweet sample of the many blogs I read every day. Go give ’em a try and see if you don’t agree.
Cilantro in the cat tree.
Sweet smilin’ Coriander.
“What?”
Coriander and Clove.
Left to right, Cilantro, Coriander, and Clove. They refused to move closer together, the brats.
::thlurrrp::
“WHOA, whoa, wait. Whatchoo MEAN it’s not snack time yet?!”
Coriander. Don’t you want to just kiss her on her little nose? She’d bite your face off, though. Don’t be fooled by the sweet face.
Coriander in motion, and Cilantro’s all “What just happened here?”
Over the weekend, we started giving Maggie and her babies some time to explore. We were worried at first that Maggie would see one of our cats growling or hissing at one of her kittens, and would rip them apart, so we kept a careful eye on her. And it’s been perfectly fine. At one point, Alice did hiss at one of the kittens, and Maggie went over and got in her face, and Alice backed right down. It’s been pretty calm, all in all.
Macushla saw Elwood and went ::FLOOF::
“HI MISTER, WHAT YOU DOIN’?” (Spanky’s sorry he ventured in to see what was going on, that’s for sure.)
One thing I like about having the McMaos in the guest bedroom is that there’s a bed where I can lay down and pet them, and they can climb all over me.
“HI MAMA WHEN YOU COMIN’ DOWN?”
“Not any time soon, child.”
So for the past few days what I do is let them out of the guest bedroom around 9 and let them run and play for a couple of hours. Between 11 and noon, they all tend to naturally wander back to the guest bedroom and curl up to sleep, so I shut the door so they can have some time away from our cats, and vice versa. Then, mid-afternoon, I open the door again, and they run around and play ’til 9:00, when we gather them up, put them back in the guest bedroom, and then shut them in for the night. It’s working out well, so far.
Loony Jake sure does love his Tommy.
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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: Brudderly love.
2008: No entry.
2007: The kittens continue with their skittishness but last night I got Tina Louise to come over and sniff my hand.
2006: No entry.
2005: And then I see Flossie’s worried little face, and I think “She is just unbearably cute. SHE’s my favorite.”
WOOOO!!!! You gave us an award?? We’re so flattered! 🙂
oh wait. That means we’re gonna have to write another post. ahh well.. 🙂
Thank you, have a LOVELY day!.
PS of course, Daddycat shed a few tears reading about the first kittens! How did the mother get euthanised so soon?? 🙁
You are very welcome (and you saw through my wily scheme to get you to post again, heh).
Mia – the mother – went into kidney failure when her babies were about six weeks old. She’d been living in a garage before she came to Challenger’s House, and they thought that she must have gotten into something that eventually made her ill. Once she got sick, she went downhill very quickly. 🙁
I also have a rather colorful vocabulary when I’m upset, my husband tells me that I’m “talking like a barn cat again!”
barn cat.. I LOVE it..
My husband tells me that I have a “potty mouth”…. sigh…
Talking like a barn cat! I love it!
I really only curse when I’m driving. i have terrible road rage. I’m a native New Englander as well. Rhode Islander to be exact. I really really miss it and hope to move back soon. I like Texas and I’ve loved living in the South these last 5 years, but there really is no place like home.
YAY!!!!! Lots of Cori!!!! Thank you!!! 🙂
Loony Jake’s face is hilarious, all scrunched up like that. 😀
Those girls are look like little fluff toys. How you don’t squeeze the stuffing out of them daily is beyond me too…
(Oooo, someone’s a Stephen King fan I see!)
I noticed that, too (Stephen King). The monster in Fred’s book reminded me a little of IT, which I see there on the shelf. LOL
Yeah, we’re both Stephen King fans. Hey, I’m from Maine, after all – I actually met him once when he was signing books at a movie theater (I think “Christine” had just been released). I was too tongue-tied to say anything at all to him, just stared wide-eyed while he signed. 🙂
yea! my first award!! thank you 🙂
btw, when are the McMaos going back?
They’ll stay here ’til there’s room at Petsmart, so it’ll depend on how adoptions go; they’ve been slow lately, I think. They’re at that stage where they’re long and lanky and have ridiculously long tails, so I’m having fun watching them race around the house. 🙂
First may I congratulate you on your ear wiggling, eyebrow-raising and extensive-naughty-words vocabulary skills! Think all of these mad skills plus the big ol’ fostering heart puts you squarely in the Diva/Goddess category.
Love the phrase “talking like a barn cat”.
I knew you were a kindred spirit. I’m an AF brat who swears like a sailor. Family legend has it I was brought into being (ahem – blush blush) on Vinalhaven Island in ME. I still contend I was an immaculate conception however b/c my parents would NEVER do the dirty!! Puhleeze! :->
The DH and I do the separate bedroom thing too B/C I’m a night owl who is also a very light (aka floppy fish) sleeper. The DH (bless ’em) snores like a buzz saw. So if either of us is going to get any rest well it’s separate rooms for us. Listen – anything that keeps the marriage strife to a minimum is alright by me.
And I totally get the whole fear of bugs thing. If we’re outside and I can safely run away screaming then they get to live. If they cross the line and come inside then it’s game on! Not w/out – mind you – much hand waving, yelling, swearing and then, of course, guilt for squashing them.
Seriously though – a million kudos to you (and the hubby) for fostering so many sweet babies. Even more kudos for sharing it with us through your blog.
I will actually let spiders (who build their webs in out-of-the-way places) stay in the house as long as they keep their webs neat (I am not even kidding). Well, as long as they aren’t black widows or brown recluses, that is (I’ve found neither in the house, but have seen black widows outside). As soon as they stop clearing the dust and dried-up bugs out of their webs, out they go.
Last week I was doing dishes and I looked down to see the tiniest cave cricket I’ve ever seen. I said to Fred “Would you do something with that?”, and he squished it. I was so mad – not that I rescue every bug I see in the house or anything, but it was so tiny and cave crickets don’t hurt anything. He could have carried it outside!
(You’re welcome!)
I’ve totally got a potty mouth. I usually keep it out of the writing on my blog because it’s just not the right time/place, but otherwise, it’s fair game 🙂
I’m so proud of you for overcoming your fear of bugs! I’m terrified of spiders and I live in the city so they aren’t exactly huge. But still. I’m still waiting to “get over it” like you. I’m not sick of freaking out yet I guess. We’ll see how this summer goes …
Yay! An award! Thanks! 🙂
I can wiggle my ears, too… and flare my nose. Can you do THAT? Eh?! I can’t do the eyebrows to save my life, though.
Also, I’m a cursing fool like the rest of us. I’ve tried to quit, but I just can’t. I think it’s always the cute innocent ones that are the worst, no? I should write another blog just for cursing. Then we could all get together and curse comment and stuff. Might be fun. Hehe.
I can flare my nose – can you roll your tongue? 🙂 We are just chock-full of useful life skills!
Thank you for passing the award to us, too! Harley is very proud and honored that he could teach you important things. I like to swear, too. My favorite swear word is “Rats!”
My goodness, Daisy, SUCH LANGUAGE! 🙂
Wow that is a lot of information about you! I am guessing you are like me with the swearing – people always appologize if they swear in front of me and I always am like “why, I do it all the time” and they are just shocked!
And I just got to see Dorothy’s new blog – I am so glad she has a wonderful forever home (like I said over there, it is extra good because I can’t afford a bigger place to make room for another kitty right now – so this way there is no temptation whatsoever – a little jealousy though!)
And oh the kittens are so cute! It is great the McMao’s get to get our a bit now. Do they know of the others and do they try to see what is going on with those little girls? We can totally see that happening and it would be so funny ( well, in my mind it is at least). All of them are so super cute!
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time (longer than I’ve been a follower which I only learned to do after I got my own blog!) and I have to say that the cute award is seriously well deserved! You certainly do have some of the cutest kitties on the internet and I love the voice you give them!
Is that an antique three quarter size bed in your guest room? I have a similar one, (cherry wood, not as fancy) and have never really seen anyone else have one! I always thought it would be my bed forever, then I married a 6 foot tall guy.. oh well, it’s in my guest room now, lol
Proud of you that you got (mostly) over your bug fear! I’m afraid that 50 times of screaming there’s a wasp (or any other bug) would not, has not been enough for me to get over my fear of them! Just thinking about bugs makes me have to look all around to make sure there aren’t any nearby… ugh
It’s an antique bed (Fred actually slept in it while he was growing up), but it’s a size Full, not a three-quarter (I had to look on Wikipedia to see what a three-quarter size bed is!) There’s a matching dresser to it, too – Fred’s father and stepmother bought it at an estate sale. It’s a little fancier than I usually prefer (I prefer Shaker, myself), but it’s possibly the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in!
Most of my swearing is when I’m driving and alone and I get really pissed off when I mess up what I’m saying so I just swear even more. Knowing you a little now in person I still think you have two personalities because I’d never guess you’re the chick cussing like a sailor in this blog!
I use my company manners here. 😉
I love the pics of you surrounded by all the kitties!! How lovely!! And I am in AWE at your ear wiggling thing! Thanks for sharing a little bit about yourself here! The story of these first foster kitties is heartbreaking. I can’t get my head round how the mum cat was euthanised while her babies were still so tiny. That’s just cruel! 🙁 I’m truly sorry about your first foster kitty family.
Awwww but look at the adorable Spice Girls and McMoas!! Yay for fostering them so successfully!!! Lovely pics as always! Hello sweet Jake and Tommy! take care
x
I have loved this blog for a while now but finding out you swear and grew up in New England makes me love it even more! Cats, cursing and the New England coast – A girl after my own heart!
Is Clove the teeniest, tiniest little tabby girl you have ever seen? I know all the Spice Girls are wittle, but she looks tiny next to her litter mates even – aww! Is Coriander doing the macarena?
Machushla goes ‘floof’, yeah that’ll scare Elwood! LOL. And yay, we can follow Dorothy’s adventures at her new home. Cool!
PS: Blesses be the babies (and momma)that didn’t come to stay…
sigh…if only I could spell…Blessed!!!
I’m so glad there is an ocean between us and crooked acres – otherwise I’d be swinging by to scoop up clove in an instant, and I’d never hear the end of it from the hubby.
We do the separate beds thing as well – I’m the snorer and he’s the light sleeper. After a month or so of marriage this man looked deep into my eyes and said “Darling, I love you, but if I don’t get some sleep I’m afraid I’ll murder you in yours” 😉 I’ve also had the experience of people being bothered by our sleeping arrangements – I think they’re just jealous that I don’t have to share my blankets with anyone.