acechick

Good news

Daisy was adopted!

Vince was considered too much of a handful & has been sent back to the main shelter.

introducing Vince Vaughn

There's a new boy at the shelter. And his name is... Vince Vaughn.

I saw him last time and was warned of his high energy. Daisy was out with someone else when I arrived today (my favourite) so I figured I'd spend some time with him. Try out my Whsipering.

High energy is right. I'm guessing that he was surrendered because his owners didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Definitely a multiple-run-per-day sort of guy.

I spent about 15 minutes with him before deciding I'd give walking him a go, and then another 15 minutes or more trying to get him to calm down. Not entirely successful, but I'm sure better for having done so.

It was a struggle at first, and he was never going to heel, but I think we did OK. He's food motivated and knows how to sit, so a good start. And he really is a lovely boy.

But the whole time I kept thinking how hard it would be to find him a home. I really can't emphasise enough the amount of exercise and training he needs. And he doesn't really 'show' well in the shelter — he leaps up and barks constantly. In fact, it's difficult even getting into his room with all his enthusiasm. I worry for poor Daisy, but I really despair for this guy.

[Right off you can tell he's part Labrador, but that curly tail suggest Chow. Which must be confirmed with those tongue spots.]

When we arrived back at the shelter I sat with him for a bit to calm him down. We were doing 'wait' exercises with treats when a woman came to the window. I invited her in, and she was indeed looking for a dog. Not wanting to scare her off, I asked her if she was a runner and lo, she goes to the track every day. AND she and her boyfriend are looking for a Lab!

The timing could not have been better. He was slightly less rambunctious, was showing off his sit and wait skills and generally being a loving and model shelter dog.

Paws crossed for Vince Vaughan!

it's not all kittens

There's more than just kittens happening here, I'm walking shelter dogs, too.

There are usually 3 dogs at this location. This is Daisy, my favourite.

Check out these ears:

I've been going up there for about 6 weeks now, 2 or sometimes 3 times a week. I've seen dogs come and go, but poor Daisy remains. She walks well on the leash (after a crazed minute of joy of being out of the shelter) and likes to smell the roses.

When I arrived, Daisy went crazy knowing she would be going for a walk. I had assumed that it was because she saw the accoutrement, but one of the volunteers assured me that Daisy recognised me. Awww, I can't tell you how thrilled I was to hear this!

Out on our walk we bumped into a guy who recognised her — he had taken her for a jog last week. We had a chat and he went on his way. And Daisy wanted to follow him! As in dragged me toward him. Bloody dog has no loyalties.

And in more dog news, on the way home from the shelter's vet the other day I found this stray:

I was driving home with the monster in the box, when I saw him walking through traffic. So I pulled over, enticed him into the car and drove back to the shelter. When I got there, a woman (also newly arrived) told me she had seen him walking in the street. Right, so she was already on her way to an animal shelter and it didn't occur to her to stop and pick up the dog? Dear lord, people can be stupid.

Turns out he's a Shiba Inu and was picked up by a Shiba Inu rescue in NJ.

Fingers crossed that they both find loving homes.

Hurricane update

We were ready to weather the storm and power outages with mojitos.

Hey, at least we had mojitos.

come one, Irene

10 o'clock Saturday night and we're waiting for the storm.

All day we've been preparing. Well, Fred's napped and I've cooked. We've got 3 or so meals cooked and ingredients for another 2 or 3 — our cooker is gas, so if the electricity goes down we should be ok.

We don't have any torches, but there are a couple of candles lying about. But I'm not sure if our lighter is working. oops.

We did the Jersey grog run yesterday, stocked up on beer, wine and spirits. We have enough rum and limes to see us through the week. Although I'm not sure how to access the ice if the power goes out and we're not meant to open the freezer.

Let's see, also stocked up on cat food and litter. And of course always equipped with books and knitting. Oh, and all the washing is done.

Now we wait. And drink.

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Edited to add pics:

Bonus:

My shadow.

Happy Birthday Fred

Fred's birthday & he scheduled the day off to go to the beach. Buuut the shore has been evacuated so no swim.

We had a guest, the lovely Rachel! We went to Sabrina's for brunch.

Remember Sabrina's of the outrageous stuffed French toast? Ir gets more insane:

"Cream cheese filled with Butterscotch, marshmallows, peaches and golden oreo cookies. Topped with berry-orange syrup."

Fred went with the regular stuffed french toast. And brought half of it home.

Sadly Rachel's trip has been cut short by the storm, instead of leaving Sunday morning, she flew back to SF on Friday night.

killer kitteh

The drive home from the shelter vet was... eventful.

Mama Kizz didn't like the extended period in the cardboard box.

She's quite the escape artist.

Not exactly conducive to concentrating on the road.

vet check

The feline family had their vet check up today. The verdict was outrageous cuteness.

They continue to get better and put on weight. The colds haven't completely gone, so they have more ABs, and some sort of high-calorie thingie for Mama Kizz.

Ginge still outweighs his brother and is beginning to outplay him, too.

Mama Kizz does a great job looking after them. They seem to be nursing, but I'm not sure if she's still producing milk. Baby Grey especially likes to nap on the boob.

A number of times I've heard a scream from upstairs only to bound up two flights of stairs to find nothing wrong. I think what is happening is Mama tries to pick Ginge up by the scruff of his neck and he really doesn't like it. "MOM, you're embarrassing me!"

The vet tells me it will be another month or so before they weigh enough to be neutered and ready to move to their new home. They grow up so fast.

kittyquake

I was upstairs in my craft room, tidying up (project details to come) when the quake hit. Mama Kizzy and the babies were in their usual spot, ie on my desk in front of the window.

I've never experienced and earthquake before, and have been really quite curious. I guess the problem is that you can not be prepared for what's to come, be ready to take in the experience. If I had known what the hell was going on... I could have enjoyed it? Is that OK to say?

The thing is, I thought earthquakes were violent shaking. This was a gentle but distinct sway. I felt giddy, almost drunk but confused and panicky.

When I worked out what was happening I knew I had to leave the building. But what about the cats? There was no way I could pick up all three and take them outside, so I left them (am I a bad kitty mum?) but grabbed my phone and camera. (What? They were right there!)

I opened the back door as my neighbour looked out her window. "Did you feel that?" she called out to me, confirming that I hadn't been daytime drinking. We gathered in our little alley and freaked out somewhat. Another neighbour joined our little party which was soon to be broken up by spouses calling.

But not mine. And I couldn't get through to him. Flashbacks to the london bombings scared me a little.

Finally, I got the call: "Did the earth move for you too?"

the babies

I promised an update on the babies a few days ago, why the delay? I can not tear myself away from them. Come on, how ridiculous is this?

Ginge is an hysterical sleeper. He likes to stretch his body out, and loves to have his face in the air.

They discovered the window sill the other day. Ginge enjoyed it more, Grey wanted to be with his brother.

They really can sleep anywhere.

This morning I took a nap with them, and Ginge ended up by my face (until he tried batting my eyelashes, what a way to be woken) and later balancing on my hip as I lay on my side. Yesterday he slept under my chin, across my neck.

Kizzy & kids

The plan was to have the cats in my craft room. They need to be contained for at least the first week. After all, these tiny critters would never handle all the stairs.

The kittens were beside themselves with excitement to be let loose in there. They'd spent the last 9 days in that cage, pretty much ever since they learnt to walk. Plus, there's a lot of junk boxes in the room for them to explore.

Mama on the other hand, kept trying to get the hell out. We opened up Fred's room next door, which was perfect for her. It's dark and has a sofa bed. After a short spell underneath the sofa, she stretched out on top of it and didn't move.

She was so still and lifeless that I thought she would die during the night. I gave her the anti-biotics they're all on (orally, with a syringe) and she put up no struggle. She didn't eat or drink. And ignored her babies. Who continued to play.

At around 10pm, she turned a corner. She ate a little bit and took some water. Also, she came downstairs. In the photo above you can see the wire screens from the window (currently being inhabited by the a/c) which is positioned at the top of the attic stairs. She can jump over and come downstairs, while the babies are contained to two rooms. She still didn't seem interested in the babies, but at least she would survive the night.

According to the papers the SPCA gave us, her name is Kizzy and her sons are Kenneth and Marlyn. Of course, as a stray they gave them those names last week. Looking through Craig's List, seems like there was some confusion. Kizzy it is.

Sometime in the morning she started showing interest in the kids. And by the afternoon she was nursing them.

While the kids were napping, she came to see me. Apparently this balancing act is a trick of the Burmese breed, as is her talking.

Kizzy's been doing a lot of talking. It had me running around earlier in the day, worried that something was wrong. And again this evening, as I was preparing dinner I heard both her and one of the kiitens. I bounded up two flights of stairs, worried they'd got sucked into the a/c (the only thing that come to mind!) to find them just having a chat.

As a stray, she's not had much (any?) human contact, but she knows she wants to be patted. So we're working it out as we go.

By the end of today, she had gotten even closer than this: she managed to fall asleep next to my feet. Kizzy is going to make someone a great pet.

Tomorrow I'll do an update on the kittens. They're changing very quickly and have really distinct personalities.

kittehs

Fred's been trying to talk me into getting a cat for some time. I think it's to distract me from wanting a dog. (Unlikely.)

I trawl the pets section of Craig's List every day. Don't ask me why. Recently I found this gorgeous cat. [Here is a pic for when the page is eventually taken down.]

We've loved Maine Coons for some time, even pre-dating Loba & Flemings' cats Findus & Pedersen. So I always have an eye out for these beasts. The listing doesn't identify her as a MC, but that lion's main! And those green eyes! I fell in love.

Right! I'll foster her, I thought. Even though the fostering process is NOT a trial adoption, I really had to try on a cat for size. It's been a very long time since we last lived with a cat.

However at the shelter, they did the ol' bait and switch. Runt (yes, that's her sad name) is highly adoptable and doesn't really need a foster. But would I take this orphaned 3 week old kitten who needs bottle feeding? EEEK!

Now this kitten was adorable. But I suck at bottle feeding. And oh! a tiny kitty! Who doesn't want a kitty? /high pitched voice

I had to think about it. Maybe they'd let me try-out Runt if I fostered someone needy? But then Runt was 8 years old and lived her whole life with people who didn't want her — I can't imagine she'd be a snuggler. What if I ended up with a cat who isn't interested in me and I had to fork out thousands of dollars/pounds to schlep it around the world with us?

So my plan when we set off for the SPCA (on the wettest day we've had so far) was to foster Runt and some other needy kitty. Fred's plan was to adopt Runt (I decided not to put him straight).

When we got there, Runt had already been adopted. Great news! She was not the right cat for us, but I was so mesmerised by her looks that I could be swayed into the wrong decision.

We then headed into the 'Maternity Room'. The smell was overwhelming. Fred barely made it in the door. I began to explain to Fred our options when a lovely young lass (whose name I later discovered is Mary) asked if we were fostering and immediately pointed out this cage to us.

Mary explained that this mama and her two kittens all had colds, and if they weren't taken soon, they'd be next for euthanasia. Cats with colds/URIs (upper respiratory infections) don't get better in shelters, so they have no option but to put them down. And URIs are really communicable.

How could we say no?

And now we have three cats living with us. What would Rosie think?

Birthday haul

Shiny birthday pressie! The Dyson DC35.

And in all its glory:

When I asked Fred for a vacuum cleaner for my birthday, he said it was just so I could complain about it online. He had a point. He also has a really gross home.

This one came from London with us, only a year or so old, yet sits in the basement unused. BECAUSE THE TRANSFORMER DOESN'T WORK.

To be honest, it does technically work. But at that slowed down rate the american voltage supplies it. I'd guess about half power.

I've been using a half-powered Dyson along with the Swiffer above to keep our house clean. I use the word 'clean' very loosely.

I'm ecstatic with the new vacuum. Granted, it only has 15 minutes charge. But that ensures a frenzied clean! And daily kitchen/living room vacuuming.

The surprise gift came from the lovely Watersons.

And not a moment too soon. It seems I have become bored with baking cakes. This is meant to be a half-size version of the Chocolate cake with fleur de sel caramel filling. I've been wanting to eat/make this for some time. But now I have the time and resources... meh.

Pies and tarts are the way of the future. The lovely Rachel is an expert and I'm sure I can get some pointers from her when she's in town later this month.

BIRTHDAY

On ma birthday, fred took a half day at work and we went to the beach. Our current favourite is Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island.

These odd water towers are all over Long Beach Island.

We've been going there around 5pm (when the guards have gone home) so it feels nice and empty. I'm not sure if this the beach or the time of day.

There is a massive regeneration programme happening, so the beach itself isn't nearly as wide as some of the others along the shore.

Please excuse the stupid photographic effect. The battery on my regular camera had died & I didn't notice until we got to the beach. These are from the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone. The phone's camera isn't as crisp as it used to be, so I've been experimenting with the app in an attempt to hide the blur. Problem is, I don't really know how to change the 'filters'. Walking from the beach to the car, seems I inadvertantly shook the phone, generating a 'random' filter. Surely there's a better way. Anyone know it? (please don't make me read the instructions.)