Crocheted Kitty for Operation Catnip

Here are some pictures of the newest kitty I just finished... definitely getting better with practice!! If you are wondering what is wrong with the left ear... this kitty is for Operation Catnip (where I volunteer... we spay and neuter about 60 - 80 feral cats each month). Anyway, when they get fixed, they get their left ear cropped/tipped so that caretakers of the colonies can easily tell which cats are already spayed and neutered. I put a blue collar one him--our boys are too smart for the safety collars--and I am planning on getting him a little engraved pet tag that says "operation catnip." I am going to make 2 for Operation Catnip, one for them to raffle off, and the other to keep as a mascot. after that... I am going to have to start charging for these little guys!

Moment of Prayer

As you read my blog today... please take a moment to pray for all of the people suffering from cancer. I have two family members currently struggling with cancer and/or its aftermath. Lime green is the color for non-hodgkins lymphoma and orange is the color for leukemia.

randomness...

Hi all... Just wanted to give you an update on life here in VA...

Work is ... work. Did 3 surgeries today, the first one was brutal. couldn't cannulate a vein for anything. Had to give up on the right side and move to the left. Took an hour and 20 minutes. ... usually around 30 minutes average. The last one, went really well though... a PR, 22 minutes!! not too shabby. A good way to end the work day (well, at least the surgery part of it). Now, my back hurts from hunching over the surgery table. I should take a picture of my new surgical set up. I wear this funky headband with a magnifying glass on it (a lot of dermatologist wear them these days...and yes mom, I know you are happy that I am still going to the dermatologist).

Other than surgery... got some rats testing, some training. all in all... they think Heroin is a good thing. and it makes them like to lick things. Which, often makes me wonder what it does to humans... do they get the urge to lick everything in site. I guess if I am every licked by someone while out and about, I will get my answer. otherwise... I guess that one will remain a mystery.

Mike is still looking for a job. It has been 3 months and 2 days... just a horrible time to be out of work. everytime we turn on the news you hear of another company going under or laying off more people. I think Mike is starting to get a bit of cabin fever... with the cold weather, he has been pretty much stuck inside. I think it is supposed to warm up tomorrow, so maybe we can get back to work on our walkway.

We are still holding steady at 10 cats (yes 10)... they bring me lots of joy, laughter, and happiness... and sometime a little frustration too!! They are a crazy bunch... and for the most part, they all get along really well. Gilbert is mean to Stachie from time to time, but that is because he is afraid of him. Gilbert has always been one to act out with fear based aggression. Poor Stachie doesn't know what is going on. He is a kitten stuck in a giant cats body! Milo is still my thinker and body guard. If Mike isn't home, he wont leave my side. And, if I go to bed before mike... he is right there with me. Lydia, is the princess diva. She is one of my greatest accomplishments. She was considered an unadoptable cat... so shy that only one person at the shelter had touched her in 2 1/2 years... now she is are most social kitty and loves to lay in your lap and get belly rubs. She is definitely the alpha on the group. Emmy is my personal ailment kitty... she seems to suffer from the same things that I do... Irritable bowel and sinus problems. and... she is always cold. She likes to snuggle up under the covers with me. Paisley Ann is a brat... but a lovely one at that. She is such a trouble maker... but with such a big heart. She loves to give kisses. I don't know how she does it, but she is always waiting for us on the kitchen table when we get home... waiting to give us slobbery kisses (yeah, I didn't know cats could give slobbery kisses either!). I think she got the touchy feeling- want to hug ya all the time eschmeyer gene that I seemed to miss out on. I guess she kind of reminds me of my mom... except my mom doesn't bite in the middle of the night (well, I guess I don't know that... I will have to ask my step-dad!). Cowboy is daddy's boy... and just a genuine joy to have around. He has such a wonderful disposition. Tater Tot and Cowgirl (or Geegers as I like to call her) are my heart and soul. It might be taking two of them... but they are filling the void left by Lexi (my soulmate kitty). Tatey is so funny. As soon as she think I am going in the closet to get dressed or undressed... she scales the hamper and up Mike's (hee, not mine) clothes and gets on the top shelf of the closet. She likes to help me pick out my outfit. She is also one of the first ones to come love on me on the couch... her and cowgirl. It is hard to explain Cowgirl. When I first saw all the kittens (before we rescued them), I told mike about this black and white cat that I was most drawn to... but she wouldn't have anything to do with me. Tater either. Funny how the ones that you think like you the least turn out to be your biggest fans. And then there is baby Hanky... It is hard to beleive that his life started out so rough and that he was a feral. He reminds me of Heath Ledger's character in "A Knight's Tale" ... when he asks his father if it is possible to change a man's stars... Little hanky socialized himself. He was not satisfied as a feral and decided to do something about it. It has been an absolute joy to watch him grow and mature and become an absolute wild man... I feel I lost a little bit of that with the previous group of kittens. Having the litter of 8 in the house at one time you didn't get to see them really blossom in the way that we get to see with Hank.

now... all we need is a bigger house so I can have MIke make all the kitty condos and such that I want for my babies, but wont fit in our house!!

well... I have probably bored you all to sleep by now...
until next time!

Purple... a neutral color?!?!

Did you know that the right shade of purple can actually be a neutral color!!??!?!?!? I didn't... only this weekend. I was watching my favorite channel... HGTV... and learned that since purple is the result of combining a warm color (red) with a cool color (blue) ... if done correctly (in the right proportions)... the warm and cold tones cancel each other out and the color becomes a neutral!!

I never considered purple a neutral color before. ... interesting... but, I am not going to be running out to paint a room in my house purple.

My newest crocheted kitty!!!

Here is my newest crocheted kitty!! I am pretty impressed with myself when it comes to this sort of thing... I look at some of the things I crochet and am in awe that I can actually create some of these things. There are of course quite a few things I would modify for the next one... but all in all... I am liking this kitty. super soft and cuddly... He was named "snuggy" by a friends daughter.

Crocheted fat cat for my cats...

This fat little kitty was made following a pattern I found online... I used a chunky wool blend yard and added some catnip to the stuffing (per mike's request) so the kitties could have a wrestle buddy. ... or a nap buddy (Tater Tot likes her naps!). The cats have also used their fat little wrestle buddy as a scape goat for hair balls! yesterday, I saw a little something strange on the kitty (which was sitting in the middle of the living room floor). when I picked it up, I could tell immediately that someone had gotten sick on the kitty (or the fake kitty got sick on himself)... then I looked down. whoever got sick, not only got sick on the fake kitty but the majority of it (of course) landed on the carpet AND they then covered up their mess with the fat fake kitty. Brilliant!

p.s. Isn't my Tatey (Tater Tot) the prettiest kitty ever!!!

my mini-me!

Here is my mini-me in her new outfit (made to match my outfit) and glasses! I think I am going to work on making her a purse at lunch today!! she needs some shoes too!



updated mini-me... here is what she looks like now (after lunch!)

Walkway Progress

So our walkway project has sort of been put on hold for a little while due to the cold weather. This is how far we got before the cold took over. We would have finished the bottom landing, but we ran out of wood just as the temperature was starting to drop. I am eager to get back to it though!! I think it will be wonderful once it is all done!

Hanky the Blankey!

What Mike and I started on New Year's Eve...

Ok... so did you really think Mike and I wouldn't come up with some big project to do while I had so much time off... here is what we started on New Year's Eve... In all, about 4 days worth of work so far. Our plan is to put some steps off of the last platform we completed and then start another series of platforms...I have always hated our old walkway and this is pretty much the only way I could figure out how to "hide" it without having to completely demo it and start over. We are pretty happy, and impressed with our progress so far. Walking around to the back of the house is going to be soooo much easier now!! and so much prettier!!

my little baby and my big baby!

Our baby Hank... playing with mommy's purse!


And...my big baby Mustachio!! He still thinks he is a tiny kitten that can curl up under my chin!! He just doesn't have any clue as to how big he is and that mommy can hardly breathe when he curls up like this!!