By Sun and Candlelight

My New (Desktop) Wallpaper

And since I have your attention ...

(It just doesn't get old.)

I hope you all don't mind me indulging my need to share so many pictures of our new kittens. We're a bit obsessed, I'm afraid. ;)

For the record, the boys would like me to announce the cats' full names:

~ Archibald Fred (Archie) and Oliver James (Ollie) ~ 

Archie is named for that ginger-haired comics icon (the boys are avid fans/collectors) as well as the tragically fallen Weasley brother. Oliver is simply named for my favorite chef, Jamie Oliver. (We watch Jamie at Home every night, almost without fail.)

Needless to say, we are smitten with our kittens ... and happily, they seem to be settling in quite well.

:)

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(IN CASE YOU CAN'T TELL, I'M HAVING "HELP" WITH THIS POST FROM THE KITTENS. GHHHHHHH THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY FASCINATED BY MY LAPTOP! AS WELL AS KJNFJJBJHH876443 MY CUP OF COFFEE, LOL.)

Ok, I've escaped to a secure location where I should be able to use my computer in relative peace. The kittens are such little scamps! But they are doing really well and we are so thrilled to have them. Oliver actually has/had an upper respiratory infection so he's already been to the vet and is currently on eye drops and an antibiotic. We're also mixing Lysine into their daily 1/2 can of food. He's responding well to the treatment so hopefully the infection will be knocked out completely very soon. Thankfully, Archie has not shown any symptoms ... and they are both as playful and active as ever. They have particular times of day when they are extremely rambunctious (right about bedtime, natch) and their favorite pastime seems to be brawling - i.e. charging at and mauling each other. Fortunately, they seem to be on equal footing and nobody actually gets hurt. But they are just too funny to watch! We call them our kittens rampant ...

You know, as in, lion rampant, lol:

(Bookworm took some video - I'll try to post a link.)

In other happy news, I finally finished the end of year school reports! Mailed them off early yesterday morning ... but oh my goodness, I have never been so late getting our reports in! It feels really good to be done with that particular project - now I can concentrate on ordering our fall materials and outlining Earlybird's goals for the new year. Also, I can focus on preparing the learning spaces, which, as you know, are undergoing a bit of "transformation" right now. Today I've started a "back to (home)school" list of supplies - and I will post about that too, very soon.

Well, I must be off ... I just wanted to stop in quickly and let you all know I'm still here, and working on all kinds of stuff. I'll post again just as soon as I can ...

Enjoy your day, my friends!

:)

Wordless Wednesday, Take 2

Our Two New Little Loves ...

 Please say hello to "Archie" and "Oliver," our 4 month old kittens!

We are officially "a cat home" again - and it just feels so good!

So, as I've been hinting, for the past month or so I've been quietly researching kitten adoptions. We had a short list of criteria: we wanted shelter kittens (i.e. rescued felines) and we knew we wanted a pair of male siblings, if possible. We also hoped to find orange cats - mainly because, A. I have a soft spot for marmalades and calicos and, B. we wanted cats that looked entirely different from our late kitties.

So here's what happened ... (and because I can't help myself, I will post pictures of Archie and Ollie throughout my ramblings). 

(Archie, front - Oliver, back)

I had been perusing local shelter "adoptable" kittens online, when a couple of young marmalades caught my eye. They were found abandoned in the next town over, this past April, as part of a large litter with no mother nearby. I called to see if they were still available, not feeling too hopeful - most sites warn that the kittens shown online could very well be no longer available - but the woman I spoke with, a volunteer for a local feline rescue organization, assured me they were still up for adoption. Hooray! We immediately made arrangements to visit the kittens at a nearby Petsmart.

(Archie)

Now, we entered Petsmart this past Thursday morning knowing we would most likely be leaving with adoption papers in hand. Because honestly, how can you go visit kittens and NOT want to adopt them?

(Oliver)

Needless to say, we were completely enamored. Not only were they friendly and playful, but they were affectionate, too. I held each of them and they just melted into my arms. We asked lots of questions and learned more about their backstory. Between April and July they were fostered by another rescue volunteer. Bottle-fed, held and nurtured, they are completely people-friendy cats. In July, they were brought in to Petsmart for adoption and very surprisingly they were not snapped up until we came along. (It was obviously meant to be ...)

(Archie)

So we made arrangements to pick up our new kittens - pending adoption approval - on Saturday morning - Crackerjack's twelfth birthday.

And that's just what we did. :)

(Oliver)

We were advised to keep the kittens sequestered in a separate room for a few days before introducing them to the rest of the house. We chose the older boys' room which was given a top-to-bottom overhaul in preparation. And both Bookworm and Crackerjack assured me the kittens' nighttime antics (sounds, smells and activity) would not bother them a bit. 

(Archie, top; Oliver, bottom)

They have food, water, a litter box, a tower (seen above) and a snuggly bed as well as a few different toys. And of course, they have each other.

But tonight ... well, tonight they discovered the window:

(Archie, left; Oliver, right)

You might be wondering how we can tell them apart ... well, Archie is slightly smaller and leaner (he's also more rambunctious and interactive). Oliver has more white and his orange fur is more "buff" than the yellow-orange of Archie's.

(Oliver, left; Archie, right)

Bill is working on closing up the staircase to the downstairs. Once that area is secure, probably in a day or two, we will let these two hooligans kittens out into the rest of the house.

And THAT should be quite an adventure!

At this very moment as I wrap up this post, the kittens are vying for space on the window ledge, mercilessly hunting moths. They are also eyeing the door *and* Crackerjack's top bunk.

The little scamps ...

(Oliver, left; Archie, right)

So as you can imagine - between the room renovation, Crackerjack's birthday (and back-to-back parties) AND the new kittens this has been quite a crazy few days! I wanted to mention also, that Bill's eyes are doing better - his dermatologist said he has exzema, and an underlying allergic reaction which will be determined once he can undergo further testing. (Early this fall.) Thank you again, for your prayers and concern - we appreciate each thought and suggestion. 

So "Good Day" then, my friends and thank you so much for stopping by. See you again sometime soon!

:)

The house seems so empty.

Friends, it is with a very heavy heart that I write this post ... yesterday we had to have our dear Smokey put to sleep.

As I posted last month, Smokey has slowed down quite a bit recently, but has also seemed healthy and most of all, happy. He was such a wonderful cat - so affectionate and always up and about, making his presence known with his chatter ... curling up near us wherever we were, curious about whatever we were doing. He was gentle and frisky and fun ... and he truly relished the comforts of his home, especially the attentions of his family. And we all relished him just the same.

In the past 10 years, we've gone from a house filled with five cats, to now, a house with none. It just doesn't feel right here this morning ....

Goodbye, Sweet Smokey. We miss you so much.

˜*˜

"I love cats because I love my home, and after a while they become its visible soul." 
- Jean Cocteau

Happy Birthday, Smokey!

 

(The likeness is uncanny, isn't it?)

As I mentioned earlier this week, our dear little cat turned 20 this week! Yesterday, in fact, was his birthday. I'm happy to report, he had a very nice day - lots of extra loving, a second can of food, long naps by the fireplace and a wee bit of catnip to boot. For our Friday baking, Earlybird and I made little lamb cupcakes - but I tinted a small amount of the frosting with a few teaspoons of cocoa powder and made one of the cupcakes look a little (a very little, lol) like Smokey.

Now, if you've followed my blog for any length of time you know that I'm a huge animal lover. I might have grown up with dogs (and birds, fish and hamsters) but after 20 years and five cats, I am now a truly confirmed cat person. It's hard to believe we only have one cat now, when we once had five ... yes, five! The story of how we came to own five cats is described in this long-ago post, a tribute to our first cat to pass, Mama Kitty. 

To be honest, Smokey is definitely slowing down. Having gone through four kitty deaths already I'm starting to recognize the signs - he's very thin, a little disoriented at times, and he's walking a bit lame. But he's also eating regularly, using his box, still jumping up on our beds, etc. He's basically doing pretty well, but I know our time with him is nearing its end. Whether we have months or even another year, it will never be quite enough. But I'm very grateful we've had him in our life - that he's lived so long and so well.

***

Well, thanks so much for stopping by today, ... I'm off now to get this day rolling. We have a busy Saturday ahead - lots to do, errands to run, a family gathering to prepare for ... 

Have a great weekend, everyone ~ I will see you all again very soon.

:)

Cat Break

Good afternoon, dear readers ...

I am currently working on a file folder post but I'm afraid I won't have it done today ... I've also made up a holiday planner, but that too isn't quite "postable" yet ... so in the meantime, I thought I'd put up this picture of our cat, Smokey. Actually the boys insisted, claiming it's been too long since I've posted about the pets. ;)

He's a grizzled old thing, but so gentle and sweet. He consistently forgets he's been fed ... he meows uncontrollably at 4 a.m. everyday ... and he's never caught a mouse in his very long feline life. 

He also loves to nap in my magazine basket, enjoying the sunshine and a bit of a breeze ... 

Do you own a cat? :)