A cat post

Sorry to those who aren't cat fans. I've been thinking about writing this post for a while.  I am reminded about my evil kitty every time I hear or see my bio from my book. Sadly, he died a few days before the book was released.  Here are some pictures of him.

 He was a beautiful cat.  I would post more about him, but I still get emotional and I'm pretty sure few people would care. So, I'll just say he is missed.  We had him for 17 years.

The day he died, I came home to an empty house.  All the kids were at school.  And, while the cat slept most of the time, the house felt empty.  I tried to occupy myself with cleaning and writing, but I couldn't shake off that empty feeling.  My youngest came home from school that day and said the house felt empty without the kitty, which made it feel even more empty to me.

We weren't planning to get another pet right off.  How can you replace someone who has been part of your life for 17 years? I popped onto the Humane Society webpage, just to look, and found a tab on fostering. It was the perfect solution.  We could temporary fill in the empty gap in our home until we were ready to adopt. So I sent an email and a few days later we got a call about a mother kitty and two kittens that needed fostering.

Hobbes

Cinderella

The kittens are Manx.  Hobbes doesn't have a tail and Cinderalla has a stubby tail. Sometimes Manx kittens have litter box problems because they are born with nerve problems in their back side. They needed to be observed in a home setting before they could be adopted out. (They didn't have any problems using the litter box.) Kittens do better after they are adopted if they have spent time living with people so they are placed in foster homes until they are old enough to be separated from their mother.

Their foster status lasted for about a week before we decided to keep them.  The adoption was finalized shortly after their surgeries. (The Humane Society spays and neuters all kittens and their adoptable moms. I don't know about feral moms.) It was about 2 months after our other kitty died, but it wasn't about replacing him.  It was about loving them and I was okay with that.

Padme

Padme was desperate for love and also terrified of everything. She spent the first week under our couch. I took this picture after several long grooming sessions.  She was a mess when she came to us. Poor baby. Her little family was sent to the Humane Society from another shelter so I didn't know her background, but it was pretty clear that she had been hurt in some way by people.

After a week with us, she slowly started spending more time on the furniture instead of under it. She also developed a sassy attitude, which was so much better than terrified.

We loved Padme, but we weren't the right family for her. She needed a home that didn't have a high amount of traffic.  So she went back to the shelter for adoption after she healed from her surgery.  I am happy to report that she has been adopted!  The Humane Society interviews people who are interested in adopting to be sure they are the right match.  The people who took her were the right family for her. We miss her, but it is best that she be with the right family.

I highly recommend fostering for anyone thinking about getting a pet. So often people get a dog or a cat and end up taking them back to the shelter.  Fostering is about a 6 week commitment. You can adopt them if you want or return them to the shelter for adoption. (There are still fees, but ours were reduced.) You can always continue fostering and have a never ending supply of kittens or puppies. You can also foster animals that need healing time. You will literally being saving lives.

Now for my soap box.  Summer is known at shelters as kitten season because hundreds of abandoned kittens are brought in. So many people fail to spay and neuter their pets.  This creates a surplus of puppies and kittens that often end up at the shelter or are abandoned and die an early age. (I suspect that Padme was abandoned.) Even when the owners find families for their furry babies, those are homes that could have gone to a homeless pet. Please, please, please spay and neuter your pets!

And now some more recent pics of the kittens.  They are getting big!

The monster under my bed is adorable.

Cinderella fell in the tub and got all wet.  Hobbes was helping her feel better.

She does this all the time.

Hobbes stretches out like his sister, but he does it upside down.

Hey everyone! I'm only two days late with my first blog. I'm off to a good start!
Blog #1 For Lezlie
Topic: Ramblings from someone who doesn't want to go shopping.

What makes me happy? Knowing that school starts next week for my kids and the electronic games will be all but banished. That's what makes me happy today. We really do work better on a schedule. I go back to work too, I work in an elementary office part time and I'm the PTA president. PTA isn't my dream job, but it brings a lot of important things to my kids that they otherwise wouldn't have. I have met so many amazing people through PTA. Do you volunteer? Please do! Parents & Grandparents, the kids need you! Go read with them, make copies for the teachers, help with science or art projects. Be involved!
Okay, I'm off the soap box now. It's slippery up there.
I really do need to go to the store. My hair dryer broke. My daughter lost the hair brush. And my roller brush broke too. And my daughter picked one pair of pants "Size 1 short" on accident. The size one boggles my mind, but she tried on one color at the store and it was perfect. Gets home tries on the others, 3 inches too short. Sigh, back to that store too. And the camping trip this weekend is looking a bit wet. Do they have umbrellas big enough to cover an entire tent, table and a hammock?
My Christmas pamphlet, Snow Angels, went to print last week! It comes out in October.
Rambling must end, time to go. My hair is finally about half dry. :-)

Blog Changes

Something exciting is about to happen with this blog! My sister, Lezlie Anderson, is going to join me.  We will post regular content, all about things that makes us happy.  I've posted about crafts, books, food, and created rather random illustrated posts that amuse me. Regular posts have not been a part of this blog, but that will change with Lezlie's help. I interviewed her to help everyone get to know her better.

(Me) Lezlie, what make you happy?

(Lezlie) My kids, my husband, books, crafts, rain storms and chocolate make me happy 

(Me) I'm with you on all those except for rain storms. I only like them when I don't have to go anywhere. You have a Christmas Pamphlet coming out this year.  Tell us about it!

(Lezlie) My Christmas booklet (Snow Angels)  is about a family who is having a hard time being happy! The kids act as if spending time together is torture. So Mom decides it's time for them to think of others rather than themselves. They head out to do some snow shoveling and before long the parents can't get the kids to stop!

(Me)I am pretty excited for your pamphlet to come out. The story is adorable. Tell us three amazing things about yourself

(Lezlie) 1-I have an amazing family! My husband and I have been married for 18 years and we have 3 adorable, yet sometimes onery, kids, 3 cats, a desert tortoise and a fish that seems to have more lives than the cats.

2- I went back to work part time last year in a brand new elementary, I'm the PTA president and I just finished year 6 of planning Girls' camp for my ward. Yikes! 

3- I love trying new crafty things, but they never seem to turn out like they do on Pinterest. Go figure!

(Me) Welcome to the blog, Lezlie!