Catching Up

Paul and Angel relaxing while Abbie and I decorate the tree. Paul helped too. He likes decorating for Christmas.

Abbie loves to decorate! Long after Paul and I quit, she keeps going.

Abbie had a tea party and cookie swap and invited her friends from her class.

Enjoying their tea and cookies.

Look how small Abbie is compared to her classmates.

Baby, Little Man, and Angel. It's all love and snuggles here.

My niece, Shanna, and our new batch of foster kittens.

The Weekend

To answer my one and only blog reader's questions: yes, I touched the fish- but they were SUPER slippery so I didn't touch them too much. Paul put his foot on them to hold them down while he got the hook out then we used the net to get the fish in the bucket. The trout farm will clean the fish for you - and they pack them on ice for you too -- all included in the price. You pay per pound, and you can't throw any fish back. You have to keep all you catch. This animal lover [me] didn't particularly care for how they cleaned the fish. The guy sliced them and gutted them before cutting off their head. I thought that was uncalled for - heartless!

How many cats I feed - 3 strays (that I know of - I have a sneaky feeling that something else is eating from my cat feeder (racoon/opposum?). I feed my 4 indoor cats plus 1 outdoor cat. And I feed 1 foster mother cat (not feeding her babies yet). That's 9 cats I think. When the babies start eating solid food, the number will be 15. Fostering cats isn't cheap - I spend a lot on food and litter, but it's very rewarding. Leslie, you all should come over and see the kittens. There eyes are open, and they are much more alert now. But still tiny and wobbly.

This weekend, we didn't do much as usual. We're sort of recluses in some ways. As much as I don't want Abbie to be bored or lonely, I much prefer to have just the 3 of us in the house. I think it's mostly b/c that is what I'm used to. If we lived in a neighborhood crawling with kids, I'm sure I'd be used to have lots of kids around. Abbie had a friend sleep over this weekend, and it was like Christmas for her. I think her friend got up at 5 am though. So I had to get up too. And when you have company, you have to serve meals on time, and you have to constantly make sure they're having fun and ask if they want anything to drink or eat or do something else. Maybe I just put too much pressure on myself, but it stresses me a little. I need to learn to get used to it though. I'm sure Abbie is entering the phase of wanting to have more sleepovers.

I am currently wearing my new scarf from Target. It is soft and purple and white. It does not go with my outfit today, but it's soft, and I'm wearing it.

[Before I tell you this next story, I thought I'd point out that I change socks and undergarments and clothes everyday - the only thing I tend to wear more than once is jeans. Please bury me in my Lucky jeans. I lurve them! And my new socks that I'm about to tell you about.] I bought some new wool socks. They are awesome!! I've worn one pair for 3 days. Why? Because they are soft and warm. Is that too much information? When I told Paul this little tidbit, he was totally grossed out. I told him my feet didn't stink, and it was no big deal. He continued to make a big deal out of it. So I told him I'd bet him $5 that my socks didn't have the least odor. He wasn't going to take the bet, but I MADE him and told him that all 3 of us would smell them and Abbie could be the tie breaker if necessary. Abbie went and got the socks. They were sniffed by all. The skeptic lost, and I won the bet! I washed those socks today. I am currently wearing my favorite brown pair of socks that are not wool, and my toes are cold. Don't bury me in the brown socks.

I *think* we've made a house decision. Not necessarily which one we will buy, but we've rethought our goals - which have been ALL OVER the place (the goals and the houses). I think we're going to buy a house in town/city limits - our orginal goal. And we're going to buy property in the county and start building after Abbie starts high school. That is our tentative plan. Tentative being the key word.

In OTHER Cat News

In an unscientific way, I have determined that I emit a cat pheromone. I'm attracted to cats, and they seem to be attracted to me.
Every time I turn around, I discover a new stray cat coming to my house for a meal.
This summer, I noticed 2 kittens were coming here to eat. I tried to catch them, but they were too wild.
The kittens are still coming here, and I HAVE to catch them. I can't leave them here when I move. Who will feed them?
I told Paul that I need a live trap so I can catch them, try to tame them, and then take them to the shelter. I can't possibly keep them. But taming them would give them a better chance to get adopted.
Paul said he had a better idea for catching them. He tied a string to the door knob of the door to the porch. He brought the string in the window that looks out over the porch. We put food in the sunroom and left the door open. We watch at the window...when the kitten comes in, we pull the string which makes the door shut and then we have the kitten trapped in the house.
It worked! We did that today!
The kitten we caught today is a female gray tabby - we've named her February. She freaked out a little. She likes all my cats, and they like her, but she is still very scared of me. We're going to take it slow. I plan to let her outside tonight and then let her in again tomorrow. Only problem is that she is curled up in a chair in the sunroom - the door is standing wide open - but she seems to have no plans to go back outside.
Her partner is a solid black pretty kitten. The black kitten is twice as scared of people as she is so this kitten will be more tricky to catch.

Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Nov 2 - we picked up our second batch of foster kittens. There are 6 kittens this time. You can follow their story here.

Abbie had a short Fall Break at school so we went to Blowing Rock, NC. We've never been there. It is less than 2 hours away - up in the mountains - a really beautiful area. We went fishing - something she really wanted to do.

You have to hold you mouth just right to catch a fish! Truthfully, when you go to a trout farm, there is no real skill involved. You put the nightcrawler on the hook (yes, I bait my own hook), cast the line, reel the line in slowly, and you'll catch a fish. They were big ole trout too! We caught 4 and ate some for dinner tonight.

Some of my best advice is this: Some things are worth turning around for. We drove past an inn and I caught a glimpse of some bunnies and insisted that Paul turn around and go back. #1 - the inn was beautiful, and I intend to go back and stay. #2 - they have numerous bunnies to enjoy. The caretaker gave us some carrots to feed them. Despite the ongoing rain, we took our time and enjoyed the experience.

We stayed at the Chetola Resort. There is a lake (large pond?) out front, and there were several swans. This one followed us as we walked around the lake/pond.

A section of Chetola Resort is a Bob Timberlake Lodge. And there is a restaurant. The fog lasted until about 3:00, dissipated for about an hour and then came back in full force.

Even with all the fog, I thought the whole area was very scenic.

We had hoped to enjoy some more fall foliage. But with the fog, that wasn't really possible. But I loved all the fog! I did wear a hat the whole trip b/c my hair and fog are not friends.

This male spent a lot of time grooming his feathers. We stole one - super soft (we stole a feather, not the swan)!

At an inn near downtown Blowing Rock. All in all, we had a good time.

And the Pendulum Swings

Our house has sold, and we have 8 months until we HAVE to move. We could move sooner if we want, but we have to find a house first.
We started out with certain goals in what we wanted in a new house. Months later, our goals have changed a bit.
Today, we drove around for about 2.5 to 3 hours just looking at different areas in the county. We're considering not moving into the city limits. Maybe we'd like a house in the country, maybe a mini farm, not in a neighborhood, maybe we should build???? Who knows! We find areas we like, but what we like isn't for sale. Or the house/land is too expensive. Or the house is too old, and we wouldn't want to do all the renovations needed. Or it is too far from town.
Abbie hates the whole process. She just wants to pick up our house and move it somewhere. Or build the exact house somewhere else.

While driving around today, Abbie saw a "neighborhood watch" sign and wanted to know what that meant. Paul and I explained it to her. She got very excited and said, "I'd like to spy on our neighbors and see what they are doing." I don't think she really meant that she wanted to watch the neighbors, but I think she meant she wanted to watch the neighbors' houses for suspicious activity. She does have her own set of binoculars so we'll see if she tries them out...

And in other news, tonight I watched a marathon of "Say Yes to the Dress." I never watch this show. I just turned it on to have something in the background. Eventually Paul said, "You know, I really liked your wedding dress. Every time I see a picture of you in that dress, I get butterflies." Awwww, how sweet! That was the perfect thing to say!