Barb's Cats and Quilts

Box Lids Are a Hit

2012-02-22T00:05:00.001-06:00

I've made covers for three box lids for my gang so far and put all three out in the family room. Lilly was the first one in a few days ago with the one and only box. I swear she didn't leave it for two days. Yesterday, I made two more covers and put them out. Lilly was in one of the new ones because Delcy and Meg took over hers.

It looks a little crowded.......

but they don't seem to mind, since there was an empty box right next to them. And don't you like how well they go with the decor.

February Morty

2012-02-21T22:22:00.000-06:00

Today was our February quilt guild meeting, and,again, nobody guessed Morty's outfit. I guessed Lincoln, since my daughter was born on Lincoln's birthday. Others guessed Cupid, Valentine's Day, and Mardi Gras.

Nobody guessed George Washington!

We almost had to tie Morty in the chair. He wasn't made to bend and he kept sliding out. We had to put a box under his feet to keep him in the chair.

Jeanne said the shoes were a problem, too. Morty has fat stubby club feet that weren't made to fit in shoes.

Isn't he the handsome fellow? Once again, Jeanne did an awesome, spectacular job of dressing him. His wig is quilt batting, his clothes are real clothes, and his shoes are real, too. He even had an ascot.

Morty's wig was complete with front and side curls and a pony tail. We're all simply amazed at what Jeanne comes up with. I can't wait to see him next month. Good job, Jeanne.

Cool Cat Bed

2012-02-18T00:02:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite cat blogs is the Katnip Lounge at http://katniplounge.blogspot.com. It's also on the right side bar of my blog. Trish and her husband Scott have 13 adorable cats and the coolest cat patio (the catio) ever. You have to visit their blog. Anyway, the cats are often pictured napping in these cute copier-paper box lids with a fleece cover. They're a perfect size. She gave the directions, but I don't remember what month or day it was. I finally got some box lids from another foster mom and made six of them in half an hour. I gave one to the lady who adopted Scooter and will take some for foster moms tomorrow.

This is Lilly, who was the first one in it. Buster came and wanted in, but Lilly said no way. Hey, Scott, I thought of you when I saw the fleece at the store. Scott and I both like tie-dyed things and bright colors. Thank you, Trish, for sharing your cover pattern. I have about 7 yards of fleece to sew.

You wouldn't believe the trouble I've had getting the box lids. I went to our local Office Max, because who would have more empty paper boxes than them, right? When I asked if I could have some of their box lids to make beds for poor little foster kittens who have been rescued from death's door, I was told no, I couldn't. They throw them all away. And they don't give things away that they sell, and they sell boxes. I asked if the boxes they sell have the separate lids, or do they have the flaps? They have the flaps. So, let me get this straight - you don't sell the type of box lids I want, but you can't give me any because you throw them away? Yes. My money spent at Office Max will be far less from now on.

Another foster mom, Cheri, brought me half a dozen box lids from her work. Thank you, Cheri. You have first dibs on the covers tomorrow.

Scooter is Adopted

2012-02-16T23:26:00.000-06:00

Scooter went to his new home tonight. Michelle is a very nice lady who saw Scooter's blog and fell in love. I didn't think to get a picture until she was walking out the door and Scooter was in the carrier. She promised to send me a photo for my blog.

He'll have another cat, Charlie, to play with, and a dog. I sure hope it's a short introduction period. The few times Scooter was out in the house, he hissed at some cats and ignored others. Who knows what is better or worse to a cat. Only they know. Scooter is a very friendly and loving cat once he knows you, which took a day or two here.

Thank you, Michelle, for giving Scooter a home. And get him a track ball. He loves those things.

Bridgette

2012-02-16T00:16:00.000-06:00

Bridgette doesn't get enough attention on the blog, so I'm featuring her today. She's about a year and a half old and was rescued by a lady, Nita, who found her behind a store eating out of the dumpster. She managed to trap Bridgette, have her spayed and vaccinated, and was going to return her to her habitat, but couldn't. Bridgette was too beautiful, so Nita put her in a spare bathroom for a while to get her used to being in a house. Well, there was a little hole in the wall, which Bridgette, being bored, made into a bigger hole and thought she'd found her escape route. She spent days and days in the wall, coming out at night to eat and use the litter box. Nita contacted Heartland, and when she finally managed to trap her again, brought her to my house. For the first couple weeks she stayed under the end of the bed. She couldn't get under the bed because it's boarded up. I'd let the quilt hang down to the floor to give her a place to hide and get used to a house.

Bridgette eventually warmed up to me and within a few weeks was laying on the bed and wandering around the room.

She's a beautiful gray and tan tortie. The tip of her left ear was nipped off during her spay as a universal sign that a feral cat has been spayed or neutered.

I got Bridgette in the middle of a heat wave the end of July '11. She quickly adapted to air conditioning, a soft bed, and food she didn't have to get out of a dumpster.

I then got a pregnant cat, Delcy, who was put in the nursery closet in Bridgette's bedroom. The two girls had been pawing each other under the door and whining, so after the kittens were born, I opened the closet door and let Delcy and Bridgette meet. They soon became inseparable, and Bridgette was a regular in the birthing box just laying next to Delcy and the kittens. The white kitten isn't Delcy's, but an orphan I took in. Delcy graciously adopted him.

Bridgette soon became Aunt Bridgette.

I know you've all seen this photo before, but it's one of my all-time favorites, and I had to post it again. All the kittens have been adopted.

Bridgette is in the upper right corner supervising the track-ball play after the kittens were old enough to be let out in the bedroom.

Bridgette was soon let out into the house and got along with all the other cats.

Here she's groovin' with her Christmas capnip toy.

Bridgette is still just a little shy, but she is constantly winding in and out of my legs no matter where I am. She's getting more used to me holding her, but would rather be on the floor. I try to give her some treats of people food, but the other cats are faster than she is and barge in to take it. I know Bridgette would blossom once she was in her own home without all the other cats. If you have patience, a quiet house, and are thinking about adopting a cat, please consider Bridgette. She will make an awesome pet.

Zach is Adopted

2012-02-12T09:21:00.000-06:00

Zach got adopted yesterday. He's a great cat and deserves a home where he can get more one-on-one attention than he got here.

Lilly and Zach sharing a box Petsmart was throwing away.

John's Bread

2012-02-08T00:05:00.019-06:00

My husband has become quite the bread maker the past couple years. He has several recipes that are our favorites. One is called Japanese Milk Bread. Thankfully, he didn't let the name deter him from making it. It's a soft bread, and I love soft marshmallow bread. No hard crust.

This time he made rolls with half the dough. You'll notice one roll is missing. I didn't know he wanted to take a picture of them! It was worth it. They taste like the Hawaiian rolls in the orange package at the grocery store, but less sweet and much better. He said the secret for a soft bread is to make a flour and water paste, boil it, and add it to the bread flour.

I didn't have to eat all of this bread myself. John took the big loaf to the office for a patient who was coming in that day and likes homemade bread.

My other favorite John makes is called Honey Oatmeal Bread from Father Dom's cookbook. It's online if you Google it. A very hearty (and soft) bread. Father Dom is a friar at a monastery somewhere in Illinois, I think. He's the head baker and has published a cookbook.

P.S. I thought I posted this a few days ago, but found it listed as a draft. The rolls are now gone. I had a couple pounds of hamburger that I made little sliders with and used the rolls as buns. A slice of cheese and some of my onion jam - fabulous.

Ebony is Adopted

2012-02-07T21:32:00.000-06:00

My beautiful little girl, Ebony, was adopted today by a very nice man, Jon, and his wife, Pat. She chose to stay home so she wouldn't see and want all my fosters. Darn. I could have arranged that. So Jon and his son came to look at Ebony. They love black cats and wanted one to replace one of theirs that died at 21 years of age, and saw Ebony's picture and bio on Heartland's website.

Ebony with her new dad, Jon. Thank you for giving my girl a great new home.

Ebony after she crawled through an empty Jello box.

Ebony with her best bud, Trevor, before he got adopted.

Batik Strip Quilts

2012-02-06T00:05:00.001-06:00

A friend asked if I'd make her a lap quilt from batik fabrics. Batiks are awesome fabrics hand dyed in Indonesia and are simply gorgeous with a definite tropical look.

Not knowing what pattern she'd like, I decided I'd just cut 2.5" strips and sew them together like I had several times in the past. For non-quilters, we call it stripping. I always cut too many pieces and ended up getting three lap quilts out of the strips. I put green borders on two and a blue border on the third.

OMG, I love them! I think I'll cut all my fabric into strips and make these for the rest of my life. After decades of making meticulously perfect and exact quilts, it's so liberating to just sew strips together and have a quilt. Mindless sewing, but they look great. They do have a bottom border. The quilts are too long for the picture. The second one looks just like this one. They're 58" x 78".

A closer look.

Saturday at adoptions, another foster mom asked if I'd make a lap quilt for her mother who's going to have chemotherapy soon. What a great comfort for mom when she feels so bad. I had made her daughter a batik quilt for her bed last year, so she knew what the fabrics looked like. When I told her I had a couple done, she quickly said she'd take the blue bordered one.

This one's not quilted, yet, but I have a customer's quilts on the frame and will do this one in a couple days. It also has a bottom border.

Introducing Scooter

2012-02-05T00:05:00.001-06:00

After promising myself I wouldn't take in any more fosters until I had adopted out five or so, I got another call from Erin, the animal control officer at the Warrenton Animal Shelter. Could I take an 8-month-old long-haired black and white female kitten named Snooki. She was trapped in back of a store eating out of the dumpster. As soon as she said "black", I wanted to pass (I already have five black fosters), but I heard the words, "Yeah, I can take her" come out of my mouth, as I had a visual of this feral cat and her living conditions. And I was definitely changing the name.

I picked her up on Thursday, and she was beautiful with very fine, silky fur. I took her directly to the vet. She was negative for feline leukemia and aids and had a negative fecal. No fleas, ears were clean, and no runny eyes. A picture of health! Yeah! However......Snooki was a boy, with all his equipment. I had to call Erin and kid her about it, and tell her Snooki was now Scooter. He gets neutered on Wednesday.

I put him in the nursery closet for a few days until I knew he was using the litter box, which he went right over to and used. I also didn't know how feral or friendly he was, but he came right over, rubbed on me, let me pet him and pick him up. This was definitely not a feral cat. I was sure he hadn't been outside long and was someone's pet, but nobody had called Animal Control looking for him in two weeks. Their loss. What a sweetie. I let him out into the bedroom an hour later.

Doesn't he look like a scared feral cat?

He has a light gray outline of a soul patch on his chin and is a medium-haired black tuxedo with four white paws, long white whiskers and cute white hairs in his ears. I have to keep him quarantined for 10 days, but I think I'll be able to let him out in the house very soon. He'll be available for adoption in a couple weeks.

Scooter quickly made himself at home.

Micky is Adopted

2012-02-04T19:54:00.000-06:00

Today was an excellent adoption day at Petsmart. I think we did 15 or 16 dog and cat adoptions. I adopted out Micky to a wonderful family. I was hoping he would go to a family with children and I got my wish. Adam, mom Kara, and Alaina, and Micky not looking at the camera. Dad was off camera putting Micky's new carrier together for his trip home. Micky is such an affectionate young cat, the whole family is going to love him.

He's such a beautiful cat. I have a special fondness for gray tabbies, and he is indeed special.

Saturday Photo Hunt Word - FLAT

2012-02-04T19:14:00.000-06:00

Today's photo hunt word is Flat, http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.com/. Since none of my cats are anywhere near flat, it was between a picture of my hair when it hadn't been washed for three days, or a picture of one of my wallhangings. Normally I take the quilt pictures from 8' to 10' away, but this one is in a hallway where I could only get the camera 3' away, or take it at an angle. The angled one didn't work at all to show the quilt, but it sure is flat against the wall. I use little straight pins and carefully "nail" the quilt to the wall.

A close up of the bargello quilt showing some of the embellishments - couched fuzzy yarn, gold metallic thread to quilt certain areas, and many rhinestones, sequins, and beads glued on here and there. This was a very fun project to make.

Saturday Photo Hunt Word - FLUFFY

2012-01-28T19:09:00.000-06:00

Today's photo hunt word is Fluffy. I knew immediately what photo I would use. This is from back in July of 2011. I walked into the bathroom one day and found fluffy toilet paper. One of the cats had a very good time.

Saturday Photo Hunt Word - BLISS

2012-01-21T18:45:00.000-06:00

Todd and Winnie at about 4 weeks old, shortly after they were dumped at an animal shelter. A lady adopted both of them so they got to stay together.

An Unexpected Visitor

2012-01-17T22:56:00.000-06:00

We had an unexpected visitor at our quilt meeting today. Jeanne came and said she had dressed Morty, the Giant Sock Monkey, in a costume and there was a prize for whoever guessed it correctly. Guesses were a snowman and Valentine cupid, and I can't remember the others. I've had a sinus infection for a month and am still tired and not thinking clearly. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Jeanne brought Morty in and we were all wrong. Nobody guessed a New Year's Eve baby. And nobody got the bottle of champagne.

Morty with his diaper, horn, sash, top hat, and champagne. You can't see it, but the hat brim had sparkly sequins on it. I think he tried to put the moves on Katy. She seems to be ignoring him.

This is Jeanne, the creativity behind Morty. Jeanne has come up with an interesting concept. She will make a different outfit for Morty every month and at the end of the year we'll have an auction for him and his ensemble. The proceeds will go to Heartland Humane Society, the rescue group I'm with. This is very generous of Jeanne, and I hope we'll have some enthusiastic bidders. I have no idea how we'll do this, but I know bloggers who will know.

Our meetings are the third Tuesday of every month, so pictures will be that night or the next day.

Every month we have show and tell of projects we've worked on or have completed since last month. This is Linda's quilt for her brother in England. Xena and Lilly, my two very shy cats, as you can see, approved Linda's quilt.

Besides the vertical stripes, there's a mid-value diagonal stripe through all the strips. Not an easy design to execute, but Linda is a master and has had quilts in Paducah and Houston quilt shows.

Xena and Lilly also approved the bag Linda's quilt was in. They're not all that picky.

Shy Xena also approved Katy's top she started at the retreat in November. You can't do any better than a batik quilt in gorgeous fall colors. I'm working on several myself. I don't think there is such a thing as a quilt cats don't approve of.

Or a sack or bag of any kind.

Cat Hide and Seek

2012-01-14T22:19:00.000-06:00

There's always antics of some kind around here. This went on while we were watching TV last night. I know the pictures would be so much better with lighter furniture, but John insists on a better reason to get new furniture than nicer pictures of the cats.

Bridgette was on Lucy's quilt on the sofa when Ebony crawled under the edge.

The lump in the middle of the quilt is Ebony.

Then, she slipped out the side.

Meg came to join in.

Catnip Toys

2012-01-10T21:34:00.000-06:00

I had some fleece left over from a project and got a brainstorm to make catnip cat toys. They were definitely a hit. Twenty percent of cats aren't affected by catnip, and a couple of my guys weren't interested. But the ones who were, were really interested. No fights or anything, but they were zoning out. Directions at the bottom.

Cody rockin' out..

Cody.

Little Cary Grant before he got adopted. Boy, I miss him. He was my buddy and shadow. My biggest problem was not stepping on him. He was just so sweet and cuddly.

"Touch...it...and...die!

My sweet Lilly usually isn't like this.

Even Sweet Bridgette says, "Don't even think about it!"

I made a bunch of these after Christmas and gave them to friends. They're fleece filled with batting and catnip. I literally cut and sewed one in seven minutes or less.

The fleece was cut 3.5" x 6". The batting was cut 5" x just less than 6". Sizes are just what I had and what worked. This is not rocket science.

Fleece cut 3.5" x 6".

Batting cut about 5" x just under 6" so it's slightly shorter than the fleece.

Fold the batting to fit inside the edge of the fleece. Wider batting will make it fatter. This is just what I had.

Catnip looks like oregano and both are members of the mint family. I only had one little bag of catnip and used about half a teaspoon. If I'd had more, I would have used a teaspoon or two.

Fold the top down to meet the bottom, and sew around the three raw edges. Fleece doesn't ravel, so no need to turn edges under.

These can be made any size or shape. Longer, shorter, fatter, paw-shaped, bone-shaped, round - whatever. Since there's no turning right side out, you can cut two of any shape you want, cut a couple pieces of batting slightly smaller, and sew around the edge.

Jack, Ben & Ginger's Christmas Beds

2012-01-10T21:21:00.000-06:00

My friend, Madeline, came over with her grandkids, Isaiah and Bria, after Christmas. And did I get pictures? No! My brain was so fried after cleaning the house for Christmas, having the party, then cleaning up afterwards that I just wasn't thinking clearly.

Madeline's been a dear friend for years and adopted two kittens from me a couple years ago. Jack and Ben are brothers and give Madeline and her husband, John, endless hours of enjoyment. They love their cats. Jack and Ben have an older "brother" named Ginger. Madeline didn't find out that Ginger was a boy until everyone was used to the name, so they kept it.

I made little cat beds for the three of them. More like cat pads. They're good for keeping the hair off chairs and sofas. Looks like they were a hit with the boys. Thanks for the pictures, Madeline. The boys are just adorable and are so sweet. They're lucky to have parents like Madeline and John, too. The little blue toys are fleece tubes filled with some batting and catnip.

Madeline loves Elvis. I had half a yard of Elvis fabric leftover from the Elvis quilt and made one side of two cat pads with it.

Ginger

Ben

Jack

Ben is enjoying one of Madeline's beautiful quilt tops.

Jack

Ginger, Jack, and Ben

Ben

Ginger

Ben

Jack and Ginger - Awwww

Where's the Pom Pom Ball

2012-01-06T10:22:00.000-06:00

All the cats love the pom pom balls I get from Michael's or Hobby Lobby in a big bag. They're light enough that the kittens can grab them in their mouths and they start playing with them at about 4-5 weeks old.

I was in Jilly's room today. Zach and Cody were in there, too. They like going in with Jilly, because she's their foster mom. They were put in with her and Josie when they were kittens, and Jilly and Josie have taken care of them, groomed them, and cuddled with them since they were about 6 weeks old. I put pieces of heavy plastic sheeting under the litter boxes to keep the carpet cleaner. A corner of the plastic got folded back with a green ball in the fold. They just couldn't quite understand to unfold the plastic. Kind of the feline equivalent of a Rubik's Cube. A real stumper.

Zach

Cody

Lucy and Buster Sittin' in a Tree.......

2012-01-05T22:11:00.003-06:00

I don't know about the weather in the rest of the world, but in Missouri we've had just the best weather I can imagine for January. Sixty and sunny during the day, with a slight wind. Perfect. The cats have been allowed on the deck for several days. Today I went out with them to read for a while. I'm re-reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. Almost halfway through the second book. I love them just as much the second time. Only Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and The DiVinci Code are higher on my list at #1 and #2. I need to add a page to the side bar of my booklist.

For several years we've watched Buster, the cat, make advances toward Lucy. It happens almost every day. Buster rubs all over Lucy's face when she's laying on the floor. Lucy looks embarrassed and eventually gets up and walks away. I snapped a continual stream of pictures today on the deck and edited them down to a few. Ebony, one of the black cats really likes Lucy, too.

Ebony is on the far left watching.

Some random pictures of the others.

Delcy pretending I can't see her.

Ebony and Xena

Xena, the Warrior Princess

Lilly and Lucy doing what they do best.

Meg and me. Since I can't find sneakers with lights in adult sizes, the best I can do is neon laces. The shoe industry is really missing the boat by not making lighted shoes for adults. And no one can tell me why.

Meg

Placemats and Christmas Quilts

2012-01-04T05:00:00.001-06:00

I made four placemats each for Laura and Sallie to go with their Vintage Kitchen Recipes blog. I also got a couple quilts made for friends to give to their husbands as Christmas presents. And one for teenage friend. However, I somehow forgot to get a picture of one of them. I'll get one from the new owner. In my own defense, I finished the binding at 2:30 am and just didn't think of it.

This is the Elvis quilt. Jen's husband is nuts for Elvis. She saw this fabric and asked if I'd make him a quilt for Christmas. I think it turned out super. I told her if he didn't like it, I knew a good home for it.

A close up of the cool early Elvis pictures. Nobody ever made black leather look so good.

Ashley likes blue. I had most of this done already from times I just wanted to sew and didn't want to think about a pattern. I like the look. This is the fourth one I've made with just strips. One pink, one purple, and two blue. Full width strips, various widths, cut from lots of fabrics from my stash.

Adoptee Seamus, Now KJ

2012-01-03T22:30:00.000-06:00

This is why we foster. Julie, another foster mom, and I received a wonderful email today from the lady, Barb, who adopted one of my fosters. He was Seamus, but they've renamed him KJ. We love getting emails like this and pictures. It truly makes us all warm and fuzzy inside. Thank you, Barb, for taking the time to write and send the pictures. I did tell Barb that if I'd known KJ gave back rubs, he'd still be at my house, but she said I couldn't have him back.

Barb and Julie,

Happy New Year from KJ and his big brother Reggie. I wanted to send some pictures earlier but he I couldn't get very good pictures of him. He's so sweet--the best cat we've every had. It's like he read his list of things I wanted and filled everyone of them and more. Because of that, I call him robo cat which upsets Dave b/c he thinks it's a negative. I mean he's perfect.

For some reason, he still doesn't jump up, he cries to be put on the counter and jumps from there. We have a chair by the bed so he can pull himself up and jump to the bed. I had the vet tech as the pet sitter in Nov. for a week to observe him. She said she thinks that's just him. KJ gives back rubs! When he jumps on the bed, I turn on my side and he kneads the small of my back!! I don't know who taught him that but it's the weirdest thing and he'll do it every time w/o me doing anything but rolling on my side.

Reggie still can't get used to a cat rubbing up against him instead of smacking him.

Happy New Year. Enjoy the pictures. We love KJ!

Barb and Dave

Isn't it nice that Barb provided a cat bed for KJ.

KJ and his canine buddy, Reggie, who's still getting used to a friendly cat.

Morty the Christmas Elf

2012-01-03T00:20:00.002-06:00

Jeanne, Morty's mom, sent me a picture of him in his Christmas elf outfit. What a character he is! Note his stylish red slippers. If you're new to my blog, you'll have to go back to November and read the three posts about our quilt retreat. No, it's not nearly as boring as people think, and Jeanne certainly livened things up this year. Thanks for the great photo, Jeanne.

These are three of my Christmas presents. I think Morty might be Morticia. I've had lots of litters of kittens at my house, but this is my first litter of monkeys. Through the miracle of the Internet, it took me 5 seconds to learn that a group of monkeys is called a troop. So, I have my very own troop of monkeys. They're about 5" tall and the same size as 3-day-old kittens.

The first one was given to me by Reba, one of our Tuesday guild gals who was at the retreat. She also gave me a pair of actual socks that the monkeys are made from. The same day I got it, Kathy, from my Wednesday girls came by with the blue one. Then, my daughter Laura gave me the one with "Jessica." The "Barb" ones were gone, so she got this one. Thank you all for thinking of me. But, I'm not starting a collection of sock monkey dolls.

Nephews Evan and Graham

2012-01-01T21:59:00.002-06:00

Another bright spot today was getting to see my nephew Jeff, his wife, Dana, and their two boys, Evan, 3, and Graham, 10 months. They live in Evansville, IN, and we don't get to see them very often. It was late last night when they got to my mom's house. The boys are so cute. Evan is a very bright boy, and I think Jeff and Dana will have their hands full keeping one step ahead of him.

Out of the Mouth of Babes: Evan asked me to do something, and I told him I couldn't because I was old. He immediately went over to Mom's piano, asked if I wanted to hear him play, and said I could sit on the bench because I was old. We all agreed that I walked into that one.

Jeff said they boys never have shoes or socks on. Before he can put the second sock on them, they have the first one off. And putting shoes on to keep the socks on is a joke. When they were getting ready to leave, I put socks on Graham twice in 30 seconds. Jeff just wrapped his bare feet in a blanket in his carseat, and took him out to the car. I think he's done this before.

Evan

Graham

Evan and Graham

Jeff, Graham and Evan

Bittersweet New Years Day

2012-01-01T21:27:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone, even though it's almost over. It was a very good day and a not so good day. On the good side, Cary Grant got adopted today. On the bad side, Cary Grant got adopted today. Cary is one of those kittens that could stay with me forever, but this is what I get for having everybody on the Heartland website, facebook, and my blog. A young lady saw him online and came over with her mom to see him. Even though Cary tried his best to be contrary, wild, and unruly, Renee saw right through him and wanted him anyway. Darn. Nice try, Cary.

This is Cary lounging around before Renee came over. He's such a handsome boy, I can't understand why no one has adopted him on one of his eight trips up to Petsmart.

Then he got up and moved by Meg.

Cary with his new mom, Renee. I know he'll be a good companion for her and keep her laughing with his antics. He's such a silly kitten.

On a little sad note, this is Cary's mom, Delcy, after he left. After Cary was in his new carrier to leave, I put it on the floor by Delcy so she could see that Cary was in it. She came over and sniffed and rubbed on it. I wanted her to, hopefully, understand that Cary was leaving alive and didn't disappear because he died. I haven't done this before, but Delcy and Cary have had more of a mother/son bond than others, and he was her last kitten to be adopted. I do know that cats grieve. I've seen it many times. Delcy did seem more quiet this afternoon. Who knows what cats think and how much they understand, but it's probably more than we give them credit for. She'll get some extra cuddle time for a few days.

Saturday Photo Hunt Word - GATHER

2011-12-31T18:39:00.001-06:00

Today's photo hunt word is Gather. Sandy used to own the Whistle Stop Cafe, as in Fried Green Tomatoes, http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.com/. Each week she posts a word on her website and bloggers can post a picture to theirs that depicts the word. Since I couldn't decide between the two photos, I picked both. The first one is Minnie's five kittens from last summer. This is, so far, the most beautiful litter of kittens I've had in the four years I've been fostering. I wanted to adopt all of them myself.

The second picture is three different groups of cats/kittens. Around here, if you want to eat, you share the bowl or plate.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Barb, John, Lucy, Xena, Buster, and Lilly (the family)

Daisy, Ebony, Zach, Cody, Cary Grant, Eva, Ben, Mike, Toula, Delcy, Trish, Aster, Jilly, Bridgette, Micky, and Meg (the fosters)

Saturday Photo Hunt Word - JOY

2011-12-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

I've found a website called the Saturday Photo Hunt. It gives a particular word each Saturday, and people post a photo on their blog to represent that word. The word for today is JOY, and this is my photo. The kittens are from the same litter and were born at my house in August, 2011. They're four weeks old here, but the adult, Bridgette, is not their mom, Delcy. Delcy came to my house as a pregnant cat, and the only space I had available was in a room with Bridgette. They quickly bonded and she became Aunt Bridgette after the kittens were born. Bridgette really does smile in her photos. Truly a joyful moment for all.

Pierce, Nita, Cary & Bridgette

Bridgette Plays Hide and Seek

2011-12-05T05:00:00.001-06:00

There's nothing unusual about the cats playing, it's who's playing. Bridgette! She was rescued from behind a grocery store eating out of a dumpster and spent months hiding under a bed. One day she escaped from the room when I went in or out, and didn't hiss or growl at anyone loose in the house. She was allowed to stay out, but never bonded with anyone except Delcy, her kittens, and other kittens in the same room. Today, she actually PLAYED with the other cats.

Bridgette was laying under the quilt Lucy lays on.

Meg came over and Bridgette grabbed her.

I don't think Meg expected that from Bridgette. "What the.....?"

Bridgette went behind the quilt.

Delcy, her buddy, and Ebony came to see.

Then Xena and Micky came.

Micky and Cary checked things out. Bridgette's foot is barely sticking out of the quilt.

Cary says, "I know she's under there!"

Lucy layed there the whole time, completely bored.

"She's gotta be?"

"I just know it!"

"There's her tail! I told you she was here!"

After that, Bridgette ran out from the other end of the quilt and rested by a scratching post. But, Cary didn't see her.

Poor little guy's still looking for her.

Tussle Training 101

2011-12-04T12:01:00.001-06:00

The cats have been unusually playful the last few days when we've had gloomy days and on-off rain and drizzle. I walked in on mom, Delcy, the black cat, wresting with her son, Cary, in the living room. Mom was teaching her son how to protect himself if he ever got in a real fight. All part of cat training and passing on the wisdom of millenia. Here is some of Mom's Sage Advice.

If you pick a smaller opponent, you can keep him away with your legs.

If they're distracted, you can knock them over.

Now, we're going to practice headlocks.

Get on your back, grab them around the neck, and go for the belly or neck.

See, like this.

Not bad.

Well done, Grasshopper, but try to make it look less like cuddling.

Pom-Pom Balls and Laundry

2011-12-02T22:27:00.001-06:00

Wednesday I went with my Wed friends to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the Monet exhibit. It was okay, but I'm much more impressed by artists who paint realistic pictures than impressionists. I feel it takes much more skill and talent to paint a face that really looks like a face than to combine pretty colors on a canvas. Just my opinion. We had lunch in the Central West End, a revitalized, trendy older section with lots of restaurants and antique shops. Ate at Dressler's Restaurant and had a fantastic cheeseburger with onion jelly/jam. I printed out about 8 recipes from various cooking sites and will be making some next week. It's like caramelized onions in a sauce. Awesome!

While I was gone, the cleaning fairies came. They obviously cleaned under the oven and fridge because this greeted me when I got home. There were 58 pompom balls, one silk flower and one mouse.

Lilly, Meg, and Cary

I threw a couple handfuls on the floor and after one cat found them, the others sensed fun and came running. Many are back under the oven. The rest are scattered throughout the house.

Cary

Later, I was folding laundry and Cary thought it was a wonderful place to play. Several of the gang love to play with my socks. John wears the same brand of sock in a larger size, but they only like my socks. They take them out of the dirty clothes basket and from next to my bed. Buster is the main culprit. Some days I'll find 5 or 6 of my socks littered all over the house. He probably had a great time doing it. I guess I have stinkier feet than John.

Cary

Isn't he adorable?

Lucy and Cary

Lucy wanted in on the fun. Cary had just smacked her on the nose.

Finally, the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

2011-11-23T20:42:00.004-06:00

It's no secret among my friends and family that I can't make a decent chocolate chip cookie. No matter what recipe I try, and I've tried a ton, they all turn out like crepes with chips in them. Flat as pancakes. A foster mom, Lisa, did give me a recipe that worked, but it had a box of dry pudding mix in it and really stopped my nose up because I'm allergic to corn, and pudding is mostly cornstarch.

At retreat, Katy brought the best CCC's I've every had in my life. Thick, chewy, and soft. It's from a Dierberg's grocery store recipe booklet giveaway, but it's not on their website. I emailed Katy for the recipe earlier today, but haven't heard from her, yet. We're going to Darlene's for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and I was doing my cooking today. I made dressing, the green bean casserole, cooked some frozen corn, and peeled pounds of apples to cook. I looked in my stack of printed-from-computer recipes for Sallie's Stewed Apples from her and Laura's Vintage Kitchen Recipes blog. I pulled it out, but there was another sheet of paper stuck to it. It was a copy of the Thick and Chewy CCC recipe from Dierberg's that Katy used. I swear! I don't even remember how I got it or who from, but there it was. Like magic! All because I had some apples that were getting old and needed to be used. Thanks, Sallie.

I mixed them up and baked one sheet. I could tell after I added the flour that this dough was different. It was stiffer, just like my grandma's cookie dough.

How's that for a cookie! You can't believe how impressed I am with myself after 40 years of trying to do this.

The difference is replacing 2/3 of the butter with shortening and using more brown sugar than white.

Is this not magazine perfect? Okay, I could have used a prettier plate than my 30-year-old Corelle. And the cookies are as delicious as they look. My husband was suitably impressed.

Since this recipe was already published in Dierberg's recipe leaflet, Everybody Cooks, and given away free, I don't think there's a problem posting it with credit to them.

Dierberg's Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

4.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
1 c. solid shortening (Crisco)
1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened

3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 pkg. (24 oz) chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Mix dry ingredients together. In a large bowl, beat sugars, Crisco, and butter together till light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat at low speed until well combined. Add flour mixture all at once and beat on low until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips (I used the mixer) and nuts. I don't like nuts in my cookies - I'm a purist.

Drop by heaping tablespoons (I have a scoop) onto a baking sheet. Bake 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 1 minute. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes about 7 dozen.

NOTE: The cookies literally slid off the sheet. Not a crumb stuck. This is a double recipe from the chocolate chip packages. My Kitchen-aid mixer came in very handy.

Invasion of the Giant Sock Monkey

2011-11-18T16:52:00.004-06:00

It's well know in the guild that I dislike sock monkeys. Dislike is probably too kind of a word. I hate them. It all goes back to my childhood when I would spend an occasional Friday night at my grandparents' house, staying with my aunt who was only four years old than I was. Aunt Becky had a four-poster double bed and had a sock monkey doll. The thing had wires in it's arms, and Becky had it wrapped around a bedpost at the bottom of the bed. It stared at me all night long with those beady eyes and that stupid big red mouth. Since that was about 50 years ago, I'd like to tell you that I've grown up and gotten over it, but I can't. I still hate them. It's not like I go screaming from the room or anything. They just give me the creeps.

At the Mercy Center, our sleeping rooms are on the second floor and our sewing room is on the first. We have to walk through the chapel to get from one to the other. Three years ago, as I was going through the very dimly-lit chapel on my way to my room to change into jammies about 11pm, I got the creepiest feeling I've ever had in my life. In England and Scotland, I would go to every dungeon in every castle just to "feel" something. Got nothing. Seeing or feeling a ghost has been my fondest wish for 50 years, but I'm about as psychic as a block of wood. Except in this chapel. I had the most intense feeling of dread that someone was not only watching me, but was going to jump out and kill me. I've never been so scared in my life. As soon as I got into the hallway, the feeling stopped. Went up, put jammies on, but now, I had to go back through the chapel to get to the sewing room. It was only 11:15! I still had three more hours of sewing in me. I felt like an idiot calling someone in the sewing room to come and escort me through a church, so I sucked it up and ran through. The feeling was gone and nobody killed me. When I related my tale to the group, one of the more religious members said that was God telling me to come back to the church. I told her God has a very sick sense of humor, and that wasn't God.

So I've been to three retreats since then and no more eerie feeling. However, the guy that runs the kitchen said he often hears a person whistling when he comes in early in the morning, and he's the only person there.

Anyway, when I got to the center Monday, I went directly to the sewing room with all my crap. When I wanted to put jammies on later, my clothes bag would be down there, I could change in the bathroom, and not have to make two trips through the dreaded chapel. So, when I did go up about 1am to go to bed, Darlene went too. We were the last two and closed the room up. I put my bag down in my room and went in the bathroom and stopped with a sharp inhale, and backed out. There was a dark shape on the toilet! I couldn't find the light switch reaching my hand around the corner! It wasn't there!!! It was on the bedroom wall! HOLY CRAP!!! Scared the shit out of me!!! There sat the biggest damn sock monkey I've ever seen!!!

Knowing Darlene wouldn't be in bed, yet, I tapped on her door and asked her if she knew about this! She claimed ignorance but came in my room expecting to see a bug or spider. Not even close. Nobody told her anything, because they knew we were good friends and she'd tell me.

Nobody enjoys a good joke more than I do, so once again, I sucked it up, touched the damn thing, and put Morty to bed.

At least he wasn't staring at me all night with those beady eyes.

The next morning, I took him down to the sewing room. Going with my first instinct, I'm letting out years of pent up hatred for sock monkey's everywhere by strangling him.

Morty pleaded with me for his life. He'd do anything. He'd even do some of my sewing so I could have a break.

Well, this could work.

He needs practice on his quarter inch seam, but he wasn't too bad.

Then he got a backache from sewing and had to lay down on the stage and rest. Being a foster mom, I know how important it is to spay and neuter, so while Morty was sleeping, I neutered him and put a bandaid on his tummy.

When he woke up, he was thirsty.

Coming back from lunch (also through the dreaded chapel) Morty wanted to stop and give thanks that I didn't throw his butt out my second story window the night before.

After dinner, Morty was ready for something a little sweet, and had some of Darlene's brownies and a wee sip of vodka to ease the pain from his neuter.

Morty had a little too much to drink and had to take another nap. A little better look at his bandaid.

Everyone wanted to know what I was going to do with Morty when we got home. Ha. Not going to happen.

As pieces of the story came out, Jeanne found Morty at Walgreens and put him in my room. Since I hadn't been in it at all the first day and evening, the door was open. Everyone was very disappointed with me. Poor Morty sat on my toilet for hours and hours waiting for me and no one got to be there when I found him. Gee, I'm so sorry to disappoint you all - NOT. Now, I have a whole year to plot my revenge. They'll never see it coming. And Morty went home with Jeanne. Nice job, Jeanne. You really got me this time.

And Jan swears she didn't have anything to do with it and had a legitimate alibi. If she had done it, the monkey would have had a complete wardrobe of clothes. That's true. Last year, Jan gave us all a fabric "paper doll", like a gingerbread man shape, and told us to dress it like ourselves and we'd vote on who did the best job. We all had a lot of fun with that one. Mine had a red t-shirt, jeans, tennis shoes, blond hair and a small cat. I brushed a cat and used a glue stick to put cat hair and threads all over Little Barb. Jan's doll had a box and about five changes of clothes! Then, somebody kidnapped Little Barb from the table and held her for hours in a dark, scary box until mama correctly guessed who kidnapped her. It didn't take long for me to figure out it was Jan. She kept asking if I'd figured it out, yet. And whispering to her neighbor, Rita. So obvious to someone who watches every police procedural show on TV.

Morty didn't creep me out as much as I thought, so I guess I have Jeanne to thank for that. But, I still wasn't taking him home.

Retreat Projects 2011

2011-11-18T01:02:00.000-06:00

These are some of the projects we worked on at retreat. Most of us bring 3-5 projects, thinking we're really going to get a lot done. Most of us have the fabric already cut out so we can just sew and get them finished quickly. Most of us don't finish their first project until the last day, and some of us don't finish our first of four projects we brought. That would be me. I thought I had more cut out and pieced, since I worked on this last year, too, but hadn't opened the bag until I got to the retreat. I had a 23" x 30" section done of 68" x 102" for a twin quilt. I did finish the top today at home. The rest of the quilts pictured are the tops only - not quilted - unless otherwise stated.

This is my Trip Around the World done in bright pink, orange, blue, green, yellow, and purple. It's laying on the floor by my table.

When I got home, I added the blue inner border, then the piano key border. I don't know what the binding color will be, yet. I like to make happy quilts, and this is certainly a happy quilt.

This is Katy's quilt top done in gorgeous fall colors. Sorry, I don't know the pattern name.

Jan's scrappy strip quilt top.

This is only a portion of Reba's Jelly Roll Race quilt. This is quilted and bound, and she brought it for show and tell. I love this quilt and plan to make a JRR quilt, too.

Quilters will know what this is. Non-quilters won't care, and the explanation isn't easy to do and won't make sense without pictures.

Reba made this pastel Jelly Roll Race top at the retreat. This is the left half. Her other quilt is hanging over it.

Jeanne made a JRR top, too, and added little squares between the strips. Jeanne hasn't felt well lately, and hasn't done much sewing, so we're all very proud of her for getting the top done. Good job, Jeanne. Get a border on that puppy and call it done.

More about my good friend, Jeanne, in the next post.

Darlene's quilt top done in different shades of blue. This is only a portion of it. I must have taken the picture before she got the other blocks sewn on. It's a very striking top.

Another of Reba's quilts. It's an "I Spy" for her grandson (I think).

Rita's batik quilt. She made it for her pastor, much to her husband's chagrin because he wanted to keep it, and Darlene quilted it. I don't know this pattern name, either. Batik quilts are always stunning.

Lee Etta loves scrap quilts like I do and makes wonderful quilts with hundreds of different fabrics. She brought several tubs of precut strips and would reach in one, pull out a strip, and sew it on regardless of color. That's what you have to do with many scrap quilts - disregard the color. It goes against everything we've spent decades learning about quiltmaking.

This is Rita's scrap quilt. Her daughter wanted a quilt made from her daughters' clothes. In order to make it large enough for the bed, Rita had to call her daughter several times and have her send more clothes. Every single square is from something worn by Rita's granddaughters. How special is that!

Jan is working on her top, and I don't know this pattern, either. I didn't think to walk around with a notebook and write things down.

Ree is making a quilt for the Quilts of Valor. It will be hand quilted by the ladies of the group and presented to a man or woman who has served for our country.

I apologize to Joan. I know I took a picture of her black and red Yellow Brick Road quilt, but it's not anywhere to be found. It's one of my favorites and the YBR is probably my favorite pattern of all time. I've made five of them. In my previous post, you can see a part of Joan's quilt on her picture.

So, our retreat is over for another year, and we're very sad about that. We live for this all year long. This was one I know I'll never forget. You'll hear all about it in my next blog - Invasion of the Sock Monkey.

Quilt Retreat 2011

2011-11-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

Our retreat is over for another year. Boo. They say there's a price for everything - including fun. I'm paying for my wonderful last three days. I'm exhausted, overfed, and have the mother of all backaches. You can't believe how hard it is on your back to sew for that long with your machine at a different height than you're used to. We even stack two chairs together for more height, but it still isn't enough.

We're in the auditorium at the center. We each have a table to sew on, a couple tables for cutting, a couple for ironing, one for snacks, lots of floor space for laying blocks out, and a stage with movable walls to hang our finished tops or quilts on.

I panned the room left to right.

Three days of sewing, laughing, eating, and a little sleeping. These are some of my closest and dearest friends. This is our 6th retreat together, but I've known Katy, Jan, and Joan for over 20 years.

More retreat blogs to follow.

Darlene

Joan

Jan

Jeanne

Reba

Lee Etta

Ree

Rita

Katy

Reba is taunting me with sock monkey fabric. I hate sock monkeys. An explanation blog to follow.

Autumn Trees

2011-11-15T05:00:00.006-06:00

Since I'm at a quilt retreat now, I set this to be posted Tuesday morning.

Our two maple trees in the back yard are finally getting big enough to get the beautiful fall color. I really waited too long to take the pictures. They've lost some of the brilliance they had at their peak and really did seem to glow with fire. It was gloomy for days, and I couldn't wait any longer for the sun to come out or risk a storm taking all the leaves off.

A couple days later the sun did come out, but the color was faded even more. They're still beatiful, just not what they were.

Fall is my favorite time of year and I get to look at these two gorgeous trees as I sit on my deck reading a book and holding cats. Ah, life is good.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Jello Shots

2011-11-13T22:00:00.002-06:00

I'm packing today for my 3-day quilt retreat starting tomorrow. I'll be a whole 30 minutes away at a conference center, but it will be out in the middle of nowhere as far as we're concerned. We get fed three times a day, but everybody brings something for the snack table in our meeting room. About ten of us will be in a very large well-lit meeting room. We each get a 6' table and set up our sewing machines, irons, cutting mats and sew on our own projects. My contribution last year was chocolate-covered cherry jello shots. The others said I could do that again this year. I just did one batch last year, but made a double batch this year. The recipe is at the end.

I wanted larger cups, but waited until yesterday to get them and had to take what the stores had. Got two kinds from two different grocery stores. The first store only had 50 and I didn't know how much I would get from one batch, so I got a package of 25 from the other store.

I put a maraschino cherry in each cup and filled them with the jello mix to within 1/2" to 3/8" from the top. Had to leave room for the chocolate and whipped cream. I put the cups on two cookie sheets and into the fridge to set.

After a couple hours they were ready for the squeeze chocolate topping that hardens when it gets cold. Have the chocolate at room temp when you squeeze it on. I used about 1/8" of chocolate for each one. There's not much in a bottle. I bought two bottles, but I didn't know how far each would go. Turns out I came out perfect down to the last cup. I do stuff like that a lot with numbers and amounts. Like grab the exact number of papers/rubber bands/whatever that I need. Open a book to the exact page. I can guess what numbers people are about to say when they're talking - even on TV. Works with everything except the lottery! Once at a party, we could put $1 in a pot and guess the weight of one of the guys. I wrote down 309 lbs. Right on the nose. I made about $16.

You probably don't need quite this much whipped cream. It was the first out of the can and came out faster than I thought.....

Since the whipped cream can't go on now, I'm taking the can with me to the retreat. All cups got a lid and went into some plastic bags.

As a very conscientious person, I needed do a taste test to make sure I didn't poison anyone. The cups are so small, and I wasn't sure they were acceptable, so I had a second. They still didn't taste right, so I sampled a third. Okay, they'd do. Maybe the others won't like them and I'll have to bring them all back home. What a shame.

Aster really wanted to sample, too, but she was too late.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Jello Shots - Single recipe

6 oz. box of cherry Jello
2 c. boiling water
1 c. vodka
1 c. creme de cacao
maraschino cherries
chocolate syrup that hardens
canned whipped cream

Mix the jello with the boiling water like usual. Add the two cups of liquor that takes the place of the cold water. Some recipes say to let the jello cool to room temp, then add the liquor. Whatever. Put one cherry in each cup and fill to within 1/2" to 3/8" of the top. I dipped a measuring cup in the bowl to pour the jello in the cups. Refrigerate for a couple hours. Top with about 1/8" of the chocolate syrup and put the lids on. Refrigerate until used.

Note: A 10 oz. jar of maraschino cherries has about 44 cherries. This recipe will make about 24-27 shots the size shown here. I made a double recipe and got 51 shots. Including samples. Since I used the whole jar of cherries, I mixed the cherry juice in, too.

It's Not Just a Box

2011-11-11T05:00:00.003-06:00

Before I left Petsmart a couple weeks ago, I was taking the trash from our cat room to the back of the store when I saw some great boxes next to the trash cans. I asked a manager and he said, yes, they were trash and I could have them. There were three boxes and I gave two to another foster mom. Display boxes that have held cat food or treats are like magnets to the gang, but this box held soft stuffed things. Didn't seem to matter. Within seconds of putting the box on the living room floor, it was occupied.

First was Lilly and Zach.

Then Cody.

Then Xena.

Then Xena moved and Ebony came in her pretty pink collar. I have four shiny black cats and need it for identification.

Then Delcy came. This all happened in about three minutes. Everyone loves a new toy.

Happy 11-11-11 Day

2011-11-11T05:00:00.001-06:00

I've never been particularly interested in same month-day-year dates, but there's something about 11-11-11 that I find very cool. If I was planning a wedding, birth, etc, I would move mountains to have it done on this date. Alas, I'm already married, and way beyond babies, so I'll be scooping, cleaning, and sewing - and having a ball doing what I love. Well, not cleaning so much, but I do try.

These are random photos of the fosters.

Cody

Daughter, Laura, and Eva

Ember and Cary

Zach

Aster


"You gonna eat that?"

Delcy

Lucy

Meg

Micky

What are cats thinking when they watch you brush your teeth? When you spit white stuff in the place they sometimes use for a bed. How can we be so thoughtless and rude?

Delcy

Ember in the Recycle Bin

2011-11-10T05:00:00.002-06:00

Ember

I heard a strange noise the other day and investigated. Ember was in the recycle bin. We had to take the lid off of it or we couldn't open it under the counter overhang. The regular wastebasket is smaller and does have a lid to keep critters out. Guess we need a smaller recycle bin.

"Uh, Oh! Somebody's gonna be in trouble!"

Zach came over to help, or not. Nita can't quite figure out what's going on.

Ember

A perplexing situation for a kitten. And no food left in the cans! This is only the second time - that I know of - that somebody's gotten in the bin.

Nita Meets the Panther Cats

2011-11-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

The other day when I went in the panthers' room, I gave them their morning feeding, scooped their box, turned around to talk to them and found little Nita drinking out of their water dish. She evidently snuck in with me, but I didn't see her for about a minute. I inhaled and held my breath. Mike and Ben can be bullies with some of my other adults, so I had no idea what they'd do to a small kitten. Not a thing. They sniffed and nosed her. Toula, the longer haired female, even groomed her. Nita worked her way around the room exploring.

Nita, Mike and Ben


Nita enjoying the view

Nita and Toula

Toula came around the corner and startled Nita, who got in a crouched position and hissed.

Nita and Toula

Toula is showing Nita how to use the track ball toy. Nita said she already knows - she has one, too.

Nita and Ben

Nita was rubbing on Ben, or it could be Mike. Unless I can see their chests for a white patch, I can't tell them apart. Whoever this is was rubbing back and licking her.

Nita and Toula

Toula used to be the hissy one in the group, but now she's mellowed out and I can let her out of the room to socialize with the others.

Marilyn's Diamond Quilt

2011-11-08T10:20:00.000-06:00

My friend, Marilyn, and I both wanted to learn to do pantograph patterns on our Handiquilters. Marilyn came over one day and we practiced on my machine. Then I went to her house and helped her with her tension, and we practiced some more. I was complaining that I didn't have a quilt top to practice on. She was so nice and gave me one of the many tops from her shelf of tops needing to be quilted. What a good friend she is. She doesn't know this, but I finished quilting it three nights ago.

I think it turned out great. I'm still not that good at following the line, but it's getting easier and better. Not as good as my free-motion quilting, that's for sure. It doesn't make much sense that I'm better without following a pattern, does it? Hope you like it, Marilyn. No, I'm not doing the binding.

Marilyn's quilt

Close up

Flying Geese Challenge Quilt

2011-11-08T00:22:00.002-06:00

One of the quilt guilds I'm in had a challenge this fall and it was due last Wednesday at our monthly meeting. The challenge was to make a quilt, wallhanging, bag, or purse with colors of your initials. Mine are BB. I happened to be working on a small quilt with every color of the rainbow, as a lot of my quilts are. I used black, burgundy and blue. Since it's my quilt, and I can do anything I want, I can also rename the colors. So, I also used, bink, breen, borange, byellow, and burple. Spell check is going crazy.

The block is called a flying geese block. It represents a goose or flock of geese flying in a V formation. It's traditionally made by sewing two smaller triangles (the blues) onto one large triangle (the orange/goose) and involves sewing two seams. I was watching a quilt show online where Ricky Tims was doing a demo on a one-seam flying geese block. Knowing that was impossible, I was intrigued.

Flying Geese block.

The technique was to cut two background pieces 3" square. Cut one goose rectangle 3" x 5.5".

Fold the goose rectangle in half, wrong sides together, and crease. Lay one background square, right side up. Place the folded goose fabric on top, with the raw edge even with the bottom and the fold 1/4" away from the top edge. Place the other background square on top, right side down. You're sandwiching the goose between the background squares. Your right side edges will all be even. I offset them to show you how the goose fabric is placed.

This is a sewn block. One seam, just like Ricky said.

When you open it up, it looks like this. I pressed the seam open as much as I could to distribute the bulk.

The goose is dimensional, with the sides and points loose. I used the crease I previously made on the goose to line up with the seam when I pressed it. I made sure the points were straight and pressed on the diagonal. They were fun to make, so I naturally cut 800 or so pieces of each.

I played with the blocks on my design wall and got a pattern I liked. I didn't want the traditional geese all flying in the same direction. When it was time to sew the blocks together, I realized the points needed to be secured first. I ended up gluing each point to the background with as little glue as I could get by with. What a pain in the butt. No chance of making a king-size quilt with these. I made just enough to make the nine large black square patterns. I used some of the leftover geese to make a piano-key border. The corners are four background squares. The border needed to be separated from the quilt and black was the only logical choice. It really makes the colors pop. The black outer border is a very wide binding.

I couldn't put this on my HQ frame because the foot would get caught in the loose edges of the geese, and there's some serious bulk in the intersections of the seams. So, at dusk, the night before it's due, I'm out in front of the house with a sheet spread out on the driveway, basting my quilt together with the basting spray. John even came out and helped hold corners while I smoothed the fabric out. This was my first manual spray basting in several years.

The only safe way of quilting it was diagonal lines with my walking foot. I used a serpentine stitch on the loose sides of the geese and it worked well. I finished the binding at 2:30am. I'm naming it Thank God It's Finished No. 38. I like to try new techniques, but I don't always care for them, so I have a lot of quilts with this same name. I loved making the blocks, but nothing after that until it was done. I love the look, but would make the traditional geese next time. Sorry, Ricky.

Delcy's Kittens Update

2011-11-07T21:52:00.000-06:00

My babies will be three months old on the 16th! I can't believe it. I still tend to think of them as tiny babies, but they've been ready for adoption for almost two weeks, and one, Pierce, has been adopted. They're allowed out in the house when I'm home, but are in the bedroom at night.

Nita

Nita is the spunky one. She loves to play with Ember, and they wrestle, chase, and wrestle some more. She's also very sweet, as are the others. All three sleep with me and keep warm under the covers. I never know which one is going to stick their head out in the morning and lay their head on my arm.

Cary

Cary is the cuddliest and the first one under the covers. He's just adorable.

Ember

Ember loves to play with Nita. They're all learning to play with the general population and are having a ball running around two floors of the house, climbing cat trees, furniture, and stairs.

Pierce's new mom sent me pictures of him and his other new brother and sister. Betsy has two shih tzus and wondered how Pierce would get along with them. I thought they'd be fine since kittens usually get along with anybody and anything, but you never know. Cricket, the female, has adopted Pierce as her own and licks him from one end to the other. Oscar, the male, isn't quite as fond of him, but is warming up. This is such a great photo. Thanks, Betsy. It's so reassuring to know your babies are in a good home and getting along with everyone.

Colin Gets Adopted

2011-11-07T00:29:00.000-06:00

Last week Colin got adopted by a great family. Mom, Sandy, had seen Colin at Petsmart on Saturday and took my card with my name, blog, and phone number. She called and we set up at time for her and her boys to come and see him. Her two sons were excited about getting a kitten.

Chase and Sander with their new kitten, Colin. Another great family. Sandy said Colin is still getting use to the dogs, but everybody is doing fine.

Pierce Gets Adopted

2011-11-07T00:09:00.000-06:00

This is a post I forgot I didn't do. My apologies, Betsy. Betsy and her family picked out Pierce a month ago and have been waiting for him to get old enough to get his package (neuter, testing and shots) so he could be adopted. The day finally came and everybody was so excited.

This is Laney holding Pierce. I think he'll be sleeping in her room. He's such a good kitten and will love having a little girl to play with. Pierce will also have a boy, Jack, to play with. Every kitten's dream.

This is most of the family, Betsy, Jack, and Laney. Dad was home. I have to pinch myself to believe the fabulous people who have adopted my cats. Thank you, Betsy.

Zach's Great Adventure

2011-10-30T14:26:00.000-05:00

Saturdays at Petsmart are quite exhausting. It's a lot of standing around, waiting for people to walk by and look at "your" cats and kittens, falling instantly in love with one, and adopting it on the spot. And, talking to lots of people just looking, parents who are allergic to cats but bring their kids up to pet kittens, and the people who just love cats and want to see who's new and who got adopted since last week. Some of the regulars know the cats' names better than I do!

I load my crates in the Highlander on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, it's hard staying one step ahead of the cats. As soon as they even see a carrier or my Heartland t-shirt, they're under sofas or on top of cabinets. On Friday I make a list of what cats I want to take and what crate they go in. I can stack three crates on the rolling platform John made. On Saturday morning, it's easy to get the ones in a bedroom, but finding the particular cats that are loose in the house is a challenge. When I can't catch the ones I want, I have to change cats, but be sure that the two or three in each cage will get along for the next five hours in very close quarters, in a loud and noisy store, with strange people, kids, and dogs walking around, music playing, and strange smells. I leave my crates set up in the car, but wouldn't be able to lift the crate in or out of the car if it had three adult cats in it. So, unless they're small, two cats go in a carrier, and one is in the crate, and then I put the carrier in the crate, too during transportation. It comes out so I can lift the crate out of the car easier. Then it all gets unloaded in the store parking lot, wheeled in the store, wheeled out, and repacked. I drive 10 minutes home, unpack cats, unload crates, etc. Jeez, I needed a drink and two Advil. I wasn't feeling very well today. Just a backache and a queasy tummy. I know pill directions say not to mix the two, that "alcohol may intensify." I was counting on it.

So, having done all that, and standing for five hours, I'm now on the deck with my cats, my Kindle, and a bottle of Mike's Hard Berry Lemonade. Drinking out of the bottle makes me feel like I'm really drinking an adult beverage. I hear a noise on the canopy, look up expecting to see Lilly, but see Zach instead, looking at me through an 18" hole in the canvas. The canopies only last three years and this was the third year, so it's pretty fragile at this point and has several rips and holes. I told him to get down, and I could swear I heard him mutter, "Yeah, right." He then jumped up onto the roof of the house. My only explanation for how my little brain didn't register that the edge of the roof and the top of the canopy were 12" apart, or how a cat could easily go from one to the other is that the canopy is UNDER the eave and I can't see the roof, so therefore, it doesn't exist. Then he disappeared. I threw cat treats on the kitchen floor to clear the cats off the deck, then treats on the deck, shouting Cookies, Cookies, to entice Zach, who is still gone.

I grab the camera and head to the back yard. No Zach on the roof. Walked up the hill to the front yard, no Zach. Back down the hill to the back yard, no Zach. He has to be here somewhere!!!

Back up the hill to the front yard - and there he was. I snapped the picture and wondered how I was going to get him down? Then, I wondered how was I going to explain to Cheri that one of my fosters jumped off the roof and ran away.

Before I could take a second picture, he ran up the roof and over the peak to the back. I sure didn't need this today. This time I went in the house. I would wait on the deck for him to come back. Chasing a cat only adds to his adventure and makes it more fun. Guess who was there waiting on me.

Like he'd never been gone. Never put his mama through hell and a heart attack - not to mention the Exercise! Like he'd been laying there all afternoon. Poor thing looks all tuckered out. I'm going to cut the canopy off of the part closest to the house. I only need the other half for shade. I don't want to take it down, yet, because this is the perfect deck-reading weather. I put Zack in the house, reclaimed my lounge, Kindle and not-so-cold drink, which I drained, anyway. I think I may have closed my eyes for half an hour, too. It was getting a little cool outside, so I went downstairs and sat with John while he watched cooking shows and soccer. I think I closed my eyes again, just for a couple minutes. Somewhere I heard John ask if we were still going to the party. Yeah, I'd love to leave my recliner, go change clothes, try and do something with my hair, put make-up on and be ready in....30 minutes!

John's been going with his friend, Hank, out to a shooting club on weekends for a couple years. Hank has all kinds of guns and ammo, and won't let John pay him for anything, so we try to take them to dinners occasionally. The club has four competitions during the summer. John usually places in the top four out of 25 or 30. He even came in first place once, beating the two-time national champion. This party was the season-ender awards party at one couple's house. John came in 3rd place for the year and got a framed certificate. Pretty cool. The MC explained that the scores were very high and close this year and that he'd compared them to some national scores for the same event and that their club had higher scores. So, John is shooting at a National Level! Pretty good for someone who doesn't even own a bullet, much less a gun. Congratulations, Sweetie! We had a great time and stayed till midnight!

We also got stopped in a police checkpoint just as they were towing somebody's car off. John'd only had diet Pepsi, so we were good. This was my second checkpoint stop. Ree and I were coming home from a quilt guild meeting about 10:30 one Thursday night and had to stop. When they saw us and heard "quilt guild meeting" they waved us through. Rather insulting. They think older women who make quilts don't drink! They should be at one of our quilt retreats. One of which is coming up in 15 days. Woo Hoo!!! Fifty hours of not fixing food, doing laundry, cleaning, shopping, errands, and scooping. I'll miss my cats and kittens, but I know John's taking good care of them. Nobody can starve in 2 days, and they all drink out of the toilets.

Delcy's Milk Problem

2011-10-17T23:26:00.000-05:00

A recent post told about Delcy and trying to get her very large boobs dried up. The cabbage leaves worked while they were wrapped on her, but the problem, too much milk, came back. I know all the websites and people who know say to separate mom from the babies so she dries up. Poor Delcy was separated, but not drying up. I felt so sorry for her and followed my gut instinct, and let her back in the room with her 8-week-old babies and two slightly older kittens. It was the only way I knew to give her some immediate relief. Well, the kittens sucked her dry in less than 5 minutes and she was flat as a pancake. I've let her in to nurse several times and she is much better and seems to be drying up on her own. She also loves being back with her kittens, and especially with Bridgette. I know Bridgette has missed her, too. They rub all over each other.

All you can see of Delcy is part of her head and an ear next to the white kitten, and one leg on the far right.

Pet Bed Covers

2011-10-17T22:55:00.003-05:00

After years of washing the cat beds when the hair got too thick, I had to come up with something better. I made fabric covers for my plush cat beds, and they work great. They're like bowl covers and shower caps.

The pile fabric the beds are made with is very soft, but it holds the hair like velcro. The cotton fabric I use, being smoother, is easy to clean. A damp paper towel rubbed over the fabric is great for removing the hair before tossing the covers in the washer.

This is the underneath side. This cover is a little loose, but the fabric hasn't been washed or dried, yet, and may shrink slightly. I pull the 3/8" elastic tight and use a wide zig-zag stitch to sew it on. About every 5-6", I'll make a 5/8" or so pleat in the fabric as I sew the elastic over it. The outer edge of the covers are just too big to have the elastic gather it enough to fit well. A cover that is too big is better than one too small.

These are two covers I made last week for the small beds we use in the crates when we take our fosters to Petsmart on Saturdays. I give some to the other foster moms, too, and am told they love them. It's also a great way of using up my older fabric.

Almost before I could take the pictures, I had cats wanting to try them out. Xena is in front, Cody and Lilly in the beds, and Ebony waiting on the chair. My cats must not be too bright. Cody is in the pink bed and Lilly is in the blue one.

This is a larger bed. I have patterns made for 4 sizes of beds.

The covers take a lot more fabric than you think. Here is a small bed that measures 14" x 17". The fabric for the cover is cut 31" x 34", and takes almost a yard of fabric. I've been cutting the leftover fabric from the corners into 2.5" and 3.5" strips and in squares from 2.5" to 8.5". I'm positive I'll use them in future projects.

Davy and Stewart are Adopted

2011-10-09T21:23:00.001-05:00

I should have posted this last week, but life got in the way. Two of my best kittens got their forever homes, and I couldn't be happier. Well, I could be happier if I could keep them myself, but I already have three and that's my limit.

Stewart went home with Barb and Dave and kids. He settled in from day one and is a well-loved member of the family already. He's also made friends with the other three cats she has. Barb and her neighbor, Betsy, came over a couple weeks ago and played with kittens. Barb took one look at Stewart and fell in love. It was impossible not to. He is such a sweetie.

Thank you, Barb, for adopting my baby and giving him a wonderful home.

I don't want to start a trend of posting my picture with every adoption, but they want to take my picture after I take theirs. Stewart is one of those special kittens, like Micky, Davy and Alissa, that I won't adopt out to just anybody. I admit that my standards have been a little lower on adopters for some cats than others, but not these guys. They deserve the best.

A super-nice couple saw Daisy, my very shy cat, on the web and wanted to adopt her. I wrote about this in the "Micky and Davy Put on a Show" blog of 9-26. I knew Jean wanted a lap cat and that wasn't Daisy. When I showed her Davy and put him in her arms, he melted into her and she was a goner. I knew both Davy or Micky would be, the perfect cat for her, and Davy was closer when we went in the room. About a week later, I was going to be close to where they lived and set up a visit. I know cats usually adapt very quickly to their new home, but he didn't have to adapt THAT quickly. He did act like he remembered me when I walked in, but he had also settled very nicely into his new house with Jean and Robert. I took two family photos. Jean's eyes were closed in the first one, and Robert's were closed in the second one. Sorry, Robert.

Then, they wanted to take a picture of me with Davy. I usually take such horrible pictures, but this one wasn't too bad, and Davy is one of my favorites. Jean and Robert are so happy with him and can't get over how friendly and personable he is. I do spend a lot of time with my kittens and cats. Most respond and are very friendly. I only have a couple, Daisy and Trish, that are very shy, and a couple that should be only cats, like Mike and Ben, two of the house panther cats. The rest are all super cats.

Thank you, Jean and Robert, for giving my boy a good home.

Poor Delcy, the Cabbage Patch Baby

2011-10-09T13:24:00.001-05:00

My newest mama cat, Delcy, gave birth to four kittens seven weeks ago. Last week I picked her up and noticed her tummy was very warm. I knew from a previous experience that this could be an infection of her uterus known as piometria. I took her to the vet immediately. An x-ray confirmed it, and she had her spay later that day. The vet, Marcy Hammerle, also found that Delcy's intestines were very inflammed and weren't digesting the food from her stomach. Delcy spent two nights at the vet's office on IV fluids and antibiotics. When she was eating and pooping, she got to come home. This Thursday, I noticed Delcy's stomach was huge and looked like she was pregnant again. Took her back in, and another x-ray showed her stomach was full of food, but her intestines were empty and still didn't look right. So, the poor baby spent another two nights at the vet's. I picked her up Saturday morning when she was eating and pooping again. Marcy said her mammary glands were engorged and she needed to stop nursing and dry her boobs up. She gave me a couple meds for Delcy's stomach and intestines, and said I should wrap cabbage leaves around Delcy's stomach to help dry her up. I had heard of this remedy, but had never done it.

I still had to load up cats and get to adoptions at Petsmart, but I stopped at a nearby produce stand, bought a head a cabbage, went home, put some cabbage leaves in a baggie, got a roll of sticky bandage tape, loaded up cats and headed out. John was gone until 10pm, so I took Delcy to the store with me because I knew I couldn't do this by myself.

It was pretty busy with people looking at our cats by the time I got there. I asked one of the other foster moms, Cheri, if she could help me when there was a break in the action. I needed to wrap cabbage leaves around Delcy's stomach. Nothing phases Cheri, but the look on her face was priceless. Even with Delcy being so, so good, it still took three of us to get the job done. Cheri held Delcy, Lisa held leaves in place, and I wrapped the tape around the cat. The 2" tape I brought originally stuck to itself and turned into a half inch rope and was impossible to use. Petsmart had some 4" wide tape, and that worked better. Too bad we didn't get a video. The Three Stooges bandage a cat.

Delcy

Cheri took this picture when we were finished. She also came up with the Cabbage Patch Baby. You can see some of the cabbage sticking out from the end. Poor Delcy looks like the deer in the headlights, but she does have very round eyes. Everybody who came through wanted to know what happened to her. After telling the actual story a few times, I just told them she had surgery. One guy came in and asked if she got kicked in the stomach and seemed surprised when I told him no. Another man wanted to know if she got run over by a car. No. The women were much more sympathetic and asked much less violent questions. Hmmmm.

Delcy

Delcy spent the night in the bathroom so she could eat her special food and her meds in some canned food. I took the bandage off about midnight, and the cabbage was pretty wilted. However, the six boobs covered by the cabbage and bandage were, in fact, smaller and flatter than the two boobs under her back legs that just couldn't be covered. Whether it was from the cabbage or just being flattened, I can't say. There were a lot of dark blood vessels showing on the wrapped part. My internet research said that the cabbage increased blood flow to and from the area and helped with inflammation. That's exactly what I saw.

The tape was history, so I had to come up with another method - and easier method - of doing this for Sunday. Cheri had mentioned using a sock yesterday. Worth a shot! John unknowingly sacrificed an old white sock and held Delcy while I put it on her. Then I stuffed the cabbage leaves in. So far, so good, but her back two boobs still aren't covered. I also clipped half of the little elastic threads in the sock to make it looser. It worked well, except for the last two boobs. She had four kittens and they only used the back four boobs, so only half the problem is being solved. I may have to invent a kitty tummy wrap. I let her out into the house this morning, but will have to put her back in several times a day to feed her. I hope being separated from her kittens will also help dry her up. She whines at the bedroom door, but I think she misses her BFF Bridgette more than the kittens.

Delcy

I'm very, very happy Delcy's eating and pooping. I was extremely worried about her intestines not working again. She's not out of the woods, yet, but seems to be doing a lot better. Animal foster moms live for solid poop. When anything at all is wrong with a cat, they seem to get diarrhea. With Delcy, I'm just thankful for any poop at all. Sometimes, it doesn't take much to make us happy.

Delcy

Micky and Davy Put on a Show

2011-09-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

Barb and Stewart

A couple weeks ago, Barb and her neighbor, Betsy (who both rescued Delcy), and Betsy's kids, Laney and Jack, all came over to see Delcy and her kittens. We had such a good time, they stayed and played with a couple rooms of cats. I didn't think to grab the camera until we were in the second room playing with Micky and Davy, two gray tabby kittens, and Stewart and Colin.

This is Barb holding Stewart. She had wanted to adopt one of Delcy's kittens, but when she saw Stewart, she fell in love and will adopt him this weekend. He is a very special little guy going to a very special family.

Barb, Stewart, Davy, and Micky

Davy showing off

Davy, Betsy, Laney and Jack

Davy got adopted today by a lovely couple, Jean and Robert. They originally wanted Daisy, my very shy but sweet and beautiful tortie. Jean had seen her picture on the internet, loved her eyes and wanted to adopt her. As much as I wanted Daisy to go to their perfect and quiet home, after hearing Jean say she wanted a lap cat, I knew Daisy wasn't the right cat for her. I took her to the downstairs bedroom where Micky and Davy happen to have spent the night with Jilly, Josie, Zach and Cody. As soon as I put Davy in her arms, he seemed to melt and she fell in love. When it happens, it happens. Right now, I have a houseful of the best, sweetest cats and kittens I've ever had. Finding a cuddly lap cat for someone is easy. I called their house tonight to check on Davy and Robert said Davy was laying on his lap at that very moment. Warms my heart.

Pierce

Betsy and her family are going to be adopting Pierce, one of Delcy's kittens. He has to grow a little and won't be ready for his new wonderful home for a couple more weeks.

Shadowbox Quilt

2011-09-25T22:53:00.000-05:00

Shadowbox I by Coleen

A friend, Coleen, made her second Shadowbox quilt and asked me if I would quilt this one, too. I was honored she asked. The first one was in gorgeous shades of coral. The second one, last week, was Christmas reds and greens and was a little bigger than the first one. Both are beautiful. It's a pleasure to quilt Coleen's tops. They're always flat and squared. Nice job, Coleen.

I have this pattern and hope to make one someday. Easy quilts with large pieces appeal to me now, and I have quite a collection of patterns I'm sure I'm going to make one day. I just need about 15 people to adopt a cat.

Shadowbox II by Coleen

Strip-Pieced Quilts

2011-09-24T23:13:00.000-05:00

I need to use my fabric stash, and I need to use lots of it. I have lots of strips pre-cut. I didn't want to spend time deciding on a pattern and cutting out small pieces and sewing them back together. Using some strips I had cut and cutting a few more, I just sewed strips together until I had enough for a good-sized couch throw. Put a few borders around it and viola, I had a quilt top. Loaded it on the frame, did free-motion quilting, sewed the binding onto the back, and topstitched it to the front.

I never thought I could learn anything from a redneck in a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves torn out, but Larry, the Cable Guy, taught me that there are some things in life that fall into the category of GRD - Git-R-Done. These are my GRD quilts. I enjoy making them a lot and most of the quilt I make from now on will be GRD utility quilts for people to use. I've made more than my share of "show" quilts and wallhangings that took weeks or months to do. No more. Life is too short and I've got way too much fabric.

Several friends of mine are active in a local Quilts of Valor group that makes quilts for service men and women. The man who mows our lawn has a daughter who served in Iraq. I made a scrap rail fence quilt for her and wanted to give it to the group to give to her. I found out that the group ONLY does hand-quilted quilts and won't accept anything else. Well, I haven't hand quilted since 1991 and don't intend to. This is part of that life's-too-short thing. I quilted this in a day on my longarm machine. Last month I gave the quilt to Randy to give to his daughter. He said they'd see her at Christmas. Christmas! This was August! Seems Lauren had moved from Missouri to Maryland and Randy and his wife will be making the trip.

I love this quilt and will be making another one or two. The fabrics and colors just sparkle next to each other. Scrap quilts are my favorite type to make and have been for years. It was fast, fun, easy, and I have tons of strips already cut. For those non-quilters, scrap quilts aren't necessarily made with scraps left over from other projects. It just means that a lot of different fabrics were used. This quilt probably has between 75 and 100 different fabrics. Some were really strips left over from previous quilts, but many were cut specifically for the quilt (heavy on the red and pink to girlie it up a little), with many extra strips cut and put in my strip drawers for future quilts. It may sound crazy, but that's just how we are. Nobody needs to comment on that "crazy" part. We prefer creative and inspired.

Bridgette and Kittens

2011-09-24T21:53:00.001-05:00

This is Bridgette in a bed with 3 of Delcy's 4 babies. Cary, the gray tux in front, Pierce, the black tux on the left, and Nita, the tortie in back. And look at that smile. She really does smile. This has to be one of my all-time favorite photos, especially when you know they aren't her kittens. Delcy doesn't mind sharing the kittens. She's at the stage where she's getting tired of them and spends a lot more time on the other side of the barricade across the closet door.

Two months ago Bridgette was a feral cat in a colony, eating out of a dumpster in back of Straubs grocery store in west county St. Louis. Nita Savage is rescuing the colony and brought the first two she was able to trap to my house. The tortie laying on Bridgette's back is named after her. Bridgette was pretty thin and is filling out a lot. The other cat, Mia, was adopted by my sister.

Bridgette rubs on my leg and lets me pet her, but I can't pick her up yet. That's okay. These things take a while with feral cats. I'm happy she jumps on the bed and lays next to my legs. She's really fond of Delcy's kittens and almost treats them like her own.

The black and white tuxedo will be adopted by one of the ladies, Betsy, who was feeding Delcy when she was a stray. The other lady, Barb, is adopting little Stewart. Both ladies are awesome, and I feel so lucky that they're adopting two of my kittens.

Update on Delcy's Kittens

2011-09-13T11:56:00.002-05:00

Delcy's kittens are 4 weeks old today. They're running around the nursery playing with the other cats and kittens. Stewart, Colin, Micky and Davy are like older brother and are showing them the ropes. The little ones have a shallow litter box, and they watch the older kittens use it. In just a couple days, they're scratching and squatting. It's so cute. I hope that doesn't sound like I don't have a life of any kind. I don't. I just don't want to sound like it. I sit around all day and watch my kittens pee in a box.

The nursery is getting pretty crowded with the babies out and getting bigger.

This is 8 of the 10 residents of the bedroom and closet. Eating at the top plate is mama Delcy, Davy, and the black baby. In the litter box are the gray tuxedo and the black tuxedo. At the lower plate is Micky at the top, Colin on the left and Stewart on the right. Missing are Bridgette and the tortie baby.

The tortie was out of camera range trying to climb over the barricade to keep the babies in. Even turning the box on its side so it's a little taller, isn't enough any more. The kids are growing up. The tortie got her toenails over the top of the box and that's all she needed to pull herself up and over. So, no more box. They are free to roam and play in the bedroom during the day, but everyone is confined to the closet at night so I can sleep. I'm still in "my" bedroom, as we haven't found a new bed for the master bedroom. I'm sure our lack of interest in shopping for one has nothing to do with me coming to bed at 2am, waking him up in the process, then snoring 5 minutes later before he gets back to sleep. Or the fact that he's a bed and cover hog. That's okay, we see plenty of each other during the day and evening. And I get to read in bed before I go to sleep on my new latex foam bed.

Cary, Pierce and Ember

KITTENS: The gray tux is in the bed is Cary, the black tux is Pierce,, and the all black one is Ember.

Cary

The gray tuxedo is Cary (Grant). I'm showing my age, again, but NOBODY looked better in a tux than Cary Grant. Except maybe.......

Pierce

Pierce Brosnan, with his shiny dark hair.

Pierce

Ember

Nita

This would be Miss Ember. She's solid black.

And this is Nita, in honor of the lady rescuing a colony of cats behind Straub's grocery store in west county. She brought me Bridgette, who's still here, and Mia, who my sister adopted. The kitten, Nita, is a black and tan tortie.

All four generations of cats and kittens are having a ball running around the rooms playing with toys and wrestling with each other.

Micky, Nita, Stewart, Pierce, and Bridgette

From the left we have Micky, Nita, Stewart, Pierce, and Bridgette, who's watching over everyone. All the kittens have two moms with Delcy (the only real mom) and Bridgette. Both the adults have 8 kittens (four are two pair of orphans), and each kitten has 7 siblings. And we couldn't be happier.

Aw, it looks like they're cuddling, doesn't it? Actually, Stewart is getting ready to chomp on Pierce's neck and show him who's the older brother. It's all part of the little ones learning how to be a cat.

There's no getting around it. Kittens are pigs. I clean the eating area up every morning, and every night it looks like this. The mats under the food bowls seem like a good idea, but I don't know why I bother. It would be easier to sweep without them.

The nice, clean plate on the floor had canned food on it. No mess there. I use two plates and put a small can of food on each plate for two adults and 8 kittens. There's not a speck left on either plate. I've found I have to be careful and not give too much Fancy Feast - it causes loose stool in most of my fosters. Everybody gets a little bit, then they have to eat their no-grain dry food. The little kittens are still nursing, too.

Meg Misses Her Kittens

2011-09-11T23:19:00.001-05:00

I know cats grieve. I've seen it when a litter mate, parent, or kitten is adopted and is just gone in one day. The one or ones left behind really do miss them. Meg is the mom of Todd and Winnie who were adopted yesterday. They were her only kittens.

Meg

Meg's always been a talker, just meowing and meowing like she's really got something important to say. Wish I knew what it was. But, today she's been especially talkative. Looking at me and talking away. Rubbing on John (she likes John a lot) and talking away. Today, I think I know what she's saying. She wants to know where her babies are. Very rarely is an entire litter adopted out at one time, leaving the mom all alone. The mom usually has several kittens left, so she may not miss one so much. Poor Meg. I'm so happy her kittens got adopted to a good home, but she's walking around the house looking everywhere for them. I know that time will heal her heart, and I hope, for her sake, it's sooner rather than later. With any luck at all, Meg will get adopted soon and will have a new family to take the place of her kittens.

Meg, Winnie and Todd

Meg was a very good mom and took very good care of her two kids. She's a beautiful cat, less than two years old, and is also very sweet and friendly - especially to my husband. She and the two kittens had been in a bedroom by themselves since the day I got her when the kittens were two days old. I was hesitant to let her of the room when the kittens were old enough. New moms can be overly protective, and I had quite a few cats loose in the house. One day when I went in to scoop and feed them, Meg slipped out and it was a couple minutes before I realized it. Not a problem. She was walking around, meeting the others, and everybody was fine. So, I opened the door and let Todd and Winnie out, too. Boy, did they have fun running, exploring, and playing with the others. It's not like Meg is totally alone. She has lots of friends here, but they're still not the same as her kids.

Todd and Winnie are Adopted

2011-09-10T23:33:00.001-05:00

It was a pretty good day at Petsmart today. We adopted out four cats, and two of them were mine. Siblings Todd and Winnie went to a very nice lady, Billie, who came to the store ready to adopt two siblings, but she didn't want them to look alike. She had looked at some of the other cute kittens, but when she got to my crates, Todd and Winnie caught her eye immediately. They certainly met her wishes that they not look alike. Todd is a short-haired orange tabby, and Winnie is a medium-haired gray tortie. Since I've had them and their mom since they were 2 days old, I know they're really siblings.

Todd


Winnie

I told Billie all about them being swimmer kittens, and she was fine with it. When they were several weeks old, they weren't walking like they should and were scooting around on their bellies. Their legs were straight out to the sides like they were swimming. Their muscles were weaker and couldn't support their weight. Over the next few weeks, with lots of exercise, they improved a lot. At just under four months old, you can barely tell that anything was wrong. There's a little wiggle to their walk, but you have to be looking carefully. They run everywhere, climb up the cat trees, jump off the cat trees, and run up them again. They wrestle like kids. Todd is a little shyer than Winnie, so I'm very happy they could stay together.

This is Todd and Winnie before they had names and were just the orange one and the gray one. They were and are two adorable kittens.

Todd and Winnie

Update of Delcy and Kittens

2011-09-01T19:17:00.004-05:00

Delcy's kittens are two and a half weeks old now. Hard to believe that in a week, I'll cut the door of their birthing box open and they'll be running around the nursery. I'll have to put a piece of cardboard across the doorway to the room so the others can go in and out to eat and use the litter box, but the babies can't go out. Litter box training will start next week, too, but they'll stay in the nursery on the vinyl for a couple more weeks until I'm sure I won't be cleaning up spots on the bedroom carpet.

I'm so overrun with fosters right now that Delcy had to go into the nursery/bedroom with a semi-feral adult cat, Bridgette, and four other kittens, Micky, Davy, Colin, and Stewart. Delcy and four kittens doubled the population. I know we're supposed to keep everybody separate and segregated to prevent the spread of disease, but sometimes that's just a nice concept. We do have everyone tested for leukemia and aids before we mix them, and deworm and spray for fleas as soon as they get in the house - or car if we pick them up.

Bridgette, my semi-feral cat, got along very well with the other kittens, but I was worried about her getting along with another adult cat, especially a pregnant cat. Turns out they get along great - even greater than great.

Delcy, her kittens, Stewart, and Bridgette

Which One of These Isn't Like the Other? The white kitten amid the sea of black is Stewart. He and his brother, Colin, have been taking advantage of having a buffet whenever they want. Delcy doesn't seem to mind a couple more kittens to feed. Since Stewart and Colin are eating canned and dry food, they only nurse a little bit. Bridgette and Delcy have become so close, neither one wants to be more than a few feet from the other. It's a little strange. Bridgette has also become much friendlier the past week. She rubs on my legs, lets me pet her, and I can even pick her up, now. Even more strange.

Colin, Micky and Davy

This is the rest of the group. Colin and Micky in the striped bed, and Davy in the pink bed.

Nursery with Colin, Micky, and Davy.

Colin is walking to the bed with Micky, while Davy is in the other bed. Colin's brother, Stewart is in the birthing box with Delcy, her kittens, and Bridgette. It really is a remarkable multi-generation cat colony. Two unrelated adult females and three different litters of kittens. And everybody is very happy, healthy and content. You can't ask for more than that - well, a dozen adoptions would be nice.

Colin and Stewart

2011-09-01T18:31:00.001-05:00

My good foster friend Cheri called me on my cell phone shortly after I'd gotten home from adoptions at Petsmart a few weeks ago. She asked if I was home (I was) and she'd be right over - and she hung up. This didn't sound good. She arrived a few minutes later with a carrier. I said that better be empty. She said something about me knowing better. Inside were two kittens about 2-3 weeks old. One was white and one was gray and white. A lady brought them into the store just as Cheri was leaving and literally shoved the kittens into her hands and left. Now, I've got a ton of fosters, but Cheri has more, and I am never competing for Most Fosters. But, OMG, can they get any cuter?

Stewart and Colin

The white one is Stewart and the gray one is Colin.

I bottle fed them for a couple weeks, then introduced them to canned food mixed with formula and rice baby cereal. Then added some Royal Canin BabyCat dry with the formula, then put out a bowl of the dry food alone and gave them a bottle once a day, which got them over the yellow formula poop.

Since Bridgette, Micky, and Davy were already in the bedroom/nursery, two more kittens didn't seem like much more, but I'd been so spoiled by having moms for the last few litters of kittens that I'd forgotten how much work bottle feeding is. But, we all three survived and Stewart and Colin are now the big brothers to Delcy's kittens.

Colin


Stewart

Lucy Brings us a Possum

2011-08-20T23:35:00.001-05:00

Other pet owners are always telling me about presents their dogs or cats bring them - usually mice, birds or snakes. Since Lucy is our only pet that goes outside, she's the only one with the means to do so. We do have the subdivision retention pond on the other side of our back yard fence, so there are a few wild critters roaming about for Lucy to catch, if they're dumb enough to come into our yard. She's managed to bring us three possum (I know it's really opossum) in the last four or five months. The first two miraculously disappeared by the next morning. The first one was huge! And if you've never seen a possum up close and personal, they are truly ugly animals. The second one was smaller and seemed like a teenager. Lucy had been outside for a while tonight, and I let her in about 9pm and found another possum on the patio. This one also looks fairly young. Nothing like the first one.

While John had the patio door open to take the picture, I was trying to prevent four cats and Lucy from going out to see the kill.

The possum is all wet from Lucy licking/grooming it. I'm so thankful Lucy didn't get her throat ripped open while she was licking it. I'm only assuming that she knew this thing wasn't a kitten. Possum have very, very long sharp teeth and very, very long sharp claws. I just checked the patio, and the possum is gone. It's a miracle!!!

Lucy is resting after the big hunt.

Delcy's Kittens

2011-08-19T10:12:00.001-05:00

Finally! I've been waiting on these four kittens for almost 2 weeks. Delcy is a small, thin cat to begin with. Add 4 kittens that are at least a week overdue, and Grandma Barb gets a little worried. An x-ray two weeks ago showed the 4 babies, with one's head aimed for the birth canal, so we all thought it was time. And we were all wrong. Delcy kept getting bigger and bigger. I joked about her waiting until my favorite quilt group, that meets on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, has their next meeting. When Jan has it, we have an all-day sewing day and fabulous lunch at her house. it's our best meeting of the year. As the days got closer, I didn't joke about it anymore - I KNEW. I knew SHE knew about the meeting. Minnie pulled this same thing on me 4 months ago and went into labor 30 minutes before Ree came to pick me up. I missed that meeting. Deep down, I knew I'd miss this one, too.

Delcy and kittens, 8-16-11

Monday, I had taken her back to the vet for another xray. This time to make sure her babies weren't too large for delivery. I normally have my rose-colored glasses on and think everything will work out just fine, but I was worried. Their heads were 1mm smaller than the birth canal and pelvic opening. If they weren't born by Tuesday afternoon, I had to bring her in for a C-section.

I didn't even bother to pack my machine, notions, and project up Monday night, even though Delcy showed no sign of beginning labor other than just laying in her birthing box. About midnight, she started nesting and rearranging the towels in the box. She couldn't get comfortable and was sticking her butt up in the air a lot. So I didn't take my Ambien, but got a couple clean cat beds off the shelf for a seat cushion, and my Kindle, and sat on the floor next to her. I read and petted and talked to her and told her if she got this show on the road soon, I could still be ready by 8am for Ree to pick me up. She was too busy licking her butt to hear me. Contractions started about 3am. You can see the muscles ripple all the way down her body, like a wave coming in on the beach. The first baby was born at 4:08, and the last one at 8am. Four kittens in four hours is really quick. I guess she heard me after all and felt she did her part by being done at 8:00. I had told Ree not to pick me up unless I called her. So, after changing the bedding and making sure everyone was eating, including mama, I went to bed for a few hours.

The babies were slightly larger than normal. Babies usually weigh between 3.5 and 4 ounces, with most around 3.85. These guys were all 4.1 to 4.4 oz. That may not sound like a big difference, but you have to remember we're talking about something the size of a large mouse. This picture was taken Tuesday afternoon and they'd already gain an entire ounce in that time - that's an additional 1/4 of their body weight 12 hours earlier. The first week, you can almost watch them grow before your eyes, because they double their birth weight. Then, in the next 3 weeks, they'll double that weight to about 16 oz or so, or one pound. I have no doubt these guys will be over a pound by 4 weeks.

I didn't notice this until Tuesday afternoon when Barb, Delcy's rescuer and a previous adopter from me, came to see the babies, that they're nursing in birth order (I keep track of all that stuff) starting at the bottom of the picture, or closest to the birthing location. First born was a black tuxedo (black with a white muzzle, white chest, and four white feet), next was a solid black, next was a black and tan tortie (speckled), and last was a gray tuxedo. Once when I saw them nursing, two of the kittens were reversed, but all the other times, they have nursed in birth order. I'll have to research this a little, but I have a feeling it's not unusual.

Introducing Seamus

2011-08-13T21:39:00.000-05:00

My little Irish lad, Seamus (pronounced Shay-mus) was a tiny black kitten when I got him over a year ago. He was adopted out for a year and returned to me last week because his family was moving to California and didn't want to take him with them. That's fine, I'd rather have him with me than with a family that isn't going to love him enough to keep him. Our policy is to keep new animals quarantined for a couple weeks to make sure they don't have any communicable diseases. More important for animals taken from the outdoors than for family pets.

I'm so overrun with fosters, the only place in my house to stuff another cat was the hall bathroom, so I put Seamus in there with food, water, litter box, a nightlight, and a bed. I even put a note on the door to remind John to keep the door closed.

The third day he was here, I went down the hall and saw that the bathroom door was wide open. OMG! The other cats loose in the house don't know him! He doesn't know the other cats! We're supposed to introduce cats slowly, with several steps involved. My own cats, Buster and Xena, aren't exactly the most welcoming cats in the world. I had no idea how long he'd been out, but it had to be over an hour. I'd heard no yowls, cries or hisses. There were no tufts of hair on the carpet.

I found Seamus walking around downstairs in the family room like he owned the place. None of the other cats were paying any attention to him. It was like he'd been here forever.

So, my newest foster cat, Seamus, is already like member of the family.

Micky and Davy

2011-08-10T23:10:00.002-05:00

Look what I got, Mom!

I've named the two gray kittens from Troy Micky and Davy, my favorite members of the Monkees. Major teen crushes. Yes, I'm that old. For those of you under 45 or so, the Monkees were the new Beatles from the late 60's. Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones were soooo cute, and their voices soooo cool. Anyway, you get the idea. These kittens are just as cute, and so personable. They're perfect.

I think this is Davy, the smaller one. Can't you tell how proud he is of his kill? It's really hard to tell them apart unless they're side by side. I put little velcro collars on them to tell them apart. Micky has a green one and Davy has an orange one.

They love to play with toys like typical kittens. I could watch them all day long.

Davy on the left and Micky on the right in all three photos.

A friend of mine, Val Studer, owns Patches Place quilt shop in LaMonte, Mo, and is as big a Monkees fan as I am. We would see each other at the fall state retreat (back before I was overrun with cats and could get away for a weekend) and talk about them like we actually knew them, except she actually has met them and had her picture taken with them - although I haven't actually seen it. Way back when, she was traveling and was in an airport in, I think, Connecticut, and there they were. Just sitting there waiting on their flight. No entourage, or "people," just the four of them. She had a camera and they happily had someone take their picture - with Val! I'm so jealous. The closest I've gotten is to a concert in '66 or '67. My dad, bless his heart, took my sister and me. He sat there for several hours amid thousands of screaming teenage girls. My best concert, ever. Val said she had some pictures of Davy and would dig one up for me.

A year or so later, I taught a quilt class for the Warrensburg quilt guild. I knew Val was taking the class. A half dozen guild members and I were sitting at some outdoor tables before class when Val drove up. When she got out of her car, I saw she had a manila envelope. I hollered that that better be for me. She hollered that it was. The other people were confused and I'm sure thought me very rude. It was an 8x10 or larger picture of Davy Jones, and I'm sure I didn't scream or anything. I can't find my keys sometimes, but I know right where that picture is. Thank you, Val.

Paper Towel Playtime

2011-08-04T22:34:00.000-05:00

My niece, Brooke, spent a few days with me last week. This is what we saw in the black cats' room one morning. I NEVER leave paper towels out. I KNOW the roll was in the dresser drawer. This is the reason I buy my paper towels in packs of 18, and then get two of them. Sure wish I'd had a nanny-cam in the room. I wonder how long it took and who did it.

HOUSE PANTHERS. Large black cats are sometimes referred to as house panthers. These three cats are Alex's siblings, Mike, Toula, and Ben. All four cats are large, with Alex being the largest at 15 pounds. Ben is 14 pounds, with Mike and Toula slightly smaller. Ben and Toula are let out into the house, but will whine in a few hours to go back in their room. Mike, however, has issues with a couple of my own cats and can't be let out. It's really sad that he has to be in here all the time. He needs a home where he can be the only cat. And he'd be a great pet.

This is Toula. She's a beautiful medium-haired black cat. Very friendly, but doesn't like to be held much. I pick her up every time I'm in the room and make her stay in my arms as long as possible. We're up to about 30 second sometimes. Then she wants down. But, if I go in and read, she jumps on the arm of the recliner and pesters me to pet her and will lay next to my legs.

Delcy, the Pregnant Cat

2011-08-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

Barb, a lady who adopted a cat from me, had a feral black cat in her neighborhood who'd been hanging around for many months, but they couldn't catch it - until yesterday. They brought her over last night. Although Barb had given her several cans of food, the cat was very thin - except for her tummy. The cat was very pregnant. I booted the two gray boys out of the nursery closet and into the bedroom with Bridgette and Mia so Delcy could have a quiet, cool place to get accustomed to being in a house. She was hot and panting. After half a can of food and a 30 degree temperature change, she was doing fine. She let us pet her and even leaned her head into my hand when I petted her.

A trip to the vet today showed she was negative for leukemia and aids and had a negative fecal, too. Yea! An x-ray showed she has four babies, and one's head is positioned down and headed for the birth canal. Delivery will probably be within the week. Originally, I thought she had a couple weeks to go, but I'm used to seeing cats with 5 and 6 kittens, and they look like they're going to pop. Delcy just looks pregnant. I came home and got her birthing box ready, and taped the box and cardboard so she can't get to the bottom selves and have her babies somewhere I can't see. In addition to no-grain dry food, I'm giving her canned food mixed with kitten formula. She needs lots of calories to grow and feed these babies, and she hasn't been getting it fending for herself in the wild.

I cut the top of the box off and replace it with two plastic tub lids. I can easily remove them to clean the box and take pictures. The tubs are used as litter boxes.

This is Delcy from the top. She's not very wide for an almost full-term cat, but there are only four kittens in there.

Bridgette and Mia

2011-08-02T01:14:00.003-05:00

Bridgette

Bridgette, a gray tortie about a year old, and Mia, a black and tan tortie kitten, were rescued by a super-nice lady in west county, who is trying to save a colony of feral cats living behind a grocery store and eating out of the dumpster. These are the first two she was able to trap. She had them spayed, tested, and vaccinated. At first she was going to return them to the colony, but she just couldn't do it and called Heartland. When she had them at her house, Bridgette found a hole in the bathroom wall and hid inside the wall for days and days until Nita got her to come out. I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to getting a feral cat that lived in the wall. Nita brought Bridgette to my house first, and we let her go in the bedroom. The bed is boarded up at the bottom, but the mattress extends about 9" at the foot of the bed. That's the only place she could hide in the room. I let the quilt hang to the floor to give her a dark area to feel secure.

A week later, she brought a kitten out. Mia was super sweet from the beginning. She cuddles and gives kisses, but Bridgette was still hiding and scared. After a couple weeks of sitting on the floor and talking to Bridgette, I tried to pet her and she let me. Then I started moving her dish of canned food further away from the bed, and she could only eat if she let me pet her - which she did. A couple nights ago, I was reading in bed and Bridgette jumped up on the bed with me and Mia. But this morning she jumped on the bed and came over to me and let me pet her. What a milestone for us both. Shes also very beautiful and smiles for the camera! When I told Nita that Bridgette was coming on the bed and getting petted, she said she read where taming a feral cat is a 6-month process. I'm glad I didn't know that or I would have worked slower. Nita calls me the Cat Whisperer.

Mia

Mia is about the sweetest, most loving kitten I've ever had. She has quite a bit a tan mixed in with her black. It was hard to get a picture, because she kept walking to me to get petted. She is truly a joy to have around.

UPDATE: Mia has been adopted by my sister, Karen, and her family. Mia has, in turn, adopted my brother-in-law, Rusty, as her daddy.

New Kittens from Troy

2011-08-02T00:26:00.001-05:00

A nice lady from Troy, Megan, found two kittens under her porch. She called Heartland for help and I responded. I picked up two little gray males yesterday afternoon about 8 or 9 weeks old. They were covered in fleas, which is why I take a supply box with me to pick ups. I sprayed them both with Frontline and gave them two dewormers. The ear cleaning waited till we got home. A stop by the vet showed them negative for leukemia and aids, and their fecals were also negative. Yea! It was too hot to leave them in a crate in the garage while the flea meds worked, so I put the crate with food, water, and litter box in the laundry room and closed the door. Two hours later, I combed and combed and picked and combed some more. I only found one flea still alive, and he was struggling. These poor kittens put up with me so well getting all the fleas off. I found the washing machine made a good table. The fleas showed up very well on the white. The kittens look very much alike, but one is a little bigger and a little darker than the other. And neither one would look at the camera when they were together in the bed.

I think this is the bigger darker one.

And, I think this is the smaller lighter one. Aren't they gorgeous? He's licking his lips after eating some canned food. They're both just as cute as they can be. They're quarantined in the nursery for a couple weeks and should be able to get their neuter package and shots in a week or so. Then, they'll be ready for adoption.

Cats in Odd Places

2011-08-01T23:42:00.000-05:00

All cat owners know that cats get in the oddest places. We take this for granted. But some of you non-owners may be surprised with what they can come up with.. A couple months ago, Lilly got up on top of the canopy over the deck - three times that I know of. Our open floor plan in the house has a series of ledges and tops of walls that don't go all the way to the cathedral ceiling that make excellent walking paths for the cats. They're about 10 ft. off the floor, and even the 3-mo-old kittens figure out how to do the counter, to top of china cabinet, to ledge, quickly after seeing the older ones do it. It's the getting down part that is the amazing thing to watch. Thud, thud, thud. If we owned a bowling ball, I would think someone was dropping it down the stairs. No, it's just a cat jumping down from the ledges in reverse order as they went up and in half the time.

Buster is about 10 feet off the floor napping on one of his favorite spots The child's rocking chair on the right was my grandmothers. Her parents gave it to her when she was eight years old in 1912. It's about 100 years old. I don't know if they bought it new or if it was used. The cats can get to it, but I've never seen one lay in the chair.

Lilly is on the same ledge. There used to be more stuff on top of the cabinets. Very cute bird houses, greenery, etc. All knocked over by very mysterious circumstances.

I think this is Trish sunning herself on a windowsill. There's also someone else laying on the right windowsill. They go over to the sill on the far left, too. The cats love doing this just because it makes me so nervous. These sills are about 12 feet above the lower level floor. Straight down. We've heard several thuds coming from the patio door area right below this window, but have never seen anyone limping. They've also been known to walk on the railing on the far right.

This is Xena on the deck, in the BBQ grill. Cats don't worry about little things like hygiene.

These are two kittens from last year, Cane and Reed. I've posted this picture before, but couldn't resist a repeat. These two were in my sewing room, but I couldn't find them. They were under my sewing machine cover that I use to keep cats out. And it works so well.

Just Another Day With the Cats

2011-07-26T21:41:00.001-05:00

The cats keep me entertained every day. I wish I had a camera with me at all times. And I wish I remembered I have a camera on my phone - which IS usually with me at all times. Last month I did a home evaluation of a kitten that the owner thought was being aggressive. The kitten was fine and was just being a 3-month-old kitten. The lady's apartment faced a pond. While I was watching the kitten, the lady told her granddaughter to get the crackers. At the patio door stood two adult ducks and 10 little ducklings. They come every afternoon for the crackers. The lady opened the door, tossed some oyster crackers out and a dozen ducks went crazy trying to get them. Half of the ducklings came inside the living room to get crackers thrown there. I was totally enthralled and mesmerized by this. It was the coolest thing I'd seen in years. Darn, I wish I had my camera. When I told my husband about it that evening, he said it was too bad I didn't get a picture with my phone. Damn! So, the past few days I've kept the camera close and took quite a few pictures.

FLUFFY TOILET PAPER. I was greeted by this when I walked into the bathroom the other day. I've found TP with holes, and quite a few rolls unrolled on the floor, but I've never, ever seen fluffy TP like this. It was very interesting that they could shred it like this and have it still stay connected. It looked like a bunch of feathers. I have no idea who did this or how they did it. The roll is now kept in the cabinet, Just another day in the life of cat fostering.

I was downstairs and heard a loud bang upstairs. Not unusual, but I always investigate. Someone had evidently climbed up our fake tree in the foyer and knocked it over onto the sofa. By the time I got there, three kittens and Alex were having a ball playing Jungle Cat. Alex is the large adult on the seat.

Alex loves the kittens. They follow him around like he's their daddy, and he licks and grooms them like they're his kids.

Alex and the kittens get their canned food in the bathroom every evening. Alex starts whining, I get a can, a plate, and a spoon, and he and all four kittens run to the bathroom. It's called a conditioned response. It means they have me well trained.

This is Mia, a new foster kitten I have. Nita, a very nice lady in west county, is rescuing a colony of cats living behind a grocery store. She called Heartland for help with the first two she trapped, and I took a gray tortie adult and this black tortie kitten. She is so, so sweet. She naps on John's chest every night while he watches TV. She cuddles and gives kisses. The gray adult is very shy and hasn't come out from under the bed overhang yet. She lets me pet her, but doesn't want to come out.

This is the corner under the stairs in the atrium. For some reason, it's a very popular spot for afternoon naps. Usually it's Alex's, but today Ebony got there first. You wouldn't think they'd want to sleep right next to the litter box, but they do, especially if they can lay on the blue plastic bag they like to play with. Nothing but the best in cat toys at my house. Daisy was sleeping on the other side of the litter box. Go figure.

Two Baby Quilts

2011-07-14T19:01:00.002-05:00

My friend, Julie, who doesn't sew, asked if I'd make her friend a baby quilt for her shower in August. I said I'd love to. Baby quilts are usually more fun to make because they're smaller and faster, for one thing. Plus, they're usually cuter, with more fun fabrics. We decided on a pattern and set a date to go fabric shopping. We met at Jackman Fabrics, a very large store. Needless to say, Julie had a case of overstimulation and too many fabrics and color choices. Once we had the focus fabric, the rest fell into place. I washed and dried the fabric and was ready to start. However, cutting into someone else's fabric is a little more stressful than cutting into my own. So, since the pattern was fairly simple, I decided to make a test sample first. I'd gotten some coordinated fabrics in May that I was anxious to use and this seemed the perfect time.

This is the main part of the top. I've auditioned several fabrics for borders and decided on dark blue, purple, and a stripe. I'm trying to use stripes in every quilt I make.

I don't usually wash incoming fabric unless I know it's by a designer or company known for fabric that shrinks. Nancy Halvorsen is a designer who puts out beautiful fabrics, but they do shrink and I always wash those. And I have another designer now to add to that list. The yellow background fabric was designed by Sue Penn. It was fine when I steam pressed the center with the green star. It looked so nice, I decided to spray starch it and make it perfect. As soon as the spray hit those yellow squares, they shrank a quart inch right before my eyes like shrink wrap and a heat gun. I had to rip them out, shrink the rest of the yellow fabric, cut new squares and replace them and all the other yellow squares. The triangles for the star points were somehow not as bad and I elected to keep them. The original pattern was just the square with the three rounds of star points. I added a top and bottom row of piano-key borders to make it rectangular.

This is with all the borders on. I really like the way it turned out and was ready to cut out Julie's quilt.

My sister was in town last weekend and brought Mom over Monday. We had a regular sweat shop going. Sue was cutting, I was sewing, and Mom was pressing. Most of the top was done in a day. I put the last two borders and the name on today. Thanks a million, Sue.

I didn't think to take a photo before the borders were started. They make such a difference, it's fun to see the comparison. Julie asked if I could put the baby's name on the quilt. It's a boy and will be named Chase.

Here's Chase's quilt with his name appliqued at the bottom. The actual quilt is a little brighter than this. The photos are always darker here than they are when I edit and crop them. I lighten them, but sometimes not enough.

Quilting and binding shouldn't take too long, and it will be all done.

I hope you like it, Julie!

A close up of the center.

Random Cute Cats

2011-07-14T17:56:00.001-05:00

No theme today, just random picture I've taken of the cats around the house. The first two are Trish, a foster. I use empty cat food boxes as portable trash boxes when doing rounds. I collect empty cans, paper towels, Q-tips, etc. room to room, dump the contents in the kitchen trash cans, and set the box on the counter to reuse next time. Cats will make a bed out of anything, and Trish thought this box looked like the perfect size. I know the feeling. Like putting last year's spring slacks on in April.

You got a problem?

Then, I had put a pile of clean laundry on the kitchen table to take downstairs the next time I went. I knew better, I really did. Five minutes later, fosters Zach and Fiona found their own bed.

Speaking of barely fitting....this is Alex, another foster. He's a year old and is one of my favorites. He's 15 pounds of love. Granted, the chair isn't all that wide, but if Alex was any larger, he'd have to curl up a little. Yes, I still have pink chairs in the living room, but no new furniture as long as I'm fostering. Probably not till John retires and we get that RV he talks about as our only home - NOT. I'd need the whole thing for my sewing room.

Scotty likes to lay on the back of my recliner in the evenings

Tonight he spent some time on the arm of John's sofa. He was really sleeping like this. When I took the picture, the flash or clicking woke him up.

He moved to a more comfortable position leaning against Daddy till Daddy got up to go to bed. Scotty is such a sweet, sweet boy. The only kittens I have running loose are Scotty, Fiona, Zach and Cody. They've formed a gang and all run together - across the room, down the hall, up or down the stairs. It's really funny to watch them when they're active during the evening. One will run somewhere and the other three race after him - like a school of fish. They're not so active during the afternoon. Everybody is in, on, or under something for their naps. Scotty seems to sleep a little more than the other kittens. He certainly enjoys his naps.

Minnie and Kittens, Disappearing Act

2011-06-14T22:54:00.000-05:00

Minnie's kittens are 8 weeks old now and are just the most adorable, sweetest, cutest kittens ever. They're also pretty smart for their age. I went in their room a few nights ago and only counted three kittens out of five. I looked in the closet and in the room. There's not too many places to hide since the furniture and the bed are boarded up at the bottom. I was completely stumped. Then I heard scratching from under the bed. Impossible! Although they're kittens, they're big for their age at 2.5 pounds, and mom and I keep them quite well fed. So, I thought there's no way anyone could be under the bed. I moved the night stand away, got a flashlight, and saw a kitten in the gap by the headboard.

I thought I had the night stand pushed up close enough to the bed. Obviously not.

When I called, one squeezed out next to the box springs - which is neither a box with solid corners nor has springs. It may look a little strange because I have a fitted sheet over it for added protection from kittens.

After the second one came out, I moved the night stand back, took another head count and came up with four.

Moved the night stand away, and two more kittens came out! Wait a minute. Had four, got two more, that's six.

The little devils were coming out on the right side, running around the bottom of the bed and going back in on the other side. It was like clowns coming out of the little car at the circus.

Using what I had at hand, I plugged the hole on the left with an extra pillow. So far, so good. Max got in a couple times, but not the third time.

On the right side, I used a rolled up towel for the corner, and slid a plastic tub lid down the side of the night stand to fill in the 1.5" of space that's evidently enough for a kitten to squeeze through.

It's been several days now and the head count has always totaled five. I've always said it's hard to be smarter than a kitten.


Jules

These are the culprits. Max and Scotty are the only males.

Mila

Max

Scotty

Fiona

Jules and Fiona

The kittens were so tired from all the running. From the top are Max, Fiona, Mila, Jules, and Scotty. Nobody was posed. They did this all on their own.

Minnie

Beautiful mom, Minnie, was watching her babies play.

Minnie and Kittens

2011-06-11T20:29:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Tami, Minnie's finder, rescuer and eventual foster mom, came to visit Minnie and her five 5-week-old kittens. She had a ball playing with them, and they with her. Tami wore a long knit dress that made a wonderful bed when she sat on the floor. Fiona slept there for a long time. Current pictures coming soon.

Tami with Fiona

Jules

Fiona, Mila, Scotty, and Max with Mom.

Mila and Scotty on Minnie.

Scotty and Jules were fascinated by Tami's purse.

Mila had to see what all the interest was about.

Cats Just Hangin' on the Deck

2011-06-08T13:37:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago when we had that day and a half of spring, the cats and I spent a lot of time on the deck. I was reading, and they were doing even less than that. In no particular order are:

Lilly and Amy

Lilly and Amy are doing what Lilly and Amy do best.

Lucy

Ebony and Lilly

Lucy has several of my daughter's stuffed animals that she has adopted as her own. She carries them around all over the house and greets people at the door with them - after she has charged at the glass door barking in attack mode and jumped on said glass door, still barking. It's no wonder the delivery men practically throw my packages onto the porch. But, once you're inside the house, you're her best friend and are only there to play with her. Even the good dogs have their issues.

Xena

Buster and Daisy

Amy

I went in to get the camera and lost my lounge chair in two seconds. Ebony is my very favorite foster. She is just the sweetest cat EVER. She would love it if I just held her all day long. Lilly is in the background.

Xena certainly lives up to her name. She's fearless, will try anything, and will be the first to do it. I can't believe she hasn't tried to see how long it would take her to fall to the ground - and be faster than anyone else trying it.

Buster isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's a sweetie. And he loves me, but not as much as he loves Lucy. You should see him rubbing on her. It's so embarrassing for Lucy, she gets up and moves. Daisy is Lilly's sister, but is a little shy. She has the same gorgeous orange and gray tortie coat.

Amy is a sweetie, too. She always comes over to give us rubs. She's always in the kitchen if I'm in there. Well, everyone's in the kitchen if I'm in there. They're all hoping for drops, spills, and handouts. Lilly has learned she can grab four or five bites of my granola in the morning before I get the blueberries and milk on it.

Part of Amy's bottom lip is missing, so all her pictures look like she's smiling. She's a gorgeous cat, too.

Silly Lilly

2011-06-07T23:18:00.002-05:00

Buster

Xena and Buster

Besides all the foster cats, I have three of my own. I adopted brother and sister kittens a few years ago from Heartland and named them Buster and Xena. Buster was named after my favorite rabbit I had years ago. A friendly, adorable Himalayan dwarf that was a house rabbit. Xena was named after Xena, Warrior Princess. Even as a kitten, she would walk around the house looking up at a shelf or counter, and you could hear her thinking, "How can I make it up there?" She would spend hours figuring out how to get in places our other cat never thought about. I told her if she didn't quit that, her neck was going stay in that position. I made it about two and a half years without adopting any of my fosters myself before I succumbed and became a failed foster mom.

Lilly

All because of this super-sweet orange and gray tortie that lived only to be held in my arms 24/7. No way could I allow anyone else to adopt this little girl. Lilly greets everybody and has never met a stranger. Anyone sitting at the kitchen table will have Lilly sprawled in front of them, on her back, demanding to be petted. When I do a home adoption, Lilly will lay down on top of the adoption papers they're trying to fill out. I tell them they'll have to excuse Lilly, she's a little shy.

The other day I was talking to John on the phone, looked up and saw Lilly lounging on the top of the canopy covering the deck. OMG! I told him he wouldn't believe where Lilly was. He said he probably would. He said take pictures, which I did, and emailed them to him at work.

We have a walk-out lower level, so the deck off the kitchen is 12 feet off the ground. The cats love to go out on the deck. They walk around on top of the railing, but nobody has ever gone over. Kittens have to be 3 months old to get on the deck. It's their favorite place to be. It's also my favorite place to be - when it's below 75 and above 55 degrees. Me, my lounge chair, my Kindle, my cats, and a chocolate martini. Life really doesn't get any better. Everybody rushes out when I ask, "Anybody want to go outside?" Of course, getting them back in requires lots of cat treat tossed on the floor with me shouting Cookies! cookies! They're really hating the heat wave we have now. Nobody gets out there when it's in the 90's.

"What?"

I don't know how Lilly got up there, but I didn't want her to try to get down by herself. She was quite comfortable and had no desire to be anywhere else. I stood on a kitchen chair and pushed her fat butt up from the underneath of the canopy to get it over the frame. Like lifting a 10-pound plastic bag of jello. We've had the frame and canopy about 8 years, and this is the first time a cat has gotten on top of it.

Brooke, Callie, Zach and Cody

2011-06-05T22:46:00.000-05:00

My niece, Brooke, who has been featured several times before, has always loved coming to my house so she can hold and cuddle kittens - and see her aunt, of course. She's longed for a kitten of her own for years, but her father has said no. This spring a stray cat had kittens under their wood pile. A couple weeks ago, they managed to trap all five kittens, and her father said she could keep one. She picked out the calico and named her Callie. They found homes for two others, and I picked up the last two for Heartland a couple weeks ago. My sister sent me these photos tonight. The family has recently gotten back from a vacation to Gulf Shores and Brooke is catching up on her sleep. Callie didn't go with them, but she looks pretty tired, too. I'm so happy for Brooke that she finally has a kitten of her own to love. The first photo may have been taken before their vacation. Callie looks a lot bigger in the second one. I could start a side bar page of pictures of Brooke and Callie sleeping together.

These are Callie's brothers, Zach and Cody. My nephew wanted one named after him and picked out the lighter one. These are feral kittens, but are warming up to me nicely. They don't lay on me like Callie does with Brooke, but I can't spend hours every day with them, either. They get their neuter/testing/shots package Friday and will be let out of their room if everything is okay. They'll also go to adoptions on Saturday. Adoptions have been very slow lately, but how can you resist these little guys? If they come back home with me, they'll be let out into the house and can play with everyone, and Lucy can play with them. The top two are of Zach. The bottom two are of Cody.

Swimmer Kittens from Warrenton

2011-06-05T21:17:00.003-05:00

The two kittens in my last post have turned out to be what is called "swimmer" kittens. Their muscles aren't working very well and their legs are straight out from their body when they walked and it looks like they're swimming. They walk more like turtles than kittens. I was pretty upset when I took them to the vet and expected the worse. Marcy, our great vet, said to wait a couple weeks and see if there was an improvement before we made any decision. I'm very happy to report that after two weeks, now at 4 weeks old, they have improved a lot. They've gone from scooting on their bellies to holding themselves off the floor and getting their feet under their body about a third or fourth of their steps. Their room is carpeted, and I haven't clipped their nails so they can get a little more traction. And they're just so darn cute!

I've named the mom Meg, and John has named the orange male Todd and the gray female Winnie.

NO KITTEN WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS PICTURE. I brought the kittens out into the family room to show John how much progress they'd made, and Lucy had to get in the middle of things. She does love kittens and is a herding dog, so she wanted to take them to another part of the room and keep them in a pile. At the same time I snapped the picture, I calmly told her "no" and she never got the kitten off the floor. She's very good, and wouldn't have hurt him.

When I'm bottle feeding orphan kittens, I'll put them in a plastic storage tub to take them into the kitchen to feed them at the kitchen table and be able to keep them all together. I mark them on a checklist as I take them out of the tub on the floor to feed them and have come up one short at the end several times. I'll look up and see Lucy slowly walking into the living room with her head down. I'll gently say, "Lucy, put it down," and can almost hear her say dammit. A couple times she made it all the way into the living room and was curled up licking the kitten. Her kitten. Even the cats and kittens who hiss and spit at her in the beginning, are friends in a couple days.