Sasha and Kittens

Sasha's kittens are growing up.  They were nine weeks old last week and got their package at the vet -  spay/neuter, microchip, kitten shot, and testing for feline leukemia and aids.  Everybody was fine.  They'll be ready for adoption Saturday.

I had some leather strips to make cat toys with, but the cats like the strips plain, too.

 From the left, Robbie, Christopher, Katie (the calico), Spike above Katie, and Etta on the right.

 This is Rose, and she's as sweet as she looks.

 Etta is playing with the leather strip, and Spike is playing with Etta's tail.

 With kittens, everything's a toy - even a dustpan.  Mama Sasha is still nursing a little, but these guys mainly eat canned and dry food, now.

 Rose is sleeping on the back of the recliner.

A front view of my little angel.

 Spike is playing with the fuzzy tail that I hung from the table.  It's a winner.  The kittens are slowly calming down as they approach 10 weeks.  The time from 7-9 weeks is the crazy insane running and playing, biting everything, and don't-touch-me age.   The kitten equivalent of the Terrible Twos.  They're starting to get their sweetness back, but in another few months, they'll be teenagers for a few months, then calm down again after that.  They definitely have growing cycles like human kids.  They're considered adults at a year old.

 This was one of those lucky shots just taking pictures one after the other.  Katie and Spike.

Very high-tech mechanics.

 Katie came up and fell asleep on my leg.

 This is Crystal/Christopher.  She went to the vet's Monday for her package.  She not Sasha's kitten, but is the lone survivor of another foster mom's mama who wouldn't nurse. She's three days younger than Sasha's kittens, and Sasha adopted her immediately.  Telling the sex of a kitten isn't hard and we do it from day one.  They either have a nubbin, or they don't.  She didn't.  However, when Dr. Marcy was doing her spay, she didn't find any ovaries.  Crystal was a boy whose testicles hadn't dropped down, yet, so he looked like a girl.  Marcy called and said Crystal is now Christopher.  That's fine.  One less name I have to come up with.  I just call him Chris. His fur is black, but he has long guard hairs that are white.  They give him a beautiful silvery look.  And I'll always think of him as Crystal.  He and Robbie are the cuddlers.  Now.  Subject to change.

Robbie is taking a rest on his little quilt.  He's usually the first one to come up on me in the recliner after they all run around like maniacs. This is a little strange, but two of these kittens are now Rob(bie) and Chris. John's brother is Rob and Rob's wife is Chris.

Sasha's been a great mama.  She got very thin last month, and a blood test showed she had an intestinal bacteria, but one Marcy has only seen in dogs.  Just trying to keep my reputation for bringing new, weird stuff to my vets.  After a couple medications, lots of canned and no-grain food, she's regaining some weight, finally.  I was really worried about her.  The kittens have enjoyed the extra food, too.

I made package appointments for 10 more kittens in the other two rooms in the next few weeks.  That will finish everybody except the four mamas.  They'll need their packages when their milk dries up.  Then they'll be ready for adoption.

New Refrigerator

It all started with cleaning out the pantry Sunday.  I found a box of brownie mix that expired over two years ago.  What the heck.  I had a new 9x13 baking pan I wanted to try out and brownies sounded really good.  My fridge is about 25 years old and has had a problem with cold spots in the refrigerator part for a long time.  I throw frozen lettuce and veggies away every week.  I had 4 eggs and that's what I needed.  When I cracked the third one, it was weird.  It was frozen!  So was the fourth one.  FYI - you can't microwave eggs low enough to thaw them and not cook them.  John was only too happy to drive four blocks and get me more eggs.  The brownies turned out fabulous - thick and half cooked. No dry, cakey brownies for me.  I took half the pan to the vet techs Monday morning when I took little Crystal in for her spay/shot package. 

 Monday we went to Lowe's for a couple things and looked at refrigerators.  I think mine was about $400 back in the '80's.  Now, they're thousands.  We found one that had a couple dents on the side at the bottom that would be against the wall and was $500 off.  It was discounted more than I paid for my old one!  It was stainless steel, and I hate stainless steel, but it matched the other appliances in my kitchen.  We bought an inventory home, so I didn't get to pick out anything.  Bought it and had it delivered today.  I spent all day yesterday cleaning out the one in the garage to have space for the stuff from the kitchen.  I threw out four trash bags of old, dried-out food.  I date every food item with the month and year.  I must have cleaned out in '06, because the oldest stuff I found was dated '07.  Only 6 years ago.  Freeze-dried pasta, meat and bread.  Yuck.  Bags of frozen vegetables that were more ice crystals than vegetable.  Trash doesn't get picked up until Monday morning, and it's been very hot here, lately.  Things are going to get ripe.  I got all the kitchen stuff in the garage last night. 

 The new one looks a lot bigger in my kitchen than it did in the store.  I thought they'd be closer in size since they were the same 36" wide.  Except this one is a couple inches deeper and taller.  A close fit against the island.  Oh, did you know that magnets don't stick to stainless steel?  Yet another reason to hate it, not to mention the fingerprints if you get within 6" of the thing.  But, it looks great.

 Everything looks so shiny and bright.  The water filter is that little round white thing between the two bottom drawers.  The water tastes better than any bottled water I've every had. 

The shallow drawer below that is the drink drawer.

There's a few things left in the garage freezer, but this is about it.  Prepared food in the top draw, meat and chicken on the bottom left, frozen veggies on the right.  That little shelf at the bottom of the picture flips up so you can stand pizza boxes up in the bottom drawer.  I swear we're eating all this before I buy anything new.  Two people don't need any more than this.  I know, it's just a refrigerator, but it's the first new one I've had in 25 years!  We tend to keep things till they die.  And for what it cost, I'm getting a blog out of it.