6/10/11 – Friday

Is Clove the teeniest, tiniest little tabby girl you have ever seen? I know all the Spice Girls are wittle, but she looks tiny next to her litter mates even – aww! She’s pretty little – Coriander outweighs her by half a pound, and Cilantro a little less than that. I expect that both of … Continue reading “6/10/11 – Friday”

Is Clove the teeniest, tiniest little tabby girl you have ever seen? I know all the Spice Girls are wittle, but she looks tiny next to her litter mates even – aww!

She’s pretty little – Coriander outweighs her by half a pound, and Cilantro a little less than that. I expect that both of her sisters will hit two pounds a couple of weeks before she does, at the rate she’s gaining. On the other hand, I’ve had little ones who gain slowly at first, and then have a growth spurt, so it’s hard to tell. All I can say is that all three of them are the most kissable little girls you ever did see, and they all instantly purr as soon as they see me. I love that in a kitten!

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I just had a brilliant idea! Sleep away cat camp! I have been trying to find summer activities for my 10 and 8 year old daughters and they would just LOVE it. Throw in a little gardening camp too. Our local YMCA charges like 700 bucks a week per kid for sleep away camp. I am thinking you could make a mint.

I don’t know that that would work, because I don’t think I could come up with enough to do to keep kids entertained. On the other hand, if I make it a sleep away cat/ WORK camp for troubled kids, they could be rewarded for working hard (weeding the garden! Mowing the back yard! Scooping the litter boxes!) with kitten time. Hmmm. I must think about this a bit longer. 🙂

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Robyn, do you have a food dehydrator? I want to buy one to make duck cat treats and for backpacking trips. There are so many designs and price points–any experiences to share?

I do have a food dehydrator, it’s an Excalibur 2500 – which, of course, they don’t sell anymore! My only real suggestion is to go bigger than you think you’ll need, rather than smaller. When we got ours, I thought “There’s no way I’ll fill this thing up!”, but of course whatever you’re wanting to dehydrate starts out much larger than the end product. They do have a big footprint, which can be a pain sometimes.

I don’t really have any tips as far as dehydrators go (I don’t remember how we decided which one to get – I expect that Fred did a lot of looking around and then we discussed it and we got the Excalibur), but I KNOW someone out there probably does, so if you have any tips on the dehydrators, please share.

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Speaking of my mom – she had a favorite kitten a year or more ago – but she can’t remember the name and they aren’t on the foster page. Was there an orange kitten named Kringle? It’s making us both crazy trying to remember his name. 🙂

Kringle was one of the Christmas Kitties we had, but that wasn’t recent, it was in December of 2006. This is what he looked like:

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He was brother to Jack Frost:

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It’s entirely possible that I’ve mentioned Kringle in the last year or so, though, so maybe that’s where she saw him? (That picture of him and the one of Jack Frost are among my favorite kitten pics.)

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I’m so happy for Dorothy. Are they going to keep her name?

Yes, Dorothy will remain Dorothy. I’m sure she’ll pick up a nickname or two!

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Okay, nothing to do with today’s entry (though I am so happy that Dorothy loves her new home!) but have you seen this? It’s gone viral so you probably have but it’s soooo darn funny!

Oh, I’ve seen it, but I don’t know that I’ve shared it before (I may have on Facebook). The guy who did the dog’s voice did a GREAT job!

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I suppose Cranky Spanky wasn’t always so grumpy? Looking at your note from 2000 it seems he used to be quite the howler. At least that stopped, right?

You know, it wasn’t ’til I read this comment that I thought about it but yeah – Spanky hasn’t howled nearly as much in recent years. Every now and then he gets a wild hair and does some howling, but I can’t remember the last time I had to yell “SPANKY, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!” in the middle of the night.

Typing that made me think of the movie I made of him “talking” to me several years ago.

Silly boy.

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Speaking of marshmallow fluff, do you read From Away and did you see this recipe? I AM SO TRYING IT because they don’t sell the REAL Fluff in Arizona, just that jarred marshmallow crap. And I’m DYING for a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich.

I didn’t read From Away before, but I do now! I am for sure going to give making that marshmallow fluff a try – it looks so good!

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“This is a common misconception, and I’m here to set the record straight: kittens are actually made of silly putty covered in fur, and have heads filled with marshmallow fluff.”

It’s also common knowledge that cats have variable mass, wherein they can sound like a herd of elephants racing through a house, weigh a bloody ton when they don’t want to be moved, and be as light as a feather in the next moment. That and they are solar-powered fer sure.

Ain’t THAT the truth!

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The FEMA program reimbursing you 75% isn’t exactly true for all of us here. Homeowners can’t apply for it on their own. The counties that were hit here are apply for the grant and then certain homeowners can apply for the assistance via that grant. However, I believe there are certain income restrictions so if you make too much money you don’t get the assistance from FEMA. They are trying to push it through quickly so that it is in place for people whose homes were destroyed can include storm shelters in the rebuilding of their homes as it’s less expensive to do it at this phase vs. putting one into existing homes.

Thanks for clearing that up – I think we’re still planning to get a storm shelter, whether the cost is reimbursed or not.

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Which Spice Girl is the lap kitty? Or is it a Spice Girl you’re referencing there? I love lap kitties!

Clove is the lap kitty – she’s always the first one in my lap, and the last one to be lured away by the promise of a toy to play with or a tail to chase.

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That giant teacup is priceless! (How “giant” is it anyway?)

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The tag on the bottom of the giant teacup says it’s 10″. It’s meant to be used as a planter, but of course as soon as I saw it, I envisioned kittens in it!

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Corbie is, of course, still a darling. Hi, Corbie. Any word from Rhyme or Bolitar’s forever families? Reacher’s forever mom has a livejournal. Heh. 🙂 For that matter, any word from Rufus’s people?

No word from Rhyme or Buster’s families, unfortunately, nor from Rufus’s family either, but I’m sure they’re doing just fine. Maybe we’ll get an update in the future. I did get an update (with pictures!) from the former Greg Brady, which I will post over the weekend.

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And doesn’t Clove look a lot like Corbie when he was a baby in that “luff you” pic?

I hadn’t noticed it before, but you ain’t kidding! That’s Clove on the left, Corbie on the right:

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Robyn, I gotta know – How long does it take you to do this blog every day? You put so much effort into covering all the questions, talking about all the kitties, and getting all the gorgeous pictures in with captions. You’re a superhero! I look forward to coming here every morning to read – it’s my very first stop because I’m always so eager to know what’s going on (which has been every day for a few years now)! Thanks for being so dedicated!

It’s really kind of hard to know, because I don’t sit down and do it all at once. I’ll look through my pictures and decide which ones to post, then wander off to do something. Come back and look through the pictures again, and name them for uploading at Flickr. Then I’ll write a little, wander off, come back eventually, write some more, wander off, etc. If I had to guess, I’d say it takes about an hour and a half, all told. Some days it takes more, of course, and some days less. It’s a labor of love, is what it is. 🙂

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Robyn, do you think Jake and Elwood might have some Russian Blue in them? They have that beautiful coat and goofy face.

I think they very well might! They don’t have the gorgeous super-green eyes of a Russian Blue, but they have the personality, and Jake (it’s hard to tell with Elwood, because he’s a big cat) has the body shape of a Russian Blue. I sure wish I knew where they came from and what their story was before they showed up on our stoop!

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How do you tell George and Gracie apart? I’ve been trying to figure it out, but to me they both look like big, furry, fluffy white dogs!

In person I have no problem telling who’s who because George is so much bigger than Gracie. In pictures I can usually tell who’s who because (to my eye) Gracie has a prettier face, and George has a big ol’ block head. But I certainly get why someone who doesn’t know them wouldn’t be able to tell them apart – sometimes I have to ask Fred who I’m looking at.

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Is that an antique three quarter size bed in your guest room? I have a similar one, (cherry wood, not as fancy) and have never really seen anyone else have one! I always thought it would be my bed forever, then I married a 6 foot tall guy.. oh well, it’s in my guest room now, lol

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It’s an antique bed (Fred actually slept in it while he was growing up), but it’s a size Full, not a three-quarter (I had to look on Wikipedia to see what a three-quarter size bed is!) There’s a matching dresser to it, too – Fred’s father and stepmother bought it at an estate sale. It’s a little fancier than I usually prefer (I prefer the clean lines of Shaker furniture, myself), but it’s possibly the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in.

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(Oooo, someone’s a Stephen King fan I see!)

Yeah, we’re both Stephen King fans. Hey, I’m from Maine, after all – I actually met him once when he was signing books at a movie theater (I think “Christine” had just been released). I was too tongue-tied to say anything at all to him, just stared wide-eyed while he signed. Good thing my mother was with me, because he asked my name, and I said “Robyn”, and she stepped forward and said “Robyn with a ‘y’.”, because I was too starstruck to say it!

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I let Maggie in to visit with the Spice Girls a couple of times yesterday, and she mostly sniffed around for food, ate a few bites, and then asked to go back out. I have no intention of making her stay in there if she doesn’t want to (and both times, the girls sniffed at her, batted at her tail, then went off to play), so I’ll let her visit when she wants. She did lick Clove on top of the head a few times, and Coriander did this fantastic bit where she reared up on her back legs in front of Maggie, air boxed (never making contact with Maggie), and then ran off like her tail was on fire. Maggie was not terribly impressed.

Of course, no pictures again, but I’ll get some over the weekend. Promise!

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I bought that big black and white stuffed cat to use as a pillow when I’m hanging out in the foster room and am overcome with exhaustion and MUST lay down. It’s a Pillow Pet, I believe, and very comfy. (Oh, look at that – it’s Ms. Sassy Cat! That’s fitting, no?)

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I don’t know what’s in that bucket, but it’s clearly AMAZING.

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I LOVE Clove’s pattern.

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Left to right, Clove, Coriander, and Cilantro.

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Is there anything cuter than kittens playing? I think not.

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Playful Coriander.

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The McMaos are having a pretty good time exploring the house for several hours every day. They tend to migrate back to the guest bedroom around noon each day, and I close the door and give them some time to chill out. I have to put their food up where no one can get it when I open the door to let them roam, because otherwise Jake and Elwood will come in and eat all their kitten food. So I put their food down for them when I lock them in, then when I hear them moving around in the afternoon, I set them loose again and put their food up.

I love walking down the hall and seeing kittens racing in all directions.

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Macushla on the stairs, watching the big cats go by.

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And hanging out in the guest bedroom, guarding the litter box.

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Sleepy Cillian.

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Fergus Simon. I had this cat bed on the bed, and they’d knock it down and sleep on it. Then I’d put it back on the bed, and they’d knock it down again, and finally I just gave up. It’s not hurting anyone if they sleep in the cat bed under the bed, I figure.

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“WHERE MY FOOD, LADY?”

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Finnegan. I always want to call him Ferguson.

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Cillian is such a sweet boy. When I go over to pet him, he throws himself on his back and waits for me to rub his belly.

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Macushla with attitude.

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Miz Poo. She’s the sweetest girl on earth, but if she doesn’t stop waking me up by rubbing her nose on my hand, I’m going to… well, I guess I probably won’t do anything but be annoyed. How can I be mad at that face?

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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: Spent the night in Dulles, finally arrived in Maine.
2008: “Well, I didn’t get the Clinique for YOU, princess,” I said, then handed him the tube and stomped back into the computer room.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: You are SO jealous of my life. I can tell.
2004: I’m going to drag myself kicking and screaming into this century if it’s the last thing I do, dagnabbit!
2003: “She was over there looking at stamps a minute ago. She did – she cut in line!” he said, and then tsked in disapproval.
2002: I am NOT picking that up, I thought definitely.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.