Kris's Kittens

Kris, a regular friend here, recently got two kittens, and I asked her if she'd like to do a post to tell us about them. Because as you all know, I'm a cat person and love to hear stories about them. If you've ever had cats, or pets for that matter, you will be able to relate to many of Kris's experiences. So many things she said made me think of stories of my own, but I will save them for another time. 

Pippa and Stuart

 How old are your kittens, and how long have you had them? 

Pippa is 7 months old, and Stuart is 6 months old.  We got them in mid-September.  It was a 2 week wait to get them, but in the meantime, the shelter had Stuart neutered, so we were glad that detail was done before we brought them both home.  We had considered bringing Pippa home first and then getting Stuart after his procedure, but I think it was best to bring them home at the same time. All of you cat lovers know that cats can be territorial, and bringing two home at once minimizes the territorial issues.  

Where did you get your kittens, and how did you decide that these were "the ones"?

There are multiple cat shelters in our area.  The challenge was choosing which shelter to go through!  The one closest to our house proved to be the best option. At the time, they had 15 kittens all in one room, which gave us plenty to choose from.  My daughter and I went for the first visit to scope out the situation. Pippa immediately deposited herself in my daughter's lap, so that was a done deal.  :)    We went back a few days later with my husband in tow.  We wanted to make sure that Pippa was a good fit for us.  While we were there, my husband kept rubbing the tummy of another sweet kitten--you guessed it, that kitten was Stuart.  At that point, we had a dilemma.  

Pippa

Before we ever made a visit to the shelter, we had discussed getting two kittens.  I had always thought that if we were to have multiple cats, it would be easiest to do it at the kitten stage rather than introducing cats to our home at different times.  After thinking about adopting two, I got cold feet and said that we'd get one, not two.  And then .... along came Stuart. I went to the front desk at the shelter and asked if they could ID who he was and told them that we were having a hard time choosing between cats.  "Just get them both!"  said the worker.  I told her that she was a problem and I was going to report her.  Good thing she had a good sense of humor.  Her words ended up being prophetic, and we decided to take the plunge and get both of them.  

Stuart (with Gollum and Ragnar, the Viking Gnome)

We had talked about traits we wanted to see in our pet(s)--friendly and affectionate were high on the list.  I also didn't want any that were aggressive to other cats (or humans) or who were too acrobatic, leaping on things all the time.  During our first visit, a fly was in the room.  The fly ended up being an excellent test to weed out some of the ones we were considering--one sweet girl was able to make astounding leaps trying to attack the fly, so she moved from my "maybe" list to my "no" list.  

Did you use the names they came with or choose new ones?

My kittens are named Pippa and Stuart.  Pippa's original name was Coco, but my daughter didn't care for that name, so she and I decided on Pippa.  Stuart came from a different litter of kittens, and they were named after the minions from Despicable Me.  We liked the name Stuart and kept it.

Have you had cats before, and do you have any other pets? 

We had to put down our amazing cat, Max, in June.  We had him for almost 15 years, and he was a perfect fit for our family. That was a hard day (as I'm sure many of you know!).  We had a busy summer, so I didn't want to consider getting another cat until after summer was over.  Our house was feeling empty, though, so by September, we were ready to take the plunge. 

Max with the Grinch

What did you do ahead of time to prepare for them? Are your preparations helping? Are the kittens doing things you hadn't planned for?

Well, Pippa just knocked over a fake tree that I have in my living room! Max had knocked it over before, too, so that wasn't unexpected.  I think that we expected some wild behavior from them, but I hadn't realized quite how long they could spend wrestling with each other or how vicious their play-fighting would appear to be.  

We had a lot of the basics for a cat already, but I stocked up on cat food, litter, toys, and bought another bed. I also bought the double-sided tape sheets that you can adhere to your furniture to prevent them from clawing it.  Pippa was trying to chew it off from the sofa, so we decided it was causing more harm than good and removed it.  I bought lots of scratching boards and a post, as well.  We never had a cat tree for Max, so I was on the fence about getting one for Pippa and Stuart, but after having them home, I decided they needed one. I did a lot of internet searching to find one that was fairly tall but took up a small footprint in our house, and that wasn't covered in carpet (I don't love the shards of carpet that you find everywhere from where cats shred it off).  I was finally successful locating one that I liked, and it's proven to be a success.  In answer to your question, yes, I do think that our preparations helped a lot.  Flexibility is also helpful, as they each have their own personality, and you can never quite predict what each of them will do. 

I have no idea what Pippa was up to on the cat tree.

Have the kittens taken to any one person in particular?

The kittens are leery of other people coming to our home. Pippa is more likely to check them out, but Stuart is our scaredy-cat.  We were surprised by that because she is more hesitant to enter new situations, and Stuart will barge right into a room and not appear to be frightened.  They are bonding well with the three of us; I'm not sure they have favorites.  It will be interesting to see how they react when my son comes home from college for Thanksgiving. 

Are you seeing distinct personalities between them? 

Definitely, and right from the get-go. Pippa is more high-strung and, as I mentioned before, gets nervous about entering new areas. We started them out in my son's room for a couple of weeks and gradually started opening up the rest of the house to them.  Stuart was very curious, but Pippa needed extra time to get used to the idea before she would go explore.  She likes to be a mother hen to Stuart, and I think she feels that she has to keep track of us humans, as well.  She's very friendly and likes to rub against your ankles (and get underfoot when you are walking). She makes the funniest chirping sounds, which we get a kick out of. Stuart, on the other hand, is more laid back.  He lets out a very hoarse, funny-sounding bleat and rolls over on his back to have you rub his tummy. He has super soft fur, so that's a pleasure.  He purrs really loudly and will let you pick him up, unlike Pippa.  

Where do they sleep at night?

We started them out in my son's room because it's a smaller space.  That's what was recommended to us to do.  After a couple of weeks, we transitioned them to sleeping in the basement, which has gone well.  

Stuart

What makes you smile the most about your kittens?

So many things!  I love how they enjoy being together and will play together; they also snuggle up and sleep together, and that melts my heart!  

Pippa and Stuart

Thank you for the opportunity to share my kittens with all of you!  

Thanks, Kris. I can see that you have many years of cat fun and love ahead.

Reflections

 Well, the Reflections title for this post sounds like I have been doing some deep thinking. Not really. It means that I've been doing some reflecting on what's been going on recently. And it's harder than you might think.

I'll start with Halloween since I'm looking at a Burger King Halloween crown right now, which I wore while I passed out candy. The weather had turned colder, so we didn't have as many kids as we might have. We had 20, while Wally and Theo had 46 at their house. I think they were a little disappointed that they didn't have more candy left over. :) I noticed something interesting this year. The majority of kids who came to my door said, "Happy Halloween!" instead of "Trick-or-Treat." Wally said it was the opposite at his house. Did anyone else notice a change? 

Earlier that morning, I did a Halloween storytime, which was a lot of fun. The kids came in costumes, and at the end, we did a parade around the library and the senior center, which is located in the same building. My favorite costume was a little girl who came as Santa Claus. She had on pajamas with a Santa suit printed on the front and wore a Santa hat. It was easy to do, and she loved it. Her mother said that she has been talking all the time about being Santa for Halloween. It was the first Santa costume I'd seen in October. :)

Last night, we had our first hard freeze. (BTW, the pictures you see scattered about the post are before the freeze.) We brought several pots into the garage so those plants would live to see another day. I have high hopes of overwintering them, but we shall see. I haven't figured out the logistics to make that happen yet. I know the basil is not going to last, so I hope to make pesto this weekend. We still have a good supply of dried basil and frozen basil from last year, so pesto it is. I might even spring for the more expensive pine nuts which I like the best, but usually get substituted with a cheaper nut. 

We usually go to someone else's house for Thanksgiving, but we are hosting it this year. The crowd is bigger than we've ever had inside for a sit-down dinner. Most of our entertaining of bigger groups (which we don't do very often) is in warmer weather where we can be outside. After some initial panic as the numbers grew, I think we can handle it. There are still many moving parts to figure out, but we're working on it. We may have a few overnight guests, also, so that's another wrinkle, but I know I am very lucky to have so many people around that I can share the holiday with. 

I just got home from work a little while ago, so it's time for some comfy pajamas and mindless TV before bed. What will it be tonight? The Beverly Hillbillies or The Big Bang?  Decisions, decisions. :)

Until next time...

Signs of Autumn

It's been autumn for almost a month, and it is showing itself proudly all around. Here are a few autumnal scenes in my neck of the woods.  

After a summer of meager growth, the lantana has finally come into its own - just in time for a frost that it won't survive. It seems to do this every year.

These mums give a good show every fall. The ones in the back that aren't blooming are ones whose roots got damaged by a burrowing animal of some kind.

I rescued these mums a few years back, and luckily, they have come back every year. And by rescued, I mean that someone was going to throw them away when they faded, so I took them and planted them.

A little closer look at the red ones behind the pink ones in the above picture. Also, a rescue plant.

And here is a plant that I actually pulled out of the trash a few days ago. It has perked up with a bit of water. I will plant this one and hope that it comes back next year. I seem to have more failures than successes with my rescue plants, but it's fun when they live to see another season.

Also, the trees in the neighborhood are changing colors, and the grass is happily growing with rain and cooler temperatures. Spring and fall are our busiest grass-cutting seasons.

Ward and I took a hike around a lake today and saw more changing leaves. 

While I don't like the colder temperatures and the shorter days, I do like the beautiful show autumn puts on every year. What does fall look like where you live?

Outdoor Amble Ramble

Maine isn't the only place with cold and snow. We get our fair share here in Maryland.

 I love being outdoors. Well, I love being outdoors in fair weather. Cold, not so much. But not everyone agrees with me. I watched America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston on PBS the other night, where he visited Maine, and the theme was embracing the cold. He spent time with people doing various things outside - all in the cold. Looked crazy to me, but everyone was happy. My sister lives in Maine and has not entirely embraced the cold, but her husband, who grew up there, has. And her kids. I remember what a novelty it seemed when I heard they did snowshoeing in PE. And my grandnephew was in an outdoor preschool where they spent most of the time outdoors, no matter what the weather was. I guess it's all what you're used to. 

As we're moving into cold weather, I am inspired to be like Mainers and spend more time outside in the cold (she says from the warmth of her home). I know that Ward will be a very willing participant. When we're out together, I say I'm freezing, and he says how invigorating it is with a happy smile. And if truth be told, I find that annoying sometimes (always.) 

But it's good for us to spend time outdoors. You've probably heard reports on studies saying so. I recently read one by the Max Planck Institute that says spending time outdoors is not only good for your mood, but it is also good for your brain function. And it wouldn't hurt me to have a boost in both areas. :) But I'll start tomorrow. Today is cold and rainy. I think I will have to work up to it.

In the meantime, Ward and I walked at an Audubon Bird sanctuary a couple of days ago when the weather was beautiful. This is my favorite kind of outdoor activity. Here are a few pictures from our walk.

The sanctuary encompasses 129 acres of various habitats
of woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and streams.

It was a sunny, clear day.

The sanctuary used to be an old farm, and the first trail we took was an old farm road.

I'm always amazed that the redbud tree has such little flowers but such big seed pods.

An old farm pond.

More evidence of the farm.

We couldn't figure out what kind of tree had this interesting trunk growth.

They had some pretty serious deterrents with the birdhouses
 to keep out interlopers and predators.

Next time, we need to take Aunt Martha, our local bird expert, with us. Our untrained eyes didn't see any birds, although we did hear some. But it was a pleasant outing, all the same. And I can already feel my brain working better. :)

Until next time...

A Second Look, October 6, 2023

 We had a few days of rain just before we left on vacation. So everything that had managed to survive the very dry summer took off while we were gone. Below are a few things I saw on my Second Look when we returned.

The rain brought a fresh crop of mushrooms around the yard.

The moss rose was in full bloom. This entire box is filled with volunteers from last year.

The yellow mums are budding.

A lone dianthus has rebloomed.

Anemones

Vinca by Ward's shop. Ward chooses flowers each year for the big urn that his father made, which sits in front of his shop.

Beauty berries are in full color. I was excited on one of our vacation hikes when I saw one of these bushes in the wild.

I've picked up five bags of dropped apples since we returned. And there are plenty more where these came from. 

I harvested the rest of the carrots. Where I thinned them as I should, they got quite large. Not so much where I didn't. I'm going to try to be better about thinning next year.

From two large growing bags, I got two potatoes. (Apple for scale.) However, that is two more than when grubs ate them all last year.

We're traveling to West Virginia this weekend to attend services for my aunt, who passed away while we were gone. Time to go pack my suitcase again.

Until next time...