Animal House 101

Sunday greetings. When I left you on Friday, during the Friday Favorites blog post, I mentioned that I was a little worried about how I was going to corral all four kittens together and get them to the vet. It was time for all of the kitty babies to get their first series of shots and get weighed and determine when we could get them spayed and neutered. I took Friday off so I had a long weekend. We were also celebrating Mark’s birthday over the weekend and I decided to take an extra day. As it turned out Friday was a crazy, rewarding, busy, exhausting, fun day. It all started on Monday.

The entire week was filled with appointments for the babies. Scruffy had developed some kind of skin rash on his lower belly. It was driving him crazy and poor baby was pulling hair out it was so itchy. I called the vet on Monday morning and they said they could get him in on Wednesday. I had to work on Wednesday and so did Mark. The next available was Friday which I was planning to take off anyway. I agreed to Friday and then knew I couldn’t make the poor baby wait until Friday. I called back and said I would do the Wednesday, it was at 1:30. I told them I would also take the Friday and use that for Molly to get an allergy shot. They said “oh you can bring Molly anytime for an allergy shot because she doesn’t have to see the doctor for that” So I quickly made the decision to keep the Friday and take all the kittens for their vaccines and Mark could take Molly the following day on Tuesday to get her allergy shot. I would take off during lunch on Wednesday to take Scruffy for his skin problem. Are you with me so far? I know!!!!

Mark took Molly on Tuesday for her shot, I took off an extra hour at lunch on Wednesday to run home and get Scruffy and take him to get checked out. I am about twenty five minutes from my work but the Vet is just down the road from us. I knew I could do it if everything fell into place. Turns out Scruffy has a bacterial infection on his tummy and has to be on antibiotics. We were in and out of the vet in about twenty minutes. I was making great time. Of course Molly had to get in on the action. When I returned Scruffy to the house I took Molly out to use the bathroom. Molly loves to wander off in the woods when I am in a hurry. I grabbed the leash and put it on her, smugly thinking to myself she’s not getting away from me this time. As she was using the bathroom I noticed the leash was twisted and I bent down to untangle it. The leash popped off and before I could get it back on her she took off. She may be old and arthritic but she can move when she wants to. Off she went into the woods. I went back in the house and waited for her to come back. In the meantime the kitties had started to climb all over and under my car. Let me just say by the time I headed back to work I was a bit frazzled and contemplating the sanity of having eight fur babies to take care of.

Early Thursday morning before work I got a much needed hair cut. Work was not bad I just had a lot of stuff to do to make up for the three day weekend I was taking.

On Friday I was very nervous about getting the kittens together. Buster and Sadie are still a little wild. Their appointment was at 9:00 AM. I got up at 5:00 AM I drank some coffee and tried to devise a plan. I was nervous, I was sweating. I drank more coffee. I paced a little. I decided to start gathering them early. I hated to trick them but I didn’t know how else to do it. I gave them just a small amount of food and while they were eating I walked over and Picked up Milo, Buster and Izzy one by one and just placed them in the crate and shut the door. Wow!!! I couldn’t believe how easy it was I only had Sadie, the solid black kitty, left and she is the most nervous of all. We have only been able to pet her a couple of times and she darts away from us whenever we get close to her. I decided to put her in a different smaller crate. I put the crate in the garage and put some tuna inside the crate and went back inside. When I looked out she was in the crate and I hurried and shut the door and loaded both crates in the back of my car. WHEW!!!! I zoomed off to the vet listening to Sadie squall her displeasure all the way there. Once I was there the techs came out and got all the babies. They got their shots and their first series of flea meds. The largest of the kitties was Buster and he weighed in at 5.5 pounds, Milo was next at 5.2 pounds, then Izzy and Sadie each at 3.5 pounds. Buster and Milo will go back in three weeks to be neutered and Sadie and Izzy will be spayed when they get a little bigger.

After I got home from the vet I met my friend Lorie in Sweetwater and we drove to Athens for lunch and a little bit of shopping. We didn’t have a lot of time because Lorie had a Doctor appointment and I had to walk my sister’s dog for her. We did find some time to go to Hobby Lobby and Cato’s. We had such a fun time. After I dropped Lorie off I went to my sister’s house to walk my little nephew dog Maxx. I picked up groceries on the way home. Mark wanted a Butterfinger Cake for his birthday. They are very easy to make but of course I had forgotten one of the ingredients and I had to drive back to Madisonville to get it. Mark went with me and we decided to just grab a pizza on the way home. I made the Butterfinger cake, gathered some laundry to start on the next day and crashed into bed. Friday was a bit of an exhausting day.

These are so easy to make. Mark claims he has seen them many times when I have delivered them to other people but he had never gotten one. He normally asks for pie or white cake with chocolate icing. **I am sure I will wind up taking what’s left of this to work with me** ***for the employees.***

Oh what a beautiful day Saturday was. The temps here have been really chilly in the morning but warming up nicely in the afternoon. Mark and I drove to Tellico Plains and had dinner at Iron Works Grill. They were packed as they always are on Saturdays but we snagged a prime table right at the window overlooking the river. We had the trout and it was excellent. If you are ever in this area stop and get lunch or dinner. They also have a killer cheeseburger and amazing barbecue.

I took Molly and Scruffy for a walk on Saturday and when we were almost at the top of the driveway I looked back and saw the Kitty Parade behind me. That’s Mama, and Buster in the front followed by Milo and then Sadie and little Izzy in the back. I guess they wanted to go on the walk too.

***Molly hanging out in the yard with a few of the kitties.***

***I think Scruffy is having some kind of heart to heart with Buster.***

***All four kittens and mama cat. You can only see Sadie’s eyes.***

***There is still some beautiful colors happening.***

And then Sunday, lovely, quiet, extra hour of sleep Sunday. A wonderful way to finish up this crazy, blessed, Birthday celebrating, week. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

How was your week???

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday I haven’t posted a Friday Favorites post in quite awhile. This Friday finds me at the beginning of a three day weekend. I know it will go by in the blink of an eye. But for now I am savoring it.

It’s 4:45 AM and I am awake drinking coffee. I am trying not to think about having to round up all four kittens for a vet visit later this morning. More about that later.

I wanted to share with you some of the things I am loving this week:

Books: I am currently reading this book Bono by Helen Brown. I am loving it!!! Bono is a rescue cat and he is temporarily fostered by Helen Brown while she is visiting New York. Bono is a special needs cat and needs daily medication he became homeless after Hurricane Sandy. I am only half way through but I love it.

I just finished reading When You Find My Body. This is a book about the disappearance of Geraldine Largay on the Appalachian Trail. It is heartbreaking. When Geraldine realizes that she is lost on the trail and probably won’t survive she writes letters and posts in a diary to be given to her husband and family. Most of the book is about the search for Geraldine, Gerry, and the different theories from the author about what happens when people find themselves lost. I felt like too much of the book was about the search and the theories instead of what was in the diary. But it is still a good book and very inspirational.

Knitting: I am still knitting on this scarf. I love the soft squishyness of this scar and I can’t wait to have it finished. I am almost there.

New Boots: I am loving these boots. I got them at Rack Room shoes at Tanger Outlet in Sevierville, TN. It was one of those deals where you buy one pair and get the second pair half off. I had gone in looking for some new calf high brown boots, which I found, and then since I got another pair half off I chose these. I wanted white boots all last winter and never got around to getting them. I love these they are very comfy and they have a zipper on the side so you don’t really have to lace the entire boot.

Lip Butter by Physicians Formula. I got this at T.J.Maxx and I love it. It is very light not as heavy as a lipstick but still has great color. SPF 15 too.

Shoes: I bought these shoes on clearance at T.J. Max while we were on Sister Trip last month. They are light and make a great shoe to slip on and wear around the house.

FALL COLOR!!!!!! You know how much I am loving the fall colors right now. I just had to sneak in a picture.

What are you enjoying this week?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!

A Shiny New Month

Happy November I can’t even believe I am saying that. Not only is it hard to believe that November is here but that the end of the year is near. I love November it is my husband’s Birthday month, Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas time and enjoying the early nights and cooler days. I just love it all.

I meant to post this last night but I came home from work ate dinner and sat down for just a few minutes, well that was the plan. Scruffy snuggled onto my lap and it was just so deliciously warm and cozy that I fell asleep. I got up about an hour later and went to bed. The cool nights make great sleeping weather.

It was a quiet weekend this past one. I did a lot of cleaning at home. I actually hadn’t meant to spend the weekend cleaning. The weather was cold and cloudy and I had every intention of staying at home and binge watching Gilmore Girls and knitting. But when you have lots of animals lots of cleaning is required even when your knitting is calling you. I did get a few stitches in here and there and read a few pages of my book.

I have been going to the assisted living village to eat lunch with my mother in law a couple of times a week. She doesn’t do very well getting out anymore. I go down a couple of times a week and bring lunch from SONIC. She loves their hamburgers. This gives us some time to chat and breaks up the day to day she has at the village. She always insists on paying me $2.00 for the hamburger. This is usually her winnings from playing bingo. LOL.

***The kittens love this basket. I stepped into the garage yesterday and all four were crammed into this basket. It is just the cutest thing.***

This absolutely scares me to death. This is Buster but he is not the only one who likes to get under the cars. You should see the roundup we have to do before we leave every morning. We try to corral all the kittens and Mama cat to make sure they are nowhere near the cars.

***We had lots of rainy walks over the weekend. As soon as the rain would stop we would dash outside for a quick walk and some fresh air.***

***See the crane? I am sure she has eggs close by.***

The weather right now is just my absolute favorite. I drive to work every morning with my head whipping from side to side like the girl in that movie the exorcist. I just can’t get enough of all the fall beauty. I’m usually brought back to reality when a horn honks and drivers are yelling for me to speed up. I just can’t help myself.

This is a busy week for the fur babies. Molly had to go to the vet today to get an allergy shot. Scruffy is scheduled for tomorrow because he is scratching like crazy and actually pulling some of his hair out. I’m not really sure what is going on there. And all of the kittens, all four of them, are scheduled to go to the vet on Friday morning for a follow up check up and to determine when we can have them all spayed and neutered. You can see why I am never going to be able to retire. Heck I may have to take a second job just to pay for the upkeep on these babies.