At least to a cat-lover, there is nothing more charming than a flock of kittens at play.

The Twins and Jonesie having dinner together

Jonesie is a very sweet kitten. Almost too good to be true........we have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. So far, he has been able to play with the other cats, even Jezibel, without any problems. They seem to be in awe of him, like us. The twins watch him, not believing yet, that they might have an actual playmate. Both of them have accepted him by licking him on his head. Kaci was kind of stand-offish when Jonesie first came, but yesterday, while she and Jonesie were waiting for their dinner, she licked him a couple of times on his head. Of course, she's always in a good mood while waiting for her dinner. But, he’s definitely our little fair-headed child. So far, he can do no wrong. But, we’ve only had him a week!

Jason and Jonesie by the fire

Last night I was watching TV. Since Sheila was outside, I decided to try to get the cats playing with each other. I found one of their favorite stick and string toys and started swishing it around the floor. Jonesie was already in the family room with me. He plays at the drop of a toy. He can chase a toy mouse around for hours (and not even lose it!). Then in came the twins and Jezibel. Lexi sat on the end table watching. She slapped at the toy when I waved it near her, but wouldn’t get down on the floor.

I had all four cats running and jumping. Then they would sit and watch while one went out and chased the toy and leapt and then they took turns at it. Jezibel managed to hiss at Jonesie if he came near her. Being a kitten, he just plays and doesn’t pay any attention to where he’s running or jumping. He wasn’t aware of anyone hissing. Although when he got near Lexi a couple of times, she growled and hissed. That kind of scared him. When she became too much of a distraction, I put her in her bed for the night. I think she was relieved to be out of the situation.

Jezibel with her Dad

Lexi, waiting to come in
12/30/10

Lexi is very sweet when she doesn’t have other cats around and she just loves to be petted. I can hold her like a baby and she kneads on my neck and purrs. I just wish she liked other cats.....

We almost gave Lexi away when she was a kitten. We had not planned on keeping any of the kittens. Of course it turned out that we kept three of the seven. One of our friends had a friend, John, who wanted a calico kitten. We were introduced to him at a wedding reception. He seemed nice enough. He said he had one cat and wanted another. We told him that when Lexi was old enough, he could see her and decide if he wanted her. When he saw her picture, he said “I don’t need to see her, I know I want her”. We said we’d be in touch, through our mutual friend.

Since Jezibel had so many kittens, she didn’t have enough milk for all of them and Charlie and I had to supplement the feedings. We bottle-fed the kittens several times a day. One night when we were feeding the kittens, they were all eager to eat except for Lexi. She was lying in the bed, not moving. She seemed to be awake, but very listless. When I picked her up, she was limp. We tried to rouse her, but it was like she was paralyzed. We took her to the vet. He examined her and really didn’t know why she was so limp. She was only 3 or 4 weeks old. He gave her a little Karo syrup mixed with water and she seemed to perk up, but still wasn’t normal. Basically he just told us to take her home and see if she recovered.

We brought her home and wrapped her in a blanket. She slept on my chest all night. I kept waking up and checking to make sure she was still alive. She survived the night. The next morning when we tried to feed her, she drank some of her formula and then slowly during the day started to perk up and act normal. We never did know why she was that way.

It was then that I decided that I wanted to keep Lexi. Before we could tell our friend that we weren’t giving Lexi away, he told us that John was losing his apartment and was looking for a place to live. It worked out fine. Who knows what would have happened to Lexi if John couldn't take care of her?

I do wonder sometimes if Lexi would have been happier if we’d given her to someone and she could be the only cat. She is such a loner. We love her for who she is though and we wouldn’t take anything for her now.

In no time at all Jonesie will be a big boy. He is going to grow so fast. We’re enjoying having a kitten again. The other night Charlie said that since we’ve raised so many kittens, he feels like we should be grandma and grandpa instead of mom and dad to Jonesie......no..... I don’t think so!

More later........

Taz, "The Baby"
December 1999

We give kittens a warm home, tender care, and endless affection. In return, they give us another reason to celebrate life.

Christmas was nice. Our friend, Kim, and her daughter, Haven, came over for dinner. Of course, they met our new arrival, “Jonesie”. He was a big hit with the girls. Kim took lots of pictures, which I will ask her to send when she can.

Kim and I had walked that morning and when we got back to her house, she showed me a couple of pictures of two of her cats that she’d had done. One of Colby and the other of Holly. I was blown away.

When I went home I told Charlie about it and then called to ask Kim to bring one of the pictures with her so he could see it. I planned on getting some made of our cats.

Haven gave Charlie a box of Mrs. Fields’ chocolates. I haven’t seen them since Christmas Eve. I think he stashed them near his computer so he could snack while playing the War Craft game he plays.

It was a very emotional moment for me to open a box and see my baby, Taz’s face looking up at me. Kim gave me a picture of Taz on canvas. She had asked Charlie to email her a picture of Taz to use. He didn't know why she wanted it. The picture is perfect. I’ve seen that look on Taz so many times. He's so relaxed. I just love it.

My canvas picture of Taz
Christmas 2010

On Christmas morning I slept in a little then went upstairs to let “Jonesie” out of his room so he could join in on our Christmas morning.

Charlie set up the movie camera and we have all kinds of tape of the cats and Sheila playing in the paper, under the tree, etc. They enjoyed it as much as we did.

Earlier this month, before our trip to Monterey, Charlie discovered that his tire pressure gauge wasn’t working. He borrowed our neighbor’s gauge to check the tires on the RV. When he told me about not having a gauge, I ordered one for him for Christmas.

Then the day before we left for Monterey, he came home and said he’d bought a new gauge. But then, couldn’t find it. I thought, “When I give him one for Christmas, he’s going to think I hid the one he bought”.

After we were on our trip, I found the gauge under the pillow on the couch. I debated whether to give it to him or not, and decided I should, since we might need it.

Christmas morning I opened a box and there was a combination tire gauge, seatbelt slasher, and hammer to break a window! Then he opened a box that I gave him and it was also a tire gauge! So now we have three, one for each car and one for the RV.

Jason playing in the paper
12/25/10

We were reminded of the Christmas in Monterey when "Dust Busters", cordless vacuums, were popular. That year he gave me one and I gave him one. Do our minds work alike, or what?

We are very happy with our little kitten, “Jonesie”. So far he seems to be just perfect. Of course, I think ALL kittens are perfect!

Jonesie and Kaci (or is it Jason?)

Jonesie and Kaci

The other cats are getting used to him too. Jezibel hisses and growls at him; Ditto for Lexi and Ellie; Mr. Creme is just curious and a little afraid of him; Toby....no reaction; Kaci....a low growl and a hiss or two, but she does watch him and has joined in a game with him, there’s hope; Jason is the one who surprises us. He actually licks Jonesie on his head and when I place Jonesie next to him in the cat tree or on the couch, he lets him lay with him. Kaci has also allowed Jonesie to lie next to her.

We’re hoping that Jonesie will be more influenced by the twins than with the “disagreeable" Jezibel and her daughters, Lexi and Ellie. Although I think Jezibel et al will eventually tolerate Jonesie, they will not like him any more than they like the twins. But then, they don’t like each other either! One on one, they are very sweet though. They are all loners and each one would have been very happy to be the only cat in the house.

Charlie and I were reminded of how Taz was treated by the two cats we had then, Rowdy and Calvin. He was about six weeks old when we got him and he was so spunky and full of it. Rowdy growled and slapped at Taz if he came near, but Calvin licked his head and held him down and washed his face and they often slept next to each other. Of course they both finally accepted him and our household was very peaceful.......until Jezibel came later....but I digress.

Calvin and Taz
January 1999

Rowdy and Taz

December 1999

Jonesie is very laid back and he doesn’t push the other cats. If they growl or hiss, he just adjusts the direction he’s going. Taz was different. The more Rowdy growled, hissed or slapped at him, the more he tried to approach Rowdy. It was a game to him. But, then “his middle name was Devil”.

More later......

ME AND MR. JONES.........

I had a very busy week last week. Starting on Sunday, it rained every day through Wednesday. I kept pretty close to home, even though I still had some shopping to do. After a couple of days of being in the house, you just have to get out and go in the rain.

On Wednesday I decided to go to one of the department stores located in a smaller strip mall. I thought I might at least be able to find PARKING there. One end is anchored by Kohl’s Department Store and the other end is Pier One Imports. I planned on going to both and also stop at the Petsmart there for a bag of cat food.

I finished my shopping and went into Petsmart. Of course, they had none of the cat food that I needed, not a single bag. Since the cats’ food bin was empty, I had to have some. So, I went to the Petsmart which is near our house and where we usually shop anyway.

As I was nearing the parking lot turning in, a strong wave of emotion swept over me. It came out of nowhere. I thought of Taz and started crying. I kept saying “I didn’t have him long enough, I didn’t get to spend enough time with him......” I do think of him every day, but there have been full days when I could remember him and not start crying.

I parked and started to get out of the car. I had an anxious feeling like something exciting was going to happen.

When I got in the store, I pushed my cart over to the glass cat room. I have always looked at the cats when I go in that store. Sometimes the door is open and you can go in and sometimes it’s locked. It was open and I went in to see them before doing my shopping.

There were several cats and kittens in there. They are from the East County Animal Rescue (ECAR), a non-profit organization which is not affiliated with Petsmart. It is run by volunteers only. They are allowed to have an area in the store to use in hopes of finding good homes for abandoned cats. Their cats come from shelters, from people surrendering them and also from the streets.

I had no plans to adopt a cat that day. Although Charlie and I had talked about maybe adopting a kitten when we were ready.

I was drawn to a little cream and white colored kitten. He was jumping around the kennel. The kids were all looking at him and talking about how “wild” he was. I waited to get up to the kennel so I could see him. Finally, I had to say “Excuse me, I’d like to get a closer look at him.”

I took one of the feather-on-a-stick toys and started playing with him. He just loved that and reached for it. He didn’t take his eyes off of it. I played with some of the other cats and then looked back at him. He was just following that feather toy. I went back over to him and wanted to see if he would let me touch him through the wire. He did. He rubbed up against the wire and purred.
When Bess, the volunteer, came back, I asked if I could hold him. He was so eager. The minute I took him out, he started purring loudly.

Bess said that she had fostered him. He was rescued from a dumpster. Someone had put him and his 4 siblings in a garbage bag and dropped them in a dumpster. It was a very hot day in September. Someone was walking their dog and heard kittens meowing, but couldn’t tell where the noise was coming from. The dog started barking and went to the dumpster. All 5 kittens were alive. They were brought to ECAR, which is a no-kill rescue service. From there they were fostered out until they could be adopted.

I left the cat room and bought my cat food and went home. I thought of the little kitten and decided to ask Charlie to come back to the store with me to see him and tell me what he thought.

Charlie saw him and thought he was very pretty. He looked at all of the other cats there too. There were a couple of tabbies there and he asked if I like them. I said I did, but I was kind of stuck on the cream and white one.

Bess took him out and we held him again. Then we went out and talked about it. Both of us liked him and so we decided to adopt him. After we did the paperwork, Bess said that all cats had to leave the store in a kennel. We could either buy a cardboard one or a regular one. Charlie and I looked at each other and said “No, we have several kennels at home and don’t need another”. So, we went home, got a kennel and I came back to get the kitten.

I’d like to introduce the latest addition to our family:

His name is "Jones"......we call him "Jonesie"
3 months old

Look at those paws!

Jason meeting his new brother that night
12/22/10

That's all for now.........

A cat is a Christmas gift that keeps giving all year 'round......

Taz (in the seat) with the twins, Jason (stretching) and Kaci (on the floor)
in the RV June 2010

Tazzy D. Bell

"The Baby"
October 2010

and grows more special with each passing day.

I dreamed of Taz the other night. It’s the first time he’s been in my dreams since he died on October 7. Actually, I didn’t see him, but in my dream I was talking to some people. I’m not sure if they were friends or family......but, I knew Taz was somewhere near. I asked about him. They said he was outside......in a car with some people who were sleeping. I was working my way through the house, saying “I’ve got to go and get him”.....and then I woke up. I feel like I’m getting closer to getting a glimpse of him in a dream.

Taz
September 2010

When he passed away, I prayed that I would at least dream of him one night. I have his pictures and we have movies of him, some of which I can’t bring myself to watch yet. It is still too soon.

We took a trip up to Monterey last week in our RV. We brought our dog, Sheila, and our “twins”, Jason and Kaci. Last year, about this same time, we also took a trip to Monterey. Taz was with us on that trip. We really missed him this year.

We left Sunday and planned to drive for about 4 hours up the coast and go inland from Ventura, to Santa Paula. Santa Paula is an agricultural community. We stayed at Ventura Ranch KOA Kampground. It is a very pretty park.

The next morning, Monday, we walked around the park before leaving for Salinas. There, we rented a car and then drove over to Monterey, about a 15 minute drive.

Me and Sheila at KOA in Santa Paula
12/13/10

We have found a very good place to park the RV while in Monterey. It is actually a hotel, but has eight hookups for RV's. We have water and electric hook up and there is a dumping station for when we leave. All of this for.....$25/night. Reasonable.

Our plans were to visit our usual spots for clam chowder down on Cannery Row, go hiking at the Forest of Nisene Marks Park, eat hamburgers at “Duffy’s”, have sizzling rice soup at Chef Lee’s, and just enjoy being in and around the Monterey area.

On Tuesday we went to Cannery Row. It was misty and drizzlie. We walked down one side of the street and came back the other.

Last year when we were there at this time, there were no Christmas trees...anywhere. Several years ago when we came up, there was a huge tree there. I’m not sure why it’s not consistent.

This year, at Cannery Row we saw a tree in the area which is on the pier that goes out to Sly McFly’s Restaurant. We had clam chowder there last year.

Back in the ‘80's, when we lived here, we remembered a huge tree at Fisherman’s Wharf, that we could see from El Estero Lake. Again, last year, no tree, but this year there was a small Christmas tree right at the corner of one of the restaurants. Not as big as the one that was there in years past.

Most of the seafood restaurants have people out front who want you to sample their clam chowder. Last year when we walked out on Fisherman’s Wharf, we had about ten clam chowder offers. This year, we only saw one. Of course it was raining and we had already eaten.

We walked out to the end of the wharf. There was a guy sitting out there.....who would drew portraits. As we walked by, we said “Hi” and he said “Two for the price of one,.......since I’m SO busy!” We laughed and walked on. We probably should have had him do our picture. Maybe he would have brushed it up, my hair was a mess since it was raining.

Last year when we were walking around Cannery Row, one of the shopkeepers told us that she’d been there for 25 years and had never seen it so empty at this time of the year. Maybe having no Christmas trees or decorations last year reflected the mood. We felt it.

It did seem that more people were out this year though.

From Cannery Row, we walked to downtown Monterey. We remembered some of the places there, but there were several closed stores. We noticed that not many cars were parked on the main street. I mentioned that when we lived here I couldn’t find a parking space, but then remembered that the street was closing for the weekly Farmer’s Market.

We were walking down the street and a homeless man stopped us and asked for money for food. Charlie talked to him for a few minutes and we gave him $5. He immediately started down the side street. I said “I hope he’s going to get something to eat since he said he was hungry”. Charlie said, “Yeah, probably something to drink”.

The next day, Wednesday, since it had rained, we decided not to go hiking. It gets quite muddy on the trails. We went back downtown to have pizza instead. When we parked and came out of the parking garage, there were some homeless men there. One of them asked us for money and Charlie said “We gave you $5 yesterday”. The guy said “OK, have a nice day”. We had our pizza and came back by and the guys were passing a joint around. They said “Have a nice day”. I’m sure they were having a nice one too.

Thursday was sunny. We decided to take Sheila to the beach. We drove through Pacific Grove to Asilomar State Beach. They have paths which go parallel to the road and then paths that go down to the beach and rocks and back up again.

Tidepools at Asilomar State Beach
12/16/10

We took Sheila down to the tidepools. She was very “Ho Hum” about it. We don’t’ think she’s ever been to the beach before. We were watching the little creatures in the pool and she couldn’t care less. We kept telling her that Chelsi WOULD have been paying attention!

In spite of it all, I think she enjoyed her day. We took her back to the RV and then went to Chef Lee’s for some Sizzling Rice Soup, the best we’ve ever had.

Our local football team, the Chargers, were playing the San Francisco 49'ers, in San Diego. We found a really great sports bar called "Knuckles" at the Hyatt Regency. The game started at 5:20pm and we got there just before it started to get really crowded. There were so many TV screens to watch. You never had to turn your head. I kept fooling Charlie by saying "Wow, look at that!" He'd turn around to the TV screen I was watching and I laughed and said, "You're looking at the same one!" It was just so funny. He caught on though and stopped turning his head. End of that game. But, we did have lots of fun. It was especially good that we won!

There were actually some other Charger fans in there, so we cheered louder for them and were not afraid of getting beat up. Since it was in San Diego, they showed the city's skyline, the Coronado Bridge, and the Hotel Del, all lit up in its' Christmas lights. I felt very proud of my City. It is very pretty, and I guess I was feeling just a little homesick too!

Friday morning we started out for the 4 hour plus drive, planning to stop again at the KOA in Santa Paula for the night. It rained all the way down to Santa Paula.

The park has peacocks and the twins had fun watching them through the windows.

On Saturday morning we got ready to leave. It was raining again, but we thought “we’re heading home to San Diego. It can’t be raining there, can it?!”

So we drove for 4 plus hours in the rain and at times the freeway was a parking lot. We got home and it was not raining, but it was very overcast and rain was in the forecast. In fact we're supposed to have rain for the next several days.

We’re not getting the storm of the century, but I think I heard it’s the storm of the decade. That’s still pretty scary for here.......we don’t see much rain and when it comes, it’s not in small doses. California drivers do not do well in the rain because they don't seem to notice that it's RAINING! After several days, they finally get it, but by then we've had so many accidents and fender benders.

But, we enjoyed our trip. The twins, Jason and Kaci were little angels. They are so precious. When we drive along, Kaci lays on the couch. I cover her with her blanket and she closes her eyes and we say, she “goes to her happy place” until we stop again.

Jason goes to the other end of the couch. He’s a little more nervous about traveling in the RV. I hold him (he actually wants me to) until he settles down. Sheila does pretty well too. She is getting better, but will never be the traveler that Chelsi was.

Taz with the twins, Jason and Kaci
RV trip in July 2009

When Taz was with us, he helped to show Jason how to cope. This is the first trip we’ve taken without Taz. The twins relied on him for guidance. Taz and Jason found their “safe” places overhead and we didn’t see them until we stopped.

We will always miss having Tazzy with us, but I’m hoping that I will see him in my dreams soon.....

......More later.

If a cat won't sit on a freshly typed page.........

Jason, in his corner

.....It's not worth much.

It’s been two months since Taz died and I think of him all of the time. It’s especially hard in the evenings. That was usually when he sat next to me as long as I was in my chair watching TV or reading.

Jason, one of the twins, is trying very hard to fill the void, bless his heart. He's so sweet. He's different than Taz because he really doesn't want to be held and petted. He does have his moods though, when he comes up and lays down next to me, but not on my lap. He purrs and puts his paws behind me. I pet him, but he doesn't stay long. Sometimes he looks like he wants to sit next to me, but then, he decides to go to the corner of the couch. That seems to be a favorite place for all of them.

I don’t really have a cat who wants to take Taz's place. Since none of them were allowed near me when Taz was around, I would have thought that by now I'd have all kinds of suitors.

Here's Mr. Creme
Looks so innocent, doesn't he?

Mr. Creme would definitely want more attention, but there’s a problem........he sprays when he is loose in the house......that’s why he spends more time in the garage and back yard.

He is the most lovable cat of all of the cats we have now. He wants to be held and petted and he makes this little sound that I just love. It’s a cross between a purr and a meow. You’d just have to hear it to know what I mean.

Mr. Creme is our goodwill ambassador. Our neighbor, Bridget, just loves him. He likes to sit under the bush in her side yard. If she's out working in her yard, he keeps her company. From his bush, he can see us come and go. He walks Bridget to her mailbox. If I go to the mailbox, he's right there. He always wants me to pick him up and take him back to the house. Bridget calls him "Krispy Creme". She might even be giving him treats because he looks like he's gained some weight.

Usually when I get up, I go out into the garage about 7:00 am and let Mr. Creme out into the back yard. Then when Sheila and I go for a walk at 7:30 or 8:00am, I let Mr. Creme back in. He goes back into the garage, gets something to eat and then goes to sleep in the recliner out there or on top of the dryer. My dryer rack for shoes, etc. is up there and it has a blanket on it for him. Quite the bed. He stays in the garage until we let him back out a few hours later.

So he comes and goes several times a day. We check on him during the day and we always make sure he’s in before dark. It would be nice to have him in the house. He'd probably be on my lap most of the time.

We do have “pants” for him to wear. These are pants that have a pantie liner (Poise pad) which he wets if he sprays. It does allow him to be in the house unsupervised and our walls or furniture are not damaged. It works well, but Mr. Creme hates wearing the pants.

Sometimes when he comes to the patio door wanting in, I get his pants and when he sees them, he runs away. And then sometimes I guess he wants to come in worse than he hates wearing the pants.

When he's in, he walks around and lounges for awhile, before deciding he wants back out either in the garage or backyard.

I always check his pants to see if he has wet them, and sometimes he has not sprayed. But, if he has sprayed and they are wet, I feel good, kind of like he's being punished for spraying. But, I know it’s not really teaching him anything because he still sprays and we started making him wear these pants 6 years ago!

Ironically, as sweet as Mr. Creme is and Taz was, they hated each other. We had to make sure we kept them apart. Mr. Creme goes out first thing in the morning and stays in the backyard for awhile and then goes to the front yard. We always tried to wait until Mr. Creme was back inside before letting the other cats out.

Last May they saw each other and got into a really bad fight. I didn’t see it, but Charlie told me about it.

The next day I noticed that Mr. Creme’s ear was swollen and smelled bad. When I rubbed it, it was full of pus and it hurt Mr. Creme, but I squeezed it. I put peroxide on it. We called the vet and they said that that was what they would have done too. It healed up after a few days. Taz seemed okay, and I didn’t check him.

The fight between Mr. Creme and Taz was on May 1. We noticed that Taz seemed to be losing weight soon after. Then on July 9 we took him to the vet to see why. He was diagnosed with intestinal lymphoma on the 12th.

I've researched and asked vets about what causes feline lymphoma. No one seems to know. They have theories like "Cigarette smoke in the home has been found to double a cat's risk though genetic issues; environmental chemicals and unknown factors remain under consideration. Lymphoma can occur anywhere in the body where there is lymph tissue....". Bottom line is, they don't know. Some have said that cats who are outside or fight with other cats have a high risk. There can be injuries which will cause inflammation and/or infection.

I could drive myself crazy wondering if we could have avoided Taz's illness. We always thought he would probably have thyroid problems when he got older. Unlike Rowdy, who was overweight and contracted diabetes, Taz was never overweight. Calvin, also never overweight, developed hyper thyroid problems when he got older.

I certainly don't think the fight between Mr. Creme and Taz caused Taz's illness. That would be far fetched. But, I can't help but wish I'd checked to see if Taz was injured after that fight. His tummy may have caught Mr. Creme's back claws and caused some inflammation inside. Who knows? No one.

The Baby, Taz

We love Mr. Creme and all of our other babies. We have no more fighters. They snarl or hiss at each other, but that's it.

More later.........

Just humming along..........

One of our hummingbirds in our Yucca

A few years ago I bought a hummingbird feeder. I used the nectar that’s already mixed up. It’s red. We had maybe one hummingbird, but it wasn’t interested in coming to my feeder. We have a Japanese Honeysuckle bush near the patio and the little fellow came to the flowers, but still ignored my feeder.

So, I took it down, washed it, filled it again and hung it back up. Still no customers. I’ve always wondered why we don’t have many hummingbirds and why the one we have, won’t come to my feeder.

I left the feeder hanging, but didn’t fill it for a long time. What was the use? Then we took a trip and on the way home stopped to visit in Palm Springs. The RV park where we stayed had several hummingbird feeders hanging on the club house. The nectar was clear like water. I couldn’t believe how many hummingbirds were feeding. They were not fighting and chasing each other off either.

The Palm Springs crowd

So, I decided to try to start feeding them again. I took the old one down and threw it away. I bought two new ones. I would put one in the normal place and put the other further away. That way if there were two birds, they would have their own feeder.

Also I read up on feeding hummingbirds and they suggested that I make my own nectar and not use red food coloring. So I boiled the water and put the sugar in and let it cool.

We started seeing a couple of birds come to the feeders, but they fought each other and both flew off. Then one would come back and start feeding and the other would buzz him and chase him away.

This past summer I had at least three different hummers come up. Someone told me that I should make the nectar really sweet and then I would start seeing more birds. Well, I don’t have more than a couple of birds still, but they are drinking the nectar down. They empty one feeder and ignore the other.

When I bring the feeders in to wash and refill, I have to be careful because there is a little spider who lives in one of the “flower” holes. So far I’ve managed to catch him when he comes out when I put water in. I take him out and put him in a bush by the patio. I imagine that he watches as Charlie hangs the clean feeders and then starts working his way back up to his “flower”.

I try to change the feeders every week. It’s been getting kind of cold at night lately. The other day when I washed the feeders, the spider wasn’t there.

During the day when it’s sunny, I can hear the hummingbirds and sometimes one comes and feeds. I don’t think they leave for the winter, like they do in colder places. I think they are here year round.

Jason birdwatching.....Mo on the couch

The twins, Jason and Kaci, love to sit on the back of the couch in the family room and watch the birds at the feeders. It’s as close as they can get, since they are not allowed outside. I just wish that just once I’d look out and all of the “flowers” on the feeders would have a hummer sitting at it.

If anybody knows how to attract hummingbirds, I'd like know. Is there a certain place to put the feeder that they prefer? The ones in Palm Springs were hanging in a busy place and not that far off the ground.

More later.........

"What would you take........?"

When we were kids, we went to Florida every year for a couple of weeks to visit our relatives there. We stayed with my mother’s sister, Roberta and her husband, Cecil. It was always so much fun spending time with cousins that you only saw once a year. By the time we got to know each other again, we had to go home.

Aunt Roberta had been married before. She married Clifford when she was very young. They had five kids: Annette, Nancy, Billy, Tim and Becky. Uncle Clifford passed away when the kids were still pretty young. Later she met and married Uncle Cecil and they had a little boy, Bobby.

I don’t think there was anything that Aunt Roberta couldn’t drive. We all piled into their panel truck and went to the beach, to the lake and even the drive-in movie. A panel truck was like one of those PT Cruisers you see now, only bigger, like a mini-van with no windows in the back. At least that’s what I remember.

Aunt Roberta had orange trees in her yard. I also remember she had a watermelon and cantaloupe patch. Of course, you had to be careful of the sand spurs. We were always barefooted. I have stepped on many sand spurs.

I liked to sweep Aunt Roberta’s walkway. I was always asking her if she had something for me to do. She started finding things for me to do, but she would always say, “What would you take to.......?” instead of just telling me some things I could do. Sometimes it was sweeping the porch or picking up the oranges that fell on the ground. I was always eager to help her.

My mother had two brothers and two sisters. Uncle Edward was the oldest. He was born in North Dakota. Then the family moved to Florida where Aunt Roberta, Aunt Blanche, my mother, Shirley, and Uncle Bill were born. I never knew Aunt Blanche. She was killed by a hit and run driver when she was 21 or so. My mother was only 18. She and Aunt Blanche had been very close.

In the 1970's my two uncles passed away. Aunt Roberta and Cecil had moved into a house that he built, not far from her house that we used to come to. Their kids were all married now.

After Uncle Cecil passed away, Aunt Roberta remained in their house and lived alone, taking care of herself. My cousins, Annette, Tim and Bobby lived within walking distance and Nancy and Billy were not that far away, so they were always calling to check on her and stopping by. They really took good care of her.

Once when I was there, we walked out to look at some plants in the yard and didn't hear the phone. Pretty soon Annette came driving up. She had tried to call and got no answer, so she got in her car and came to see.

Mom (83) and Aunt Roberta (87)
2003

Aunt Roberta and my mother were close. Since both were widowed, they spent time together on cruises and other trips and visited each other when they could. They got along well, at least until they talked politics. Then it could get a little heated.

When Roberta and Shirley were younger, they didn’t really look alike to me. As they got older, I noticed that they had some of the same mannerisms...and they were looking more and more like each other.

When my mom passed away in 2005, Aunt Roberta came to the funeral, of course. She was getting a little feeble, but for her age at the time, 88, she really looked well. I decided at that point that I would make an effort to try to get to Florida and visit her more often. I knew she would not always be there.

Aunt Roberta's 90th birthday party, April 2006
with her kids
(back) Tim, Becky, Billy, Bobby
(front) Annette, Aunt Roberta, Nancy

In May 2007, I took a trip to Florida to spend a few days with Aunt Roberta. We talked and talked. She told me stories about the family which I had never heard before. I asked her questions about my grandparents, great grandparents, family I had never met in North Dakota, etc. She had pictures to show me. It was so much fun just spending time with her. We watched our favorite soap opera, “The Young and Restless”, together and talked about it like the people were real.

As long as I could remember, she’d had some chickens living around the yard. This time she had the prettiest rooster. I went out and followed him trying to get pictures. He had a couple of little bantam hens following him around.

That pretty rooster

She and my cousins, who were retired too, got together for lunch and/or shopping every Tuesday. They called that their “day off”. I thought that was so funny. Well, I got to spend one of their “days off” with them. We went down to my cousins’, Becky and Bill, in Daytona Beach. We went to lunch and then went shopping at a really nice mall. I still have the little wooden “chocolate” rabbit I bought on sale there. We all bought one I think.

Aunt Roberta's house

Sometime after my visit, Aunt Roberta was in bed one night. It was raining and the wind was blowing. Something fell on the back of the house. There was a huge oak tree at the back corner. One of the limbs had broken and fell on the roof. The electricity was out.

Aunt Roberta, at least 90, got her clothes on, grabbed her flashlight and walked to Tim’s back porch, about a 1/4 mile away. She sat on his porch without waking anyone, until Tim got up and came out to sit on the porch with his coffee. I just thought that was incredible when I heard about it. I probably would have been beating on the door.......let me in! But, she sat quietly, by herself and waited.

Aunt Roberta and I
July 2009

My brothers and sisters also went to visit Aunt Roberta and our cousins as often as they could.

Charlie and I were able to spend a few days visiting with them in July 2009. We’re so happy that we had that time with her. She had slowed quite a bit, but then again, she was 93, so we weren’t surprised at that.

She had been in the hospital earlier that year with pneumonia. Afterward she had stayed with Bobby for a week or two and then insisted that she go home. They didn’t want her to, but they knew she would be unhappy if she wasn’t in her own home, around her own things. So, they just kept a close eye on her and she was happy.

About four months later, on November 28, 2009, a year ago, my Aunt Roberta passed away. A few days earlier, on the 21st, I received a call from my cousin, Annette, who said that Aunt Roberta was not feeling well and was not eating. When they took her to the hospital, tests were run and it was discovered that she had liver cancer. She went into Hospice and passed away just days later.

I’m sure she never complained to anyone, even though she may have sensed that she was very ill. She lived the way she wanted and her kids respected that. She was not a burden on anyone.

When my brother went to see her in Hospice, just days before she passed, he was talking to her and she was apologizing to him that she wasn’t able to do anything. She always offered something to eat, or something to drink.......“What can I get for you?”

We all miss her and it will not be the same when we go back to visit. But, thank goodness we have the memories of those days.

More later........

Happy Thanksgiving

In Monterey, CA

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and it’s my favorite holiday.

Charlie and I had our first Thanksgiving together in 1988. We were living in Monterey, California. Charlie was going to the Naval Postgraduate School then.

I think that was the first time I had ever roasted a turkey. I even made a pumpkin pie from scratch. I was pretty ambitious back then. Of course, I was probably trying to impress someone too.

In those two years in Monterey we spent two Thanksgivings and two Christmases together. It was a magical time. Of all the places we’ve lived, I enjoyed Monterey the most.

Thanksgivings in PA 1991

We moved to Pennsylvania from Monterey and were there for three years. We were closer to family, so we spent more holidays with them. A few years later, we lived in Virginia for two years and again saw our families more often on holidays.

This Thanksgiving we are at home. I will be roasting a turkey, of course. But, I will not be making a pumpkin pie from scratch. For the last several years, my pies have come from either Mrs. Smith’s or Costco.

This year our friends, Patti and Bob, from Palm Springs, are coming to dinner. We’re thankful for having good friends who want to spend time with us.

I think back on Thanksgivings when I was growing up. When we were all young and at home, it would have made a perfect picture for a Norman Rockwell calendar. Well, maybe not PERFECT, but Mom, Pop and all of us kids were sitting around the dinner table. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but I’m sure it’s in my brothers’ and sisters’ memories, as it is in mine. These are the times that you never forget.

As we got older and left home, we sometimes made it back for Thanksgiving and other holidays, but not always. It became a rare occasion to have everyone together in one place, with our extended families.

I am so thankful to have the memories of the traditions that I was raised with. I still prepare the same dishes that I remember having as a child. The only thing I have added since I met Charlie is the “green bean casserole”. Our traditional meal with the turkey was dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, asparagus, corn, cranberry sauce, candied yams, and rolls, but no green bean casserole. (Of course, I don’t think that was “invented” when I was a kid).

We have had some personal tragedies this year. We don’t have kids, but we have our pets who we love dearly. We’ve lost two of them this year. Both were unexpected, but one, Grady, was so sudden that we didn’t have time to prepare. Not that you’re ever ready. We did have a little warning with Taz, but after going through an illness that couldn’t be cured, he was also taken from us. We knew it was inevitable, but we weren’t quite ready to say good bye to him.

I’m very thankful for having a husband who has been tolerant of me. I feel like I have pushed him to the limit sometimes. If it wasn’t for the fact that he loves our pets as much as I do, I don’t think he would have wanted to get a cat when we lived in Monterey:

• So.... we went to the shelter and found Rowdy.
• Then when Calvin started living on our patio....we adopted him.

Calvin and Rowdy in Monterey, CA

• Then in Pennsylvania, we started talking about getting a dog......we got Chelsi.
• And because Rowdy and Calvin were getting older, we wanted a kitten. That was when we
found Taz at the shelter in California.
• I brought Jezibel home because she was homeless. We adopted her and she had nine kittens.....five of which we kept.
• Then there was Mo, a stray, who needed to come in from the cold.
• The twins, Jason and Kaci......
• And of course, Sheila.
• Then came Debby and her kittens. We still have Debby.

Charlie has a big heart and he accepted all of these little creatures. Okay, in some cases I had to really use persuasion and talked him into it, but he knew they needed us as much as we needed them, and he finally agreed.

He has never judged me and it’s as innocent as that. No matter what problems we've had with our pets, i.e. tearing things up, inappropriate litter box use, etc., he has never said to me that we shouldn’t have ever gotten any of these pets. They are ours and we will always be responsible for taking care of them.

When Taz was diagnosed with lymphoma, we knew we were possibly looking at a huge medical bill, but we committed ourselves to it. Charlie said “In for a penny, in for a pound”. We stayed with him until the end.

We both love Taz and wanted to do whatever we could for him. We just hoped that he would be with us longer, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’m thankful to have had him for almost 12 years. I still think of him every day and I miss him terribly. He was my constant companion so it’s very hard for me still.

But, we’re thankful to have had all of the pets in our life together. We no longer have Rowdy, Calvin, Chelsi, Mo, Grady, and Taz. They were all very special and will always be with us. They live through pictures and tapes that we have. We are enjoying the ones who are still with us.

We are also very thankful to have such a wonderful family and good friends to be with.

As we give our thanks this Thanksgiving, we wish everyone who is reading this, a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving too.

More later............

Mommy...don't take yourself so seriously.........

Kaci.......really?

Jason.......doesn't know how to relax

Taz.....relaxing in his favorite bankie

So I’m at the 32nd Street Naval Base today. I went into the Exchange Garden Shop to see if I could find a bird feeder to hang up outside the family room. We had a bird feeder there that Charlie gave me a few years ago. It was the coolest one I’d ever seen. It had little lights that lit up at night, solar powered. But, best of all, it had feeding stations that the birds could get to, but they couldn’t just flit the food all over the place. It fell several times and, unfortunately, this last time, it broke. He had gotten it at the Exchange.

Long story short, they didn’t have any bird feeders that resembled what I wanted. So, after my leisure time of shopping for what I really wanted was over, I went to work, shopping at the Commissary for Thanksgiving dinner.

It is a huge Commissary Store. In fact, it is the U.S. military's largest commissary. And it was very crowded. I don’t mind crowded, but I do mind stupid. Some of these people who shop there act like they have never been in a store before. Put a shopping cart in their hands and they are downright dangerous. You wouldn’t believe how many of them push their carts down the left side of the aisle. HELLO, do you freaking drive on that side of the road? Maybe, but you won’t live long. And today, if I’d had my way, you wouldn’t live long either.

Charlie and I have gone to the commissary before and usually he drives our cart. We see the same kind of stupid crap. He knows what they do to me. These people are unreal. I can’t believe his patience. I don’t say anything. He knows what I’m thinking. He’s thinking the same thing. But, he waits for “Ethel” to pick her freaking spices while her cart is blocking everyone coming down the aisle. She’s unconscious! Unaware that anyone else is in the store shopping. Really?

I was doing fine, pushing my cart, waiting for people, etc. I always go down the right side of the aisle. But, there are some who push along the left side, so you have carts coming right at you, head on and then just a small space to get through two carts on either side of the aisle. Then when they are all stopped, you have to wait until you can get by. I get that. I’ve done it hundreds of times. It’s the commissary life.

In some of the stores we’ve been in, they actually have arrows down the right side of the aisles. Of course it doesn’t do any good, but I thought I’d mention it.

Well, somewhere in the middle of store, not sure which aisle, I came upon idiot City. I’m on the right side of the aisle, cautiously pushing along, watching everyone. There was a woman, on her cell phone talking to someone and she had about 3 kids, running all over, picking up stuff from the shelves. She was saying “Do we need this, do we need that, etc.” and she was with her cart in front of me. Well that didn’t bother me, although I noticed it. But then there were two carts on the left of aisle coming towards me. Then a guy with a bright yellow shirt had his cart CROSS WISE of the aisle, blocking everyone on either side. He freaking didn’t know which side of the aisle he wanted to shop on. He was wild eyed, looking for something on both sides of the aisle. Did his wife really send him out alone?

There were about three people behind me. I turned to see if the guy behind me was seeing what I was seeing. His eyes were glazed over. I thought “He’s been in here too long” so I said something like “Excuse me, can we get through here?” I swear it was like Night of the Living Dead in there.

But, the woman with the kids, who I wasn't even talking to, kind of moved her cart and said “It’s crowded in here so you should show some patience”.

I looked at her and said “Excuse me, are you talking to me?.... Are you talking to ME? Do I know you? You don’t KNOW how much patience I have. I think I can see how crowded it is in here! Besides, I wasn’t EVEN talking to YOU. This is NONE of your freaking business, lady. Don't you see this guy who has his freaking cart CROSSWISE in the aisle and NO ONE can get by? HELLO?"

Well, actually, what I REALLY said was “I have patience,Ma'am” (I hate being called "Ma'am" myself) and she said “Well you’re not showing it,” and I said “Well, you’re not showing any courtesy,” and I pushed on, but I heard her gasp “Wow”, like, 'well, I never!' I guess she thought she was being COURTEOUS to me by butting in and talking to me like one of her kids, telling me that I had a nerve to say “excuse me” while I tried to get through "Crazy Town" at the commissary. It was none of her business and I wasn’t even talking to her in the first place.

Of course, this would have been a different scene if Charlie had been with me and pushing the cart. We would have waited “patiently” without saying anything, but I would be boiling inside at the stupidity of these people.

On the way home, I thought about what I could have said to that woman when she tried to lecture me about patience. Actually no one nearby even acknowledged our exchange. She was the only one who had any life to her I think. Maybe we both could have yelled at each other and got our frustrations out and no one would have noticed, but then again I might have wound up in the security office with them calling Charlie: “Captain Bell, you wife is out of control (again) at the 32nd Street Commissary. Can you come down and settle her down?”

I came out of it unscathed though. Before I got home, I stopped at Von’s grocery store for a couple of things I had forgotten or they didn't have, and for a bottle of wine, which I couldn’t buy at the commissary. I think there’s a good reason for that. It was good to see that they push their carts on the RIGHT side of the aisle at Vons.

More later..............

You can't own a cat. The best you can do is be partners.

On May 11, 2009 I received a call from a friend who is a building inspector with the City. He said that he was at a construction site and they had seen a kitten under the construction office trailer. I told him I’d be there in a few minutes.

When I got there, the construction crew said that two kittens had fallen out, but the mother cat had come down and carried both of them back up into the insulation under the trailer. I waited for a few minutes, but there were no cats. I left and told them to call me if the kittens came back.

I had just about gotten home when I received a call from the inspector. There were two kittens on the ground under the trailer now. I told him that I would go home and get a kennel and come back.

When I got back to the site, the guys had scooped up the kittens in a box and were holding them for me. The mother cat was nearby. She was a little, long haired solid black cat. The kittens, one striped with white paws and the other black, long haired, with white paws, looked to be about 4 weeks old. They were not afraid or feral yet. Their mother, however, was not going to have anything to do with any of us.

It was about 3:00 in the afternoon. I took the kittens and put them in the kennel I brought. I thought that maybe I could tempt the mother cat to come and be with the kittens. She was too smart for that. I left the kennel with the kittens on the parking lot near the trailer. The mother went around in circles, but wouldn’t come near the kittens. I put treats down. She came up and picked up the treats, but wouldn’t come near me. The guys were going to lock up and leave soon.

I opened the kennel and hoped that the mother cat would come over to the kittens. The kittens saw her and started coming out of the kennel. They started running over to their mother, who was under the trailer. I had to catch them and put them back into the kennel. Then I put the kennel in the back of my SUV. I went over to the steps of the trailer to watch, hoping that the mother would get in and maybe I could get back to the car and close the doors before she got out. She did jump up there and “talk” to her kittens, but of course, when I moved toward the car, she jumped down.

It was getting close to 5:00pm and I felt like I should try to get the kittens home and feed them. It had been two or three hours since I had come over. I hated to leave the mother cat there in the parking lot, but I knew I would try to come back for her. When I drove off, I could see her in my rearview mirror. I just hoped she would stick around long enough for me to catch her.

I took the kittens home and kept them in the RV for the night. I planned to take them to the vet the next day and make sure they were okay to be with our other cats in the garage. I didn’t know if they were weaned yet, so I got some kitten formula and bottles for feeding. The kittens were very hungry and they drank the milk from the bottle after a little coaxing. But, they also had a tendency to chew, so I knew they were near weaning.

The next day I mixed some wet food with the formula and the kittens were pretty messy, but they slurped up as much as they wanted. Their mom had been weaning them probably when they fell out of the insulation of the construction trailer.

I took them to the vet for checkups. They checked out fine. We fixed up a cage and pen for them in the garage. With some coaxing, they were both eating formula with wet cat food. I named the striped male, “Marquis” and the black female, “Monet”. They had been found in the construction site of the “Marquis” and “Monet” development. I know, how original.

Marquis and Monet about 4 weeks old

I went back over to the construction trailer that afternoon. The guys said they had not seen the mother cat. I had brought some food and water. I set it under the trailer. I stayed there until they closed up and left. I was parked in the parking lot. When I started thinking that she wouldn’t come, I saw her coming along the parking lot and under the trailer. She went over to the food and ate. After she ate, she sat and “called” the kittens. It was pitiful. I got out of my car and walked toward her, but then she moved away from the food. There was just no way I was going to get her to come to me.

Now it became a challenge. I felt like I had to catch her, hopefully before I found homes for her kittens. I wanted her to be able to see the kittens again so she’d know that I didn’t just take them from her when I drove away with them that day. I decided that her name would be “Debby”.

So, I had to leave “Debby” there that night. I went home and decided that I would try to borrow a trap from the animal shelter. I called the next day, but there were no traps available. I went online and discovered that I could buy one. I ordered it and hoped I would get it before Debby decided that she had no reason to come back to the trailer.

I went to the trailer every night and put the food out and waited. I soon discovered that Debby came to the trailer every evening at 7:30pm. I still didn’t have my trap though.

Sometimes when she didn’t show up at 7:30, I drove around the block and came back through the parking lot. Then she would be there. One night when I was waiting for her a gray tabby came through the parking lot. He had white paws and I think he was “Marquis’” dad.

In the meantime, the kittens were growing and playing and we were really enjoying them. But, I wanted to bring Debby to see them before they had to leave.

My trap finally arrived on the 21st, 10 days after I found the kittens. At a little after 6:00pm I took the trap out to the trailer and set it up. Debby still had not come at 7:30 as she usually did. Then 8:00 and it was getting dark. I went to start the car and drive around the block like I did, and the car wouldn’t start. It sounded like a dead battery, clicks and nothing else. I called Charlie to come and help me. I figured it would take the Auto Club longer to get out there. It was dark by now. While I was on the phone with Charlie, the “daddy” cat came by. He took one look at the trap and kept going. I was afraid he would go in and I didn’t really want to catch him that night.

After awhile Charlie drove up. It was about 9:00 or so. He got out and went to the back of his car to get the cables out. While he was doing that, I decided to try to start the car. It started! I got out of the car to go and tell him to never mind the cables and here comes Debby under the trailer! I told Charlie to back up and we’d leave to see if she’d come to the trap. I pulled up to the end of the street and Charlie went over to park by the models. Then I as I was backing back to the trailer, I heard the trap spring. I ran over to the trap and saw that Debby was in it. I quickly put the trap in my car and drove over to where Charlie was. I said “I got her!” and he gave a thumbs up. I’m sure he was glad that my night ‘raids’ were over.

Debby spent the night in her kennel in the RV. I took her to the vet the next day. She needed to be tested for feline leukemia before I could bring her into the garage. I wanted to have her spayed, but they said it would be six weeks before they could do that. But, since they had to sedate her to get blood, they decided they would go ahead and spay her. She was negative for feline leukemia and her kittens were also negative.

Debby in her "4x4"
Her kittens were so small, they just came through the wire

We set up a 4x4x6 kennel for her in the garage. When I brought her home from the vet, she settled in there. We let her kittens go in with her. She knew them and seemed to be relieved to see them, licking them and meowing at them. They played all around and on top of her and she had so much patience.

Debby let me pet her, but having the kittens near was helpful. I still didn’t know if she would scratch me, so I usually held one of the kittens up for her to distract her when I wanted to pet her. I bought a little stuffed black and white cat and started using that as a buffer in case she struck at me. But, she never really tried to strike me.

I found good homes for Debby’s kittens when they turned 8 weeks old. Marquis is now “Marcus” and belongs to one of my walking buddies. Monet is now “Thumbelina”. She belongs to a family who uses the same vet as we do. They saw the picture of the kittens on the bulletin board at the vet’s office where I had posted them.

Marcus and Oreo

I still get the chance to babysit with “Marcus” and his brother “Oreo” when I’m needed. He has grown into a handsome young fellow. I haven’t seen “Thumbelina” again, but I have had some updated pictures of her.

Thumbelina

We are now leaving the door to Debby’s kennel open most of the time. She comes out into the garage, but is still shy and will run back to the safety of her cat tree in the kennel. But, we’re hoping that when she gets more used to being out and seeing us more, she will not be so afraid. She loves being petted though and I’m working on trying to pick her up. She is still not much into that though. We’ve had her a year and half now and I’m sure it will take awhile longer to get her trust. She does like the other cats and we’ve had no problems with that. In fact, she likes Mr. Creme and comes over to him when he gets near her kennel. We call him “her boyfriend”.

More later........