Kitty Updates

We put up our Christmas tree on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I can't remember if I blogged about it or not. I do know I posted it on Facebook, only because our cats could NOT leave it alone. Bruce got the lights on it and then we just left it without ornaments because the cats were attacking it and climbing on all the branches from the inside. The thing would shake and sway so violently that I can't even imagine what the view of it was like from the road (its in our front window). It must have looked like a possessed Christmas tree.

But I got tired of not having anything on the tree. I mean, seriously, I USED to consider myself an expert Tree decorator. I have an attic filled to the brim with gorgeous glass ornaments that we have collected from all over the place. My tree was my pride and my joy every single year. So this is unchartered territory for me. It feels so strange. So I ran out and picked up a few boxes of "shatterproof" ornaments.
They look like glass, but feel like plastic. Whatever....they are shiny and the tree looks a little more finished. Nothing like it ought to look, but its better.

And you know, its gotten better. After the first week or so, the cats are no longer climbing it. They do sleep on the tree skirt a whole lot (which is fine by me). And they do occasionally take an ornament off of the bottom and bat it around for fun. I find them scattered here and there, but they won't break so its no big deal.
We have come to the conclusion that by next year we might be able to have a decent tree again. IF we put it up early and give them a week or so to get used to it. And IF I use these unbreakable things around the bottom part. I think it might work out. I am tired of defending myself and my pathetic tree by making it a point to tell anyone who comes in the house how I USED to have fabulous trees....trying to justify the sadness that my tree is this year. LOL.

Also? Yesterday morning I was sitting here on my couch, with my coffee and my computer, reading the news online like I do most every morning. And Vixen (the black kitty) came out of the kitchen, walking toward me like she was going to jump up here on the couch with me. Its not unusual for her to do that as the blanket that she loves was right beside me. I just happened to look up and see........a MOUSE hanging out of her mouth. And not one of her fake play mice. A REAL LIVE MOUSE. In her mouth!! And she was bringing it to ME!!!

I started screaming, which woke Bruce up in a blind panic. He thought the house was on fire or something. But anyway, it took him a while to get that mouse away from Vixen. Everytime he tried to take it, she would growl and get all possessive. By the time he got her to drop it, the poor thing was dead. I felt kind of bad for it.
It probably just came in to get out of the cold, and then it got killed. I don't hate mice. I just don't want dead ones dropped on my lap. Yuck. What a way to start my day.

Also? This makes me smile:

So Happy

Yesterday, despite the fact that it was cold, Bruce and I got outside and cleaned out the shed where the goats had been living. And that led to cleaning out all 3 storage rooms AND the garage, so it was a very productive day. The outside storage is clean, neat and organized. But it also made me a little sad, as I was missing the goats. Last night I wrote a quick email to the family that took them, because they told me that I was welcome to contact them anytime. They wrote back immediately. This is what they said:

"HI this is Lane , They are fine and my daughers think the story about them is the best thing ever , we had a small pond dug today so we wouldnt have to worry about water for all the livestock and they have been playing king of the hill on the dirt mounds all day. THE only problem we have had is the kids spoil them so bad with attention and treats that they yell or blet every time we go outside or when they see a human!!!! I am sure youwill hear from the girls in the future they are asleep right now, so thanks again and God Bless You and your family this X-mas and throughout your lives!!

Ps I forgot to tell you Bailey my youngest is training them to ride on the Fourwheeler!! "


My goats are happy, and that makes me absolutely thrilled. I knew one woman who taught her goat to ride in a golf cart with her. But a 4-wheeler? LOL. The goats are having way more fun than they did here. It makes my heart a whole lot less heavy.

Also? The "story" that they refer to is a children's book that Stephen still wants to write (when he has the time) about "Chaucer, the Magic Goat" (and his non-magical sidekick Poe). If it ever does get written, Hannia would be doing the illustrations for it. I told the family that if it ever does come to pass, I will make sure they get a copy as they own the original inspiration for the book. :)

Goatless

The family came to pick up our goats today. I really do feel like they are going to enjoy this home. Their daughters are planning to take them to some special animal show and tell at school. And train them to walk on a leash, and even possibly show them off at the county fair this coming fall. I know Chaucer and Poe will love all of that attention. Because seriously, other than running out to feed them twice a day, we didn't ever seen to be able to find much time to hang out and play with them. And they are playful, so...I feel good about this situation.

They went willingly enough into the truck. We sent them off with their food, a bag of their favorite timothy grass/molasses hay (goats LOVE that stuff), and their deworming medication. The guy seemed really knowledgeable about the dewormer, and general goat care. Well, he said he raises Bora goats (full-size), but he sells those. His girls wanted a couple of goats to keep, and play with and get attached to that wouldn't be sold off. They also raise their own hay, so I know my goats will be well fed.

I am ok with this. I feel like its a good thing. But still, when that truck first pulled off with my goats on the back of it, I came inside and cried for a little bit.
I couldn't help it. But its all going to work out fine. We have their email and phone number. The girls are going to send us pictures occasionally. They invited us to stop in anytime we come through Fayetteville to see them. If I started missing them too terribly, it would be feasible to go visit them. And I just might...

On a happier note, Shep and Scooter seemed really happy to have full run of the backyard again. I don't think they will miss the goats at all.

To Barb

Barb wrote:

"I am sad, very sad, because each time we come and visit you it is really to see the goats, now there no reason to come see you now. Barb"

Bruce replies:

"The only reason we come to visit you is to get the pickles, and now you just gave us some, so there is no reason to come see you now, either".


LOL! Also, just for the record, (and yes my husband is an egomaniac), he has determined that the upcoming holiday should now be called "Brucemas"

Um, yeah, so A Very Merry Brucemas to all of you. Too crazy.

Goats might be gone....

Bruce and I have been contemplating our goats for a while now. It makes things complicated that our backyard has been taken over by barnyard animals. Don't get me wrong, its been a fun experience. A learning experience. And I am glad that I had this time with them that I have. But we made the decision that things would just be easier if the goats went to a home more suited to livestock. The dogs would be happier to have free run of the backyard again.

We attempted to contact a local farm that has a petting zoo, but they are closed for the season, and although Bruce left a message, nobody ever called us back. Several months ago, while I was still trying to make up my mind if I could actually part with my goats, Bruce ran by the farm where he bought them from originally. That guy said it was no problem, he would take them back. But...a couple of months have passed and when Bruce contacted him this past week, this man was selling off all his goats, and was no longer interested in taking them back. Yikes! We were beginning to get a little bit worried that we were stuck with goats for life. And goats live a good 10-15 years.

So, in a last ditch effort, I put an ad on Craig's list this evening. That was around 7pm. A dozen emails, and half a dozen phone calls later (who knew goats would generate so much interest??? Maybe it was the FREE part?) I think we have found them a good home. Bruce has interviewed and asked questions while we tried to match them with a good family. Under NO circumstances would I let my goats go to someone who planned to eat them. That was my major concern. But the people that we decided to grace with our precious goats have a farm with horses, other full-sized goats, plenty of pasture/farm land and 2 daughters (ages 10 and 14). These little pygmy goats were going to be for the girls. We got other offers of people who wanted to use them to clear lots, mainly because goats eat almost everything. But it was the family with children who made me feel the happiest about this whole situation. So, we will see. They have confirmed that they definitely want them and want to come on Monday to pick the goats up. If they don't show, then...I will go back down the list of emails and see if we can figure out someone else that might be a good match. A few of the others seemed Ok. One lady assured me that she was a vegetarian, so my goats were not in danger of being eaten. But how can I be sure that she wasn't lying? haha

Actually, I am surprisingly not sad about it. I think our goats get somewhat bored out there in our backyard. Its spacious, but not for grazing and foraging. I think they will enjoy being on a farm with horses and other goats. And I KNOW they will love the attention of kids to play with them. I think its a much better situation for them, and so....I am ready to let them go, and be happy that I think they will have a good home.

Which leaves us with only 2 dogs, and 2 cats now. That is almost like a normal amount of pets....isn't it? LOL.

Hurt

We lost Scarlet today. She would have been 17 years old this coming spring. And that is old for a dog. We have had her since she was just about 2 months old. Jeanne gave her to us. To Erica, actually, for her 10th birthday. She had a long full life, and lots of love from her family. Its been difficult watching her suffer from really bad arthritis, and a loss of appetite.

We have been trying to postpone the inevitable as long as possible, carrying her in and out, and to the water dish. But it was becoming painfully clear that she was not happy, and her quality of life was not good. At 17, we couldn't expect things to improve. So...with the help of our vet, Dr. Kuhn, who has been so wonderful and supportive with all of the geriatric dog care that we need, we scheduled euthanasia here at home. And that....hurts. Its hard. Its right, and its compassionate, and its humane. But still, it leaves a hole in your heart. We will miss her.

Happy Birthday Stephen

My beloved son, my youngest child, is 25 today. I can hardly believe it. Hannia and I have been working for weeks on pulling off a surprise party for him. Between coordinating all the food, decorations, guests, etc....there has been a whole LOT of lying, sneaking, sending coded texts and emails. LOL. I feel a huge relief that its over and done with just because of that. But it was a success. Erica got him here under some guise of running errands with her today. I don't know exactly what she said, but her job was to pick up the cupcakes at the bakery, and to get Stephen here at our house at 12, without him suspecting anything.

I think he really was surprised. He walked in, thinking they were just stopping by the house for something quick on the way out to eat lunch before Erica had to leave to drive back to Va. And as he came through the door, we were all standing around shooting off these confetti-loaded poppers that made a huge bang. So funny. I still have confetti all over the floor.

The food was good. Hannia made chorizo quesadillas (and onion and pepper ones for people who don't eat meat). I made these mediterranean pinwheels that had prosciutto, feta and fresh basil. We had sneaked out a couple of weeks ago to order cupcakes from the Perfect Cake bakery that said "Happy Birthday Stephen" in IPA. IPA is an international phonetic script that dates back to the 1840's (I think. I could be wrong). The people at the bakery really seemed so confused by our request. Even though I had a print out of how it should be spelled. But they got it right, so Yay!

Anyway, it was fun and he was surprised. Everyone has just left. Jack, who came all the way from Richmond is spending the rest of the weekend at Stephen's. Hannia knew about it, and was secretly trying to clean up around the apartment, like anyone would naturally do if they were having houseguests. But she had to do it nonchalantly as if nothing was going on. LOL. Erica is on her way back to Charlottesville, too. I will miss her, but she will be going to Jamaica with us for Christmas, so its only a few weeks before I get to see her again.

And one last update: I went to Rite-Aid yesterday and FINALLY got the stupid prescription filled. All of it. Maybe now that its in the system, it won't be so crazy-hard to refill next month....? Who knows....


Here's a pic of the cupcakes. I am not sure how well the IPA script shows up. Hannia probably got much better pictures than I did. And halfway through the party our camera died and we didn't find the charger until after everyone had left. I had inadvertently packed it up with the Halloween decorations that we took on the cruise....and believe me, looking through that stuff was an absolute last resort since I had it all boxed up and packed away. But we found it, and everything is fine. Hannia had her camera so I don't think we missed anything.