Tennessee State Line - Take me Home!

First off- a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to CarrieK!
Happy Birthday to you!

I am so glad to be home! I've missed EVERYONE! As soon as we hit Murray, KY, Willow and Sally were up and active, as if their internal compasses kicked back in and once again they could locate 'home.'

For half of the trip - they were curled up behind Mr. J's seat together.

Note plenty of cat hair on the seats.

Cats in Cars

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The girls took the trip much better than last year, with no real problems. (last year, Sally ran away at a wayside rest and we barely caught her.. that was a problem!) Overalll, Willow gets a B, for being a generally good 'Car Cat.' I would have given her a higher grade, but she did get on the dash twice during the trip, and once tried to get under Mr.J's brake foot - a big no-no! Sally gets a D+ for being extremely Noisy halfway through Illinois, refusing water the entire 18 hours and general grumpiness.

Little Squint is back in TN with us too. He is doing well, after a slight emergency vet visit earlier in the week. The vet ladies in Grand Rapids, MN were so very kind and gentle with him, and he sat still and was a good kitten for them too! He is roaring with ferocious kitten energy, and beginning to get on the girls' nerves badly!

All this week, I will have pictures from what I consider to be some of the most beautiful places in my hometown's region. I'll try to space them out though :o)

Can you believe I did not TOUCH any computer at all this week? Anyone else fainting over that? ;o) I'll have to catch up with everyone after a good night's sleep!

I Wanna Be a Kitten Too!

My original kitten girl, Willow, hams it up.
The girls still have no clue we are leaving tomorrow.
When I start packing furiously, they'll be worried!
Willow was extra cute this morning, this is the crate I keep my computer up and away from kittens on. She wanted a lot of playing and scratching behind the ears, and she definitely got it!

But, lo and behold, not a finger's breadth away... sleeps Squint.
Willow: You're going to use this photo to blackmail me, right?

Willow has been nose-to-nose with all of the kittens more and more lately - I wish they all had another week to get to know each other and for the kittens to get more used to their dry food. Doria's owner(Doria was the kitten's mom) says he will take Red and Smoke out on Saturday and, if necessary, Tuesday morning to try to give them away. They'll be just fine, as they know him already. He has two other cats though, and also cannot keep them. His offer takes some of the urgency out of all of this 'leaving for Minnesota' bit, but I will miss them!

I have a TON of cleaning to do, laundry to wash, bags to pack - which is what put me in such a bad mood yesterday. This is usually all my part of the job, then Mr.J drives the whole way non-stop (except waystations). That's why I was grumpy.. and I still need to do most of it.. so why am I at the computer? ;o)

Still have Three Kittens

Linky: Cute picture of a baby loris.

Tried to give little Red away at the dentist office -- but no one was really serious about wanting him :o( which is sad, as he is the sweetest of all of them. I thought he had a chance at a good home there! I was even offering a new filled 'litter box' (square plastic container with a lid.. he is tiny after all), lots of food, a dose of Frontline for when he is 8 weeks, and an offer to go in for half at the clinic if they want to neuter him. Oh well.

So, it looks like they will have to go to WM tomorrow morning and try there. I can't promise them 'good' homes there -- but maybe they will get super lucky, just because they are so cute.

We walked our proposed land deal in Mixie again today, at 7 am before the heat of the day. The oxbow I took pictures of is partially on our property - which will be beautiful when the water runs through it. It was dry right now. I also started examining types of grasses that are growing in different parts of the land parcel.

We have to be on the road to Minnesota at 6 am on Saturday - I hope these kittens get homes :o(

RANT:

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I'm kind of in a bad mood today. I wish we didn't have to leave so early on Saturday, but Mr.J says we have to start an 18 hour drive early in the day - he wants to get there around midnight. I'm dreading the trip, dreading the vacation... just want everything to be back to normal already and not so topsy-turvey :o(

Oh.. and no spinning class for me :o((( The time I am up in MN is exactly the same time the spinning instructor is taking her vacation -- and so far I haven't located another place to take a class that is within easy driving distance of Grand Rapids. **sigh**

Produce

I know I already posted about kittens today - but look what I pulled out of our garden today! Lots of tomatoes and peppers (hot and bell types).

I think I'm making tacos today ;o)

We Now Return You to your Regular Kitten Viewing

Little Red poses for the 'Most Beautiful Kitten' contest
Really.. this guy is too adorable, I hope the dentist ladies fall in love with him!
Red and Squint fight over my measuring tape
While Smoke was unavailable for comment...
Ah a Worm! BAT!
Three Kitten attack HAS to be cute... ;o)
Squint loves to play in the box that
we use to carry the kittens to work.
The cage won't fit in our truck seat, it has to go in the back.
Picture of Squint with his ear and part of the bite showing. I woke him up for this shot - so he looks sleepy. The antibiotic makes him sleepy too, after I give it to him he falls asleep for about a half hour, then is up and roaring to go. The bite is completely covered in a dry scab now - no infection to be seen. But, it still looks yucky. If you could see the ferocity and energy with which he is running around now, you would know he is feeling MUCH better!

All of the kittens are reluctantly eating dry food. I'm telling them 'there is no more milk or wet cat food in this world... at least, I can't promise there ever will be -- so get used to it!' Willowpede thinks all the hungry cries are me torturing the little ones. But then she investigates and finds a full bowl of kitten food -- which she knows is tasty. Now she just thinks these kittens are blind or silly ;o)

10 days in Minnesota

Yesterday was so hectic! Our banker was sick, and we have to reschedule. So, I'll tell you about our upcoming 'vacation.'

By Saturday morning we will be on the road to Minnesota, with three cats.
Some of you might remember the last time we long-distance travelled with cats, and I'm sure Sally and Willow would have more than a few unhappy words to meow about it -- if you asked them.

Willow is already tired, just from all the kittenwatching.
Last week the Cincinnati trip, this week kittens -- now another 18 hour car trip?
Cats must be thinking: What in the world did we do wrong?
I feel so bad for the girls, they have gotten minimal attention and playtime this week -- and now the trip :o( I hope it won't traumatize them too much. Last time, it took weeks for Sally to stop freaking out when she got back into the car.

VACATION: August 5 - 15th

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We are headed for Grand Rapids, MN, and probably also a day or two spent at Duluth, MN with Mr.J's sister. It is supposed to be our vacation, but for me, going home never is. I'll be happy to visit and drink coffee on quiet mornings with my mom, and maybe get a spinning class at the yarn store that opened up there (they have a website) - and if she is free, see my best friend who is getting married next year.

Mr.J and I were both raised in Grand Rapids - and almost all of our entire families still live there. My mom is still 'disappointed' that we now live so far away from everyone. I told her a few days ago that with this land we are buying we will be staying in Tennessee at least 15 years. That made her very sad. :o( But land is so expensive in MN - we would never have a chance there, and here is where the work is.

Most of the time I appreciate the distance, as my family can stress me out, even over the phone. There are so many things I just can't help with - even if I was there to try. I was raised as 'the mediator', but could never mediate anything for very long before it was spinning out into havoc again - so... drat, 10 days of emotional hurricane for me.
*sigh*

In good news - Mr. J's sister wants me to teach her to knit ;o)

And did you notice I said going to Minnesota with THREE cats? Squint is coming up with us. We know a lot more people up there that just might be willing to take on a housecat with special needs, and actually take care of him. I'll say that for the people I know - they are kind to animals :o)

Squint's ear is going to be permanently curled up and disfigured. But his eye is clear and he can see out of it. Cats have veins that run near the base of their ear, close to the jaw - and his must have been damaged on that side, because his ear is getting hard, and closing up. The picture below shows his bad ear, it looks yucky, but it really is better. Before, the ear flap was hiding a bad infection underneath it.

This little guy really is SO sweet..
He loves to play, and runs across the room to be near me.
He fell asleep on Mr.J's shoulder yesterday while he watched a movie.
He needs a kind, loving person
who can see past the 'ugly' ear.
He'll also benefit from another week of healing and special attention. Mischa(dog at work) cleaned him again after this picture. She has helped him tremendously, his wounds are healing well and the scabby stuff is coming off to show new skin underneath. I already have a lead on somebody here in Paris who might like one of the other kittens -- I'll be taking cute pics to her later this week.