dammit.

Remember when I was all mad because there were Ginger Cats having loud sex behind my air conditioning unit? Well, apparently, they kept practicing and eventually got it right. How do I know this? Well, I'll tell ya - THERE WERE KITTENS BEHIND MY AC!!!!!!!

Daddy Don went out there yesterday to chase a Ginger away. He noticed a tiny movement. It was a kitten. I took Lily Ruth out to see, and it was TWO tiny kittens.


We had some dinner then went out to check again. All of a sudden, it was SIX tiny kittens!


They seem to be new to walking, but that means that we're going to start seeing a lot more of them. Now I'm freaking out about what I'm supposed to do with six kittens. I'm also afraid that they will fall into the pool... or be beaten up by one of their daddies... or not get enough to eat because cats are terrible mamas... Why do I have to be so nice? Why can't I just not care what happens to the tiny babies? Dammit.

Well, this story has a happy ending (for me) because the mama cat spent ALL F'ING NIGHT moving the kittens. It kept Keely up for HOURS. Now they are in the hedge next to the pool... because CATS ARE CRAPPY PARENTS. We were in the pool this evening when I noticed a teeny-tiny cat watching us from the viney-overgrown wackiness between our elderly neighbors and ourselves. If either of us had any cash or any dignity, there would not be a place that you could hide six kittens there. But we each have to be who we are, so there happens to be a falling down fence overgrown with a vine that creates a perfect (???) den.

When I went over to their house to mention the kittens, she already knew. I think that she has maybe been in our yard when we're not home, but whatever. Not only was she not surprised about the kittens, but she knew where they had started out, where they were now, and how many there are.

She did seem a bit concerned about the fact that she has to pay a no-kill shelter every 3-4 months to take a new litter of kittens. It took a lot for me to not offer to help pay, BUT they're not my kittens! My cats are fixed. I expressed sympathy, but that was all. I was proud of myself for not taking on this wackiness. Daddy Don is relieved.

It gets better, ya'll. Daddy Don went out to find Frank for dinner. He came back sans Frank, but avec concerned expression. There was a baby bird on the ground. DAMMIT.


It was hideously ugly and oh so very small. I found a Victoria's Secret bag and a rag to line it. I picked it up (with the towel) and put the bag in the fork of the tree it was closest to.


I checked on it several times as I finished dinner. Then the doorbell rang. A neighbor child was attempting to return the bag. The tiny bird was on the ground again. As a group, we discussed it and decided to leave tiny bird there least it fling itself from the tree AGAIN and hurt itself. It was really hard to walk away, but I did.

I'm overwhelmed with the fecund offerings of nature this weekend. I may close the blinds and refuse to examine any further examples. Dammit.

Today's Random Tidbits - 4

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, Family! That's not sarcasm, Folks. I genuinely love to spend time with the people that I'm related to.

My aunt, uncle & cousins watched a tired and pissed off Lily Ruth for us while we went to the Cowboy Mouth show on Wednesday night. Not exactly 'together time', but it definitely deserves a shout-out.

We had a wonderful dinner last night with my parents. I made a Chicken, Rosemary, Mushroom, Veggie & Pasta Soup with cheese quesadillas on multi-grain tortillas and peach & blackberry fruit salad. If I get enough sleep tonight, I'll add the soup recipe... don't hold your breath...

My grandmother, aunt, daughter & I went to the Farmer's Market this morning. I bought squash, onions, pinto beans, culinary lavender and yukon gold potatoes. I also managed to send my grandmother into a mild (yet good-natured) tizy by allowing Lily Ruth to chew on a squash while we walked around. As Grandmother Ruth tells it, when her kids dropped something, it had to be BOILED before you gave it back to them (per Dr. Spock). Side note - she also LOATHES it when the dogs kiss the baby :-)

And last but not least, my in-laws arrived this afternoon! My mother-in-law and I bought Lily Ruth 2 new bathing suits - one for cute and one with the SPF 50 3/4 sleeve top. Then she jumped on board the tiny-fridge-magnet-toy train with me and we went CRAZY! SInce the 3 I already made were DUDS (the magnets were too weak to stick to the fridge), I sent them to live with the tiny cat (he's been playing with/ruining them anyway)... correction - I sent two of them with the kitten. The other one is MIA. So far, we've made a (new) fish, a star, a pear, an eggplant and a crook-neck squash. Side note - here's a sign that you're slightly OCD: you creep out of bed at oh, 11:00 at night to finish blanket-stitching a felt squash because you couldn't leave it undone and still fall asleep...



p.s. The tiny cat found a new home! It was harder than I thought it would be to hand him over. I kept telling them stupid stuff about how to take care of him even though they have their own cats already. Even though internet courtesy dictates that I delete their e-dress and never contact them again, I plan to e-mail them later and ask how he's doing.


p.p.s. My daughter is awesome.

Dear So & So... take 10

I haven't participated in Dear So & So Friday lately, and I miss it! So here we go... oh, if you want to play too, pop over to Kat's at 3 Bedroom Bungalow, grab the button, write yourself some letters, and then link up!

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

Dear Rain,

WOW! Um, you filled the pool to overflowing in just a few short hours of deluge. I'm so glad that you're here, but you brought too many friends. Please ask those jerks Surface Street Flooding and Super Slick Streets to please leave. They were not invited. You may stay as long as you behave yourself.

Yours,
Miss Wet Head

☁☂☁☂☁☂☁☂☁☂☁☂☁☂

Dear Keely Monkey Dog,

I'm so sorry, Honey. I know that you hate the rain. Would you like a treat?

I love you,
Mama Dog


❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

Dear Tiny Cat,

I really really really really really need to find a home for you. You have kept me awake for most of every night that you have been here by either chewing/scratching me or attempting to chew/claw on my baby daughter and waking her up in the process. I'm not sorry that I took you in, but I am sorry that you are still here. YOU ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY. It's a good thing that you're so cute. Fingers crossed that the lady I've been e-mailing comes to get you tomorrow!

I'm watching you,
Lady Who is Holding You by the Back of the Neck


☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

Dear Baby Daughter,

Oh my GOODNESS! You are getting so BIG! Great work on the whole standing thing. The fact that you now mimic the animals and sing 'ee-EYE-oh' when I sing 'Old MacDonald' seriously cracks me up. You are amazing and I love you so much that it hurts.

Your Biggest Fan,
Lily Ruth's Mama


♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Dear Self,

Get some damn sleep! This is ridiculous. Deep cleansing breaths. Let it all GO. Rest. Be good to yourself.

Love you!
me

Are you WITH me?

Last night was AWESOME. Don & I got to do one of our favorite shared pastimes. No, not that you pervert... although we would have if we'd had any time to spare... We went to a Cowboy Mouth show! Cowboy Mouth are a fantastic rock band out of New Orleans. The show is always energy-filled, loud and FUN.


The drummer (Fred) is the lead singer, so the drum kit is front and center. He's a powerhouse of big, positive energy, and he never stops moving, so he's a blur in my crappy cell phone picture. The entire show is 'full audience participation required'. Everyone is exhorted to be on their feet, hollering, clapping, jumping and singing for the duration of the set. Occasionally, Fred will halt a song until the noise level meets his standard. You just feel GOOD during a Cowboy Mouth show. He often asks 'ISN'T IT GREAT TO BE ALIVE!!!?'

Oh, I'm still riding along on the wave of feel-good fun from last night! Also, as I write this, I'm looking for a video to post with it, and Lily Ruth is dancing and clapping on the bed next to me - too cute!


Now, fingers crossed that the lady I've been e-mailing all day really wants the tiny cat! If so, he may be in his new home by tonight!!!

I found a video on youtube. It's not my favorite song of all time. That honor goes to 'Love of My Life', but there is no official video for that one... they spend too much time touring to make videos ;-), but I like it!

Regular Days

I feel like I blog a lot about Lily Ruth's (and therefore my) lack of sleep and the days that are so hard. Maybe that's because the tough days lead to a pent-up feeling and a need to vent whereas the regular and even the good days are simply lived and enjoyed. Whatever the reason, I'm vowing to re-hash more of the good along with the bad. Of course, this will have to wait until I find a new home for tiny kitty and get some damn sleep. I am a zombie. A zombie who loves you.


A zombie who would prefer it if her loving husband never took another picture of her from that angle ever again.

Tiny Kitty Update *edited*

Ya'll, there is still a tiny kitten in my house! I felt certain that his family would be searching high and low for him. I just KNEW that he'd be reunited (and it feels so GOOD) with them by now. Well, they're not, and he isn't. He's asleep on my pillow.

Last night, he woke me up twice to give him a snack and a sip of water. Today, he peed on my leg as I sat on my bed. Tonight, he played 'blanket monster' with Lily Ruth's roving toes as she attempted to nurse herself back to sleep, *EDIT* played 'lion on the savannah' with her HAIR while she slept, and WOKE HER UP TWICE (4 am - up for 2 hours & 8:15 am - up for the day.... no nap yet and it's 2 pm...)!!!! Mama is NOT happy. He is SOOOOOOOOO outta here!

I contacted my two friends who take in every kitten they see. They're each way over their kitten quota. One didn't even giggle when I suggested that there might be a kitten smuggling operation being run out of my folding massage table (without my knowledge), and not to be surprised if her was 'one up' after my next visit to his house. He suggested that I NOT leave an extra cat, but he did schedule a massage.

COME ON Craig's List - pull through for me!

Just to reiterate - I DO NOT HAVE A NEW CAT. I have a foster kitten who will either be reunited with his original family or placed with a new, very loving family (other than us) in the very near future... but check this out :-)


ah. door. ah. ble

dulce sueños

My Very First Mother's Day by Rachel

Today's Recipe: Electric Flapjacks

Today just keeps bringing me around the amazing women in my life.

I woke up to my amazing Lily Ruth's smile.


We took a walk. I found a kitten. Not a metaphor - a real, tiny, freaked out kitten... who looks almost EXACTLY like Bing did at that size. If, when I return to that location later today without my dog and my infant, said kitten is still there, I will take him/her in until a home can be found that is NOT OURS :-) My Mama's best friend (since they were 3 & 4) has rescued animals my whole life.

**EDIT - Ya'll already knew I was going to end up bringing that kitten home, right?...


He's too cute for words - I just know that somebody is missing him terribly. I will find them! Craig's List and Kinko's, here I come...

I made Electric Flapjacks for brunch. This is a great recipe from my childhood. Here it is in it's original format:


I could also hear my Mama and my Grandmother in my head while I cooked - 'the pan is ready when water droplets dance on it's surface' and 'pancakes are ready to flip when tiny bubbles pop through the top'.

I used the hand mixer passed on to me by my friend Crystal when she got an awesome stand mixer so she could make Monster Cookies in a more efficient manner.

I made tiny, baby-sized pancakes and even an 'L' for Lily just like my Mama used to for us.


I listened to the Spice Girls and 'shook it' in honor of my Kittyn.

I made tiny fridge magnet toys using Samster Mommy's idea


It's been pretty great :-)

Did I mention how awesome my husband is?


Well, he is. He and Lily Ruth bought me tiny speakers and a 'desk' for my laptop. He claims to be feeding my internet addiction. Enabler.

I AM LOVING MY LIFE, YA'LL! Feeling pretty thankful.