My Old Man

Aidan ....

Isn't he beautiful?  He wasn't always .. when I first saw him he was a scared short-haired little tuxedo kitten, so weak and pitiful; fleas were all over him and he walked/crawled with a limp.  And he was very, very quiet.  Unusual for a stray kitten in unknown territory surrounded by giant two-legged ones.  But there he was in my co-workers cat carrier on his way to the pound.  The pound.  So tiny and helpless.  She'd found him that morning in the trash dumpster at her apartment complex.  She already had a big bully cat and couldn't take in another animal; hence the pound.  I wasn't supposed to have any more cats, I was already owned by 2 .. but there he was ... looking at me through the bars of the case.  Calm, quiet and ... I don't know .. but the next thing I knew I had convinced her to not take him in just yet.  I wanted to run him by my vets office to find out what was wrong with his leg .. I wanted to give him a chance.  It was my half-day at work so soon we were on our way.  From the carrier, now strapped into the front seat of my car, he was still quiet ... laying in the back, sleeping.

Mine

The vet said that his little back leg wasn't broken, but that someone had either kicked or hit him so hard that it was permanently damaged.  And he was around 7 weeks old .. just a baby.  The doctor sprayed him with flea stuff and you could just see them hopping off of this poor baby; they were killing him.  Then Dr. Prewitt pointed something else out ... some of the kittens whiskers were very short, others curling.  Huh?  Wait .. let me rephrase that .. some of his whiskers were cut off and others had been burned.  Beyond kicking/hitting this helpless little baby, someone had burned off some of his whiskers!  The pound?  It was the vet's opinion that they wouldn't do much with an un-adoptable handicapped kitten and would probably put this baby to sleep.  I had a very easy decision to make.

Our beginning

So I took him home ... and I had my lap kitty.  Ever since the death of my Alexandria, I had wanted another lap kitty.  Neither my then present cats Siobhan or Cassidy were lap kitties; they were lay-next-to-you-a-bit kitties.  But this one curled up on my lap and slept and slept and .... yeah, you get the point.  After his bath of course.  And some food.  But he was still so very quiet, not even much of a purr.  The next morning, however, was something else entirely .. suddenly I had a somewhat active kitten.  He was awake, rested and feeling much better.  And you know what?  He gave a little raspy meow.  Then it hit me .. he had been in that trash dumpster long enough to scream himself hoarse. I didn't have a quiet kitten, I had one with laryngitis.  Lap kitty?  Oh hell no ... he was all kitten, scrambling up and down everything by the end of the day, bad leg not keeping him still one bit.  Jumping .. leaping .. e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e .... BonBon hated him, Cassidy tolerated his presence and life went on ....

Today

That short-haired kitten?  Oh no, not now, not long after another month in my home.  It sprung.  Fluff everywhere and oh my is it soft, silky.  Turns out he's got a bit of Maine Coon in him.  Did you know that their fur tolerates the cold/wet weather of New England because moisture slides down it .. doesn't get wet easily, therefore it cuts down on their freezing.  See?  I can teach you stuff on this blog.  Anyway, I shudder now thinking about what would have happened to him had Carol not found him .. you see, he was about 1 hour from being picked up by the garbage truck.  But because she did and because I was willing to take him in, this 11 year old fur-baby is alive and healthy today.

Miss Mousie

Senior cats are interesting.  Aidan is the oldest cat I have ever had.  Watching the changes in him, the slowing down of his routine, has been a delight ... most of the time.  We've had some scares .. his inability to groom himself as well anymore has led to big hairball issues for one thing .. but we are both learning what old age is for cats every single day of our lives together.  I'm helping him and he's helping me.  But you can help another senior kitty .. her name is Miss Mousie and she is the foster cat of Harlequin Romance author Melissa McClone.  Miss Mousie really needs TECA (Total Ear Canal Ablation) surgery and costs are up there ... $5,000.  Melissa has put up a chip-in with funds going directly to West Columbia Gorge Humane Society for the operation costs.  Oh, and Miss Mousie has a FB page and a blog.  The blog is full of writers and their cats ... blog posts from the likes of Kay Hooper, Lorna Barrett and Sue-Ellen Welfonder.  Great stories, great posts.  If you are a published writer and you wish to help, contact Melissa and let her know.  And if you aren't and want to help anyway .. just sneak in posts on your own blogs and spread the word .... 

Don't hide away 

Donate .. help .... there's a senior kitty out there that needs you ..... 

For the Love of a Cat

His name was Devlin …

April 5, 2005 was like any other day, mom was still “mom” and Alzheimer’s was just beginning to show it’s ugly head.  And then it happened … one of the feral cats left a newborn kitten on the back porch.  So tiny … so very helpless … so very much mine.  Up every 4 hours for feedings, burping, voiding the ol’ bladder …. Everything a momma kitty would be doing.  And talking, cuddling .. I knew he couldn’t see or hear me but I kept babbling at him anyway.  Taking him to the vet for weekly weighing, the tech would lay him on the table away from me and he would lift his nose in the air and scramble around to get to me.  He smelled me.  I was momma and he was my only baby. 

 

Fast forward to around July of that year.  We’d hit a problem, he wasn’t growing and was experiencing bowel problems.  We fought, the vet and me, and we got through it.  Close call though because money was extremely tight and we were already bursting at the seams on the budget department.

March 2006 it began … seizures.  Out of the blue he started experiencing seizures.  Running through the house at full speed, stopping to bite his tail, sometimes every hour or so, other times every fifteen minutes; and the battle began again.  Money we didn’t have went out the door.  The seizures intensified, despite anti-seizure medication.  Specialist?  No money for that. 

April 11, 2006 was like any other day, mom was a little less “mom” and Alzheimer’s was creeping up on us.  And then it happened … another seizure, this time worse than the others.  Up to the vet …. gone.  I had to let him go.  You see, mom was getting hard to handle and there were no options like a Miss Mousie page for me.  We had no money for further treatment.  I had to let my baby go. 

August 31, 2012 and I’m still bawling my eyes out over my baby.  His name was Devlin … and I vowed the day he died that I would do whatever I could to help others not lose a baby because of money.  No animal should suffer from lack of care because they don’t have the funds available.  Melissa McClone has done this wonderful thing for a foster kitty named Miss Mousie. 

Please go here to read about Miss Mousie … and please, help if you can.  Spread the word if you can’t help financially.  No animal should suffer … always remember that.

For Devlin

You came to me so small

Tiny body perfect for the palm

Of my hand

No face you saw,

No voice you heard

My touch, my smell was

All you knew

Your cries I soothed

With a calming touch

A soft nuzzle

A gentle rock

I’d speak and croon

Though you could not hear

My lullabies for you

Whimpers to mews,

Crawls and scoots

To gangly legs

You grew through struggles

Not your own but natures grip

You fought the battle and won

The round, this time the victor

But death waits for no one

And the time

Came when the fight could

No longer be fought

And our time together

Had come to an end

Too soon

So I said goodbye

A soft nuzzle

A gentle touch

And I crooned lullabies

Full of words of love

You could no longer hear

Sweet baby, goodbye.

Is it Winter already?

Please, please let it be winter!!! No? Damn. Well, the doctor confirmed my diagnosis of asthma - BUT there is a bit of bronchitis interacting with it. So I am on prednisone (don't mess with me), a zip pack, and nebulizer/inhalers. Fun. Oh, and did I mention that I'm off work until Wednesday WITHOUT pay?? Yeah.

So, besides this being Bailey has gone into poverty day - it's also the birthday of two of my furbabies:

Mr. Seamas - aka Bubba the Red-necked kitty - is 6!

And my little Baileyboo - aka BooBear - is 4!

When God Made Cats

When God made the world, He chose to put animals in it, and decided to give each whatever it wanted. All the animals formed a long line before His throne, and the cat quietly went to the end of the line.

To the elephant and the bear He gave strength, to the rabbit and the deer, swiftness; to the owl, the ability to see at night, to the birds and the butterflies, great beauty; to the fox, cunning; to the monkey, intelligence; to the dog, loyalty; to the lion, courage; to the otter, playfulness. And all these were things the animals begged of God.

At last he came to the end of the line, and there sat the little cat, waiting patiently.

"What will YOU have?" God asked the cat.

The cat shrugged modestly. "Oh, whatever scraps you have left over. I don't mind."

"But I'm God. I have everything left over."

"Then I'll have a little of everything, please."

And God gave a great shout of laughter at the cleverness of this small animal, and gave the cat everything she asked for, adding grace and elegance and, only for her, a gentle purr that would always attract humans and assure her a warm and comfortable home.

The end!

p. s. cats rule!

Sick ... again

Damn sinuses - could be the fact that on Tuesday I was wearing shorts and it was in the 80s (or was that Monday?), and today the high was 45, maybe 39 tomorrow. Up and down stuff like that really gets to me.

Anyway, not in the mood, want to go to bed!!!!

So here are some YouTube's to enjoy.

The first is a cat watching TV. Yeah, it reminded me of me ...





And who can't resist these little ones.




I detect a bit of an English accent. Hallo!

Cissy

Thank you for praying for Cissy's return, but I am sorry to tell you that Cissy was found by the shelter - or I should say her body was found, two streets over from her home. We found out on Friday night. I don't know how my heart could be broken over the passing of a cat that I never saw, never touched, never heard her purr - but it is. I spent most of Friday evening and Saturday crying - so much so that I had to leave work on Saturday. I feel as if I have lost one of my own furbabies. A part of it is the fact that I know that my relationship with her owner, Vickie, will change. I used to look forward to Friday nights, hurry home from work on Saturday - because that meant that I would be "talking" to Vickie (through Cissy) at our favorite MyPetSpace (what we refer to the pages of our pets) hangout called The Rock Bottom Bar and Grill - yeah, we're strange. Now, I don't know. I also became caught up in the make-believe world of being married and having children (yeah, Aidan and Cissy were "parents") - something that I never had - a partnership. Now that's gone too. Aidan and Cissy were "married" for just a little over 6 months, and it was the happiest 6 months I've had in a long time. So anyway, that's the follow-up on little Cissy - oh, and she died exactly 1 month before her 4th birthday.

No, it isn't spam

I'm sorry y'all, but I'm not in the funny mood. You see, sometime Tuesday afternoon, my good friend Vickie's cat Cissy escaped from their house and they haven't been able to find her. I don't know if you remember, but in my insanity world of MySpace (also known as MyPetSpace), Aidan has his own page and he has a wife - yeah, that Cissy. We are all so worried and heartbroken. Especially Vickie. You see, her cat Zeke disappeared a couple of days before Halloween and hasn't been seen since. But Zeke was an indoor/outdoor cat - Cissy is a total housecat and they live in the state of Washington - and it was rainy and snowy today. I just think of that poor baby lost and cold. We're hoping that someone has taken her in and that she is warm and fed. Yes, Vickie has checked the pound. Anyway, I have actually been crying a bit the last two days - and devastated.



Here is a picture of Cissy ... could you please say a prayer for her safe return?

Can I Change the Calendar?

Well, it’s happened again. You would think after all of these years I would realize when Wednesday was. I mean, for my entire life Wednesday has always followed Tuesday and before Thursday, but once again it’s Tuesday night and I sit here surprised at its arrival. And once again I have nothing to blog about. I know, come on Bailey, get with it! Okay, let’s see. Um, Bebo and I are going to the North Texas Irish Festival on Sunday – yes, its that time of year again. I’m really looking forward to it. The weatherguessers can’t decide whether it’s going to rain or not – but those that say it will have been indicating that it would be in the morning and only scattered. I can handle scattered. Other than that, it should be a nice day with temps around 70 degrees, which is perfect for this sort of outing where things are both indoor and out. I’ll try to take pictures.

So, I’ve found another on-line site to waste, er, spend time. It’s called Zootoo.com and it’s a pet site. Has a lot of useful information and when you register, your pets are automatically put in these things called pet wars. Not so sure how I feel about that. It’s where they pit a picture of your pet against that of another and then people can vote as to which is the cutest. So far, Bubba has been in one and has lost (who’s cuter than him??); so has Aidan – I don’t get that, Aidan is a beauty!! Bailey has been in it 4 times and has won 3 of them. Which means that some idiot doesn’t think that my little snowshoe is cute????? Come on, look at those eyes!










Okay, that’s pretty much all I have for today. I know, gee Bailey, you overwhelm us with your wonderful blog posts. I try folks, I really try. LOL


Oh, and Happy Birthday Dru!!!!!!

This wasn't what I had planned

But I'm too pooped to do anything else. I have got to learn to adjust to this new schedule.

So here are a couple of YouTube thingies. Have a great Friday!!







Okay, here are the words to follow along. I though this one was hilarious!!

LYRICS

[Close Encounters of the Droid Kind]
You must use the force (repeat ad nauseum)

[Raiders of the Lost Wookiee]
Long time ago, far far away (repeat)

Kiss a wookie, kick a droid
Fly the falcon through an asteroid
Till the princess is annoyed
This is spaceships, it's monsters, it's Star Wars, we love it!

Come and help me, Obi Wan
X-wing fighter and a blaster gun
Dance with Ewoks, oh what fun!
This is spaceships, it's monsters, it's Star Wars, we love it!

[Super Han]
Get in there you big, furry oaf
I couldn't care less what you smell
I take orders from only me
Maybe you'd like it back in your cell
Your Highness, your worshipfulness, your highness, your worshipfulness

No one cares if you upset a droid
(nobody cares if you upset a droid)
That's because droids don't tear your arms out of socket.
(nobody cares)
I suggest a new strategy: let the Wookie win
That's because nobody cares if you upset a droid.

[ET the DiscoTerrestrial]
Now we listen to Luke whining:
One more season... One more season... One more season... One more season...

I was gonna go to Tashi Station for power converters
Now I guess I'm going nowhere.
It just isn't fair.

[Jaws: the Wookiee]
Wooookie (repeat)

Someone move this walking carpet (repeat)

Kiss your brother, Kiss your brother (repeat)

Princess Leia
Well I guess you don't know anything about women.

Who's your daddy? (repeat)

[Jurassic Darth]
Luke, I'm your father
(That's not true!)
It is useless to resist
(My hand!)
Come with me my son, We will rule
(I'll never join you!)
Search your feelings it is true

So you have a twin sister
Who Obi Wan was wise to hide
(Is that Leia?)
If you will not turn
Then perhaps she will
Give in to your hate
You are mine

Long Long Long Time ago... Far Far Far Far Away

Long Long Long Time Ago, Far Far Far Away (repeat)

Kiss a wookie
Kick a droid
Fly the falcon
Through an asteroid
Till the princess is annoyed
(She's annoyed!)
This is spaceships, it's monsters, it's Star Wars, we love it, it's true

Episode 3
Coming to you
In 2005

So Let's go
(go go go to the movies)
Stand in line
(buy buy buy me some popcorn)
Cause it's al-
(please I'd like extra butter)
most the time
(Join the dark side...)
May the Force be with you all

John Williams is the man

What was your name again?

Hi, maybe I should re-introduce myself. My name is Bailey Stewart, and I’m a writer. I write romantic comedies. At least, I think about romantic comedies. I haven’t quite gotten them transferred from the ol’ brain matter to paper. Just a little catch, but I’m sure I’ll get past that eventually. Anyway, I missed you guys! What have I been doing while I’ve been gone? Absolutely nothing. And I’ve gotten damn good at it. If doing nothing were an Olympic event, I’d take home a silver medal. Really. No, not a gold, I have been doing some things. The office is almost put together; there are only a couple of boxes in the bedroom. Miraculously and to Bebo’s amazement, I’ve actually been keeping the apartment half-way decent. I think I’ve used the vacuum more in the 5 months I’ve been here than I think I ever did in a year at the house. Yep, the vacuum cleaner has become my friend. Now, if only the iron would talk to me. I also joined a paranormal group and have been on a ghost hunt. That was fun and I’m looking forward to doing more of it. Plus, as a step towards getting the stories from the head to the page, I am on the brink of joining Yellow Rose, the Fort Worth branch of the RWA. See, I’ve been disqualified for the gold. Oh, and Aidan got married. Yes, you read it right, my oldest kitty is now a married man. And no, the men in white jackets are not waiting for me. I think. He married a nice kitty named Cissy in a beautiful MySpace ceremony at the Rock Bottom Bar and Grill. I cried. If you promise not to laugh too hard, I’ll even share pictures here. Right now the happy couple is honeymooning in Ireland. Dublin to be exact. Hey, if you have to dream, dream big.

So what about you? What have you been up to in the last couple of months? I hope everyone has been having a great summer. I know that Michele and Dru have joined Facebook. Marty got married. And …. Well hey, fill me in!!

Oh wait!! I have been doing something else. I've been making my own LOLCatz. Obviously, you don't have to use your own pictures, since this isn't one of my cats. They have their own picture files you can choose from. This is one of my favorites that I've made.




HEY!!! BLOGGER CUT OFF THE WORDS!!!!! AWWWWWWW.
You gotta go here to see it properly.
moar funny pictures

YouTube is my friend

I received a couple of things this last week that I thought you would enjoy.

In this first one, this is what the cat does EVERY time they watch boxing.




And this next one - well, it really moved me. Get a hankie ready ...

I Hate my Internet Spam

Yep, I'm having problems with the internet again. I've spent the day here at Bebo's trying to get all my bills paid, internet stuff done, reviews written and posted, and spam written in case I don't get back before Friday. So here it is Wednesday and I'm posting Spam. Not that you'll see it before Friday anyway, since blogster has this great "post it ahead of time" feature where I can set it up to post early Friday morning. I know, devious of me. Anyway, here's the spam. Don't forget to go over to Isn't It Romantic for my new review. Ciao everyone!

Update your penis. (What? To penis 2.0?)
Greetings, I have learned an interesting thing. (That Microsoft will upgrade your penis?)
Regain your attractiveness as a man. (I was a man?)
You look really stupid baileystewart. (As a man, yes I do.)
Don’t warry. (Warry? Is that more than wary? I would be warry of me as a man.)
How do these guys do it? (They’re born with it?)
These pills really make you huge. (No thanks, I have chocolate for that.)
Your neighbors lost their alarm clock. (You have got to be kidding! Don’t look at me, where would I put them?)
Ladies and Gentlemen’s please welcome her majesty Pharmacy. (In her jewel encrusted shower cap, carrying her gold toilet plunger scepter.)

Oh, and here's a picture of Bubba to hold you over.





UPDATE: INTERNET SUDDENLY CAME ON LAST NIGHT WITHOUT ANY EFFORT FROM ME, SO THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE PROVIDER

Hey

Can't you see I'm busy here? Oh, you can't? Well, I am. Glenice and I are about to watch Van Helsing because we're both feeling the need for Hugh. So, to keep you occupied here's another YouTube laugh (I'll be back on Wednesday). Have fun!!

Tuesday, um, okay ...

In case you weren’t aware of it, it’s Tuesday night, which means I have to come up with a blog. Right. You see, that’s the hard part. I can’t think of anything. I’m still getting the apartment ready for Glenice’s visit this weekend (at which time, said apartment should be ready for picture taking). I have to start the big job search after that. Bubba is having a better love life than I am. And believe me, that sucks. Not only does he have his girlfriend Apryl, but now Taylor the Sex Kitten is after him. I don’t know how I feel about that. Bubba and loose women? Aidan and BooBear can’t seem to find girlfriends, which amuses Bubba because they’re considered the two beauties of the bunch and he’s, well, he’s Bubba the red-necked kitty. And he’s the one with a girlfriend. Go figure.

I hope you are having a wonderful hump day, and that everyone you love and care about are healthy and happy.

Here’s your YouTube laugh:

Spam and Such

Which ones really work? We list the Top Penis Enlargement products! (I’ve seen a lot of lists in my lifetime. But this one beats 'em all.)
baileystewart’s naked video. (As produced by Wes Craven.)
Enlarge your dummy length. (My dummy is long enough as it is.)
Men and women FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING. (You mean I can have Hugh shipped here for free? Wow!)
Her heaving bosom pics. (I got rid of those years ago. The heaving bosoms, not the pics.)
Then with a gentle look you took my hand. (That wasn’t me. Honest.)
I love bargain hunting here. (For spam, there are no bargains here.)
Success is a fish that is pulled from an ocean. (Not for the fish.)
“I don’t know” he’d get mad and yell: “_ why _ don’t you know?” ( _ because you _ didn’t tell _ me?)
Be a PORN star for a day. (Can’t I be one in lower case?)


Look, Bubba has a girlfriend. Her name is Apryl and she lives in Houston. Aren't they cute?



imikimi - Customize Your World


This is a better picture of Apryl:



Here's what she made for her MySpace page (the one of them together was done by her too)



She says that Bubba is a sexy orange kitty. Bubba?

Oh my

I'm supposed to do a blog post, aren't I? Sorry, I got involved in reading and then the ceiling in my bathroom began to leak and I had to wait for maintenance, and now I'm rambling. Yep, it's been a rambling kinda day. Let's see, pictures. Yes Susan, there will be pictures. As soon as I finish getting the apartment all together and that will be soon since I'm having company the 2nd through the 5th. So for Glenice, it will be done. And don't tell me not to worry about it either, missy. I want this apartment put together, I just haven't had the incentive to do it - now I do. You, plus the party. Plus I need to get new batteries as the rechargable part of these has plum worn out. But there will be pictures. Are you satisfied Susan (and Joan, 'cuz I know you're lurking out there). Alas, there were no pictures taken of my braids. Funny how I seem to get out of having my picture taken. There is one though that my friend Sunshine, from work, managed to take of me at the Irish Festival in March. Here, are you satisfied? At least my five chins aren't showing. Savor it, 'cuz it will probably be the last one you see unless I lose a few more pounds.

Check out this video: Cutest Kitten ever



Add to My Profile | More Videos

This and That

First, a message from Jason Evans:

Dear Blog Friends,

Thank you all for being an amazing part of my blog experience and The Clarity of Night!

I'm writing tonight to announce the grand opening of a companion blog. It’s a candlelit place called Night Conversations (http://nightconversations.blogspot.com/). Here's the concept.

In important parts of our lives, many of us struggle with feelings of isolation, of being misunderstood. Night Conversations is a place where anonymous participants spend a evening with me talking and delving into those feelings. No advice. No judgment. Just a person who wants nothing more than to listen and understand.

Stop over and share the first of the Night Conversations with me. If you like what you see, I'd be grateful for any mention, or even a review, that you would be willing to do on your own blogs. I'd love to see Night Conversations spread like a more personal version of Post Secret.

The comfy chair is open for anyone out there who like to participate. Thanks!

--Jason Evans

Not a whole lot going on with me. I seem to have become the MySpace page designer of choice. LOL First I did Bebo's, then the Jill Shalvis Fan Page, then my cat Bubba (yes, Bubba has a page, want to see it? Click here. Now remember, you don't have to be a member of MySpace to look at his page.) Then my two pages, yes two. One for me and one for Bailey. Now my cousin Joan wants me to design her page. Maybe I need to start charging. LOL

Here's a little video for your Monday. Please excuse the first scene, but the rest is great - especially the talking cats.

New Home

Oh no!!! I wrote this last night, but was having problems with the internet and kept closing down the computer and rebooting. In the meantime, word, of course, went bye bye and I forgot all about it! Sorry I'm late.

Well we’re here and we sorta have internet. This is the same problem that I was having before I moved. It’s the laptop, refusing to hook up to the router. It also keeps telling me that a network cable is unplugged? Huh? There’s no cable hooked up to it, nor has there ever been. Oh well. Also, at about 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. it refuses to hook up at all. When my money comes in from the house sale I’m going to have to have it looked at.

The move was traumatic for the cats. First, BooBear was closed up in the bathroom. Bubba and Aidan were put in the Master bedroom and then when the guest room was cleared out, they were moved there. Bubba does not like to be closed up in a room without a human, but we had to do it to keep them from running out the propped open front door. We made a couple of runs from the house to the apartment. We were so tired that we decided to get the cats, go home and then come back the next day to finish up. My niece and her husband were coming to pick up and store the things for my brother so we had to be there anyway. I took a last look around in the closets and noticed something way back on the shelf in the Master. It was a small box. I took it down, opened it up and cried. You see, my mother had this habit of buying gifts, hiding them and then forgetting about them. She’d obviously bought this before the Alzheimer’s set in. I knew it was for me – it was a Purrfect Friends cat tile. It’s beautiful. I didn’t have long to linger over it as the crowd arrived to pick up Dave’s stuff. Then they were gone. Bebo and I put the last few things in our cars and I sent Bebo ahead so I could take a last look around the house alone. It echoed around me and in those echoes I could hear laughter and tears; in the rooms ghosts reached out to me. I stopped at the wall that separated the den from the kitchen. Resting my hand on the paneling, I stood for a moment. You see, when we moved in there, the paneling wasn’t on this particular section of wall. This was where my parent’s measured my growth with penciled lines on the wall. They were still there, underneath the paneling dad installed in the mid-80s. Stepping outside, I looked at the sidewalk my dad put in around that time, the sidewalk where he wrote our names: David (my brother’s step-son), James, Eric, Jenni Lynn and me. I said goodbye to the feral cats – especially Little One, the most friendly. Locking the house, I went next door to say goodbye to Gwen (having said goodbye to Debbie the day before). And then I got in my car, backed out of the drive and stopped at the sound of a shout. The man across the street stepped out from his garage and waved “goodbye”. The people on the corner did the same thing. Ernie on the corner called me over and I stopped. He said goodbye, gave me a hug and sent me on my way. I cried most of the way to the apartment. BooBear was still hiding – on Saturday he had found the bed and crawled under it, not coming out until dark and then back under Sunday morning. He was still under the bed, but Aidan was no longer hissing at Bubba. Bubba took the move just fine, exploring and jumping in boxes. Now a week later, they are all doing fine and adjusting to the constraints of the loss of running room.

I’ll tell you more about the move and the new apartment next time.

Aidan's Turn

Aidan here. Mother was going to have Seamas blog again, but I begged her not to subject you to any more of his “LOLz” cat speak, so to say. I hate that site; it’s such an insult to us superior felines. Anyway, we’re adjusting fine without Neely Shae, although I must admit that I do miss my favorite target. Bailey and Seamas aren’t as fun to attack. And I said Bailey. I don’t care if there’s some sort of mix-up with his and mother’s names. BooBear is ridiculous. How could any self-respecting feline hold up his head with a name like BooBear? I know, mother calls me Aidan Maiden, so who am I to speak, right? I.hate.Aidan Maiden. In case I’m not clear enough – Aidan Maiden sucks eggs. She even has a little poem for me: Aidan Maiden, pudding pie. Kissed the kits and made them cry. When Aidan Maiden came out to play, all the kits they ran away. Can you imagine going through life with that sticking to you? It’s either that or Secret Aidan Man. If I have to have one or the other, I’ll take Secret Aidan Man because at least it’s male.

Mother has been having a bit of a bad week. The sale of the house isn’t going through as soon as she, and obviously Uncle David, thought it would. So here’s mother packing to move into an apartment she can’t afford. It’s all Uncle David’s fault and if he were here I’d pee on his foot. He doesn’t like cats anyway, so what harm would it do? I could leave a little present in his shoe too, if you know what I mean. I don’t mind getting a little crass when it comes to protecting my mother.

I heard mother say the other day that she just doesn’t get to blog as much as she used to. What with all of this packing and cleaning, she doesn’t have the time. I know, you see her on MySpace a lot. She’s not always there. Mother has this habit of leaving the computer on and logged into the site. Whenever she gets a message or something, it “cachings” (that’s the closest to the sound I can get) rather loudly and she comes running to answer it. It’s pathetic if you ask me, sort of like Pavlov’s dogs. Anyway, once she’s settled into her new place, she’ll get back to a routine. Whatever that is. And she’ll be able to look for a job again. I’ve been told she needs one badly. I don’t know why, wouldn’t a purr, nuzzle and lick get her most things in life? It works for us.

Jeanne

Otherwise known as Catslady - just let me know that her oldest cat Tabatha passed away today. I'm so sorry sweetie. I know that you gave her a lot of love and 17 is a very long time for a cat. Lots of hugs.