Spring Is Here!

At least that's what the cats are saying!

The birds have been chirping up a storm outside. Before the sun is even fully risen from its slumber, the choir is belting in full force outside. The cats are just loving it. And someone finally did something about it.

My little Indy-Monster (pictured above) caught his very first bird this morning. At least, I think it's his first. It's the first bird I've ever seen him with. I really don't like them catching birds, but seeing as how the neighborhood has pretty much been eradicated of its rodent population already, birds are really the only option. And as sick as it may be, my heart swells up with pride when I see my babies catch something. I want to go run and tell Cowboy H, "Indy caught a bird!" but he is sleeping.

Instead, I let the dogs out and Hank promptly steals the catch of the day from Indy.

It was a glorious triumph for but a fleeting moment.

Macro Monday, Feb. 15, 2010

Gee, Mom, get that camera out of my face. Didn't you see that I was napping?

This is Indy, the baby of the cats. Although I can't really call him a baby anymore since he's a year and a half old. While the sun has come back out around here, the nights have been unusually cold, which means all the cats sleep on the bed with us each night, usually between my legs. Sometimes, they'll even stay in bed all day long.

Christmas Card, 2009

We wish everyone peace, joy, love and lots of time spent with family this holiday season.


Merry Christmas!



Love,

Oz, Hank, Indy, Olivia and Huey

What's Your Normal?

Last night, Cowboy H and I were lounging around in the living room, watching TV and recovering from a wonderful dinner out. About half the family had joined us and at one point I looked around and was struck by something.

One dog was sleeping on the recliner.

The other dog was sleeping on the couch.

The cat was sleeping on the bone-shaped dog bed.

And Cowboy H and I?

We were on the floor.

What's your normal?

VICTORY!!!

So, this post was going to start an entirely different way, but just as I opened up the 'New Post' window, Oz jumped onto Cowboy H who was on the recliner and dropped his "prize" right in his lap.



He was very very proud of himself.



And I'm very very proud of him!



Victory has been had. Mama H is free from the GIANT lizard under her couch. And Oz has been redeemed as the most useful cat at the Homestead.

Editor's Note: I would like to add that the lizard is not nearly as big as I originally thought. It's just, the tail is sooo long. A tail that was left laying on my living room floor this morning with nary a body in sight. Love, Mama H

Another Day In The Life...

I know, I know. Another picture-less post. I really don't like posting without pictures, but sometimes things happen that I want to share, to fill you in on, and pictures just don't get taken. But, I'm trying to keep the wording as minimal as possible.

Last night after a lovely park adventure with the dogs, we found a bleeding cat at home. It wasn't gushing blood or anything, but it definitely was a fresh wound. On a white cat. So it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Cowboy H, as wonderful, loving and caring as he is, helped me expose the wound and clean it up. I did the holding, since I know how to properly hold a pissed off cat while someone is pouring Hydrogen Peroxide into its fresh wound. What we discovered was a single, medium sized hole.

So, now we are trying to figure out what caused the hole. (It's definitely not a puncture wound.) There is the possibility that another cat hooked my Indy with one claw, right as Indy was starting to run away, and the one claw pulled the skin a little, leaving a larger than normal hole. The other possibility is that yet another one of my cats was the victim of an idiot with a bee-bee or pellet gun. We can't feel anything under Indy's skin near the wound, but the hole is about the right size.

In the mean time, we now have a holy cat.

A lead head and a holy cat.

The Homestead is becoming an interesting place...

Happy Faces

This is my 50th post!!! And to celebrate, I've brought two of the happiest faces along with me. Enjoy!

Well, I Never Thought of That...

Editor's Note: After discussing this with Cowboy H, I learned that Olivia has a pellet in her head, not a bee bee. A bee bee would not have mushroomed the way the pellet did. The fact that a pellet gun was used is even more upsetting because they can do much more damage than a bee bee gun.

If something, like a bee bee, is embedded into a bone, then it wouldn't move around. Which is exactly why the bump on top of Olivia's head wouldn't move. It is stuck in her skull. And its staying there.




Do you see it? Its a little hard to miss. One of the girls at my work could see it from across the room. My poor baby. She got pretty lucky though, apparently it didn't go all the way through her skull, and so far she's still normal (for her that is.)

Now, to find out who's shooting bee bee guns in a cul-de-sac neighborhood...

Maybe I'll have to stick Cowboy H on them.

He can do a little detective work.

Sometimes Change... Bites

As you've probably already noticed, I changed the image in my header. What you may not have noticed is I also had to change the wording a bit as well. That's right, we're down one here at the Homestead. I briefly mentioned it last week, but in light of the fact that it was a mere 4 days before the big wedding, I didn't have time for much else.

But my little Isabelle deserves a lot more. While she was only here for a short while, she touched us dearly.

On Tuesday, May 26, Cowboy H and I left for dinner with his family at 7:30. As we organized ourselves in the garage, I saw Isabelle jump up into the rafters. We piled ourselves into the cars, shut the garage door and headed off.

When we returned at 9:15, Cowboy H pulled up to the driveway, then suddenly parked the car and jumped out cursing. In the backseat, I was pretty confused. Slowly, as if time was holding me in place, I realized one of my cats was just laying in the driveway. I flew out of the car to Cowboy H who was leaning over little Isabelle. Unfortunately, she was already gone.

I've never lost an animal before, at least not before its time. My childhood dog Scampi, was 18 when we finally had to put her to sleep. My childhood horse Punkin, is still alive and kicking at 23. The only childhood cat I remember was probably 15 when her time finally came.

This right here, a pet of mine dying (or being seriously injured), is one of my biggest nightmares. You could probably call it a fear. While I don't wake up screaming in the middle of the night, sometimes, I'll just be driving along and suddenly think "What if Olivia got hit by a car? What if Oz got attacked by a dog?" For the next 10 minutes, those thoughts will just consume me. It grips me, the fear of it, and I cannot imagine how I would feel if I came home to something like that.

Well, I've learned. I've learned that I feel wholly responsible. I've learned that the pain creeps up on me. I've learned that shit happens and beautiful creatures get taken away. I've learned that I cannot prevent things. I've learned that I have the most wonderful husband in the world. I've learned that sometimes there are no answers.

Cowboy H took me out to the ranch where our horses live and, at 12:00 am, dug a hole. It overwhelms me how much that man loves me.

I cried and cried and cried. I had maintained so far, but burying her released it all. Cowboy H held me up and let me go.

The next morning, I realized some things: We now only have 3 cats. I might not have to buy so much cat food. Indy is an odd-cat out now, having lost his sister. My eyes were so puffy I could hardly open them. There is a spot on the bed right between my legs that will no longer be occupied each night. That was Isabelle's spot.

Tragedy

In a week of build-up, excitement, joy and anticipation, nothing should knock you on your ass and send your plans to a screeching halt. But last night, just this kinda thing happened.

Isabelle, my little lovely one, you will be missed.

Family Time

Last night, Cowboy H and I went for a little walk with the dog.


And two cats.


Talk about a family showing.



(Oh, we have 4 cats? Well, those other two have been disowned. I mean, if you're not going to come along for the family walk, you're not going to be part of this family. And I mean it.)

Brothers and Sisters

This is Oz and Olivia. Oz is on the right; Olivia on the left. They are brother and sister. They are the original children. Mama H got them when she was still in college and living in the horse barn on campus. They are true barn cats.




This is Oz and Olivia when they were babies. Oz is on the bottom; Olivia on the top. Now they are 4 years old and 500 times this big. See first photo.




As brother and sister, they love each other.




This is Indy and Isabelle. Indy is on the right; Isabelle on the left. Indy and Isabelle joined the Homestead first thing this year, when they were 3 months old. They are also brother and sister. (Do you see a pattern?)




They love each other too.


There's a lot of love at the Homestead.