Thursday, now with cats

Poppy being a cat. . .

There is a cat asleep on my car–Poppy. Buttercup is giving herself a bath up there too. The hood is warm from my drive home. I had planned a lovely meal for dinner–but am too tired to cook it. I want a nap too. Buttercup is now fastidiously licking the back of her paw, then rubbing her face with it. Cats amaze me.

It will sound odd, but I like the way our cats smell. Due to my allergies, I don’t often bury my face in their fur, but when I do, I like it. Because they are outside cats, they don’t smell like regular cats that are in a house all day–it’s more of a woodsmoke, leaves, fresh air smell. I was explaining this to Tony one day, when I figured out what it reminded me of. They smell like my Daddy–woodsmoke, leaves, fresh air–outdoors.

I didn’t grow up with cats–we had dogs–all outdoors. I never knew the joy of watching kittens play. I did get to watch puppies run and tumble over each other–and climb into the middle of the pan of moistened dog food with their little feet squishing into it. And their ears dragging through it. Then collapsing into a stupor with tummies full to bursting.

Kittens, however, are a different ball game. They pounce and roll and tumble and groom each other. And cats don’t jump on you and lick you in the face. (No offense to you dog lovers who enjoy a smooch from your pooch–I’m just not one who cares for licky dogs.)

Kitties on the car. . .it’s been a rainy day. It’s now nearly 6:00 p.m. and still light out. Spring is creeping in on little, cat feet. My apologies to Carl Sandburg. I know that fog creeps in then dissipates and blows away, while spring creeps in then explodes in an abundance of activity. Cats do that too sometimes. . .the exploding–not the dissipating.

WANTED: Missing Cat

Seriously.

Penny is AWOL.

This is not good. Not good at all.

I have saved you from some of the more recent, worrisome, and expensive Penny mishaps as of late. We, literally, have spent more time, money, and affection on her than the other two combined. She is the fun one. The red-head of the bunch. The affectionate one. The one that considers herself Queen of the Car (both inside and out). She had an entire 12 hours of unexplained seizures off and on back in October (which necessitated a trip to a 4th year A&M vet student named. . .I KID YOU NOT–Noah), then two weeks later she showed up for bed with unexplained swelling on the right side of her face. She also, in September, ended up on the roof. And there are not trees within twenty feet of our house. She climbed a ladder.

Anyway. . .she wasn’t with the other two yesterday afternoon when we all got home from school. And she didn’t come home last night, and we are all more than a little concerned but trying to act as if nothing is amiss because NONE of us wants to face our front porch or back porch or driveway or doors (through which she constantly darts) without her. Both children are starting to droop. Tony and I aren’t so far from droopy ourselves.

Bless her, brindled, calico, cantankerous, kitty-cat heart.

Mother’s Day Weekend

My Mother’s Day weekend has been lovely. . .Saturday the children and I spent the morning doing whatever we wanted. Tony was at a thing at church with his mom and dad, so the kiddos and I watched the kittens play.

Buttercup is the hardest one to photograph. . .she has these lovely lines and poses that she holds for about three seconds. . .then she is off like a shot.

The kittens love to stalk and attack each other. They jump and hiss and arch their pretty, little backs and make all manner of noises.

Tony’s collection of potted crepe myrtles and redbuds and live oak saplings are their own personal jungle. Poppy has found her inner wildcat.

Here Buttercup and Penny are a little confused as to what, exactly, the children are doing.

And this is what they were doing. . .no high tech toys for the kitties OR the kids. Potted plants and leftover grass palettes will do just fine. The children were jumping on it to see who could stay on the longest. And exactly how much racket their mother could stand.

All the kittens love the cinderblocks, but Penny has pretty much claimed them as her own. If you can’t find her anywhere else, it’s a safe bet she’ll be here.

She has turned out to be the most photogenic of the three as well. Anytime I point the camera at Buttercup–she takes off. Poppy can be caught on occasion, but Penny actually seems to POSE for the camera. She is also the most feisty, so maybe she’s DARING me to take her picture.

Here she is ready for her closeup, Mr. DeMille. Maybe we should have named her Cleopatra.

At 11:00 the kids went to my yoga instructor’s first Kid’s Yoga class. Have I told you how much I LOVE my yoga instructor? Well. . .I do. She’s just wonderful. And she prays during yoga–which reminds me every time that I am in the exact right place. The kiddos loved it. Victoria can do a perfect plow with absolutely NO hesitation or assistance from her hands. It took her about half a heartbeat to get into this position. Thad, on the other hand, is the one that did the bow pose like a pro. Either way, they can both, literally, bend over backwards. And they both want to go again.

We then ate a leisurely lunch, perused an antique store Victoria and I have wanted to visit, and walked the Magnolia Stroll–a new crushed clay walkway down the “main drag” of Magnolia. It was a perfect temperature and a perfect morning.

I was awakened today by some toast and a bowl of Corn Chex in bed–a lovely necklace that Victoria made for me, and flowers picked just this morning by Thad. Unfortunately, Tony got what I had a couple of weeks ago, so when the tire was flat after church, Jennifer volunteered Greg to change it for me. It was a good thing that he was already wearing black pants. I am perfectly capable of changing a tire, but a white skirt and pastel pink blouse are hardly tire-changing apparel. I’m just sayin’. And I’m also sayin’, “Thank you, Greg!!!!!”

As our Daddy was not with us, we didn’t go out to eat, but we DID grab some chicken and head home (very slowly on our donut tire) for lunch and a nap.

So. . .it was a lovely weekend. Summer is knocking on our door, and we are ready to go.

Who says poppies are red?

Thad doesn’t seem to mind that this one is the wrong shade of poppy. In fact. . .this is the kitten I was least likely to pick, and she’s turned out to be the real beauty.

Kittens, Kids, and Kalisthenics

Okay. . .I KNOW that calisthenics begins with a “c”–just give me a break here. I am sick. . .I was dive bombed by some kamikaze cold on Thursday afternoon. I left school feeling fine, if somewhat tired, was foiled in my attempts to get to yoga by many things, and ended up at home sneezing my head off (at the campsite with Tony–not near the kittens) by 6:00 p.m. I fell asleep on the couch last night at 7:00, climbed into bed at 9:00, and my feet didn’t hit the floor again until 11:00 a.m. this morning.

Anyway. . .this evening I convalesced in the back yard in a rocking chair, while Tony did some excercise stuff with the kids (for Thad’s scout badges. . .Victoria joined in for fun) and the kittens watched.

And now, I’m off to hold the couch down again. . .ugh. . .

It’s an addiction

Sorry.

Smitten with the Kittens

I know. I know. I’m not even a cat person, but these little girls are so incredibly sweet. And funny. And frisky. And full of spit and vinegar. And meowy and purry. And they stick their little bottoms up in the air when they sleep JUST LIKE BABIES. Precious. I will try to refrain from too much kitten syrupy writing. . .but we are all, quite simply, smitten with the kittens.

Penny: see her copper colored patch?

Penny again. . .she's the trouble maker.

Buttercup considering her options.

Poppy takin' a look see.

Two sweet girls.

Proud Papa. Bless his heart, he is having to get used to some new smells, and they are activating his gag reflex. But he keeps on helping anyway.

Buttercup is very interested in that bowl and its contents.

A lap full 'o kittehs.

Taking my lungs in my own hands. . .so worth it.

Poppy, Buttercup, Penny in Charlie's Angels: Feline edition. I wonder which one is Farrah. . .

Proudly announcing the arrival of. . .

. . .whatever is in the gray box that has my children so transfixed.

I KNOW it is neither chickens. . .nor a rabbit. . .nor either of the two reptiles we own. So it would have to be. . .

KITTENS!!!!! Yes. I know. There appear to be THREE kittens in the carrier when I said, in fact, that we would be getting two. *AHEM.* I must admit it took a lot of restraint not to take all five they were such a pretty little litter. We KNEW we wanted the gray, and then Thad found one he HAD to have and so did Victoria, so three. They are all sisters. The two we left behind are brothers and are going to a horse farm to be champion mousers and protect the horses’ grain.

Allow me to present (from left to right), Poppy, Buttercup, and Princess Penelope (Penny) (It’s a long story.).

Buttercup is light gray. Penny is a brindled tortoiseshell calico. Poppy is gray, black and white with a zebra striped belly. All of them are Tabbies.

And they are all currently in their new home napping. Penny is in front. Poppy is behind her, and Buttercup is sort of camoflaged against the back of the carrier.

The kids are ready for them to wake up. Thad says he “wants to see some action.” I have assured them that like all babies, they WILL wake up at some point, but they’ve had a big morning what with being held and driven and moved and jostled and having their littles senses barraged with new sights and scents and sounds. You know? Those little girls have a great thing going. . .I might take a cat nap myself.