Meowsings on a Cat

My grandcat is sick. Poor Tuxie has come down with a common male cat ailment. He has a blockage that is keeping his bladder from draining. It is called FUS which rhymes with you know what and requires that a big FUSS be made to get him well. Enough poetic wandering...


Tux and his little sister Skittles came to live with us in 2007. As they often say about cats, you don't adopt them, they adopt you. It had been a sad, hectic summer. Erin had moved out, my cat Sam had died at Christmas and I was getting ready to start a new job. I was really depressed that summer and I really wanted another cat. Ken was adamant, "NO CATS"! and I really planned to respect that wish. But secretly I kept praying that God would send me a cat.

One evening in July or so Ken told me to look out the back window. There on our garden bench were two little black furballs and a mama cat, just hangin' out in the evening sun. I was thrilled! I went out to our deck and as soon as the little family saw me, the shot back into the soy bean field behind our house. That was the beginning of our being adopted. Every night from then on, I would go out into our backyard and sit in a lawn chair. The first night three sets of little eyes peeked out at me from the protection of the soybean jungle. I talked to them, mewed at them (no neighbors at the time to think I was crazy) and did my best to convince them that I was friendly. Using my deductive reasoning, I assumed that they must be hungry since they lived in the field. I wasn't thinking that they were hunters and predators. I began to take hot dogs and other scraps of meat out to them and would toss the food to them to entice them to come out of the jungle. Each evening they came closer and closer. I began buying dog food to feed them because it was cheaper than cat food and more filling I reasoned. Erin came home in August and by September or October, Tux, the little boy, would come close enough to pet. I would put the food by my chair and he would come to eat. As he ate, I would slowly reach down and pet him while he ate. Skittles, the tiny girl, wouldn't come close to eat and mama wouldn't come out of the jungle. By and by, Tux began to trust us and one night he let me pick him up!



Meanwhile, I began to learn about feral cats. Ferals are cats that are generally born in the wild or are abandoned and become wild. Most of the time they live in colonies and scavenge for food. In cities they live near dumpsters most of the time. In rural areas they find safe areas to congregate. Left unchecked a feral colony in-breeds and quickly multiply and can become a nuisance. Illness, predators and injury often take these kitties over time. There is a movement called T-N-R or Trap-Neuter-Release. The process involves trapping the kitty, having him neutered or spayed and then releasing it back into the colony. Neutered feral cats are very territorial and will not let new cats into the colony. Usually someone or a group of someones adopts the colony and provides food, water and shelter. Most feral cats cannot be socialized because they are too wild If you get them as kittens sometimes you can tame them. The national group is called Alley Cat Allies (http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=191). Our local group is Friends of Felines (http://www.felinefriendsks.com/).



As I have digressed anyway, let me tell you a little story about FOF. Ray, the founder, went out to Syracuse to rescue some kitties on May 4, 2007. He filled his trailer with 27 cats to be neutered and relocated. As he drove home to Wichita it began to storm. Pulling into Greensburg he ran into hail so pulled in under an awning to wait out the storm. He didn't know that he was in the direct path of the massive tornado that leveled Greensburg that night. Ray, his truck, his trailer and the 27 ferals took a tumble. The truck and trailer were destroyed, Ray was injured and the 27 kitties died. Ray and friends were able to go back to Syracuse later that year to TNR the rest of the colony and brought them back to Wichita for relocation.

In the fall of 07 I attended two feral cat workshops and learned how to trap feral cats. My intent was to TNR both of our kittens and release them. By this time, Mama had disappeared and I haven't seen her since. In early December we borrowed a trap from the Humane Society and set out to see who we could catch. The first night we caught an opossum. That was fun. The next night we caught an opossum. You'd think he would've learned! The third night we caught Tux. I took him down to the Humane Society and had him neutered. Erin had moved into her own apartment by this time and she fell in love with Tux and decided to take him home with her. They are now inseparable. I have never seen a cat so intently loyal to its human. He looks at her with adoration and I really believe he understands everything she says to him.



That was the year of the big ice storm in Manhattan. Ken got called up to Manhattan to help put things back together. I was totally alone for a week or more. It was cold outside. It snowed. My little Skittles, named so because she skittled away from me when I came near, was outside, cold and alone. By now I was feeding her at the back door and she knew my voice. Whenever I set food out, she'd come running. Well, I reasoned, she's cold and Ken's gone. In she came. And she never went out again. Ken now says that he should've never gone away because look what I drug in. He isn't happy, but hey, he loves me.

Erin came home and Tux came with her and we are now a 2 cat family. Tux is a lover boy and Skittles is sweet only to me. They are both terrified of sudden movement or sudden noise. When company comes, they hide. Tux is still the braver of the two and at 17 lbs he is the larger of the two. Skittles is my prissy little girl. She weighs less than 10 lbs and her favorite past time is sleeping. I love my cat and I know that God answered my prayer and sent my little angel to me.



Just got a call from the cat doc. Tux is doing well but will have to stay one or two more nights. I hear cash register bells ringing. Erin will pay us back when she's able. Meanwhile, the VISA bill and Ken's impatience are going up.



Oh well, they adopted us!


UPDATE!!!!!!!

Tux came home Wednesday night and is doing great. We need to feed him a special diet but he should be just fine.

Mystery Tour

The Emma Chase

Last Friday, the Man of the Place (aka Ken) came home from his meeting in Lawrence. I asked him what he wanted to do that night, as I usually do on Friday nights and presented him with the Go section of the paper. He kind of looked through it and then told me that it was time to go. I hastily changed my shirt and shoes and off we went.

Now, from early in our marriage on, Ken has taken me on "mystery tours". We have gone to Dallas for dinner, a casino by Topeka and most famously, he took the girls to get a windshield fixed. They've never let him forget that one! Mystery Tours are always fun once we get there but the trip drives me crazy because it is so out of my control and worse--unplanned! I am completly out of my comfort zone and Ken knows it!

We headed east on highway 254. Aha I thought, we are going to PF Changs to use the gift card we got at Christmas but then, we passed Greenwich road and kept going east. Well, I knew that the restaurant at the Benton Antique Mall was out because it closed and I couldn't think of any place in El Dorado that would be worth the drive. Then I supposed that we might be going to Augusta to find the school that I was interviewing at on Tuesday. But, we didn't stay on 96. Once we got on the turnpike I guessed that we were going to Cassoday so I told Ken that I didn't think the cafe there was open for dinner. His response--"well, we will just have to see". We did get off at the Cassoday/Matfield Green exit but instead of going south, we turned north.

The drive up 177 is beautiful. To me, it is what Kansas is supposed to look like and the closest to what the pioneers probably saw. There are rolling hills and breath taking vistas. In some places, you can see for miles. The road takes you through the tiny whistle stop town of Matfield Green where train enthusiasts come to watch the 60+ trains that roar through town every day. Along the way are beautiful ranch homes and falling down buildings from the hey dey of the cattle and rail industry in the area.

After awhile, we pulled into Cottonwood Falls. Now, I was assuming that we were going to Council Grove to the Hays House as I have said several times that I would like to go there. But, we ended up on Main street at the Emnma Chase Cafe. Now I don't know who Emma Chase is or if she is a real person and that bugs me. I like to know the history of a place. But whoever she is, her cafe has some of the best pie and chicken fry I have ever eaten.

I wasn't sure about the place when we walked in. It is a small storefront with folding tables set up around the room. Some of them have table cloths and others didn't. As soon as the door opened it was like there was this long pause in conversation as all eyes turned to us to see if we were friends or strangers. Once the curiosity was satisfied, all returned to eating and we found a table and sat down. I don't know about you but I am used to having a menu placed in my hands when I go to a restaurant. I've only been to a couple of sit down places where you didn't have a printed menu. One was in Lousisana and had 3 choices...ham, ham or ham. The other was Chateau Briand and after eating at that place, Ken had to go home and get more money from his dad so we could go to prom. At the Emma, there's a marker board. Catfish is always on the menu and on Friday there were 3 or 4 other choices. I played it safe and got the chicken fried steak and ice tea. The tea was served in a quart sized mason jar which never needed a refill. Presently another 3-some came in and they were obviously from somewhere else. I thought they were German but found out later that they were Swiss. The woman was very agitated. First she was upset that there wasn't beer, then she was upset that there weren't more menu choices. Finally she was upset because the advertised music wasn't in the restaurant (more on that later) but down the street in the Emma hall. She never sat down! Well, that's an exaggeration but she never sat down for long. Her companions wolfed down their dinners and off they went down the street.

As I said earlier, the food was awesome. The steak was not frozen. It was fresh and hand breaded and I assume pan fried. I got rhubarb pie. I love pie crust anyway but this crust was flaky, crisp and wonderful.

After dinner we strolled down the block to find the music. We discovered it in a beautiful old limestone building. Cottonwood Falls was the "Limestone Capitol of Kansas" at one time so many of the buildings are built using limestone. The theme for that night was Old Timey Gospel. At the front of the room there were about 15 older people playing guitars, dobros, harmonicas, violins, pianos and a string bass. An elderly man was at the mic singing a song before an audience seated on wooden chairs. My first thought was "oh my-a whole evening of this?" But I quickly became enchanted with the harmony and enthusiasm of these amatuer musicians who come together to sing just for the love of music. They really didn't lack talent and any lack of intonation was made up for in sincerity. Soon I was tapping my toes and singing along. Around 9 we decided we had to head home and the music was beginning to wind down anyway.

Our drive home through the Flint Hills was punctuated by the field burning going on across the hillside.

All in all, it was a delightful, magical mystery tour. Thank you honey!

A Day of Rest

Good Thursday!

First let me say, I don't want to go home. Sorry family and friends but I am staying here. I will find a job on a dolphin boat or something and stay here. Sadly, tomorrow is our last day and then it is back to trying to keep my chin up and trying to find a job. It isn't hard to get out of bed every morning here. Of course, I am sleeping until 8 so that makes a difference!

Today was an unexpected day of doing little or nothing. We went souvenir shopping this morning and then hit "Sweetie Pies". SP's is a little cafe that was featured in the August 2008 Southern Living as having the best Pecan Pie in the south. We both had broccoli soup. I had Tropical Pecan Pie (pecan pie with coconut and pineapple). It was good but not the best I have ever had. The best pie I have ever had was at Lecompte, LA at Lea's Pie Shop.

I was really really wanting to sit on the beach all afternoon. When we got back, Ken didn't want to go directly to the beach. He promptly sat down and went to sleep. I laid down on the couch and dozed off. I woke up about 1:00 and decided I'd go down to the pool so I put on my beach clothes, grabbed my book, towel and pop and headed off. It had clouded up and the wind was blowing a bit so it was very cold. I stayed there for about 10 minutes and gave up. I came back upstairs and Mr. Ken was still asleep so I sat down and read a bit. The sun came out and Ken woke up and I decided to try the chairs on the balcony. By the time I got there, the sun was gone again and so I went back up to the condo and stayed. I was very disappointed. Oh well, tomorrow is supposed to be 70 and sunny so I will get in one last bake and burn I hope. At 6:00 or so we will go to hear Los Lonely Boys at The Hangout and then our trip will be over. Little tear.

Oh gee, I can't believe I forgot the best part of the day!!!! Feeling too sorry for myself I guess. Tonight was our Dolphin Cruise. This is the third year we have sailed with Capt. Bill and Ceatacen Cruises. He operates the only DolphinSmart cruise in the area. You have to be certified yearly by the Dolphin Research Institute to have that title. Bill really knows the dolphin pod in Wolf Bay. Currently there are 31 dolphins. One is two weeks old and one is only 4 days old. We briefly saw one of the babies tonight. I think this was the best cruise we have been on here. Several dolphins swam right up to the boat. Two or three were "dancing" so they really came up out of the water. Dancing is what boy and girl dolphins do together and then a year later, a baby dolphin is born. It was so cool. Then we went back in the swamp and saw an alligator, an osprey, a blue heron and a pelican sleeping on a branch. It was the highlight of my trip so far.

Now it is off to the Flora Bama for real this time. The old folks better get going or we will fall asleep in our chairs again.

Love you all!

Sailing, Sailing...

Failte!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Didn't sleep well last night so I didn't want to get up this morning. It didn't help that it was rainy and dark either. We had already decided that today wouldn't be a beach day and the rain was expected.

Last year on a rainy day we took the ferry boat from Ft. Morgan to Daphin Island and then drove up to Mobile. We were headed for the USS Alabama but underestimated how long it would take to get there. So, we arrived about an hour before they closed. We rushed through but didn't get to see everything that we, especially Ken, wanted to see. When we were talking about our trip this year, Ken said that he really wanted to go back to see the whole thing. So, that's what we did today.


We got there a little after 10 this morning so we had plenty of time. The USS Alabama is a South Dakota class battle ship. It was commissioned in 1942 and initially served in the North Atlantic. In 1943, as WWII heated up in the Pacific, the Alabama traversed the Panama Canal and begin service in the Pacific. It saw a lot of battle in the S. Pacific before it was decommissioned in 1947. Prior to decommissioning, the Bama was one of the occupation ships in Tokyo Harbor and the Marine detachment aboard were the first Americans to set foot on Japanese soil at the end of the war. The ship was mothballed in Bremerton, WA until the sixties when it was moved to Mobile Bay and its current home. The Alabama was refurbished and turned into a museum. The USS Drum, a WWII era submarine, is also docked in Battleship Park. It is the oldest Gato class sub still in existence. We were able to see both with plenty of time to really take everything in. Ken climbed clear up to the navigation deck (really high up) but I was too pooped to go up and down all those steps. Actually, I really don't like climbing up and down those steep stairways. They also have a small airplane exhibit with an SR 71, 2 navy helicopters and several other aircraft. The hanger and some of the craft were badly damaged in Hurricane Katrina and are being restored.

We left Battleship Park about 3:00 and drove downtown to the Historic District. Mobile has been in existence since the early 1800's. Many of the buildings are pre-Civil War. We drove around Cathedral Square, Daphin Street and other historic areas. The trees are magnificent. Such big, old trees! I really wanted to go into the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception but it was closed. The church design and decor are a combination of Gaelic and French representing the two predominate cultures of Mobile.

I read in the AAA Tour Book about a place called the Dew Drop Inn. For those who remember The Walton's, that was the name of the tavern on Walton's Mountain. This isn't the same one but the name caught my eye. According to the AAA book this is the place were Jimmy Buffet developed "his lust for the cheeseburger" and considers this burger the best around. I can't say that we agree. I didn't read the directions very carefully so we ended up driving 4 miles out of the way. Finally found it and it is a hole in the wall. The Dew Drop is the oldest continuous restaurant in Mobile. It has been around since 1924. The current building was built in 1967 and hasn't been changed since. I had the Dew Drop Hot Dog with chili, sauerkraut, mustard, onion and a pickle. It was a very different dog but was very good. Ken had the cheeseburger with chili. He said it was good but it wasn't the best he's ever had. Leaving the Dew Drop we drove through a very interesting section of Mobile. Roll em up!

We drove south toward Dauphin Island and Ft. Gaines to catch the ferry to Ft. Morgan. We didn't have to go that way but we enjoy the ride across the bay. It happened to be sunset as we were going across and was a beautiful ride across Mobile Bay. Ft. Gaines and Ft. Morgan were the guardians of Mobile Bay during the Civil War.




Since it is St. Pat's we went to the Hangout for some music and a drink and then back home. I am pooped! Tomorrow is a beach day and the sunset dolphin tour then it's Friday. Why is it vacation goes so fast and the rest of the year goes so slow?

Slainte!

Technology-Can't live with it, can't live without it!

It is a sad thought that the one nagging little niggle of my vacation has been that I couldn't connect to the Internet unless I was in the car with my Iphone! Technology has taken over my life. Could it be that I am addicted to my social networking via email, blog and Facebook. Here I am surrounded by a beautiful beach and gorgeous weather and my main thought was would they really get my internet fixed today! Sure nuff, when we came in this afternoon, it was up and running. Life is good.

Monday was a day for the beach. The wind had died down to a manageable level and the temperature was lovely. We took our leftover shrimp, a cooler full of pop and our beach gear and staked out our little space on beautiful Sugar Beach (also known as Romar Beach). There are lots of young folks here this year. Seems to be a volleyball tournament or something going on. A busload of Canadian kids are staying here with their sponsors. They are very well behaved but it does make the beach more crowded. We sat out for 5 hours reading, dozing and walking. Despite continual application of sunscreen (yes Di, lips and feet too) I still have my red patches. I finally checked out the adult beverages at the Sugar Shack this year. Ken and I indulged in a little margarita and a little daquiri (respectively-not one of each) and it wasn't too bad.

Dinner was at Tacky Jacks, a very popular hangout on the marina. As it was Monday night it wasn't very crowded so we got to sit down right away. We wanted to sit on the deck but it was way too chilly. So, indoors we went. Unfortunately we were seated next to the loudest 8 girls (and 1 boy) south of the Mason/Dixon. I mean, they weren't just loud, they were LOUD! And, they loudly reminded each other that they were being too loud. The lady across from me kept glancing at them and then looking at me. My teacher radar went up and we both rolled our eyes. After the girls left I asked her if she was a teacher and she said yes and asked if I was. I told her I was and we both laughed. I reminded her we were on vacation and didn't have to take charge.

I did learn at dinner that they don't know what a red beer is down hey-ah. The bartender didn't look like he wanted to learn either. The margaritas were good, the steak Ken had was good and my fish was, fish.

Awoke this morning around seven to pounding hammers somewhere in the condos. You'd think they'd have a rule or something preventing hammering before 8 a.m. I don't know, maybe that would make too much sense. Tried to lay in bed but finally gave in about 8. We basically hung around the condo this morning being lazy. Went down to the beach about 12:30. I think today was about the most perfect beach weather you could ask for. About 68 degrees, NO wind and bright sun. Not hot, not chilly, just right. Fed the seagulls, walked down a sandbar, read and watched all the college kids boogey boarding. Some of them are pretty good. I predict that boogey boarding will be part of the next summer olympics :-)

Todays afternoon cocktails: margarita for Ken, Amaretto Sour for me, yum!

Clouds have rolled in so the rain must be on its way. After I fix spaghetti and meatballs for dinner we will be off to make a Wal-Mart run and then possibly hit the Flora-Bama for a little night fun.

Tomorrow's plan is to leave early in the morning and head north to Mobile. We want to tour the USS Alabama again and then we will probably head toward Ft. Morgan via the ferry boat. It will be St. Paddy's day and I think this is Ken's plan to keep my as far away from QVC as possible. Ha! He probably doesn't remember that I will actually be on the Emerald Isle itself in 3 months and will need all my Euros for shopping there.

Have to go cook dinner now. A woman's work is never done but at least my Internet is working.

We Arrived!

Greetings from sunny Sugar Beach!

I am writing this on my iPhone as I can't get my computer to connect to the net. The after hours service number only works M-F!
Friday's drive was uneventful. Including Tulsa rush hour and stopping for dinner it took 7.5 hours to get to Little Rock. We had a brief but nice visit with Don and Jamie and then turned in for the night.

We left LR at 6:45 stopping for breakfast at Mickey D's. There was an Army JROTC team there too so we felt right at home. Drove through Memphis and greeted McLemore Blvd as we drove by. Then it was south to Jackson where we ate lunch at Pizza Inn. I think John Y. and I need to start a franchise out by New Market Sq. :-) Later in the day we stopped for gas and immediately after that Erin called to say that Bank of America called to alert us of unusual activity on our account. So we called and found out that they were concerned that we had transactions in 3 seperate states in one day. Guess they aren't used to us traveling. Ha! Actually I really appreciated it.

We pulled into the driveway of Sugar Beach exactly 11:30:03 hours after we left LR. We ran into bad traffic coming into
Mobile that delayed us by an hour. I used my handy dandy timer on my iPhone to time us. We are back in the condo we had two years ago and I was so glad to see it is still comfortably nice. Nothing fancy but cozy.

For dinner we went to The Hangout. It is a huge family restaurant/bar that has something for everyone. They had an emcee entertaining diners between live music sets on the outdoor stage. Friday night Los Lonley Boys will be there so I am trying to talk Ken into going. We had great food. We had Frickles for Meghan ( fried pickles) and Ken had fried shrimp. I had a Shaka Shaka Shrimp Wrap. It was the best meal we've ever had down here.
Woke this morning to find that we had no hot water, the Internet still won't connect and my new capris that I didn't try on don't fit. Ken flipped the breaker on the hot water tank, I can connect on my iPhone and we are going to make an old navy run for shorts and capris. The sun is shining and the water is lovely so all is well.

As the say at the Hangout- laugh loud dance fast have fun or go home!

Shaka Baby!

Spring Fever

Greetings!

In about 28 hours we will be leaving for what has become our annual trek to the white sands of Gulf Shores, Alabama. More specifically, Orange Beach and Sugar Sands condominiums. This will be our third year going to Gulf Shores and hopefully it will not be our last trip.

This year we are taking Roy as far as Little Rock for a visit with Ken's brother Don. We will pick him up on our way back home next Saturday. I have my books, magazines, MP3 and DVDs ready to go.

I'll try to update this every day internet connection permitting.

Can't wait to get into beach mode!

Laura