Cats and more cats (part 2)

Up until this time, I had one cat.  Our KitKat.  Found in the barn as a kitten, bottle fed, nursed back to health, and now our cat.

KitKat.

So, I trapped 8 cats over two days.  Drove that long drive to Austin (several times) to have them spayed/neutered.  A friend of mine, who knows animals, wanted a "shop cat".  She has the ability and the knowledge to re-home a stray, and took one of the cats I had spayed.  She was ready with a large cage and a carrier to keep the cat enclosed for weeks until it can call her place her home.  I have no doubt it will be safe and well fed.

And another of the cats I trapped I have not seen since.  Its possible it was some one's pet (now spayed and ear clipped......oooopps).

So, that leaves me with a community of 6 cats.  So far.

Bob is a male tabby, very smart and has an amazingly beautiful color pattern.  He seems to be in charge of a subset of the community, the four tabbies.  Would it be called a pride?

Bob

Rose is a small tortoiseshell/tabby.  She is always with Bob.

Rose

Two tabbies are with Bob and Rose.  One is a male, the other is a female, but I don't know which is which.  This so makes me regret I did not take pictures of them when I took them in to be spayed/neutered in their traps.  So, I am calling them Dart (very shy and runs at the first sound of my coming with dark tabby markings) and Logan (a "washed out" tabby color).  I think Logan is the female.

Frank is a large bicolor.   He is always the last to find the food, and sometimes, like a couple of nights ago, he sits on the driveway and wails (which makes me think he missed his supper).  I see him alone, mostly, sometimes with Cookie.

Frank and Cookie

Cookie is a true calico.  She, too, is very shy.  I can only see her at a distance most days.  I call her my "teenager".  She runs and hops, leans into Frank when he is feeding and head butts him.  He just keeps on keeping on.

My routine is to feed in one spot, in a clearing on our 5 acres.  I give about half a portion in two bowls.  I am pretty noisy as I approach, sometimes I see a cat, sometimes I don't.  I call, "cat-cat-cat" and shake the food.  Then I leave that spot to fill a couple of other bowls, one under a table, the other closer to the property line, for the cats I have not yet trapped.  I come back to the first site, where usually the four tabbies are eating.  I shake the bowl, they move off about 20 feet, I fill their bowls, then I back off about 20 feet and sit and watch them as they come back and feed.  They get their fill, then stretch, walk off a couple of feet and lay around like one sees lions do on nature programs.  We watch each other for awhile.  Then I leave.  Rose is curious, has walked a couple of feet towards me occasionally while I keep very still, then she returns to her group.

So far, this is like some nature project.  I keep notes, watch them (and they watch me).

Cats and more cats (part 1)

So, let me make it clear.  I never liked cats.  I thought they were shifty and independent, not able to be trained.  The way my parents talked about cats was probably the root of those thoughts.  My mother was afraid that cats would wind around her feet and trip her.  My father talked about how cats sucked your breath while you slept and suffocated you.  The barn cats would sit on the window sill on the old farm house and stare at him through the windows as we ate supper, and he would be constantly chasing them off.

My children loved cats, although we never had them.  And while I would talk about how I disliked cats, at every house I ever visited that had cats, the cats would find my lap to sit in, or twine around my feet.

Then in a "magical" moment, we found puppies under the barn on our place, abandoned puppies, and I bottle fed one after finding homes for the rest.  My children would ask, if we found a kitten under the barn, could we keep it, and I would distractedly say, sure.  I mean, what WERE the odds.

And indeed, one day, my son came yelling, "we found a kitten".  And, yes, he had.  It fit in one of my palms.  Its eyes were matted shut and it was covered with fleas.  Its nose was runny.  "Mom, we can't let it die!" was the cry.  So, I googled a milk-like concoction to keep it alive and the next day, I drove the little piece of fur to a local veterinarian.  He shook his head and said he had doubts that it would survive.  It had an upper respiratory infection, was dehydrated, and other other issues.  They gave him fluids and antibiotics and vitamins, gave me formula and oral meds and tips for care and told me to come back in a few days if it was still alive.  The kids called it KitKat.  I fed it every few hours, forced medicine down it throat, gave it a warm bath, wiped its little nose and eyes and bottom.  And it survived.  The vet's office gave it more fluids, more antibiotics, cleaned out its ears and finally determined it was a little boy.  And gave it a poor chance of survival.  I persisted, taking care of that 8 oz bundle.  I nebulized it, bottle fed it, made a tiny sized litter box, paid the vet bill.  And then, we had a cat.  I treated it more like a dog, so it begs for food, plays with ball and is very vocal.

Our KitKat was probably an offspring from the neighbor's cats.  He had lots of animals, including a pack of cats, which he fed, but did nothing more for.  It was a bit of a problem as they would come to the barn, spread fleas, have kittens, etc.  Then this winter, he moved.

The neighbor took his goats and chickens and doves and ducks and dogs and the cats that were "his".  Apparently, he spayed/neutered the cats that were his, but not the others.  He left behind a dozen or so cats.  Some residents said they would shoot the remaining cats if they saw them.  For some crazy reason, I could not let that happen.  So, I started doing research into feral cats.  Not really feral, these cats were strays and scared and confused and wouldn't trust me.

I called the shelters and rescues, read about cats and traps.  I started feeding them and then borrowed some traps and set up appointments for having them spayed/neutered, a local rescue would keep the females overnight, then I would bring them home.  Thus, the great animal trapping of 2017 began.

Images

Share an image you really love right now.....wow.

AN image....I can't.  There are multiple images that I love and keep with me, Snapshots of moments in time that I can picture in my head.

Pictures are so very important.  Somewhere in my possession is an old black and white photo of half of my dad.  That was part of the first roll of pictures I ever took.  When they were developed, either my mother or father questioned why I didn't take my time to focus.  I did....I just couldn't see what to focus on, and soon after I had my first pair of glasses.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mother.  A very independent woman to the end. I miss her.

This is still how I see myself.....  this is my first car.  I will never forget how I felt when I got it.  $297.  The drivers window wouldn't roll up, the trunk wouldn't open unless you "thumped" it, and when it rained (which it did a LOT in Southern Illinois) the carborator stuck.  But that feeling owning your first car!



I still remember taking this picture.  I was driving back from a 10 day job at the Illinois State Fair.  That 10 day job paid for a semester's tuition.  As I was driving, a rainbow appeared.  The one way sign was just serendipity, but I always feel like I am headed to the pot of gold when I see this picture.

This is my beloved.  It was a big road trip to Maine, from Texas.  This is a cool morning in West Virginia.  Forever will I remember that trip, and someday, we might do it again.

This is from our first road trip together to Big Bend.  I knew I loved him, but this trip just sealed it.  The vistas you could see made you think in terms of "forever".

When my son was younger, one day he took my camera outside and played at taking pictures.  I have NO IDEA how he took this one, but it is a favorite of mine.

This is from my first road trip alone with William.  We went to a place that I remembered as a child, Elephant Rocks, and played in the rocks.  Its so special because he saw the place as I did as a child, and it made me childlike again.

 This is my wonderful Grace.  She has grown into the most awesome adult.  I am so proud of who she has become.  Words cannot express it.

I LOVE these images.....and they can bring tears to my eyes and make my heart happy.

I am curious as to what images the others in our group love:

Andes Cruz: https://andescruz.wordpress.com/201... ‎

angelojones :: http://www.pencilfox.com/2016/09/se...

Kathleen Krucoff: http://wp.me/pA5jX-Qw

know yourself

When I saw the topic for the month, I thought, "oh, this will be easy".  I mean, we are getting ready to host the homeschool "back to homeschool" party, and I am in charge of it, and I tell new people to look for me ".....look for the very short woman with long grey hair and glasses".  But, then I thought, yes, that is what I look like, but not who I am.

I am John and Nida's daughter, farm raised and George and Marie's sister.  In the town I was born, I was part of the "Moses" family.....I would have old people stop me on the street and say "you is a Moses, I can tell....how is so and so".

Then, at one point, I defined myself as a student, then a very unhappy air force lieutenant who was also a chemist.  I was very happy to re-define myself as a field investigator for the state of texas, who was protecting the environment.

But , back to the topic.... how DO I define myself?  ..... I mean, I am a very happy mother of two, delighted to be the wife of an amazing man. I have chickens and a dog and a cat.....or maybe they have me.

I have my own business and am the manager of the farmers market in which I participate.  I am a library volunteer, I am a teacher, I am the crone in our homeschool group.

I am old enough to know things I don't care to have in my definition of self....  I will never be beautiful in the classic sense, too short, with a ski slope nose, chunky, not thin. But, I am comfortable with my looks.  I will not be rich, although I tend to be generous.  I don't care for cities but someday I would love to travel.  Technology is fun, but I have no desire to be an expert.

But, in some way, I feel those things are only who I am, they don't define me....  I talked to a friend of mine, a wonderful woman, who teaches yoga, among other things (but that does not DEFINE her) about this topic.  We talked about how yoga teaches that if you define youtself, then does that make you that person.....is it better to not define one's self so that you can change, don't put yourself in a box. And don't we change who we are every day, as we learn and grow.  There are some definitive things, personality traits that are with us all our lives.  I have taken various personality tests over the years in my jobs.....and the traits that have stood the test of time for me are loyalty, loving and steadiness. I think admirable traits. So, I guess I am a german shepard (ha!)

So, lets see if the other bloggers in this group know themselves:

Andes Cruz: https://andescruz.wordpress.com/2016/08/20/define/

marie bell :: http://www.pencilfox.com/2016/08/au...

What am I good at?????

This is difficult.  Because one is taught not to talk about one's accomplishments without sounding like one is bragging.  I mean, it is easy to tell other people what they are good at, or give them compliments.....  encouraging my kids or my husband.... supporting my friends.  And I don't like pictures of myself, but I am going to try not to cringe when I see these pictures.......

But, I have given this a lot of thought.  And I came up with a few things I am good at (I think).

1) independent thought and problem solving (science and cooking)

No, that is not Princess Leia, its "Lt. Bell" in the military as a chemist

When I was in graduate school, I really liked field work, mostly because I was independent and could plan my own work.  Then, when I was in the military, and worked as an environmental chemist, I was called a "self starter".  Of course, my independent nature meant I was pretty much as odds with the hierarchy of the military.

The "scientist" seining for fish

When I worked for the state, they made us all take personality tests.  Not so much for self enlightenment, I realized, but so the bosses could "manage" us better.  My "outstanding characteristics" were loyalty and dependability.  It made me sound like a St. Bernard. I did not excel in leadership, in fact, at one point, I was passed over for a management position.  It took me a long time to get over that, and to realize my boss really did know me (thanks, John) and I was much better as a field investigator than as an office bound manager.  I liked the fact that they gave me a year's worth of work, and I could plan how to do it and how to get it all done.

When I worked for the state, I did a number of jobs, including taking samples of unknown drums which were
 dumped along roadsides

Soap on drying rack

So, now, I have my own business and can plan my own time.  I usually have multiple tasks and orders going at once, and deadlines for them all.  And I love it.

Soap making in the "Bell Springs Laboratory"

2)  I am good at teaching.

I discovered this in grad school.  I taught 4 labs a semester (and made $272.27 a month).  Later, I got to teach chemical methods to some waste water plant operators when I worked for a year in a civil service job.  I had to put the "science" into terms they could understand, when some of them barely spoke english, or finished high school.  I did a lot of educational programs for school kids when I worked for the state and talked to them about careers and how to protect the environment (a young girl in the far side of our district told me that she never knew women could be scientists before I came to talk to her class).  And now, I homeschool and have done some classes for the teens in our homeschool community.  Every summer, I get talked into teaching a science camp (or some kind of camp) at our local library. I like sharing science concepts with kids, and I think, I HOPE, my enthusiasm helps them to understand and like science.

3)  I like to think I am a good momma.  My husband and kids seem to think so.

So, I asked my husband what I was good at.....and he said "singing.....and being a good wife and mother....and solving problems..... and being a good friend".  My daughter said "being a mom".  My son said "getting me ice cream out of the freezer" (guess what he wants?).  I'll just add, that being momma, is some ways is "momma to the world".  My children, my animals, my farmers market vendors (I am market manager), my friends.....  I find time for them all and listen to them and support them in their world.

Since I often post pictures of "the cat", I thought I would add a "selfie"
with Cocoa for a change.

So, since this was so difficult for me, I wonder what the rest of our blogging group has to say?

Andes Cruz: https://andescruz.wordpress.com/2016/07/20/perfection/

Robyn Hawk: http://flyviewsandreviews.blogspot.com/...

marie bell :: http://www.pencilfox.com/2016/07/ju...

What I want to learn

WOW.....  there are so many things I could say about what I want to learn.

A real physical thing I want to learn is to play my mandolin.  I bought one, several years ago when I received a couple of gift cards.  I have always wanted to play one; especially after I learned my grandfather played.  As a guitar player of 45 years, I thought it would be easy to pick it up and play.  Sadly, I haven't even played the guitar in a year or so.  Just don't have the time.  Yes, I have read all the inspirational blogs about making time for the things you love, take time for yourself, etc.  But, I still homeschool one child and take an interest in listening to and helping my adult daughter.  I spend time with my husband.  I help make this a home, working on chores both inside and out.  I have my own business. I am the primary caregiver to our dog and cat.  I am the volunteer market manager for our farmers market.  I am active in our homeschool community.  I am a volunteer in the summer for a library program......  and I enjoy it all......  however, there are only 24 hours in a day, and I do require some sleep.....

However, I am taking steps in the right direction.....Tuesday, I am getting my 12 string guitar restrung.  I have made that decision.  And yes, I could buy the strings and do it myself.  But, time vs money comes in and I think, no, I KNOW, if I just buy the strings, it will never get done.  And then, after I get my mind wrapped around making music again, I can think about new music.....

Our Farmers Market

The non-physical thing I want to learn is how to back away from situations that will eat up my time and my energy.  Balance.  And I am starting.  But, I see things that need to be done, or should be done, and I just have to do it. Thus, how I ended up at the volunteer market manager.

One thing I should learn is how to declutter....... If you hold it in your hands and it doesn't give you joy, give it away, I have heard......  but, that makes no sense to me, and made me laugh.  Do my socks give me joy?  Not really, but I need them.  Do the old documents that I have to keep for tax purposed give me joy.  Definitely not.....but the I need to keep them, too.  I don't have room for the two gallons of apple juice I bought because it is cheaper, but does it give me joy?

So, much to learn.....and although some days I feel like the proverbial old dog, much of the time I feel young (until a new mom at the homeschool group says incredulously "your're HOW OLD?").  And able to change and grow and learn.....

So, lets see what our other bloggers want to learn!

Andes Cruz: https://andescruz.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/learn/

marie bell :: http://www.pencilfox.com/2016/06/ju...

Kathleen Krucoff ~ http://wp.me/pA5jX-PR

What I am looking forward to....

I've thought a lot about this.  From a "world" point of view.  From a local point of view.  Spiritual.  Physical.  A purely mental, "high plane" point of view.....

And then, it was really down to the wire.  What do I look forward to?






























And I guess it is the fact that this month, I will be married to the love of my life for 20 years that finally decided it.  I am looking forward to more time with the ones I love.  My husband is the most amazing, caring man.  A good father, hard worker, he inspires me, makes me think, we work well together and I can't imagine my life without him.

Not everyone can say they like their children.  But, I am fortunate that I can say I do.  My daughter is talented and kind and just a wonderful young woman.  

Our son is equally wonderful.  He is full of life and energy and love.  His smile is the best thing on earth.

And then there are the animals.  I have to include them, as they make our life fuller and lend humor to our world. 

 And our businesses.  Recently, Steven and I did a show together.  

And the other aspects of our simple, yet full life....eating good food, gardening, playing and just being together......that's what I am looking forward to.

 So, lets see what our other bloggers are looking forward to:

Andes Cruz: https://andescruz.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/forward-2/

Kathleen Krucoff: http://wp.me/pA5jX-Pv

marie bell :: http://www.pencilfox.com/2016/05/ma...