Update on Kittens

They are doing fantastic.  So far all have survived.  We are no longer calling Mama Cat by that name.  She is now Cleopatra Queen of the Garage.  Renea has named her because this cat has definitely taken over the garage.  Kevin also only gives her filtered water.  I would say she is getting spoiled.  She is getting really friendly with all of us.  She comes out of the corner and wants to be petted, she is purring, and when I fed her today she tried to eat the food off the spoon.  She gets upset if we take her bowl to put the food in it so we just take the food to her bowl.  She is also really good about using the litter box.  Still no pictures.  She is keeping the kittens back in the corner and they are hard to see.  However, she no longer hisses at us when we get near them.  She has even allowed Stephanie to pick them up when they fall off the shelf.  She is on the bottom shelf of a stack of five. 

It’s still been a little windy so I am picking up more sticks and twigs.  I finished cutting all my grass plus Kevin and Renea’s front yard.  Of course, now it’s time to cut mine again.  That will probably happen on Sunday or Monday.  I planted the two Lantana plants in my front yard.  They look really nice.  I am getting new leaves on my hydrangeas.  Those two plants were looking pretty sad for a while so I’m glad to see some new growth.  I have some “new” birds coming to my bird feeders.  My yard is very busy right now. 

The Dawn Redwood we planted in Jim’s name is looking really good.  Below is a picture. 

I have finished the CRAP JEOPARDY except for the board to put the cards, etc. on.  I even have the prizes.  I still need to get some kind of bells or whistles for the teams.  Not sure what I will get. Maybe I will just have them holler.  They will probably do that anyway.

 Almost ready with the Scavenger Hunt.  I have all the items, and just about finished the list the teams will use to find them.  I am still working on the teams.  I’m thinking of putting an experienced Scavenger Hunter with a new one.  I also have to come up with prizes.  Jim used to give dollar bills.  I’m thinking of quarters. 

I have our email addresses set up for the business.  I have been working on our portfolio.  I also have our domain name.  Now it’s time to start working on the website.  I was hoping to be further along on that this week, but I got sidetracked (the kittens). 

Kittens and Sticks

I was awakened this morning at 6:30 by a phone call from Stephanie.  Sorry to wake you, but could you come over.  “She” had her kittens in our garage and I don’t know what to do.  So, I put on my shoes and grabbed my jacket and headed over.  There are five brand new kittens and no mama.  Four are black like mama and one is a dark brown. They look to be only a day or so old.  Apparently mama cat had them, then when the garage door was open she went out looking for food.  She must have been outside when the garage door was closed last night.  Renea told Stephanie to try and give them some warm milk.  Steph had put them in a box with a towel to keep them warm.  She was trying to feed them, but it wasn’t working.  “She,” the mama cat is a small black cat that hangs around our houses.  She is so good at hiding we can’t always find her.  She won’t come to any of us.  We decided to leave the kittens alone and the garage door open in hopes that she would come back.  We were worried that something  may have happened to her during the night.  About 8:00 a.m. I got a text from Kevin telling me that mama cat had returned and was taking care of her younguns.  I am to use the back door for the time being.  I’ll try and get some pictures in the next couple of days.

As for the sticks – it has been so windy here the past couple of days that we all have sticks and twigs all over our yards.  This morning, after I put the mail in the mailbox, I picked up all the sticks and twigs on the north side of the yard and the circle.  I made quite a few trips carrying them to the pile.  We are saving them for a campfire – if the wind every quits blowing.  I still have a bunch to pick up on the other side of the yard.  Then we will have to work on Kevin’s yard because he has a bunch of them also.

Renea had bought two Lantana plants when I bought mine.  She put hers in pots in her front yard.  They are not doing too well.  I think they need to be in the ground.  So, she told me to take them and plant them in my yard.  I brought them over this morning and now I need to decide where to plant them.  I will probably do that tomorrow morning because I need to get some top soil and potting soil.  I actually have a whole list of items I need to buy. 

I have been working on our CRAP JEOPARDY game for CRAP.  I am just about ready.  I have all my questions and answers.  Now I am making the cards.  I need to find a big piece of cardboard, or something, to hang these on.  Should be fun.  I made sure I put a few questions in that will be probably embarrass a few people.  I also have the three teams set up. 

I have also been working on our website, email addresses, etc, for the BKM Wood Products LLC business.  This is Kevin’s last week for school (he will have his Bachelor’s Degree) and then he can get started making things.  I’ll let you know when the website is up and running so you can check it out.   Kevin actually has a couple of orders already.  We are definitely making progress.  Right now Brian and I are just waiting on Kevin and the word to get started.  We are moving a little slower than originally anticipated, but that’s okay.  We are doing it right.

I am also in the process of getting estimates for gutters and downspouts on the mobile home.  I hope to be hearing from them in the next couple of days. 

I’ve been busier this week than I thought. 

Home Sweet Home

My few days (no more than a week) to visit Mom and family ended up lasting three weeks.  Every time I decided it was time to leave something else came up.  I stayed with Jana and Dave which made it easy to get things done.  We had paperwork to sign and file to finish up Uncle Clarence’s estate.  We made several trips to the bank.  Brian finished Uncle Clarence’s taxes so we signed that paperwork and filed them.  Now we are waiting for the last of the refunds to come in, then we can close Uncle Clarence’s bank account and be finished with all of that.

I didn’t get to do much visiting of friends and family.  I did spend a little time with Brian and his family.  While there Steven found out he was accepted into the Butler Tech School of Criminal Justice.  He will start this fall.  I had to put this on my blog because he told me I better.  You are welcome Steven. J  I also spent an evening with Rita and Bob when they returned from their trip to Brazil.  Looked at all their pictures, they took over 400 so it took a while.  They had a great time.  Brian and his family were also there that evening. 

I spent one day with my friends Ronnie and Tom.  We are having a great time catching up on the past 50+ years.  It’s wonderful.  I don’t know what talked the most; Ronnie or me.  We did let Tom get a comment in every now and then.  I emailed them a picture I have of our group who graduated eighth grade from Sacred Heart.  We decided to see if we can track down the people in the picture.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a reunion of just that group?  We do know that one of the guys has died, and that Jim, who is not in the picture, has died. 

I put together an album for Mom to have at the Nursing Home of pictures of our family including some “old” pictures I had of her dad, mom, her mom’s family and others.  She enjoyed it so much, Jana and I went through a box of pictures mom had in her cupboard and I put together an album of her friends and activities at the Senior Center, etc.

While I was in Cincinnati I decided it was time to sell the motorhome.  I knew I wouldn’t be using it any more.  Just too big, and I’m not sure I want to camp/volunteer any more.  That was something Jim and I did together.  I  just don’t want to do it by myself.  So, Brian and I made arrangements with Steve Jung (Colerain RV) to sell it for me.  Brian drove it over to Colerain and I met him there to sign the papers, etc. I hope he is able to sell it.  I just couldn’t see letting it sit and no one using it.    

I talked to Kevin and Renea several times while I was gone, and they informed me that I better get back soon – I had a lot of grass to cut.  Wasn’t it thoughtful of them to leave that chore for me?  Does this mean they missed me?

Okay, it was time for me to head back to Alabama.  Instead of driving down I-75 this time, I took I-65.  I did that because of a detour heading south on I-75 in Tennessee due to an earth slide.  I much prefer I-65.  No Knoxville.  No Atlanta.  Less trucks.  Yea.  It was a much easier drive.  I did take two days again.  I stopped in Franklin, TN, for the night and finished the trip the next morning.  And, yes, I did have grass to cut.  But, that’s okay.  I enjoy it, especially since I have a riding mower to use.

So, now I’m back home.  I have cut the front grass and weeded my flowers/bushes.  All is going well.