Happy 19th Birthday to my grandson Sam.

Here he is at age 11 sitting in the Ohio State stadium dreaming of the day he would be sitting at a football game as a Buckeye. So now it is 9 years later and he is a Freshman at OSU and a avid Buckeye.  

But he gave up going to the game yesterday and will spend his birthday today doing something else he really loves  and feels passionately about – campaigning for the Democratic Party.

Here he is pictured with Jim Messina, Democratic Campaign Chairman. Sam, I just want to tell you how very proud we are of you and of the man you have become.   

Happy Birthday!

It's Been a Long Time---

My son reminded me in a phone conversation today that I hadn't blogged for awhile.  When I checked, I realized that it had been a month.  Wow, where does time go when you are having fun?  Or in my case, doing nothing? LOL.  I've been doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  I'm still a Kitty Socializer at Petco every Wednesday from 10-2.  It does get me out of the house and provides me with some time away from the hubby. 

I get to spend time with this kind of cuteness each week.

 

 

 

 

 

Then I get to come home to this cuteness.  

If you remember that far back, I mentioned in my last blog that I was looking to adopt a kitty, preferably a Maine Coon or a Maine Coon mix.  I had been to the Pet Smart in Santee a couple of times to look at "Kitty Girl".  She just had never been very friendly and I was very leery about adopting her.  They called me one day and asked if I would take her as a foster.  She had developed a sneeze and they wanted to get her away from the other cats and kittens in the Cattery.  So, I loaded up on cat equipment and brought her home.  Well, she hadn't been in the house 2 days when both Chuck and I decided that this was going to be her forever home.  She totally took over our hearts and our home.  When asked what I was going to name her, the first name that came to mind was Misty May.  The Olympics had just ended and my favorite athlete was Misty May Treanor.  So Misty May it is.  Her history is kind of spotty.  She had apparently been dumped or abandoned at a condo complex and was starving to death.  A woman and her daughter took her in and fostered her for a couple of weeks but couldn't keep her so she spent about 6 weeks at the Cattery.  She didn't like the other cats and was just plain "ouchy" about being there.  Can't say as I blame her.  So, she came home with us.  As I said, she was sneezing and then her eye started running so we took her to the vet.  Found out that she probably has the Herpes virus so she was on antibiotics, eye meds and Lycene for two weeks.  That didn't exactly endear her to me but we got through it and now she is my best friend.  Chuck keeps saying, "She's home".  

 Enjoying the view of the garden---and the birds!

 Trying to figure out who that other cat is at the end of the hall.  There is a mirror down there which she hates. And to this day, she still runs down the hall rather than walk just to get away from that cat.

 Getting to know Daddy

 Yeah, my mom plays Words with Friends, so what??

Just chillin'

Yeah, I know I'm up on the furniture but--but--but I can see the bird feeder from here.

I am still so enjoying my garden. I sit out there almost every evening with my Kindle and a glass of wine.

 I could never get my gardenia to bloom on Sanibel.

 

 $15 at Costco!!!

 I'm hoping these will eventually vine up the trellis and give me more privacy.

This Star Jasmine has taken the place of the tomatoes.  Yay!

One of the pages I enjoy on Facebook is that of George Takei.  What a witty, wonderful soul.  When I found out that he was opening a brand new play here in San Diego, I knew I had to go.  It is called Allegiance and is a musical based on the Japanese Detention Camps here in the US during WWII.  George, Lea Solanga and Telly Leung have the leads.  Karen got us tickets for the evening of 9/11.  The show itself was still in previews which meant every day the play was probably being rewritten.  We didn't care.  It was a marvelous show which hopefully is headed to Broadway.  If you get a chance to see it--DO!  http://www.allegiancemusical.com/

 

And as I said, we do spend time with Karen and the family.  Swimming, dinners on the patio, campfires and S'Mores and just enjoying the grandkids.

Noah trying to stump Grandpa with math problems and not achieving it.  He was amazed.

 Ethan and Daddy enjoying the hammock

 Luka with Lambie and S'Mores

 Ahhhhhh

 Mom taking pictures

Caught in the act

 Noah and Grandpa enjoying their S'Mores

 

 At YoYo's eating yogurt

   

At the beginning of the summer Ethan and Luka wouldn't even put their faces in the water.  Now look at them.

 

 

 

 Grandpa even went in the pool

 As did Grandma and Luka

 Piggy back on Grandma

 But the big event this fall was the start of school.  Noah is in 4th grade and the twins are in 1st.  Ethan and Luka are in different classrooms this year.  Twice the homework for mom!

Ethan is already passing notes.

 A brand new box of crayons is always fun

 4th grade!!

So there you have it.  I guess I got you all caught up.  I'm sorry that I took so long and even sorrier that you probably spent an hour reading this post!  Anyway, I'll try not to take so long next time.

Kitty Volunteer

After we finally got settled into our new home, I began to feel the need to volunteer again--preferably with animals.  Since the Wildlife Rehab place is too far away, I opted to turn my volunteer application in to the local Pet Smart which had a no kill dog and cat rescue and adoption organization.  Actually I turned my application in twice and never heard anything back.  So, I went online once more and found another place--East County Animal Rescue or ECAR for short.  I sent them an email late one night and heard back before I got up the next morning!!  We set up a time for my training and I became a kitty volunteer--just like that.

Yesterday was my first shift.  I thought I was going to be alone but as it turned out another young lady was there.  She is a college student and wants to eventually go to vet school.  Like many of San Diego's young people, she is an "army brat" or maybe a "navy brat". I didn't really ask which.  Anyway, I was glad she was there as she helped remind me of some of the things that needed to be done.  My shift is from 10-2 on Wednesdays.  The very early shift must clean all of the cages top to bottom but my shift just has to check food and water, clean litter boxes and then spend the rest of the time playing with kitties.  Ah, doesn't get much better than that!

We had five kittens and cats to care for yesterday.  Yvette, the ECAR founder and manager, checked in and said she was bringing 5 more kittens today.  Wish she had brought them yesterday!! Anyway, I still had my hands full.

Every kitty who comes in is given a name.  That doesn't mean that this is their forever name but it does help us to keep them straight.

This is Barbara who is about 2.  She was found with a litter of 4 kittens in "The Bushes" wherever that is.  So, that is why she was named Barbara.  Her offspring were named Jeb, Walker etc. You get the drift.  Last week, Barbara did nothing but sit up on the counter and just stare at the world.  This week, she actually got down on the floor and played a bit.  And she begged to be brushed.  Such a nice girl.

This is Rue.  She is also a couple of years old and was found with 4 babies.  When 3 orphaned babies came in, she adopted them and nursed all seven.  Yesterday she did nothing but climb to the highest point in the cat tree and sleep, sleep, sleep.  I guess after raising 7 kids, I can totally understand.

This is Hunter.  She was the youngest of the crew and is actually one of Rue's kids.  She is a bit smaller than she looks here.  She was so playful.  Of course the grownups wanted nothing to do with her.  Luckily she had Manny who is a bit older to play with.

This is Manny.  I love the bullseye on his side.  There is an identical one on the other side.  He enjoyed roughhousing with Hunter but often came out the winner of the battles. 

 

  Manny and Hunter taking a break.

 Manny trying to get away from it all.

And last but not least is Jeanne.  She is such a pretty girl.  She was found along with 3 other adult mamas found stuffed in a cage on a horse farm hoping someone would find them.  Luckily someone did.  It is thought that they were all recent mamas so heaven only knows what happened to the babies.  Anyway, Jeanne is such a sweet, affectionate girl.  She discovered my lap and spent most of the time there.  And I didn't mind one bit!

I am looking to adopt a forever kitty of my own.  I would like a Maine Coon or Maine Coon mix.  ECAR has one.  Kitty Girl was abandoned when her family moved.  She is at another ECAR location in Santee.  I've been over to visit her a couple of times but she just hasn't warmed up to me at all.  Even though she apparently did get friendly in her foster home, she hasn't been like that in the store.  ECAR would like me to foster her for awhile to see if she will settle down but I don't really think I want to.  I want a kitty who will be friends with anybody who walks in the door (especially the grandkids) and I don't think that will happen with Kitty Girl.  I do hope she finds her forever home though.

So, there you have it.  I am back volunteering, getting my critter fix, and I couldn't be happier.

Oh, and remember the first place I turned my application in to???  They finally got ahold of me the day after I started at ECAR.  Oh well, their loss I guess.