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August, 2004 | |||||||||||||||||
Back Home ... We caught our breath after arriving home from Maine, reassured the cats we were home to stay, then walked to Alicante for dinner. Have I mentioned how nice it is to have a great (and I don't use that word lightly) restaurant in the neighborhood?
The next day was jam-packed. Kurt, Tina and the kids, and Peter's parents were coming for a cookout .. AND we were adopting a kitten from the Shelter — more on that below. It was the last hurrah for John in MA this year, his visit always seems very short. It was a nice summer day and everyone headed for the lake to kayak, fish and hang out.
The kids love kayaking and are good at it. They've also really improved their casting ... especially Joe who was whipping that lure out into the water. Unfortunately there aren't as many fish in the lake as there were just a few years ago. And the bass we do have are pretty small. John was making recommendations about how to build up the bass population based on an article he'd read.
Janina and Arthur enjoyed seeing Mom again, and vice versa, and caught up on all their adventures over the past year. I savor these nice summer days when we get them ... fall and winter just come too fast. It's great to see everyone having fun.
Tony! Earlier in the same week, on my shift at the shelter, I'd noticed a kitten. Not unusual — there have been tens of kittens coming in this year. (Not only to Milford Humane, but to every shelter around. It's been an extra-fertile season, unfortunately.) So I've seen lots of adorable kittens, and been tempted to adopt one many times. But we already have four adult cats at home and bringing in another is always a challenge. It's a delicate balance to keep everyone happy. But, supposedly, its easier to introduce a new kitten than a grown cat. Anyway, this particular kitten caught my eye. He was alone in a cage (his brothers had been adopted the previous weekend), was a bit older than most of the other kittens and was a tabby. A cute marble (bullseye on side) tabby! Now I have a real weakness for those guys. We had had the best tabby ever, Wiley, who we lost three years ago. We still and always will, miss him very much. Was it time to get another?
I pointed out Freedom (his shelter name) to Peter who
happened to be helping me that day. We got to know him a little ...I
looked at Peter: what do you think? By the time we finished the shelter
feeding and cleaning, we decided we wanted him. So, coming in that day
without any thought of getting another cat, just like that, we We picked him up on the regular adoption Sunday, which also happened to be family cookout day. So, Erin, Kelsey, Joe and Uncle John went to the shelter with me to meet Tony. We'd already decided on his name after getting family approval. Everyone was impressed with Tony right away ... he's such a sweetie. John, a cat lover from way back (that story some other time) dubbed him "Little T." Having a kitten in the house is a new experience for all of us. (Growing up we'd had a couple kittens, but I didn't remember their younger days.) Tony is endlessly playful and full of fun. He's extremely affectionate and curious — a perfect kitten. Well, maybe not so, in the eyes of Stinky, Sara, Lucy and Vinnie. But they are getting used to being chased (playfully), bitten (lovingly) and edged out of food bowls (hungrily). Tony keeps them on their toes and hopefully, will help them stay young. He sits on my lap at the computer, stretches with Peter in the mornings and loves to be around people. For more on Tony, see the Slideshow.
Another birthday came and went ... Peter got a new car ... we're enjoying our tomatoes and basil ... some summer heat and humidity finally arrived ... we drove around exploring whenever the mood hit ... the beat goes on. |
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