Check in

Deepest apologies for not posting since September. I have yet again a new laptop the last one was shattered when it fell. I have not seen Lakota or Mikael in months I think they are gone for good this time. I miss them.
Gabrielli is still here as is Moira they are the last of Bettie's babies. She also shows up from time to time, unfortunately She also gets run off by Carmen. I am more and more thinking that Carmen has Bengal in her. Her demeanor, spots and size really make me positive.
M'Agnes my very delicate chocolate pointed Siamese with an attitude from hell's half acre.  She plays Elder Pounce still but now the Elders no longer hold back, she was taught how to spar and that she does. 
We were recently up at the prairie and she went for a walk of a mile I was allowed to hold her on the way back.  I did get some good pictures and jokingly stated that a colorway was needed to match the picture.
Well Guess What

We Haz Colorway
Laura from The Unique Sheep has created a beautiful hand paint to match our girl and I am currently knitting it up using a Susan Pandorf design called Rivendell. This is a smoke ring that I have been eyeing for some time and finally gave in and bought a copy of the pattern. That was before the colorway was created.  I see the irony of it.
I think M'Agnes if one of the best things to happen to me. Everything snowballs and I am finally doing the things I talked about.
I have now made 2 calendars
I have a colorway
I am knitting lace

If this girl had not have such a fan base I would probably still be talking and not doing.

Just a random observation. I find it very odd that some cats will not tolerate each other yet sleep with only a thin sheet of netting between them.

freeze dried chicken livers

I think I have found the ultimate cat treat!
They stink,
they are crispy dry,
AND they have the cats begging!
House and street alike.
These are of course hidden in the dog section of the smaller pet supply stores.
After all Only Dogs get treats that are healthy. Cats need corn, grain, rice and soy. what cat would want a pure meat treat it is not like they are carnivores is it? Oh wait Cats are carnivores and Require meat in their diet.

These treats are 100% pure chicken liver
They are made in Georgia. Well that is the American Georgia not the European Georgia.
They are the original freeze dried training treat. Called Pro treats for dogs.

Why is everything for dogs? and why when they finally package it for cats the price goes up exponentially?

Gabrielli

I am having problems with Gabrielli,she has wounded her throat and is staying away from me. She sits at the perimeter of the yard up on the fence and cries. I sometimes get her to come to me and can bring her in to tend where she has scratched herself to a bloody raw mess.


She will them sigh and sleep. Then manages to disappear in the morning. She has kitty dementia and it is getting real rough now. I am wondering if I did her any favor when I raced her to the vet after the bad reaction to the rabies vacc. I sometimes think it would have been kinder to let her go. She is such a loving cat when she is aware of her surroundings.
Right now she is not aware she is lost and does not know who I am. She will approach Lulu but is wary of the rest.
I had her inside with the inflated collar so of course someone let her outside.... oh i did not see her sneak past... She did manage to get the collar off so I have no idea where it is.
Gabrielli, I love you please come back in where I can take care of you.

Calendar girl

I need to get some more pictures for the calendar taken. I also need the headache to go away.
M'Agnes is definitely looking like a full cat now and she has weight to her she is no longer a little bit of fluff. I think it funny she has more friends than I do! She has a full following. Oh to be a cat, especially a cat loved.

Do you ever feel like something is wrong?
That there are tensions in the air and something is about to blow?
It is O-Dark-Thirty and I just saw a tiny flash of light where none should be.
It was right in front of my fish tank. The heater not only is unplugged, it is not in the tank! It is outside. There is now no light on the tank. That was destroyed and is in the trash recycle.
The night feels weird, it reminds me of the nights when I worked at the clubs. When you could taste how the moods were shifting. Right now I am watching the shadows as the wind moves through the trees. I am listening to the cats as they chirrup at me trying to figure out why I am still awake.
I miss my Isolde, I am missing her something awful and started to cry at work today.
I will try again to sleep hoping that just putting this down will help me relax. It is odd I am in a suburb type area but feel like I am in the mountains, I really need to get to the forest or at least the beach. I have to de-stress before I shatter.

Crimson Cat Basket

Hello, I think my knitting mojo has finally woke up! I am not working on my lace project (which will be gorgeous It is the In Dreams by Susan Pandorf=Totally Awesome and intimidating).........but my hands are hurting. I stepped outside to check on the cats and the incoming fog turned my paws into claws of agony.
So I have picked up a caked hank of Brown Sheep Burly Spun in Hand Paint Strawberry Fields this is a thoroughly saturated crimson and violet and I love it.It is much prettier than these, oddly enough even though I hate the taste, smell and texture of the berries I think they are a pretty plant.


I am also using takumi 10mm circ needles and yes this is helping my hands relax. I can now flex them both.
I am using my notes on Ravelry to see if they are good enough to turn into a pattern and if so this will be used for sanctuary cats and dogs.
I will post pictures when done I promise.
I also need to focus on the next calendar, M'Agnes is as always photogenic but I have not been happy with settings and hate contrived looks. Plus I need to know if anyone and if so how many people want one.
I am happy to say that Mikael is here again and very comfortable coming into the house to the point that I will wake up with him sleeping on me. That is my good news I think I have sad news as well I have not seen my beautiful Lakota in months and do not even feel her presence so I think she has left this realm. I also think one of my colony is very sick but I do not know which it is. I can only guess. I found a pile of bloody grass vomit a week or so ago but that was the only time but today I am finding lakes of urine. I don't think it is one of the core cats, I think it is one of the street cats. So now I get to monitor which is hard as they never do it around me.

Hi it has been a while, too much exhaustion going on.
Right now I am sitting on my porch listening to my favorite flutist R. Carlos Nakai on Pandora. The cats sleep. The pond is topped off and I am contemplating weeding. The bunnies are drowsing in their enclosure and watching me when I move about.
Mikael and Oliver just came over for a visit and to get a drink from one of the many fishbowls, now and then there is a gentle chime from the rain bells that are nearby.
The breeze is gentle and carries the scent of damask roses, lavender and buddleia. It would be a perfect setting for a massage :)sadly the citrus is no longer in bloom.

Yesterday we went to the beach, M'Agnes got to explore, greet new people and make friends. She is being an inspiration for people to harness train their cats.
I guess I need to upload my pictures

It finally happened

Tonight M'Agnes finally got her paw stepped on. She keeps trying to get ahead of me so she can escape, this time she slid under me as I was stepping down. After a scream and some cuddles I trimmed her nails so she got over the drama fast.
Moira is doing fine, and it seems I did not post here her new nickname. My little Moira, my little Gastrofurlini Vermicellibelli Codename: Skatterschock is now also known as Toothless. It seems during one of her spazz sessions she knocked a tooth out.

Just a day

Today was interesting at best and no I do not want to repeat it.
The cats as usual woke me up so I let them out they know I will feed them when I wake up not when they wake me up. SO a bit later when I am awake I go out and feed the feral as well as my crew that are now outside and the few that are still inside.
This is when I realise I do not sense M'Agnes anywhere close. I call, I call again I go around the house. go back in and put on my shoes and search the street. The good news no furry pancakes.
Finally she comes running from across the street were the house is being remodeled/ re-roofed something it is noisy going. I brought her in and went to set food down for the neighbor cats this keeps them from under my car when I want to go somewhere. I turned and there she was right behind me. I put her back in the house and went to get myself some breakfast.
Not even 10 minutes later I am looking for her and there she is rolling under the dumpster! Guess who spent the rest of the day in the kitty condo prison.

On to other exciting news that I never post here :) We went looking for fabric for my dress to where to my sisters Graduation!! I am very excited for her and think this is so very important for her, so I want to where something special. We were hoping to find more of the blue fabric that I had seen but ended up having to order it so I will not be getting that dress made soon then we went to check the store that "has 7yds in inventory" we had just been there yesterday and did not see it so we went back and again nope but they had the orange so I guess I will have an orange dress for my sisters bid day. At least we both like orange.

And something that I thought awesome I got to rescue a moth.
It had landed on its back in water and I cannot let anything suffer so i helped it turn and then encouraged it to crawl up onto me as we were walking.
I finally had someone ID it for me It is a Tiger Moth I found that funny.
Here kitty kitty

Toothless

I just got home and was handing out treats to the good little kitties that where waiting for me.
Moira took one of the freeze dried morsels and when I looked at her again I saw something white sticking out the side of her mouth like a cigarette. At first I thought it was just a bit of the treat hanging onto the fur and he was not aware and went to brush it off.That is when I noticed that it was her lower fang and it was just barely hanging on. I tugged it and it came off Moira did not seem to be upset just did not like me with my fingers that close to her mouth.




Out of curiosity I offered her another treat which she immediately ate and then wanted outside. No signs of pain as I touched around her jaw so I do not know what happened there was a bit of blood so it was a recent break and below the gum line. The only thing I can think is she whacked herself pretty hard during one of her freak out sessions which earned her the Code Name Skatterschock.
Now she isbeing called Toothless for the Dragon in "How To Train Your Dragon".

Cat Bathing again

Inside cats seem to shed worse as they do not get exposed to seasonal changes as much as the outside cats. When kept at a fairly constant temp the hair continues to grow and shed as there is no chill to let the coat know that it needs to thicken or heat to let the coat know it is summer and needs to thin.

I use different things at different times.
If it is flea related I comb the cats apply Diatomeacous earth(food grade only) on the coat let that set a while and them comb it through.

If it is oily coat and the DE did not get it I will use cornmeal smear that dry into the coat I wear disposable gloves doing this as It
OK I will attempt writing this again
kitties deleted the water part.
first prep the room: towels on floor, a crate or laundry basket upside down in the tub covered with towel some thing for kitty to cling to as they do not like to slip. Fill tub and prepare acid rinse. vinegar water solution
Find kitty , firmly hold kitty as he may realise he is not going to be happy soon.
Drown the kitty also known as getting kitty wet. make sure the coat is wet to skin and then soap up with a kat safe shampoo some can be found on the dog grooming aisle make sure there is no Tea Tree Oil as this is toxic to cats, baby shampoo will work as will Dawn original if it is a serious bath as kitty got into pitch/oil/paint. work the shampoo into coat and let set. this is usually long enough time for the kitty to try to hide behind the toilet and you are trying to get ahold of the slippery little piggy.
Put kitty back in water or at least on crate in tub and using the pans gather and pour water to rinse out the fur. when you think this is done use the acid rinse. The crackling sound you hear is the soap still on the fur. let this work for a bit and then rinse this off with water.
Dry kitty and then when dry comb and brush.
kitty will be planning your demise so be prepared.

Good luck Best wished Nice knowing you

Cage

As I write this I am watching Cage. He is right across from me on the shelves I have my dresser in. He has just gone to the top and is watching out the window. Well now that I am typing he is watching me.
Just a bit ago he was lounging and rolling on the clothes that were on top of the dresser. If it was not so dark right now I would take his picture.
He is getting braver and letting me pet him but he prefers to do the petting.He is such a handsome cat! and still for his size very much a kitten being just about 2 years old.
He talks to me as well and is now talking. Oh he just saw his cousin Isadora. She is the other talker of that group. It is hard to believe that Isadora is the older kitten since she is so much smaller than Cage, and Durante. Carmenkatra I believe is from another litter and is the only survivor of it, I miss Frankie and Gianni who were her brothers.
And there he goes! Oliver Just came racing in being chased by Robber who desparately wants to play chase so he is being mean to the others. He tried to jump to his perch which was already occupied by Lakota.

Stitches West 2011

I just got home a little bit ago from the last day of the event. Of course I did not win anything and I spent W A Y to much money.
I got enough of Berroco's Blackstone tweed to make a cardigan I hope I got it in wharf and I hope this will be my tribute to Isolde if not I found some lace weight Jojoland Harmony in the sand and surf colorway to make a shawl. this is the same colorway that was in my knitting bag that was stolen. I had bought it as it matched Isolde perfectly eyes and coat. It is somewhat scratchy but i hope that it will soften with wash.
I bought some more Copperboo which is bamboo wrapped in a very fine thread of copper and I even was able to buy some of the copper filament now I have to pick a design and decide what to mix it with I am thinking kidsilk but I need the right color It is a mid teal blue like a lake at dawn with the rising sun sending rays to dance on the ripples.
I looked at some spindles and at a spinning wheel but I am not ready for the expense of the wheel. I saw that I can have it custom painted too which was lovely.
I also entered M'Agnes in the Bissell MVP contest, it never hurts to try. I tried to link the contest but had problems but if you click the title of this post it will take you to it the contest starts 2/23 and you can vote every 24 hours.

Today was a sad day for me. Today would have been a celebration of Isolde's BDay if she had still been with me instead it is a reminder that she is gone. She has now been gone for slightly over a year but is still very much in my memory.

Today I feel as if I am finally getting past the virus I have been dealing with for over a week, sad when the first clue you are getting better is realising that you are freezing again and your joints ache. The achy joints are probably more due to the weather fluctuations than anything else.

Moira has been a total sweetheart the entire time with her constant neck/throat/shoulder/arm/chest massages she kept working all the nasty goo out of my body. So maybe now I can actually work on my knitting without feeling to loopy.
One thing I am looking forward to is the fact the Stitches is in just a few more days!

Another thing I need to start taking even more pictures of my Feline Overlords in case anyone does want another calendar.

1st known bird of the season

UGGGG!!!!
Here I am getting all excited about the Mystery KAL. Got the yarn balled, got the beads, waiting for pattern installment. Nails trimmed and filed to prevent snags. Even bought LotR's DVDs. previously I have only seen bits in passing. OK stage is set. needles yarn beads even microscopic crochet hook for bead placing.

As i am getting ready to put in the 1st DVD I hear a cat meowing by my door, open door for Gabrielli she does not come but Isadora shoots past. G hunches to the ground growl/crying spitting something out. I pick her up to help her clean her mouth trying to figure out what she had got into and happy that she came to me instead of choking somewhere. I have her on the bed cleaning the weird fluff from her mouth and shut the door so she can calm down from the experience. I then see Isadora playing with something with a bit more intent than usual. I get the 'toy' and discover i now have a dead bird in my hands. It is either a juvenile robin or a large sparrow. .... I hear Gabrielli continuing to cry and go into the room with bird in hand. Yes it was her kill and she was happy to get it back. I picked her up and took them to the garage and left her in there ...
Scrubbed my hands and now hopefully I might get some knitting done.

CATNIP

Today i brought home some dried catnip, it was for tea honest. Well of course some had to be offered to the cats and i gave each a pinch then went and set some on the kitchen rug as I know the street cats at least 2 will come in as it is raining.
I wish that my house is not so dark as M'Agnes had her first taste of the STUFF!
At first she was just following my fingers looking for the treat, then after a bit she sniffed the carpet and started to rub and roll.
OH how ecstatic she was. she even took a swipe at Cage as he came slinking in.
Then she raced me to the room and noticed MORE and had to roll some more.
right now she is laying behind me on a slightly sprinkled sweater pretending to groom herself. Robber who had been there is probably ouside in rain slightly high on the nip.
Wait no The Rockstar has just slammed his way back into the room.

New beginnings

Hello, M'Agnes is now a whole 9 months old and very confident in her self. For her nine month we went to see about getting her friend Blackberry a new companion.

The bunnies did fine together in the store. They were relaxed nibbling and grooming themselves no confrontations no aggression no dominant behaviors so we all felt comfortable with the adoption. So we came home with Harry, and set everything up and all is good.


-----That is until the next morning when i set up a safe area for more bonding. Blackberry became DOMINANT fast and aggressively so. I was warned about this possibility so I was ready for it. So much for a quick peaceful bonding. I did a few sessions yesterday and now I have them in the outside pen with Harry in the barn and Blackberry in the pen so they have fresh air and can get close but not biting close. Harry does not seem to know what to make of all the cats that keep sniffing at him but he has only been here for a 2 days now. I have hopes that both will be happy.

As to my knitting I have joined a mystery KAL called In Dreams. it is based on Galadriels Crown in the Two Towers. This will be my first lace project so i am getting excited. I will have a group that I am knitting with... yes I am quite insane Instead of starting with an easy lace pattern I jump in to a large project that is calls for 5000 beads.

Cheers

Trying to not freak out

I sit here starting to quietly freak out,

I am waiting for Robber to come crying at my door to be let in. He still has not arrived it is 1:30 am. I am usually asleep by now as it is a work night. I am trying to remain calm as the cats are calm. I am knitting a toy to send to the cats of the Mean Kitty site.


I again looked out side and ventured down the street toward a very busy road. still not seeing my RockStar my Little Robert E LeeRoy. Thankfully I do not see any furry pancakes. I continue to worry. It is almost 2 I again check the house for his normal spots and again nothing. I walk back into my room I again turn on the heater as it is chill and the cats are watching me. I finally go to my Mothers room and wake her up to ask if she has seen him,


The Brat is sleeping by her pillow!!!

Happy New Year

Wow it has been a while since I made a post. I have posted M'Agnes on You Tube now. She is showing how easy it is to walk on a leash.
Of course this video is not on YT. It is not much of a video ;) Moira is as always annoyed that she is here and Lulu is still momma cat. Robber is now happy with her as SHE is a size He can play with on an equal level. He might be a tad bit bigger still but for him that is quite alright. M'Agnes loves a good knock down drag out spar session and they will chase for hours. I am coming to the anniversary of Isolde's death It is still very hard to get past. I still cry I still miss her. She will always be my Queen. Right now Robber is laying in an almost finished knit basket. it is suppose to be felted but I have yet to find it sans gato! Moira is on the *finally* felted rose window bed. another project that took forever to felt as they would not get off of it long enough. It is a lovely splash of color. All yellow purple and blue in over lapping petals. The play of short row really gave it body and bumps that the cats love. It has *puurr*-fect pillows for them while they rest.