Tuesday, December 18, 2007

I Have Learned... Part II

1) To back away when I don’t “feel it” anymore (Blogging, crafting, etc.).
2) I really love knitting socks (but I knew that anyway).
3) My mind and body can’t handle 1 & 4 am feedings anymore (more on this below).
4) Swiffer WetMop leaves a dull film on my new floor.
5) “Speed Checked By Radar” is real.
6) I really dislike the frenetic holiday madness (but I already knew that too).
7) I can ruin a toaster oven by turning it to ‘Oven’ instead of ‘Off’.
8) I love bamboo knitting needles.
9) Hand sewing ain’t so bad after all.
10) My daughter is more brilliant than a diamond!

So.... I'm minding my own business, or lack of, pondering my inability to knit, sew, craft or do anything creative. Suddenly my sister tells me about 2 abandoned kittens in the yard. She's frantic... I know this means trouble. We put them in a safe place, waited for the mommy to retrieve them, but to no avail.


These beautiful babies were about 2 or 3 weeks old. Very cold and hungry. While I've had indoor cat companions for the past 15 years or so, I had no idea about the care of baby kitties. Research, contact animal rescue agencies, disappointmemt at the lack of available help... PANIC!!!

About 3 weeks old.

Long story short, or longer, we ended up having to keep the babies and nurse them to health and growth. Of course, I ended up with the babies 24/7, due to my flexible schedule, with a lot of help from my sister. The first 2 weeks were madness. Constant attention and feeding was needed. Which brings me to the 1 & 4 am feedings. Have you ever bottle fed an animal? It's a most precious experience, but I tell you, for someone who thinks sleeping is a waste of time, I have never felt the need for rest and sleep as much as I did for those first 3 weeks of care.

We built them a 6x6' playpen, since I had to isolate them from my senior cats. Fed, loved, cared for them for 5 weeks. When they started to jump out of the playpen, which was about 3 feet high, it was time for adoption. I found a great agency that took my little ones in. It was an emotional but much needed move. I miss them dearly.


About 8 weeks old.

Speed Checked By Radar... Yes it's true, I was clocked at 86 mph in a 65 zone. Picture depletion of bank account. My first ticket in about 25 years. I hope they take that into account.

And finally, I've written a sock pattern. Yes, yes, I have! The kitties were inspiring (or maybe it was the lack of sleep time and needing something to do). The socks are all knitted and ready, the pattern is checked and double checked. I will post this as soon as I get pictures, hopefully in the next day or two.

5 comments:

Chronic Ennui said...

Oh, welcome back! It certainly seems that you've been busy. Those little faces are just so precious!! You did a wonderful thing.

Sorry about the ticket, but the socks are great....

Anonymous said...

Hi Annie, im very sad that the kitties are gone, but it was for the best. You did a great job caring them back to health. I'm sure they will go to a good family. I got a ticket back in 1998 and i paid $350 for it! It was one of those intersections with cameras. I had to do traffic school ONLINE. It was a pain in the ass! It sucks, but they should take into consideration that you haven't had a ticket in 25 years! P.S. I love your socks, but are they machine washable? If so i want one in every color! Love ya bunches, Rubina

Anonymous said...

Yes, welcome back! It's SO good to hear from you again. And yes! Those little faces... SO CUTE!
[I should just copy Kim's comment, eh? Verbatim.]

Nora

Anonymous said...

Oh, the socks look great. I can't wait to see the pattern.


Nora

Anonymous said...

It is quiet and different without them. I miss them and hope they are doing ok in their new surroundings.