FTD Friday

Just wanted to share some kind words I received recently:

"This is going to sound odd, so I hope I can express this okay. Your blog gives me hope. Your Dad has a difficult health situation, and you're okay. My husband and I have a 14-year-old son, so reading your blog, which isn't written by an adult child in their 50's caring for their parent, or a spouse caring for their spouse, is very encouraging because caregiving isn't the only thing in your blog. Gosh, I hope that makes more sense than it seems! It's meant to be a compliment! :)"

These words really touched me and I responded with, among other things, this...

"And thank you for the compliment. I had my blog a long time before my dad was diagnosed and I really only blogged about FTD for that blog party. It's not something I really indulge myself in, though maybe I should ... The blog party has really inspired me though to be a better caretaker for my dad and to also write about it a bit more. I'm sure you understand when I say it's hard to write about ... it's hard to be so honest and raw, but there's no other way to write about caretaking without being that way. Does that make sense?"

2011 is just around the corner and this blog will be experiencing some changes. I'm going to at least have weekly posts which will include a mix of:
- Tea Tuesday
- Dogs On Thursday
- Fridays will be about Frontotemporal Dementia OR it'll be "Farm Friday" to keep things interesting
- Caturday ... prepare yourselves, readers! I'm going to introduce you to the cats in my life one by one and occasionally throw in a cat in need as well ;)

See you on the other side, friends!

Website Want Wednesday

I was loving this chemise, but it wasn't in my size when I came across it on Frederick's :(

Well, I got an email about an incredible sale they were having right before Christmas and guess what?! It was on sale ... and in my size - whoo!! Oh yes, I ordered it!! I mean, I couldn't pass up that fate, right? In my size and on sale?! Merry Christmas to me!

I'm thinking of putting a cute tank top under it and wearing it out for New Years Eve. I'm going out to a house party with my boyfriend. I met this couple once, but I'm not really going to know anyone aside from that and being that this is a house party my boyfriend has gone to for a couple years now apparently, I'm guessing he's going to know people. I don't really want to be out with people I don't know after how last year went, but I'm going to make a really sound attempt at being social.

I was joking with my friend Meghan that my boyfriend is probably going to find me drunk in some corner talking to the couple's cats lol Oh well, hopefully it'll end up better than that ... and, if not, Meghan will be getting some interesting photos.

Tea Tuesday

So begins the time of year of paying back all the credit cards for the gifts you just spent and the money you'll be spending for however you're celebrating the new year. Good luck, my friends.

Tea Tuesday - all the good we do won't get done if we're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point. :)

Rules for Tea Tuesday are quite simple - there is a cute tea picture, a question you can answer (like I will be doing) and a quote from my current read. Participate at whatever level you wish to from reading a post, commenting on several posts or adding your own link.

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How handsome is he?!

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Much to my mom's distress, spending the money to buy a snow blower did NOT ensure there would be no snow this winter. In preparation for all the snow we're expecting, we decided to learn how to use this new snow blower and thankfully Aunt Sally knew exactly how to use it. Here's Shelly practicing (I didn't have to since I already learned during my unfortunate stalker experience). Beware, snow! We're ready for you...

Website Want Wednesday

Prepare yourself...


Future Husband, this is not far off from what I have in mind that my dream house will look like around this time of year LOL

Tea Tuesday

snug as a ... mug?

Here's hoping I get to be that snuggly at some point today. There's a lot of last minute rushing to do right now ... so much so that I still haven't started a new book yet to even add a quote this week. Disappointing, right? I'm sorry

I hope this post finds you warm and cheerful during this time of year :)

Tea Tuesday is reminder to you too, my friends and wanderers that found your way here. Remember that all the good you do won't get done if you're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point today.

5QF - late!

Ugh, late again. Yesterday was that kinda day though. I had sooo many things I wanted to do and was rushing around.


1. Do you regift...and if so, do you have a regifting horror story? Sometimes I re-gift - you know, when I get something and it just screams someone else. Yea, then I do. Or for pollyanna type parties. Thankfully, no bad stories (yet!). At my boyfriend's family party this year though, the plan was to re-gift. It was my first time doing this with them, so I took something good: tea light candles, tea and a nice mug. I liked really them, I just hadn't used them. Well, my number was probably the second to last to be called ... and my gift was still up there, so I took it! Good thing I did because if I remember right the other gift left up there ended up being really cheap and awful lol I opened that tea up the next day too :)

2. Do you know what you are getting for Christmas this year? I know what I'm getting from my mom because she's bad at ordering stuff from Amazon.Com. So, this year she picked stuff out, I double checked everything before it was ordered and then she paid. We were making a sound attempt at NOT doing what she did a couple years ago by ordering things double or triple.

3. Who brings the most gifts in your family, you or Santa? Aunt Sally for sure! :)

4. What store do you love to buy jeans from? Charlotte Rosse. I used to love a lot of there stuff, but not so much anymore. Their jeans still fit me well though. Aside from that, Boscov's for good, cheap jeans.

5. Christmas meal: Big, All Out Meal or Snacks and Apps? The big meal is usually breakfast which we have at my aunts'. It's delicious and very filling!

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snow's falling like crazy here (I was already driving with my foot barely on the gas. Why not take a photo, right?)...

And here's Michael (Matt's brother) and Matt working on putting together Matt's new TV while Miles supervises...

Website Want Wednesday

Who do I need to sleep with for any little girl I might have to end up looking like her?!


Ok, just kidding. That's is not exactly what this week's post is suppose to be about, but seriously! That little girl above is adorable.

Who am I kidding though. If I have kids, this is probably what I'm getting...


Do you see that face?! LOL

Tea Tuesday

There was snow yesterday! Actual snow that fell for awhile and started to accumulate a bit. Thank goodness we got a lot of the preparing for winter/holidays done already! (Note: don't you worry, little one (sister), I only hung the lights ... we can "un-decorate" what mom's done and re-do the tree decorations when you're home. I thought you'd be ok not being involved in all the cursing and frustrations of the lights lol)

Today absolutely calls for tea! It's suppose to be about 25 degrees or so ... but it's going to feel more like 10 - bur!!! I have some yummy Earl Gray here and a mug here at the boyfriend's, so that's what I'm settling in with today. Maybe I'll prepare some blog posts and actually get some holiday cards done. Hmm, MAYBE!

I don't really have a book quote to add yet. I actually just finished my last book, Grave Surprise. It was good, though I kinda saw the ending coming, which is always a disappointment. Charlaine Harris either surprises the heck out of me or is a little predictable. Either way, I'm hoping Santa leaves book #3 of the series under the tree for me :)

I hope this Tea Tuesday finds you well.

Tea Tuesday is reminder to you too, my friends and wanderers that found your way here. Remember that all the good you do won't get done if you're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point today.

I highly encourage you all to indulge in (or introduce yourself to) one of my "cure alls" by sharing your tea recipe, your tea of choice for your Tuesday or a thought that came to you while sipping. However, feel free to share what you've done today for a moment of bliss. Oh, and don't forget to add a quote from the page in your current book (reading encourages the expansion of the mind).

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PostSecret Sunday

Because this is too great NOT to share...

Caregiving.Com Holiday Party Week Pt 2

Friends have been very kind. Everyone, really, seems to be very understanding of my dad’s condition and most have been good about sticking to our rules – no alcohol, trying to control his food intake when he goes out, trying to avoid him spending money (or stealing), etc. He goes anywhere from the food store to out to lunch with people or my dad even went down to the shore over the summer.

My dad’s middle brother’s, my Uncle Jack, family has been the most reliable, I guess. Every Monday (my mom’s longest work day), they have my dad over for dinner and they hang out with him until my mom is done work. Then she picks my dad up and takes him home with her. When I wasn’t working and home with my dad all the time, Monday nights were a blessing! They were a night to watch what I wanted on the TV, play the music I wanted in the living room real loud … a chance to take a bath, nap, read, cook whatever I wanted - all without him standing over me or worried about what he was getting into when I was distracted.

This has definitely been challenging for my Uncle Jack’s family though. They live in the town where my dad grew up and where our family lived for a very long time too, so there’s always the concern that my dad will wander off to see someone. They also take him for dinner, so his compulsive eating is something they deal with on a weekly basis. Aside from trying to limit his portions, there are other things to deal with like my dad sneaking food. One time, my dad went out on their back porch and started walking off ... my uncle followed after him and found my dad was eating the spare ribs they have put in their back porch refrigerator to save for the next day.

My dad’s old friend, my Uncle John, and my mom’s long time friend, Aunt Mar, are both very kind and come down to hang out with my dad or take him out to lunch. Our family friends in Florida, which includes one of my dad’s best friend’s from high school, have been good about checking in on us and seeing us when they can. Our friends Jen and Joe are great about coming down, having dinner with us and being very understanding about my dad. Joe has been a real asset with helping around the farm too.

I cannot imagine losing my friends to something like this... I'm glad for the friends my dad has.

Outside of friends, it is very hard to find people who relate to what we are going to because this seems to be more recently known about disorder. Also, because it mainly has to do with the personality and emotions, it seems to come about and be very different in each individual patient.

For example, my mom and I attended a local support group for Alzheimer's/dementia which had two women there whose husband also have FTD – the one woman was several decades older than my mom and the other woman was definitely closer in age, but her husband’s symptoms sounded like the exact opposite: extreme emotions and no real short term memory. I know she was paired up with another wife in NJ who is caring for her husband who has FTD ... but the woman is, again, several decades older than my mom and her husband is still well functioning. The one time my mom had an in-depth conversation with the woman, she said she gets her breaks when her husband goes out driving. My dad hasn’t driven since several months after being diagnosed. Thankfully my dad voluntarily stopped driving and when he brings up driving or buying a car (this happens about once a month), we remind him of his choice.

I am thankful for the friends we have and hope that my mom will be able to find more support the more people find out about this condition. I wonderful how many people have merely been mis-diagnosed and are still feeling lost...

Caregiving.Com Holiday Party Ramblings...

On my private journal. Feel free to email me if you want access.

Tea Tuesday

Tea, candle light, a warm bubble bath and time to write - oh to spend all my days like this! I'd be prune-y, but divinely happy!

What is your favorite way to spend the holidays?? A continued tradition is that my family has my great Uncle John come to the house in the morning where we do gifts, then we all head over to my aunts' (who is now just down the road) for a late breakfast and more gift-exchanging there. I think when I have my own family, I'd like to continue something like this ... and add in the things I miss most: driving around right before Christmas to see all the holiday lights people have on display AND picking out our own Christmas tree and bringing it home to decorate. One of my favorite times when younger was running around the pine tree farms with my sister and trying to pick (agree on) the perfect tree for that year. My dad would cut it down, load it on top of our van and we'd head home to decorate it. I loved that!

Tea Tuesday - all the good we do won't get done if we're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point. :)

Caregiving.Com Holiday Party Week Pt 1

Agh, there is nothing more annoying than a downed internet when you want to be blogging and yet that's what I had to deal with this morning. The internet was still not working at my boyfriend's and I promised to wait around in case his new TV comes while he's at work today ... sadly I couldn't even try to fix whatever might be wrong with the internet either since it's the apartment upstairs that has the router. Don't worry, he's not stealing someone’s internet. It's his sister/the family business’s network which is based out of the apartment above my boyfriend’s place.

My dad became noticeably different several years ago. He has been diagnosed for almost 2 years now, so I’m guessing it has been about 3, going on 4 years now that my dad has been alarming different.

One of the first things we noticed was that my dad began to tell a couple of stories over and over again. Maybe since we were always around him it was just the most annoying and so, the most obvious habit. Anyway, aside from the repetitiveness being annoying, these weren't very appropriate stories either - the two main ones consisted of when my dad’s parents died in a car accident and the other was about some fight my dad got into when bartending. You could try to change the subject, tell him to stop, remind him these stories weren’t, you could try to talk over him, make him walk away, etc. ... but he'd tell that story, whichever one it was, all the way through, sometimes even starting over from the beginning if you had been successful in changing the subject. He could also see a person he had told one of these stories to the next day and my dad would start to tell it all over again, word for word. It got to the point, where my mom, my sister or I could finish the story word for word with him.

For work, my dad took care of the grounds for a school system and he was asked to take some time off due to the fact he was apparently leaving and going to stand in a shop. He’d just stand around and watch people there instead of being at work where he was needed. He also made some inappropriate comments to kids, like asking one overweight girl if she was pregnant and asking a father who had, I believe, a daughter of Asian descent if the girl was adopted. He’d ask about money a lot too, for example how much my friend’s apartment cost her. Although these things could be appropriate in the right time or place (ok, not asking a teen if she’s pregnant...), these were more the ways my dad would start the conversation with them – a very intimate question right out of the blue to (often) strangers.

Even a family friend’s sibling, who we saw so infrequently he was more like acquaintance, asked our friends if everything was okay with my dad because he didn’t seem like himself.

Initially, my dad was diagnosed with depression - get him on antidepressants and exercising. Even an Alzheimer’s doctor in Philadelphia thought this was all it was. We had taken him there because the stories my dad mainly told were from when he was about 20ish and we thought maybe he was having problems with his memory if he was so stuck in that time period.

However, it was quite obvious to anyone that knew him that simply depression was not the case. He and I even went down to Florida to see his long time friend who had known him since high school. We figured, if my dad wanted to talk about that time period (his parents died when he was in the middle of college, which he never graduated from because of it), that maybe it'd be best if he was with someone that could exchange stories more with him like his friend could. A night or two with my dad and even his friend was saying my dad was totally gone ... and he didn't know if we'd see him again.

It was about 6 months after, in February of 2009, that that we finally got an actual diagnosis. After lots of testing, including an MRI, we were told by a specialist at the University of Pennsylvania that my dad had frontotemporal dementia. Although I desperately wanted some answers (and depression certainly wasn’t it since it wasn’t the right one), this was not what I wanted.

He won’t get better? This is going to get worse? My dad’s going to die from this?

Only after the diagnosis and as my dad has progressed with this condition have we been looking back and noticing subtle changes or events which might have been symptoms earlier one:

- Maybe that’s why he used to crank the heat up until we were all pouring sweat in the car and he seemed totally unphased?
- Maybe he really didn’t know what he was doing when he put that thing together and that’s why it keeps falling apart?
- Maybe that’s why he was always so quick to finish dinner?
- Maybe that’s why he seemed so unaffected and unconcerned when my mom had her heart surgery all those years ago?
- Maybe that’s why his driving was so weird – speeding when we were in no rush and going below the speed limit when you needed to get places?
- Maybe that’s why he hadn’t said goodbye or "I love you" when we were leaving anymore?

Here are some sites I have found valuable to find information about this condition:
- http://ftdsupport.com/
- http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=573
- http://www.ftd-picks.org/frontotemporal-dementias/ftd-overview

Caregiving.Com Holiday Party

I'm participating in Caregiving.Com's holiday blog party!

Although this blog is mostly about my rescue work, it's undoubtedly about my life in general ... which includes my father who is suffering from frontotemporal dementia that was finally diagnosed almost 2 years ago now.

My initial post for the Caregiving.Com Holiday party ended up being very lengthy. It was overwhelming for me to see, so I can only imagine a stranger coming across it. I decided to take that initial post and break it up in order for it to be less intense and more informative. I'm hoping to make my blog very educational this week since, like I say in my post, this condition still seems to be fairly unknown to a lot of people (I had no idea it existed until my dad was diagnosed). I'm hoping this week and blog make that a little less likely.

My dad became noticeably different several years. Initially, he was diagnosed with depression - get him on antidepressants and exercising. However, it was quite obvious to anyone that knew him that this was not the case. For example, after a night or two with my dad’s best friend since high school, even his friend was saying my dad was totally gone ... and he didn't know if we'd see him again. It was about 6 months after that that we got an actual diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia.

It is very hard to find people who relate because this seems to be a fairly newly known about disorder. Also, because it mainly has to do with the personality and emotions, it seems to come about and be very different in each individual patient.

I’ll be honest. I'm not one of those happy, positive, productive caregivers either. I'm not there yet. I'm not sure I will get there, honestly. I want my dad back too bad. I want him back! The fact I'm not getting him back breaks my heart and makes it terribly hard to care for him as well because it's not like I'm caring for my dad due to his disease, which has stripped his personality away, it's like I'm forced to care for a stranger. I see him, he looks fine, but it's just his shell and that makes me start all over again - this isn't fair, this isn't right, this is too much. It's a horrible circle.

He's wandering a lot now. We can't even just lock up the food anymore either. He's been eating brown sugar then sugar then flour by the spoonful. Who would think he'd break into the cooking supplies? That’s not even "food"! The TV no longer distracts him either and he often does not want to do the simple tasks we set aside for him either to try to keep him active and productive around the house ... do the kitty litter, take the dogs for a walk, rake the leaves - these are things he either says he's done (and hasn't) or just flat out refuses to do. It's an adjustment for everyone since this now requires us all to keep a much closer eye on him and he's much more secretive and sneaky too because of it.

Please check out my mom's blog too if you can. It's rarely about FTD, but it's about the farm which she loves and uses as a her "stress relief" ... though sometimes with things breaking it certainly doesn't seem relaxing!! :)

For all the caregivers stopping by, thank you for all you are doing. I know how hard it is. Enjoy your holiday and the good moments that come up during it.

5QF

Holy moly, when did it get to be December!? How in the world have I been seeing the same guy for more than 6 months (he sent me flowers a couple weeks ago to mark the occasion)? Where in the world did 2010 go?!! And last but not least: Can I hit the pause button, please? I need a time out, a break, a little breather before the holiday is actually here. That's not asking too much, right?

I didn't get much sleep last night. After a pretty busy day of hanging lights outside, moving money around (I deposited a check for Joa's Arc rescue and paid my aunts' property taxes) and trying to figure out putting a new battery in the hard to reach smoke alarm in the basement stairwell (between the lights and that, ugh, I don't want to see another ladder!), I found myself up late reading over this one site about dementia and caregivers. Then, a good show was on. Then, I needed to check my email. Then, whoa, when did it get to be midnight?! Ah, I didn't do a 5QF post yet!!

Just when I laid down to finally get some sleep: CHIRP!

Ugh... That didn't sound like the basement stairwell.

CHIRP! goes the smoke alarm above my bed. CHIRP! Really?! Butthead, life-saving gadget! If I wasn't so tired my eyes were literally drying out and shutting, I'd have grabbed a chair right then and fixed it. However, I didn't know if we had new batteries anywhere else and I was so tired, like I said, my eyes were objecting.

So, to sleep I finally went and I tackled that smoke alarm in the morning. Oh, did I mention I wasn't all that successful? Yea, a new battery went in, we "tested" it and it wouldn't stop going off ... I'm not sure what that means when none of the others pmes are screeching. Is it broken? Put back together wrong? Ugh. I think this 5QF is going to need to involve a nap at some point... :)


1. What's on the top of your holiday wish list and why?! A good, steady job for obvious reasons ... like paying off all the credit cards I had to use for this holiday. I was thrifty - buying little gifts in bulk, buying from sites that would give me a percentage back on my credit card, buying super good deals, etc. However there were still costs involved. Not to mention, without a job, I've had to pay for other things with my credit card right now, like student loans and my car insurance. :o/

Ok, more realistically, I'd like a Kindle or iPad or some other gadget I could read from. I have piles and piles of books. It'd be nice to cut back on this habit continuing to bury me with something like that.

2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past? Out of all my Christmas presents? This is really hard to say. I've gotten really good ones - ones that people put a lot of time or thought into, those are the best. This is also a tough question because my birthday is not long after Christmas, so looking back it's hard to tell what I got when. I can say I got a really nice camera from my aunts' last Christmas. I appreciated that and use it often. My mom also paid for a trip for me one time to go see loved ones, obviously that was a good time and good memories, so I loved that!

3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up? Well, I don't consider myself grown up quite yet :) I think I might have been a little more reckless though when I was younger. That sounds silly, right? I don't think I was reckless enough in some parts of my life when I was younger and so now I feel like I had a really limited time doing that. Not like dangerous reckless, just you know ... kissed a couple more boys, "run away" to Ali's a time or two (right down the road), stuck up for a few more causes, something. That's not really reckless though. Hmm, I guess essentially I'm saying if I'm getting a second chance, I just want more! I'd also have majored in something a little more exact in college or just applied myself more towards the end and tried to snatch up a steady job before graduating.

4. When do you put up your tree? Typically a couple weeks before Christmas when everyone is home to help.

5. What is your favorite Holiday? I like Christmas, but there's so much pressure nowadays, I think - did you get the right gift for so and so? Could you have found that gift somewhere cheaper? Are you going to get what you really want? Can you make it to all the family parties you have to attend? Is it going to snow? Will the weather make traffic worse, if not dangerous? Is the cat in the damn tree again?! Which card is the best to send to your second cousin's son and what's his wife's name again? I love the gift giving and getting that perfect present that really extends myself and my love, but all the other stuff during the holiday is just pretty overwhelming.

I love most the 4th of July, personally. I think that's a matter of where I grew up though - a parade, everyone who has ever lived in the town comes back, there are parties at almost every house that you can just wander into because you're bound to know someone and in the park, there's fire truck rides and ice pops for the kids and beer in town-themed mugs at the fire hall for adults. Then there's fireworks on what is usually a gorgeous, warm night. How can that get better??

Tea Tuesday

classy cup :)

What are you most thankful for this year? My friends (new and old), my family, my health ... cheesy perhaps, but all true. Could things be better? Yes. However, they could be worse too. I have a very supportive group of loved ones, including some phenomenal friends.

Today is definitely a good day for tea though. I'm in need of some comfort ... I'll probably be thinking of and hoping for need a few positive changes. Here's hoping they are coming along with the new season that is right around the corner!

::fingers crossed for a new, wonderful job and some more positive vibes::

Tea Tuesday - all the good we do won't get done if we're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point. :)

5QF

I'm not sure where the holiday found you, but I woke up at my boyfriend's and headed home to help cook. On the drive home, I kept hearing "clink, clink, clink", but didn't see anything and nothing was hitting the windshield (like rain). I was completely confused until I got home and out of my car only to realize it was hail/snow that was making all the noise! Flurries on Thanksgiving! I was shocked and awed at the same time. Trust me, I don't like the clean up and all the shoveling that comes with snow, but it is absolutely beautiful to watch fall.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.


1. What is your favorite part of a Thanksgiving meal? My mom makes this absolutely fabulous sweet potato dish with marsh mallows on top. Yum!!!

2. Are you a host or a guest for Thanksgiving this year? I'm still home helping with the farm and my dad, so I'm kind of host and guest. My mom makes most of the meal, but my sister and I help out with other things like stuffing and pumpkin pie.

3. When you think of one Thanksgiving tradition, what comes to mind? Good family together. It's always been about family getting together - we all bring something, there's good conversations, a sit down meal, etc. My great uncle also comes, which I really enjoy. Not when he's 3 hours early and we're not ready (or showered) when he pulls up, but I like the time with him in general.

4. You have two pieces of pie in front of you and you HAVE to eat one...do you choose pumpkin or pecan? Pumpkin pie, absolutely. I make that in this house and it's gooood, if I can brag a bit :)

5. Are you a Black Friday Shopper? Not at all! Give me my internet and some good online deals. I can't stand searching for a place to park and all the crowds. That's too overwhelming for me.

wordless wednesday

Tea Tuesday

cuteness, tea, tattoos, sweetness, hand holding ... there are some great things going on in this photo

Are you happier when you kick back and relax or kick up your heels and see what's out in the world? Well, it's Tuesday, you know what I want to be doing - being lazy with tea! However, I can't say in general that I'm one or the other of these options. I like to think I'm a bit of both. I love my relaxing moments, but I love my time out dancing with my ladies or romping around taking pictures on the farm.

Book quote: "On the way home, Jonny paused in front of the school, checking out the stairs that led up to the front door. It was only a few days earlier that they'd stood as an insurmountable obstacle. Now they didn't seem so scary. A moment later Jonny was pulling Cohen up the steps. If he was Scooby Doo at times -a flushing toilet had sent him scrambling earlier that day- he was Rocky Balboa now." -The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs And Their Tale Of Rescue and Redemption

Tea Tuesday - all the good we do won't get done if we're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point. :)

Rules for Tea Tuesday are quite simple - there is a cute tea picture, a question you can answer (like I will be doing) and a quote from my current read. Participate at whatever level you wish to from reading a post, commenting on several posts or adding your own link.

dad

My dad is a nightmare today! He just keeps trying to go outside. I already had the neighbors call because they saw him standing in the middle of the road and cars were honking and going around him while I thought he was still out back moving dirt. I need to shower and I'm afraid he's going to wander off...

5QF

I have a cat curled up and wedged in between me and the side of the sofa ... well, she's more lying on my upper shoulder pretending to be tortured, wedged and highly put out. Brat! That brat would be Candice. Dorie is curled up on the arm of the sofa by us. I love this quiet, this peace ... and it is peaceful or else crazy, afraid-of-the-world Dorie would not be so relaxed, let alone out. How's your Friday going?


1. What Christmas song do you loathe? The chipmunk one. It's a great kid's song, don't get me wrong! I'm not sure if my little record of it as a kid got stuck on repeat or something, but I cannot hear that song more than once. Once, that's enough. Over and over again is just overwhelming with those high-pitch voices and "Christmas, Christmas" - no thank you


2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed? A little of both ... cuddling until one of us gets fidgety or too hot and then we'll roll over. Personally, I get cold at night and he doesn't like sleeping with a ton of blankets piled on (my bed has sheets, a blanket and two comforters!), so I like to cuddle particularly for the warmth :)

3. Have you ever had surgery? Yes, once to repair a broken (shattered) elbow when I was about 5 years old. Then, another surgery a couple years ago to remove my gallbladder.

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done? I like to get it done early (like I just got several things delivered in the mail today) so that I have everything ready ... but I'm usually rushing to get everything wrapped in time.

5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be? A spacious (though not extravagant) home in the mountains of Virginia that I could travel to whenever I wanted (and since money is no object, it'd be completely paid off lol). It'd be quiet, I could take pictures, watch the wildlife, it'd have a giant, claw foot tub to soak in, trails nearby to walk dogs on ... and I invite the people I love from FL to CT since it's kind of in between.

We Interrupt This Dogs On Thursday...

We interrupt this Dogs On Thursday post for a fish story! Please forgive me, but Dogs on Thursday always makes me think of my aunts and this story is to brag for them.

Some people question me when I say I've been a vegetarian for 10+ years, but I eat fish. "That's not a vegetarian," I get or sometimes people will start throwing out all the different terms for depending on what you eat. People don't understand I would have starved if I did not continue to eat seafood. It was nutty enough in my mom's mind that I wasn't eating "meat" let alone if I had cut out seafood. Seafood was not just a good past time of getting friends/neighbors together to crack open crabs or steam up pots of clams ... it was a way of life for my mom growing up. She and my aunt literally caught dinner some nights. So, seafood was included in a lot of the meals my mom made growing up.

Anyway, I digress. My aunt invited me out fishing this past Sunday and, at first, I did object. It was going to be her last boat trip out though (and, again, keep in mind how much this side of my family loves the water), so she was really disappointed when I said no and made one last attempt saying I could get some good photos. I gave in and went out. There's worse ways to spend one last beautiful day, right? Sunny, not too windy, 65F out or so ... you don't get too many days like that in November and usually my aunt likes to drag me out when it's cold/cloudy, rains off and on and the water is so choppy sea life (like rays) are coming to the surface of the water (this is not an exaggeration, it's a true example of a day she took me out!), so I went... and I did get some gorgeous photos! There were birds in the reeds as we were going out into the bay including this beautiful Great Blue Heron which let us get pretty close for some good photos. Some are definitely worthy of maybe even selling, I think.

Anyway, after hours of driving down there, heading out into the bay, casting the lines out, putting on fresh bait (those things my aunt actually does for us) and waiting ... my mom got a nip! She said, "Oh, here we go" ... and then the fish was gone along with her bait no less, darn it! I had a line my aunt had baited with some blood worms and had reeled it in a couple times after it felt like something was messing with it. I reeled it in yet again to find this little perch. My aunt barely had time to brag about how she'd never heard of a perch being caught in the bay before when my mom said, "Sally, the line!" The other pole I had out by me obviously had something on it...

My aunt made me grab the pole, my mom grabbed all my stuff off my lap (my purse, my camera, my cell, etc). As I'm reeling and this fish is just running, the water breaks like you see in swordfish fishing and I just saw a huge splash - my mom and aunt saw the fish though and started freaking out! It went under the boat, to one side, to another and just as I was sure it was close enough to net/me to actually see under the water, it'd pull the line out again. It was a tough fight, I thought I was going over the side of the boat and into the water with this fish several times. The boat hundreds of yards away, stopped everything, came to the front of their boat and just watched! Let's just say, it's getting harder and harder for me to brush off my aunt when she's complimenting up a storm about me and fishing now.

After fighting for 25 minutes and a lot of cursing, this thing got in the boat thanks to my aunt's giant net which you could probably fit a small child in ... thank goodness because that's about how big this fish is! A 45 - 46 inch striped bass! It didn't even fit in the cooler!!! When we got in to dock, the entire place started talking about our fish. One man even pulled his truck up to ours and said, "You go out alone?" Ugh, yes sir, these three women just caught the biggest fish of the lady, thank you! Also, I'd like to say the cursing was entirely necessary, it took a day, but I have discovered several bruises on my thighs and a cut from the pressure of holding on to that pole.

My aunt said after cleaning it, that she got two 30 inch fillets out of the thing! My mom said she cut it and froze 11 large dinner portions out of it!! Ok, yes, I'm all about releasing (it's what I did with the perch) but this fish was as exhausted as I was, if not more. If I had released him, he would have just died. Wait... Dear Aunt Dianne, this fish recovered well in the cooler like you suggested and is living the good life in our fresh water lake out front. :)

Here's me, my proud aunt and the fish its self (because you gotta see it to believe it)...

lyrics

There's this song I'm hooked on...



It's beautiful and painful ... and though I can't relate to what the song is actually about, the chorus got me. This line: "Just gonna stand there and hear me cry" That line makes me think of my dad and the way he can "just watch" us cry now. Breaks my heart every time I hear it.

Well, now apparently there is a part two out which starts with these lyrics:
On the first page of our story
the future seemed so bright
then this thing turned out so evil
I don't know why I'm still surprised
even angels have their wicked schemes
and you take that to new extremes
but you'll always be my hero
even though you've lost your mind

Oh my goodness, the first time I heard this and those bolded lyrics, the tears just started pouring.

That whole part gets me though too now that I've heard it a time or two ... again, not in the manner of what the song is really about, but for what me and my family are going through with my dad. That's it - some awful, wicked, unjust twist of fate to lose him and this way. There are moments when I see him, like first thing in the mornings, where for a split second you forget since he's right there, but he's not, not really. My dad's pretty much gone and yet his body is still here wandering around to break our hearts all the time.

Ugh, I miss you, miss you, miss you....

Tea Tuesday

This photo is tea related and also a very good tip to keep in mind on a daily basis! Right now I'm sipping some warm green tea with honey and reflecting on my actions recently. I believe I was positive, I believe I supported my friends well also. Those are very important characteristics in a person, I feel. I'll write more on that later though. Right now I'm just trying to enjoy this tea. :)

A wonderful book I finished up recently was The Lace Reader. It was a wonderful book, which for the first time in awhile was able to surprise me. I love that! It also had this interesting great aunt who was thought to be a witch and she also taught etiquette classes. I found that so ironic and liked it. :) This question from it keeps spinning in my head. It's quite appropriate this week too: Appropriate dinner conversation might be to turn to the person next to you and say, “I like soup. Do you like soup?”

This week's question...
What is your favorite kind of soup (canned or home-made)? Oh my goodness, in a can would be Progresso's Tomato Basil soup. Living alone made me predisposed to this soup. It's delicious in general ... but the lazy girl's fancy dinner? This with just a bit of fun shaped pasta mixed in so that it's still soup and not pasta with "sauce". It's delicious. Home made would be this really light soup my mom makes with white beans, spinach and vegetable broth. It's wonderful and good for you ... it's also a recipe I'm yet to perfect.

Tea Tuesday - all the good we do won't get done if we're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point. :)

Rules for Tea Tuesday are quite simple - there is a cute tea picture, a question you can answer (like I will be doing) and a quote from my current read. Participate at whatever level you wish to from reading a post, commenting on several posts or adding your own link.

Dogs On Thursday

Happy 11/11 and Veteran's Day! Thank you to the countless soldiers (including military animals) who allow me to live freely every day!

I've got two special shout outs for another day today is high-lighting, Dogs On Thursday :)

1) A post about Sgt. Stubby, New England’s Most Decorated Canine War Hero.

2) and here's "Adopting a Pit Bull":

Tea Tuesday

the mug is a nice, friendly reminder :)

It is becoming increasingly obvious that this Tea Tuesday thing is not taking off ... and yet I'm a stubborn brat. The linky blog hop link is below, it is being monitored (no spam links or comments, please) and I will be continuing Tea Tuesday in a new fashion: adding my blog post each week to the blog hop so you can look back on them and, if you are inclined, join in. There will be a tea picture, a question you can answer like I will be doing and a quote from what I'm reading. Participate at whatever level you wish to from reading a post, commenting on several or adding your own link to the blog hop.

What was your favorite family vacation when you were a child? Why?
There are so many I enjoyed when I was younger. I'd have to say that our vacations to Shenandoah were my favorite though. We'd drive down and meet our friends from Florida who would drive up. There were marshmallows and putting quarters to turn on water to shower, pumps for water to boil over a fire to make dinner and trails that led to gorgeous views or waterfalls. It was so much fun! Good company and good times too, plus obviously it was pretty good for us with the hiking and such.

Tea Tuesday - all the good we do won't get done if we're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point. :)

Rules for Tea Tuesday are quite simple - there is a cute tea picture, a question you can answer (like I will be doing) and a quote from my current read. Participate at whatever level you wish to from reading a post, commenting on several posts or adding your own link.

I should be working

It's not uncommon for a post of mine to be scheduled to pop up sometime while I'm working. However, this post is going up while I should be working ... and I'm not. Instead, I'm in my bath robe working on my resume and trying to decide what to do from here aside from "just move on" after being (insert gloomy, doomy music here) fired!

Yes, Thursday evening after my co-worker came in and I was no longer alone for hours like I had been in the morning, I was asked to follow my new manager and she led me into the E.D.'s office where the "controller" and another manager waited (not the E.D., by the way, which I found odd). From there, I can't really give you much reasoning or explanation. I was accused of "misrepresentation" ... which is outrageous.

(Insert quote from friend who wonderfully summed up the crazy/confusing situation:) "I did a google search for "misrepresent" and found this -
mis·rep·re·sent (ms-rpr-znt)
tr.v. mis·rep·re·sent·ed, mis·rep·re·sent·ing, mis·rep·re·sents
1. To give an incorrect or misleading representation of.
2. To serve incorrectly or dishonestly as an official representative of.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb 1. misrepresent - represent falsely; "This statement misrepresents my intentions"
belie
sentimentalize, sentimentalise - look at with sentimentality or turn into an object of sentiment; "Don't sentimentalize the past events"
distort, falsify, garble, warp - make false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story
dissemble, feign, pretend, sham, affect - make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache"
represent - serve as a means of expressing something; "The flower represents a young girl"
2. misrepresent - tamper, with the purpose of deception; "Fudge the figures"; "cook the books"; "falsify the data"
fudge, fake, falsify, wangle, manipulate, cook
chisel, cheat - engage in deceitful behavior; practice trickery or fraud; "Who's chiseling on the side?"
juggle - manipulate by or as if by moving around components; "juggle an account so as to hide a deficit"

So my question is this - HOW did you allegedly "misrepresent" the shelter?
Did you tell people they could get their car serviced there?
Did you embezzle the payroll?
Did you say you were Nancy Pelosi?
It would seem to me that a cause for firing should describe what that cause is."

I was then asked to sign some paper which in hind sight I regret signing. Who signs something they don't understand?! Well, me, I guess. I was accused, confused and shocked. Combine all that and I'll do just about anything you ask because I'm not sure what else to do to get away.

The "meeting" to fire me was ended with: "You know, we're not going to say anything about the circumstances involving this, so whatever is said is up to you."

The sugar on top of that final "You know, we're not going to say anything about the circumstances" statement was that the very next morning, all staff was paged to the front lobby where the controller announced that I was fired to everyone and why (which apparently confused everyone else as much as it did to me).

I'm confused, I’m angry, I'm hurt and I don't know where to go from here. I'm trying to look at this in a good way. I'm trying to acknowledge the fact I hated the politics/policies there and wanted out ... but not this way. :( Who wants to get quetionably fired and then bad mouthed? I'm trying to stick with this good motto (maybe some higher up's shoulda watched more Disney when they were little!)


I'm hoping this is for the best. I hope the people that know me (even a little) know better than to believe any of the "excuses" being given. That's all I can really do...

I found this quote when looking for some words of support: "Keeping a positive work attitude can be one of the most challenging things you do. Especially, when you are impacted by negative influences in the workplace. One of the ways to keep your attitude positive is to think of your work as your business. If it was your business and more importantly your money that was being put into the workplace how would you act, what would you do to make the workplace, the product or service better." I'm keeping those words in mind with my next job. Hopefully it'll be a more positive environment and, either way, there's always room for self improvement, right?

Caturday: Halloween

Not that Halloween ... no, this Halloween!!

For the life of me, I don't understand why she's still here: she's affectionate, adorable and highly adoptable. FIV+ cats not living with negative cats is all pish-posh too. So not true! Halloween (affectionately known as "Weenie") is spayed and very friendly. She lived with other cats before and seems to have no problem interacting with my kitties through the window, so she wouldn't be starting fights with a proper introduction.

Honestly, I'm feeling horrible that she's here still as well. It's getting so cold outside (there was frost outside in the morning this week!) and she's on the porch, which has no insulation or heat. I refuse to bring Weenie in though because then she's going to be our cat forever for sure, which means I'll get blamed for another cat ... even though she's my sister's friend's former cat. I can't just toss her outside either though because she's so sweet & FIV+ - she deserves and needs a safe, inside home that'll spoil her and keep her as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

You see the tough spot I'm in? She needs a home! In the mean time, she'll continue to be on the enclosed front porch and I'll spoil her as much as possible - good food, toys, snuggly blankets, beds and, soon enough, a heat lamp set up for the winter nights that are just around the corner.

Did I mention she needs a home? Anyone interested in this doll baby???

5QF

1. If you could have any talent and turn it into an occupation, what would it be? Have you seen that show "Lie to Me"? I want that talent and occupation! Just to listen to people and so easily pick up on tells and such. That would be awesome! And I'd be so usual to lawyers, security, the police, parents of teenagers :)

2. Would you rather have a house at the beach or a cabin in the woods? The woods with all the critters for sure. The beach I like the view and all, but you get burned and there's the flies that bite and the sand gets hot, etc. Yea, definitely the woods like Snow White :)

3. Is there any meaning or reasoning for the names you chose for your child/children?Well, Mea means "mine" in latin, she's the first kitty I named. Oh yea, I'm talking about my fur-kids because I don't have any tiny humans yet. Winchester is ironically named because I got him after someone found him shot. Little Dani looked just like Big Dani did as a kitten and he was suppose to just be a foster, but he stayed. So now there's no Big Dani and Little Dani. Wilson came with his name (after the volleyball in Cast Away), but I always thought of Home Improvement's Wilson ("Howdy, neighbor"). So, when I got Wilson a friend, I named him Norm after our neighbor who used to say the same thing over the fence to us where I lived growing up. :) Oh and I named one of our sheep Penny after my latin teacher because the sheep was born on the Ides of March. :) The rest I didn't have much say in helping with their names.

4. What is your guilty pleasure? Just one?! Well, right now, hmmm ... I'll go with being lazy. I shouldn't be, there's so much I should do or that I could be doing, but there are moments I catch myself being absolutely lazy.

5. Do you live in a house that is deep cleaned or straightened? Both. Can that be the answer? :) It's deep cleaned about once a week or so and straightened the rest of the time.

Wordless Wednesday

Fog is rising off the lake and the fields are covered in whispy white frost. It's a gorgeous morning!

Tea Tuesday

Two days late, but I couldn't resist this photo for Tea Tuesday!



Today is crisp and cold outside ... and inside the house it is too! There's something wrong with the hot water heater and so we've had to turn it off. I spent a good part of last night vacuuming up water and banging on some little lid thing. According to my cousin (he does heating/cooling), something was probably loosened the first time we turned on the heater this year, which was last night. So, my mom and I are tapping, vacuuming and splashing burning hot water all over in an attempt to unloosen or at least get the pressure out to stop the leak ... while my dad stands around behind us. Needless to say, none of this really worked either. Every time the hot water heater kicks on now, it starts to leak again. Hopefully someone is coming out today to fix it because I'm at my wits end.

Here's this week's question:What do you think would be the hardest thing for you to give up on? Books! You should see my room - it's filled with books. Books I've wanted to read, so I bought. Books I've read and enjoyed or want to read again. Books highlighted with lines I love or interesting character descriptions. Books people have recommended or were bargain priced. Romance novels, silly short stories compiled, books on finance, books on genetics, books about animal rescuing, etc. I love books! "I just take a book with me everywhere. It's a habit" - Gilmore Girls :)

Book quote: In the nineteenth century, a different breed of dog was consider so vicious and insidious that it inspired almost universal fear and loathing. That breed was the bloodhound... -Jim Gorant's The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and their tale of rescue and redemption

I hope you're enjoying your Tea Tuesday


Tea Tuesday is reminder to you too, my friends and wanderers that found your way here. Remember that all the good you do won't get done if you're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point today.

Tea Tuesday prep

To get more people involved, a single question for you to answer about yourself has been added to Tea Tuesday posts. The linky is now open until Thursday too so you can answer it now or think on it tomorrow while sipping, then come back and add your Tea Tuesday post to the linky. Above all else though, enjoy - the moment to yourself, your cup of tea (or coco) and the answers that come to you. Have a wonderful week!

Here's this week's question so you have time to prepare for tomorrow:
What do you think would be the hardest thing for you to give up on?

5QF - late!

My mom and I both had the day off, so we went out ... I bought some new sneakers, worried over insurance issues I'm having now, took some pictures, edited those pictures, fed all the animals and watched a movie with my mom - it was a very nice day! However, in the midst of all that I (almost) forgot it's Friday - 5QF!! I'm really enjoying this, so late now or not, I'm throwing this post together!


1. If you could be a fly on any wall, which would you choose? Oval office, duh!

2. Do you budget your Christmas shopping or just get it done without budgeting? I'm guilty of being a no budget girl. However, that's gonna have to change! As discussed in a previous 5QF post, debt is catching up with me and I hate it. Looks like everyone's probably getting one special, cheap (sentimental) gift this holiday season. It's the thought that counts, right?

3. What is the craziest fad diet you have ever done? I've never gone crazy with dieting or fads for them. I guess in high school, maybe. My cousin, who I idolized, became a vegetarian and I thought, "Hey! Great way to get out of eating all that gross meat on holidays (I'm Irish, but ham - EWWWY!)." I'm 26 and I've been a (mostly) vegetarian (my mom grew up on the water, like catch-your-dinner on the water, so I either kept seafood in my diet or starved!) for over 10 years now, so that's helped. I guess it could be considered a "diet" though at this point, it's really just a habit.

4. Is there a TV show that you have seen every episode/season of? Probably Buffy the Vampire Slayer (guilty pleasure!) or Grey's Anatomy. It's gotten cheesier recently, but the first few seasons and quotes were amazing!

5. What one song always pulls at your heart? Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton and A Song for You by Ray Charles. Oh my goodness, I tear up just reading over the lyrics. Nothing quite like If I Could Though Ugh! I can't listen to it. I would have loved that to be my father-daughter dance song and I cry knowing I'm not going to get that. I can't listen to it at all, but I'll let you...



On that note, goodnight!

Tea Tuesday

ingenious! end of story.

Ok, not really, but still. That photo is awesome! Just think: some warm cookies and cold milk, a place to put your lemon peel after it's been in your tea or a cute place to put a note for someone to find in the morning.

Here's this week's question: From the warm drinks to the changing leaves to decorations that include squash & pumpkins to bringing out the scarves & warm socks again, what's your favorite part about this time of year? Although this is Tea Tuesday, I'd have to say it's pulling out the warm clothes, scarves, hats and blankets to keep warm. I like layering and bundling up. I can also confidently say that there is not much I love more than an ice cold room and borrowing into a bunch of warm blankets!

Instead of a book quote this week from what I'm reading, I thought I'd share this quote I came across which seems to fit so well with Tea Tuesday:
"Breathe in, nourishing every cell of your being. Breathe out & accomplish what you came here to do." -Unknown

Enjoy your "Tea Tuesday" moment, friends.

Tea Tuesday is reminder to you too, my friends and wanderers that found your way here. Remember that all the good you do won't get done if you're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point today.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Tea Tuesday is reminder to you too, my friends and wanderers that found your way here. Remember that all the good you do won't get done if you're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point today.

To get more people involved, I'm adding a single question for you to answer about yourself and I'm leaving the linky open until Thursday now so you can answer it now or think on it tomorrow while sipping, then come back and add your Tea Tuesday post to the linky. Ahh, ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes! :)

Here's this week's question so you have time to prepare for tomorrow:
From the warm drinks to the changing leaves to decorations that include squash & pumpkins to bringing out the scarves & warm socks again, what's your favorite part about this time of year?

Above all else though, enjoy - the moment to yourself, your cup of tea (or coco) and the answers that come to you. Have a wonderful week!

Caturday: Striper

I'm not sure my aunt loves any hobby more than fishing ... and for this reason, she has her own boat to go out in to fish. But this Caturday post isn't about fish - no, it's about a cat.

A cat who likes to rub up against my aunt ... and apparently, play in my aunt's boat. For this reason, I'm calling him Striper! Seems appropriate for an orange cat too. This boy sounds like an absolute sweetheart who not only has a lot of love to give, but also just can't get enough attention and love either! Why such a nice boy is still outside in this cold, well, that's out of my hands.

I mean, there are enough feral cats out there that we should feel bad for, right? And they don't like people, so it's not like they could happily live inside and be spoiled like this boy could. Not to mention, my aunt has three crazy Brittanys, so all she can really offer is food, fresh water and some beautiful (extra spacious) shelter from the weather (as is the job of an excellent feral cat caregiver), not the lap of luxury of an inside cat safe from disease, cars, bad weather and with things like windows to sun bathe in and beds to curl up on with you. Again, why such a nice boy is still outside in this cold...

Perhaps we should consider this Caturday post a guilt trip? :)

5QF

1. Who is the better cook, you or your spouse? My boyfriend, for sure. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can throw things together pretty well and everyone loves my pumpkin pie and citrus-y salsa. However, the boyfriend plans ahead, has ingredients in his cupboards, knows appropriate proportions, etc. He even goes the extra step and makes my food separately if he's going to add meat to his dish. :)

2. How often do you talk to your mom? I live with my mom right now to help take care of my dad (who has frontotemporal dementia), so just about every day we talk whether it's about work or bitching about my dad's condition.

3. Are you adventurous in the kitchen or stick to the recipe? The heck with recipes. Funny this question came up for today though because I plan on trying this recipe out this weekend ... minus the random salsa add in. I might just toss a sweet pepper in instead.

4. Is your second toe longer than your big toe? They're just about the same length.

5. Do you dress up for Halloween? (Bonus question: What will you be this year?) Pretty much every year I have. I'm going as a witch this year because we're allowed to wear costumes to work and I think that's the most PC. I've also been a mob girl, a dead hooker, a catholic school girl and Strawberry Shortcake the past few years. One of my favorites though was 1st grade - the little mermaid. It was homemade with the shiny fin and everything!

BlogLovin

In hopes of getting more attention to the blog here and making new friends, I'm trying to network. Here's yet another attempt...

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Tea Tuesday

With the weather this morning (cool 50ish and cloudy), I'm thinking I need some warm, jasmine tea. Not sure the boyfriend has that in his house yet, but I'm going to go digging through his stash of teas soon.

I've picked up a new book that I haven't gotten to page one yet (maybe another goal for the day), so I can't add a quote. Week two and I'm breaking one of my suggestions for "Tea Tuesday" posts! Oh well, that's the benefit of a "moment to myself", right? No need to be hard on myself :)

How's your day going?

Tea Tuesday is reminder to you too, my friends and wanderers that found your way here. Remember that all the good you do won't get done if you're not around. So, take a minute to relax with me at some point today.

National Feral Cat Days

Not only is it Caturday, but today is National Feral Cat Day! Every year on October 16th I celebrate this day whether it is by being out at an event or just keeping the special day in the back of my mind.

11,000 animals (like Cooper on your couch and Oscar on your window sill) are put to sleep every day in shelter. There are simply not enough homes for all of them, let alone the countless others born outside and raised as ferals.

Leaps and bounds have been made over the years to help feral cats and the cat over-population problem. These cats have learned to be afraid of people, so they cannot simply be brought to shelters and adopted out. Removing them to be euthanized is not an option either because cats are there for a reason: warmth, a food sources, other cats to mate with, etc.

TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) is the only method proven to be humane and effective at controlling feral cat population growth.

Even Disneyland embraces TNR!


More information and facts on TNR can be picked up on these websites for those of you that love cats (or hate them) and want to know how to better manage them to prevent more

- Alley Cat Allies
- Feral Cat Coalition
- Neighborhood Cats

Here are two great events to keep in mind to help celebrate this day:

What: STAF's 13th Annual Paws in the Park
When: Saturday, October 16th, 2010. Registration Time is at 10:00 AM
Where: Fasola Park, Delsea Drive, Deptford, NJ
Why: A great event for a wonderful organization and cause. Also, Joa's Arc's Nennee and Minenn will be there with some of our best volunteers!

What: TNR Workshop
When: Wednesday, October 20th, 2010, at 7 PM.
Where: the Cherry Hill Library in Cherry Hill, NJ.
Why: A wonderful opportunity to learn about TNR from some of the best feral, TNR, spay/neuter clinic experts and volunteers in the South Jersey area.

Have a wonderful day, friends, however you might be celebrating!

"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince