Musings and Meanderings

As all of you have probably picked up by now, I'm not a teetotaler. *s*  On hand, I have some red wine, one or two bottle of blush/rose wine, coffee, lots of different hot tea choices, water (filtered from the refrigerator dispenser), and some selection of sodas.  (Soda selection doesn't include coke or pepsi IIRC last time I looked.  The s.o. and I don't drink soda nor do most people we know so I don't tend to have it on hand.)  Anything else you may want, feel free to bring. 

Oh yeah, we also have two guest bedrooms and a pullout sofa (queen sized bed) in the media room all on the second floor.  (We're going to watch True Blood in the family room on the first floor.)  If someone needs crash space, we've got some spare beds. 

So, I've volunteered to host a viewing for the first season of HBO's new series True Blood.  This is the new Alan Ball (the creative genius behind Six Feet Under) series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris.

If you're part of RTSFS and interested in attending, comment, I'll friend you and then add you to a private group that will contain all the postings related to the upcoming event. 

Meme picked up from K.A. Laity
Bold the ones you have done.

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (no way in hell)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (walked around the base count?  It was closed for removation.)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (why? *s*)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors (which ones???)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (working on it)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris  (didn't feel like waiting in line)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (can't - wish I could)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (want to!)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (yuck)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (too many other things I wanted to do there)
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (from a plane count?)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (hopefully never again)

I have to agree with Kate that there seems to be a lot of things missing from this list and that this is very euro centric.  It also seems to be christianity specific.  (Hey list developer, there are a lot of other religions out there!)  Can't even say judeo-christian as there's nothing judaic in the list. Oh well. 

Interesting list anyway.  *s*

Today I spoke to one of the local groups that spays/neuters feral cats.  I was really quite surprised when they told me that feral cats should be released after 24 hours post-surgery confinement.  Having never dealt with feral cats on this level before, I am only familiar with how our cats have been treated post-surgery - they're usually confined and babied for a few days while they have their elizabethan collars in place.  Plus, once released to "general population" there's always a hiss-fest afterward due to the newly returned having a funny smell.

The other thing that rather surprised me was being reassured that it was fine to do this at this time of year even though they would have to spend the night in the trap in our unheated garage.  The reassurances I received were that a) they live outside and b) the garage is quiet and insulated even though there is no heat.  I'm still concerned about this as all animals tend to be a little fragile after undergoing anesthesia and surgery.  Not uncommon problems are the inability to maintain body temperature.  (We almost lost Hemi during surgery for this very reason; she had an unusually strong reaction to the anesthesia.)  

I don't know, I'm just uncomfortable about this.  Don't take that wrong - it's not doubt about whether or not TNR is the right thig to do, I know it is.  It's doing it right now that has me concerned.  Even *right* now is not an option as the earliest opening in the schedule isn't until January which means it will be even colder.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to go ahead and buy a trap.  (This company's models 606 and 608 seem to be the highest recommended ones.)  I was actually pleasantly surprised by the price.  Though not cheap, they are still a lot less expensive than I expected.  Once I have one, I may even talk to the newsletter editor for our neighborhood and propose an article on feral cats and how to deal with them with an offer to loan my trap .  All the lots in our neighborhood are 1/2 acre or larger and with lots of trees.  I've seen quite a few what I believe may be ferals around.   I love cats, even feral ones but it's not a good life.  We really don't need more feral kittens.

Let's try this a second time....  (teaches me not to type elsewhere and then do a cut and paste into LJ)

For a few months now, we've been feeding what is turning out to be a small feral cat colony.  It all started when, in late fall, we saw a mother leading around a very tiny kitten.  Watching them for a few days, it became very obvious they were feral and very thin.  Those who know me know this is not something I can not just sit back and watch.  At first, I was "sneaking" food onto the front porch but now Ron is just as apt to refill the food and water bowls as I am.

Baby, as we have taken to calling the kitten, has gotten to be quite sleek and playful.  Not to mention demanding.  *s*  S/he (for the sake of brevity, to be referred to as a she from here forward), looks forward to dinner every night which is eaten from my hand.  She's also getting to expect her share of the breakfast treat that the indoor crew enjoy every morning.  Not surprisingly, she pretty much lives on our front porch these days and even has a particular chair she sleeps on every night.  I've even managed to coax her into the house a time or two.  I suspect she may be capable of being made into an indoor Baby. 

Meanwhile, I've counted four other cats who consistently show up to eat at our house.  They've all gone from skinny, malnourished wrecks to healthy looking adults in the past couple of months.  I suspect that several of them have moved "house" and taken up residence in the woods behind our house to be closer to the food supply. 

With the general overall improvement of health, my mind is starting to wander towards the Feline Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs.  I know that none of the adults are capable of ever becoming house cats at this time but I also don't want this little feral colony to continue to grow.  It's not fair to them and it's only a matter of time before the neighborhood starts euthanizing them if the colony grows too large.

I've done some investigating and there appears to be a few resources in our area.  One group looks like it may work on a national level so I have requested and received additional information from them - http://www.alleycat.org/  So far, in reading through what they have sent me, I'm pretty impressed by the collection of information they have amassed for our area.  It contains everything I have found on my own and more.

So I guess I'm going to be doing some trapping but I may need to wait a few months until warmer weather gets here.  I know we risk entering kitten season again by then but the only place I have to keep a recuperating feral cat is in the garage and the garage is not heated.