In the midst of a full midweek day yesterday, Sandi and I celebrated our ninth anniversary. 'Celebrate' is a bit of an overstatement, as we had little opportunity to do anything grand. Beyond wishing each other a happy anniversary and feasting at a Knoxville Chik-fil-A rather than our customary Sonic visit, not much of note marked the occasion. Oh -- we also got some doughnuts. However, in the midst of a culture that cannot seem to get enough of the implosion of a marriage barely older than our own (no links this time; if you are in the dark, count yourself blessed), I wanted to say how much my life with Sandi means to me. I love you, Sweetpea, and you are awesome.
Take care, all!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
And Now, a Sixth Man
Finally -- we can rotate somebody off the basketball court during games. The whole 'iron man' routine (not to be confused with, you know, Iron Man or "Iron Man") was getting tiring. Apparently, you can also play football with this many people.
The Holly Help folks have been seriously delayed by frequent thunderstorms and pre-registration at King, so we received permission to take our own collection of Poké Balls in an effort to catch a kitten. On Saturday afternoon, we went to campus with Sandi's coworker and King mathematics alumna Kelly with our carriers and a stash of feline comestibles. Within half an hour, we had nabbed one of the little guys, but another thunderstorm kept us from getting another. Kelly graciously let us have the one we got, and thus Ashe became the newest member of the Carroll household.
We were unsure how quickly a feral kitten would acclimate to home life, but Ashe has proven pretty adaptable. While she is still far more nocturnal than we would like, she already purrs when held or petted. She has also (I am outrageously happy to report) taken to litter box usage quite rapidly. She -- oh yeah, Ashe is a girl -- spends most of her time in our carrier, with several sessions of cuddling interspersed. During the day, while Ranger is outside, we remove the carrier's gate and place it inside the Big Bazooka's kennel. That way, she can check out the surroundings yet still have a safe place to retreat.
Peaches has acted more or less as she did when Samus arrived on the scene: a combination of territorially defensive and interminably curious. Samus is on the whole disinterested; the presence of the carrier seems to bother her more than the addition of a new cat. Their actual interactions have almost completely occurred within the aforementioned kennel framework, as Ashe had not been to the vet before this afternoon. There has been a fair bit of hissing and growling, but no arched backs or slap fights have erupted. Ranger has yet to meet the little one. Ashe deserves a chance to get used to the house before confronting our mini-colossus.
Ashe had her first vet visit this afternoon, and things check out. She weighs a whopping two and one-quarter pounds, which puts her at about eight weeks old. Her feline leukemia test came out negative (yay!), but we have to treat her for roundworms over the next few weeks. She was quite eager to explore the animal hospital. To be honest, she is quite eager to explore everything, but we are trying to pace her exposure to all this new stuff.
The upcoming week promises to be hectic, as we have a waiting families meeting tomorrow in Knoxville, along with an eye appointment. Maybe we will get some uninterrupted sleep tonight. Maybe . . .
Have a great week, everyone!
The Holly Help folks have been seriously delayed by frequent thunderstorms and pre-registration at King, so we received permission to take our own collection of Poké Balls in an effort to catch a kitten. On Saturday afternoon, we went to campus with Sandi's coworker and King mathematics alumna Kelly with our carriers and a stash of feline comestibles. Within half an hour, we had nabbed one of the little guys, but another thunderstorm kept us from getting another. Kelly graciously let us have the one we got, and thus Ashe became the newest member of the Carroll household.
We were unsure how quickly a feral kitten would acclimate to home life, but Ashe has proven pretty adaptable. While she is still far more nocturnal than we would like, she already purrs when held or petted. She has also (I am outrageously happy to report) taken to litter box usage quite rapidly. She -- oh yeah, Ashe is a girl -- spends most of her time in our carrier, with several sessions of cuddling interspersed. During the day, while Ranger is outside, we remove the carrier's gate and place it inside the Big Bazooka's kennel. That way, she can check out the surroundings yet still have a safe place to retreat.
Peaches has acted more or less as she did when Samus arrived on the scene: a combination of territorially defensive and interminably curious. Samus is on the whole disinterested; the presence of the carrier seems to bother her more than the addition of a new cat. Their actual interactions have almost completely occurred within the aforementioned kennel framework, as Ashe had not been to the vet before this afternoon. There has been a fair bit of hissing and growling, but no arched backs or slap fights have erupted. Ranger has yet to meet the little one. Ashe deserves a chance to get used to the house before confronting our mini-colossus.
Ashe had her first vet visit this afternoon, and things check out. She weighs a whopping two and one-quarter pounds, which puts her at about eight weeks old. Her feline leukemia test came out negative (yay!), but we have to treat her for roundworms over the next few weeks. She was quite eager to explore the animal hospital. To be honest, she is quite eager to explore everything, but we are trying to pace her exposure to all this new stuff.
The upcoming week promises to be hectic, as we have a waiting families meeting tomorrow in Knoxville, along with an eye appointment. Maybe we will get some uninterrupted sleep tonight. Maybe . . .
Have a great week, everyone!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Who Let the Bugs Out?
I am sorry for the post vacuum, but the month of June began with an unfortunate case of stomach viruses. Sandi and I took turns celebrating our anniversary month with gastrointestinal distress. In our typical fashion, I was down and out for a day or so, while Sandi was waylaid for the better part of four days with symptoms massively worse than mine. Thanks for the high Constitution score, Mom and Dad! However, Sandi's illness had both of us on a truly bizarre sleep schedule, so I was still really thrown for a loop when the time came to return to the routine. I am happy to report that we are both back in fighting form -- not that we fight or anything.
The only thing that has really changed around here of late is our preparations for an addition to the family. Yes, the time has finally arrived . . .
. . . For a new cat. As is probably the case for most college campuses, we have a collection of feral cats at King. Recently, a pair of these little critters hooked up and had a litter of kittens. After this startling new development (but not before, because that would have been just crazy), some folks decided it might be in everyone's best interests if the cats were captured and neutered. Traps have been set, courtesy of local organization Holly Help, on campus to lure in the crew, but funding is only available to alter the parents. At this stage, the only real option with the kittens would have been euthanasia. Being the softies we are, we could not let that happen, so we will be adopting one of the wee ones soon. How Samus and Peaches will respond to the expansion team remains to be seen.
Oh, I almost forgot. We planted a bush in the front yard on Sunday. Sandi had seen the plant at the local greenhouse a couple of weeks ago, and we made the purchase on Saturday (which, by the way, was also the occasion of a fabulous visit from my parents and grandmother. Thanks for coming, guys!). The new flowering shrub helps fill one of the burned-out spots in the lawn from our oil tank adventure. It also looks quite nice, in my humble opinion, although its tendency to shed entire flowers at once is something that requires adjustment.
Your patience is appreciated. Take care, everyone!
The only thing that has really changed around here of late is our preparations for an addition to the family. Yes, the time has finally arrived . . .
. . . For a new cat. As is probably the case for most college campuses, we have a collection of feral cats at King. Recently, a pair of these little critters hooked up and had a litter of kittens. After this startling new development (but not before, because that would have been just crazy), some folks decided it might be in everyone's best interests if the cats were captured and neutered. Traps have been set, courtesy of local organization Holly Help, on campus to lure in the crew, but funding is only available to alter the parents. At this stage, the only real option with the kittens would have been euthanasia. Being the softies we are, we could not let that happen, so we will be adopting one of the wee ones soon. How Samus and Peaches will respond to the expansion team remains to be seen.
Oh, I almost forgot. We planted a bush in the front yard on Sunday. Sandi had seen the plant at the local greenhouse a couple of weeks ago, and we made the purchase on Saturday (which, by the way, was also the occasion of a fabulous visit from my parents and grandmother. Thanks for coming, guys!). The new flowering shrub helps fill one of the burned-out spots in the lawn from our oil tank adventure. It also looks quite nice, in my humble opinion, although its tendency to shed entire flowers at once is something that requires adjustment.
Your patience is appreciated. Take care, everyone!
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