handsful

Yes, we’re still surprised we have cats, too.  We’re NOT cat people.  We never have been.  Several of us are allergic to them, after all.

But, living out here in these wide open spaces made us think having an outdoor cat would be….appropriate.  A barn cat, per say.  He would wander around our property, pouncing on bugs and tiny varmints…earning his keep.

So, we went to the local pet store where a foster/adopt animal group was set and told them what we were looking for.  As we talked, it became clear that having two cats would be ideal.  They could keep each other company.

Good grief, were we really doing this?

We went back about a week later, when they had a bunch of their available cats on “display”.  They had a pair of orange tabbys that had been in the same foster home, so they were buds.  They were each just shy of a year old (give or take their best guess), and seemed pretty even-tempered.

So, we took them home.  The people with the group were so happy that Professor (found by a professor at a local college) and Miracle (attacked by a dog as a kitten, and survived) were being adopted together.  Professor became Chipper (after our fav baseball player, Chipper Jones) and Chili (Marley’s choice).

We kept them in our downstairs garage while they got used to their new people and place.  They were very skittish about everything.  They hated being outside.  They ran from us.  It wasn’t looking too promising.

But, we gave it time and little by little, they became our outdoor cats.  They now love it here…they’ve each found their favorite outdoor hang-out spots, and Chipper especially loves to roam in the woods.  So far, they’ve left us three”gifts”…in the form of a dead mouse and 2 dead moles. (earning their keep, remember?)  They come to us now when we call them, but only when they want to.  They ARE cats.  It helps a lot if we have treats.

Even though we NEVER saw ourselves having cats, we’re really enjoying our new family members.  And, I think they like their new digs.

So, what’s new with Marley?

She’s been asking for quite a while.  Last week, I took her to a jeweler downtown and she was brave enough to sit in that chair and let the manager pierce her ear cartilage.  This is my child that HATES needles.  I mean, she’s just shy of jumping off the table at the doctor’s office when they come at her with a shot.  But, for this she was cool as a cucumber…even though people told her it would HURT.  Weird thing is, she barely flinched.  And, though it did throb and sting for a little while that night, it hasn’t bothered her much at all since.  She can’t sleep on that side yet, but she’s okay with that.  She’s more than thrilled that she did it.

Speaking of Marley, she’s been cooking a lot lately.  She found a wonderful Asian stir-fry recipe that she’s made twice for us.  It’s delish.  This time, she found a hoisin sauce recipe and used some shrimp and raman for a nice lunch for herself.

I’ve talked about our Shop meetings here…we’ve had 2 in the last 2 weeks.  Lots of snacks, plastic cups, and teens everywhere.  Last week, before the teaching time, we invited anyone in Testify who was auditioning for a role in the drama to come early for practice.

We did the same thing last night, just increased it to 2 full hours, so all the different kids/roles could practice.  It was really helpful, and gave them a chance to stand up and really act the part, like they’d do during the last audition.  Auditions were held today, and Payton (going for Marshall) and Abbey (going for Kris) feel like they did well.  Now, we wait and see.

Rather than teaching time, it was Movie night after practice…Remember the Titans.  Love that movie.  We had about 30 kids total hanging out with us.  And, as we normally do, the night ended with a bonfire.

So, those were the highlights of last week.

Oh, and Ethan now has his back handspring as of last week…and Lainey moved up to Advanced tumbling with her back handspring, and have I mentioned that Marley has hers as well?  Dylan is working hard to be next!

Next week, Randy travels for three nights, Lainey gets her spacers to prepare for braces the following week (eeek), and the trips biology class begins.

It’s never dull around here.