Bringing Bella Home

It is official.  I have officially adopted Bella.  Bella was the beautiful white kitty I've been fostering the last several weeks.  She is so cute and such a sweet kitten.  I decided she would be a good one for me.  After many decades of wanting a white kitty, I now have one.  She was my 24th foster kitten since I started fostering.  Although I've had her for almost 3 weeks as a foster, it was time to take her and Nadine in to be spayed.  John decided he wanted Nadine so it was perfect that we failed them together and they both lagged the rest the litter in weight so they stayed with me another 1.5 weeks while they gained enough weight.

Last Thursday, I had to take them in for their spay appointment.  I was happy they finally gained enough weight but it was scary to admit I was going to adopt one (and John the other).  Friday they went for surgery and Saturday morning, John and I went down to do the paperwork, pay our fee, and pick them up.  They had kept them in back and brought them out to the "meet and greet" room for us to see while we did all the adoption stuff.  Both came out with lots of energy.  They have shaved bellies with the tiny surgery incision scar.  But it wasn't long before they recognized us and we were packed up and taking them out with us.

We brought them back to my house to get reacquainted with the house after being gone.  We went to grab lunch.  When we got back, it was like nothing had changed and they never left.  Before we knew it, John was packing up Nadine to take her home and Bella was getting settled in as a permanent kitty at my house.

Bella has really missed Nadine and REALLY wants my cats to play with her.  She wants to snuggle them too.  They are less than thrilled to have a new kitty and seem pretty sad about the whole thing. But just as when I introduced her while making the decision, they seem willing to tolerate her.  When she gets to close, they hiss.  But I am hoping that will improve. Best Friends told me that either they will learn to tolerate each other or they will love each other and time will tell which it will be.  Bella is sort of shy and not super aggressive so I think that will help.

 One of many trial runs.  All 4 cats on the bed is a good sign!
They did this on their own.

Shortly after John left, Philip and Tiffany came over for the weekend so I had lots of help playing with Bella and keeping her entertained.  She loves string toys and balls.  She loves her catnip mouse.  She loves to nap in your arms.  And she is a big shoulder sitter.  She will ride around like that and jumps up on my shoulder to be held.  She also liked to be held like a baby in my arms.

I put her in the shirt I got on my stuffed bear in Vegas.  Haha

She wanted Philip to quit using the lited "clicky machine"
She loves to watch the screens though.  She even plays cat games on my phone.

The shoulder sitter

 Today was my first working day since having Bella alone.  I was a little concerned how I would get work done with her need for attention but we did really good.  She likes to nap in the cat condo and seems to find things to play with when I am busy.  In fact, today I was surprised to catch this....

This lasted about 2.5 seconds but it happened and I was glad to see it.  Maybe there is hope.  Although Sissy looks less than pleased to have Bella join her in the bunk.  Sissy did hiss but then just sat there in shock.  Bella is a kitten so she is active and didn't stay long.

John says Nadine is doing really good at his house.  He sounds like he loves her already which is perfect.

John with Nadine.  

Best Friends said they would do their immunizations this week.  They need one more booster and then they are set for a year except their rabies which they are too young to get.  So Nadine and Bella will see each other on Wednesday.  I wonder if they will remember each other.  John and I plan to raise them together through play dates and sharing cat sitting with each other when we are traveling.

The great news is both Dave and Vinnie were already adopted (not surprised because they were so cute).  

Runaway down South

So Grandma was going to be on her own (in the rest home of course) for two weeks while Mom went on a much deserved vacation.  I talked John into going down to visit with her if I drove.  Not my favorite time of year to head to St. George because it is frankly hot as hell.  But that is what we were working with.  As we worked out our plans, I decided to check with Mary in Vegas to see if we could put together a deal for a new car while I was down there.  As it all came together, we had a great long weekend full of fun, adventure, and family.

We woke up super early on Saturday and hit the road.  Our plan was to get all the way to Vegas on Saturday.  I would drop John off at the casino we planned to stay and I would go get the car. We had a great drive and leaving early meant the traffic wasn't bad at all.  With the time change, we found ourselves at the hotel in Vegas (technically Henderson) at about noon PT.  We got checked in and I dropped my bags.  Then headed over to meet Mary.  She was waiting for me outside as I pulled up. My beautiful car was all washed and waiting for me.

Passing through St. George

Mary and Me

She was all clean and waiting for me.

Took a bit of time to get the car all worked out.  There was a rattle I just couldn't make due with so we worked on that and about 4:00, I was pulling out and headed to the hotel.  John had been at the casino and was one happy camper when I got there.  We decided to grab a bite to eat and went to the buffet.  After that, I was completely beat (and super sweaty) so I went back to the room while John got his second wind.  I did catch a beautiful sunset!

John having fun

Sunday we were a little lazy but made it down for breakfast before packing up the car to head out.  We decided to take the long way home via Lake Mead.  I admit my GPS said it was only about 30 minutes longer which was naive for me to think because it was about 1.5 hours longer.  But it was pretty and relaxing and a great way to break in the new car.

Lake Mead

Unfortunately, the Lake Mead stop (well and alcohol run at Costco) made us late to meet up with Grandma.  We decided to stop and have a late lunch/early dinner in Mesquite.  Of course, we had to play a little slots while there.  John was showing me one of his favorite machines, Miss Kitty.  Now get your mind out of the gutter.  It really is a kitty cat machine.  John won big on a $.60 bid - he walked away with $75 which is fantastic!!

Winning!

We missed dinner with Grandma but we did get to see her before she went to bed.  When we walked into the room, her eyes lit up and she was thrilled to see John.  That alone was worth braving the heat and spending the weekend down there.

Me, Grandma, John

Grandma is going to be 101 in November.  She is doing remarkably well but having a problem with more confusion and she didn't recognize me for a long while.  That is okay.  I still love visiting her and seeing her interact with John was priceless.

Monday and Tuesday, I had to work but we did visit Grandma.  John actually used Mom's car so he got to spend more time with Grandma and take care of business.  Monday night, we planned to have dinner with Grandma.  When we got to the table, there was room for only one of us.  So I told John to eat with her and I would wait.  That night, we were lucky to make it to Cliff View restaurant.

Cliff View is by far my favorite place to eat down there.  They have a whole wall of windows looking over the city and we got there in time to see the sunset which is pretty fantastic.  Cliff View is a fancier than I think John is used too but he was a great sport and went with me.

St George view with Zions in the distance

John's fancy chopped dinner with mashed potatoes.
Very pretty presentation!

OMG.  Chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes.  So good.

Tuesday, John had lunch with grandma. She was sad to see him leave and that is really hard.  I worked until it was time for us to head out.  We had a nice drive home and even made it back before dark!  John and I enjoyed our get away and both came back feeling refreshed.  It was a good trip.

A few questions answered ahead of time - yes I was ready for a new car.  The last car was not a good car for me and seemed jinxed.  I had to really negotiate with Mary to get her to take it because I was way over miles, had a year left on my lease, and I had some "blemishes" in the body paint.  Although  I didn't get the steal of a deal I always feel like I get, I am happy with what we worked out and I am now a proud driver of a 2018 Acura TLX.  This car is gorgeous and has lots of improved features for safety and fun.  Ask me about Apple Car Play if you are bored and want to hear me squeal with delight.  Even John enjoyed it!  I do go to Vegas to get cars because I seem to save several thousands of dollars from buying in Utah.  And who doesn't want a weekend in Vegas??

Grandma is good and they are taking good care of her.  She is in an Assisted Living Facility and they love her but as she has aged, she is needing more help than they can really give.  Going down to visit and check in is part of helping her stay there as long as possible.  Plus it helps Mom and Chuck not worry so much about taking a much needed vacation.  They are her primary daily visitors since they live close.

Yes- we enjoyed getting liquor without the sin tax.  We decided to go to Costco this time.  We both picked up tequila and several bottles (lots) of wine.  I admit I bought more than John which is fine.  Unfortunately, it was so hot that several of our bottles uncorked by themselves including a large bottle of Mondovi red.  It is more than I can drink myself before it goes bad.  Luckily I have book club tomorrow so I think I will take it and share.  Here is a sneak peek of my purchase.

This girl loves Tequila.  That is a huge bottle of Hornitos!

The foster kittens were great thanks to Philip and Tiffany watching them for me.   The kittens have gone in to get spayed and then John and I will go adopt them on Saturday.  But that is for another post....stay tuned.

Reconnecting

After years of keeping track of each other through Facebook, I final got a few of the girls that used to work with me at Blue Cross together for a lunch.  I've been at Fidelity 22 years so it has been that long since I've seen them.  Can you imagine???

Lori and I were pretty close.  She was my assistant.  I was pretty sure they would make her a manager after I left but alas they did not.  She eventually got laid off when the department dissolved a few years after I left.

Billie was best friends with Lori and I really enjoyed working with her.  She was funny and a really hard worker.  She stayed for years and years until she was part of a RIF a few years ago.  Almost 25 years there!

Debbie was a great employee and always worked hard.  She is more quiet so I never got to know her well but she holds a special place in my memory.  She is still at Blue Cross!!

We picked a Sunday to get together and agreed to go to Porcupine Grill.  We chatted and caught up on everything that has happened in the last 22 years.  I serious lost track of the people that I used to work with like family.  It was really fun to see them again.  We agreed we should do it again very soon.  Maybe quarterly?  Hopefully we can get others to join too.  I find it a great thing about Facebook.  I would have never found these guys otherwise.

Debbie, Me, Billie, Lori (who really didn't want a photo taken!!  Thus the sunglasses)

Kitten Failure

No sooner did I drop off my shy litter to go out for adoption, they contacted me to pick up a new litter to foster.   They had 40 kittens waiting for foster homes.   I only have a short period of time before I head out of town for a long weekend.  I went in to pick them up the very next morning.  I took a litter of 4 kittens.  When I got there, people told me how lucky I was to get this litter as they were "perfect kittens".

I have Salty (upper right), Citric Acid (lower right), Vinegar (lower left), and Sugar (upper left).  Two of the kittens are white, one is tortie, and one is tabby.  Two of the kittens have really broken tails.  All 4 kittens are the biggest sweethearts.  Meet my new fosters.

These guys are so different than the last batch.  They are friendly and active.  They beg to be pet.  They are lovers.  Citric Acid is a long hair kitty and has a tough time staying "clean".  I'm really lucky because he likes having a bath!  And we've been doing baths to keep him clean.  The others are pretty tidy.

I knew I was in trouble the minute I saw the white cats.  And I have fallen in love with all of them but decided within a few days that Salty must be mine.  She is all white with a very faint smudge of black on her head.  She is a very sweet kitty.  So I am foster failing her and going to keep her.

I called John and told him how cute these kitties are and he should come see them.  Sugar bonded with him almost immediately and he decided he wanted her too.  It will be hard to not keep the other 2 because they are so damn cute and sweet.

In the week I've had them, they've already grown so much and their personalities are coming out so much.  They love to play and snuggle together.  They all have the cutest personalities.

Citric Acid (we call him Dave).  Such a beautiful boy.
He is so confident and fun.  And his kinked tail is darling in the air!

Vinegar (we call her Vinnie).  She is a little timid but loves to  play and wants
to snuggle lots.  Her white feet and tummy are perfect.  She is a little
bit cross-eyed which is so cute!

Salty (we call her Chicken Little) - This is my baby.  Huge snuggle
bunny, loves snuggles, and has the most beautiful eyes.

Sugar (we call her Little Brown) - This is Johns baby.  She is a runt and so cute.
 Her tail is broken short and she wags it so cute.  She plays a little and
 snuggles alot!  She loves to talk!

Dave and Vinnie have made weight to get fixed next week so we are going to break up the litter.  They go back in Monday and will be out for adoption by Wednesday.  I would be shocked if they lasted even a week.  I'll keep fostering Little Brown and Chicken Little for another week while they get to weight to get spayed.  Then John and I will go adopt them.  We plan to have lots of play dates and letting them grow up together.

You can imagine Sissy and Baby aren't thrilled but they did better than I thought when they met Chicken Little.  They have both been on the bed with the kittens and did alright.  Well until Chicken Little wanted to nurse on Sissy.  She was having none of that!  I think/hope they figure it out and get along.

That was delicious

This spring, I decided to join a few Meet Up groups.  Meet Up is a great concept where it brings people together to share different interested.  There are lots of different groups and tons of active people who are in those groups.  One of the groups I joined is a Foodie group.  I figured I like to go out to eat and how nice to not have to go alone.  They've been getting together for over 2 years.  One of the organizers prides himself that they have not repeated a restaurant yet!

They are very organized and keep the dinner size small to around 15 people.  So it is tough to catch a spot at the table but if you are organized and on the dot to register, you can often make it in.  This group has some singles in it but also several couples.  The age range is vast.  I would guess less than 50% drink.  So far, I've been able to join 3 meals.

Harbor Steak and Seafood - This is literally down the street from me.  This was my first experience.  The group was fun.  I sat by a couple and a 3 single women.  They were interesting and certainly enjoy food....which is nice to share good food with people.  They encouraged people to order appetizers to share with the table.  We had a ton of food and got to sample many appetizers including squash blossoms, flat breads, clam chowder, and salad.  I ordered a steak which was excellent.  Various people also ordered desserts to share although I skipped because I am not tempted by dessert and frankly, I was full.

The Cliff House - This is a great restaurant out in Draper.  I can't believe I've not known about this place.  There were some new faces and one guy was fun as he is a wine connisour.  I tried seafood ceiveche nachos (oh my god they were good) and calamari.  I ordered a burger because they were voted best burger in the state (Hmmmm....not sure about that).   We ate on the patio that had sweeping views of  the South Valley.  One of the most memorable parts of this evening was that 4 of us stayed later and talked about the expectations of dating and how tough it is.  Who pays for the date?  What does that mean to each person?  I also learned that one woman's outfit was $4000 and wears $700 panties (So of course, the guy pays for her company).  I also learned the organizer only dates "dancers".  Good to know.

Bucket of Crawfish - This is a very casual place.  We were warned to come in casual clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.  We all gathered and ordered.  I got a bag of shrimp with potatoes.  I asked if they had any salad or veggies and the answer was a head shaking NO.  The closest thing to a veggie was corn on  the cob.  We were all given bibs which I was warned to wear it for sure (and I am glad I did) and the tables were covered with plastic.  When our bags of food came out, they put empty buckets on the table and rolls of paper towels.  My shrimp came with the heads on them.  They were swimming in juice and spices (I ordered garlic butter with medium cajun spice).  I literally had juice running down my arms.

These have all been great experiences albeit different.  I look forward to joining more.  One thing that makes me laugh is how serious they take the food.  Someone will be like "the citric undertone was a suprise but mixed well with the texture of the scallop".  They ask me what I thought and I can come up with "It's yummy/delicious/good".  I need to work on my foodie vocabulary.  They must enjoy me there as it is getting easier to get in even if I am on the waitlist originally.  I told the organizer that even last minute openings are often okay with me.

I'm really enjoying trying new places and enjoying new tastes.  We all share and everyone is very friendly.  I'm going with the group to one of my favorite restaurants, Valter's on Tuesday.  I can't wait!

Kittens!!!

Shortly after  I turned in my two little fluff ball fosters, they asked me to take a new batch of 3 kittens.  These guys were already spayed and neutered but hadn't been socialized and were terrified of people so they couldn't go out for adoption quite yet. These guys are the "Beer Kittens"and were some of the most timid and scared kittens I've ever fostered. I was warned to  keep them in a small space and hold them and pet them as much as I possibly could so they would get socialized.

Duvel and the back of Grolsh

Holding scared kittens is tough on your heart.  They would tremble and cower and just hope I would disappear.  These guys were so scared, they figured out how to get behind the toilet which has a space of less than 2".  I started to block off their kennel and took away hiding spots.  I did leave a soda box for them but cut big holes so they couldn't hide very well.

Duvel and Kwak

Socializing these kittens was no easy task.  I spent countless hours in the bathroom talking (so they get used to voices) and holding and petting.  I tried to go in there 3-4 times a day to just sit and pet and hold them. Each session was about an hour or longer.  But slowly and surely I made progress.  Duvel is a beautiful kitten but was the most scared. After almost 2 weeks, she purred and enjoyed her pets. Grolsh was the most tame and only took a few days to be one of the most loving cats I know.  She loved to snuggle and came to me for loves.  Kwak was doing pretty good socializing but then I noticed a pussy sore on his....groin.  It was the weekend so no vet was at Best Friends.  So I had to take his  temperature and put warm compresses on it.  He didn't enjoy this at all and got scared of me again.  I can't blame him.  By Monday, I was able to take him to see the vet. Crisis adverted because his sore was looking much better.  I took Duvel with me because she was sneezing.  The vet decided they all needed antibiotics.  That they probably picked something up while getting fixed.  Not a bad idea to treat them and I had to keep them another week until they were done with meds.  Which gave me more time to work with them.

I'm proud to say, they did really well.  Duvel now comes for loves and doesn't hide anymore. Kwak is scared at first but then comes around and loves to be pet like a panther on his side.  All 3 purr when touched which is great for adoptions.  Although these guys had a rough start, they sure came around and I fell in love with all 3.  But I gathered my strength and turned them all back in.  There are literally 40 kittens waiting to have a chance to be fostered.  I helped these guys with the skills to find their forever home and that is good.

Duvel and Kwak on my lap.

Grolsh likes to be closer.  She wants the star spot by my neck

Playing with the string toy.  They all enjoyed it.
These guys will be great mousers if given the chance.

Kwak and Duvel lounging.  Look how big they got already!
Love Duvel's pink shaved belly!  Very kissable.

Grolsh loves louunging on the toilet.  It is cool and she can survey
her surroundings.  I fell in love with her and could have adopted her in a heartbeat!
I love the little ring of light color on  her side.  And she is super soft.

I've started being called the "Cat Lady".  It really had a negative feel to it but seriously I guess I am a cat lady.  The more I work with them, the more concerned I become with overall cat welfare. I  love what Best Friends is doing and I am so glad I can be a part of the process to save as many lives as possible.  This group rounded out my 20th foster since I started fostering.  I get the feeling I will go way past that this summer.  Please please spay or neuter your pets, your neighbors pets, and any pet you find that is running around.  A momma cat will result in 200 kittens during a year.

Aloha!

Over the 4th of July weekend, my friends, the Peterson's had their epic Luau in their back yard.  This is always a fun party to go to.  They have been busy up their house and yard and it was absolutely beautiful.  They also have a slurpee machine that they fill with margaritas (as anyone would right??).  They decorate the whole yard with luau theme'd items and even had a fountain in the hot tub.  Of course they have a bar and a beer bong thingy and shotskis.  If you are like me, you haven't heard of a shotski before.  Well they take a snow ski and glue 3 shot glasses down the top.  As  you would guess, 3 people line up to take a shot together.  This time, they made a pineapple/alcohol concoction to drink.

What made this year different for me is John came with me.  He had met many of the people in Moab.   I told him he had to wear a hawaiian shirt to come.  He showed up and looked so cute.  He had on a hawaiian shirt, beige pants which he rolled up, and sandals.  That man was styling!  I on the other hand did not follow my requirement and had zero hawaiian attire but I wore a blue sundress and just hoped to get lei'd once there (Hawaiian lei'd...you dirty minded people.  Haha).

John and I both agreed we weren't up  for a late night.  John brought a bottle of tequila to donate to the cause.  I brought some beer and some fruit skewers for the pot luck part.  We decided to have some dinner before we got there.  I took John to "Tin Roof Grill" in Sandy.  It is so delicious and one of my favorites out south.   When we got to the party, we greeted everyone and found a table in the shade that had Gayle and her girlfriends there. Of course, we grabbed a margarita before sitting down.

John has such a way of visiting with people and talking to anyone.  It makes it really fun to have him there.  It wasn't long before Kimberlee and Aki arrived and they came to sit with us.  Kimberlee and I can gab for hours.  John has already bonded with Kimberlee over tequila in Moab.  Let's just say, we picked up where we left off and continued from there.  Before we knew it, it was 12:15 and we decided we better go (so much for leaving early).  Don't worry Mom.  I quit drinking at 9:00 so I could drive us home.

In typical Peterson fashion, we had a great time.  Good food, great drinks, and excellent company. And I did get lei'd so by the end of the evening, I fit right in!

Momma Gayle and Kim (the hostess)

Me, John, Kimberlee (you can see the bar in the background)

It's all fun and games until the whipped cream comes out.

Getting all limey!

The Shotski