At long last...

...an update! Tee hee hee!

I know it is long in coming, but alas, an update! And boy is there lots to update!

First the cats! I finally got rid of the two Devil cats from Hell who attempted to destroy everything I own and/or love. As beautiful and sometimes affectionate as the cats were, I was glad to see them returned to their former owners, who were nice enough to take back their problem once their secret was found out. Adios, demon cats! May your existence be harmonious!




















[[Foreground - Lily, Himalayan mix breed. Background - Tricksy, Persian/Ragdoll mix. Fair thee well, demon cats!]]

Not sure if I mentioned, but we found a home for Little Ma, the mother of the kittens. My mother-in-law will be taking her in very shortly, which makes me so happy. I would have kept her myself, but there was a distinct personality clash between her and my cat Lila. At least she will have a good home in the country without having to fend for herself in the wild again. She'll get the best of both worlds; inside when she wants to be, outside when she is looking for adventure! Lila continues to be a spoiled brat, but I love her for it. She is warming up to the two kittens we decided to keep, which makes me happy. I wasn't sure how it was going to go for a while, but things are progressing nicely, and I even catch them playing little cat games together. I am hopeful that my cat situation will be much less stressful once I no longer have to worry about playing chaperone.



[[From left to right: Little Ma, as yet unnamed kitten, Nizhoni, aka Noni and Lila]]



In other news, Joe and I have tied the knot! We had a small, wonderful ceremony at my mother's house on Oct 6th. We were blessed with beautiful weather and very very few problems! Everyone had a wonderful time and I am officially married! I'm very excited about my new adventures in life. Hurray!


[[Wedding day!! Oct 6, 2009]]

I think that covers most of the big news events of my life. Still working the same jobs, headed into the busy season, so we'll see what new things that brings along. Joe is still working toward joining the Army. We definitely need to get working toward that, for sure. It seems like time is flying by faster and faster everyday. Six more weeks till I have to move out of our apartment and in with friends, which should be a whole new adventure in and of itself. Then we have holidays, hubby leaving for basic combat training, and then getting stationed at a base in spring. Fingers crossed everything goes on without a hitch!

XOXO
Jenny

Trials and Tests

Life has a way of throwing curve balls and testing one's patience and tolerance. I often lament the fact that I did not heed the oft-mentioned advice, "Don't try to grow up too fast." Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

My primary job is coming upon some rough times. The commodity business is never a good business to be in when there is a nation-wide recession, and we are definitely beginning to feel the crunch up in rural New York. It's so bad that I did not receive my regular paycheck last week, which is admittedly rubbing me quite roughly in the wrong direction. I've always be a very patient and tolerant person, but having already been through a similar situation with a waitressing job I held a few years ago, I am hesitant to let this get out of hand. I am assuming (hoping) that the issue will clear up swiftly, but if not, I think I might not show up to work if this continues for longer then a week.

On a brighter note, the stray cat that adopted us, lovingly dubbed "Little Ma" by my boyfriend, has successfully given birth to her babies. We are now the proud parents of five squeaking kittens. They are so precious, with their silly ears and squinted eyes, fur as soft as cashmere. I hope to have pictures affixed soon. It was wonderful to see the joy on the mother cat's face. I know it sounds cheesy, but yes, you could see her joy. Her happiness. Her love. She is an attentive and doting mother to her babies and spends the majority of her day cleaning, checking, feeding and basking with her kittens, constantly purring and kneading the nest.

With nine cats in the household now, I am desperately trying to place the two nightmare cats gifted us by our 'friends'. My patiently forgiving side is trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the fact of the matter is that they knew the cats had serious issues when they offered them to us, and they neglected to relay that same information to us. Unbeknown to us at the time of the adoption, these two long-haired female cats do not get along with any other felines, and when sharing a house with other cats, they will not only fight and terrorize the offending member (who happens to be our first cat, Lila, aka my Princess), but they will refuse to use the litter box. Given that we rent our home, and all the furniture therein, this is becoming a HUGE issue. Not only have the cats defecated in the middle of the floor on a number of occassions, they have also urinated on area rugs, carpeting, quilts and bedding, mattresses and the couch.

After two months of patiently breaking up cat fights, scrubbing couch cushions and laundering innumerable loads of towels, bedding and rugs (which surprisingly do not take well to washing machines), we have decided the cats need to be separated until we can find suitable arrangements. It pains me to keep them secluded in such a small place, but a large dog kennel is all we have to keep them from destroying our home and costing us large sums of money in replacing the landlord's furnishings. Having a soft spot for animals makes it impossible for me to simply bring them to a shelter or SPCA location; the chances of an adult cat getting placed are low. I am hoping I will be able to find a sanctuary that will care for them. As much hell as they have put us through, I would hate for something bad to come of them. It wouldn't be right for us to take on the responsibility and then turn around and put them in a worse position, regardless of their behavior and problems. They didn't ask to be adopted.