Introducing Curious George & Boots

Since we lost Chess we needed a new outside cat to help keep down the rodent population in the barns. Do these look like good mousers?  They were born on March 4th and recently weaned.  We're going to try to keep them on the porch until they get a little bigger so they will be better able to defend themselves from dogs and other animals.  I said I didn't a litter box in the house, and of course on night #1 they are sleeping in the laundry room (with the litterbox available inside of course). 
We also saw Greyhound Galore's Eli again today and met a new dog, Merc at the Tractor Supply annual adoption day...Seems that these little kittens might not be our only new additions this spring/summer.  If only I could find my cuddly little lap dog!

Scrapvivor #1

I signed up for a challenge with one of my scrapping groups called Scrapvivor - after the TV show Survivor.  Each week we use an envelope full of supplies to make a layout.  By vote, the layout with the least votes is excluded from participating in the subsequent layouts.  I didn't have a clue when I signed up how hard this would be! I ALWAYS start my layouts with a picture, or pictures, and then find supplies to coordinate.  This challenge forces me to start with the supplies and find picture(s) to fit.  TOUGH!  I found this old picture and thought it turned out okay - it was enough to progress to the next round! BTW - I was very excited about the layout I did for part 2, but I can't post it yet as the voting isn't complete.  I hope to have it up early next week!

Welcome to the CGW

The last 12 months have been tough.  First Kane got cancer and we had to put him down. Then the three outside dogs escaped from our fenced in yard and we were never able to find Pumpkin.  Then our mouser, Chess, got cancer and had to be put down.  And through all this our two indoor dogs, Chief and Cleo, continue to age.  I hate watching them get slower, less playful.  Chiefie's getting deaf & blind and his heart problems are making him cough all the time.  Then there's Cleo who's wasting away from chronic diarrhea.  And as the days go by they seem to slow visibly.  A month or so ago Chief and Cleo got into a fight over food (Cleo's prednisone was likely a contributing factor).  Now, we never know from meal to meal if either of them will eat - often one of us has to hold the bowl or even handfeed in order to coax them to eat.  This picture is of our weekly ritual of getting all their meds into the divided container for ease at feeding time.  Since then Cleo has added two more meds, one by injection.  It's so hard going thru the grieving process day by day, while they linger by our side...Welcome to the Canine Geriatric Ward.  We thank God for our time with each of our four-legged family members, and pray for guidance and strength in coping with our dwindling time with them.

The Lord God Made Them All

Another layout from my time with the boys in Haiti.  I loved taking walks down the road in front of the Orphanage.  The Haitians would stake out their animals along the roadside to graze on the grasses growing in the ditches.  So along your walk you could see pigs and goats eating or napping along the roadside.  They would also take their cattle to fields during the day and then herd them down the road in the late afternoon to bring them back home.  Several times I saw young boys about 7 or 8 trying to coerce a cow or two down the road.  There were also some chickens, roosters, horses and donkeys in the area.  For this animal lover, it was a lot of fun to see what animals you'd find each day.

More of the Boys' Haiti Book

I haven't posted much lately, but I have had a chance to do a few more layouts for the boys' Haiti book.  What do you think?

Goodbye, Chess

You were such a good cat, Chess! We're gonna miss you!

I came home from taking the kids to the dentist and found Chess, nearly lifeless in the front yard. We knew he'd lost some weight, but didn't anticipate such a drastic decline in his health. We took him to our awesome vet, who suggested that he was likely suffering from intestinal cancerous tumors. He was suffering so badly, we decided to let him go peacefully. Chess was a great cat. He "came with our house" and he took up with our family right away. He lived outside and helped control the mice and rats that invade the horse barn and chicken coop. Despite being an outside pet he was so sweet and social. He'd sit in your lap for some petting, purring away and drooling once he got really comfortable. He would often come running when he saw us pull into the driveway - often making a leisurely prance up the driveway in front of our car! We'll miss you boy!

The Precious Babies

When I was staying with the boys in Haiti, the smallest and sickest babies were kept in the Guest House were we were dormed. These babies were able to receive extra care and attention. Many were so tiny and thin they broke my heart. I wanted to cuddle them all!