Fiston

I'm sad to say that my mom's kitty Fiston made his last trip to the vet yesterday. Today mom sent an email out with this beautiful picture of Fiston.

Mom thinks he may have been 16, but she's not really sure since he was a neighbourhood feral that she took in. I think his name is the french (Quebec) word for son (mom or db will have to correct me on that).

Fiston was always people shy, but not with mom. He seemed to always know that he was safe with her, and that he could feel safe in his home.

I'm always grateful to those who take in the "unwanted" street cats or ferals because sometimes they need extra love and care. Fiston was one of those cats. Thanks mom for giving him such a loving home.

I'm still alive

It's been a while, hasn't it?

I still cannot find my camera cord to load photos, so until then there will only be text.

The move went fine. The cats settled quickly. Prima settled in almost immediately and was back to her routine of having a bath on the couch in no time. Gigi took a little more time exploring, peeking around corners, and jumping up on boxes to check them out.

The week has been hectic. Every time I tried to catch up on unpacking something came up. First there's work and then there was my long day on Thursday when I had my last grammar class after a full day of work. Friday was my day off so I slept in because I really needed to and then got up to go for a run. Later, I remembered that I had to go to the race expo downtown and pick up my race package for Sunday's Vancouver half marathon (oh, I tried the new Sport drink by Vega at the expo and loved it. I definitely have to pick up some and use that for my training. I also tried their new Chai flavoured mix and it was also delicious. I have to order some). I also had Saturday off, but we had an annual vet trip to make with the cats and then I had to make something to take to dinner that evening for a get together with some cousins, aunts, and uncles. (I made black bean and quinoa salad from Veganomicon. It has mango and cilantro in it and is, of course, delicious and simple to make). Meanwhile, as I'm making the dish for that night, the cable guy is in the house to hook us up to telus and it's taking him a lot longer than he thought so he's coming and going. It was a little chaotic and I felt like not much unpacking was actually getting done. However, we did do better than I thought. I'm not even sure if I need anything in the boxes that are left unpacked. I guess I will want to unpack the artwork and pictures when I do finally get around to decorating.

Sunday I awoke at five a.m. after getting to bed around midnight (dinner ran way longer than I thought. We were having such a good time and didn't want to leave). I realized at 5:30 a.m. that I should have gotten up at 4:30 since we have at least a 40 minute drive into the city and the race starts at 7:00 a.m. I was sleepy and rushing around. Toast and tea in hand, I got into the car before 6:00 a.m. but was panicked. There was zero traffic and db got me downtown to drop me near the start with 25 minutes to spare (which really means getting in line for the port-0-potty with all the other runners). I was so worried that I'd have to run to the start line like last year, but I was there with all the other runners and had time to just take it all in, sing the national anthem (It's true. I may have been one of the few singing), and listen to the countdown.

The run went pretty well. 1:56:40 is the official time. I've already knocked off 3 minutes from my run in February so the next one in June should be even better. We had beautiful weather. All week long the forecast had been predicting rain, and Saturday night confirmed that the rain had moved into the area. When I woke this morning I was so happy to see that it was clear and the morning just kept getting brighter and brighter. The whole day was sunshine; it was a beautiful day.

After the run db and I stopped by to see red jane, who I haven't seen in ages. It was great to see her. She made her famous power cookies for me and made them gluten free. They are the best. We had a nice visit. I started to feel pretty tired so we headed home.

Once we got home, I ate and napped. Now here I am. The place is finally starting to shape up. We are starting to win over the boxes. Outside our patio is framed by temporary pots with plants I dug out of the last garden. Those will just have to wait. The homeowners, M & N, did say that I could use the three raised beds that aren't being used in the backyard so I think I'll get a few nice plants for that area. They'll need some new soil since it's mostly packed clay and moss now. I can't wait to get into the garden.

Pictures are coming as soon as I can find that damned cord!

Earth Hour and the Raw dinner

For Earth Hour we lit our only two candles (I had packed the rest in preparation for the move) and chatted while the kitties slept.

One of our plans was in honor of Earth Hour to prepare a raw meal so that we wouldn't use the stove either. Of course I still needed the food processor so we couldn't actually make the sauce during Earth Hour.

Is that raw pasta in the photo? Yes it is. We made pasta with marinara sauce. The fettucine is made from zucchini, slice by using a vegetable peeler. The marinara is fresh tomatoes, red pepper, jalapeno, sundried tomatoes, basil and garlic all run through the food processor. It was delicious. I'll definitely make this dish again, but I'm thinking about making a cashew alfredo sauce. Yum.

As for Prima...
She's enjoying the packing for the move. If there's a box of paper it soon becomes a bed.

6th anniversary

Happy Anniversary Prima Primavera. Six years ago we rented a car a drove to Richmond Hill where Prima was staying in her foster home. She was six months old and very eager to see us.
She came out right away and we knew we'd take her home (as if I could ever refuse a cat!).

When we got her home, she hid inside the couch (it's got a hollow backing so a cat can climb up in there if they're small enough. She stayed in there for hours. Eventually she came out and got on my lap and rubbed and purred. She was very needy and still is.

Now she's the Queen of Whoville and we wouldn't have it any other way (sorry Gigi).

This was my perfect Sunday morning. There's my knitting, my tea latte and db's cinnamon rolls. db pulled the recipe from Bob's Red Mill website and made them gluten free. I went for my run and when I came back there was db at work in the kitchen sprinkling cinnamon over the dough.
They were delicious.


Prima enjoyed her Sunday as well in her new basket. She was a bit hesitant at first, but then realized it really was comfortable afterall.

It's hard to tell by the photo but dinner was Mushroom and Butternut Squash lasagna with a vegan bechamel sauce.

Oh, I love Sundays!

red Fred we'll miss you.

red Fred was a lovely cat that red jane rescued from the street while living in Toronto. Until recently Fred had been very shy with people and it would take a bit of time for him to warm up to you, but once he did he was very affectionate and loving.

I got to cat sit him a few times and he was always a pleasure to look after. I'm glad I got a chance to spend time with him and mostly I'm happy that red jane gave him a loving home.

red jane sent me some recent photos of him and I thought I'd share a picture of him.

He was a lovely cat and will be missed by all of us here in whoville.

get well soon

Hi Rupert! Get well soon!

Rupert's the big guy who hasn't been feeling well this past month.
He's one of my sister's cats and is now living in Montreal. I use to live downstairs from Rupert when we all shared a home in Toronto so I spent a lot of time with the big guy getting to know him. Rupert and I have been through a series of vet trips while I was looking after him and there was the time he escaped from the deck and got lost (only to be discovered under the garage). He seemed to have lost all his outdoor instinct once he became indoor kitty. We always wondered if he would have survived much longer on the street anyway because he was so timid and not very street smart. Fortunately, he hung out in our backyard for some time while my sister fed him and made sure he had lots of water. Finally, she knew she had to bring him into the family and Rupert was very happy to not only be inside with a big comfy bed, but also to be nearer to the food source.

He can't get enough love now.

He's got a ferocious appetite, but it as sweet and gentle as they come (except with Ruggles, his fluffy white nemesis). He's an FIV kitty so when health issues come up it's a big concern because his immune system is compromised. Also, even though he's very loving and fairly social, he can easily get frightened so things like trips to the vet traumatize the poor guy. When he comes home from the vet he will hide under the bed for some time.

Get well soon Ruppie. We're all wishing you well!

cats

As if you couldn’t tell, I adore my cats. My cats are a big part of my life. I can’t imagine life without them. But it’s not just my cats it’s cats in general. Just today I was running late for an appointment and hurried out the door, coming up the walk was a fluffy ginger kitty with his/her tail up to greet me. This cat walked right up to me and I had to stop to pet him or her. S/he had a blue collar and bell on and was very friendly. I wanted to spend more time but I was running even later and had to run to catch the bus.

I haven’t seen my sister’s cats in over a year and I miss them so much. Sis sends me pictures and when we talk we can go on for an indefinite amount of time about our cats.

Ever since I can remember there has always been a cat living with me. There was a brief time when I was a teen that we didn’t have a cat because they initially didn’t come with us in the parental divorce. Later my mom did go back for the cats and they lived the rest of their lives with my mom. Even in that time though there was my grandmother’s cat Victoria. She was a small gray tabby with a gentle manner and a bit aloof when it came to attention. She had a large yard that she spent much time surveying and at night she would only sleep on my grandmother’s bed.

After high school I moved out on my own and it wasn’t long before I rescued a kitten from a dodgy home. Not that it was a scary place, but I think the kitten might have gotten ignored or possibly lost or some other scenario that wouldn’t end well for the kitten. The mom, who was sort of a friend and someone I babysat for, was going to take the kitten to the SPCA because she didn’t want it. Her son showed up at my apartment one day and asked me if I could take the kitten because he couldn’t bear to not know where it would end up. I probably wasn’t ready for the responsibility of a cat but I did it anyway. When I think about it now it’s amazing to think of that kid walking all the way to my place with a frightened kitten in his arms. Catherine I named her and she lived with me for sixteen years in four different provinces. She was quite the character and we had quite a bond.

As I write this Prima is seated next to the computer screen with one paw resting on the edge of the keyboard. She is fascinated with the small movements of the cursor as it slides across the page. I think she would like nothing better than to lie on the computer because of the warmth it gives off, but she knows I stop her when she attempts to walk or lie on the keyboard and so she sits with one paw perched on the edge. Eventually she will walk on the keyboard causing it to delete, lock the caps, add spaces and repeat the same letter over and over again. And I’ll just have to gently guide her to the desk and do some more editing.

Gigi makes a trip into the fridge to do some inspecting of db's sourdough starter.

A rare sighting of these two on the same window ledge at the same time. It's a great spot because we get all kinds of little birds and squirrels around that tree.

Happy Anniversary Prima

The 21st was the fifth anniversary of Prima joining the family. Five years ago we decided to adopt her from Abbey Cats and drove up to Richmond Hill to visit her at her foster home. She was very affectionate and came right up to us. She had a little red collar with a tiny bell on it so the other cat in the foster home could hear her coming. It wasn't a hard decision (it never is) and she came home to whoville with us.
When we opened the carrier she ran under the couch where she stayed for several hours. I worried that she might never come out, but she eventually did and was so affectionate and has remained the same since. Well to be honest she took over the house really. Someone has to be queen, right?

cats and heaters part two

This is one way to keep warm. This is actually a very very unusual sighting to see these two together on the same chair! I don't know how it happened. I can only assume that Gigi was dead asleep when Prima perched herself on the edge. Is it a stand off or are they starting to like each other?


Like Gigi, Prima loves the heater. Here she is close...


...closer...

...closest. I thought the best way to see her would be from the other side. She's quite content here.

Feeling the heat

Our homeowners bought us two heaters for the apartment that we didn't use at all last year, but this year we got one out and then the cats discovered them. Now as soon as it goes on, a cat appears before it and flakes out.

Bernard from Bernard St.

This is Bernard. He's a 3 month old kitten that my sister rescued last week from a store basement.
The owner didn't want to give the kitten to my sister because she said she would never be able to catch him because he's too wild.
He's all black, but he had been shaved for some reason? His fur was matted maybe? My sister doesn't know his full story. She told the store owner that she was going to take him home and find him a home since she already has four cats.
Bernard was in a carrier at the store when my sister picked him up. He hid under her bed and hissed and growled. It didn't take him long to come out and get some love from her and meet the other cats.

Bernard moved to his new home today with a very loving couple who have another rather shy cat. I think they're going to all be happy.

My sister misses Bernard a lot. She had him for almost a week and thought about keeping him. At least she has her other four kitties to cheer her up and they do since they are quite the cast of characters.

This is Ruggles. He adores my sister and follows her everywhere. He was the only one who really liked Bernard, but then he's easily entertained isn't he?

countdown

The countdown has begun. We're just days away from Kelowna now. Another marathon? I'm still not sure I completed one, but there were witnesses so I must have finished.

The toughest part of training is over and my favorite "taper off" week has begun. While I enjoy the extra rest and extra food, I can't help but feel a bit anxious wondering if it's too much rest or maybe not the right foods. I know it will be fine.

I'm going to keep track of my food intake for the week. I never put this info in my runner's log and it is an important component of my training.


Just a little inspirational photo as I start thinking about Kelowna this weekend. Ndereba, a 35 year old Kenyan runner is at the top again. I recently watched her win gold at the worlds and if that isn't inspiration, I don't know what is.

Well...there's also Asha Gigi (34) who just won the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.



Speaking of Gigis...Here's another Gigi I'll be thinking of.

I'm not sure she'll help me run any better, but she sure is cute and fun to think about when I'm going a long distance.