Last Saturday - July 31st I was working in the garage when I heard a strange mewing sound from outside. Right outside - so close that it almost sounded like it was in the garage with me. I opened the side door to the garage and there by our garbage can was a tiny little kitten. It looked pitifully underfed so I picked it up and brought it inside. Then I went and told Colin, since I am far from an expert on cats. Also, I knew I would need his help keeping Izzie from smothering the kitten with love.
We fed it some tuna, which it seemed to really enjoy. (It wasn't until later that we read you're not supposed to feed cats tuna intended for humans.) Colin held out his finger and the kitten licked his finger and then tried to eat it. It was very innocent, but she had broken the skin and we were concerned about the possibility of rabies. We talked to our vet and also called the nurse hotline. Neither person seemed particularly concerned about rabies - they were more concerned with tetanus and infection - but we were advised to keep the cat for 10 days and if it became ill, have it tested. So we kept the cat and the kids loved it.
When Ben was using the computer she would jump up on the chair and sit beside him. Sometimes he would decide he was "hot" and put the cat down which made her protest loudly until somebody else gave her attention.
Unfortunately, just as we had decided the kitten was very healthy, she became ill Wednesday night and was dead by Thursday morning. When we realized around 11pm on Wednesday that the kitten was very sick Colin went to the ER. We were now
very concerned, but not so much anyone else. Colin was told to get the cat tested the next day. Thursday morning was spent making arrangements for the cat - the rabies test has to be done on brain tissue. Luckily we merely had to drop the cat off at the vet. Somebody from the Health Department was responsible for transporting it to Knoxville (about 2 hours away from us) where the test is performed. We were waiting on tenterhooks all day and got the results about 4:30 - everything is clear!
We don't know why the cat died, and of course we are sorry she did, but at least she had several happy days with us in which she spent a lot of time purring happily and getting lots of love.
And a little bit of mauling.
Of course the first thing the children asked Thursday morning was, "Where is the cat?" We told them, in carefully chosen words, that the kitten was unhealthy and had died. They asked a few questions. Izzie wondered if we could see the cat later and Ben bluntly told her, "No. When things die they're dead forever." This didn't phase Izzie at all.
I think the kids enjoyed the kitten because they were the ones in control. They could pick her up, put her down, hold her in their laps. They really liked petting her and hearing her purr. It didn't take much to make the kitten purr, and when it happened Izzie would proudly exclaim, "She's happy!" I hope she is.
Ben and Izzie celebrated an early birthday with all the relatives in Oklahoma!
The kids loved these gliders from Grandma Nancy. In fact the gliders made it all the way to Korea and are still being played with. The cake must have been good - check out how much is on Izzie's shirt!
One of my favorite parts of the museum was the sound and music section. It was very interactive and needed no explanation. Although Ben wants to know the how and why of everything, Izzie just wants to do it, so this was great for her. Here the kids are playing a "pipe organ" with the bottom of a flip-flop.
Here is Ben is peeking through a hole in the wall of noise - a wall with various metal items: lids, chains, pots, pipes etc. attached to it. There were several drum sticks and the kids went crazy banging whatever they could reach.
Izzie and Ben attack the wall!
Sending messages through the pipes.
Ben playing dodge ball on the computerized floor. If the red light gets you, you're out.
Izzie shoots off a rocket with a little help from Grandpa Steve.
Ben uses pulleys to raise his chair up. 
Snuggles and kisses with GG.
I think this was at a rest stop in Louisiana. It's not actually foggy - my lens fogged up because it was so cool in the car and so hot and humid outside.
Stops were good for the kids - a good run around and some peanut butter M&M's perked them up considerably.
We fed it some tuna, which it seemed to really enjoy. (It wasn't until later that we read you're not supposed to feed cats tuna intended for humans.) Colin held out his finger and the kitten licked his finger and then tried to eat it. It was very innocent, but she had broken the skin and we were concerned about the possibility of rabies. We talked to our vet and also called the nurse hotline. Neither person seemed particularly concerned about rabies - they were more concerned with tetanus and infection - but we were advised to keep the cat for 10 days and if it became ill, have it tested. So we kept the cat and the kids loved it.
When Ben was using the computer she would jump up on the chair and sit beside him. Sometimes he would decide he was "hot" and put the cat down which made her protest loudly until somebody else gave her attention.
We don't know why the cat died, and of course we are sorry she did, but at least she had several happy days with us in which she spent a lot of time purring happily and getting lots of love.
And a little bit of mauling.
The kids recently attended a birthday party where the boys came dressed as superheroes and the girls came dressed as princesses.
Izzie settled on her pink frilly dress with her butterfly wings and, of course, a crown. Here she is with her trusty sidekick "Rooster."
And from the back. Notice her large ruby ring.
We didn't have much in the way of superhero clothes for Ben, but a quick trip to the Salvation Army solved that. We decided to make up our own superhero and Ben came up with "Hide Man" who can hide from his enemies (Ben is big on camouflage) and shoot a cage from his magic finger.
Here is Hide Man looking strong and tough. But also friendly.
Ben's best superhero pose. We ended up with a shiny red top, black electrical tape for the H, and (girl's) red pants with 3T shorts on top. Ben will be 5 in another month or so - what a skinny guy he is. But check out his biceps! Oh, and of course every superhero has to have a mask. Ours was a foam parrot mask from the dollar store that we cut up and glued back together. 
And even superheroes have to ride in car seats!
During June I made several trips up to Roan Mountain to capture the rhododendron gardens in bloom. Somehow I managed to miss the peak though. I'm not sure how that happened since I was up there at least three times during the two weeks in which they bloom. I got there very early in the morning and since nobody else was around I thought I'd take a self-portrait with the timer and the tripod. Unfortunately, (I'm not even sure it was on this trip) I made it home without the tripod. Thank goodness it's much more easily replaced than the camera.
Last night we had really heavy rain and a lot of wind. This is what Colin found when he looked on the porch! It fell down in the early evening while I was on my way home but Colin and the kids didn't even hear it. And I didn't even notice it when I drove up. (Maybe that was because I was trying to see the road though all the rain!)
The view from the sidewalk. The door to the porch is somewhere under all those leaves and branches.
Side view.
We were up early to clear it all away before the workers came back to finish the floors. (They finished today - new linoleum in the kitchen and laminate in our bedroom!) Colin sawed and I used the pruners and around seven a friend of Colin's who was meeting him for coffee pitched in and helped make piles of branches. After we cleared everything away there was one bunch of leaves left decorating the doorknob. Somehow we got away without any broken windows: even the one screen that's held on with the handyman's secret weapon remained in place.
The pensive look. Trying out a muted effect. Yea or nay?
The glower. She's not really being a stinker. She has been playing with this look a bit and thinks it's funny to experiment. 
A few seconds later.
They were getting bored so I told them to stick out their tongues.
My handsome shy guy.
Izzie's trademark laugh. I love it! How can you not smile when you see this?
