On Fairy GodMothers, Rescuing Kittens and Welcoming Summer ...

 

Cocoon, Sweet Cozy Cocoon

This promises to be an interesting summer.  It started with my (at long last) meeting Most Marvelous Magical Wondrous Fairy GodMother Martha and the Most Excellent Master Exchequer Jock.  I have to say they are truly one of the most beautiful couples ever.  They traveled to my neck of the woods just to see me, can you imagine?  Something that truly touched my heart and made them even more special (if that were possible) to me.  Their visit set off a rather spectacular chain of events for me.

 

The first being my driving to see them at the beach.  Miami Beach was a favorite place of my parents.  We would drive there at the crack of dawn to see the sun rise, spend the day in the water ... yes, my Mom and I would have lunch actually IN the water (with my Abuela tsk-tsking from shore saying "You are going to get indigestion!" but we never did) and my Dad keeping us supplied with cool drinks and sandwiches, while he kept Abuela company.  He would periodically bring us suntan lotion, which smelled like coconuts, and make sure we slathered it on.  Those were days when I didn't worry about sun damage, I just wanted to get as tan as possible.  One summer I even trotted a bottle of Sun-In out to the water with me and periodically doused my hair with it.  By summer's end I looked like I was wearing a calico cat on my head, with splotches of varying VERY odd orange hues mixed in with my natural really really dark brown.  I thought I looked fabulous.  My Mom promptly marched me to her hairdresser when it was time to get ready for school and that is when I got my very first pixie cut.  All those odd orange splotches came off.  I felt like a newly shorn sheep, but liked having really short hair, simple upkeep, just shampoo, condition and go.

 

Noelle at the Beach

Driving to the beach to meet Martha and Jock, however, brought back all sorts of conflicting emotions and memories, I'd just as soon keep locked up and put away.  But, nope, they all came flooding back as I navigated the streets of South Beach, got quite lost and wound up stopping a police car for directions (and God bless that lovely cop who told me I was on the right street, just going the wrong way).  Pretty soon I was (again) driving past Jock and Martha, only THIS time I saw them and finally I arrived.  I was a bit worried about meeting them, it's one thing to email, correspond and speak with someone on the phone and another to meet them face to face.  But it was like seeing friends you have known forever.  Hugs were exchanged and we sat down for a chat.  They both have the most extraordinarily blue eyes that just beam.  I met the oh, so lovely, friendly, loving Noelle who greeted me with doggie kisses and promptly stole my heart.





Edwin Valentino!

Martha introduced me to Edwin Valentino, who was patiently waiting on a tabletop.  He is quite enchanting and I was so very happy to meet him and know he was coming home, with me!  Soon we were walking across the street for a most delicious lunch, consisting of the most beautiful Caesar salad ever and truly deeeeelish salmon and veggies.  We talked for what seemed like hours, then walked back to their hotel where Jock retired for a rest and Martha and I headed to my Cozy Cocoon.  It was a sprinkling off and on kind of day, but to me it was sunshiny, I had my Fabulous Magical Most Wondrous Fairy GodMother Martha with me!  For the day!  Martha is one of the most ALIVE people I have ever met.  She just exudes this joy of life.  When you are speaking with her, she concentrates on you.  She reminded me so much, her personality, her talent, kindness, of my beloved MiaMamma, I believe they would have been great friends.  And Jock is quite handsome and charming, an Old World gentleman.  They are truly one of the loveliest couples.  They just seem so happy to be in each other's company.  I love seeing that.  It is a rare gift.

 

Beautiful couple

Backtracking to a week before the visit ... One morning leaving for the office, I heard meowing from underneath my car.  Peering underneath, I didn't see anything under there.  Fearing a cat or kitten had gotten inside the motor, I popped the hood, but didn't see anything in there either.  So, I carefully backed out, really, really slowly and what did I find, but two tiny kittens, eyes beginning to open.  The Momma Cat was there too, but I couldn't very well leave them lying on the asphalt of the parking area, so I scooped them up and put them on the grass and drove off to work.  Came home that afternoon and there were the two kittens, but no Momma.  Then I see my neighbors walking towards me, holding yet another kitten.  They told me they had heard a meowing from their car and, long story short, the Dad, bless him, took the motor apart and found this teeny tiny kitten under the car battery.  How he got there, I have no clue, but that's where he was.  The Momma Cat, they said had been pacing up and down, trying to get at the motor, when he was tinkering under there trying to find the kitten and they had to keep shooshing her away.  So, I went and got the other two, put all three kittens in a box with old towels and we put them on my terrace under the roof overhang, thinking, okay, once the Momma Cat sees all three of them safe and sound, she'll take them.  But, that was not the case.  Next morning there they were, meowing their lungs out, hungry, no Momma Cat to be seen.  My neighbor, Josefina, fed them during the day and kept an eye out to see if Momma came back, but never saw her.  When I got home that afternoon, Thursday, there were only two kittens in the box.  One of the two that I had put on the grass and the teeny one from my neighbors' car.  Josefina, her husband and their two girls searched high and low for the third kitten, didn't find him.  In the meantime, it was thunder-rumbling and we couldn't very well leave those two little ones outside, sooooo ... in they came with me.  I got my big laundry basket, more old towels and plunked them in there after feeding them a bit of milk with a little syringe thingie Josefina had been using to feed them.  Friday morning they were very perky and trying their best to crawl out of the basket, so I put my beautiful antique tole tray on top.  That fixed that problem!

 

Saturday morning, it was off to Pet Supermarket to buy Kitten Milk Replacement Step 1 (i.e, KMR 1), two sets of baby bottles, a vitamin supplement, a flea comb, and pee-pee pads.  They both took to the KMR 1 and Josefina said she would feed them during the week while I was at work.  That was one hectic week, they got a bit stronger and were soon walking around and the basket was quite confining.  During the week they had two baths (with Dawn) each to eradicate the flea issue.  I was not about to let Bella Bella Smokey Noella (who I must say was VERY patient with me taking so much time to care for the kittens) get fleas from the two young ones.  They were very good about their baths, holding very still and letting me soap them up, then towel them off and dry them with the blow dryer on low.  Flea issue solved.  The following weekend Martha and Jock arrived on Sunday, I took Monday and Tuesday off for their visit.  That Sunday my neighbor and I went to Lowe's and bought plumbagos and ferns and Josefina, bless her, planted them for me, so my garden would look a bit more decent for FGM Martha's visit.

 

Fairy GodMother Vibes

Okay, back to the Fairy GodMother Visit.  When FGM Martha and I arrived at the Cocoon, she asked to see the kittens and I brought the basket out.  She looked them over and said she was not worried about the bigger one, but the little one looked like he needed help.  The big one would suck down a whole bottle no problem.  The little one not so much.  She held both of them and kissed each one in turn.  After a while I drove her back to the beach, where we took a little detour and drove around a bit, I came upon a lot of places from a long-ago time.  It was a bit unsettling, nostalgic, surreal somehow seeing these places again while in the company of FGM Martha.  I dropped her off and drove back home.  That night the little one had almost a full bottle, something he'd never done before.  I'm thinking it was the Fairy GodMother vibes ...

 

Little Bit

The next day Martha and Jock were off to Atlanta and I puttered around at home.  Went to Pet Supermarket and bought KMR 2.  Well, the little one took to it like a duck to water!  He sucked down a whole bottle, belched and then went to sleep right in my hand!  The big one did the same.  I decided to name them Little Bit and Moose, respectively.  Two weeks went by.  I called a shelter that said it was a no-kill shelter and made plans to take them there.  Which brings us to last weekend.

 

Moose



Friends Make One's Heart Happy

My friend Marny came over at the crack of dawn, we put the kittens in the carrier.  By this time they were eating Purina Kitten Chow moistened with KMR 2, drinking from a little water dish and using the litter box (improvised with disposable aluminum cake pans, since they are still way too little to get inside a real litter box).  When we got to the shelter we were informed they were too little, should still be with their mother (frikking DUH!) and if I left them there, they would be euthanized, they were too sick and too little for them to take.  I asked if they were that sick, could I be with them when they put them to sleep and they said no.  Well, that set me to crying buckets, they were so harsh and nonchalant about euthanizing the babies.  Marny said they couldn't be that sick, they were eating well, doing their business and playing, that's not a sick kitten.  I grabbed them back, put them in the carrier, called the vet down the street from where I live, who told me to bring them over and he'd take a look at them.  God bless that man.  He checked them out tip to toe, gave them each a shot, gave me some pills, said they were perfectly healthy for having been abandoned and told me to bring them back in two weeks.  He said there was no need to euthanize them, they'd be fine.  The KMR 2 and Kitten Chow were excellent for them, just make sure they always have fresh water and they'd be fine.  Marny and I came home, hauled out the big kennel and set it up, we put several pretty boxes in there for them to play and sleep in, another disposable "litter" box, their water and they have been happily in there ever since.  I think I may wind up keeping them.  Unless I can find a good home, but it's kitten season and there are lots and lots of kittens out there.  At the ripe old age of 57, I am a new momma again.  Sunday, my other beautiful Fairy GodMother, Ruby, came over.  We were to meet Jim at his place and see his movie, but on our way it started pouring so much, you could hardly see the road, we called Jim and rescheduled, we turned around, ordered pizza and watched Cirque du Soleil, Worlds Away.  Oh, my.  I've always said FGM Ruby's hugs are healing and they are, they truly are.  It poured off and on.  We munched on pizza and talked.  It was a lovely, soothing, healing afternoon, much needed after Saturday's fracas! 

Bella Bella Being Naughty

This week has been hectic and stressful at work, but that is SOP. My lovely boss is off on vacation, bless her. She needs the break, although she will be keeping an eye on things this first week since we have three major filings due.  But we'll be fine.  Between work, traffic, the kittens, I am whooped by bedtime.  But it's good, it's good.  My beautiful baby girl, Bella Bella Smokey Noella greets me at the door every night.  First I feed the outside ones, then I feed her.  After she finishes dinner, she goes off to bed, I close the bedroom door and proceed to The Kittens.  They are very playful and make a mess, but they are happy.  I clean the kennel, they do their business in the litter box, but still scatter a lot of sand when covering up.  Put down clean pads, a new litter box, wash their food dish and their water dispenser, while they run amok on the sofa.  Fix them a bottle each, fix their Kitten Chow drizzled with KMR 2, give them their pills, their multivitamin.  Then put one inside the kennel and give the other one his bottle.  Then take the first one out of the kennel, put the one that had his bottle in, and give the other one his bottle.  THEN it's into the kennel for both and that's when they get the Kitten Chow, which they promptly chomp on.  I open the bedroom door, turn on the tv, Bella Bella Smokey Noella joins me on the sofa for some snackies and a bit of tv and then it's off to bed, where she gets more snackies and I read.  Sleeping quite well lately, blessed be.

 

HRH Bella Bella Smokey Noella

Bella Bella Smokey Noella has been quite the lady about this development.  I am making sure she gets lots of attention, love and snackies from me.  Once the vet gives them a clean bill of health and they are a bit bigger, I will let them out to play with her.  For now, she just sits on the sofa or on the table and looks at them.  But when I take them out to play on the sofa, I put her in the bedroom and she's good with that.  Right now they are napping in one of their little boxes, they sleep all curled up together.  They are eating well and thriving.  All we need now is to get them snipped and possibly declawed, Smokey has no claws and I do not want them accidentally harming her with those sharp little nippers!

 

Interestingly enough, going back to Martha's visit, one of her remarks made something in my head go "click" like when something is turned on or a lock is opened and your mind expands and goes "Oh, yeah, she's right!"  Upon meeting, when we sat down to chat she looked at me and just beamed.  I told her "I told you I was very, very round and a Pillow Whimble!" and she smiled and said "But, really, you are tiny!  You would be teeny tiny should you lose weight!" And suddenly I remembered, recovered, found, the right word eludes me, but it was like a door opening to a time when I really was small and felt so ... free.  I had beautiful clothes and could walk, run, BE and not be in constant pain.  Ever since that day I have been eating healthy, salads, fresh fruit, LOTS of water, homemade soup, lentil soup and split pea soup being the current favorites.  Practically eliminated sugar, except for my weekend cafe con leches.  I've lost weight enough that I notice my clothes becoming looser and I feel happy in a way I have not felt for a very long time.

 

My lovely boss, JTM, mentioned an eating plan called the 5/2 diet (I do NOT like the "D" word), where you eat healthy for 5 days and fast for 2. Got the book from amazon, along with Nate Berkus' Home Rules.  Loooove him.  It's not really fasting, at least to my way of thinking, because you are allowed 500 calories on fast days, 600 calories for men, SO unfair.  She told me to get the phone number of a restaurant near our office which delivers and all their meals are under 500 calories.  One of my favorite co-workers had been there for lunch with her.  Got the number and have been ordering from them, they have deeeelish salads, some with grilled chicken, others with just veggies, plus shakes, sandwiches, which are all really filling AND under 500 calories.  It has made lunch all the better for me.  When I'm home, it's soup and a yogurt (low-fat) for supper.  LOTS of water.  Drink coffee only on weekends for the most part. I feel better about myself than I have in a long, long time.  Oh, the idea of being able to wear pretty clothes again!

 

Little Desk

So, meeting Fairy GodMother Martha, keeping the kittens, losing some weight, friends pulling for me, writing again, really writing, renewing my lease for one more year, being employed which is SUCH a blessing these days, Fairy GodMother Ruby's visit, feeling happy, it looks like this is going to be a very good summer.  The other night two Mormon missionaries knocked on my door, as always I welcomed them and we talked for a bit.  They asked if they could pray for me and what blessings would I like from the Father?  I told them I am incredibly blessed, but if they would pray for two friends for me, I'd really appreciate it.  We prayed together and when they left I told them anytime they're in the area, please knock, if I am home I will answer.  It was nice praying together. A visit with Most Fabulous Fleaing Magical Fairy GodMother Stephanie (a/k/a Estefania Queen of the Macedonian Fairy GodMothers) is coming up. Every morning I give thanks to the Father for protecting us through the night, for my life, for always being there for me and mine.  As I told the two Mormon missionaries, I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed.  The first half of this year was filled with quite a few bumps and snargles, but also with lots of joy, an unexpected visit from one of my Talley friends, Jodie, was restoring and faith-affirming, Martha and Jock's visit, they came to Miami just to see me, that was, is and always will be a truly special gift.  This month friends' children graduated some from grade school and others from high school, oh my!  One of them turned 21, and I reminded their mother even though her daughter, that lovely, beautiful child is now 21, we will ALWAYS be in our 30s, ha!  There is a new baby in the friemily.  My pain issue is somewhat under control.  I am continually reminded of my blessings, the blessings of faith, a job, true friends, life.  The blessing of, finally, allowing myself to let go and be ... happy.  No longer scared of having the happy suddenly snatched away, because even if it is, at least I will have held it and set it free for this moment.  Like I said, looks like a very good summer.

 

Okay, I have yammered on long enough.  Until next time, be safe, be blessed, be loved and keep the faith!  Sometimes faith, that little stubborn light that refuses to be extinguished and reminds us there IS a light at the end of what can sometimes be a very winding and dark tunnel, is the one thing that keeps us going!  Remember when the snargles threaten, when the dementors flap their nasty little wings, remember to click your heels together (even better if you are wearing ruby-spangled slippers), have faith and repeat "There's no place like home!"  Home, where your memories live, where loved ones smile at you, where you are linked to the past, relish the present and look forward to the future.

 

Wizard of Oz Decoupage on Little Desk ...
There's NO place like Home!
Blessed, blessed Home!