Current Mood: 
I trust everyone is enjoying their AC from indoors? It's 8pm, and in the 80's for a nice change (opposed to 100+) so I think I'll take Abby outside to play... unless the mosquitoes have the same idea.
We bought Abby some 'touchable bubbles' to play with in the backyard, but she's afraid of them gosh darn-it!
So her favorite outdoors toy is still that silly little plastic gardening pot/container. When she sees it, she goes into something like Berserker mode and wants to just play, play, play! I always have to pick her up myself to bring her back inside. Whenever I tell her playtime is over, she doesn't even hear me. It's like I'm the invisible woman.
Found a nice blog hop today:
(Via)
(Larger pic HERE)
Whatever camera this person used is wonderful. You can even see the ballroom scene! (Around the 17 minute mark).
Yesterday was my aunt's last day at Disney World. She looooooved it! They're in Tampa, at the beach, now but she says she's going back to Disney World for sure... only without the boys. 
She wants Mom to go with her.
(Original Pic HERE)
I have to cap off this post with a photo of Kitty Girl at our old house. We miss her, but I like to think that she's romping outside in gardens once again.
She certainly deserves it! She lived such a long life. She was with us for 19 years, so she really was probably 20 years old.
And what's going on in this photo I snapped today of Wendy? Well, it's her new thing lately. Jumping inside the kitchen sink to see if there's anything for her.
I guess this means she's still pretty limber for a old vintage gal of 17!
Current Mood: 
Since Tiger Lily's passing on Sunday, I've been thinking of ways that we could do something special over where she's buried. In the past, we've always had our pets cremated so this is all new to me. Currently, we only have an ornate cross nailed to the fence. I do like it, so I'd love for that to stay.
But I don't want to just add some plaque or marker there. That's a really sweet, cozy and private side of the yard, which we've always loved but have never done anything special to. (Well, we did plant a pretty garden there one summer but a few days later a huge storm blew through and the backyard flooded. Since then, we've added another gutter on that side of the house so a little garden should be okay now).
What I think we'll do is get a nice bench, plant a little garden bed, and then place our pretty bird bath and Beatrix Potter cat statue there. (It's a garden decoration we bought at The Antique Rose Emporium years ago).
I might even make it a little fairy garden, just for fun. (If fairies were real, I've no doubt that Tiger Lily would have been famous for chasing them down in her youth). I've always wanted to do a fairy garden, and in a way where everything is hidden well.
I'm so angry with myself for never doing that at our old house, since our backyard was filled with foliage, flowers, ferns and a couple of nice shade trees. It really would have been the perfect spot.
The bluebirds are growing up so fast. They have their feathers now, and when they're being fed they're noisy little things.
This was them last week.....
And this weekend.....
Only this morning Mom saw a baby cardinal learning to fly on our back patio, and a few weeks ago a baby mockingbird was in our front yard learning to fly. It was a hoppity little thing. So cute!
By the way, it is HOT out there and the ants and silverfish are taking over the house. It's currently 105 here, but in Austin it's going to reach 108 at least. (Factor in the humidity and heat index, and that's worse than even 116 degrees in a dry environment. I've experienced both, so I know what I'm talking about.... not that 116 is fun either but it is the lesser of 2 evils. I don't know how the kids get through marching camp every August. I think all those kids are superheroes or something). At least tomorrow the high here will be 98 or so. I'm pretty sure my sister and her family are happy to be at the beach right now! They're in South Padre Island, until Friday I think.
ALWAYS is there a hurricane or tropical storm when my sister goes to the beach. Always. Thankfully for them - and us - TS Debby is in Florida. I'm so glad I'm not there right now. Those poor people and animals.
- I LOVE that my aunt and her family are at Disney World right now, but I hate that I'm not there.
- I LOVE that Tiger Lily is a frisky young cat again, but I hate that she's not here.
- I LOVE that I still have my Wendy Kitty (rebellious as she can be), but I hate knowing she'll likely have no more than 2 more years with us.
- I LOVE only having one litter box and pet room to clean everyday, but I hate feeling so guilty for even thinking that.
- I LOVE being a born and bred Texan, but I absolutely hate the humidity. Heat I can stand, but not the humidity... or mosquitoes.
- I LOVE that Abby just now voluntarily ate her dog food, but I hate that it's usually such a chore getting her to eat it. (Abby will eat anything and everything at the drop of a hat... except the dog food and already we've given her two different brands).
- I LOVE living in Texas, but I hate that it isn't hilly around here.
- I LOVE hearing so many birds singing outside, but I hate that the traffic is always drowning their beautiful voices out.
Mom and I are monitoring Wendy Kitty closely now. Tiger Lily was Wendy's Mom, and I'm seeing some possible similarities between the two now. I really believe Tiger Lily died of old age... after all, we had her for 19 years and she wasn't a baby when she adopted us... but I suspect in the end she had diabetes.... which I'm now thinking Wendy might have. About a month ago she lost a lot of weight seemingly overnight. For most of her life, from the time she was a baby, Wendy was underweight. Nothing I did would put meat on her bones. It wasn't until the past few years that she put on normal weight.
Until now.
I've read that incorporating wet cat food into their daily diet can reverse diabetes in some cats, so we're giving that a go first. Wendy has always loved wet cat food as an occasional treat, and so far it's working out well. I'm going to add some chicken broth to her regular food tonight. Alongside the wet cat food, we're going to be giving all the pets probiotics again. Wendy really does seem healthy - which she should be considering all our pets get the expensive gourmet pet food - and her coat is extremely shiny, just as it's always been. Hopefully, that's a good sign. You do have to be careful with cats though, as they're experts at hiding illness.
So I think we're going to be watching her closely for the next few weeks. If there's no change in her weight, we'll take her to the vet. I really, really hope she isn't getting sick. I don't want her last years to be a hassle for her. (She's 17). It could be anything really: diabetes, her thyroid, etc.
Already, I feel sorry for whatever vet we'll take her to as Wendy is not going to be a happy girl at all. I hope the veterinarian will have a suit of armor on hand. They might even want to do a blessing of some sort. 
Hang the crosses, fetch the garlic, and get out the video camera because there might be some head-spinning involved. She isn't one of them cuddly cats.
Which reminds me... over the past few months we've had to separate Tiger Lily from Wendy. (I've explained it before, but putting it bluntly: Wendy attacked Tiger Lily. I discovered that it was a 'survival of the fittest' thing in the nature world. Wendy was taking over as Alpha Cat. And boy did that p1ss me off!!!) Well, Wendy and Tiger Lily never did have a bond even though they were mother and daughter. They couldn't walk past each other without hissing. The only time they got along was when they had their litters at the same time. Those two ended up swapping kids! It was so funny.
Anyway, it seems Wendy isn't mourning over Tiger Lily in the slightest. We know because, as we were cleaning up Tiger Lily's things while Dad was burying her, Wendy walked over to Tiger Lily's bed - just after we took the covers and waterproof padding off - and took a pee on it! (And that was one fantastic and comfy pet bed, too).
That's always been Wendy's literal 'p1ss off' calling card. Even when we brought sweet Maddie Kate into our household, I opened the laundry room door the next morning to find pee floating on top of Maddie's dog crate.
Wendy might not be missing Tiger Lily, but we sure are. It feels so strange not hearing her howling throughout the house, and when I sat on Mom's bedroom floor last night to eat a bowl of cereal.... she wasn't sitting there next to me, begging for the milk. And now there's just the laundry room to sweep, and ONE litter box to empty. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
In Disney News, my aunt and her family are now at The Happiest Place on Earth! (I'm speaking of the aunt that sold my necklaces to her husband's congregation a few months back). Hopefully, Tropical Storm Debby won't try to drown them during their entire trip. When it does rain, I hope they'll all visit the resorts at least.
The fantastic news about this Tropical Storm is that the temps are going to be in the 70's and 80's while they're at Disney. (Over here it's been 103, so that's great for them because usually Florida and Texas have the same temps. I just hope the humidity won't be so bad for them).
Unfortunately, while her son was riding Splash Mountain it broke down for 2 long hours. (I sincerely hope he was in an indoor section and that they turned off the sound). He's 17, so hopefully he had a cell phone with him and my aunt and her hubby didn't wait all that time and instead rode some other rides. Today is their first full day there, and I think they'll only be at Disney World for 3 days. Today they were at EPCOT. (As much as I love Disney, I'm not a huge fan of EPCOT). At least they got to see the fireworks at MK last night, along with the Electrical Light Parade twice.
I do hate that this is their first trip to Disney World and it's pouring down rain, but that's to be expected in the summer. That's why I've vowed never to go back in the summer. It's the oppressive heat, humidity, crowds and hurricane season. And this summer there's also the Fantasyland Construction going on, which makes the crowds in the Magic Kingdom even worse.
October is my favorite time to visit now.
I just hope the rain/crowds/construction won't make them turn AGAINST Disney World. Disney World isn't a relaxing vacation, but it can be a blast if you just roll with the punches and take the time to relax for a few hours. Our favorite places to chill out and refuel is at The Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. It's so relaxing and peaceful there! Disney World isn't just about the rides and the parks. I've even found that just browsing the shops and not buying anything a lot of fun. Even just sitting on a park bench and soaking in the sights and sounds is a nice recharge.
Disney is really big with the little details, and when you sit back and look for them it's a lot of fun. They even have hidden Mickey's everywhere, and I could spend all day just snapping pictures or looking at their window shop displays. It doesn't take much at Disney to make me happy.
Current Mood: 
Tiger Lily passed away sometime during the night or early this morning.
We had her for 19 long years. (That's half of my parent's marriage). We miss her, but we're very glad she didn't suffer. Already, this house feels so strange without her.
She was a part of our family for so long. One day I just casually told my mother how much I missed having a cat, like I did when I was a kid, and I believe it was only 1 or 2 days later that Tiger Lily came into our lives. She'd been attacked by a dog or cat, and for days she wouldn't come down from our big tree in our front yard. We didn't know her back story or age, but were pretty sure she was around a year old and pregnant.
It didn't take long for her to adopt us. She was a no-fuss, street wise, independent feline that mellowed quite a bit the older she became. She was always known as our "cool" cat with the extra toes; Hemingway Claws they're called. She was a character, too. She gave birth to her kittens inside our couch, and even the grass catcher of the lawn mower.
She will be missed.
This is what Mom wrote on Facebook:
"Our old lady cat, Tiger Lily, passed peacefully this morning.
What a good girl she was. When Lance was a young boy going out and about with his friends skating or whatever he was doing, she followed him like a dog. She sat in the shade while he played and then followed him home when the day was done! Sweet, sweet memories, kitty girl!"
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
It really does feel strange in this house, knowing Tiger Lily isn't here. The family and I distracted ourselves earlier with errands, but now that we're back home it's harder to ignore.
I would like to sit out in the backyard with Abby as she plays, but the temperature is 103 degrees today. It's just too hot. I never did get to say goodbye to Tiger Lily, so when it cools off tonight I think I'll pick some flowers to place on her grave.
That's not something you say everyday.
I kind of wish I had said my goodbye last night, but I didn't want to bother her. We could tell she wanted to be left alone.
While I didn't really say goodbye to her, I suspected the end might be near. Mom and Dad were out of town, at Grandma's house, and I could tell she was acting different. I wasn't sure at first, so I gave her a much-needed bath. (I hope she forgives me). While drying her off in my lap, I told her it was time to let go. (At this point, I still wasn't positive she was actually dying. I just knew she wanted to let go, as during her bath she wanted to drink the water, laid down the entire time, and not once did she hiss at me when drying her off). When my parents got back, I told Mom Tiger Lily wasn't eating; refusing even her cat treats for a change. A few hours later, Mom found her curled up in her bathroom... a place she's never in. Mom placed her on her pillow in the walk-in closet, with a baby blanket. We checked in on her every once in a while, and Mom sat with her until she realized Tiger Lily was agitated and wanted to be left alone. After I went to bed, she left her cozy bed and made a place for herself underneath the bottom rack of Mom's clothes.
Looking back now, I think I knew - subconsciously of course - that yesterday was her last day with us. While emptying her litter box, she was in Mom's room and she howled so strangely. Then, after making myself something to eat, I decided to eat in Mom's room - to keep Tiger Lily company - and that's something I just don't ever do.
Well... I see that I've rambled quite a bit about this. I just couldn't help but come back to this post to add more. I think that's just my way of getting through it.
Still, as pet deaths go this one wasn't as bad as previous ones. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. Tiger Lily was a happy cat that lived a long life, and she passed peacefully in her sleep. I'm very grateful for that. It made her passing A LOT easier for all concerned. We really miss her, but I'd like to think that already she's feeling free and young again... climbing trees, stalking birds and wreaking happy havoc like she used to.
