In Sickness and in Health

I have recently acquired a nasty cold and respiratory infection. It started Sat morning with a sore throat and has progressed and worsened. It was to the point that I had to call in sick to work yesterday. In 5 yrs at my current job, I have called in no more than 3 or 4 times. I had the feverish chills and nasty old man cough. My schmeldings reminded me of why we keep them and take good care of them. They snuggled up with me all day in bed. Sometimes they worked in shifts. The boys always made sure that one if not both were taking good care of the momma cat. The only kitten that did not participate was Stubby, the old gal. I couldn't help but worry if they could possibly catch a human virus. I know that most likely they can't but, one can't help but wonder. I was very thankful to have my own version of pet therapy curled up right next to me in my bed yesterday. It really does make a difference. They love us humans both in sickness and in health, and especially when they are really hungry! I did make it to work today. Hopefully getting back to normal will help me feel better before my cruise next Thursday! I noticed last night Big Daddy started feeling yucky. Normally only one of us get sick at a time! Our 2nd anniversary will be Tuesday, so maybe we will be back to normal by then.

Forgotten pics posted

I forgot to post these cute upclose pics of Skinny, the bad cat. He looks very distinguished, don't you think? I also took pics of him as "mother mary". He often does this pose on his own, however we had to pose him for this one. You can never get to a camera when you need it.

Have a good weekend!

Cute Kittens and The Atlanta Aquarium pics

Here, Bookie is dreaming of goldfish and tuna. I did disturb his beauty rest with the flash on my camera. He sleeps 23 hours a day. Notice his Cindy Crawford type mole near his nose. This is how he received the nickname "Crawford Bear". I know it's hard to keep up with all of the aliases we give the kittens, but it's fun to confuse them.

This is the petting pond of stingrays. There was also a small shark in this tank. The stingrays seemed to enjoy human interaction. They would brush against your hand so that is rubbed on top of their head, much like the Schmeldings do. I was too chicken to pet the shark.

This big turtle came out of a shadowy corner in one of the tanks. We were amazed at his size. He quickly scooted away into the darkness.

The Beluga whales were the star of the show. They enjoyed human interactions too. They seemed to smile at everyone. I was mesmerized and could have watched them for hours.

This penguin reminded me of Skinny. Do you see the resemblance? The volunteers came in everyday to clean the football field sized tanks. They don't get paid with money, only with lots of smiles and flashes (by cameras, not by ladies).

This was a very impressive large fish. Skinny could eat this guy for a whole year.







I found this R2D2 painted mailbox on the streets of Atlanta in front of our hotel. Considering my hubby is a Star Wars "freak", he was thoroughly amused.

I hope you have enjoyed our pictures. If you are ever in Atlanta, I highly recommend the Aquarium. I also highly recommend going on a Sunday at 8:00am. The enormous crowds prevented us from going Saturday. We had around 3 hours that were virtually tourist free.

Now I have to get the cats off of my side of the bed so that I can get some sleep. Have a great weekend.

Kittens on Vacation

You see, anytime we go on vacation, when we come home we always ask the kitties where have they been. We also inquire where "they" went on vacation. This turns the tables on them so that they can't be mad at us if they are the ones who actually left us. I figure if we confuse them long enough, they'll actually fall for it. Surprisingly, this never works, go figure! When we came home this time, the cats were "on the 5th" with us. They got better eventually, but that only lasted until we gave them their hairball treatments last night. Now, we're on their poop list. Even the pretty little princess was upset with the big cats. Until, of course, we went to bed. None of the schmelders can resist making a big cat pile with the big cats at night. Especially Stubby girl. She curls up right next to big daddy and doesn't move at all. You might think this sounds really neat, but it becomes exhausting for big d trying to remember not to squish or kick the girl every time he moves or gets out of bed. I have my own nighttime debacles. Skinny, the bad cat, sleeps directly on top of me every night. When I turn, he walks me like a log. Bookie likes to sneak in between us and curl up with his fluffy tail in my face. But, all in all everything works out just fine. We enjoy going on vacation, but we always miss our babies. That's the main reason we get home sick, well memory foam on our comfy bed makes us homesick too!

A necessary mechanism for survival - me?

Skinny - the bad cat - has figured out how to be cuter than a newborn baby to entice me to refill his food bowl. All of the kittens think their bowls should remain full at all times of day. If by chance the bowl happens to stay empty over night, all three kittens pile up in the bed with the "big cats" (that's us) and lay on us in case we have forgotten to feed them. Feeding time is a booger around here. The turds manage to get under your feet and in your way as you are trying to get to the food area. Then they just end up getting the boot - literally.

I must say that I secretly enjoy all of the sweetness oozing from the Schmeldings around feeding time. It makes me feel appreciated, rather than a necessary mechanism for survival.

Schmelding = another name for kittens
Kitten Pile = kittens piled up in your bed leaving you only millimeters for sleeping

Update on previous entry

I am happy to report Stubby has a clean bill of health. We will alter her diet with old lady food and gastro-sensitive foods until we find one that works well for her. We also got some hairball remedy. With three Schmeldings, we have a lot of hairballs! I am nursing my bad nerves with a cocktail currently to soothe my soul from the rough vet visit. Stubby never goes anywhere, nor does she want to. She squawked the entire time. She was a very brave old bird though. She will get lots of bonkers tonight!

A Vet Visit for The Princess

We will be going to the vet today with Stubby. She's been vomiting a lot more than normal lately. She even vomits on the bed often. I have turned my mattress forty-two times! I know she's considered a "senior" at her age of 12 now. I'm hoping there will be some food alterations that will cure her unladylike behavior. I am requesting them to do some blood work on her to make sure everything is within normal limits. I'm preparing for the visit by drinking a glass of wine. Stubby does not even dare go out on the patio without freaking out. So, I'm certain I am in for a fun filled afternoon. Of course I will re post with the outcome.
Purrs and Kisses!