I've been planning on what we will do if I'm laid off. Right now I'm obsessed with tiny houses. I think we'd have to build one at least 500 square feet, but scaling down sure is becoming appealing. This is kind of drastic, but aren't the houses cool!
Meanwhile, Ardella and Kristin continue to take naps together in the office when I'm working.
I have so many pictures like this one - I just love them. Kristin will be going back to campus on August 7 and I will be picking up a new puppy on the same day - it's GDB Oregon's fun day. I'm getting a female yellow Lab again, but I don't know the letter assigned to the litter yet. I'm not sure I get to know that since it's a Fun Day puppy. I go back and forth between being sad that Kristin is leaving and excitement that we're going to raise again. It's going to be an adjustment getting a young puppy in the house, but I can't wait, well except for the Kristin leaving part.
While I'm waiting, I'm working on an auction basket for the puppy club. I'll do show and tell when I'm done.
I am still fostering kittens. I took litter #2 back a few weeks ago, but Frida was still underweight for neutering so I kept her a little longer. She's still here and has turned into a wild little kitten who would like to eat 24 hours a day. She jumps from stool or table or chair to my legs and my children claim I've undergone some kind of scarification ceremony. I will be happy for Frida to find a new home, she's definitely ready to be adopted - I'm hoping she goes back early next week.
When Frida's littermates returned to be adopted, she let me know in many ways that she did NOT like being alone. I requested a short-term foster and received little Merlin. I have totally fallen in love with this kitten. He's one of the cuddliest kittens I've ever met and I would love to keep him. However, he's a little fragile right now. He hasn't been eating well at all since arriving here and has been losing a lot of weight. He's also a bit lethargic and I thin he's the same age as Frida (very drastic behavior difference). I'm having to feed him 6 times a day (including force feeding) and he's on Flagyl to kill any gut thing that might be affecting him. The vet has yet to find anything to treat so this is a catch-all precaution. I took him in yesterday and the vet thought for sure he had kitten distemper. She wanted me to prepare myself for the worst case scenario. Fortunately, he didn't have that. Today, Merlin appears perkier and he's eating willingly. I'm crossing fingers that he starts thriving and growing.
Another request came out last week to foster an adult cat named Tulip. She had been sick, was no longer sick, but also wasn't eating, probably due to stress of being in the humane society for so long, which happens sometimes. She was very skinny, but she started eating the first night I got her. She's beginning to fill out some and is a very sweet and playful cat. She apparently had kittens and has adopted both Merlin and Frida. She's only 2 years old, and I think she'll be a great pet for someone.
The picture below is Merlin playing with Tulip. That's a big deal - he was PLAYING!
