Happy Halloween!

Give you one guess which one is mine and which is Chad's.

I Like Puzzles

Further proof of my semi-reclusive tendencies as evidenced by photos of puzzles Chad and I completed over the past few months. Both 1000 pieces each, thank you very much! Illustrations go much faster than photos.

Taking the 1929 Show on the Road

The Austin chapter of Murder Mystery Players takes the show on the road next Saturday, October 29 as we perform Death Plays the Market at the San Antonio Dave & Buster's. I love this show, partly because I get to wear a vintage, floor-length, jewel-encrusted evening gown complete with a tiara and fan. The mystery begins with the great stock market crash of October 29, 1929 and a scoundrel of an accountant.

This show is open to the public if you want to make a little road trip to San Antonio, or if you happen to be a reader from San Antonio. Dave & Busters San Antonio sits at the crossroads of I-10 and Loop 410 at 440 Crossroads Boulevard in 78201. Their phone number is 210-515-1515 if you'd like to call for reservations to next Saturday night's show. As soon as I have more details, I'll post them here.

We're also performing Death Plays the Market in Steiner Ranch next Thursday for a private party. Hooray, paychecks! I'll be able to afford a chandelier I've got my eye on for the dining room.

Hopes, Fears and Dreams

Chad and I employ a few idiosyncratic (your SAT word for the day) conversation starters in our weird little lexicon (bonus SAT word for the day). In the past I blogged about "Do you like... stuff?", a quote from The Simpsons which aims to check one's general well-being and current interests. One of our other conversation starters, "Tell me your hopes, fears and dreams." dates back to our early dating days when I tried to make a semi-nonverbal, teenage male (Chad) talk about subjects outside of classwork.

A few days ago while walking our sweet, silly Janie-belle, Chad prompted me for my hopes, fears and dreams.

I replied, "Kittens."

"That's it. Just kittens?" he asked.

"Yes. I miss feeding the kittens at the bottle baby nursery, but the last time I went there were too many kittens. I got really overwhelmed when it took seven hours to feed 56 kittens. I know there are less kittens now. I might go back and volunteer again next week."

"We could foster some kittens if you want," offered my hero of a husband, Chad.

"Maybe after our fall family trip."

Should anyone ever accuse me of being a bad person for not feeling terribly maternal towards people-babies, please remember that I love kittens and puppies. I'll gladly awaken every two or three hours to bottle-feed kittens and puppies, to help them go potty, and to re-heat their warming disks or reset their heating pads. Helpless, furry orphans pull at me like nothing else. To each their own, right?

Donate to a Great Non-profit

Our sweet, silly dog, Janie Lulabelle-May, or Janie-belle for short, or Janie for even shorter, suffered some kind of injury while living on the streets. Janie limped on one of her back legs and her left eye rolled in its socket with icky discharge. She may have jumped from something high and landed badly, been glanced by a car or been abused. We don't know what caused the injuries, but we do know that the wonderful people at Animal Trustees of Austin gave Janie a Femoral Head Ostectomy surgery to help her hip heal and eye surgery to help her see better before we adopted her from Blue Dog Rescue. Thanks to Animal Trustees of Austin, Janie now walks two miles a day with no discomfort and has better use of her left eye. Thanks to Animal Trustees of Austin, Janie became an adoptable dog rather than a sad statistic of another dog euthanized at the shelter because her care would have been too expensive.

Click on the link below to join my fundraising efforts for Animal Trustees of Austin to help them provide low cost and free veterinary care. I'll also put a widget in my blog's sidebar so you can track progress towards my goal of raising $250 for Animal Trustees of Austin before November 13.

Thanks from me, Chad & Janie Lulabelle-May

*Click to Donate*

Thank You!

Dear Birthday Bunny &/or Mother Nature,

Best. Gift. Ever.

Thanks so much for making it rain most of the day on my birthday! It was gorgeous and much-needed! I loved it.

Your pal,

Jenn

Dear Birthday Bunny,

Sorry for the late notice, but in roughly 48 hours, it will be my birthday. You knew that, right? Had it marked on your calendar with a big heart drawn in pink highlighter, I'm sure. It feels like my most recent birthday was just last month. Time flies when you're getting old!

Can you have a sit-down with Mother Nature and ask her to make it rain on or near my birthday? I'd love some rain, please! I'll also direct you to my fancy Wist gadget parading up the side of this open letter. Perhaps you noticed that I removed the cars from the list. I'm set for a car. Chad even got my current ride detailed so it shines like sparkle gel. I don't mind if rain gets on my clean car though!

The usual suspects appear on my plea for charitable donations: Austin Pets Alive, Capital Area Food Bank and Emancipet. This year, I'm adding a new charity to my list in your honor: House Rabbit Resource Network.

Thanks, Birthday Bunny.

Hoppy Trails!

Jenn

No BYOP Here

After exhaustive, dizzying discussions which Chad politely endured, I've decided not to host a BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) Party this year. The reasons for not hosting the party are many and varied. At the risk of sounding like "The Grinch Who Stole Halloween", I'll list my top three reasons.

1. Overall, less people carve a pumpkin each year at the BYOP party. Last year guests mostly stood around the kitchen or sat in the living room drinking and chatting. Which is fine, but kind of frustrating when I put so much time, thought, effort and money into throwing a pumpkin-carving party.

2. The record-breaking drought this summer left our yard with huge cracks, craters and exposed rocks, many opportunities to twist an ankle, or to trip and fall on one's face. I'd hate for a candy-fueled child to get hurt running amok in our yard. Plus the backyard isn't a pleasant place to congregate currently, unless you like the dust bowl aesthetic.

3. I just don't have the energy this year. I'm tired.

My curmudgeonly ways do not affect your ability to carve a pumpkin at your house. Have fun. Be safe. Send photos.

Car Chat

My first Saturday free from working in many months was spent test-driving cars with Chad. The day started with a slightly used 2011 white BMW 128i with 15K miles. I was bored. It drove like my current BMW. It had a backseat, but should not have. I'd rather make a few minor repairs to my current car than drop the major coin to drive a smaller version of my current car in a boring color. Plus the older man trying to sell me the car called me "young lady" which brought all negotiations to a screeching halt. You're not my (dearly departed) dad, and I'm not in trouble. Don't dare call me "young lady", unless I may call you "old man jerkface".

Next we popped up the block to the Mini Cooper dealership and drove the Mini Cooper S-coupe, or I should say Chad drove the six-speed manual. What a fun, gorgeous, FUN ride! I need more practice before I confidently drive a stick shift, but I'm in LOVE! No pretense, no fuss and no backseat, because who are they kidding?

Fed, caffeinated and properly medicated for allergies, Chad and I both had the energy to continue the test-drives at Volkswagen. I drove the 2012 Beetle. Charming exterior with glimpses of old-school Porsche made me drool just a bit. Unfortunately, the ride was bumpy with a bit too much road noise. Like the BMW 128i, the new Beetle has a nearly useless backseat, but for much cheaper than a BMW.

Chad test-drove a new GTI. (Full disclosure, Chad drove a GTI a couple of years in the past, and I loathed that car.) In a nutshell, I think we both found this newer GTI quick-footed, but claustrophobia-inducing with a rattly ride.

Verdict: I want to make a few minor repairs to my current BMW and leave well enough alone. I love the color of my current car, the handling, the safety features, the non-dead leatherette interior with a semi-comfortable backseat.

I want Chad to sell his car to buy a new Mini Cooper S-coupe with all the custom bells and whistles. He works so hard, and deserves to have a car that is both safer and much more fun than his current ride. Plus, I get to ride in the fabulous new Mini Cooper and learn to drive a manual transmission.

Seasonal Affective Disorder and the To-Do List

Here it is. That point in the summer when I'm so sick of relentless drought and record-breaking high temperatures that I wilt like the dead plants around my yard. I'm very tempted to hammer a "For Sale by Owner" sign into the front yard. Seattle sounds like a nice place to live. The plants there get plenty of rain! I enjoy clouds and cool temperatures!

To-Do List:

• Rip out all the dead plants from yard and planters.

• Rake and bag dead, dry leaves.

• Remove the dead baby tree from front yard, dead tree from back yard and dead bush from back yard.

• Replace the melted automatic timer for the landscape lighting.

• Be thankful our house was not affected by recent wildfires.

• Pray that some motorist or pedestrian does not toss a smoldering cigarette butt into our parched yard.

• Buy gravel and cacti for that huge patch of dry sand around our house.

• Buy "For Sale by Owner" sign at hardware store?

• Buy condo in Seattle?

But we are...

When Chad feels stress in his jobs over the years, he often says, "We're not saving lives here," as a way of putting the situations into perspective. When I worked as a professional pet-sitter with The Furry Godmothers for a few years, I couldn't say that. The pets depended on Jody, Merry and I for food, water, medications and bathroom breaks / tolerable litter box conditions: life functions at or near the base of Maslow's Hierarchy. In my current position at the Tarrytown location of Austin Pets Alive!, I also can't borrow Chad's comforting phrase. If Shorey, Erin and I complete ten adoptions in a week to good and lasting homes, we've saved some lives. If I have a slow weekend like this past Labor Day weekend in which I don't complete a single adoption, I feel as though I'm failing to save lives, when I very much should be saving lives.

My terribly honest admission to you, gentle readers: in my next job, I don't want lives to hang in the balance. I just want to make things pretty in my next job.

Trunk Show!!!

Visit me Saturday at Austin Pets Alive Tarrytown from noon - 4:00 PM for a pet accessories trunk show! Saturday just happens to be the last day of Austin Fashion Week, and your fur-friend needs a new collar for the catwalk... or the dog walk. Speaking of dog walks, Lizziebees makes adjustable length leashes that match her fabulous collars! Feeling snoozy after all the social scene making? Greenpoints hooks you up with beautiful pet beds for catnaps and doggy dreams! Don't have a fur-friend? We can help you with that too. Cats, kittens and puppies will be on site and ready for adoption! Feeling peckish? Veggie Heaven donated catering, yum!

This Saturday 8/27 noon - 4:00 PM

Austin Pets Alive! Tarrytown

3108 Windsor Road

50% of all trunk show sales benefit APA!

Lady Gray Got Adopted!!!

Lady Gray got adopted today! I'm so happy for her and her new human! I got a little misty-eyed right after she left with her new human. I kept it together through her adoption process.

Congratulations, gorgeous! I'll miss you, but know this is the best thing for you.

Black Tie and Tails

Visit me at Tarrytown Austin Pets Alive! at 3108 Windsor Road this Saturday from noon - 5:00 PM. I'll give you a great deal on a sophisticated, stylish, sweet, mostly black fur-friend. Black is the new black. It matches everything.

Thai Food, Irish Book

I crave books like some people crave food. Lately I'm hungry for the new Maeve Binchy book. With the hotter-than-the-Devil's-crotch weather in Austin, I need to read about verdant Irish landscapes where it rains and people congregate in dark pubs.

However, my stomach wants Thai food, not Irish food. I think I can fill both the Thai and Irish bills if I get a meal at Titaya's and then cross the parking lot to Half-Price Books. Mmmm... yummy.

They Grow Up So Fast...

After only two days of going to work with me at Austin Pets Alive! Tarrytown, my sweet babies, Rowena and Raleigh, got adopted by a great family! I'm so happy for R&R and their new family, but I was hoping to keep the crazy-cute-kittens at the 1952 House for a little longer. *sigh*

The fabulous family also adopted APA! Tarrytown's resident loverboy, Shanti. Eight year old Shanti had a rough life as an outdoor cat before getting dropped off at the shelter. He has a funny bottom lip, a missing piece on one ear and some scars from past scrapes. Yet, he is the sweetest, melt-in-your-arms, affectionate, lanky boy cat I've ever met. And I've met a lot of cats.

Best wishes, fur-friends, to you and your new forever family! *sniffle*

Foster Kittens!

A few months ago, when I still had the time and energy to volunteer for the Austin Pets Alive! Bottle Baby Nursery, I got to name a litter of tiny kittens that just arrived from the city shelter. The names all had to start with the letter R, because of the way we track kittens in the program. There was a fat little boy kitten with no tail who I dubbed Rounder, a gorgeous girl kitten with a nub of a bunny tail who looked like a Rowena to me, and finally a torbie boy kitten with a long tail, huge ears and a certain noble spirit who struck me as Raleigh. I fed the babies and filled out their charts. Whenever I returned to the nursery over the next week, I checked on "my" R kittens first thing.

The next week, the kittens went into a great foster home. Though I knew they were in good hands, I missed Rounder, Rowena & Raleigh. I got to see them when they were seven weeks old, because their foster mom scheduled a meeting with a potential adopter at Tarrytown Austin Pets Alive! A month passed, and all three were still up for adoption. How people could turn down these gorgeous, exotic-looking kittens, I have no clue!

Finally, sweet Rounder got adopted and went to his forever home last week. Raleigh and Rowena went on the waiting list to enter the Tarrytown cat adoption center, but their foster mom needs to start traveling for work soon. Rowena and Raleigh, now twelve weeks old, needed a temporary foster home. (I promise I asked Chad before I consented.) Two of "my" R kittens now live in the dressing room of the 1952 House! Temporarily, of course. They are so stinking cute!

Self-Assured Raleigh

Look at that fluffy tail!

Busy Rowena half-hops / half-runs. Must be that bunny tail!

Rowena says play, play, play!

Do You Have Treats?

Our Persian and our Pittie-Lab-mix: both princesses!

Hijinks of Lady Gray

Lady Gray can open the sliding glass door to her cat enclosure. It takes time and determination, but she's opened the door once when Erin and I were working at Austin Pets Alive! Tarrytown, and once after hours.

When Erin arrived Monday to open the store / cattery, Oreo (one of Lady Gray's roommates in the "Ladies' Lounge" cat enclosure) met Erin at the front door. Oreo looked pretty pleased to be roaming free. According to Erin, "they had a grand old time with all of the little plushies" after raiding a basket of cat toys we sell at the store. Erin added, "I found the plush toys everywhere! Just when I thought I got them all, nope, there was another one. You could just tell the cats were having an absolute blast being bad."

That's Lady Gray for you. She's all purrs and adoring looks when you sit with her. However, Lady Gray also possesses a willful nature. I admit that's a quality I like in a cat. It keeps one guessing and laughing at the hijinks.

Sweet Lady Gray really wants some space to roam and a lap to call her own. I know it would be irresponsible of me to adopt her and add her to an already crowded house. I hope she finds a good home soon!

Save Me from Myself

I want to adopt Lady Gray. She currently resides in the Tarrytown Austin Pets Alive! cattery where I work. I love her so much. She wants nothing more than a good lap to lounge upon and a place where she can run around a bit. She could use some exercise. Some might call her fat, but I think of her as a sweet chunky monkey.

I get a little misty-eyed each time I put Lady Gray back into her enclosure. She loves running around the store and napping on a lap as we work on the computer. Lady Gray also likes to curl up on the retail shelves, and nearly got to spend the night outside her enclosure one night. We were closing up, and forgot she was out, because she was so quietly contented.

With all the cat & kitten adoptions discounted to $25 tomorrow at Austin Pets Alive, I'm SO tempted to bring home Lady Gray (a.k.a. cat #4/pet #5 for the 1952 House).

She has a cute way of drinking water too.