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.

Day Off? Um...

Between auditions, my work with Austin Pets Alive!, dinner theater and volunteering with Austin Pets Alive!, it's been a while since I had an entire day off from work. However, the schedule page looks clear next week for some me-time! Hooray! I'm going to use that free time to eat some food -- seriously, my skinny jeans are baggy. I'll go to the gym. Maybe even start reading a new book. Yeah... that's how I roll.

However, before that glorious time off, I get to see LOTS of adoptions happen this weekend at Austin Pets Alive! Tarrytown! Visit me noon - 5:00 this Saturday & Sunday at 3108 Windsor Road. Special reduced rate of $25 adoptions for all cats and kittens plus all dogs over 35 pounds. Many thanks to our awesome sponsors at Frost Bank.

No Time to Eat

My schedule has been nuttier than a fruitcake. I hate fruitcake.

However, my schedule should start to look more like chocolate chip cookies without nuts soon. Mmm... chocolate chip cookies without nuts.

My clothes are fitting more loosely lately, but I'm holding onto those bigger sized clothes for when I have some time to eat again.

I'm hungry.

I Tried to be Reasonable

I tried to be reasonable and set my sites on an affordable car, but I just don't like affordable cars. I've come to accept this about myself. No Fiat or Mini Cooper in my future. Like a moth to a very expensive, well designed, shiny flame, I want another BMW.

My one concession: I'll downgrade to the 1 series this time with the 135i coupe. Now then, that's quite reasonable of me! And, vegetarian that I struggle to be, I'll opt for the vegan leatherette interior.

Off to buy a lotto ticket...

Dorothy Rocks!

Dorothy is a ten-year-old volunteer who works with me almost daily at Austin Pets Alive! Tarrytown. She cleans the cat boxes, does dishes, sweeps, washes windows, fills bowls and snuggles the cats that are up for adoption. She also inspires me to be a better person. Below is an email she sent to everyone she knows.

Hi everyone!

I am a volunteer at the new Austin Pets Alive in Tarrytown next to Texenza Coffee on Windsor Road.

Next Thursday, June 23, 7:30 - 9:30 a.m., Austin Pets Alive will host a free "Cats and Coffee" get-together to introduce the neighborhood to the great kittens and cats of all kinds that need homes. I will be out of town next week, but really hope you will stop by and meet the animals and the women I work with -- Jenn and Lexa, the store managers.

If you are not ready to adopt a new furry friend, you can support APA by purchasing a cool T-shirt or other fun gift items (good for camp care packages!). Please say hi to all the cats for me!

Your Friend,
Dorothy

Almost Summer

Janie's summer wardrobe

fruits of summer

summer landscape

Give it to a Busy Person

Chad likes to quote his friend Steve, who is probably quoting some other person with this: if you want something to get done, give it to a busy person.

I'm experiencing a very different lifestyle since I traded volunteering many varied hours each week for getting paid to work mostly set hours each week. I sleep on a regular schedule now. I'm still a night owl, but I go to bed at 2:00 AM most nights, instead of 8:00 AM some days and 3:00 AM other nights. I shoehorn chores and trips to the gym into my schedule; rather than laying on the floor and fretting about stuff I should be doing whilst suffering serious sleep deprivation. I'm eating healthier, and dropped six previously stubborn pounds like magic.

I'm generally happier even though I complain about any grumps that visit my workplace. Yeah, former fellow volunteer, It's real easy to come in and criticize the paint job once it's all done. Where were you for the five weeks when I volunteered with only a few other people planning, cleaning, scraping and painting? Butthead.

Yesterday at work a teenage lady visited some of the cats we have up for adoption. She cuddled a nine-week old kitten on her lap while also petting a twelve-year old cat curled up at her side. The lady said to the cats, "I'm having the best day." I wanted to cry sappy tears of joy, but held it together.

Our (Totally Imaginary) Housekeeper

Good help is hard to find. In the past our (totally imaginary) housekeeper made the bed most days, vacuumed twice a week, kept framed items on the walls hanging straight, dusted religiously, usually stayed on top of the laundry and ironing, and emptied the trash receptacles most days. My only ongoing complaints centered around kitchen duties: the kitchen cupboards and refrigerator tended to be a bit bare coupled with a general lack of interest in planning meals.

There's been very little evidence of our (totally imaginary) housekeeper's work lately, which leads me to believe that she may have quit without even giving notice. The nerve! Leaving Chad to tend to all of her chores last weekend and many evenings this week. If only I could remember her name, I'd call her and give her a piece of my mind... not that I can spare a piece.

Light up my Life

This is the light I will buy for the dressing room with my next paycheck:

You Are Cordially Invited

I've been painting, cleaning, planning, sourcing vendors and assembling IKEA furniture over the past month along with several other volunteers to prepare for the new Tarrytown Austin Pets Alive location to open tomorrow! You are invited to nibble some vegetarian appetizers, sip some bubbly (champagne or soda), shop some cute pet-related merch, meet some kitties that are up for adoption and bid on silent auction goodies at the grand opening celebration from 7:00 - 9:00 PM this Thursday, May 19. The festivities and new cattery are at 3108 Windsor Road in the heart of Tarrytown.

Here's the official link, and oh, lookit, you can donate some money while you're on that webpage!

This lovely cat adoption site and fun shop is also my employer as of Friday at noon. I'm breaking a couple of my own job rules by working retail for a non-profit, but I'm pretty excited and a bit nervous to be co-managing the adopt/shop. My co-manager and I have so much freedom and responsibility to run the shop and plan great adoption events for sweet pets. In addition to short-term resident cats up for adoption, we'll also have dogs for adoption at the Tarrytown location on most weekends! The shop sells dog bowls and beautiful locally made dog collars in addition to cute locally made cat collars, cat toys, pet beds, pet-themed jewelry, art and even pet-themed night lights that are locally made by a great glass artisan.

Drop by to say hi! I may be able to introduce you to your future furry friend and/or outfit your current fur-baby with a fab collar and bedazzle you with a pretty necklace.

Save the Kitties!

The kitten nursery at Austin Pets Alive is full beyond capacity with over 50 kittens and a few expecting mama cats. Please consider being a temporary foster family to a few kittens or to a pregnant mama cat who just needs a safe, clean place to have her babies. Mama cats do all the work as long as you keep them stocked with a blanket, fresh food, fresh water and a clean litter box. You can have some cuteness without the lifelong commitment by providing care for kittens and/or mamas until they get adopted to forever homes, or until they can move into one of the many adoption catteries around Austin.

Here's a link to the application to be a foster: click here.

Here's a link for more information: click here.

Here's a sweet blog about the kitten nursery if you'd like to help there: click here.

Purr...

Schedule Huggermugger Sans Big Payday

Between studying lines for dinner mystery shows, performing dinner mystery shows (or having them cancel due to lack of reservations at the last moment), pulling four to six hour shifts overnight at the bottle baby nursery, painting the new Tarrytown cat adoption center and lining up local retailers for the shop component on the new Tarrytown cat adoption center, I feel like I have a "real" job for the past few weeks. Except I don't get paid much in money, but instead earn feelings of accomplishment, kitten gratitude and self-confidence.

That said, I'm ready to start sleeping more like a normal person. I crave yoga classes to work out all the kinks in my shoulders, neck, right arm and back from many hours painting my own kitchen & the adoption center, and stomping around ballrooms in four-inch heels for dinner shows. And dare I admit my shallow want to earn some money beyond the very occasional dinner mystery paychecks and even more rare "use of image" checks that come in the mail from my agent? Yep. I dare.

I want a job that pays me some money. I do not want to fall back into old patterns of taking retail positions, professional marketing jobs or working for nonprofits. I want a job at a for-profit place that doesn't make me feel as if I'm selling my soul or selling out my ideals. I earned a bachelor's degree in Speech Communication, but I'm much more engaged when working with my hands and my brain; rather than dissecting rhetoric or writing speeches. I feel great accomplishment assembling items, organizing spaces, making things pretty and caring for animals. My top three dream jobs are set dresser, decorative production: such as upholstery or jewelry assembly, and retail display production (not interacting with customers; just making pretty displays).

Paging Dr. Freud...

I don't personally endorse taking your mom to a murder mystery brunch for Mother's Day. It sends a strange message. However, I will be performing in a murder mystery brunch on Mother's Day. See the show and enjoy a yummy brunch. Maybe send Mom some flowers and don't bring her to the show, unless she just loves a good, silly mystery.

Click the poster below to make it bigger so you can get all the details.

Kitten Season = Volunteer Season

There are about eleventy hundred kittens being born at this moment. Some of them will end up at the kitten nursery where I and other volunteers will care for them until they can get into foster homes and/or get their precious selves adopted. Forgive my lack of blog updates. I'm either bottle-feeding or dishing up gruel for little scratchy puffballs of cuteness and neediness. Or maybe sleeping.

Puppy Love Update

The Austin Pets Alive puppies that we fostered for several days in January grew up to be teenage doggies. They both turned out gorgeous! Both were adopted.

Wendell found his forever family with his next foster home. His new mom volunteers with me in the Bottle Baby Nursery at APA. Wendell's new family kept the name I gave him, which honestly warms my heart.



Winnie, now known as Talulah, an equally cute and old-fashioned name, was adopted by a family in Lockhart. Look at those lovely blue eyes!

Goodbye Martian, Hello High Noon

Ever since the Martian (that's the name) paint went on our kitchen walls over four and a half years ago, I've thought it was too bright and garish. The wall color glowed and cast an acid green color onto other surfaces in the kitchen and hallway. The paint didn't match anything else in our house. While the Martian paint earned comments for uniqueness and bright saturation, I loathed it. I honestly think that paint made my skin look green whenever I entered the kitchen.







Chad and I finally repainted the walls High Noon blue this weekend. I love results of this repaint. It's bright yet calming. This color picks up the cool blue and gray flecks in the counter top and the cool tones in the kitchen tiles. This blue perfectly pairs with the aqua details in our long hallway rug and on the living room chair. *happy sigh* As an added bonus, when we pulled out the refrigerator, oven and hutch to paint the walls, we also scrubbed all the surfaces. Now we have an impeccably clean kitchen.

You're Here to What?

This weekend I spent some time volunteering at Austin Pets Alive for a special adoption event. I greeted people as they entered the cat building, which also houses the veterinary clinic for cats and dogs. Many people came to visit cats for possible adoptions. Some people brought foster dogs and cats to see the veterinary staff at the clinic. A few people arrived to pick up new foster pets to bring home with them for a while.

As another volunteer and I were standing at the main entrance looking over some paperwork, a cute young lady walked into the building. We all smiled at each other. I said, "Hi. Can we help you?" She replied, "I'm here to get busy." The other volunteer and I exchanged a glance that telepathically communicated, um, she's here to what? Then my brain kicked into gear and I realized that the cute young lady was here to get Busy, with a capital B. Recovering quickly from the awkward millisecond, I said, "Is Busy in the clinic right now?" Turns out, Busy was indeed a dog in the clinic, ready to head to a loving foster home. Busy... what a cute name!