Lavender Festival 2011 ~ We'll Be There!

Starting to prepare for July 9th & 10th. I'll be set up in the fields at Purple Ridge Lavender farm. Last year was so much fun that I'm just going to do it again!  See you there, right? I'll bring old and repurposed treasures. You bring a smile, a camera and some cash.

Check into Purple Ridge Lavender and get the festival scoop.  And maybe a scoop of lavender while you're at it!

Please Can You Spare a Home?

Vanilla found us late last summer. She was half grown and nearly half dead. It was hot and she had obviously been on her own for a long time… So hungry she ate green beans out of our garden and so thirsty she drank 2 bowls of water without stopping. She went home that night to live with Ashley and Zach and turned out to be a cool kitty. She kindly tolerates little kids hauling her around and has never scratched anyone. She loves to visit in the house, be held and petted for a bit then wants to go back outside.

This winter Vanilla got mixed up with the wrong crowd. When she came home she was, “with child” (ummm... kittens).

Fast forward… Vanilla’s family has sold their home and can no longer have pets. We have wonderful landlords who pretty much let us treat their house as our own, but we have agreed not to have pets here, so one mommy cat and four babies are only fostering with us for a little bit. If you’re thinking of adding a kitty (or 4 or 5) to your household, please consider one or more of these.

Mama Vanilla Bean. Vanilla because Ashley said she smelled like Vanilla that hot summer day and Bean because that’s what she was eating, green beans. Pretty blue eyes, sweet laid back disposition. Really wants to please her people. She always seems grateful to have a home, but a little worried that it might not last. She will use a litter box, but prefers to do her business outside.

Skittles is Vanilla’s favorite. She is a wide eyed, wide darkly striped tabby. I expect that her eyes just might stay blue like her mama’s. She’s the largest kitten in the litter. Skittles has the cutest raspy voice! Like her mama she has a very sweet laid back disposition. She loves attention, but is the shyest of the litter. She watches her sister and brothers climb legs and waits for me to invite her to join the game. She loves to have her tummy gently scratched almost as much as she loves her mama. They are usually together while the other three romp and play. I’d love to see Skittles and Vanilla go to the same forever home.

Cowgirl is the runt of the litter with the BIG personality that often accompanies those little bodies. She got her name because of her cow like spots. She is energetic, tough and has a great kitty sense of humor that reminds me of a human cowgirl. She and her brother Crusty are the first ones out of the box to greet us and play. They were the first to eat real cat food and they are a team. It would be really nice if they could live together in their new forever home.

Crusty got his name because there are two little tabby boys in the litter that look a lot alike and this one had a little crusty eye problem. That’s how we told them apart when they were really little. Crusty was the first baby to start acting like a kid cat, not a baby cat. He taught his brother and sisters to wrestle and still comes up with new moves. I swear he watches my face to read what my mood is and whether he should attack my hand, climb my jeans or snuggle. It's hard to get a good picture of Crusty. He moves too fast.

Tiger used to be called Other Crusty. We call him Tiger now because he’s big and kind of regal like a tiger, striped and deserves to have a better name than Other Crusty. He is going to grow up to be a big kitty like his sister Skittles. He’s kind of a mama’s boy and I suspect his temperament will be a lot like hers. He’s always ready to be held and petted. And he's always ready to attack and bite shoes. Especially when they're on feet. I love his grey feet and speckled belly.

These babies aren’t weaned yet, but are all eating some real cat food now. Although they live outside we play with them a LOT and bring them in the house once or twice a day for supervised play time. We want them to be civilized. They and their mama will be wonderful cat friends and companions for YOU for many years.

Let me know when you want to meet them. They will be ready for new homes June 1st.

My New BFF

Grab a cup of coffee. I might ramble.

I have a long standing Jones for old apothecary jars and a new one for old maps. See how pretty they are together?

In March I found another jar. It was all grungy inside, so I filled it with my favorite grunge fighter (distilled vinegar) and set it to soak.

It was sitting sink side on St. Patrick’s Day. Of course our supper was corned beef and cabbage. You KNOW how that smells post meal, right? I’m not sure why, but after cleaning up after supper I set the lid on the jar ajar. In a few hours there was zero, zip, nada trace of funky smell in our kitchen. Could it have been my friend the vinegar? I’ve been experimenting and YES it was! Am I the only woman who did not know this wonderful destink trick?

Alas, my map / bottle / wooden lamp vignette will need to attract a different jar. This one is my new kitchen BFF. For real.