Busy Bee

Nate and I have been so busy these last couple of months. Home repairs, school, work, my sister's wedding and searching for a new canine companion has made our lives quite hectic.

Project Cat Trap - Was a success! We missed only three males but without females to breed with the colony is basically stable and not exploding with new kittens. 

Myaa died - An un-diagnosed heart condition took our sweet little stray cat. We did our best to make her comfortable in her last days. 

Wedding Frenzy - Finished! My sister got married on a rainy day last February. Nate finally danced with me for the first time. LOL

I am job! - My sister got a job and is no longer unemployed! YAY! 

Litter Robot - Got it and my cats are happier. Especially Nodame, clean freak!

Breeder Quest - Found a breeder I am pleased with and we're in the middle of negotiations. 

Home Repairs - Nate completely replaced our toilet which was not functioning well, replaced the tub spout that he broke and re-caulked the tub. He's learning man fix skills!

I also splurged on a butt load of games and currently playing Final Fantasy XIII! I got Bayonetta, Dead Space and Gears of War 2.

We've got family coming down from up north and we'll probably clean this weekend in preparation for our guests.

Toy wise we've been getting some nice pieces here and there. I again splurged on some Sarumons and Uamous.

I need to sell off a bunch of Western stuff that I can live without. It's just a matter of taking the pictures, packing it up and listing them on ebay is very tedious. Gotta build that SDCC warchest!

Cat Trap

My sister was about to implement the capture of our small cat colony in our neighborhood. At the same time, Nate and I were busy packing for our trip up North for his birthday celebration.

There's a certain urgency to complete the trapping as a new law regarding trap and release of feral cats was going into place for LA County. Some bird conservationists complained and they want the program to end.

My sister and her boyfriend made the trap, scheduled the appointment and started catching what cats we could to get fixed. She has a video of it somewhere that she still needs to edit to post.

We were not really sure how many cats were in our colony but the final tally was 8. The first night we caught 5 cats.

When the trap dropped on them they panicked like crazy. We had to cover the whole thing with cloth to calm them down. When they settled a bit we opened a small door in the big trap that lead to a small cage trap to hold individual cats. The big trap was more like a holding pen.

We caught the two little kittens and one of the most prolific breeders in the colony. So it was a good first day. They were not very happy but it's for the best. It's a great way to control the cat population in our gated community.

I know of another family that feeds the cats other than us but the rest of our neighbors are pretty indifferent about it.

After we left for Northern California, my sister caught another 3 cats. We got everyone except the Alpha Male, Boomer. He was too smart for the trap. Everyone that was caught got fixed and they stayed in our house for a day to recover. They're a little wary of us right now since they got fixed but at least there will be no more cats reproducing. Even though Boomer escaped being neutered he will have no one to mate with as all the females are fixed.

After having my own cats there really is nothing to fear with feral cats and I grew to love them dearly. Since my cats came from the strays outside, it was only natural that we do what we can for them. MomCat is to be credited for this. Her and Impostor Cat get to eat wet food when they come around the house. They have gotten so fat they look adorable.

The last thing we did before we released them was put collars on the cats. So that animal control will leave them alone. A collared cat would be more thought of as a pet than a stray so it offers some protection.

Christmas 2009

Our holidays was a simple affair. I catered at Wood Ranch and my family brought the rest of the food.
I only got gifts for the kids but I managed to get Nate something. He knew I had something for him but he didn't know what.

Red Invader Cumberlain

I loved seeing his face when he opened his present and he saw the Cumberlain in there. He was genuinely surprised which is not easy to accomplish since we both know each other's passwords to emails, accounts etc.

He managed to slip one past me as well and got an Uamou I thought I would never find. It was the ice cream filled one.

Ice Cream Uamou

I love the filled Uamous. They are so cute! I'm slowly building my Uamou collection. Nate now has two Cumberlains but they are hard to come by as they are older pieces.

Our Christmas was a simpler affair. Times are tight and I know my whole clan is doing all they can to save money. I am thankful that everyone has managed to weather through the recession. We ate our fill and spent the rest of the night playing board and card games.

As I think of 2010 and what it can hold for us, I can't help but look back at 2009. It's not one of the best years of our life as I can recall. Losing P-Chan and Pudgy Boy is still difficult to accept. The economy affected us all.

For 2010 I am hoping for better times. We have a wedding in the horizon the possibility of children are also in the picture and a new fur kid is in the works for our family. Hopefully, we'll all bounce back from these grim economic times and be in better footing for 2010. That's what we hope for, for everyone.

January is already looking busy and Nate and I are looking forward to a trip planned by his family for his birthday. A nice well deserved break.

Dreams

I've always remembered my dreams. The scary ones, the funny ones and the downright weird ones, they all swirl around me like smoke as I wake up.

For the second time in my life I woke up in tears because of a dream. I can recall everything vividly, it was short.

It was a summer day, in a dark room. All the blinds are drawn, they were the horizontal ones and the sun was peeking through so there was light. It was a small bedroom. I've never seen this room but I could dimly see stuff lying around. I was napping or attempting to in the heat. The bed was small it was maybe a full size. Someone was sleeping next to me it wasn't Nate I get the strong feeling it was my mom. Everything was in a brownish light like afternoon sun.

I was on my tummy trying to sleep and in my arms was P-Chan. She was on her back. Her most favorite sleeping position. She had all her hair and she was looking at me her tail wagging and her arms folded in front of her. I gasped in surprise as even in my dreams, and I am aware I am dreaming, I knew she was gone. I held her tightly and she snuggled up putting her head under my chin and nudging with her nose. As I held her in my arms I started crying. I could feel my tears rolling down my face and getting her face wet which annoyed her as she repositioned her face to look directly into mine.

Those chocolate brown eyes, her white face and the feeling of holding her again was overwhelming and I cried harder. She was panting and looking at me like, "Why are you crying I'm trying to nap with you!"

I knew I was waking up. Because as I held her she started fading. The afternoon light that was in my dream was being replaced by dawn. I held on to her and my dream as long as I could and I woke up slowly and she faded away like one of those movie type fades and as I woke up my arms were in the same position but empty and I was in tears.

I was crying so hard that I woke up Nate in alarm and he was asking me what's wrong. It was so hard to tell him what I was dreaming about as I could still feel her in my arms.

I thought I was done crying for her. It's been almost two months. I was moving on but the loss is still as painful as the first few days without her. I've told family and friends that I am ready for another dog in the spring. But am I really? Every time I see a dog or hold one I have to fight back the tears as memories of P-Chan come pouring in.

Almost sixteen years we were together. That's a long time. I still miss her so much.

I know I am still heartsick over the loss of such a great companion but I know that even when we get another dog to share our lives with, that dog wont fill the space in my heart that P-Chan occupied. Not completely. That new dog will create her own space in my heart. (I plan to get a girl!)

I am glad I had this dream. I got to hold my baby again even though it was only for a moment.

I love Itokin Park!

I didn't think I would complete this set so soon. I put up a wanted thread and the last two I needed, the Kaleyard and Moca came from the same seller. So as far as I know the Rabyuuns are complete.

They look great together. I wish there were more of them released but only four. It might be unlikely that anymore will be produced as Itokin Park is working with a Chinese company and concentrating on other characters. The Rabyuuns along with the Himalans were all produced by One-Up.

Speaking of the Himalan, I came across a grail piece last week. I honestly did not think I would one this particular Himalan at all due to the rarity and the price it is commanding. Last I checked, Ebay had one for $400 and it hardly showed up on the board.

I was able to purchase it for a good price. I spoke to the seller and he indicated the only reason he let it go was he was also after a grail so it worked out for both of us.

Glacier Himalan! Only 44 produced. It's a gorgeous piece and I love clear vinyl. There's about four more Himalans I am after but unless I get as lucky as when I got this one, the wait for them will be long and pricey.

Either way, I am thankful to have what I have and hope I get just as lucky in the future. ^____^