Emotional Sandwich

I posted a very brief post the other day, promising a garden update and more. Things have been so busy these last several days, that this might be a VERY long post. I have pictures to go with a lot of it, and that will help break it up for you, and help me think on how to phrase things. Where to start is proving to be difficult, mostly because I do not want to start and end sad. Oh well. Emotional sandwich is the best way to describe it.

Tuesday evening, we discovered our rabbit had been badly injured. We realized he would need an amputation, and figured it would be a simple snip and stitch procedure. The rabbit had already survived shock, and was doing good. We had hope. It was too late to take him anywhere that night, so we called first thing in the morning and got him an appointment. I got his travel cage ready, and gently transferred him to it. My Mother's Helper came early, so that I could take the big girls and the rabbit to the vet, and not upset the little kids too much. The kids had no idea he had been injured, and I didn't want that image in their mind's eye later. I told the little ones that Oreo had to see the Doctor, and that we would be back later. When they asked if he was coming back, I told them "Yes", because I believed that it was fixable.



Te Vet explained that the leg would have to be amputated higher up, it was not as simple as I thought. When the tech brought in the estimate, I was floored. 1000+ was not something we had. I handed back the first estimate and asked for a different kind of estimate, and my voice caught in my throat. I tried so hard to stay strong in front of my girls. They understood what was going on, and started crying. They knew the "fix-it price limit" too. I signed some papers, and took the girls to the fast food place for 20 minutes while we waited. We went back to collect his remains, and went home. We talked about where we would bury him, and about Heaven.

When we got home, I broke the news to the little ones, and explained that Oreo had to go play with Bun Bun in Heaven, that his injury was too bad for us to fix. We spent a lot of time consoling them, and answering the many questions that came up. I cleaned out his old cages, and put away the feed in air tight storage. We will need it all again, just not this week. Once that was done, I took the kids to Taekwondo, and we stayed there for 3 hours. While we were gone, my hunny took care of burying him with Bun Bun. getting the kids to move forward from there was easier, since we still have a bathroom full of kittens, and a birthday to prepare for.

Thursday, my wonderful hunny brought home dirt. Not just a bag either, but 8 of them!!!! *swoon* He also brought home some more tomato plants for me to work with!! One is huge, and already has 2 good sized tomatoes on it, the other 2 are just the right size to put in the Topsy Turvy thing. I read the instructions and tips last night, to make sure I understood what I was going to do, and realized I will need a helper for some parts. I will also have to hang it from the swing set, and that is a scary idea... That is outside the garden fence.





Somewhere along the way, I realized that all of my square buckets are 4 gallon, not 5. I decided that was not big enough for the one tomato plant, so I re-potted it into a much bigger container, I think that one holds 7 gallons. I'm fighting some kind of leaf curl happening with the tomatoes, and so I have taken to rubbing all the leaves and making sure there is no tiny insect invaders. It seems that the leaf curl is a problem that can signify too much water, too severe of pruning, tiny insect invasion, or absolutely nothing. Oh joy, what a way to send one into over thinking things!!



My oldest daughter turned 14 on Sunday, and we hosted a backyard camp out on Friday for her and some of her friends. They had a campfire, told scary stories, giggled, had a water war, BBQ supper and ended the night with giant S'mores. Saturday morning, we loaded up the vehicles with all the kids, and went to the lake for the afternoon. After weeks of 90* weather, it was a great idea, but of course, the weather stayed in the high 70's all day. We came home around 5 pm, and the timing was great, as I needed to cook dinner. One kiddo got picked up, and the other 2 got to stay one more night, as their mother had to work. Another night of camping out, and most of them came inside to sleep. It got cold and chilly out there!

Sunday, the rest of the kids got picked up, and some major projects got underway. We discovered that we hadn't checked the mail, and there was a card from Gma and Gpa in Texas, and a box from the Butterfly Fund. We decided that it was a great time for her to open her gifts, and she enjoyed that very much. R and I cleaned out Wild Boy's room, and got it all organized for him. It took less time with both of us working on it. We finished just in time to send R and the oldest to the Vet Clinic with the dogs. They needed their shots to get the licence updated. The little kids got very upset that the dogs had to see the vet, and they struggled with the idea of the dogs needing shots. We played and read stories and made supper while the dogs were gone, and when the dogs came back they were relieved, and then forgot all about it.

Monday was a normal day, I puttered around the garden, and cleaned up from the fun weekend. Late last night, we got a call. A dear elderly friend had passed away. I didn't realize that we were getting close to her time to pass, and we had not been over in a while to visit. The news of her passing is hard, and will be hard again when we get a hold of another friend to give him the news too. Miss Cynthia was a wonderful woman, who had been through a full and amazing life, both as a wealthy lady of the twentith century and as an poor, disowned, strong woman who married for love. She was a teacher, and she loved to spark that curiosity and challenge for her students. She will be greatly missed.

Peeking in...

Things are very busy!

Happy Birthday to my oldest! 14!!

I got dirt!

So much is in progress, I must take pictures...

Have a wonderful Memorial Weekend.

Thank you, to all who have served in protecting this nation. God Bless you!

Thursday, May 23rd

The other day, I tried again to find that safe place I had stashed my seeds from a previous year. I poked around for about 3 minutes and had my hands on them! WOOHOO!! I am very excited. I still have 2 rainbow varieties on hand, and a ton of things I want to plant. Here is EVERYTHING I have for the garden on hand right now. Laid out like this, it looks like a TON. You can see now why I have been saying I need more dirt??

My need for more dirt has been heard. I just have to wait until about 4 pm. He found my Topsy Turvy thingy I bought for a dollar at a yard sale, and is very curious about if it works. Meanwhile, I am still keeping myself busy with fertilizers, plant care (did you know the strawberries want to be fed like the Tomatoes do?? and they need to be "mown"?),kitten wrangling, and child chasing. My days are very busy. Getting this much typed can take hours! *Grin*

Ok, so last night, while tending my plants, I realized that my 10yo's Tomato plant needed a root box. It needs deeper soil, and more room for it's roots. So I took a broken down drawer and put it to work. I stole dirt from the potato pond and then fertilized it. It needs more dirt, as do the potatoes. I notice that the other Tomato plant also needs help, the 5 gallon bucket is NOT going to be large enough for it's needs. I have bigger buckets, I just have to adapt them for easy automatic watering. These plants are thirsty, and the summer heat isn't even here yet.



The drawer was missing it's bottom, and doesn't go to any dresser I own. I think it arrived with the train table, but had no cubby to hold it. I trenched a line away from the carrot tops and settled the drawer gently into it. The plant is just barely small enough to still do this with out hurting the branches. I think I can put a strawberry plant or 2 in in the front of the box with the tomato, and re-purpose the strawberry spot for another seedling. I can only play musical plants in this set up a little bit longer, I don't like shocking them.

The composting is moving along. Last night I strained the Manure Tea, and bottled it. I only need about 1-2 ounces of the Manure Tea to make 1 liter of fertilizer. I can use it on about 1/2 of my crops. 1 liter slow drip feeds 1 tomato plant, or can be used to water all 12 for my strawberry plants. The left over material from the Tea was split between the 2 compost bins and mixed in well. That was a messy process, and of course I cleaned up everything and every where I worked. The rinse water from it all went to feed the Rose bushes in the back yard.

We have had some gusty winds, and the cabana got flipped. The sun damage from last summer and the pressures of meeting the swing set leaves us needing a new cover for it. It was already on the needs list, but I can see that I am either going to be crafting a solution soon, or breaking down and getting it anyways. We need that 10 feet of shade, the sun is strong already.

A few days ago, our rabbit got injured. When we took him to the vet, what was needed to save him was not affordable, so we had to put him down. The kids are grieving his death, each in their own ways. I've cleaned up and put away all of the rabbit supplies, and tucked the cage and hutch off to the side for now. They overheard Daddy mention a new bunny later, and they are content to think on that.

The kittens here helps cushion the emotional blow. I have let the kittens out for the day, and they are scampering around while the children aren't paying attention. They quietly slip off into hiding anytime a little one comes near, or if they see feet wandering around. Their personalities are emerging. The grey little girl is a cuddler. She loves to be snuggled and petted when she is drowsy. The little black one is the first one to accept some of the humans. I saw him just today sitting and saying Hi to my Ladybug today, and letting her pet him. He will wander and explore the house, and get rather brave around those big wolf creatures. Of course, if the dog moves, he is spooked and bouncing around. The striped one is a great hider. He has a LOT of patience, and will make a great hunter. He is insistent in his beginning cuddles, pushing his head into my neck. All 3 are so sweet and cute, I can understand why my children beg to keep all 3. They need homes soon, they are almost ready.

I need to go get my day moving. I have a lot of deep cleaning and organizing to do! I need to find something to keep me busy until I have more dirt to work with. *wink* Have a Great day!!

Getting My Hands Dirty

I love working in my garden. I love watching the minute changes in the plants, day by day. I like all the things I notice each morning, that I hadn't noticed before. I enjoy the warm sun on my body, while my muscles are aching from all my hard work. Sometimes, I am able to get lost in that small space, and let the stresses of my life slip away for just a little bit. It's peaceful and relaxing, and yet a LOT of work.

I've talked about WHAT I am doing to feed the plants, but I haven't fully explained it. So I will lay it out here, and then I will have it for next year, and you might get ideas for your own little patch of peaceful garden. I tried really hard to make good choices for my soil blend. I mixed and blended and thought that was groovy. At this point, I suspect that the ratios were wrong, as I see more bark in the soil than dirt. The ratio was 2:1 and I blended 2:1... Oh well. I don't have time to stress on that right now. I followed the directions I was given. Next year, I will made better educated guesses on what I need to amend with. Here is the 2 types of soil I started with back on 3-10-13:




This blend is working decently, but I should have added in 20 pounds of Rabbit or Chicken Manure. It would have really helped. Since then, I got a few more bags of various "all in 1" type soils, since I had more containers and I ran out of good dirt. One was by Miracle Grow, and the other was a moisture control blend, that helps the plants retain moisture without getting over watered. You can be sure some of that will be in next years blend too, all through!

The soils are groovy, but they do not have enough nutrients on their own. The plants would grow, but they would not THRIVE. I need an abundant garden, so I have to boost the soil with nutrients. I am actually doing this several ways. Once every 2 weeks, I take 4 batches of coffee grounds and the shells from several eggs, and I crush them up REALLY GOOD. Then I take the mixture out, and scoop it out equally onto 5 plants (4 tomatoes and 1 bell pepper). Every Monday, I crush up 5 TUMS tablets into powder, and spread that equally between the same 5 plants. Every 4 days, I give the same 5 plants a tsp of Epsom Salts. The dosage on the Epsom Salts works right now, but will increase soon because of their size. So far, I also used Miracle Grow plant fertilizer, when the 5 plants were failing to thrive a few weeks back, the one time. I will be using that about once every 2 weeks also, unless the Manure works out for me better.

Yesterday, I picked up 2 buckets of free horse Manure. Most of it is already dry, and the lady looked at me crazy when I told her I wanted the older dryer bits instead of the most fresh. I gathered it all, but really wanted the dry stuff. It had been sitting longer, and would have less "hot" time. {Ok yea, I might have been stupid, as I now have it out in compost bins and need it to get hot.} Anyways, I blogged about that yesterday. I made the Manure tea. Tomorrow, the tea will be done sitting, and I can strain, dilute, and use it on anything that doesn't produce product underground. In my planting containers, it might be hard to keep it to certain plants, but slow drip irrigation with soda bottles might make that more possible. I will be applying the tea every week on Wednesdays.

After making the Manure Tea, I realized I had a TON of manure left over, so I started researching. Soon I was scooping grass clippings out of the green waste barrel, and adding them to the poo, mixing and dampening and added a few handfuls of my soil blend in too to help add microbes. I put lids on them and set them in the sun. I will add our bucket of kitchen compost to the bins and stir them daily. within a month, I should have SUPER SOIL *grin* I am seriously considering using one of the green waste buckets for composting, those grass clippings were HOT!

I don't KNOW what I am doing, I am learning on the fly, and making adjustments often. I hope that it all works, I am actually desperate that it all work, as my grocery bill could use the break, and our dinner plates could use the variety.

Meanwhile... I need more dirt.

Manure and Roses

Marigold aka Calendula

I sparked on a great idea earlier today. I have an acquaintance that has a horse, and lives only a few blocks away. I called her up, and asked if we could come over and clean a couple buckets of manure out of the horse pasture. She was a bit baffled, but was glad to have some free help. We filled 2 30 gallon rubber maid containers! 75% of the gleanings was already dried out and already breaking apart.



I brought home the buckets, and got out one of my square 5 gallon buckets. I filled it 2/3 full of warm water from the wading pool, and then topped it the rest of the way off with the manure. I labeled the bucket well, and covered it. In 48 hours, I will have 3-4 gallons of concentrated liquid gold for fertilizing my garden. I am VERY excited.



I still need more dirt though.

May Morning Musings

This morning has been quiet and fun. I woke up at 6 am to the 2 youngest crawling in bed with me, and took care of their morning requests, while they drifted back to sleep. Since my mind was already spinning with ideas and thoughts for the day, I went out and filled my coffee mug. I had thought ahead last night, and set it to turn on at 6:00 am, By the time I "found" it, it was warm and ready for me. I am always a little happier when I can bypass the microwave.

I poked my morning things, checked on my stats, and approved a comment. Ahh! I had no idea how much a kind comment on one of my posts can warm my heart! <3 I poked my morning games as I listened to the stirrings of the house. The dogs were patrolling the yard for invading birds and squirrels and coming in to report to the sleeping master. The bathroom was a cacophony of destruction from the playful antics of the 3 kittens. Giggles, mumbles and half-hearted cries of protest would escape the small slumbering forms around me. At 8 am, it was time to feed the kittens, and we had them fed in the kitchen before allowing them their play and roam time. Somehow, that turns into hiding kitten sleeping time, and none can be found for hours. Patience, focus, and remembering the rules is exceptionally hard when there is a fluffy kitten playing peek-a-boo when you are only 4 and 2. I had to coax the stripey one out, I am working on human desensitization with him, and I had to scoop and remove the other 2 kittens from stealing his food.... They were all surprised, him the most, because of once the big fast hands weren't after him. *grin* It's all about making friends.

After the house was up, and my hunny was off on his way to work, I put together the plan I had been working towards. I pulled out the bin of middle sized interlocking blocks for the kids to play with. I pulled out the specialty pieces and put together a few of the trees and things. By the time I had discovered all of the vehicle bottoms, I had 3 kids all around the table, building and exchanging parts and one wandering around with her favorite Puppy piece.

I went out and Ladybug came and inspected the garden with me. She exclaimed over the one cherry tomato turning yellow, and thought about what that might mean. We noted the differences in the leaves of the plants that we were having trouble with, how the old growth looked pale or crumpled, and how the new growth was dark green and healthy. We estimated how much good growth there was, and counted flowers on various plants. I added Epsom salt, coffee grounds and crushed egg shells to the soil (in addition to yesterday's crushed antacid tablets).

Now I have the hose watering the yard for me. Yup, I locked into the on position, and set it on a stand as an instant mister and yard watering devise. The leaky spots water other areas, and one is filling the paddling pool. By Wednesday, the ground should be perfect for setting up the campground. The kids are getting excited; they cannot focus on anything else because of it. That reminds me, I need to go turn off the water in the front yard. I am sure the baby tree and full front section is good and watered by now.

We have more projects to do, more plans to think up, more lists to write, and tasks to mark off. I expect that this week will be hard work, and yet worth every moment. I think the best part is that camping has no reception, so even if they did smuggle electronics, I have the WiFi password, and all the chargers. HEHEHEHEHE (Yea, I know it's in our backyard. We are going to have fun. Consider it a dry run for later.)

I need more dirt for my garden....

In Which, We Change It All Up

Yesterday, I posted on the progress of the garden. Then it was time to mow, and the garden paths needed to be taken care of. So I moved it all out of the way, and then worked on setting it up in the new arrangements. I turned both blue pools 90* and lined up all the smaller containers around the fence. I put up the trellis, and put 2 of the vining plants there. Once I get the 3rd container set up, I can put the 3rd plant there, and that will fill that section well. I will train the vines to grow up, and support the produce in various creative ways.

I am exhausted, and very sore. I will just post the photos, and if you have any questions, leave a comment. :)

Garden Changes and Other Stuff

Flowering Hens and Chickens

The last several days have been busy, with a lot of cleaning projects and adventures. The kids have all been doing great in TKD, and all 4 received their 2nd stripe on their current belts last week. They are up for Belt Testing again next week. If the oldest 2 pass this belt test, they will be invited into Black Belt Club. I am so very proud of their hard work.

The garden is coming along nicely. I posted a video tour of the garden yesterday on FB, but then spent all day cleaning the back yard and re-potting some of my plants. I pulled up the sickly looking Pea plants. Their season is past, and I started 3 months too late. They were a pale green color ~ and I needed the dirt :D I moved 2 of the vine type seedlings into the 2 DIY containers I made (and posted a blog on how to make them, check it out!). I keep wishing I had done the same thing to the bucket my big tomato plant is in, but I have a different tactic for that plant. I will make that one today, and post it up separately when I am done.





Some of the dirt went towards the burial of the potato plants. I need to look up how deep to plant them, I left some leaves up out of the dirt for now, to receive nutrients from the sun. One of the potato pots is not deep, and I had to add walls to the bucket to add in the extra dirt. It shouldn't be a problem, as the sun will shine directly in part of the day, and it will encourage them to grow taller.





The bell pepper plant is on the mend! I posted before that it was suffering, and that I was clueless about what to do (I need to figure out how to add links). Well, I was so desperate to stop it from dying off, that I mixed up a batch of Mir*cle Gr*w (not endorsing a product). I gave the bell pepper and tomato plants a very generous watering with that. Of course, I put the open box away somewhere safe, so I can't find it for a follow up dose. 3 days later, I crushed up 1 T*MS (chalky antacid, with fruity flavors- high in Calcium) for each plant I was treating, and sprinkled the fine powder over the roots of each of the plants. I also gave each plant a tsp of Epsom Salts (gotta be specific on that one) and then watered well. The improvement is impressive.

4-6-13

4-17-13 you can see the leaf crumpling and curling happening. It was much worse, before it got better.

5-19-13 you can see the damage done from the leaf crumpling, the growing pepper, and the good leaves coming in on the top.

I used the last of my dirt to help cover some of my more delicate seeming plants. Now I am out of good dirt, and this is a bad thing. I have more containers to fill, more seeds to plant! *grin*

Since I am out of dirt, I might as well turn my attention elsewhere. I spent a LOT of time cleaning up the toys and trash in the yard. The patio area was as bad as some bedrooms can get! Seriously. I found an entire load of laundry out there! When it was done, everything had been organized, set up, and ready to explore. I had the play kitchen along the house, for an "outdoor kitchen", but moved it into the playhouse with the toys all contained in a bucket for them to play with. My 2 year old assured me "I love it mom!" as she was checking it out.



A plastic fruit garden in the window box, and a dish drainer. Right, so the plants get watered while you do dishes. *grin*



To end on a sweet note, I will show you our kittens :) They are doing well, but are still skittish. They are afraid of everything in the house, and not bonded enough to try to return if we let them roam the back yard.

I am frazzled

I am really struggling to keep my calm. I have been dealing with the same issues on a constant basis for what seems like forever. I am at my wit's end some days, either clamping my mouth shut to keep from spitting out some harsh reality, or raising my voice which just leads to more issues. I am frustrated. I am angry, I feel used and taken advantage of.

There I said it. It's almost as if letting the words out takes a weight off my shoulders. I am able to take a deep breath.

THe fighting and whining of the children, the hitting and hurting of the children, and the insolence and disrespect of the children, these things are all grating on my nerves. Children were not made to be cooped up and they certainly are showing it.

We all need a break. A "vacation" from the normal day in and day out battles. I want so badly to plan a campout, but this economy has stripped even that little luxury away. I have been squirelling away ideas of things to do, and more for this summers adventures, but I think perhaps we will have a Staycation. :D

Today is teacher day. I am sideswiped by a sudden need to vacuum and steam the carpet, and to hunt down a funny smell in Wild Boy's room. I have bills to pay, appointments to make, calendar to set up and 4 months of lessons to plan for. Once I get past the smelly room, I think Iwill start setting up our adventure plan.

Ok, I can handle almost anything now. I've got my happy thought for today, and I will share it with the kids to get them on Team Momma for the upcoming adventures. The other issues we will keep on working on. I will find another way to approach the children in these hard life lessons, and the message WILL get across. My frustrations and anger will not help any of us do anything productive though, and I am happy to have found a way to let them go.

I need a "map", a spyglass, a tent or 2, some easy camping recipes... oh yes, and marshmallows.. I can't forget those!!

Have a wonderful day my friends!! G*d Bless you all!!

Lessons in Life, Learned through Kittens

You learn so many things when you are sharing your home with various pets, and so do the children. We have a very busy house here, between the children and the pets. Since we took in the 3 abandoned kittens, it has been even more so. The children think it's odd, but I make them tend to all of the regular pets' needs before they are even allowed to go peek in at the kittens. They have to understand that 3 mouths is more work... and they won't understand that by forgetting to care for their pets while there are babies in the house.

The whole crew is learning patience. During the day, the kittens are busy napping, recharging their little bodies from their explorations and romps with each other. It's taken until about 4:30 for the little furballs to start creeping out the door that I left cracked open about 2 hours before. My excited little ones could barely contain themselves for the first 20 minutes, because i made everyone sit in the living room, and wait for the kittens to come out. I explained why to the older kids earlier today, and I remind them when they do something that I had told them not to do.

Grey female, slept in the water dish.

You see, cats are very smart creatures. Even if these kittens had never seen a little box before, they KNOW deep down what it is for. Within 36 hours of being here, we are about 12 hours mess free. They know to keep where they sleep clean, and to bury their business. Now that I know they all prefer the sand, I can crack the bathroom door, and let them explore out from there. It's their safe place, and their potty place, so they will run there for all their needs. We closed off the bedrooms, since there are too many hiding places in there, and we don't want that yet. They have spent the last 2 days listening to the sounds of the house, they have been introduced to the dogs, and to all of the children. We know which children need 100% supervision, and which ones can be sure to calm little frayed nerves.

One of the rules I gave the kids was that the kittens were to explore their way out their selves. No picking them up and cuddling them somewhere else. No digging them out to see them. Stay calm, quiet and slow. These little creatures are still in fight or flight mode, especially while they are exploring new territory. They don't know where to hide, and if they can't feel safe, they will strike out with teeth and claw. The stripey one is the most easily spooked, while the grey and black ones are still hissing, but half heartedly. They love the cuddles and pets, and have already been heard starting their motor boxes (purring).

Some of the questions the kids have asked are easy to answer, like "What do they eat?" or "Why is it purring?". Other questions are much harder to answer, like "Why are the kittens scared of us? We saved them" and "What breed of cat are they?" or my favorite "How come all the babies are so very different? Did they have different daddies?" Oh boy!

Stripey male, getting some cuddle time.

For the scared question, I turned it around a few different ways. First I took a picture of a child or 2, from the view of the kittens, at the child's feet. At first, the child would laugh, surprised by the sight of their HUGE body. I explained that baby cats are very small, and very low to the ground. I explained that this is what they see when we come near, and the faster we move, the scarier it is. I asked how they would feel if a 50 foot giant was rushing across the room and reaching for them. One sweet child's eyes widened as she ducked at the idea. "Well, that's how those baby kittens feel! If you knew that you have sharp nails, and sharp teeth, what would you do to that giant hand scooping you up?" I asked. I could see understanding click, as she told me that she would bite and kick and scratch to get away.

Then I added another thought to the mix, "Now, these kittens are about a month old. They were born somewhere, where their mother nursed them, and where they were already exploring and knew every person and smell. They got caught, put in a box, and then left in the hot sun for an unknown amount of time. I am sure they thought it was forever. Then someone came, and lots of voices and smells and hands and NO MOM. They have food, and love, and shelter, but they don't know us." Little blue eyes looked up at me and said "We're Strangers!!!" Yes. Bingo. WE are the strangers.

So we talked about how those kittens felt, and how we needed to show them that we are good strangers. That we would get them used to all kinds of cool new things, and then, when the kittens are bigger, we will find their forever homes. This news, of course, leads to squeals of protest, and big alligator tears "Momma, not the ____ one!! It's my favorite and I love it!" I now know how my own mother felt at least 50 times in my 18+ years in her home. LOL How she feels even today, when she saw the post on FB. So far, I have stood very firm on not allowing them to name the tiny kittens. I know they have names all picked out, but that's not how we name them either. They cannot be named unless they are staying, and I cannot rationalize 3 cats in this house. They can have their first name given to them by their forever homes, so there is no confusion later when they end up with a different name.

Looking back over the years, I can remember so many cute, fluffy kittens, scared and looking for love. I would love them, cuddle them, feed them, play with them. That little ball of fluff would be my best and only friend, and we had grand adventures, long talks, wonderful naps in a warm patch of sunshine. I remember getting a free kitten from around the neighborhood when I was about 9 or 10. I knew I couldn't have a kitten, but I was SURE that THIS tiny kitten could be very quiet and hide well. I took it home and made it a home hidden in my cupboard. I was so crushed when my mom found it, and I had to give it back and was in trouble too.

In fact, I had a flashback to that memory, when we got home from the store with this box of half dead abandoned kittens. As we pulled up into the drive, my 10 year old daughter thought the best way to get the kittens past Daddy, was to hide them in their room. Perhaps this is some instinctive desire, going all the way back to the cave days, when some little child just HAD to save that poor saber tooth and hide it in her bed of animal skins. I don't know, but I told them that hiding the kittens would be a bad path to take. They quietly slipped the kittens into the house and got them water and food while I brought in the groceries and talked to the intimidating Daddy.

It wasn't any easier than when I would try to talk to my mom (on the inside), but I got through it. You see, there is a right way and a wrong way to handle situations. As a kid, it was easy enough to find the wrong way to do things, even with the right intentions. Even as an adult, finding the right way is hard. It is one of those things that I want my own kids to know, how to see the big picture, and how to navigate unknown waters. Hiding the kittens would have been the worst way possible, where open honesty and a plan goes a long way. Being the mommy goes a long way too. *Grin*

Black Male, discovering the rabbit during supervised "out" time.

Kittens Rescued from Abandonment

Yesterday, we had to stop at WM to pick up a few things before heading home. When we pulled into the parking space, I saw the cart just in front of the car. It had a medium sized box in it. 'Perhaps someone picked up a shipped to store item' I thought to myself as I unloaded the kids. As we passed the cart, I saw that it was taped oddly. 'Something is not right here' I thought, and I stopped to open the oddly closed box.

With visions of me and my 5 children exploding in the parking lot, I opened the package.



Looking up at me were a pair of tiny eyes, lost in a sea of fur. I reached into the warm box, and felt the fur, praying that they were all soft and pliable. They were not as soft and pliable as I hoped, but they were alive. I had my oldest put Flutters into the front of the basket and took the cart into the store.

With the excited and worried chatter of my children all around me, I pushed the crowd to the pets section, where I was already picking up supplies for the other pet groups we have here. I grabbed canned food, and kitten kibble, cat sand, and a starter pack litter pan (it had a scoop, scoop holder, food and water dish!). These babies are too small yet to be given away, let alone left in a parking lot on an 87*F day.

There were a few ladies in the cat care section of the store, and while I was picking out what they were going to need, I showed the box to them and where I found them. One lady was so touched that I was helping them out, she handed me 5 dollars to help pay for the supplies I was getting. It was a huge blessing, as we had no intentions of getting any pets for a while here thanks to the economy.





At first, my older girls released the kittens in their bedroom. They were able to eat, drink and cool off. But you know how kittens are, they like explore and they like to hide. I'm sure you know how kids can be in cleaning strategy too... Needless to say, we set up the bathroom into a kitten nest. Getting them to the bathroom was an adventure in itself.





The kittens are very scared. They hiss a lot in hopes of scaring away the hands reaching for them, and then they melt into the affection and petting that those hands give. They need time to grow, and time to adjust to the busy life here. If they get through the next 2 weeks, they will be ready for any household, with dogs or kids. :)

Yes, we already introduced the kittens to the dogs. :D

~*~*~*~

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I became known as tinykittenz online. That was my ID, my handle. You can probably guess why or how that took shape. I LOVE tiny kittens. I have always had cats and kittens around me, up until about 10 years ago. I miss having them around, sometimes. Anyone who has known me over the last 20 to 36 years knows about this you see, so I am sure they already knew that I could not have just left that box in the basket and carried on oblivious. When asked "Why? What would it have mattered?" I was stunned for a moment, and quietly replied "It matters to those 3 little ones."

It matters to me.

To have done any less, would have been wrong.

DIY Project~ 5 gallon planters with water reservoir

Yesterday, I posted a long post with pictures of the garden and all of it's progress. I was feeling quite content with it all, and then went out to water the garden, and bring in a bag of new soil I had gotten. Well, somehow, that turned into a few projects! One involved some replanting and moving of a few plants, one was the creation of more planting containers, one involved clipping all the "path weeds" with scissors, and another involved rearranging the containers and securing the fence better.

I made 2 planting buckets, with a water reservoir and "drinking straw" for the plants. I don't know what I am going to plant in them, yet. So far, I've been testing the containers ability to drain. Another round of watering or so, and I will know if the overflow hole works too. :D I'm sure you would LOVE to see what I did, so I will make another one and take photos of what I did at all the important points.

***Time lapse***

While those are sending to my computer, I will start writing it all up for you. :)

I took 2 5 gallon buckets, that I have been very blessed to be getting for free from my hunny's workplace. This works out great, because I can use them for many different things. He mentioned the other day that my supply of them was REALLY BIG, and suggested that I put them to use. I suspect that if I didn't, he was considering not bringing me more. *grin* My buckets are not round, but if yours are, it changes nothing.



I took the bucket on the left, and flipped it over. Using my trusty mini drill, I drilled 4 holes in the bottom, somewhat near the corners.



Perfection will not matter, as no one should see this part when it is done. 4 holes, too small for a pencil to fit through.



Now, I took a towel, and put it in the bucket with 4 holes in the bottom, and fit that on top of the bucket on the right. By putting a light source behind the stacked buckets, I can see where the top bucket stops in the bottom bucket. My finger is on the line, under it is lighter, above is darker.



I took a pen, and marked a spot above that line (about a cm or so).



Then I REMOVED the top bucket and set it aside. I drilled a hole on my marked spot. This is now an overflow spout.



You can see in the above picture both buckets, and their drilled out holes.

Now, I was trying to figure out HOW the water was going to get from the bottom bucket to the top one, and was stumped for a moment or so. Then I remembered that I have yarn on hand. Yarn can make a great wick! So I snipped off 2 strings of about 18 inches long, and poked it through 2 of the 4 holes.



Then I pulled both strings out the bottom, about 6 inches.



Ta Da! Now I have my self watering planter bucket!

I took my buckets outside, and started gently scooping in the dirt. You might choose to add a 1 inch deep layer of pebbles or packing peanuts there in the bottom first, if you are worried about over watering, but here where I live, I cannot water my garden enough at times, and some plants are thirstier than others. I made a mound of dirt, and then layed the strings down in the heap, so that the strings are are about 1/3 of the way up the container, and then finished covering them up.



Now my containers are ready for planting. I left room for whatever plants I put in, and their covering soil. Since I just planted 6 mini buckets with various big plants with vines, I am happy to have square feet to put them into soon... Now, had I remembered to label the mini buckets before setting them out, I would know exactly which was going where. I will be writing in sharpie on the bucket planters, you can be sure!!

So there you go, some of my Pininterest findings, put to use and shared with my friends and readers. I hope this idea can spark off some of your own creative solutions, that perhaps you will even come back and share with me!