Kittens...the only way to start the day!

Maybe I should have named my blog Karen's Kitty Korner of Karen's Kat House! Then again after reading Rob's Blog today maybe not. I don't want his neighbor or someone similar coming after me!! LOL. This morning I got up a little late. I hate to wake up and the first thing that comes to my mind, and/or out of my mouth is "Shit!". I stumble to the kitchen and pour 2 cups of coffee (1 for me and 1 for DH) and grab the cat food. When I open the back door there's all my little babies waiting for me. What the heck, I decide, it's to late to wash my hair but that gave me time to play with the kittens :) I wanna be a stay-at-home cat mom!!

First off, the older cats and the kittens know our feeding routine down to the minute. This morning I saw that Big Bird, the peacock, had left a wing feather on the back porch steps. As I was filling up the food bowls (almost 1 bowl per cat and remember I have a lot of cats!) there where a couple of the kittens checking out the feather. So I calmly reach over and grab the stalk of the feather and start wiggling it back and forth. One little daredevil kitty grabs it and we play tug-of-war for a few seconds when it's momma comes up and starts rubbing against my legs and talking to the kitty. The kitty hesitates as if trying to choose between momma and playing and then grabs the feather again.

Soon it's playing without keeping it's eye on me and having a fun time so I sneakily reach down and pet it. It kind of looks around at my hand like "What the...?" and then continues playing and starts to purr! For the next minute or two I wiggle the feather with one hand and pet him/her with the other. (Can you rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time? LOL Thank God the neighbors didn't go by with me outside in my jammies playing with the kittens!) Two more kitties see the one having so much fun that they join in. Jumping out of the bush to grab the feather or one of the other kittens, they don't care which they get as long as they get something. The 2 new ones aren't to sure about me touching them even though they were watching me pet their litter mate so I back off and just let them play with the feather. It won't be long before they will let me hold and pet them, I think. Besides, I needed to get busy getting ready for work. Will try again when I get home. So far I've had 1 let me pick it up and the 1 this morning let me play and pet it. That's progress.

Everything else is running along smoothly. Work stinks but whats new! Jack is doing better now that we know he had strep throat and he's on meds. Had a big storm go through late last night. Lots of lightning but didn't lose power. Only lost Internet and TV signal off and on.

The big news today is that Tony Stewart is leaving Gibbs Racing! He is going to Haas Racing and will have ownership. Haas team is currently being run by the Gen. Manager because the current owner is serving 2 years in prison for tax evasion! Was so afraid Tony was going to go to the #5 car and that would make him a team mate to Jeff!!! Yuck!! Was so happy when they announced last weekend that Mark Martin is going to drive the #5 car next year! I just can't see myself cheering for Tony...won't happen!

I need to get some work done so I'll quit jabbering and post some the only thing I found interesting in today's history. Again, it's from a time period I love to read and research on:

Today in History:

July 9, 1850

President Taylor dies of cholera

Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, dies suddenly from an attack of cholera morbus. He was succeeded by Millard Fillmore.

Raised in Kentucky with little formal schooling, Zachary Taylor received a U.S. Army commission in 1808. He became a captain in 1810 and was promoted to major during the War of 1812 in recognition of his defense of Fort Harrison (named for William Henry Harrison who would become President one day.) against attack by Shawnee chief Tecumseh. In 1832, he became a colonel and served in the Black Hawk War and in the campaigns against the Seminole Indians in Florida, winning the nickname of "Old Rough and Ready" for his informal attire and indifference to physical adversity.

Sent to the Southwest to command the U.S. Army at the Texas border, Taylor crossed the Rio Grande with the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846. In May, Taylor defeated the Mexicans at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, and in September he captured the city of Monterrey. In February 1847, he achieved his crowning military victory at the Battle of Buena Vista, where his force triumphed despite being outnumbered three to one. This victory firmly established Taylor as a popular hero, and in 1848, despite his lack of a clear political platform, he was nominated the Whig presidential candidate.

Elected in November, Taylor soon fell under the influence of William H. Seward, a powerful Whig senator, and in 1849 he supported the Wilmot Proviso, which would exclude slavery from all the territory acquired as a result of the Mexican War. His inflexible responses to Southern criticisms of this policy aggravated the nation's North-South conflict and revealed his political inexperience. Matters were at a stalemate when he died suddenly on July 9, 1850.

Hope to get some pictures of the kitties and get them posted. Have a wonderful evening all! Until next post....

Sick kitty, co-workers vacations, more storms

When I got home from Kentucky (sat.) one of the smaller kittens was under my car, tucked back behind the tire. I needed to move it so hubby could mow but it wouldn't move. I went and got the broom out of the garage but still it didn't move. Warning signals were going off in my head...'this isn't normal'. I finally get it out and the reason it wasn't moving is because it's eyes are matted completely shut! I spend the next hour or 2 soaking and cleaning and I finally get them open only to have lots of puss come out of it's eyes! I'm about in tears due to my soft heart and being tired and it's so tiny and weak. I look all around for something to feed it because it was still nursing and not sure if it knew how to eat yet. I finally grabbed some shaved ham out the frig. and tore it into tiny pieces and literally put it in it's mouth. It got the hint and began eating the ham on it's own. I had a syringe from some other cats trip to the vet and fed it some water. It seemed to be doing better so I took it back to the wood shed to find it's momma but she wasn't around. One of it's litter mates was there and they took off together to nap in the wood. Sunday, same thing only it's on the back porch. I think it follows momma up but when it fall s asleep it's eyes dry shut and when it wakes up it can't see so it just stays put and cries. So, this time I take some chicken noodle soup and mash it up. Man, did she (at this point I checked) scarf it down :) after a little milk, which she drank from a bowl, I put her back in the wood shed and she headed to the back to sleep. Well, Monday after work it became apparent that the momma was leaving it to survive or not soooo back in the house we go and she had a dinner of chicken noodle soup, chicken in gravy cat food, milk and water. By now I have a box lined with towels ready for her. If her momma isn't going take care of her I guess it's up to me, poor little thing. I took 1 picture of her last night and will edit post later to add it. It ended up she slept in the box in our bedroom for the night. This morning she opened her eyes on her own. Not all the way but the corners were open enough to see out of so I'm hoping that's a good sign. Sure hope she's alright. I'm babysitting at my daughters after work tonight so hubby gets the chore to feed her.
For the past 3 weeks I've been covering for someone at work and between that and Linda's moving...I'm pooped! Next week is same story, covering different person. Will try to get picture posted whenever I get home, it's on my laptop. More storms to move in later tonight but will try to do that before they hit.

Today in History: This first story is close to my heart. I did a lot of research into Tecumseh and his life for a book I wanted to write around this time period. There is a lot this article doesn't say but from what I gathered Chief Tecumseh's failure to unite the Indian tribes and the loss of the Battle of Tippecanoe was due more to the antics of his brother, The Prophet, than anything else.

July 2, 1809

Chief Tecumseh urges Indians to unite against whites

Alarmed by the growing encroachment of whites squatting on Native American lands, the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh calls on all Indians to unite and resist.

Born around 1768 near Springfield, Ohio, Tecumseh early won notice as a brave warrior. He fought in battles between the Shawnee and the white Kentuckians, who were invading the Ohio River Valley territory. After the Americans won several important battles in the mid-1790s, Tecumseh reluctantly relocated westward but remained an implacable foe of the white men and their ways.

By the early 19th century, many Shawnee and other Ohio Valley Indians were becoming increasingly dependent on trading with the Americans for guns, cloth, and metal goods. Tecumseh spoke out against such dependence and called for a return to traditional Indian ways. He was even more alarmed by the continuing encroachment of white settlers illegally settling on the already diminished government-recognized land holdings of the Shawnee and other tribes. The American government, however, was reluctant to take action against its own citizens to protect the rights of the Ohio Valley Indians.

On this day in 1809, Tecumseh began a concerted campaign to persuade the Indians of the Old Northwest and Deep South to unite and resist. Together, Tecumseh argued, the various tribes had enough strength to stop the whites from taking further land. Heartened by this message of hope, Indians from as far away as Florida and Minnesota heeded Tecumseh's call. By 1810, he had organized the Ohio Valley Confederacy, which united Indians from the Shawnee, Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Winnebago, Menominee, Ottawa, and Wyandot nations.

For several years, Tecumseh's Indian Confederacy successfully delayed further white settlement in the region. In 1811, however, the future president William Henry Harrison led an attack on the confederacy's base on the Tippecanoe River. At the time, Tecumseh was in the South attempting to convince more tribes to join his movement. Although the battle of Tippecanoe was close, Harrison finally won out and destroyed much of Tecumseh's army.

When the War of 1812 began the following year, Tecumseh immediately marshaled what remained of his army to aid the British. Commissioned a brigadier general, he proved an effective ally and played a key role in the British capture of Detroit and other battles. When the tide of war turned in the American favor, Tecumseh's fortunes went down with those of the British. On October 5, 1813, he was killed during Battle of the Thames. His Ohio Valley Confederacy and vision of Indian unity died with him.

July 2, 1881

President Garfield shot

Only four months into his administration, President James A. Garfield is shot as he walks through a railroad waiting room in Washington, D.C. His assailant, Charles J. Guiteau, was a disgruntled and perhaps insane office seeker who had unsuccessfully sought an appointment to the U.S. consul in Paris. The president was shot in the back and the arm, and Guiteau was arrested.

Garfield, mortally ill, was treated in Washington and then taken to the seashore at Elberon, New Jersey, where he attempted to recuperate with his family. During this time, Vice President Chester A. Arthur served as acting president. On September 19, 1881, after 80 days, President Garfield died of blood poisoning. The following day, Arthur was inaugurated as the 21st president of the United States.

July 2, 1934

Fox signs Shirley Temple

On this day in 1934, Fox Film Corp. strikes a new contract with child star Shirley Temple. Temple was six years old at the time. Starting at age four, Temple starred in a series of shorts spoofing current movies, called Baby Burlesks, and appeared in bit parts. Her song and dance number "Baby Take a Bow" in the 1934 movie Stand Up and Cheer brought her wide acclaim. Her new contract with Fox raised her salary from $150 a week to $1,000 a week, plus a $35,000 bonus for each film she made. The contract also paid her mother $250 a week.

Under the new contract, Temple quickly became one of the most popular actresses of the day. From 1935 to 1938, she was Hollywood's top box office draw. By 1936, she was earning $50,000 per film. Her films included Little Miss Marker (1934), The Little Colonel (1935), and Heidi (1937).

Temple made more than 40 films by the time she reached her teens. However, her box office magic wore off as she aged, and by her late teens her career was petering out. She married actor John Agar in 1946, at age 17. The marriage ended by 1949, the same year she made her last film, A Kiss for Corliss.

She remarried in 1950, to TV executive Charles Black, and changed her name to Shirley Temple Black. Two attempts in the 1950s to launch her own TV shows failed. In the late 1960s, the former actress entered politics, running unsuccessfully for Congress. In 1968, President Nixon appointed her U.S. representative to the United Nations. She served as ambassador to Ghana from 1974 to 1976 and later as chief of protocol for President Ford. She became ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1989 and served until 1992.

July 2, 1937

Amelia Earhart disappears

On July 2, 1937, the Lockheed aircraft carrying American aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Frederick Noonan is reported missing near Howland Island in the Pacific. The pair were attempting to fly around the world when they lost their bearings during the most challenging leg of the global journey: Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island, a tiny island 2,227 nautical miles away, in the center of the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca was in sporadic radio contact with Earhart as she approached Howland Island and received messages that she was lost and running low on fuel. Soon after, she probably tried to ditch the Lockheed in the ocean. No trace of Earhart or Noonan was ever found.

Ok, I gotta go for now but will be back to add kitty picture....stay safe....until next post...

Kittens

Well, I got to work today fully intending to buzz the Internet for news and tidbits to post here (while on their time, shhh) and bam! I ended up having all kinds of work to do! Now I ask, What's up with that! Work at work!? The nerve of them. So I multi-tasked, check out a web site, do some invoicing, make notes for blog. I ended up with a whole page of things I would post about and what do I do? Leave the note at work! sigh! So guess I'll just have to wing it.

While fixing supper, I check the comments at Rod's (Public Enemies-Columbus, link at right)place and viola'...something to post. Kitty pictures! Thanks Jenny! Cracks me up that everyone over there wants a black kitty and I have 10 black ones all together! lol Ribs are in the oven so I grab my camera and run out to the wood shed to try to snap a few pictures. If they're within in eyesight! Momma keeps them tucked back in the wood where it's safer. She moved them from the barn loft just a couple days ago. When they get big enough and she's tired of nursing she will bring her brood up to the back porch to show them where their next food source is.

I grabbed a dangle toy to entice them out and tried to be quiet as I got close but Momma saw me from her guard post and began meowing. Stoolie!! The kittens were all huddled up together sleeping away. I was able to grab this shot before they scattered.

They all scrambled up and ran back behind the wood. So I started playing with Momma trying to get them used to me being there. She was chasing the toy around and scratching on the wood. She started 'talking' and looking to the corner. She wasn't meowing but making these humming noises and looking toward the corner. Sure enough, little heads started popping up. Only 4 of them ventured out to investigate but it was evident that she wanted them to come out so she could show them off. She's a good Momma and very proud.

The flash seemed to freak them out so I didn't torture them to much tonight. We try not to domesticate them to much so they hone their survival instincts for living outdoors. They, like the litters before them, get a kick out of the peacock! They've only been around it for 2 days and already they chase his feathers and play hide-and-seek with each other under his train when it's down. He came up to see what I was doing and I snapped this one of him coming up to the porch.

It's like having a rooster around only he's 10 times louder. Right around daybreak every morning he starts his honking. Each time a vehicle is coming down the road it's "Honk...Awk, Awk Awwwwk!! Like a dang watchdog! lol and this goes on most of the day until sunset. We're kind of to the point now that we just shrug and be thankful he gives us a honk to warns us he's about to get loud!

Getting late here so I better sign-off. I need to make a few Internet fly-bys before I hit the sack and await tomorrows honking lol Take care and have a safe weekend everyone!