Instead of Blogging

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I know I’ve been quiet lately. I should take the rest of the month off from the online world…but I’d miss y’all too much. So, instead, I’ll blog sporadically, without brilliant ideas or deep, thought-provoking posts…if that’s ever what any of them were to begin with.

So, what I have I been doing lately, instead of blogging?

I’ve been enjoying being bewitched by kittens, along with the rest of my family.

Cat Sisters

They are so stinking cute we just can’t stand it. We have two “perchers” – they love to climb up on things. “Things” include us. They both love shoulders, whether those shoulders be close to the ground…

Perching Kitten

…or very far from it.

Perching Kitten 2

They get along great with each other now. They run and play, tearing through the house and pouncing on each other. It’s hilarious to watch. Luna, who was a feral kitten, has gotten totally comfortable with us, too. And, she’s climbed the Christmas tree three or four times. It’s cute right now, though I’m guessing it won’t be next year.

We’ve been doing a lot of what I’ve termed “dog therapy.” This is where a kitty and I sit as close to the dogs as possible and see how far we can get from growling, hissing, and spitting.

The dogs have done great with the kittens. I guess they were so used to Gus that another cat doesn’t bother them. Lily, the calico, has done pretty well with the dogs. She actually laid on the bed with Peanut Sunday night.

Luna, the tortoiseshell, was doing fair with them – they could come close to her on her turf (the bathroom where the kittens sleep at night) and she would just watch them closely and cautiously.

Then, Penny came up on her unexpectedly in the living room and Luna spit at Penny. I’ve decided that spitting must be a highly offensive word in pet-language because it sets Penny off. The same thing happened with Gus. Barking, hissing, and chaos ensued.

I’ve put up a baby gate to keep the dogs confined to the upstairs while the cats are loose downstairs. They can all see each other, but can’t get too close. It seems to be helping. Maybe.

We’ve also been volunteering at the animal shelter, which Megan loves. Walking dogs is her favorite thing to do and she has a strong preference for the pit bulls or any mix thereof. I think she’s watched too many episodes of Pit Bulls and Parolees. I have to say, though, they’re great dogs.

Red

Her favorite, Buddy, who we walked the first Friday we volunteered, got adopted before we were able to go back last Friday. Megan was so sad that she didn’t get to see him again, but happy for Buddy that he found a family. She quickly chose Red (above) as her new favorite.

I mentioned on my Facebook page that I wasn’t sure that volunteering at the animal shelter really qualified as “community service,” since we weren’t really helping people – though the dogs love being out of their pens for awhile. I loved one of my Facebook friends’ responses. She pointed out that it’s a huge help to the overworked staff.

Dog Walking

I’ve found that to be true. The shelter at which we’ve been volunteering is a small, older one. I didn’t really expect it to be very busy or have very many dogs and cats, but it is so full of animals right now and I’ve yet to be in the office when the phone wasn’t ringing off the hook or there weren’t a dozen people coming in and out for something.

I also spent a little time Christmas shopping yesterday. I had ordered a few things online, but the kids needed to shop for cousins and each other. Brian was off yesterday, so we went to – where else? – Chick-Fil-A before heading off in opposite directions.

Brian took Brianna so she could shop for Josh and Megan. I took them, so they could shop for their cousins and each other. Since it was early in the week, it really wasn’t terribly crowded, so shopping went a little better than I expected.

While we were at Chick-Fil-A, I happened to notice that Dan Cathy had signed one of the pictures on the wall. Of course, I had to snap a picture of that. The scripture reference is Ephesians 2:10.

Dan Cathy

And, of course, I’ve spent a lot of time praying for those affected by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. My mind cannot fathom the pain of those who lost children, siblings, wives, mothers, and spouses.

I keep trying to understand why someone would do such a horrible thing, then, realizing that most of us will never understand why because the normal human mind cannot comprehend that thought process. I include the shooter’s surviving family in my prayers as well because I can no more imagine being in their place  than I can imagine being in the place of the families of the 26 victims at the school.

It’s a sad world in which we live. It makes me so thankful for the hope I have in Jesus Christ. A life without that hope seems so sad, dark, and empty to me.

What have you been doing lately?

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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.

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9 Comments

  1. Your pictures are really making me wish we still had a cat or two around! Maybe after we move.

    Volunteering at the shelter is a great way to help out, especially for kids. Our local shelter is always in need of old blankets for the animals too, so any decluttering efforts we undertake benefit more than just us.

  2. Yes, I agree that you ARE doing community service by volunteering at the animal shelter. Can you imagine how mentally drained you’d be if you were a full time volunteer there? So y’all brighten the day and take some of their workload. Yay!

    And your kitties are cute. Glad they are easing the pain of missing Gus.

  3. Our youth service group also has a few kids that will be volunteering at one of our local animal shelters. Luckily this was is a no kill shelter. The students will be walking, socializing, and loving on the dogs and cats at each visit. I too view this as community service, because there are never enough volunteers to help with those type of things. Loving hearing about your new cats. They both are adorable. Hope your family has a wonderful Christmas.
    Blessings
    Diane

    1. Ours is a no-kill shelter, too. That’s another reason we really want to help. While the shelter employees work hard to find homes for all the animals, there are some who have been there for a really long time. We like giving them some time out of pens. We’ve toyed with the idea of bringing a different dog home on the weekends. We may wait until it’s warmer since they’d have to stay in our fenced in yard, but we thought the dogs might just enjoy a bigger place to run — with grass and people to play with them.

  4. My son has been volunteering at an animal shelter as well. It is his favorite part of the week. I would absolutely count it as “service”. The pets that you so lovingly care for are going to join another’s family- how they are socialized in the shelter will make all the difference toward making the new situation work.

    The kittens are adorable!

  5. Going to the Animal Shelter sounds like a great kid activity. I’m sure the kids learn a ton by going there…… Different breeds, how businesses work, what happens to animals, joys people get from volunteering…… and many more.

    I have a blog hop called Homeschool Hobbies and Handicrafts. It’s a place to link up activities that kids are doing. We are not unschoolers, but maybe I’m a want-to-be unschooler. Perhaps my own blog hop will convince me to take a more hands-off approach. I admire you and other unschoolers for having the confidence to work with your children in this manner.

    If you have time to link-up that would be great.
    https://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/12/homeschool-hobbies-and-handicrafts-dec_21.html

    1. I think unschoolers would have a good chuckle at the thought of my family being unschoolers. 😉 We’re just your run-of-the mill classically eclectic, slightly CM turned all-in-one prepackage curriculum schoolers here. I hope your blog hop goes well!

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