Cats

I've never liked cats.  I would watch my Papa shoot them if they came into his yard.  Really.  I watched him fling one over the fence by its tail.  We were taught that cats were bad.  So I have never liked them.  Refused to have them.  Until Jerry came along about two years ago.  I couldn't say no when Brandon and the kids asked to keep him.  And he was cute.  I kinda liked him.

About a year later Brandon thought it was a good idea to stop at a home with a sign that said FREE KITTENS.  With the kids.  They brought one home.  Looking back, I should have made them take her back.  But I didn't.  How was I supposed to know she would get knocked up and go into labor on my bed, right next to me??????

Brandon woke me when it started.  I flipped out and yelled at him to run get a box because she was NOT giving birth on my bed.  I've tried to blame what happened next on Charlie barking but the truth is, I startled Kotex (her real name is Ella) and she bolted from the bed.  Her first kitten fell out of her and on the floor by the vent.  

UGH.

Great.

Can kittens get a TBI (traumatic brain injury)?????

I grabbed a towel, scooped up the kitten and then mom and put them in the box.  I've never seen a cat give birth.  Obviously. And it was pretty cool to watch Kotex immediately start taking care of her baby.  I figured she was just having one, which confused me because I thought they had huge litters.  After reading on google and finding out there can be anywhere from ten to sixty minutes between births I went back to bed.  We woke up to a total of four kittens.  

Kotex has tried twice to move the under our bed.  On my side.  Seriously??  Why my side??

Those of you who have known me for a long time, I am sure are finding this hilarious.  Those in my family are probably finding this shocking and against everything we've been taught.  

So, we have four kittens.  Three still need a home when the time comes that we can take them away from their mom.  Anyone want one???  Please???

Jill vs. the Snake

A couple of weeks ago, I came home from a friends wedding to find a snake in Luke's aquarium that normally houses small frogs. Awesome.

 Luke proceeded to tell me how he caught it. Carried it home and downstairs to put in his red bin. Which he couldn't find at first and then once he had, he had to empty it out. Which is when I clarify that he brought the snake in the house and was holding on to it for that entire time????? At that time I was so relieved that he didn't drop it and lose it in the house. I asked him why he didn't just put it in the tank to begin with and he said, "Well, I wanted to show Dad. I didn't think it was a good idea to wake him from his nap holding a snake over him."
Good thinking. 

We told Luke he could keep the snake in the tank through the weekend. On Saturday night, the snake made a break for it. I don't like snakes or any other creepy crawly type animals. Contained, they are fine. I don't want to look at them but they don't bother me. A snake on the loose, in my house, is a whole different story.

In tears, I made Brandon and Luke tear a part the basement to find it. I know Brandon thought I was nuts. How were they going to find this little garter snake?? In that moment, I did not care.  They HAD to find it.  Needless to say, it wasn't found. I was pretty close to taking up a couple of friends on their offers of a couch or trampoline to sleep on instead of sleeping in my house. But, I stayed home and slept in my house.

In my bed.
With a snake loose.

I made Brandon shut our bedroom door and put towels along the bottom. Brandon almost lost some toes that night. He found it funny to wiggle his toes at me and make little noises that scared me half to death.  It's rare tat I don't find that man funny.  That night, he was not funny.

He thought he was.  I contemplated amputating his toes.  

A few days go by, roughly a week, and I am finally coming to the point where I figure the snake has died or found it's way out. So life went on. Til I did some laundry...

I was switching over a load of laundry and was reaching into my washing machine when I realized I did not have clothes in my hand but something else.  That was moving.  The snake.  It was alive. I drop the snake, scream for Brandon and immediately drop to the floor hugging my knees and start crying. Which I feel was the appropriate response given the circumstances. Brandon and Luke took it outside and I don't know if they let it go or killed it. I don't care. I still shiver and get chills just thinking about grabbing it. I'm fairly sure that Brandon had to bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

I gave the tank to a friend for her sons birthday. I think she is nuts to allow a creepy crawly thing in her house. Look what happened to me!! Luke can still catch all the critters he wants. They will just have to stay outside.

Last summer I had to put a limit on the number of frogs he and his friend could catch and put in the tank. It was 4. I explained that there was "no more room at the Inn". Well, this summer, the Inn is shutting down.