Happiness has a name: Coco. Actually, to be fair, it has three names: Fritz (aka Ezra), Mimi and… yes, Coco. I feel lucky to be able to share their lives, and they even make bad days that much better. What more can I ask for? Well actually, wouldn’t mind getting back to my ideal weight now that I have to uncover myself to accommodate the heat, but that will come with all the walking and my soon to be renewed enthusiasm for exercise. Right Coco? :-)
We’re all doing just fine. I had to leave Coco in his cage today for quite a while because of a painting studio class from 9am-4pm. So far I haven’t made it there before 1pm so I figured showing up at 11 would be fine and mean less time in solitary for my newly adopted pooch. He barked a bit when I left, which is kind of normal at this stage, so on the way down I asked my landlady if she could hear him and she said no. Perfect, that leaves us a bit of leeway as far as noise goes.
Mimi is growing more and more curious about him and now gets pretty close to sniff him out. Fritz is being his normal self and hissing at Coco every chance he gets, but he’s still friendly with me which is a great sign—when I brought Mimi home he wanted to kill me for the first month—all in all, this transition is going well. Both cats are curious about the cage and Fritz tried to settle in there a few times… I actually had to pull him out so Coco could get in! Of the three, Coco likes the crate least, but I make him spend some time there while I’m in the room so he’ll understand it’s his own little home to help reduce anxiety when I need to leave him there when I’m gone. I’ll probably be able to let him roam free soon because he really is quite the little prince and knows his manners, but I’m not giving him any leeway right now—that way there’s no chance for him to fall into bad habits and it also helps to quickly establish who the alpha dog is around here. I’ve started giving him his food there so he‘ll make pleasant associations with it, so he now goes in (more or less) willingly and naps there with the door open until I tell him he can come out. This evening Mimi walked right up to him while he was laying there and sniffed him out for a while, so I snapped a few pics for evidence. I’m guessing those two will become fast friends in no time at all.
As for mum (i.e. me), she’s pretty tired; the new early to rise routine, the many walks per day and the excitement of newfound love… but it’s a good tired of course. There’s nothing on the agenda tomorrow and up till now I’ve used those days to catch up on sleep and get much-needed rest, so we’ll see how I handle the challenge of putting the dog’s needs before my own. Something tells me my maternal instincts will kick in whether I want them to or not. :-)
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He’s fast asleep in what used to be the cat bed. Mimi is lying across the room observing him intently—she’s approaching him right now… very very slowly…
She hissed and made to attack when he first walked through the door earlier today. He didn’t seem too perturbed. They warned me at Animatch that he might yelp quite a bit when trying to handle him, partly out of nerves and partly because he’s a diva. In fact, he was calm from the moment we picked him up K and I, then during the 30 minute drive back to town during which I took a bunch of pics, then sitting on my lap as I was trimming his ears on my balcony, then as I cleaned around his eyes where the fur was all matted. All without a peep. He’s been tethered to me since we got home. When he’s not tied to me, I put him in his cage for now. He wined a little bit the first time I put him there, but nothing too serious and he stopped when he realized I was ignoring him (not easy to do considering what a cutie he is, but necessary). That’s how it’ll be for the next few days to make sure he doesn’t try marking and also to protect him from the cats if need be.
Mimi is right next to the bed now… and now backing up again, sitting down and staring at him from a few feet away. She’s trying to figure out what kind of creature he is. He’s oblivious to it all and fast asleep.
We’ve gone for a couple of walks already. We met a lot of kids and he was calm as can be and wagging his tail when they came up to pet him. I have to help him up the stairs outside since you can see through them and it makes him nervous. I’ll be taking him out again as soon as he wakes up. I’ve been calling him Coco today. Not to say that’s my final decision because “Coco” is a term of endearment in French, much like “sweetie”, but then again, it suits him. We’ll just take it as it comes for now. So far, so great.
Pics by Smiler
This is kind of ridiculous. It’s practically a full-blown anxiety attack I’m going through right now. I’m totally dizzy and I need to keep reminding myself to breathe because I forget to take in enough air.
Yesterday we celebrated my friend K’s 45th b-day with a Tuscan meal that four of her close friends and I prepared for her. She’d been so looking forward to our get-together (the first time she got all her best friends together at the same time) and I wanted the evening to be special too. But then I didn’t sleep well the night before and by the time I got there wasn’t feeling at all well. I hope my lack of enthusiasm didn’t put a damper on the evening. We had lots of delicious food and all overrate. We had made plans for a sleepover and all I could think about was how much I missed Mimi as I tossed and turned all night, trying to get my overfull tummy in a comfortable position and being woken up time and time again by countless nightmares. Had Mimi been with me, I could have cuddled her a little and gone back to sleep to the calming sound of her purring. Morning couldn’t come around too soon and when I got up to join K & her friend A in the kitchen, they told me they heard me talking all night, which came as no surprise considering how tormented my sleep was. I took a morning bus home and promptly lay down on my couch with curtains closed to try to get some decent sleep, this time protected by Mimi sleeping atop me (and… bonus! Fritz too!), but again, an endless chain of disturbing dreams kept me from getting properly rested.
I made the effort to get up and make myself dinner this evening, but all I can think about is that I’ll be brining the puppy home tomorrow. We’ve agreed K and I to pick him up at Animatch around 7 pm (just 22 hours away now!). But I’m so on edge right now that I’m thinking perhaps I should skip my watercolours class, since I’ll probably be too distracted to get much out of it, and pick him up in the early afternoon. I don’t know why I’m so nervous really. It’s silly, but I’m really concerned that I won’t be up to the task, and worse, that the cats will hate me for bringing in another creature. My kittens have been huddling up close to me all day and I can’t help but wonder if after tomorrow… is it likely they’ll do that again?
I know I know… I worry too much. But if I could change that, I’d probably be an altogether different person, right?
I need to calm down a little. Right now I’m so excited it feels like I’m about to have a heart attack. It’s not as if it came out of the blue or anything. I’ve been wanting a dog for a long time now, but suddenly there are big changes coming up around the bend and I’m getting a little bit panicky at the moment. Here’s how the story goes:
I met my friend K back in the summer of 2008 and blogged all about it later in a post called A Dog Called Yo. At the time, K had just purchased Yo from some homeless kid who was too sick to take care of him. K and I bonded over our love of animals and promised to get together for more walks along the canal. Fast forward to about a week ago when K (whom I have yet to go on a walk with, but has been a Facebook friend ever since), posted the above picture with a caption that read “looking good after a bath (he was full of burrs).” I commented on what an adorable little munchkin he is and left it at that. Then, still reading K’s comments on FB, I learned she had found him wandering the street, visibly lost and/or abandoned. She had searched for the owners quite thoroughly without success and was now looking for a good home for him since she couldn’t keep another dog, as she already has two. I wrote back that I would consider taking him in, but for the fact that my landlords were radically opposed to having a dog in the apartment. But the more I looked at his picture, the more I thought that this was possibly the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.
I called K who gave me the full rundown about what kind of dog he is (probably a Poodle/Bichon mix, about 10 lbs—the size of my cats—maybe 3 or 4 years old, very friendly, not at all yappy, eager to please but still needing training). She made it very clear she wasn’t willing to give him away to the first person who just found him cute without realizing what kind of responsibility a dog is, and risk him ending up at the pound or wandering the streets again. I know exactly how big a commitment a dog is. Much like having a kid at the beginning, especially when they’re still puppies. For the past couple of years I’ve been thinking a dog might just be the ticket to help get me get more disciplined and back into a daily routine, not to mention force me to get out of the house not once, but several times a day, every day of the week.
On Saturday I wrote an email & attached the above pic, asking my landlady J whether they would consider letting me bring him home on a trial basis for a few weeks and sent it out like a bottle to sea, feeling hopeful but not expecting much to come of it. Then, against all odds, got a reply last night, saying they were ok for a few weeks trial and “p.s. he’s so cute I’m sure my girls will want to get to know him!”. I had started working on a watercolour just then but after that couldn’t sit still long enough to finish it.
K had him fixed last week, whereupon the vet confirmed he is still a puppy and only about a year old. When she called me this morning to discuss our arrangement, she spent some time going over the responsibility that a puppy represents, just to make sure I realized what I was getting into. She suggested I get a crate or cage to help with the training process (and also give him a safe haven from the cats & vice versa, was my thinking) so the first thing I did was call around and look at craigslist ads etc to find a used crate or better yet, just a loaner for the time being. After calling the SPCA and my vet and leaving messages to potential sellers, I tried out the pet store where I get cat food every month and was told that sure enough, they have a loaner they keep for just this kind of occasion. I could hardly believe my luck and rushed over, hoofing it up the hill with just a couple of minutes before closing time.
When I got there, I found this HUGE folded up cage. I decided I would manage taking it down the hill if I took baby steps and plenty of breaks along the way. Carrying it was no joke and I couldn’t walk more than 20 steps without having to stop and rest for a bit. This gave me plenty of opportunity to think over what I’m getting into and I suddenly started panicking, thinking that maybe this whole dog thing would turn out to be as big a burden as the cage was at that moment and that maybe I was getting in over my head with this fostering business. Albeit I’m doing better these days, there are plenty of reminders that I’m still far from being fully recovered after all. Before I knew it I had a complete meltdown. At least I had managed to make it home by then, so cried my little heart out with just the cats around, who by now are completely freaked out and probably sensing that something big is about to happen. But in my 40 years, I’ve learned that a meltdown is nothing to get worked up about and is not in the least indicative of bad things to come. Quite the opposite in fact, as it’s often been the case that things have turned out better than expected.
So that’s it basically. Now I’m just waiting for K to call me back so we can arrange the hand over which I imagine will happen within the next couple of days. In the meantime I plan on giving my kitties plenty of loving and hope they don’t hate me for the rest of their lives for bringing a third kid—of the canine sort no less—into THEIR home. Just a foster kid for now, but of course I’m hopeful that it’ll all work out and we’ll all live together happily ever after.
Wish me… wish ALL of us plenty of luck.
Fingers and toes crossed.
Ok, last one before I go. Just a few pics to show the latest cardboard structures my kitties have taken to. I got them this great Kittie Chalet at the Souk @ SAT for Christmas (note the cool cardboard deerhead, exchangeable options available). But of course what do they spend the better part of their time in? Some stupid cardboard piece that came in a box carrying a fan this summer. I can’t bring myself to get rid of it though. They just look so cool in there!
Pics taken on my iPhone in bad lighting conditions.
A little big thing, or a BIG little thing… I can’t decide which category the following announcement falls into:
Today I bought my very own dancing hippopotamus. It came with a lovely custom-made pink tutu and everything. As all my beloved frequent readers know, I’m quite enamoured with most types of animals, and dancing animals are really quite extraordinary so I guess it’s not so very strange of me to have made such a purchase, even though I would have expected I’d have gotten a dog before getting into such big game. But I simply couldn’t resist the opportunity so I threw caution and common sense to the wind and got my very own piece of Fantasia… which will forever remind me of my mother and I laughing to tears at the sight of those ungainly ballerinas. I know better now—I will not laugh at my newly adopted hippo so as not to hurt it’s feelings, and I will treat it with good care—sure, I might smile on occasion when I look at it, but I don’t think it will mind that. I haven’t chosen a name yet, a task which is made a bit difficult as I’m not absolutely sure whether it’s a boy or a girl yet (the pink tutu has become a unisex thing as I understand it). The most amazing thing in all this is that the cats don’t even seem to notice the new arrival, which would normally have them running out of their own skins… Maybe cats have a natural affinity with hippos? Who knew?
I should count my blessings. This clip (thanks to Jonas for the link) reminds me of Mimi in many ways, only no matter how excited she gets, my Mumu manages to leave the drapes intact and doesn’t knock stuff down—like invaluable antique lamps and such—(knock on wood). If it weren’t for the all that intense shedding I’d say she really is the perfect cat. Otherwise, I have load of pics on hand for a show and tell session about the last couple of days, which turned out to be quite lovely and fun-filled days actually. Just please don’t tell anyone I enjoyed myself for so long because I don’t want to jinx it. In any case, that post will have to wait till another day. I promised myself I’d try to get to bed early-ish tonight.
Gotta get to the grocery store in the a.m. tomorrow before they run out of cherries altogether. I called the manager tonight to ask whether they’ll be carrying them for a while longer and he said I should get there asap if I want to get my share because they’re almost out. No kidding. They’ve been on special at 99¢ a pound this week! Can you believe it? I’ve been eating cherries like they’re going out of style. Now I need to get a whole new big batch so I can bake some delectable dessert to share at “school” on Wednesday, when we have arts & crafts and cooking sessions followed by a collective lunch when we eat whatever has been prepared by the cooks for the day. I like Wednesdays. Other than arts & crafts, one of my other favourite things happens to be baking. Which I am no longer allowed to do unless it’s to share the results with other people—if I want to keep my voluptuous enough as it is figure. I’ll be hitting my many cookbooks for inspiration tomorrow. Something easy and simple but mind blowing à la Jamie Oliver-type-thing. Cherry pie? Cherry-Appricot Cobbler? Cherry Soufflé? Cherry Clafoutis? Cherry torte? Cherry-Almond Triffle? As long as it’s made with fresh cherries and real butter or cream or whatever, I doubt I’ll go wrong whatever I choose to make.
I wuv you Fwitz!
T’was a long long day filled with physical activity, mental stimulation, chores and tasks and fun projects. All this on just four hours of sleep. Not optimal, no. But we’re working on it. Just six minutes ago, I sat myself down to wind down in front of the boob tube expecting one of my high octane cop shows but it so happens the spelling bee championship is going overtime, so I’m watching that instead. It’s actually both exciting and wildly interesting… and there’s plenty of suspense too. I’m taking shots at spelling out the words before these little geniuses do and so far I’m faring not too badly considering I haven’t pored over dozens of dictionaries like these kids—and someone else I know quite well (hi mum)—and I have a so-so recall memory for words. Oh—hang on—and here we have it: (announcer) AND THE WINNER IS…Kavya Shivashankar! There. I’m sure this brilliant young lady will go places. Breaking news, right here on From Smiler, With Love!
Other than that, I got quite the nice surprise getting home when I found Fritz sitting just behind Mimi by the entrance this afternoon, and when I tried to pet him, not only did he not run away, but he actually seemed to enjoy it too! Then he let me pick him up, and then he started purring—something I haven’t heard from him in ages!—then the ritualistic face and hair licking followed (something I’m not particularly fond of but I put up with it for a bit because this is Fritz’s ultimate token of affection). I tried pushing the envelope a little bit and went as far as brushing him too and wouldn’t you know it, he was actually enjoying himself! And purring! AGAIN! I’m not even mentioning Mimi because she was being her usual charming & lovely self—which doesn’t go unnoticed mind you—but Fritz’s DOA (display of affection) was an amazing and… yes, newsworthy breakthrough today.
To all you non cat lovers: two days in a row with the kittie stuff… I know, and I coulda blogged about lotsa other things because God only knows there’s plenty going on in that head of mine since I’ve started going to my day program but this’ll have to do for today (that and did you check out the previous post? Worth the 98 seconds for sure!
Voilà! There’ll be more bits and morsels as we go along… of course.
Pics by Smiler using iPhone with QuadPhoto App
