Have Compassion and Stop Hating

I have pets.  I love animals.  I have a soft spot for all creatures that look to me for food, be it feral cats, raccoons, possums.  I don't feed wild animals, but it hurts my heart to see hungry animals.   I have three indoor cats, a dog and two guinea pigs.  We have a feral cat issue in my neighborhood. It started a couple years ago. A mama cat showed up and dumped a litter. Two cats survived, the mom disappeared. I fed the two surviving kittens and caught them and had them fixed.  Bad mama came back the next year and had another litter. Of all of those cats two adults are left. One is fixed and the other needs to be caught and fixed.  There are two remaining kittens delivered this year that I have caught and are taming to find homes. We are talking about probably 15 cats in all, two adults remain, one fixed and I have the remaining kittens.

No one is happy about these cats, myself included. I am working to get the last adult fixed and the kittens relocated.  I know people have issues with these cats.   Please understand, feral cats have few options. The humane society will not take them. They cannot be tamed. Friends of Cats and other cat friendly charities will not take these cats. No one wants them, they aren't fed, they are forced to hunt and kill or go thru trash for food. They didn't ask to be here. I find it highly offensive that people want them dead or to catch them and take them somewhere else where they will die. 98% of cats who are trapped and relocated will be run off by native cats and killed.   I would be happy to feed them so they don't kill birds.  If they are fixed coyotes will get them eventually.
I know they crap in yards. I know they kill birds. These cats have no options. They are in the lowest level of survival mode. There are two left. They didn't ask to be here. Coyotes will get them eventually. If you consider them a nuisance, find humane ways to help. Feed them, that way they don't kill birds.

Guess what? Coyotes are already going thru your yards and they crap there too.  Coyotes kill dogs and cat alike.  The cats got here thru irresponsible pet owners.  Be responsible and do something humane instead of hate.

My Baby is Turning 11

I was having one baby.  I knew if I had kids I would have just one.  Being an only child myself, I knew this was a great thing.  Spoiled at holidays and the center of the world for several adults.  Seems simple.  That is what I wanted for my child.  Then I married a man with a son.  OK, I can be a step mom and still have a baby.  Chaz is an awesome kid and unfortunately we didn't get to spend nearly the time we wanted with him, so having another was a good idea.  So we had Sam and if you read my blog, you know about Sam.

The thing is (and there is always a thing) she was such a good baby.  I got tricked.   So when Sam was about 2 and a half or so we decided that this parenting thing was easy and we could surely handle another baby.  It would have been nice for Sam to have the courtesy to be potty trained, but that wasn't to be.   So I got pregnant pretty quick.  This was great news to Grandma, who lived here at the time.  She spent so much time with Sam, and was so wonderful to the girls.

I didn't feel very good when I was pregnant with Haley.  I attributed this to the fact that I had a toddler to take care of, but looking back I think it was more than that.  I ended up having Haley 7 weeks early.  She was so tiny.  I still have an ankle bracelet that is the diameter of a quarter that slipped on and off her foot in the hospital.  We never cut it because it came off easily.  She was that small.  We had some scary days with Haley.  Thank God for our neighbor next door who I consider her angel that literally saved her life when the hospital let her go home way too early. 

So Haley was what you call a needy baby.  She had an apnea monitor and demanded to be held all the time.  Grandma came in very handy here because she loved nothing more than to rock Haley all day long.  I jumped in to feed her every two hours.  So Haley quickly became Grandma's buddy.

Haley eventually grew, but she is still a peanut.  She is healthy as a horse and besides colds never sick.  She is bright beyond her years and stubborn beyond anything you can imagine.  She would literally sit on the stairs in time out for two hours rather than give in.  This trait carries through to current day.  I love her to pieces, but you can't change this kid's mind.  She tells stories beginning with the time the dinosaurs roamed the earth.  She is all about the details, and don't get them wrong. 

She is a love bug.  She loves her kitties and guinea pigs.  She sets up obstacle courses in her room for the pigs, and I don't think they appreciate it.  She is a mommy to all Webkinz.   She sings in the choir at school and gets great grades.  She is going into the 6th grade which just about does me in.  

Just yesterday my good friend Sandi was going from JC Penney's to Walmart and every place in between to find clothes for the baby that was determined to come into the world early while I stayed in the hospital.  Those preemie clothes she so graciously bought just hung on that tiny baby.   My sweet pea.

My Boy is 19

Wow, how can that be?  When I met Chaz he was 18 months old, a sweet little toe head who was totally happy all the time.  His Dad and I were dating (I later married his Dad and had my 2 daughters with him).  He was hilariously funny.  He and his Dad used to play video games, only Chaz would have a controller that was not plugged in, he still played with all his heart.

Today he is a 19 year old young man living in Idaho.  His biological mother robbed us of a lot of time with him over the years, but that is water under the bridge.   He knows how much I love him and all his family here in San Diego loves him too.

So fun memories of Chaz.  Lots of trips to the Zoo and Wild Animal Park.  Chaz loved to see the animals and the petting zoo was a favorite for both of us.  The first time I babysat Chaz by myself - I had so little experience with toddlers.  He didn't get his way about something and he banged his head on the floor so hard I thought for sure he was hurt.  I was wrong, he takes after his Father with that hard head in more ways than one.  Another time I took him out to lunch with my Dad and Grandma in Mission Valley at Chili's.  We were in the parking lot when he saw police officers sitting in their patrol car.  He was about 3.  He yelled that the cops were going to shoot him.   I about died.  The kind officers got out of their car and explained the real purpose of the police and gave him some stickers.  I was so embarrassed, it was awesome!  Chaz has been a great big brother to Sam and Haley and they enjoy the time they get to spend with him.  He was always very kind and sweet to them, also very patient. 

These days we don't always agree on everything.  I'm a typical naggy Mom.  I want him back in school, and he is working towards that.  But like any Mom, I want him to be in school NOW.  But also, as a Mom, I have faith he will do the right thing in his own time.   Maybe just not as fast as I would like.

He's a good kid and I love him dearly and miss him a great deal.  Happy Birthday Son.

Love you - Mom

The DSC is Back

Those of us who know the DSC are greatly excited in their return to the air waves on Jack FM 100.7.   They have been an integral member of our community for many years.  They make incredibly generous donations and fabulous community  service. 
Stay tuned for amazing ways you can make a difference.

Suzanne