Charles and Clint

A few weeks ago we added two kittens to the menagerie here. Please let me introduce Charles and Clint. They were discovered living in a backhoe by a former coworker. She contacted me and asked if I could do anything to find them a home. I originally intended to foster them but you know how that goes! They are now members of the gang here and as you can see in the photo they are very happy and spoiled.

This is Charles. Since we got them at about 4 weeks of age they were emotionally insecure. Charles likes to latch onto my neck and dry suckle. This is the first time I've faced that behavior but I put up with it. Despite having a heart murmur Charles is very active and playful, though he is more contemplative than his brother.

...and here is his brother Clint. You can just tell from his look that Clint is looking for trouble! He is very affectionate but at the same time Clint is always getting into things here. I have nicknamed them "The Manic Twins" because they are constantly flying around the house and wrestling with each other. They get along great with the other cats here. Clint has taken up with Sam the Man who will undoubtedly teach him how to be a major troublemaker. Charles has a girlfriend, our 12 pound white girl Luvey. He is quite a Romeo and has her licking his head at times.

So that is the news here on the cat front. Later I will write about my latest photography trips and share some photos from them.

Pet Photo of the Month

OK ladies and gentlemen! Ellen needs your help so she can appear on the channel 17 TV station this month. PLEASE vote daily for her. You have to register but it is quick and they do not share information with others. Thank you so much for helping to put cute little Ellen over the top in this contest.

The Transition to Retirement

One thing I've quickly found out is that when you have been teaching for as long as I taught it is very difficult to wind down. Your brain and body are telling you that you must be doing something! Relaxing is going to take some practice.

I have decided to not have any further mention of the St. Johns County school system except to respond to news reports. Getting into a pissing match with individuals won't improve the schools here so why bother? I would like to say that my last year at Bartram Trail we earned another "A" on the FCAT test that Florida has as a mandatory test. What does this mean to me personally? About half of my lawn equipment will now be paid for! Other than that, not much.

I am sitting here with our little tiger Sam, who we nicknamed 'Sam the Man' because of his feisty nature. Here is a photo of Sam one of the few times he has been relaxed.

An Ending and a Beginning

As promised I have retired (pun intended) my teaching blog and now will travel down new paths. Here is the first new item. His name is Sam. Yesterday I saw an email by a coworker telling how her neighbor who works at a restaurant found a kitten eating in the restaurant's dumpster. I contacted her and said that we would take the cat. Today I picked up the supposedly female cat whom I had named Samantha and found out it was a "he". Samantha became Sam and I took him to our vet for a checkup, tests, and parasite treatment since he had grown up outside. Sam is 1.4 pounds and around 5 weeks old. He had a horrible case of fleas which were treated along with a preventative dose of medicine to kill intestinal parasites. Other than that the vet said he was in great health. Sam is isolated in a room at home now and there are four cats peeking at him under the door. He is a feisty little guy who loves to play. After dealing with him awhile the vet just shook his head and told me that I was going to really have my hands full with this alpha cat in training. He has already learned how to play with a ball today and is napping some and exploring the room. I know I am crazy to accept cat #9 but he may have wound up at the pound otherwise so I have few regrets about it so far. Sam is adorable with his huge ears and frantic playing.