I've gotta vent.

Ok, we live on the VERY outskirts of a pretty small town.
Intentionally, when we moved from the last place we lived, we chose the farthest place we could find and afford, from other people. It's not that we're anti-social, really. Day-to-day, the Big Guy and I, we're really pretty sociable. Our temperaments and our personalities are such that we enjoy people.
That being said, we also crave time away from others. I don't feel bad about that, since Jesus, Himself, took time apart from the world and even His disciples, occasionally. I have studied psychology and Child Development, Abnormal Behavior, and a little bit of a handful of other topics. I feel fairly familiar with the Bible, which I'm quite certain keeps me from acting out in various situations...I guess my point is, I'm not unaware of the ways that people learn, grow, and choose to react and respond to things that happen to and  around them. We all do what we think is best, given what we've been taught, and/or learned on our own. Right?
If this isn't the case, then, the only conclusion I'm willing to draw, right now, is that there are a LOT of people who are SO stupid, ignorant, and/or SELF-centered that they don't deserve to exist around the rest of life. Here's why I'm ranting: about 3 months ago, someone dumped 4 kittens outside our place. Yes, there is a barn w/in a few hundred feet, but that doesn't mean AT ALL that these tiny frightened babies are going to A, make it that far w/o getting hit by a vehicle; B, find anything to EAT there, if the do make it that far; or C, that they won't be maimed or worse by the other wilder animals that live nearby. AND, this is the 4th time in  the (less than) 2 years we've been here, that this has happened. Yesterday, ANOTHER, younger little furbaby showed up. ADORABLE. SOOOO friggin' cute.
And, just so you know, we're already over our allotted amount of feline roommates, b/c we thought the (3rd)  one was PREGNANT right before the big freeze last year, so we took her in.
The one good thing I can say at this point is that the newest baby is friendly enough that we might be able to grab it & take it to the local shelter. The last batch were already terrified of humans when the wonderful people dumped them, so we're unable to get ahold of them aside from a tiny pet while they're eating. Miraculously they've been healthy so far...but what about when they start breeding? There's a Tom cat that the neighbor lady keeps outside during the day, and he's certain to start getting with the little baby girl cats as they mature.
It breaks my hear that so much of humanity has come to the conclusion that animals are disposable. It's not surprising, of course. Human babies are completely disposable, so why would animals be treated as if they had any value?
So, I'm pissed at everyone who drops off their unwanted animals. It's not like there aren't SEVERAL animal shelters nearby. I hate stupid people. Sure, I'm stupid in my own ways, and in the past I've been VERY stupid. I understand now how people might have hated me. I just feel so powerless to do anything to right this continual wrong.

This one's from ME. (Too many cut & pastes, huh?)

I'm almost out of library time, but I had to write this down before I forgot it. I wanted to post about Hoarding. This term hasn't always been, it seems to have leapt into conversations just in the last few years. I can see where many other diagnoses would apply to this one (What IS Hoarding, technically??), but several years ago I had a brush with my own undeniable Hoarding tendencies.
When I was a child, we had a cat, Kitty, and she was my best friend through a lot of craziness and tears. Then in high school, my Bff and I adopted a pair from the Humane Society, and things were GOOD. Baby & Bruno were awesome and they kept our family balanced for many years. Then, eventually I was the ADULT in the home, and the pet decisions fell on me. I had Twiggy (tabby cat), who'd joined up with me in Florida, and come back up north with the boys & I. Then I got a job at the local Animal Clinic-perfect for an animal lover, right?! Um, not so much. I learned WAY more of the behind-the-scenes goings-on than I really ever wanted to know. I understand that anyone who deals with health issues, in general, has to develop a thick skin in order to handle the potential emotions that result from such close proximity to their patients. I learned a great many things there, that I'm glad I know. I was able, for example, to give Twig a "Sub-Q" shot once, and I do NOT like shots. (No one was injured, fyi)
I also learned that one of the side-effects of working in an animal clinic is the addition to your critters at home. (Enter Lacey.) So there were 2 cats. Lacey, btw, became my absolutely bff-maybe even moreso than any humans, but can't say for sure.
Things were good with 2 cats, myself, and my 2 boys. We moved into a house (rent-to-own, supposedly), so we got another cat. (Hopi) You see where this is going, right?

Ok, so it became fairly obvious to me that I was entering the CRAZY CAT LADY zone. I decided that if I was going to continue collecting cats, they'd need to stop being the living kind.   

SO, I began collecting porcelain cats, wooden cats, and generally whatever kind I saw that warmed my heart and was not BREATHING. It worked for a while. Then we moved and I packed up most of the collection.

Long story short, The Big Guy and I achieved the 3 cat mark just a week ago today. SIGH. Yes, they're wonderful, YES, I adore them and all of thier little quirks...But fer cryin' out loud, we live in a TINY apartment!! So, without further adeu, I will show you the little beauty that schmoozed her way into our hearts last week. (She was dumped off, apparently. IDIOTS)

I named her Perty, because, well, you'll see. The eldest boy calls her Lollipop, because I referred to her being a munchkin at first, and, you get the connection (Lollipop Guild).  Just ignore the colored-on arm by her head. The Big Guy IS the one who brought her in, and she appears to be a seriously Man's cat. LoL

Floozy.



"come hither", right?!



How are things shaping up @ your place?