Someone (ahem) has been getting more and more determined to visit the kittens (or should I say, the kittens' food?) He arrived with a less-than-attentive child, made a bee-line for the food dish, and completely ignored his niece and nephews.
Eloise hid behind the laundry basket. Henry laid there on his side, looking over with an expression that just said "Dude!" in his very stoner way. Porter worked up the courage to approach and just as he was getting ready to sniff Uncle Norman's ear, Norm started very loudly saying "Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom..." I'm only guessing that translates to "I found it, kid. Get your own."
I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. This is the cat who gave me this...
and this...
and this...
Pardon the blur... it was hard to focus when the cat (with head completely stuck inside the Crazy Bread bag) was scooting around backwards throughout the house while licking cheese and saying "Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom....."
Today is a day for pondering our most frequently wondered wonderings.
For example... I often wonder if Eloise is going to grow into those big bat ears of hers.
(I know you've seen this photo before, but gosh-by-golly it's a cute one... and it demonstrates the ear question oh so well!)
I wonder if Eloise is going to be a midget forever.
(While Charlie wonders how to get in... and Henry and Eloise wonder how to get out.)
I wonder if I will ever get to use my camera without dodging kitten claws again.
I wonder if I should just detach the lens cap and strap from the camera body.
"Porter consulted the Magic 8 Ball and it said to just get used to it, Lady."
I wonder how the glass to the foster room door gets so dirty.
Well, I knew how the outside of the door got so dirty
Oh...
Okay...
Got It!! Thank you for the demonstration.
I wonder what Porter's obsession with feet is all about.
I guess I don't have to wonder if my feet stink.
I wonder if kittens possibly come in a more handsome model than Henry.
I wonder how much longer until I can stop medicating this face
(and start kissing the bejeebers out of it instead!)
He's come a long way, baby. Porter has a couple new spots, but the painful ones on his face are healing (and he doesn't resist medicating the others as much... hallelujah!)
I also don't have to wonder if Porter will ever be my friend. He's becoming quite insistent upon it. A Porter purr is one of the nicest sounds you will ever hear.
With the temperature in Michigan being a balmy 96, the kittens and I slowed down and embraced a lazy Monday.
Eloise was lazy (but beautiful in the sunbeams)
And then she moved to the floor to be lazy some more
She found the perfect lap for lounging
"Oh, WHEN will the Lady be done making that clicking sound so I can go back to sleep already?"
Porter was lazy (yet also disturbed by the camera clicking in his sleep)
So he stretched, and...
Found a friend to be lazy with instead.
Henry was lazy (amazing, but true)
Until something caught his attention....
And he decided to teach that clicking camera a lesson for disturbing his sleep :-)
Our laziness was so fantastically wonderful that I actually spent an entire day reading a book!!!!! (this one) The history nerd inside me was quite satisfied :-)
While I can see dramatic improvement in the past week, for every welt that heals another small one takes its place. The good news is that finding them early seems to delay and minimize the problem. We're winning the war, but it's not over yet. I may finally be seeing light at the end of the tunnel (and I know how much better it feels to be able to see Porter's face behind the scabs, I can only imagine how much better he must feel!)
For those who missed yesterday, I had 3 questions for the experts...
1) How much do you feed your kittens? (Because mine are starving all the time!!)
2) How do you deal with a finicky feline eater? (Because Penny is driving me crazy)
3) Do you have any kitten bath time strategies to share? (Because, yeah... I'm still bathing the ringworm kittens)
If you have any answers, I'd love to hear them. Also, I'm adding a 4th question...
4) How do you deal with a dirty kitten without giving them a bath? Porter is a bit lazy in the washing department... not sure whether it's because it hurts to wash around his sores or if the medication tastes bad or a combination of both, but he's a tad greasy and I'd like to clean him up a bit without the trauma of a sink for a change.
Today's Metro Monday is a story of childhood nostalgia, of urban decay and loss, a reflection of the roller coaster ride that we as Detroiters have endured.
You remember last week's edition when I told you about Sugar Island, the first island amusement park in the Detroit River (which isn't really a river, but a straight)? Sugar Island was closed by the end of World War II, left to disintegrate and decay. In fact, I had even heard of it until this summer. But I had passed by it many times on my way to the island amusement park that endured... Bob-Lo Island.
I didn't even have to go to YouTube in order to hear this song in my head. I'll bet many native Michiganders can remember this commercial as clearly as I can.
The name "Bob-Lo" is an English corruption of the original name given by the French. Bois Blanc Island or "Island of White Woods" was an important source of building materials for the French as they built their forts on either side of the river. The island lies in what is now Canadian waters, but just a quick boat ride from southeast Michigan.
The Boblo Island Amusement Park opened at the turn of the twentieth century. While it could be accessed on the Canadian side by a quick ferry ride from Amherstburg Ontario, part of true Boblo experience for any Michigander was riding on the Boblo ferry boats. The SS Ste. Claire and the SS Columbia. These excursion steamboats conjure images of old time Mississippi River luxury steamships.
SS Columbia
Four decks high, complete with snack bars, gift shops, and a dance floor, these steamships made the 18 mile trek downriver from Detroit to Boblo Island several times per day. Standing on the deck in a cool summer breeze, drinking Faygo and throwing popcorn to the seagulls who flew alongside during our ride, I made this trip at least once per summer with my friends during every one of my teenage years.
Boblo Island Amusement Park from the air (probably from the Sky Tower at the back of the park)
While not an amusement park on a grand scale, Boblo was still a place that could entertain a family for a full day. Built alongside the original dance hall (in the photo above under the blue roof) and picnic area, roller coasters, ferris wheel, bumper cars, and a full midway greeted the passengers as they disembarked.
A postcard of Boblo from the 1980s. The boat dock (in the lower part of the photo) led into the amusement park. Check out the roller coaster along the other shore. This would be the Boblo that I remember.
Competition from Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio (just a couple hours away from Detroit) combined with the deterioration of the steamships and local economy led to Boblo's decline. When the steamships ceased making their island runs in the early 1990s, Detroiters stopped making the trip to the island entirely. The park closed just two years later. The rides were dismantled and sold to other parks throughout the country while the boats sat and crumbled.
From this:
To this:
After nearly twenty years of disuse. Both ships have now been sold to private investors who are working to restore them to their previous glory. Click here for more photos of the interior of the SS Columbia. It's a little worse for wear, but with some imagination you can clearly see the ship I loved just a couple decades ago.
Although the park is gone, Boblo Island remains (obviously). Overgrown with greenery, the only remaining structures from the Boblo that I knew are the Sky Tower and the dance hall. The boat dock, faded and crumbling, still serves passengers who travel by ferry from Canada. The island, which uses its original French name of Bois Blanc, is being developed into high-end real estate... large mansions line the shore and a condo community is being developed. It was almost fitting for my mood, that when I returned to Boblo it was a grey, overcast day. Today's Boblo is almost unrecognizable to me.
The dock of Bois Blanc Island once greeted amusement park visitors. It is now a welcome home for those who ride the car ferry from Amherstburg.
A leftover from the amusement park days... "Boblo" spelled out in white rocks on the shore.
The Sky Tower in the distance, the dance hall is behind the trees to the right. Other than that, the Boblo of my childhood is gone.
As I rode back to shore with a heavy heart, I saw something that reminded me that the beauty I remembered was not completely gone. That happiness can still be found on the river...
My kittens, while noisy when demanding their dinner, do not create the kind of cacophony of chaos that I expected from the tales of other fosterers. They are, however, constantly hungry. Seriously... how much do you all feed your kittens?? Mine have 24/7 access to kitten kibble but what they really want is stinky canned goodness. How many times a day should I indulge them? They would prefer that I open one every time I open the door to the room. I'm thinking a bit less. What are your thoughts?
"The Ellie Belly is empty and can only be filled with canned treats. Hop to it, Lady."
Penny is a dinner time diva (and a breakfast time brat). She began her stay with us refusing to touch canned food and now she refuses to eat kibble. She would starve herself rather than crunch. Now that she's out in the general population of fat boys, mealtimes happen twice a day and she's proving resistant both to eating kibble and eating when the pack eats. Any ideas of how to get her to indulge in a more varied diet and/or come around to our schedule?
"Eloise will just wait here while you get another idea, Lady."
Kittens are getting stronger and wiser during bath time. Bathing them is becoming more of a struggle. While I used to bathe them in a plastic container in the bathtub, they're becoming fighters so I had to change the game plan. Sunday's bath took place in the bathroom sink and went a bit quicker and easier, but I'm anticipating needing a back-up plan soon as they learn the new drill. I'd love to hear your kitten bathing strategies as I anticipate needing to bathe them for another couple weeks.
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