Friday, October 15, 2010

Fiona Friday and Mindless Meanderings

I absolutely love this photo of Fiona because it shows her typical patient, relaxed expression. She is such a lovely cat in both looks and personality. Fiona has continued to grow, since Isabel arrived, and she is a big, sturdy cat, now.

Some of you already know that yesterday was a banner day for our kitties. We've been slowly letting Isabel spend the night outside her room (the utility room) but I was planning to put her to bed in the usual way until I spent some time reading in the bedroom. Fiona was sleeping at the end of the bed on her cardboard scratching pad and it was cold, so I moved her onto the bed. Then, in marched Isabel, once Fiona had finished her luxurious bathing ritual and dropped off to sleep.

Fi was nervous, at first, afraid the little hellion would pounce on her. So, I petted her head and told her, "It's all right." Isabel was obviously tired and ducking in submission. Fiona relaxed and groomed Izzy. Izzy kneaded on Fi's belly a little, feeling instinctively mothered, I suppose. And, then Isabel walked around behind Fi and put both her paws around Fi's neck and groomed her head. Then, she curled up within inches of Fiona. Awww. I can't believe my two kitties have only known each other for about 7 weeks! I ended up letting Isabel sleep outside the utility room and was rewarded with the warmth of two nearby kitties, most of the night.

On the book end of life, I finished reading The Puzzle King by Betsy Carter, Thursday evening. I loved the ending and had to reach for a tissue when I read the brief Epilogue, which touched me deeply.

I'm getting close to finishing Nightshade by Andrea Kremer, a book my son gobbled down in a single evening. It's taken me a bit longer, but I'm enjoying my jaunt into a world of werewolves.

I'm also reading Detectives Don't Wear Seatbelts by Cici McNair, a former Mississippian and world traveler who now owns a private detective agency. And, I started Why We Need Love, edited by Simon Van Booy but the first entry bogged me down. I'm going to get back to that, today. It's an excerpt from Silas Marner and I think I was just too tired for George Eliot's lengthy sentences when I first picked up the book. Oh, and one more -- I started reading Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo, two evenings ago. It's mildly fluffy and totally fun, thus far.

In other news . . . I'm a klutz. No, really. In the midst of the read-a-thon, my husband called to ask me to measure two prints so he could search for frames. I fetched one from the mantle and then climbed on a chair to retrieve the other from the top of a bookcase. I fell off the chair and hit the back of another dining chair, just below my ribs. Yeow. And, then I cut myself while opening a parcel. I was chatting with someone and told her I've become Superklutz and she said, "That's nothing. I sliced my lip open on a popsicle, this morning."

That definitely made me feel better.

Recent Arrivals (both from Paperback Swap):

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Jacobsen and Coleman
The Republic of Nothing by Lesley Choyce

I tried to write a review, yesterday, and found myself staring at the computer, instead, so I've still got plenty of catch-up reviews to write. Hopefully, next week I'll feel more inspired. At least I'm enjoying the reading.

Update - forgot to mention:

If you subscribe to my feed, you will have probably noticed a number of posts containing nothing but lists of reads in years past, yesterday or the day before. That is because I just happened to find a stockpile of old calendars and decided to update my sidebar so that you can now peek into my past reading life as far as 1997. I began keeping track of books I'd finished primarily because I was reading a lot of titles by Dick Francis and the titles didn't necessarily have a clear association with his storylines, so I kept accidentally buying them twice. That was sometime in the 90's. During the early years, my reading wasn't always accurately recorded and often I had trouble reading my writing because my calendar was cluttered with children's activities, work schedules, travel notes, running mileage during the years I ran regularly . . . you name it. Sorry about that mess in your readers. Just page past it to get to the normal posts.

Happy Weekend, Everybody!

Lovable, furry old Grover Bookfool

©2010 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

12 comments:

  1. I'm glad to see Fi and Izzy are getting along so well. I've heard the clumsiness comes along with menopause, but I'm not sure that's true.

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  2. I wish our kitties got along so well. If one tries to groom the other it still ends in a fight in our house. I think it's because they were older when they had to adapt to each other.

    I love the bit about the popsicle. I hope you have recovered from your fall - that didn't sound fun.

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  3. Awww - so glad the girls are getting along. Love that picture of Fi!

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  4. Kathy,

    Me, too! They sometimes play rough, but they already get along better than Sunshine and Spooky. No growling, no blood. I am absolutely thrilled!

    I haven't got menopause as an excuse, but I do have an inner ear fluid imbalance that, unfortunately, is never completely gone. I should have known better than to climb on a chair with a print in one hand. If I'd put it down, so that both hands weren't full, I might have been able to at least grab support.

    Alyce,

    There was the potential for a fight because Fiona was nervous; Isabel loves pouncing and it's when she's really tired or very hungry that Fi is more likely to fight, even when Izzy's offering an olive branch, but fortunately she trusts me and telling her it was okay worked. I do think the fact that Fi was still mostly kitten helped them adapt. That and Isabel is small, so she wasn't intimidated like she was when we tried to adopt a 3-year-old kitty (Desmond -- remember Desmond?).

    I'm almost back to 100%, thanks. My bruises are fading fast! :)

    SuziQ,

    Isn't that a sweet expression? Kiddo was home when I loaded the photos and I had to run to fetch him so he could see that I'd captured the "real Fiona". She is such a gentle girl and I think that shows her well. Kiddo agreed, so you have it from both of us. :)

    Thanks! I'm ecstatic that my girls are getting along so well! Not that we don't still have our share of wrestle-chase going on, but any tender moments are extremely thrilling.

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  5. I love your Fiona stories! Won't you submit one to the Dewey site? I can just imagine the two of them cuddled up together with you, and I love how they're friends now. Our two kitties made friends rather quickly, by putting their front paws under the door separating them. I can't imagine not having two kitties in the house!

    I hope you feel better from your bruise. Household projects are the worst!

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  6. Ack! I meant to say first off that I loved the photo of Fiona, too. Before I even started reading I just had to stop and absorb her sweet expression. Lovely kitty, she.

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  7. Bellezza,

    Thank you! Isn't she a sweet-faced girl? I just love those little fur faces. Both of them are really expressive and make us laugh a lot.

    That's very cool that your kitties got along well from the start. I separated mine by putting Isabel in the utility room, but there wasn't enough of a gap for them to reach under the door. Fiona only growled at Isabel twice, though, once we started to let her out, little by little. Spooky growled at Sunshine until close to the end of Shiny's life, so this is a nice change for us. I'm so happy that the kitties are getting along well.

    I've thought about submitting a story to the Dewey site. I have so many, it might be hard to choose, though!

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  8. Oof! I meant hissed. I'm obviously not hitting on all four pistons. LOL

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  9. Awww that is such a cute story about the cats! I can't believe they are cuddling already!

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  10. Amy,

    I know! Shocking isn't it? Well, surprising, anyway. :) They still fight, too, but most of the time it's more play than meanness (the exception: when Fiona is sick and tired of being pounced on . . . or very hungry).

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  11. What a great picture of Fi! She looks so wise and thoughtful. :)

    Sorry to hear about your fall! I'm pretty klutzy myself, but have been quite pleased that I haven't fallen off my bike...yet! ;)

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  12. Les,

    Thanks! Doesn't she? I just love that photo. Fiona's not fond of cameras, so I was surprised to find that I'd managed to capture her true look. She's a sweet, affectionate girl.

    Thank you. I'm pretty much healed, already. That was one painful fall. I was lucky I didn't break a rib. Next time I have to climb on a chair, I'll take off my socks and keep one hand free! LOL

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