Meems the Word

Previously, I mentioned that I wanted to quickly find my rabbit friends a permanent home so I could take in a cat.  Things worked out unpredictably well, at least for the moment.

This message was sent out to me and my animal-people friends:

I normally don't send these emails, but I'm in a bind.

I urgently need a foster or adoptive home for Meemers -- my one-eyed chubby black five-year-old former foster cat. She's spayed, UTD on vaccinations, and literbox trained.

Her new foster-to-adopt situation is not working out. I don't have the room to take her back -- because we are doing so many bird fosters right now -- and also because of my travel schedule. I don't want to pick her up from her current situation and just stick her in a crate -- it won't help her stress levels nor give her the skills she needs to be in a home. 

She's been acting out in her new home -- sounds like she's over stimulated and may need an experienced cat home to help her learn how to not be stressed and how to cope with change. I will pay for any treatment or supplement needed -- someone recommended rescue remedy. AND I will also happily pay for her food while she is in foster. She's still a Pennsylvania SPCA cat, so until she's adopted, vet care is free through them.

She's lived with other cats and got along great (that may actually help calm her down). I don't recommend children or dogs at this time unless it's really an experience cat home that could deal with any stress related to living with dogs.

I think this may be her SIXTH home that didn't work out so she really needs an understanding and loving situation. I'd adopt her myself if we didn't have cat-aggressive dogs and the birds. I love her silliness and sweetness and I'm not even a cat person AT ALL.

Can you help? Are you a super cat hero that can help give her some coping skills before her next home? Are you able to consider adoption?  Do you know a super cat hero who can help?

She reminds me of those poor little kids who grow up in the foster system -- being shuttled from home to home and never feeling comfortable. We are the most constant thing in her life and we've only been temporary fosterers between her getting rejected from one home and then the next....

So you can understand why I felt so compelled to help this cat.  Not long after recieving this message, one of my roommates found a cheap place in Center City (seems like an oxymoron, right?)  So this roommate moved out, and I moved into her rooms.

The way this space is laid out, there are two small rooms instead on one medium room.  I put the rabbit in the smaller room and the cat and I are in the bigger one.  Things are going well.  But enough about the space, let me tell you about the cat.

Meemers is soooo sweet and affectionate.  Her favorite thing to do in to perch on your shoulders and purr right in your ear.  She loves it!  From this position, she can also easily swat at any ponytails.  Meemers also loves sleeping with her person at night.  It's extremely sweet.  For the first week of her stay here, I couldn't move into the rooms yet so she had to sleep by herself (I didn't want her to eat the rabbits in my sleep).  She was heartbreakingly upset by this.  Once I moved, she slowly, but excitedly walked on the bed like, "Really?  I get to sleep with you tonight?!"  Once she got over her too-good-to-be-true-feeling, Meems (I call her that sometimes) started to purr and everything was right with the world.  She would occasionally lick my chin, which of course made me burst out laughing.  Since this time, Meemers has taken to sleeping in the dip of my waist with her head around my rib area and her butt on mine.  It's funny to say the least.  It's a bit weird to say a bit more.  I don't mind though.  

There are literally millions of animals who need foster or permanent homes.  Please check your local shelter to find these animals.  They are all as lovable as my friend Meemers and all of their lives literally depend on us to help them out of the situation we have put them in.    

It's hard to find a sturdy statistic on shelter animals killed each year.  From what I've read, 8 million cats and dogs are killed (who knows the number on small mammals and other pets) and this number is hopeful.  Realistically, the number is probably much higher.  

Folking Around

In 2005, I went to my first Philadelphia Folk Festival.  It was amazing.  It was one of the best times of my life.  The friends, the strangers, the music, the RV camping, it was all amazing!  Since this trip, I have always thought of Folk Fest as one of my Happy Places (the other being Odyssey of the Mind World Finals).   

The following year, the same friend and I went and volunteered, and it was just as crazy fun.  It's always hot but there are always exciting way to cool off.  Like walking to the nearby creek, playing by the water pumps, or starting or finishing a water fight.   Also, this time, we camped for real!

The year after that, my friend and I went again, this time we brought our boyfriends.  Another good time.

Now, it's 2011 and I haven't been to Folk Fest in four years.  I can't believe it's been that long!  Time flies.  It's depressing, really.

At any rate, I'm itching in the worst why to go back to Folk Fest.  This time, I'm bringing and playing an instrument.  My ukulele of course.  I think I've settled on Karma as a name for her.  With this dream to head back to the promised land of Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, I've formed a goal to save up some money (mostly so I can afford to miss five days of work) and to learn and memorize 50 songs on the uke before my journey.  I've learned eight so far.  Not too shabby.

I've made a list of all the songs I want to learn.  I'm not writing them all out here though.  But, here are the songs I feel pretty good about, more or less in the order I learned them:

1.) First Impressions (Julia Nunes)
2.) Walkin' After Midnight (Patsy Cline)
3.) What's Up (Four Non-Blondes)
4.) Science Fiction/Double Feature (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
5.) Rainbow Connection (From The Muppet Movie)
6.) Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (Burt Bacharach and Hal David - B.J. Thomas)
7.) Nowhere Man (The Beatles)
8.) You're the One That I Want (From Grease)

Party On!

Two videos in a row?!  How lazy!  But seriously,  this is an elaborate prank my roommates and I created when my other roommate went on a road trip.  It's bloody brilliant*!

*P.S. I'm in the mood for Monty Python.  And Wayne's World.

So Far and Yet So Close...

I often feel like I must be a terrible friend/person for things to have ended the way that they did between me and an old friend.  This comforts me.  I'm not all bad, right?