The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[Sam Cree]

Well, the guy was facing everyone, so we didn't get to draw his butt.

[RMDupree]

Well, the guy was facing everyone... *SHUDDER*

[RosieCotton]

Here comes Rosie, workin' herself through the weekend posts!

I think I'm about as caught up as I'm gonna get! Good afternoon!

[RosieCotton]

Don't go there, Ruthy!

Bad hobbit lass! Bad, bad, bad!

[RMDupree]

I am traumatized just thinking about it!

[Sam Cree]

Corin, I reckon OT has a wonderful idea, that you ought to have a study or something, a "space" of your own where you can escape for brief periods of time. I think this could be very important once MIL moves in. It could be very important to your family that you have this.

I know I'd need it if my MIL was moving in, but luckily, er, I mean sadly, she has passed on.

[Corin Stormhands]

Well, the guy was facing everyone, so we didn't get to draw his butt.

There are older and fouler images than orcs in the dark places of figure drawing class...

[HairOfTheDog]

Back in my day, we just drew vases, perhaps with a bowl of fruit next to it.

[Corin Stormhands]

Corin, I reckon OT has a wonderful idea, that you ought to have a study or something, a "space" of your own where you can escape for brief periods of time.

Well, I'm working on space. I've now decided that when I build my "shed" it's going to be large enough to accomodate a potting shed/studio/office for me, and just for me. That's probably a couple of years away.

The worst part about this weekend was just that the house was in chaos because I was moving everything. It won't always be that way. And part of the Mrs.' crankiness is that she assumes too much responsibility and plans way too big, then procrastinates or doesn't have the ability to follow through.

Like last night. Since my b-i-l changed the Sunday lunch plans, we went out to lunch. But the Mrs. decided she didn't get the traditional Easter dinner and wanted ham. So yesterday afternoon she goes to Walmart and comes home and fixes a ham, deviled eggs, sweet potatoes, the hole list for dinner last night. I could've saved the $125 we spent at Olive Garden. And she did all this knowning she still had papers to grade and "cookies" to bake.

Sigh, and now she calls me from home and she's sick with a headache. She always gets sick after extended visits with her family. I am not making that up.

Sorry, I'm whining here.

[Corin Stormhands]

Back in my day, we just drew vases, perhaps with a bowl of fruit next to it.

Naked guy. Miami. Sam may also have been drawing fruit...

[HairOfTheDog]

You really ought to write a sit-com! - Your stuff is classic Americana.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Are any of my good friends here "cat" people?

I have a cat question...

We have a 2 year old male cat (neutered).

He has "befriended" a local female cat (probably a stray, but we're not sure), and the female cat is pregnant (not by our cat).

The problem is, the female cat hangs around our place quite a bit, and we feed it, but it's never come in the house, as we don't know if she's "safe" or not. Now that she's very pregnant (i'd assume any day now, considering how her belly hangs on the ground when she walks), I'm conflicted as to if we should take her in or not, at least for the delivery, in case she needs some help.

On one hand, we don't know if she's a former house cat, who is suddenly homeless, or if she's been a wanderer for years. I don't want her to bring anything (diseases, etc) into the house, or have her get uppity and scratch Autumn if Autumn should happen to get too close to the kittens, if we should bring her in for the delivery.

On the other hand, it's supposed to be cold and rainy here for the next several days, and I'd feel just awful if she had to deliver those kittens outside in the cold, and they end up dying.

Any ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Sam Cree]

"Vase of Flowers," Jan de Heem, c.1645

[Sam Cree]

"Naked guy. Miami. Sam may also have been drawing fruit..."

Perhaps. He is a graduate student in some science field, as is the pretty black belt female model.

Strangely, he is not particularly hairy, just in that one spot, very black hair, like on a baby.

[Sam Cree]

Hair, I am kind of shocked to find out that paintings as technically perfect as "Vase of Flowers" were done in the 1600's.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

very black hair, like on a baby.

Nigel Tufnel: "Well, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none...none more black".

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I would have brought her in already! If you don't want to take on the birth and immunization and finding of homes for all the kittens (and keeping momma afterwards), then take her to a foster shelter now, before birth if possible. If possible, she should get immunizations NOW, as the kittens get their early immunities from their mother's milk.

I wouldn't worry too much about whether she has ever been a house cat. Most cats will use a litterbox as second nature. As for diseases, cats and kittens have fewer that are life-threatening to other cats than dogs do. If your cat is immunized, then he is safe from her.

I would isolate her from your other cat, perhaps in a spare bedroom, normal instinct for a male cat would be to kill offspring that are not his own. You will be able to tell I would guess how well each of them handle the other after the birth.

If she is well socialized to you, she will probably tolerate you and your daughter around the kittens just fine, though I would make sure daughter doesn't go in with the kittens unsupervised, especially at first, just because. I wouldn't overly worry about her lashing out later if she doesn't at first.

[RMDupree]

Strangely, he is not particularly hairy, just in that one spot, very black hair, like on a baby.

Why do I find myself morbidly fascinated by that explanation? Eeewwwwww!

[My back yard]

I read your dilemna. I would recommend you provide shelter and bedding outside. A box or crate maybe. And then suggest that you inform the matter to your local animal shelter. But I am more of a dog person.

[RMDupree]

Sorry, I'm whining here.

You'd better be! That's MY job, dagnabit!

Seriously though, it IS very irritating when your time, money and effort is found to have been wasted. Grrr....