GOOD FOOD AND DARWIN SUNDAY

This weekend has been amazing!  Windows open, working in the garage and attic, it's cool and beautiful.  Getting a lot done we have put off because of the heat.  

Time for some good food and some Darwin pics.

2nd Man made his Piccadillo the other night.  Ground turkey, potatoes and veggies in a tomato base with Mexican rice on the side and corn tortillas.  So yummy and always good and healthy comfort food.

After we eat, 2nd Man bottle feeds Darwin and then I take him to weigh him and clean him up.

Here he is taking his post bottle bath on my arm while watching TV!

It wasn't long before he fell asleep...

...and then fell over into a deep sleep, dreaming of more bottles and snuggles.

By the way, he has crossed 500g which is a pound!

Five weeks old and 1 lb.  

#livinghisbestlife

 

GRANDMOTHERS QUILT

Getting things set up in the house. We were going through quilts we had saved and stored away and found this one.  My grandmother (on my mom's side) made most of them and when she passed, we found some that had been made but never used.

With the guest room being pink and yellow in its color palette, we figured this one would be perfect on the bed in there.  Bought some new sheets and put them on and then put on this quilt. 

Here is a closeup.  I remember when we my mom pulled it out of the linen closet at my grandparents' house, she looked at the star shapes and recognized some of the fabric from dresses she had as a child. Most of it was from old flour sacks that doubled as extra fabric for creating things around the house, including dresses and/or quilts.

 I took this picture before we put the bedspread on so you all could see it. Not sure what this pattern/detail is called but I bet some of you out there know, ha. It fits the bed just enough, though it doesn't go down the sides much; it was probably made for a full-size bed instead of a queen, but it still looks awesome on there.

We are waiting on one piece of furniture for the room and it will be finished.  Once it's done, we will be sure and post pictures.  We love how it's coming together.

AWESOME DEAL ON NEW TREES

Recently, when we went to Tractor Supply for kitten supplies, I noticed they had really nice looking fruit trees.  This was end of September.  They were $40 each (till a good deal for the size) and I asked if they go on sale and a guy said that usually sometime in October, they can go down to $20 each.

Saturday, I fired up Bill the Farm Truck bright and early (we were already up at 6am feeding Darwin, I just stayed up, ha) and headed to Tractor Supply.  Sure enough, most of their trees were on sale for $20 each down from $40.

I dug around and found the ones we needed, bought them and loaded them in the truck.  Side note, this truck has been so awesome to have, but I digress, ha. Drove home (a little slower than normal and off the freeway) with a backend full of trees.

I picked up three fruit trees to replace ones we have lost.  They are huge, two of them (apple and plum) are taller than the garage roof, so about 8 or 9 feet high.

Anna Apple

Santa Rosa Plum

Florida King Peach

So excited to have found these, as they are perfect for our zone.  They had other varieties but they are varieties that need many more chill hours, much more than we get here.  These are the actual varieties recommended for our county.  Always remember when fruit tree shopping (or any plant really) to check your zone.  Stores often just get a random selection and you need to buy according to your area's climate. 

And while I was there...

I found PECAN trees!!

Caddo

Kiowa

Creek

I did some checking and of all the varieties they had, three of them are perfect for our area.  Our original plan was just one, but two of them do best with each other for wind pollination, they will produce much better, and then I figured they were such a good deal, lets just get the third one.

The fruit trees will be planted as soon as weather cools down, the pecans will have to wait for something special we are working on.

GOOD FOOD AND DARWIN SUNDAY

 Sunday has rolled around again.  It's been a good weekend.  We have a nice burst of cooler weather, mornings have been in the mid 60's.  That's nice weather for us after our Summer of heat.  It's not completely Fall yet but getting there.

Had this yesterday.  We made some meatloaf a couple of months ago and vacuum sealed and froze packages of slices for just this moment.  There's no beef (turkey and pork) and LOADED with almost invisible minced veggies (onions, mushrooms, carrots, herbs, etc) and topped with turkey bacon! 2nd Man put in some boiled eggs. He said his mom used to make them like this. It was really good. Add some mashed potatoes (using non-fat dry milk, you'd never know the difference) and asparagus spears on the side. It was oh so good!

Now it's time for guess who...

Darwin! I left my laptop on a pillow on the floor yesterday while we were about to feed him and he decided to try to log in. We think he was going to do his own blog post but he doesn't know the passcode! 🤣

He's growing and getting bigger every day.  Still on the smaller side.  He's a few days over 4 weeks old and weighs 368g as of this morning.  The guides say that a 4 week old kitten should weigh between 350g and 450g.  So he's a good weight, but just on the small end of that scale.  Not sure if he'll stay small or get bigger.

We shall see.

#livinghisbestlife

DARWIN SAYS HELLO

We thought we'd surprise everyone with a new picture of Darwin.

He is 4 weeks old today.  Still a tiny thing but growing every day.  He had his first vet appointment (non-emergency, ha) and he is doing great.  We have charts of his progress, every time we feed him, how much he eats, how much he weighs, etc and we showed the vet.  She said "wow, you guys are all in and doing an amazing job. For him to have started at 70g as a preemie, and now he's 300g, you have done an amazing job of saving this little guy. I'm impressed!"

Darwin, once again, was the star of the clinic as everyone had to come kiss him or snuggle him and he was happy.  Even the vet said he was a very sweet and calm kitty.

And we were happy.

#livinghisbestlife

    

 

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS FINALLY

You know, after we moved into our brand new home and realized we didn't have fire extinguishers.  Everyone should have at LEAST one in their home.

We decided on three.  We found this double set and then a larger "primary use" version.  They had a sale for the month for home safety awareness, so we got a great deal on them.

Once I get the barn organized (cooler weather this Fall), we will get another one for out there.

The big one (the primary use one) is mounted on the wall here in the utility room so it is close to the kitchen AND the garage.  

We put another one in the master bedroom closet so we have it at that end of the house and the last one is in the study/office so it's at the other end of the house.

Never can be too safe.  We have a volunteer fire department out here at the house so it is important to at least have the chance for a head start if, God forbid, something happened.  2nd Man is curious about one of those blankets that you can throw over a fire on the stove.  We might look into one of those too.  

GOOD FOOD AND DARWIN

It's a rainy weekend...time for some good food and, now, some Darwin!

 

Lest you all wonder if we still eat fish and salads, ha, yes, regularly.  Here is a wonderful salad topped with some pan-seared Mahi-Mahi.  On weekends we usually splurge and eat something else, of course always swapping out meats, adding grains, using greek yogurt instead of sour cream, low fat cheeses etc. 

 

Darwin is sleeping at the moment.  In fact, as tiny kittens do, he sleeps most of the time.  After 2nd Man fed him, I cleaned him up and he fell asleep on my chest.  I couldn't resist getting a picture. 

#livinghisbestlife

RAINY RAINY

 After weeks of no rain, we're catching up...

We're having a break right now, after about 3 days of heavy, albeit on and off, rain.

So far, no flooding but lots of standing water.  No yard work for a while, ha.  How much rain have we had?

 

We found this app called "RainDrop" that is used by farmers, gardeners and forecasters alike to determine rainfall amounts in certain areas.  Independent analysis as well as user reviews say it is accurate to within .10 to .25 when compared to actual rain gauges on the property.  

We have had 6.26" of rain in the last 72 hours!

That's quite the rainfall. Plants and tress are nice and watered and the aquifer is getting refilled as well.

Win/win

But alas, more rainfall is on the way.

So this weekend we'll stay inside and snuggle with Darwin.

INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST KITTY

HELLO WORLD!!

Introducing...

DARWIN!!

We decided to keep our Australian naming theme.  

Sydney...

Brisbane...

Hobart...

and now...Darwin joins the family line.

We also chose that because, just like Charles Darwin and the whole survival of the fittest, Darwin was the only one of his litter to survive.  He's a fighter for sure.

He's only three weeks old and not out of the woods of course, but growing every day. We are not sure yet if he will be a tiny cat, he is so small, but the Vet said he seems to be healthy, just small for his age.

This is just after his eyes opened.

He's tiny but loud, ha.  

There has been drama...we had to make an ER run when he hadn't pooped in three days.  He got a tiny enema and he was good to go. They also gave him a micro dose of dewormer just to be safe since his mother is a feral cat.  He was the star of the ER clinic, everyone wanted to say hi.  They were calling him "little nugget".

He's eating well and loves his bottle. He stretches out his legs arms and holds on as much as he can.

He's got fleece blankets and four stuffed animal companions.

He's a sweet baby boy.

We are giving him his best shot at a great life. 

Hang in there Darwin and welcome home!

ON THE ZEN MACHINE FINALLY

FINALLY got to mow.  Have had to put it off the last few weekends because of so much else going on and also just SO hot.  This weekend it was warm but very low humidity, so it actually didn't seem "as hot" as it has been lately.  On Saturday, I spent some time doing the edging and trimming.

I did the orchard area around the beds and inside each one (the empty beds will have some Fall plantings once the weather cooperates).  I worked there first and then did all around the house, the well shed and other outbuildings, driveway, sidewalk etc.

Had to call it a day Saturday after that.

Then on Sunday I broke out the Zen Machine and since it's been so dry (no rain in about three weeks), it was super easy even though it was VERY tall.

This is looking back toward the house.

From the porch toward the barn and shed and the front yard.

I even had some time and energy to clear some extra areas.  That clump of weeds in the foreground has rocks and pieces of concrete in there left from the build so I'll have to manually clear that...when cooler weather arrives of course, ha.  

Also got into a spot and cleared an area that hasn't been cleared before.  Always enjoy doing that.  It opens up areas that we haven't been able to see before and just adds to the view.  Not much to see right now of course, but it will be nice eventually.

One of the longer mows this year but as I said, got some good stuff done and when we look out the windows, instead of seeing a jungle, it's neat once again.  It's amazing how much of a relief it is once it's done.  Like something hanging over me that feels unfinished and somewhat overwhelming, only to find it was easy to remedy and now it looks great.  

We are just hoping that the weather starts its inevitable cool down soon and everything starts to go dormant!  I checked my app and over the last few years September has been the next to the last mow...either once in October or November. 

5 GALLON BUCKET SEAT

We can't be all kitten all the time...or can we?  Ha.  So back to a few regular posts for a bit, interspersed with kitten adventures. 

Speaking of adventures, with our recent 5-gallon bucket adventure, though it was a too hot Summer fail, Fall still awaits.  So when I was at the store looking for more buckets, I found this:

It's a "Spin Seat".  It snaps on just like a lid that would go on a 5-gallon bucket.  In addition to it rotating as you sit (if needed) ...

...it's also nicely padded!  You can pop the seat off as needed to store something inside and best of all...

...the bucket handle will still flip up to make it easy to carry around.  I've found myself using it all over the house and garage.  It's a great thing to just have when you are putting a piece of furniture together or sorting through a box, 2nd Man has even used it when cleaning the glass doors in the shower.  

And recently, we've also used it to sit down when feeding the kitten.

Just thought we'd pass the info along in case anyone is looking for something like this. I bought ours at Home Depot while looking for the buckets but they sell them HERE on Amazon.

 

A HAPPY AND HOPEFUL POST

After the sadness of the previous post, we have to show you the good that is remaining.  

This was the day after we lost the last of the four.

The vet recommended that we continue to bottle feed him since he has taken to it so well.  Babygirl has now shown complete disinterest.  She was good for a few times but we think she was so confused, she will just look at him, sniff him and then want back outside for her food.  He has at least nursed a little in the beginning and gotten some of her antibodies but the vet agreed that this was safest way for him to have the best chance.

He has settled in well.  This is him at 7 days old.

We brush him with a toothbrush (supposed to remind them of mama's tongue) after he eats and gets cleaned up and he will fall asleep in your hand...making little purring noises and kneading his paws.

He's starting to move around and working his legs.

So cute.

He's a wiggly worm when you hold him.  Hard to get a clear picture, ha.

Our neighbor "J" said he looks like a little old man in this picture!

We have him set up in a cardboard box (to retain heat), with a heating pad underneath and towels and fleece blankets on top of that which are swapped out daily while the used ones are being washed.

How cute is this?  Sleeping kitten!

But we saved the best for last (click to enlarge):

Look at that little freshly fed tummy, all cleaned up and warm in his nest, back legs drawn up, not a care in the world.  Trying hard not to get too attached.

We have a nickname we call him but no formal name though we are leaning toward something specific if we end up keeping him...stay tuned.

He lost four of his siblings but now he is apparently getting two grown men wrapped around his little paw.

#livinghisbestlife

A SAD POST

Thank you all for the kind words.   We are doing OK but it has been rough.

So a week ago yesterday, we went out on the porch to feed Babygirl and found a litter of five newborn kittens.  New in the sense of just maybe an hour or two before.  You can read about that HERE if you missed it.

We brought them all in and tried to get them settled.  The kittens were small.  The first thing we did was weigh them.  They ranged from 68g to 74g.

According to the vet, the average weight of a healthy newborn kitten is 85-115g. They were tiny.

We put a heating pad, blankets and everything else to get them all comfortable.  Babygirl came in and would try to feed them but she was so distracted and/or they couldn't latch on as often as they should/could.

The vet said to bottle feed them and we did, every few hours, day and night.  They gained a little weight but not much.  Mama's milk wasn't helping either.

Then Sunday night we lost the littlest one.  We wrapped him a clean white washcloth so he would be warm and safe.  He was at peace.

We were very sad but thought he was the smallest of them all and we knew we had tried our best.  We had to focus on the others.

Then, suddenly, we lost another the next day.

And then we lost two more at the same time a couple of days later.  We woke up for their feeding and they were gone. To say we were devastated would be an understatement. 

We had been talking with the vet and he said based on their weight and size, they were most likely very premature, maybe as much as a week or two.

We showed them that picture of Babygirl from the Monday before and he said that would explain why she did not look pregnant and why she just suddenly gave birth on the concrete porch without any nesting set up.  She may not have even realized she was pregnant.  After some research, kittens this small have an extremely high mortality rate, even with round the clock care.  They told us they were underdeveloped and most likely their organs weren't fully formed and probably were not able to digest properly.

It was a very long week...

We are sad for Babygirl but she seems to have not really missed them like we have.  She is her usual self.  Maybe she didn't really understand the sudden birth and have that connection, but we got lots of pictures for the memories in the years to come.  This is one of our favorites.  

There were five and we lost four.  We have one left...and he now has our full attention.

More on him in the next post and teaser, he's doing great so far!

He is getting us through the hard parts...