Camera Critters---Hey Ma! Wha'cha Doin' Up There?

Camera Critters is hosted by Misty Dawn.

There's Wally...upside down again...and peeking out from under the dishwasher. Both of my cats are fascinated with the dishwasher but I have to say this was a first. I've never been loading the thing and had a gorgeous black and white face suddenly pop out at me...until now.

Have a blessed week!

Camera Critters---There Seems To Be A Size Discrepancy Here

Camera Critters is hosted by Misty Dawn.

Wally...spilling out of his bed

Carolina posted a similar picture this week...certainly worth taking a look at...and noting that feline insanity is rampant on at least two continents.

Have a blessed...relaxing...and insanity free week!

Fingerprint Friday---Love Lives On

Fingerprint Friday is hosted by Beki.

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:

I can see the fingerprints of God

When I look at you

I can see the fingerprints of God

And I know it's true

You're a masterpiece

That all creation quietly applauds

And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

I invite you to read the companion post to this entry.

It can be found here.

I can't say that I planned to do these two posts at the beginning of this week. In fact, I had something completely different in mind. Yet I have continued to get more than gentle nudgings...and have been almost driven to finish them.

So, there he is...there's Humphrey again! He's sleeping in my chair...that was one of his favorite spots. You might notice the bald spot on his front leg...that's where they had shaved him to give him an IV. Oddly enough, this was long before he presented with lymphoma. This was "simply" an bad upper respiratory infection that had left him pretty dehydrated.

A month or so after Humphrey passed, I wrote a letter to all of his doctors, thanking them for everything they had done. I quoted a portion of that letter in my last post and I would like to quote another portion to begin this one! The first few sentences will be a repeat...

"Do I want another one like him? Absolutely not. Would I take him back? In an instant. And frankly, it truly wouldn’t surprise me if he DID show up again. I mean, God has a lot of patience…but please…this is HUMPHREY!"

In the previous post I also spoke of being so very angry with God. I had believed right up until we said goodbye to him that God was going to grant us a miracle and heal him yet again. It was just this morning that I realized God did grant me a miracle...one so wonderful...like a glimpse into Heaven itself. Lesson learned? Yes love lives on...but perhaps more importantly? Don't pigeon hole God! He's GOD! He can do ANYTHING! Miracles can be simple or they can be extraordinary. Don't think that just because you didn't get the miracle YOU expected that He doesn't have something even more miraculous planned for you. And so, I will try to lay out these miracles for you...from the simple...to the extraordinary!

The day after he passed...this is where we found our other furry boy, Gus. He was sleeping in "Humphrey's chair"...and no...he had never even attempted to sleep there previously. We thought it was so sweet and so sad at the same time. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but the doll Gussie is leaning against? She's covered in Humphrey's fur.

Gus also picked up another "habit" of Humphrey's. Gus joined our family as an adult cat. He had been abandoned at a horse barn and was taken in by a feline rescue group. When we brought him home it was like letting a "Cave Cat" loose in modern society. We had to teach him everything...and what we didn't...Humphrey did. Humphrey used to do something to both Garry and I that we called "polishing." He would stand on his back legs and rub his paws back and forth, up and down, on the backs of OUR legs. In my case, he frequently polished my back pockets! I can't tell you how many times he would come up behind me while I was working at the computer and polish my back pockets through the slats in my desk chair. About a month before Humphrey left us, Gus started doing the same thing...and continues to do it...just a little lower...he is shorter you know. Love lives on.

Love lives on every spring as I watch and wait for my Bleeding Hearts to come up. My pink Bleeding Heart plant came from a start of my grandmother's plant. Grandma passed when I was 12 so I think you can see how important that plant is to me. I also have a pure white one. Garth and Humphrey's ashes are buried beneath two pink plants, and Horatio's are beneath the pure white one. I cry every year when those tender shoots peek out of the cold, hard ground...they make my heart smile.

A few months after Humphrey crossed The Rainbow Bridge, another furry boy joined our family. His name is Wally. To read his beginnings please visit here.

Yes...that's Wally. And that's a pretty typical pose for him. He is the silliest cat I've ever known. I think he's upside down more than not! He hadn't been with us very long before we started noticing some similarities to Humphrey. Sure, he liked to get into trouble...but nothing like Humphrey did. We just attributed these similarities to his age and getting used to a new home and new family. Yeah...right.

I invite you to look at these two pictures...

Yeah, ok...I'll give you that one...most cats like to get up on the kitchen table.

How about these?

Nope? Ok...cats like kitchen counters too...but the same one...in the same spot?

How about a shared fascination with Hope...at the table? And no, she didn't feed either one of them.

In fact, neither one would/will have anything to do with her unless she is at the table or if she is asleep.

Both of them loved/love to grab a nap on my collection of Ragamuffins.

No? Still not buying it? Ok...let's move on into the extraordinary then.

Humphrey, as most cats do, had many different vocalizations. One was his deep, guttural, yowl. When we lived at our old place he would stare at one spot on the wall in the dining room and just let loose with THE most horrendous yowling. When we moved here, he'd do it in the basement. I can still see our friends Carol and Tom's faces the first time they heard him do it. He sounded like he was caught in a leg hold trap.

Shortly after Wally came to live with us I was sitting at the computer and I heard it...the horrendous, deep, guttural yowl. Convinced that Humphrey truly had returned I jumped up so fast I overturned my chair. I raced through the house searching for him when I got to the foyer...and saw Wally...staring at one spot on the wall...and making that vocalization.

On several other occasions he has come up behind me in my computer chair and polished my pockets through the slats. And no, Gus didn't teach him that...Gus isn't tall enough to do that...nor has he ever tried. That was a Humphrey behavior. Love lives on.

Every single Christmas, as soon as I would put down our tree skirt? Humphrey was under it. He was an absolute menace. It was always in a ball or sometimes dragged off to the side of the tree.

Our first Christmas with Wally? Take a look...

He dove under there as soon as I put it down...yet stayed only long enough for me to take a couple of pictures...and he's never bothered it since.

Humphrey loved to hang out in the bathroom with me. His favorite thing was to make a pass or two by the shower while I was in there and give me another one of his little vocalizations. Guess who else does the same thing?

When we moved into this house, for whatever reason, on every major holiday, Humphrey decided he must kill his brother. No matter WHAT brother was living here at the time! He would get very aggressive, chase them through the house, and try to deliver a "kill bite" to the backs of their necks. I remind you, Wally did not come to live here until after Humphrey passed...and yet...on every major holiday...yep...my hand to my heart...poor Gus needs to run for cover.

On more than one occasion, Wally has gotten up on something he's not supposed to. Most times he listens when you say, "Wally! Down!" Sometimes he doesn't. On the first such occasion I decided to try an experiment. I said, "Humphrey! Down!" He got down.

And finally...this one...this one is truly my glimpse into Heaven. Again, in my previous post I spoke of how Humphrey would appear out of nowhere when he would hear me getting my allergy pill before bed. He would then present his tail, I would take it, and he would walk me up the stairs to bed each and every night. Well my friends...Wally comes when he hears my allergy pills...and once...just one perfect, precious, miraculous time...he offered me his tail...I took it...and he led me up the stairs to bed. I was sobbing buckets by the time I got there.

Do we think Wally *is* Humphrey? No, not at all. We do say that his black part is Humphrey...but the white part is ALL Wally! We think...and we believe that Wally was chosen for us before Humphrey left us...so that we could have irrefutable proof...that love lives on.

Be blessed...and thanks for reading!

Fingerprints Of God can be found on my playlist at the bottom of this page.

Camera Critters---Hey Ma! Need Some Help?

Camera Critters is hosted by Misty Dawn.

These pictures were snapped while I was TRYING to shoot some of my work for my etsy shop.

As you can see I had no shortage of help from my able assistant, Wally...who at this point was attempting to make off with one of my Santa ornaments.

I'll just hold that backdrop down for ya' there Ma.
Thaaaaaaaaaaanks Wally...

ABC Wednesday---C Is For Change

ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.

The lyrics in italics quoted within this post are from "The Change" written by Tony Arata and Wayne Tester. It is an incredible song that can be found at the bottom of this post.

The first time Hope held her baby sister...right after Hope and Mama brought Daddy and Claire home from the airport.

One hand

Reaches out

And pulls a lost soul from harm

While a thousand more go unspoken for

They say what good have you done

By saving just this one

It's like whispering a prayer

In the fury of a storm

Never...ever...have we considered what we have done...adopting these precious souls...as saving them. If anything, their little hands have reached out and saved us. It all began as simply following what God was leading us to do...with giant neon signs.

Claire and Gussie taking a nap on our bed...three days after she came home from China.

And I hear them saying you'll never change things

And no matter what you do it's still the same thing

But it's not the world that I am changing

I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me

Those hands...reaching out to save us? Sometimes they are fur covered. You just have to listen with your heart.

Wally

This heart

Still believes
That love and mercy still exist
While all the hatreds rage and so many say
That love is all but pointless in madness such as this
It's like trying to stop a fire
With the moisture from a kiss

Two happy sisters...

And I hear them saying you'll never change things

And no matter what you do it's still the same thing

But it's not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world will know

That it will not change me

I have never set out to change the world. Yet change has occurred...GOOD change...and will continue to occur as long as I allow myself to be open to it. I can't say that God ever wanted me to be a teacher...ever. Yet that is the path I chose for myself. It wasn't an easy path...it was full of heartache, disappointment, trials, and self doubt. It was nothing short of a miracle the first time I had a "neon sign" from God...and it was loud and clear...GET OUT OF TEACHING. So I did. I have thought back so many times about the kids that touched my life...I pray I didn't ruin them for all eternity! ") Yet He has shown me that He will use me...even if I'm NOT where He wants me to be...just by allowing me to be Mel...or in this case "Mrs. H." I've talked about Lisa before...and there is Becky who invited me to her graduation party...and too many to mention that I run into at the grocery store or at the mall...they all know me...they all speak first...they're all smiling. Yet there were two very special students that I always wondered about...

Ready for Christmas!

As long as one heart still holds on

Then hope is never really gone

The boys...Gus and Wally

I hear them saying you'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing
But it's not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world we know
Never changes me

One was Denver. He wasn't an easy kid to love, but love him I did...fiercely. I fought for that boy...a lot...and sadly the system won. I ran into him a couple of years ago...he was in his early 20's...but still looked the same. I think it's that teacher gene...we're able to see the child...even when they are all grown up. When I called his name, he turned, looked at me, and said, "MRS. H!" Just the simple fact that he remembered me was enough to prove to me that everything I went through was worth it. He sat with me for awhile and we talked. He caught me up on the direction his life had taken. And then, out of the blue he said, "I still have that card you sent me...you know...that birthday card? I think it was in fifth grade?" A couple of years after I had quit my job I was going through some papers and found a list of birthdays of former students...his was on it...and I sent him a card. Change...

The second student...and this isn't a secret...was my favorite of all time. This little wisp of a girl grabbed onto my heart with a death grip and I loved her like she was my own. I remember braiding her hair for her when she'd get to school...and hugging her even after our staff had been cautioned not to hug students without another staff member present to avoid lawsuits. I remember her coming to me the year AFTER she was my student crying...she'd lost her milk money...yeah...I gave her some...and a hug...and a kiss. There aren't enough words to tell you how much I loved my Michelle. We kept in touch until she graduated high school and then drifted apart. I'd see her name in the paper for being on the Dean's list at college...things like that. Well y'all...let me tell you...He works through Facebook too...because a couple of weeks ago, guess who contacted me there? My Michelle. And what she told me, in a few simple sentences...wiped away every bit of crap I ever went through during my tenure as a teacher. My Michelle...is now...a teacher...because of me. My Michelle told me enough wonderful things to make my heart sing for the next 50 years...but the one that shot straight through my soul was when she told me that she used to pray every night that I would be her and her twin sister's mom. I need a Kleenex. She's still breathtaking...inside and out...bright...I'm guessing she still has that infectious giggle of hers that I can still hear in my mind...and she's still all about FAMILY. And THAT is the change that she put forth in me. Michelle...did you ever guess you would've paved the way for me to have the family that I do today? I love you my girl.

Hope...

What I do is so
This world will know
That it will not change me

Another bunch of disjointed ramblings...

Another word about comments...when someone leaves a comment on the blog I'm supposed to get an email telling me about it. Sometimes this happens...sometimes it doesn't! LOL If I have missed replying to someone's comment please forgive me. The only way I find out about some of them is if I stumble upon one when I'm typing a new post.

My humblest apologies to our neighborhood for the state of my flowerbeds. I'm embarrassed that I've let them go so badly this season. I found out it took me much longer than I would've hoped to get used to taking care of two kids, a house, two cats...etc.! Once I finally figured out how to juggle all of that, along came my surgery/surgeries and I wasn't ALLOWED to play in my overgrown weed patches. My landscaping suffered greatly. I promise to do better next year!

The boys get along like they were littermates. I still can't get over it. I've never had two cats get along let alone love each other like these two do. The girls think they are endlessly fascinating and Claire is madly in love with Gus who just lies there purring and lets her do just about whatever she wants. Yet another double blessing from God.

And yes, I'm going to talk about my cats if I want to. They are just as much a part of my family as my girls. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you don't understand it there's nothing I can do or say that will illuminate it for you. You either get it or you don't. I'm not being snide or sarcastic so please don't read that tone into my words. I'm only saying, either you're an animal person or you're not. If you're not, please don't hold it against those of us who are! ")

The girls are growing and changing every single day. They have both gotten so TALL! We went for our first vacation as a family of four in late August. We spent five days or so in and around Frankenmuth, Michigan. It was so much fun...but I was glad to get home too! The girls had a blast. They loved Bronner's...they are their Mama's daughters after all. The last time Garry and I were there was two months before we received our referral for Hope. We had visited many times before and found it such a special place. We purchased our stockings there...one for Mama, one for Daddy, and one for Hope...whom we hadn't even seen yet. The emotions that washed over me as I walked through those doors again...this time not only with Hope but with Claire who wasn't even a THOUGHT the last time we were there. And of course, we bought Claire *her* stocking on this trip. ")

Hope started her second year of preschool in September. She has the same teacher she did last year and she's in the same room...and she loves it! I pray she can *always* be this excited about school. She is still into Lilo and Stitch...loves to play with Little People...likes to visit the library and devours just about any book you hand her...still obsessed with Little Einsteins...and she loves her little sister.

One of the mother's at Hope's preschool whose child was also returning this fall saw Claire and said, "She's not a baby anymore! She's a real live toddler!" Yeah, she's her own person. She has the strongest personality of any human being, adult OR child, I've ever known. She's got a temper like nothing I've ever witnessed...and of course have had jokes tossed my way about my *own* temper. ") She will literally eat just about anything and in huge amounts. She is not only walking, but running and climbing as well. She does a lot of talking...we can make out most of it but I wouldn't put anyone else on the spot! LOL She's got her own words and sounds for a lot of things...and most of them sound very similar. Our pediatrician's have assured us that this is normal and she's exactly where she's supposed to be developmentally. She knows everyone in our family and calls us by name. I am Mama. Garry is Da-Da. Hope is Puh-Puh. Gus is Guh. And Wally? Well, I'm not really sure how to spell her version of Wally! LOL She is another little beacon. People flock to her just like they did and continue to do with Hope.

I love both of my girls fiercely...but don't think for a moment that life with them is all hearts and flowers! LOL As much as they adore each other there are screaming fits...both individually and together! Today they were fighting over a toy. I put the toy in timeout. I've found that's more effective that putting the girls in timeout! We've had some small jealousy issues but really nothing major. In short they're perfectly normal sisters.

A word about posting pictures...I'm becoming increasingly uneasy about posting pictures of my girls online. There are too many nutjobs out there that will snag pictures of children and do God only knows with them. At one point I had some posted at Yahoo photos. They could only be seen by folks I allowed to see them. Yahoo photos is no more...so I've got some up at facebook.com. It's not foolproof but at least I can attempt to restrict their viewing to people I know.

Hope and I decorated the house for Halloween this week. She is so excited about trick or treat...and so am I! ") I've waited so long to have two that can share a "theme"! LOL Terri, you will enjoy this...

Last year I looked all over for a Stitch costume for Claire. I had high hopes she'd be home for Halloween and I wanted to dress the girls like Lilo and Stitch. Hey, it isn't hard. Hope wants to be that EVERY year! The only ones I could find were for beaucoup bucks and I couldn't see paying that amount of money and not knowing what size she'd be or even if she'd be here. SO! This year, after MANY years of coaxing, Hope agreed to be Mulan. I was just about doing cartwheels in the street. I went online trying to find a Mushu costume for Claire. Again, if I wanted to pay $40-$60 it wasn't a problem. So I thought maybe I'd dress her like Yoda...simply because I'm insane and I think it would be hilarious. Last year AFTER Halloween, I bought several costumes for next to nothing that were on clearance at The Disney Store. We gave some to Hope for Christmas and some for her birthday. She uses them to play dress up. One of them was a Hula Lilo costume. It still fits her perfectly...so I said to her, "Would you like to wear your Hula Lilo costume this year and maybe Claire can dress like Stitch?" She was jumping up and down she was so excited. I went straight to eBay, found a brand new one in Claire's size, and got it for less than $25 WITH shipping and insurance. It arrived yesterday. It is simply ridiculous how excited I am about it! LOL

A word for those still waiting for referrals...AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!! My heart just aches for these folks! CCAA just finished matching babies to parents whose LID's went to the end of November...*2005*! To put that into perspective...our LID was September 5, 2005. Claire has been home for almost nine months. People whose LID's were only three months after ours are still waiting to see a picture of their baby. AND, geez I thought "The Great LID Mix-Up" was horrifying. That doesn't even begin to compare with what's going on now. You can read about it starting here. You will end up at the Rumor Queen's site. You are looking for posts titled "A Mystery", "Still A Mystery", and "Trying to Solve the Mystery". To Cheri, Shane, and everyone else still waiting...JUST HOLD ON! YOU ARE SO CLOSE!

I've rambled long enough. I'm headed over to facebook to play Scrabble. I am hopelessly addicted to online scrabble and am currently playing 13 games. ")

Barb, if you are reading this please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you! ")

Blessings y'all!

Allow me to introduce you to our newest family member. This is Wally!

I first spoke of Wally in early June. I also told you that he had his own story. Read on if you care to!

I always knew I would have another kitty after Humphrey passed. As angry as I was at God, I knew He would bring another furry soul into my life. Remember? TRUST ME.

I had decided that we would give Wendy at Kitten Krazy a call at the end of June...and I was checking the website at least once a day looking at precious little faces. Yeah, well, you know what they say about best laid plans. Suddenly I had surgery scheduled for the end of June. So, I decided the end of July. Oh...I am so funny! It appears I still haven't caught on that my timing and God's timing aren't anywhere near being in synch.

Garry took Gus for a routine vet visit and came home with a message for me from Dr. Arends. Apparently she said, "You have to PROMISE to tell Melissa. I have a cat for you." Garry said, "I don't want a cat." She said, "I know. But tell Melissa." He said, "What's wrong with it?" She said, "Absolutely nothing. That's why I'm telling you about him. You guys need a break. I've already called and talked to the foster home. He's yours if you want him." As he is relaying this information to me I ask, "What color is he?" When he said black and white I started crying. I couldn't deal with another black kitty so soon...even though Hope had told me right after Humphrey passed that our next kitty would be black. I continued asking questions through the tears and found out that he had been found in a Wal-Mart parking lot about a year ago. He was rescued by Save Ohio Strays, named Wally, and put into foster care. Dr. Arends said she had kept him for awhile until a foster home opened up. I immediately went online and located his picture on the Save Ohio Strays website. I didn't get any feelings other than I was glad to see that he seemed to be EQUAL parts black and white.

The next couple of days I'd keep checking to see if he was still available and that silly face started growing on me. Garry called and made an appointment for us to meet him on a Sunday. I filled out the adoption application online...which by the way was only SLIGHTLY less involved than what we did for our girls! LOL I started to talk about him to Hope who immediately started calling him Sam because, and I quote, "MY favorite store is Sam's Club." So we called him Sam.

Sunday arrived and the family piled into the car to go and meet Wally...errr...Sam. When we got to the nice lady's home she welcomed us into her living room. Wally was in a large cage in the center of the room. Garry and the girls sat on the couch...I sat on the floor in front of the cage. I believe the nice lady's name was Teri. She opened the cage and Wally shot out. He went behind the couch, did a slow lap around the room, came up behind me, and laid down against my back. Yeah...I started crying. He rubbed up against me, let me pet him, and purred up a storm. He really didn't want much to do with Garry and the girls but what do you expect? Hope was dying to touch him and Claire was leaping around like a jumping bean! In case you haven't already figured it out, we brought him home! On the drive home Garry and I decided that he really "looked" like a Wally and tried to persuade Hope of the same. She came around, but only if his middle name was Sam. Thus was born Wally Sam!

If you haven't seen God's Hand in this yet, read on. When Horatio passed I told Garry that when I was ready for another cat I was going to ask Dr. Arends for assistance in choosing one. I trust her...yes I TRUST her. I never said anything to her...nor did he. He stopped into the clinic one afternoon for some food and as he was talking with her she said, "I'm scared to death Melissa is going to ask me to help her choose a cat. I don't want to! There just aren't any guarantees!" So when he came home in June and said SHE had a cat for me? Well, enough said.

Still need convincing? He and Gus get along so well it is scary. They eat together, play together, wash each other, and sleep on me in the bed together. I've NEVER had two cats get along as well as they do...and so quickly. It was literally a matter of DAYS.




And in case you are wondering...Wally is VERY much like Humphrey. He has MANY behaviors that were unique to Humphrey and whenever he demonstrates them, no matter how frustrated I may be, it is like receiving a hug from Heaven. He also has his own personality as well. We've decided that Wally is really an all white cat and that his black parts are from Humphrey. He is yet another precious gift from God to our family...and yes...he likes the girls too.

God's blessings to you! ")

P.S. If you've been wondering where I've been lately...I'm hanging out at facebook.com! Yep, I'm helping to show all those youngsters that folks over 40 can have a "social network" too! Come and visit...look me up! ")