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Happy 13th Birthday Tyler!

Our little Ty-Ty turns 13! I can hardly believe he is a teenager already. I remember when he was just a little peanut! He has grown into a wonderful young man, who is a wonderful son, brother, grandson, newphew and friend. Happy Birthday Tyler!

Be sure to take a look at some of Ty's baby pics.

Love, Auntie Shannon

Posted by Shannon at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)

The Neti Pot

I was a bit skeptical about the Neti Pot, but i just picked one up today and just did my first nasal wash. Having allergies year round to just about everything, and living with 7 cats iam stuffed up most of the time. The last several days have been unbearable, constantly stuffed up. I have tried every sinsus, allergy, and cold medicine - nothign has worked, until the Neti.

Though i am still congested, i can tell things are opening up. It is tricky getting the water to pour in one side of your nose and come out the other- but you get the hang of it pretty quickly. Most likely i will need to do it again, but so far i am a fan of the Neti Pot!

Posted by Shannon at 05:14 PM | Comments (0)

It has been a month since we trapped the kittens, seems so much longer. They have really progressed so much, though we had to take them to the vet yesterday- so they did regress a bit afterwards- though Molly and Marvin are back to being love bugs. They all got a good report on health, except for Marvin.

The doctor heard a heart murmur, which can be a very serious condition in cats. We will need to take him back in month to see if it is still there, if so then he will need a cardiologist to take a look. We were pretty sad to learn what can happen to him if he does have a murmur. Marvin won’t live a very long life, and can have a very painful episode should a clot occur. Marvin will need a special home who can cope with his condition, Todd and I knew right away he was already home he needs look no further.

Posted by Shannon at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)

Tyler Takes the Stage

Last night I went to the Variety Show, put on by Tyler's class- to benefit the Worcester County Food Bank. Ty was a natural on stage! He played the Unknown Comic in a skit of the Gong Show. Despite having an awesome delivery and very funny jokes, he was gonged-but so was the Elvis impersonator :)

Ted, Joy, Justin and I all took pictures and video of Ty's debut, but he had a paper bag on most the time, since that is the costume of the unknown comic- but he did take it off at the end of the show- so we managed to get some pics of the handsome young actor.

It was a great night- all the kids did a great job- and Ty just shined! I always love to see him and Justin having fun and doing the things they love to do- I was so happy to be there.

Be sure to visit the gallery to see the photos from the night.

Posted by Shannon at 07:29 PM | Comments (1)

Justin shoots, he scores!

Yesterday i went to Justin's hockeygame. It was nice to see Ted, Joy and Tyler- and what a game! It was one of those nail bitters ,the other team was scoring often, looked like Shrewsbury wouldn't get ahead or even tie...but then the Bird made his shot! It was beautiful-he just slammed it right into the goal- and we all went crazy!That tied up the game, and then in the final minutes, Shrews bury scored again, giving us the win. It was just an awesome game- and Justin was amazing to watch. So young, and so talented on the ice! He and Ty are amazing young boys- it always very cool to be part of their lives. I am so glad i went to the game!

Joy and i were so bummed, we both forgot out cameras- i really have to remember to have one with me!

Posted by Shannon at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)

Reflexology

Yesterday was my first time trying reflexology- and all i can say is it was an amazing experience, one i wish i had tried so long ago. I met with a friend of Todd's, Madeline who studies many holistic practices, and in essence is a healer. She provides many services, and one of them being reflexology. She practices out of her home, where she has converted part of her downstairs into this very comfy, safe area. After talking for a brief time, she had me lay in this is chair that flipped back so i could lay down, with my feet stretched out. As she begun to massage my feet she could tell so many things, none of which i had told her. She could tell i had a headache, that my breathing was labored( from asthma), and that my neck was out of alignment- oh and that i was very stressed out- what a surprise!

As she began to work different pressure points in my feet, i started to immediately feel relaxed, but alive and full of energy at the same time. She talked to me about many different things, none of which i could remember, it was almost as if i had just floated away. She probably massaged both my feet for about an hour- one i wished would never have ended. There is much more detail to this, i have simplified so much, but i think the most important thing to reveal is that i have never felt this good- and it stayed with me well after i left her home. I went on with the rest of my day, so relaxed, but so happy and alive, it was amazing. I made sure to drink my water, as Madeline suggested that i drink plenty of water to remove the toxins that she worked out of my body. And so i went home fully intending to take a nap, as i felt so sleepy- yet i had energy to burn, so i went to my nephew Justin's hockey game, which was awesome!

My next session with Madeline is in a week and i can hardly wait. And for anyone who encounters a lot of stress in their life, i strongly suggest giving reflexology a try- it is so much better then a massage.

Posted by Shannon at 06:02 PM | Comments (1)

Ricky gets a new name

Last night, we decided that Ricky wasn't really a Ricky afterall. I think he even knew it wasn't is name. So, Ricky is now Tommy- and it just fits, so say hi to Tommy

Posted by Shannon at 06:02 PM | Comments (0)

Boy, am I tired!

I never knew kittens could have so much energy- and for so long! Granted, having a child must be so much harder but we are quickly realizing what it is like to be sleep deprived. We may not have to get up at 1, 2, 3 or 4 am for feedings, but we do have to constantly get up and tell the kittens to go to bed! They are all in the room right next to our room, and all we hear all night long is one big party. They run around like they are on a race track, they run into the walls, the doors, the radiators-with a big, giant thud!

I have been playing with them every night between 8-9 to try and wear them out, we even give them their baby food treats later at night- nope all they want to do is play all night long. No wonder they sleep all day!

If anyone has any ideas, we sure could use them and some sleep.

Posted by Shannon at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)

Ricky Moves Forward

This has been a good week for the kittens. The baby food treat sessions are going well, Marvin and Maggie are the little piggies, always up front first. Maggie still hand back a bit, she is scared but independent at the same time, she is a neat little girl. Little George is so cute, as soon as he realizes everyone is having some baby food, he pushes his way front to get some, all the while giving that little innocent face. And Ricky, or as Todd now wants to call him, Drexl he really started to come out of his shell. We have been moving away from the bureau when giving the treats to lure them out more into the open, and decided we would only give Ricky one taste off the little stick- and he see if he would move forward- well tonight he did. He saw his brothers and sisters all enjoying themselves, moved up and had some baby food right off Buster's finger. Buster even made eye contact with Ricky and he did not back away-that's progress!

We just hope that when they have to back to the vet in a few weeks for their next set of shots- it does not set the process back too much. We took the cage out of the room today- they don't really use it anymore- and we plan on getting them some type of condo they can climb and have fun in.

We went to go feed their family in Westborough today- and saw who we think is Molly's dad- white paws and bib, rest all black just like little Molly. As soon as we can, we plan to set up a few traps on a Saturday and hope we get the adults!

Posted by Shannon at 09:36 PM | Comments (1)

Look Whose Turning 40!

Happy 40th Birthday! Be sure to click on the image to see a special family photo.

Love,
shan

Posted by Shannon at 06:36 AM | Comments (0)

TNR

So, one of the aspects of trapping feral cats, is to have them spayed and nuetered- then try to see if they can be adopted. Not all feral cats can adjust to a domestic life and so in their best interest and happiness they should be released back into their colony, that is TNR. With kittens there may be more room for them to adjust, maybe not. The most important thing is what is in their best interest, not yours.

But it does not end there, these animals need a consistent food source. If you were feeding them before they were trapped, then you need to continue to feed them after the are released. Now you have a colony that will die off naturally, and will not continue to populate at alarming rates. TNR is the humane way to handle the feral cat over-population.

Buster and I do plan to go back to the location in Westborough to trap the adult cats, have them fixed and release them back- and of course to always feed them, as we do now.

Posted by Shannon at 08:45 PM | Comments (0)

Take a peak at some photos we took the last night of Hanukkah

Posted by Shannon at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)

I woke upon to about five inches of fresh snow- the first for the new year. It was very pretty out and while going to feed my ferals out in Marlborough, i stopped to take a few pics. The sky was this wonderful, moody grey- though with no polarizing filter on i did not manage to capture the full range- have to remember to put it on next time!

Posted by Shannon at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)

Well, another year has begun- and we actually made it to see the ball drop- well some of us did anyways.
We wish all friends and family a very happy and healthy New Year.

Posted by Shannon at 12:11 AM | Comments (0)