An update on some of the kitties of the Lucky Few

I just had to start with Nipper here...  doing what he does best...  being ever so cute and silly!

He is such a high strung cat don't you think?

Really I wanted to update you on some of our newer charges that I had posted about a while ago.  Nipper was just so cute I figured I would hook you with him first.

Anyway remember the kittens I posted about quite a while ago?

(original picture when we first got them, this is Zeb)

 We had unexpectedly acquired four very sad kittens that were part of a colony of feral cats.  They came to us terrified in cages after they had been fixed.

(Original picture when we first got them, this is Casper in front and Casper Too in back)

Casper Too supposedly had a ripped bladder that had been repaired during the spay surgery and therefore needed antibiotics.  After Casper kept having trouble peeing and blood kept showing up in her urine the vet finally used an ultrasound and thought he saw a stone.  During the surgery to remove the stone, he discovered that the original spay surgery had been botched.  She should of been the one getting the antibiotics, not her sister.  Somewhere along the line someone got confused and by the time the cats got to us the sisters had been mixed up.  However, our vet did a wonderful job of removing the foreign objects from her bladder and she has healed up beautifully, though it was touch and go for awhile.  A different one came down with pneumonia and needed antibiotics too.  Trying to cram pills and liquids down the throats of feral kittens is not fun for either party.  However it was all worth it in the end as they are now happy,

(This is Casper Too enjoying a scratch under her chin...  that is Jabba outside the window)

content,

( This is Zeb, very content)

vying for the position of lap cat (they have a lot of competition!)

(Monkey and casper hoping for more food)

and most importantly healthy and full of beans! (I can hear them banging around in the other room as I write this   : )

(Zeb waiting patiently for his supper, we feed all our cats in carriers or cages so we can get them out in an emergency)

(Casper and Monkey poking around all the nooks and crannies for food they might have missed)

(Casper Too... all healthy and happy!)

The other group of ferals that we are working with is a colony on another part of the ranch we live on. These guys were a mess and needed to be quarantined and heavily treated with medications.  We had to trap each one individually and put them in separate cages (which my dear husband had to build first) Then several times a day we had to give them medications and generally monitor them.  The quarantine required that we would go outside our house, strip off our clothes, change into "traveling" clothes that were kept in an air tight container in our patio, drive to their outpost, strip again outside their kennel and change into "kennel" clothes, go inside, do all the doctoring, strip again and spray ourselves down with alcohol, change back into the "traveling" clothes drive back home, strip again, spay with alcohol and then climb into a shower.  This happen twice a day at minimum.  Unfortunately we lost two of the sweeties even with my wonderful husband staying up all night with one of them.  Now though, I can report that after about two months of that intense routine the remaining 11 are now fat and sassy and mostly tame.

(Kibble time...  That's Gracie on the left, Annabelle in the middle and Chuck on the right)

(Hermione coming through the cat door)

They are loose in the barn areas of the ranch, happily earning their keep as ratters with a comfy tiny barn all their own they come into at night.

(This is Scoop on the left and Taylor on the right)

We go over there once a day now to feed them and see how they are doing.  Seeing all of them are scampering about, tails up, and content is a sight for tired eyes I tell ya!
Whew! but it was a long road to get here!

(This is Chaz)

(This is Paul, for Paula Abdul's mole on her face however this kitty is a he so just plain Paul)

(And lastly this is Sprite)

Just thought you might like a mostly happy couple of cat tales!
I will leave you with another silly picture, this one is of McGonagall draped over one of her boyfriends, Tom on a cold day.

Hope you have someone furry to snuggle with!

A dreamy Tea Time photo shoot...

I had the great pleasure of designing along side a truly gifted and lovely lady who is a wonderful wedding designer in her own right, Kelly Oshiro.  We set up a vintage wedding/tea time/ photo shoot in a wonderfully picturesque old abandoned green house on the ranch I live on as well as the grounds of a beautiful 1920's craftsman style mansion that is also on the ranch.  The photographer is one of my favorites Kirsten of Beaux Arts Photographie AND...  we were lucky enough to have it published in a British magazine (of course...  it's a tea shoot after all!!) by the name of You and Your Wedding Day which is on the news stands right now.

It turned out so gorgeous, I just adore it!  I am only showing you a few here as we might have a chance of another magazine picking it up.  But here are a few fun shots...  Earl Gray or Jasmine?

Lots of pretty details, vintage jewelry, china, clothing, old books,  just Divine!

There are so many more dreamy pictures...  but that is it for now,

Cheers everyone!

Tricia

The Practical Magic Blog Party Faerie nest winners...

October sure arrived fast!  So as promised the winners for the Practical Magic blog party give aways.
My random number generator (my husband) picked numbers 6 and 46 for the winners...  That means Dani of The Whimsical Cottage  (a very cool Pagen blog site!) gets the green nest and...

Dana Wright, authoress of a number of blogs but one in particular that I like is On The Broomstick  gets the dragon fly nest.
Congratulations ladies!
I will email you ladies so you can give me your addresses.  They are too heavy for the faeries to carry so I will be sending them muggle post.
Blessings to all,
Tricia

Practical Magic... Faeries and a give away!

Well Anna over at Frosted Petunias is hosting another lovely Practical Magic Blog Party so as we check in with our favorite Aunts we find them having sherry in their garden thinking up spells and ways to interfere in people's love life...

They were eating strawberries and generally enjoying themselves,

maybe a bit too much sherry...

However the solstice was coming up and the Aunts were presenting but they really didn't know what they were going to do...  

"We have demonstrated about all the magical ingredients one can put in your beauty products to keep you young..."

"We've talked about how love can heal a curse of generations...  

What are we to do?"

Later when they went into their solarium to practice their spells a wondrous transformation had taken place...

There was a magical mossy parasol just outside the door and a trail of rose petals leading them in...

Even the kitties noticed something was different.

There were beautiful magical wings and faerie clothes laid out everywhere...

"Of course...  we haven't presented anything about the Fae yet...  that's what we will do.

We can talk about the power of belief and faith, about asking for help from the wee folk.

Look at all the lovely things we can show people to help them remember the faeries..."

"Magical floral wreaths for your hair, beautiful gowns..."

And absolutely everywhere they looked were the most beautiful wings...

"These will surly please the humans and bring faerie magic to the people"

Wings were everywhere...

Some were made from the lovely vintage shawls the Aunts loved to wear...

Some were made from the botanical and natural ingredients the Aunts used in their potions,

 but always with a vintage touch of lace or jewels.

Lots of branches and vines mixed with vintage lace and flowers from the garden.

And of course Pussy Willow wings..

Because you know all the cats had a hand or should we say "paw" in the magic.

There were faerie nests...

And the most fantastical faerie tree house they had ever seen.  

This beat even Maria's old house that Jillian and Sally would play in.

It had a lovely sleeping loft...

A downstairs sitting area...

Little flats in the branches for practicing your spells or enjoying a read...

So it was decided that the Aunts would present all about faerie magic at the Solstice.  

They had to of course prepare some of their own potions so they got busy making lovely lotions and oils from rose petals, amber powder and other such worthy natural offerings.

They worked late into the night with many a midnight margarita...

and finally when they were all done with their bags packed...

Aunt Louise looked through the magic looking glass and saw their destination... 

and with giddy anticipation...

off they went to the solstice.

And as with everything the aunts do wonderful unexplained things happened

Aunt Louise suddenly had the most beautiful set of wings, cloak and a wreath appear...

Aunt Thelma suddenly had a wonderful wreath on her head.  So now they looked the part, thanks to the faeries...

At the solstice their booth was declared the most beautiful and mystical and was simply dripping with vintage magic.

All the wares the faeries created along with those of the aunts were displayed

All the wings were out...

The most wonderful magic folk came to visit. 

I think along side the witch there is also a little faerie in all of us don't you?

A most magical mushroom lady came to say hello...

Aunt Thelma loved playing with all the wreaths.

There was chocolate cake for breakfast and midnight margaritas

They met a most wonderful kindred friend by the name of Big Sir Darling...

(that's her on the right)

And dancing naked around the bonfire at the full moon.  However the Aunts elected to keep their clothes on even though many did not...  after all nudity was optional as you well remember.

( I know it is difficult to see anything but the fire but do remember that the Fae are sometimes hard to photograph...)

Sprightly creatures played magical music...

All in all it was one of the best festivals ever.  Everyone said that the Aunts presentation was fabulous!

The people in attendance really understood that to be normal is not really a virtue, it rather denotes a lack of courage!

These were some of the most wonderfully courageous, not normal,  magical beings ever!

Practical magical faerie blessings to everyone!

Thank you Anna!

Click HERE to see the other posts.

OH DEAR...  I ALMOST FORGOT!!!  (too many margaritas!)  For any one that leaves a comment that is also a follower I will enter their name into the witches hat to win a faerie nest.  I will pick two winners, one for the green nest and one for the dragon fly nest both of which are show above.  I will draw the name on October the 1st and let you know!