My Spirit's Home

Every year since I was seventeen, I have been going to this magical place in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean called Star Island, part of the Isle of Shoals. Since moving to California, it has been hard to be separated from all of the people that I have known and loved from there, but it is even harder to not be there with them this year. I aged out of YRUU Week last year, and I don't really have the heart to start going to YAC (not to mention that I don't have the vacation time). I'm too attached to my younger brethren at YRUU Week, and though I know a lot of people that attend the Young Adult Conference, it is hard for me to finally admit that this is a goodbye.

But that's what it is. A parting of ways, a growing up, and I still refuse to let go. Some things are too good to forget, and this week that was a part of my life for so long is one of those weeks. This probably explains why the background to this entire blog is Star Island.

I watch from Facebook and see everyone growing up, getting in and out of relationships, I feel like an observer on what used to be a part of my life. I have kept some people close at heart, but it is still hard to long for that sense of community.

Wrote three pages yesterday, not of Anthony's story like I intended, but of Jessica's. I guess I'm in the mood to be a somewhat snotty, self-righteous teenager who is really completely lost and confused.

Kittens, Cats, and Ferals

Cici, the scaredy cat

I have spent my time in Los Angeles getting to know the cats in my life. I think it's funny, and my boyfriend commented on it too, that I can be so positive about cats, kittens, ferals, and be so pessimistic about everything else.

Cici, the scaredy cat, the girl, and the little calico with bright green eyes, has finally gotten used to me. She stops hissing when I tell her to. She waits at the door, looking up through the window until she catches my eye and prays that I will come out and feed her. She's had one kitten in the time that I've known her. I've gotten a trap, to hopefully catch her, and fix her, so that her singular kitten will be the only one.

Lance, or Lancer, her violent brother, is a loud one. He's not fixed either, and yes, you guessed it, the kitten is his as well. They have the same eyes and the same face, so it's possible that they are just distant cousins because their patterns are so vastly different. He's just a tabby, with a huge bulky tail.

Lastly, there are the elusive Dragon and Toothless. Toothless is named after the dragon in How to Train Your Dragon, and honestly, it fits him well. I have seen him twice since moving in. All black, yellow eyes. Dragon is a fluffy grey ball that has the perfect cat mouth. It does the downward triangle: ^ and his face is almost flat, making me think he has some sort of Persian in him. He has yellow eyes and, currently, is suffering from a huge bite on his forehead. Remember how I said Lance was violent? They don't get along, both being males, they fight for territory. Currently, Dragon has been hanging around Cici more, so there might be a cat-drama fest going on with the little hussie.

I am going to try to get Dragon too, so that I can get him a shot of anti-biotics. I only have time on weekends to get them fixed, which means I'll have to drive down to Long Beach and pay 70-80 dollars for each one at the SPCA. I can only do one at a time, and since it's going to cost so much, I'll probably have to spay them weeks apart. But, if I can get Cici first, that would be ideal. I think she is the only female in the area. Of course the males can wander, but she's my priority. I can get to the others in a month or two.

Any and all suggestions on how to spay them all cheaply, on the weekend, would be great.

Then there are my two domestics. My cat, Rusty, I received mostly as a foster. I intentionally did not want to adopt, because, well, it's time and money. Though, the love bug somehow convinced me on keeping him. Maybe it was the way he woke me up in the morning by purring in my face and staring at me and waiting until I fed him. Maybe it was the way he needed help and was sick, but I couldn't just give him up, not without trying.

And my kitten, Munster, newly adopted from one of my friends. It's tragic really, she did a favour for a neighbor, took in one of her "fixed" females, and she ended up having kittens. She's getting them fixed for free, at either the Amanda Foundation, or FixNation. Munster is the typical kitten, though very sickly himself (why do I pick sick cats?). He loves to play, run, attack himself in the mirror, and is a tabby with a twist. His face has the exact markings of a wolf. It's pretty cool, bright white fur around his eyes, his eyes match his coat, but still have a slight dark blue around the outside of them. Absolutely gorgeous kitten. Unfortunately, he probably has feline herpes, though we can't know for sure until he's older. He has tongue ulcers. Antibiotics cleared up everything out (conjunctivitis), but I just noticed that he might still have intestinal parasites last night. So it's off for another vet bill today for him. I love the little guy, but he's cost me about $300 so far, and that appears to just be the beginning.