What we did on our Spring Break vacation... Continued

Last week, I left you at the point where we were on our way home. We met my mother and her friend, Jerry, for breakfast at Bob Evans. We were packed and ready to go as soon as we were finished. 

Instead of going straight to Wytheville, VA where we had a motel room waiting for us, we had a detour to make, so our first destination was the South Charleston Antique Mall to meet Rita C. of Panopoly.

On her blog post of January 22, 2018, Rita made a loose proposal about a Lenten giveaway in the form of 40 boxes in 40 weeks which is usually done as giving away 40 bags in 40 days. You can read about it here. 

As the plans progressed, and Rita and I talked back and forth, I came up with a general list of things I like and like to collect. 

Then, things got really interesting when I realized we were going right by the town where Rita has several booths in an antique mall. So, our conversation turned to discussing a visit. We decided that the best time for us would be on our trip home, and Rita was free to meet then, too. We kept in contact during our trip south, so Rita knew our estimated arrival time, and we were right about on time!

The mall looked very interesting, so Katie and I started looking right away. Soon, Rita found us. She walked and talked with us and told us about some of the booths as we looked. She looked right along with us. She left us to look around on our own at times, and one time Katie sent her a phone message with a photo of a majolica piece that Rita had just finished telling us that she liked to collect. Rita came running down the stairs and was enamored with the piece. {Hey! Katie should have collected a finder's fee!} Soon, the piece was whisked away, and Rita had a happy smile on her face!

We collected a few things:

A collapsible ruler.

Iris Lace

Vintage lace, buttons, and a set of fish postcards.

Ceramic Wade figures.

 We made plans to go to a restaurant called Happy Days. It was a diner that was across the street. I had an excellent chicken salad sandwich, and Katie had a very tasty cheese steak sandwich. Rita had a small salad. We learned more about each other as we ate. We had a great time. Too soon, we had to leave to get to our half-way-home point in Wytheville, VA.

But wait!!! I forgot something!!!

Rita brought my package that she put together for the 40 boxes, 40 weeks giveaway. Once we got to our hotel, we opened the boxes. The first box contained a rather large bird nest. I think that was the first thing on my list. 

The other box contained all of these treasures:

This frog has an unusual texture.

This is a donkey bottle opener.

This is a table runner. We are cat lovers!

A collapsible ruler. I love them!

 

Rita included this specifically for Katie, as she collects Madonnas.

We had some happy smiles after opening those boxes. A very special thank you goes to Rita C. from Panopoly for thinking of us!

So, we went to sleep knowing we had a long drive in the morning. At about 5 am, I woke up, and so did Katie. After a short discussion, we decided to hit the road and grab some breakfast down the way later. After packing everything into the car, we were heading south at about 5:30 am. We arrived at home before noon. We unloaded, and Katie went to pick up Tan-G at the vet where he had to be boarded. I took a much-needed nap. Vacations do that to me!

Showing off here:
Share Your Cup #288  

From north to south, from family to friends ...and everything in between.

♪ ♪ ♪ Getting to Know You ♪ ♪ ♪ {continued}

Love me. Love my cats.

Whoever said cats were domesticated was wrong. Flat out wrong. My wife, Katie, and I live with feral animals. They fight, they stalk, and they are messy. Cats are not the fastidious creatures some assume them to be. No. They aren't.

Let me introduce Franklynn. He is the oldest at about 12 years old. We always use"about" when we're talking about a cat's age, because unless we witness the birth, which we haven't ever, there's no way to tell the exact age. So, we use the first time the cat has visited the vet as a birth date and add as many years as the vet can guess to his or her age.

Franklynn, the pretty boy

Did you ever know that some cats aren't always very attractive for the camera? Case in point:

Franklynn ... Really!

The next three have a background. A story. Two years ago, we lived in a different place. The woman in front of us had three cats who ran around the property freely. The oldest one, Tulip, was an indoor cat until the owner got a leather couch. The cat was set out. The owner fed her and gave her a little shelter on a screened-in porch. Mr. Jingles came one day as a youngster, and Tangerine, also a youngster, soon followed.

About two years ago, the owner came to us and told us that her trailer had mold. She needed to get a new trailer. She asked us if we could take the cats for a month or two, which is the time that it would take to get a new trailer in place. She assured us that she would help with expenses. Two months came and went. We sent her copies of our expenses — vet bills and food — and she said she couldn't pay it and relinquished the cats to us. We didn't want them, but we couldn't let them go back to her either. Even in southeastern North Carolina it gets cold. We sneaked them into our house when we lived there, whether it was cold or hot or mild. We grew to love them, and we wanted to care for them. When they came to live with us permanently, we had a total of eight cats.

Tulip

When we met Tulip, she had already had two litters. We convinced her owner to spay her. Tulip is watching her weight these days. She is quite rotund and does not seem to be able to lose any weight with her diet food. Her nicknames are Tooter and Miss Tabby Two Shoes (for her two white back feet). She is about (there's that word again!) 8. She had a knock-down, drag-out fight with Franklynn recently. She won! You go girl! (Franklynn was the instigator.)

Bjorn, formerly known as Mr. Jingles

This is Bjorn Catspurrski. He is a Swedish/Polish/American Shorthair and proud of it. He is Franklynn's playmate, although he gets along with everyone. He is about four. He hugs. He comes to the hand for a pat, then he swings his rear end around to make contact with the leg. Hugs! We convinced his previous owner to neuter him. She did, and he stayed closer to home.

Tangerine, aka Tangy

Tangerine, now Tangy, was two steps from being really feral when we got him. All he did was pace and make a circuit from one window to the next. This is when we gave up our privacy and left the blinds up. He couldn't stop pacing, and we felt so sorry for him. That behavior was a tough thing to watch. Now that he is ours, he is going to have to learn to live a safe life by being an indoor kittie. Just recently, he has stopped biting when disturbed. Now, he will come and allow us to pet him. He actually leans in to a pet. Tangy is about 2. Franklynn is his arch nemesis. His sometimes-nickname is Sven, since he's Bjorn's brother and so close to the same age. And, he's orange.

Tangy: This young fella needs to learn how to loosen up.

This is our current clowder. We are working on attrition — again! It's difficult to travel far or for long periods of time when we need to get a cat sitter and hope they don't kill each other. 

Oh! The old neighbor never did upgrade her living conditions, and it's two years later.

If you have a cat story, put it in the comments.

From Franklynn to Tangerine...and everything in between...