I think one little kitten has found a lucky home.
The only problem we are having is with a name.
I like Ansel for Ansel Adams......what else would you name a black and white Kitten....Tim says no. He is quite the meower, so we often call him Cry Baby! Sylvester is an option. Bandit for Smokey and the Bandit. But I'm not sold on any of them. What ever it becomes he is a love and getting along with Smokey better and better every day.
He took the challenge of 3 budding teenagers head on. He was wiser and more street wise than our Mom who grew up in Westerville, Ohio. Our dear friend Pat says she grew up in Shangrala! Dad was on to teenagers and kept a level head in dealing with the 3 of them. They lived in Arlington, VA for awhile. The 5 of them moved to Rockville, MD where I joined the family. I know I was the apple of my father's eye. He always told me I got my curls from him. He went bald young in life and as little girl I believed he actually "gave" me his hair! He called me Poochy pants. Pooch for short. I do remember that. Mom called me Marigold for all the flowers I ate that summer I was 20 months old and crawling past her flowers. Life was idyllic in Rockville. When I was about 5 Dad decided Mom needed to be closer to her work at NIH, so he found a house closer to Bethesda and moved us Kate's senior year. An event she has never quite recovered from. Mike was mostly gone by the time we moved to Kensington. Kate did graduate from Einstein. Holly became a pom pom girl and quite popular. I was in a preschool near NIH. Dad had numerous jobs. He always had a promotion when he moved jobs. He once worked east of where we lived and had to drive home into the sunset every night, that job did not last long. He had beautiful blue eyes and driving into the sunset did not sit well with him.
Dad loved babies, baby anythings. We often had kittens from Mikes cat Suriotha. Dad loved the kittens and all the fun they brought to the family. Dad loved family. I do remember going on a genealogy vacation with him to Pennsylvania. To the Dairy area! He was from Butler PA and love to make a good pun. We often went to the Watkins reunions and did lots of genealogy there. Here are Mom and Dad at a Watkins reunion, probably about 1968 or so.
My Dad was a smoker. He often was trying to quit. I remember that. He never smoked in the house, but fought a bitter battle with smoking that took his life. I think he was sick in this photo. This is my dear friend Tracy and I and Dad. I think he was learning how to use the self timer on his new camera in this photo.
My Dad lost his battle with lung cancer on February 10, 1971. How can that be 40 years ago? He was only 41. Next year if he were alive it would be twice his life time that he has been gone. I remember being 41 and feeling so young. Now at 50 I almost feel mature, and yet revert to my little 10 year old self when I think of the loss of such an important man in my life those long 40 years ago. I now have a husband who I think is a lot like my Dad. And I am blessed to have him in my life, it was my Mom who said: "I needed to give that guy a chance. He is a nice fellow." Perhaps he saw in him what she saw in Alvin Kestner.
I miss you Dad. I'd love to have lunch with you, or take another road trip with you, or do some self portraits with you and I and chat and get to know you better.
I love you Papa.
On Monday January 31,2011 Mom started out on her errands. Having baked her famous biscottis for the neighbors who shoveled her entire driveway on Sunday and the Sanzaro's, as she cannot make biscotti and not take some to them! She has her list in hand she was ready to go. Now remember is was about 20 degrees this day, yet sunny and clear.
Here is where her day got interesting! She left the car running as it was 20 degrees out and she would just be a minute to leave the tidy package on the front door. But as her norm when she got out of her 1998 Saturn wagon she locked the door by holding up the handle........key inside and car running. Hum! Delivered biscotti, knocked to see if anyone home. No. Hum!
Cell phone usually in pocket, but tucked safely in locked engine running car. So waited for someone to drive by the car in the neighborhood to call AAA. Called AAA and was told "at least 2 hours". Smart thinking little 87 year old pulled the "I am 87 and out in the cold with the car running!" card.
Dispatcher: "Are there children in the car?"
Mom:"Don't you think they would unlock the door?"
Dispatcher: "They could be in car seats."
Mom: "Again, I am 87!"
Dispatcher: "I'll send someone, but it may be 2 hours"
At this point the lady who stopped insisted she come home with her and wait in the warm of her home, but no she could not see the car from her house, and if AAA came and no one was there they would leave. So Mom just leaned on her warm engine and "enjoyed the crisp air"! Not 15 minutes go by and up pulls AAA to rescue Mom. He gets in the car in less than a minute and Mom offers to get her AAA card and identification. The guy said to her: "Mame if you were going to steal a car don't you think you'd go up the street here and steal a Ferrari or a Jaguar or a Mercades? I am sure this is your Saturn! You have a good day and be careful!" So off she goes on her merry errand list.
4. Further on the same street she visited a dear friend suffering from the long term affects of Schtzophrenia.
5. Drove up to Kensington to the bank. No one in line, deposited a check.
6. Drove to Wheaton to get her toes done and found a meter with a hour and 15 mintues on it, just enough time to have her toes doen and be home for lunch!
She is one errand running girl. She may want to ammend this. But it is the best I can remember.
Mom and I went back to the home where I picked up Smokey from her adventure from North Carolina. It was time to find a playmate for her. Melissa (the foster Mom ) said she would have 2 yellow kittens, which she did, they were sweet, but were skin and bones. BUT she also had a litter of 5 kittens: 4 gray males and 1 black and white male. And a 7 month old black and white she was holding for a friend at work that I convinced it was time for a kitten for her too. I was sure I'd fall in love with the yellows. But was drawn to the black and whites. I snapped photos of as many as I could and brought them home for Tim to pick. He (un-coached by me) chose my favorite too. The one little black and white male from the Montgomery county humane society. So, he has to go to the vet this week, but he will be mine soon.
Mom truly was the inspiration and motivator for this project. I did the little blue top pieces and the blue borders. She did the very intricate flowers. We have 662 pieces total in the lamp. Not sure if you can see our little blue beads on the pulls, but it truly makes the final little detail to our year long project.
