A new moggie and Sean

It may not be obvious from the photograph but there is a new moggie in the Wenlock household. In this picture she is perched on Sean's legs while Kokopelli (the Moggie-In-Residence) is off to the side with a semi-tolerant look on his face.

Her name is Giselle. She is about 7 weeks old and has been with us about 3 weeks - which, if you were good at maths in school would tell you that she came to us when she was 4 weeks old. Not the best time for a kitten to be weaned from her Mom but there was little choice. Nancy got a call three weeks ago from a 'friend' who told Nancy that she was on the way to school and that the 'friend' has found a kitten by one of her hay bales under a taupalin. She asked Nancy to go up to their property (it's up the road about a mile from us) and check on the kitten.

So Nancy does and she finds this little (and I mean little) kitten which is miserably curled up next to the hay bale, has an eye infection with gunk in it and is just woebegone. So Nancy does what I am sure anyone would do reading this - she takes the kitten to the vet's office (in Strasburg). The Vet's office did a great job, some antibiotic cream for the eye, some Kitten Milk Replacement for the kitten, some antibiotic something or other as well and this little cat was on the way up.

The 'friend' now shows her colors - whining about the vet bill ($69 - ("I am saving to go to Vegas") and the kitten itself.

I guess we have acquired a kitten. And a 'friend' turns out to be just a jerk. Oh well, we got the best end of the deal!

Sorry for being ratty. I (Mick) have a real thing about treating animals (and friends come to that) with respect. I also don't believe in passing on animals - once Giselle ended up with us, well she has a home and a family.

And, of course, she has settled right in and taken over hearts and minds all round.

Funnily enough she, like Kokopelli, has really taken to Sean. She is at that stage of attacking anything that moves, hands, toes, arms - anything. She jumps and pounces. She may be very small but her teeth and claws are a little sharp. Sean sits on the floor a lot which is why I think the cats like to play around and with him.

However Sean does not really like to play with the cats.

And here is the real kicker - no matter how much Giselle pounces on Sean's arms, or feet, or legs or hands, NEVER, not once, not ever has he done anything to hurt her. He just brushes her off or puts her down a couple of feet away. He doesn't get angry, he doesn't get pissed off - he is as gentle as can be.

It is a wonderful sight, I kid you not. This big guy (and Sean is a big man) gets attacked and attacked by this little kitten and he just gentlly moves her to one side - time and again.

See how lucky we are?

Sean to Dad: "Come on, Dad - let's walk!"

It may look dry in the background, but several late afternoon rains have helped make the pastures greener than these photos show. Sean has developed an interesting routine: he has begun bothering Mick in the evenings to go out for a walk! Throughout Sean's life he has been in many ways a typical deafblind individual: he will wait to be cued before doing something. He typically sitd on the floor playing with some little object, his fingers and hands always busy but he will be sitting on the floor where he likes to sit.

But recently, Sean has started initiating going for evening walks with Mick. This is strictly a Sean and Dad thing. Perhaps because Mick was the one who used to prompt Sean to go walking in the first place. Whatever the reason, it is BIG BIG BIG that Sean has actually started to INITIATE an activity as big as going outdoors and walking around Horseshoe Drive which is just about a mile around!

The summer days have been so very hot that the only activity worth participating in is called a siesta! Sean gets home around 3 pm on weekdays from his swimming expotition with his caregiver, and he gets a snack and then wants to hang out on his bed, sitting up and simply enjoying the sunshine that comes streaming into his room.

But later on when Mick gets home, and usually after dinner, Sean may get up and go around the house until he finds his Dad. Sean's residual vision is such that sometimes Mick can be sitting at the computer just a few feet from Sean, but Sean won't see him. Sean will wander around the house and if he's not interested in me, then it's pretty clear he wants his dad. If Mick stands up, Sean sees him right away because Mick no longer blends into the background of the computer and desk and books and all that. If Sean takes Mick's hand and pushes him toward the door, Sean's message is pretty darn clear, don't you think? So Mick gets his boots on, he helps Sean put his shoes on, and the two of them go out for one or two rounds around Horseshoe, depending on how late it is and how much light remains.

We are incredibly lucky to live out here. The air is wonderful, the people in our neighborhood are very caring and helpful, and the animals who own us give us a tremendous amount of joy in return for the millions of dollars we seem to spend on the horse feed, dog and cat food, and vet care!! No, really, it's true!!!

Anyway, Sean is branching out by initiating exercise and activity with his dad. Another unexpected benefit from our country lifestyle. How cool is that??!!
Nancy