Justin and Nicole

Well, I guess that it is about time that I updated my blog! We have just had too much going on lately and I haven't had much time to keep up with everything.

Yesterday afternoon I got a phone call from our 21 year old daughter, Nicole, in Iowa City. She was hysterically crying and all I could hear her say was, " Mmm..muwfffffffffff..pffffaaahhhhh.. FIRE...muhwahhhhhhhhhh". The one intelligible word that I got out of that made my hair stand on end. After I got her (and myself) to breathe, I got her to tell me what was happening. She said that the apartment that she, my son Justin, and another room mate share was on fire. Our kids were not home at the time that the fire started, and thankfully their room mate got out okay and was able to get all of their pets to safety....no small feat considering that they have a third floor apartment and share it with 2 cats, 2 bunnies and a ferret. The important thing was that everyone in the building got out safely. I knew that our kids were fine, but I am a mom so needless to say, Gary and I jumped in the car and made the normally 45 minute trip in considerably less time.

By the time we arrived the fire was out. Most of the fire damage was to the roof and the third floor where our kids live, and of course, lots of smoke and water damage. Since the building was deemed uninhabitable for the time being, none of the residents were allowed to retrieve any of their possessions. The Red Cross was there and offered help to anyone who needed it, which was really nice.....especially since one of the guys that lived in the basement was standing out in the parking lot barefoot, in a tee shirt and shorts and it was really cold out.
The kids made arrangements to stay with friends while they look for a new apartment.........BUT, there were homeless kitties and bunnies to contend with........oh yeah, you guessed it, a few furry refugee friends made the trip back to Eldridge with us last night.



This is Simon, he actually started out living here when he was a tiny baby. Simon and his brother Baxter were thrown out on the gravel road near our house when they were only about 2 weeks old. It was October of last year and it was cold, they were not even weaned from their mother, so of course they had to live with us "until we could find them a home". Long story short, Baxter stayed here and Simon is now Nicole's baby.

Simon has adjusted to his little vacation home with us just fine, he is familiar with our house and seems to think that our other cats and the dogs must be as thrilled to see him as he is to see them....not true. Now, this is embarrassing to admit, but we already have 4 house cats. Yes, I am a hair net away from being "the crazy cat lady". So, if you are doing the math, yes we sadly now have 6 cats in the house until the kids find a place..... shoot me now.

This is Justin's friend Vilka. Vilka is less than excited to be here. She looks cozy in this picture, but in actuality she had wedged herself underneath our rocking chair between the legs of the chair and the springs. I think that she is protesting, she can't understand why she has to be in this house with all of these undignified boy kitties, she feels that she deserves much better.

Baxter is just hoping that the spoiled princess and his long lost brother are going to become long lost again.

These pictures are of Simon and Baxter last year. They start out so cute, don't they?

I am happy to be able to give my kids one less thing to worry about, knowing that their pets are here safe with us...........but boy do I hope that they find a new place quickly! : )