Family Visit to FOFAS in December

Late in 2006, J and I thought we should spend some of our spare time volunteering at a local animal shelter. We found one not too far away, sat through a quick orientation, and then we were off and running. Every two Sundays, we go to the Volunteer Office and clean up before it opened to the public. It entails that we (okay, J) to clean out the office litterboxes (usually 5-6 but at last check it was like 7-9). We also refill food/water bowls, clean out any cages occupied and administer any medication that's needed. The cool part about the office is that the kitties roam about freely, unless they're in a cage as a result of needing tests or post-surgery, which is like being at any home. They're are a number of cat trees, toys and lots of places to hang out.

We've gotten to know many kitties. Most of them are sweet. Some have a sad story of how they got to the FOFAS office. There was one Toulouse Le Chat that we had seriously considered as a companion for KittyBee/Beepers. We never got beyond the talking phase, as we weren't sure how she'd take it.

Our usual routine is parking the car, unlock the office door and saying hi to the kitties that greet us. We poke around to look for any kitties that might be hiding or sleeping. There's a list of kitties with descriptions on post-its on the fridge. I check the Web site to see if there's been any adoptions or new additions, but it's difficult to know for certain until you get there. After a bit of hi's and hello's, we get on with the day. I count the cats and then pick up the appropriate number of cat food cans. I also check the kitchen whiteboard to see who needs meds and how many little ones are in cages. I usually head into the storage room to prep their wet food into food boats, while J starts in on cleaning the litterboxes. We feed the kitties, clean out the cages and then enjoy lots of feline fun.

During the winter, my mom and sister came with us to the office. They had a favorite - Cordelia, a Russian blue. We were taken by Francis, a beautiful big boy Tabby. He was so sweet and has since been adopted. We took photos during our last visit when a kitten was running loose, T.Rex is a wild one who has also found a home.

Mushroom Watch Continues

Lily has progressed further ahead than I with the mushrooms. It's not like we're racing but I do feel like a bad parent who sometimes forgets to encourage my child to move on to the next step. So today, I took uhm Shelby Shiitake out of its water bath. I had this weird thing happen yesterday. After I added enough boiled tap water to submerge Shelby, I let her be as I was posting about her progress. When I went back for a second up close shot, as my first wasn't as clear as could be, I noticed that it was floating. I had a buoyant Shelby. I tried various "clean" ways to weigh her down and keep her under, but it didn't stick. I ended up leaving her be with the idea that I'd flip her over when I do tent her. This photo her is what she looked like after a day plus of sitting in a bag of water. She pretty much looks the same, though she didn't wrinkle or anything.

Moving on to the next step, I misted her down on the top and scooted her out of the original bag. I had the naive notion that I could slip her out of the bag. Yeah that didn't work. She raised bumps/protrusions were hindrances but that's okay. Shelby's happy and excited to grow. I cut open the bag, dropped her back into the metal pan and found three skewers. I tried not to touch Shelby unsure what it would feel like, but I did to move her around. It was like touching a big block of mushrooms.

Reading the directions, I set up the tent. Shelby on her way to having all that she needs to grow some of her Shiitake friends. Whew, a few steps done and now it's all up to Shelby to take it to the next level. BABIES!