God rest Ye Merry Fanta...

Fanta in full vigor

The last of the "Original Three", Fanta the feral kitty, shed his 9th mortal coil during the over night of December 23rd.  He was a big, robust ginger tom who I'd grown especially fond of because of his last member status.  Like his wild mates before him, he was a regular visitor and sometimes resident of our deck over the past three years. He, like his buddies, didn't hold a grudge after being trapped and neutered and still came back for the chow and sunny napping spots. I greatly enjoyed his company in the early mornings whilst sipping my morning joe and taking in the wildlife sightings of the backyard.

I don't know for certain how his demise came about, but he had been injured in some sort of fight last month and never seemed to completely bounce back from it. I am glad I was able to locate his last hiding spot in order to finally give him a few pats and a good burial after he passed.

Not the last, but certainly one of the more loved.

Hubert in a favorite spot

Flash in the same planter

Christmas Angel

Every year we create a home made Christmas Angel to top our tree. It's become a fun holiday tradition that we hope our model will tolerate as long as possible [til at least her 30s]. It's also interesting for us to see all of the changes that have come about year to year.

HoHo hack, cough, wheeze, ugh...

First cold of the season being battled and it ain't been pretty for some of us...

Lola 1                          Cold 0
Lola's parents -2         Cold 2

New table and chairs

Lola sitting in her new chair

Wetting her whistle with a friend

We found a nice solid wood table and chair set on Etsy for Lola. She needs someplace to draw, have snacks, and of course host tea parties with her favorite stuffed friends.

Here she is, playing with her new acquisition:

Face painting

Lola's daycare is great about incorporating lots of art projects into the kids' daily activities; and on this particular day, when I came to pick her up I found that she was the canvas!

Who's your Papi?

Clementine and Papi. The lovers at play.

First Visit to the Dentist

It seems like only yesterday that Lola had two small teeth emerging from her gums, we marveled over them and realized we'd need to start brushing them soon. Now, after many months of tooth growing and brushing it was finally time to go see the dentist. Lola has always had a spirited relationship with her oral care (it usually involves some restraint and thrashing around) so we weren't sure what to expect.

Lola hanging out in the waiting room with her pal Dora

The dentist asked me to hold Lola in my lap while they checked how many teeth have emerged, cleaned them, and gave us tips on how best to brush her teeth in the future. Here is Lola just after they finished.