Please meet Jordy Caroleson!

You may remember STScI staffer, Ann, who found homes for Spanky and Squinky. Well, her friend Carole is fostering a young man and asked us if we'd introduce him to you... she even sent us a "ready made" post!!

If you know someone looking for an only cat, Jordy may be the one for you. And Carole has updated her poster to say that Jordy isn't really long haired... more medium... and his coat is very easy to care for, not to mention shining, beautiful and very soft to the touch!

And on the Wally front:

We're so disappointed. Our boy has been nowhere to be seen around Rancho J2 the last few days, completely thwarting our weekend plans. From the relaxed behavior of the other male ferals, Joy suspects he's on walkabout again. *Sigh* But we are persistent!! Joy and Jim are determined to bring this young man in... when he deigns to grace us with his presence once again.

I am so impressed with how patient the folks at J2 are. They've had such success with the ferals from the woods behind them, and this patience has a lot to do with it. Sophie and I... well, not so much in the patience department... LOL!... we want him NOW!

Waiting... still waiting...

It's 7:35 pm and we're still anticipating. So, to distract ourselves today, we made sure we caught up on our visiting and found the neatest thing over at Sparkle's. We love Simon's Cat but had no idea there was now a daily strip in the UK! Yay! And thanks, Sparkle, for the link!

And the girls did a pretty good distratction job, too. Here's Peggy Sue puttin' on the cute. She's filled out some from the skinny little momma she was when she arrived, hasn't she? A shapely young woman now, to be sure!

And so waiting for Wally continues...

Anticipation

OK folks, just a quick one today. Please get your purrs on for us. Joy and Jim at Rancho J2 are going to try to bring in Wally this weekend. They didn't want to scare him by trapping (he's cautious but shows many friendly tendencies) and they have been working really hard to make this as gentle a transition as possible for him.

Sophie is waiting for you Wally!! And so are we!

We Need to Do a Better Job in Our Own Back Yard!!

Before you go to our regularly scheduled self-chastisement post, please go over to Brian's Home. Little Bit, a sweet SC lass, is urgently in need of a home. She's gone through traumatic surgery, is having problems recovering because of being caged, and now will be out of time at her shelter on Friday, 3/11. Spread the word, good folks... Tweet, FB, and repost... this little intertube community of ours has done amazing things. Let's pull one off for her! As our good Auntie would say, "LET'S ROCK THIS!"

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Aaack!! Remember I've mentioned that lots of folks around the 'tute have been finding, fostering and homing critters on their own for years, with little fanfare?!! Well, turns out we could have been helping one of them for a couple of months now... only they didn't realize that ANY member of STScI is welcome to promote their foster on the blog! How did I let that happen?!!!! Aaaack! [Danny, I'm so sorry I didn't get that article done for the Scope (our internal rag) now! I will be getting on it ASAP!]

Over the next two days, we'll introduce you to two young mancats, Teddy and Poco, that one of our STScI colleagues is working with closely to find homes.

Here's the story:

This winter, Kathy and her neighbor sheltered a pair of stray brothers (they're pretty sure they're brothers... they do kinda look alike, appear to be the same age, and showed up together) who were hungry and freezing, even though their homes were pretty much full up. They gave the boys the usual medical workups and lotsa TLC to get them ready to find furever homes.

Sadly, an illness in Kathy's family is now requiring her to frequently travel out of town and doesn't leave her with enough time to work with her new charge, Poco. In the hopes of perhaps even being able to have the brothers adopted together, they got in touch with the MD SPCA to help. Poco and Teddy had their first public meet'n'greet on Saturday. When I saw the sign she posted, I called and Kathy and offered to put them on the blog... and found out she hadn't realized she could have been using us all along!

We'll give Poco his own write up tomorrow and give Teddy his on Wednesday.

And poor Sophie is still waiting...

But we have some good news. Wally came to Rancho J2 for a visit, soaked, on Sunday night around 11 pm. He let Joy feed him a can of food and even reach out and brush him!! This is a great sign!! We're getting closer to getting him in that carrier and on his way to the Casa for sure!! The waiting for him to trust enough is soooo hard! We'd rather let him get comfy enough to scoop up than use a trap, if possible.

So see you tomorrow for brother #1. And I think we're going to get a visit with alumni Trudy and Lawrie soon, too!!

Wally and 10 Questions

We've got a picture of Wally!!! This is the BOY! Oh, I like boys!! I can't wait to meet him! Joy and Jim told the woman that he is friendly, but a little shy, and just as soon as the folks at Rancho J2 can scoop him up, they'll call her. Then she'll take him straight to Doc Andrew and then he'll come here!!!

I'm a little bummed because then we have to have a quarantine, just like we had when I arrived. But with the glass doors, we'll be able to see him and he'll be able to see us, which is good. And then he'll become a responsible mancat and then, finally, I'll be able to meet him whisker to whisker! I like boys!! They like to play. Have I mentioned I like to play... a LOT?? I hope Wally likes to play!

Soooooo... while we're waiting, I asked Bitty and Peggy Sue and Annie to help me convince the woman to do the "get to know you" that Delelian sent to us. And she said yes!

Tomorrow, I'll show you how well Whiskey and Tango are doing over at Joy and Jim's!

Hugs'n'headbutts to everybody!

Sophie

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Hi folks, Lisa here. In December, just as I dropped out on hiatus, Deleilan complimented us by naming The Adventures as a blog she loves. (Thank you hon, I do feel humbled and honored.) As many of you know, I've always felt a bit awkward about accepting awards 'cause the critters are the stars of the show! And I've not really participated in them, even though I have truly appreciated the compliment of receiving them.

But, I've finally decided to go out of my comfort zone and start participating in "sharing" since I've enjoyed reading these on other blogs and getting to know folks better - heck, we spend a lot of time with one another and I like you guys!!

So that said, instead of naming others ('cause I love so many of your blogs), I will invite any of our readers to pick up the "I Love Your Blog" award and take it back to your blog to share with your friends! (Do a blog post answering the 10 questions, and invite 10 (or all!!) of your blog friends to keep the sharing going!)

1. Why did you create the blog?
Most of you know the story, but I'll tell it again. In 2007, co-workers found Bitty, a pregnant cat, on the grounds of Space Telescope Science Institute. Since I had room, I took her home and she had seven gorgeous kittens. Raising them was a joy and a privilege. Five went to folks at the 'tute and two to my niece and nephew (and, yes, I kept Bitty). Soon after, a friend found tiny little Neville in the grass at their house and we nursed him for several weeks. Sadly, Neville unexpectedly died in his sleep one night - we don't know why. That's how I "fell" into fostering. Danny G created graphic, which became the Space Paws logo, to commemorate the 15 critters for whom folks at the 'tute found forever homes in 2007 (that we know of - some folks at the 'tute have just been quietly "getting the job done" for years, with no fanfare).

Somewhere in here I discovered Laurie (Itty Bitty Kitty Committee) and Sue (Pitter Pats of Baby Cats) and started following their blogs.

In 2009 my co-worker, Sonia (who has been rescuing animals dumped on her farm for years), needed someone to help with a young momma cat she found - Aggie (now Kayla). At that point, I knew about the cat blogosphere and Sonia and I started The Adventures of Space Paws to help promote any critters folks at the 'tute had rescued and were trying to place. As I've mentioned before, I'm just the public face to Space Paws. Lots of folks at the 'tute are unsung, and surprisingly shy, heroes.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
Well, my reading grew mostly from critter adoption blogs - and soon I started reading blogs of the wonderful folks who were active commenting on those blogs and Space Paws. It got kind of eclectic after that!

3. Favorite makeup brand?
LOL! None, when I can get away with it! The lovely Angie, from WeeFurries, is my Mary Kay rep - I like their mascara and ivy shadow (which I use as as liner).

4. Favorite clothing brand?
I really laughed when I read Deleilan's answers. I, too, loathe and despise trying on clothes. And, like her, I usually buy Hanes briefs!! Who would have guessed my Canadian friend and I had so much in common?

Lately I've gotten mail order from Lands End. I have zero sense of style and, back when I had to "dress" for work, a good friend would scope out great clothes and drag me along on shopping runs every so often! We didn't have the term "personal shopper" in those days, but I had one!! Lucky me! I looked good back then! (Thanks, Kim!!)

Fortunately, STScI is a very, very casual work environment and, for the last 10 years, I've been able to get away with sweaters and jeans and sneakers. I love Dr. Scholls socks for diabetics - no, I'm not diabetic, but these are the cushiest, most wonderful socks I've ever worn.

5. Your indispensable makeup product?
Moisturizers. I need them. I really, really need them. I've had good luck with Mary Kay, Moisture Tone, and Skin Preparations. Yep, I use all of them, depending on how my skin is feeling that day.

6. Your favorite color?
Yellow. Sadly, I can't wear it. But many of the rooms in my home are painted a golden, creamy yellow. I love bright yellow, red and blue - guess I'm just a latent parrot head!

Strangely, the colors that look best on me are bright fuchsia and olive green (who would have guessed, when yellow looks so awful on me). I'm not a fan of pink (no offense, Meg), but it definitely is "my" color, clothing wise, in all of its many shades. Now ask me how many pieces of pink clothing I have... 2. Dark colors comprise most of my wardrobe because I'm such a sloppahans. If something can be dropped or spilled, you can count on me to do it!

7. Your perfume?
I have a couple, but usually forget to put them on!! I've worn 4711 since I was a teenager and still love it today. Angie introduced me to Simply Cotton and I love that, too.

8. Your favorite film?
I do love movies but I'll 'fess up, both of my favorites are "B" films. I love them and make no apologies or rationalization. I can watch them again and again and again. The Enchanted Cottage is pure pap, and I feel uplifted and full of joy when I watch it. The other is Jumpin' Jack Flash. Yes, it's dated, and every time I watch it I laugh from deep in my belly. There are many "better" movies (and some worse, too! LOL!) that I love... but these are the ones I'd have with me on a dessert island.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
I'm with Deleilan on this, too! Visiting Scotland is high on my bucket list. Many of the same reasons - rugged countryside, self reliant residents with lovely accents, lottsa history and a sense of mystery. Plus my brother-in-law has been an athlete in Scottish Games for, oh, 30 years or more. He still enjoys competing, even though he's in his late 50s. Watching him lift the caber is a thing of beauty - the younger athletes may have the edge on strength now, but skill, he's got it.

Actually, a number of countries are on my bucket list, including seeing a lot more of the one I live in!! :-)

10. Make the last question and answer to yourself:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I may never figure that one out!! :-)