Update

Hello Friends!  I don't have any new pictures to share, (I know, I know, they will be here soon!) but I wanted to let you know what I  - and the kittens - have been up to.

Me first.  I took a 2.5 day photography workshop in beautiful Powell River, BC with the very talented landscape photographer Darren Robinson.  It was such a wonderful time and I learned so much.  So much, in fact, that I feel ready to hang out my shingle and start Carolee Penner Photography.  This has been a dream of mine for a long time and it's a wonderful feeling to see it come to fruition.  Wish me luck!  You can see some of the pictures I took that weekend at:  http://cpenner.smugmug.com/Nature/Powell-River/14039378_izwyE#1033263247_uYAi2

My favorites are the waterfall pictures.  Feel free to let me know what you think!

On to the kittens.  Well, what can I say about 9 rambunctious, alert, focused and extremely energetic 7.5 week old kittens?  Wow!  We are all having so much fun watching them play (which is another word for practicing the pouncing and attacking skills they would need in the wild), eat, use the litter box, and try endlessly to push the boundaries of their little world so they can see just one more thing.  It is no understatement that kittens are incredibly curious.  So, kitty proofing it is.  This is one thing that you can be doing as well, if you are expecting a kitten in your home soon.  Get down and see your home from the level of your new arrival.  See how interesting hanging plants are, how tempting cords can be, and how you might get tangled up in blind cords if you were a small kitten.   Make sure you practice picking up small objects and keeping doors closed to areas that are off limits.  Put away precious breakables.  Then, go get some appropriate toys for your new family member - things you can give him/her instead of the things he/she is not allowed to have.  Remember, they will be little babies when they come and will want to play when they are not sleeping or eating and will need close supervision to make sure they don't get themselves in a sticky situation.  On the other hand... remember, that unlike human babies, this stage will go by quickly and soon you will not need to be as vigilant.  Of course, you will probably also be slightly sad, as we all are when our kids grow up - thankful for their independence, but missing their playful baby selves.

Here is a link shared by Jessica from Edmonton, who will be Annika and Aleksei's new mom.  It's a link to an article about how beneficial it is to our health to have cats and other pets in our lives.  Enjoy!

http://www.thedailycat.com/Health/cats_human_health/

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I will see you back here soon!

Warmly,
Carolee