Randomness of the Day...
- 17:15 I want to read: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott - bit.ly/4K0h03
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Randomness of the Day...
- 00:08 Time for bed. Later!
- 08:04 @integerman Aidan is almost 7!!
- 23:33 I want to read: This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer - bit.ly/6g0GaW
- 23:34 I want to read: Wings by Aprilynne Pike - bit.ly/8CMaC0
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Randomness of the Day...
- 22:45 @ckea RAW?? BLECH!!!
- 22:46 OK. I mailed out the packages and most of the cards. Need 2 wrap rest of gifts and clean Aidan's room. Will get on it 2morrow.
- 22:47 @thechancetofly I dunno, Amy. Apples and oranges--lots of people like to get them during Christmas. They're in tons of gift baskets.
- 23:26 @thechancetofly I tweeted! Woohoo! Now that Twitter has lists, I can keep up better with people! LOL.
- 23:32 I want a Yule log. The kind you eat. Only I don't think I'd finish it before it started to go bad.
- 00:08 Time for bed. Later!
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Randomness of the Day...
- 01:17 @integerman Hi!
- 01:17 I was falling asleep while I was reading, then my mind started racing and I was wide awake. Hence why I am at the computer at 1:17am.
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Randomness of the Day...
- 11:33 I'm #reading Better Than I Know Myself by Virginia DeBerry - bit.ly/536hZL
- 11:33 On page 210 of 384 of Better Than I Know Myself by Virginia DeBerry bit.ly/7XGLQN
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Randomness of the Day...
- 18:41 WTF Helena just slapped me.
- 20:14 :) Fun Christmas shows on The Disney Channel.
- 20:16 @ixtumea Right now an Eloise special is on. Before then was The Polar Express. :)
- 20:17 @claudiagray Really? I'm intrigued! I want to try it!
- 20:17 @JonathanRKnight OH come on! That's adorable! :)
- 20:17 @vixy Pictures please! BTW, we got your card! It's lovely!
- 20:19 @JacksonPearce twitpic.com/t9v18 - Really pretty! :)
- 20:46 Waiting for @adamselzer to stop pecking away on his computer so we can go to Target.
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Randomness of the Day...
- 08:16 Happy Hanukkah, @adamselzer! <3
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Randomness of the Day...
- 13:27 Found the packing tape! YAY!
- 15:30 Now where the did SCISSORS go? I'm on a time limit here OBJECTS, quit running away!
- 16:06 @ckea LOL! I found them. I'd used them near Adam's desk and they were on his chair!
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Randomness of the Day...
- 07:25 REALLY sick and tired of dealing with Crookshanks pooping everywhere.
- 07:59 Today I WILL do the Christmas cards. And order the ham. Promise! But sleep a bit more, first. :)
- 08:00 @CoarseDame & @verapakizer Thanks for the compliments on my tree! I just saw them. :)
- 11:04 All right. Ham store doesn't open til noon. Stuff hasn't been delivered to UPS store yet. So I'm gonna get going on the cards now!
- 13:27 Where the &$%$# is my packing tape???
- 14:23 @vixy There are loads of free Christmas downloads on amazon.com.
- 14:26 (Most) cards addressed and ready to go. Now time for shower and then off to mail and do other Christmasy stuff.
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I've spent a lot of time on my blog and other places online talking about Ed and Fru. I was thinking about it a while ago and I realized that I rarely ever come out and talk about just Isis, even though she's a huge part of my life. In the last year or so, she's played an even bigger role in my happiness.
When I first got Ed and Isis, I remember being disappointed about how unattached I felt with them. I wrote a blog post about it here and I got a lot of great feedback about how loving pets can take time sometimes; it's not always instantaneous. Everyone who said that was right and I'm really thankful for their help. Isis is one of those kitties that took a while to warm up to me-- much longer than Ed. And in all honesty, the wait was completely worth it.
Shawn, Beth, and I noticed that there was something a little "off" about Isis when she first came to live with us. She was terrified of everything. Even for a kitty, the horror in her eyes every time someone walked past her seemed excessive. We all watched her carefully and then came to the conclusion that she was most likely abused by one of her previous owners. As far as we knew, she had at least two previous owners, but there could have been more. The way she ran away from people and ducked her head whenever anyone would make any quick movements made me feel like she had once been struck by someone-- most likely a male since she's always had a greater fear with them. I know that not all kitties are warm and cuddly (I've been around a lot of cats in my life), but the feeling I got when I saw the fear in Isis' eyes told me something extremely bad happened to her in her past. Knowing this made me determined to help her feel comfortable in her new life.
I first started noticing a change in Isis when I took her (and Ed) to the vet for a checkup about two years ago. Ed was pretty calm, but as usual, Isis was terrified. I gently picked her up and held her the entire time she was there. It was the first memory I have of her clinging to me because she felt protected and safe in my arms. I remember how I couldn't stop smiling. Shawn even mentioned that Isis and I were having a "bonding experience." Ever since that day, I've felt a deep connection with Isis.
Since then, she's been slowly becoming more loving. I took advantage of that change and started to "work" with her more often. When she was really young, she wouldn't let anyone hold her and would claw her way out of a person's arms. (I have a scar to prove it.) I decided to take baby steps with Isis to help her understand that being held was a good thing. Every day, I would slowly pick her up and take her over to a window where we could watch the streets outside. I would talk to her in a very soft, soothing voice (very non-threatening) so she knew that I was still there with her. I figured that the movements on the steets would distract her enough so she wouldn't concentrate on the fact that I was holding her. Sure enough, Isis became used to being held by me. After a while, I was able to hold her for an infinite amount of time. In fact, I'd have to say that she now gets sad when I have to put her back on the floor after holding her.
These days, Isis is very relaxed. She's still afraid of almost all strangers (like a lot of kitties are), and most men. However, her attitude and mannerisms have changed to an enourmous extent with the people she's familiar and comfortable with. Isis no longer runs away when people are walking towards her. She doesn't duck her head quickly if people around her are moving their arms or moving objects around her. When Shawn and I walk in the door after being out for a few hours, she stays asleep in her kitty bed in the main room. If anything, she might look up at us to acknowledge our presence... but she doesn't run to a hiding place.
Whenever I'm asleep and Isis sees me curled up under my comforter and another very soft blanket I always use, she hops up on top of my stomach and falls asleep there. A few days ago, I woke up and was able to get off the couch without waking her up-- she stayed in the same spot, sleeping, for over ten hours! Most of the time, she's purring happily whever she's sleeping. And if I don't cuddle with her in the morning, which has become a routine for the two of us, she comes up to me later in the day and gives me sad mews to let me know she wants some cuddles.
Having two kitties who are so different from each other is amazing. Ed is friendly with everyone and is very sociable. Isis has grown into a kitty who chooses who to love, and if you're chosen, you feel like you are the most important person in the world. That's exactly how I feel whenever I'm with her. It was difficult for a long time for me to grasp the idea of Isis being calm and loving, but seeing her so happy every day has made her overall happiness a normality. I couldn't be more grateful for her and the fact that she's overcome whatever pain she experienced in the past. Her ability to move on and be happy has made me happy.
