"Falling" for Hocking Hills

Rick’s parents came out to visit for a couple of weeks this fall. They wanted to see the grandkids and the autumn color. I’m afraid they didn’t get to see too much of either. Jake and Emma have been busier than ever with school, sports, and church. And, the unusually warm season hasn’t yet delivered its promised autumnal brilliance. That didn’t stop us from our annual apple picking trip at MacQueen’s Orchard though!

 

 

Right in the middle of Grandma and Grandpa’s stay, Rick and I took our very first trip to the Hocking Hills region of southeastern Ohio. Our Chevy surprised us as it pulled our little camper through the beautiful back woods of Appalachia, though it cost us in gas. We set up camp at a KOA set at the top of a hill. By far, we were the youngest couple there.

 

We arrived late enough in the day that we weren’t able to hit the trails or explore any of the local caves. Instead, we made a simple meal in our camper’s kitchen and settled in for a long evening of reading and relaxing.  Rick treated us to a Dutch oven dump cake for a late dessert. We enjoyed our treat by a cheerful fire and talked about other trips we should add to our “campering” bucket list. At bedtime we discovered that after 18 years of marriage, our newlywed days are over. Apparently, we are no longer able to share a double bed. It is an understatement to say we both had a rough night of sleep.

Late the next morning, we pulled ourselves out of bed and prepared for the day’s adventures. Our first stop was Old Man’s Cave. The warm but pleasant temperatures at the start of our trail gave way to the cool and damp down into the bottom of the rocks. It was an easy path to Old Man’s Cave, with many bridges and manmade staircases. Nature certainly created an ideal spot to set up house. It was easy to see why so many had taken shelter there over the centuries.

 

 

 

On we hiked toward Cedar Falls. This more challenging trail took us through a canopy of trees that often followed a clear stream. Wonderful earthy smells accompanied us as we climbed over rocks and peered over the edges of cliffs. I was in heaven! After the flatness of Northwest Ohio, it was good to be in such a place. Once at the falls, we paused to rest and take some pictures. On our way back, we walked along Rose Lake and stopped to make a friend.

 

 

The 6-mile trek made us thirsty for a fountain drink, but shockingly, no Circle K was to be found. Instead we found a little roadside store called Grandma Faye’s. This store sold a little bit of everything as it was the only thing for many miles. We treated ourselves to a Diet Cherry Pepsi to enjoy with our picnic lunch of peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Tired, we drove back to camp for showers and more reading by the fire.

 

On our second full day in Hocking, we hiked a few more notable spots. The first was Conkle’s Hollow. This hike was shorter but more challenging. We had a lot of climbing along narrow paths overlooking steep drops. The day was more humid and we were glistening by the time we finished. We cooled off with an ice cream cone and set our sights on Rock House. Talk about awesome! I wouldn’t mind living in such a place, though I’d have to evict the many birds that perch inside. I particularly enjoyed sitting on a ledge and watching the wind persuade the yellow leaves to abandon their branches.

 

Almost as an afterthought, we drove to Ash Cave. Rumored to be haunted, Ash Cave reminded me of someplace you’d see in Zion National Park. The floor was sandy and a trickle of water dropped from the ceiling high above. We chose not to hike further back into the woods so that we would have time and energy for our next challenge: Hocking Peaks Adventure Park.

We had the place to ourselves. No one else seemed to be in the mood for zip lining, I suppose. Our guide, Aaron, took us through a course that had us balancing high above the ground and swinging through the canopy. The time flew by because we were having so much fun. And, I only double unclipped 3 times. Airhead.

 

 

For dinner, we opted to head into town on a recommendation from a veggie we met while zip lining. The Olde Dutch Restaurant boasts the finest buffet in town. How could that go wrong? We ate ourselves silly and gorged ourselves on the many varieties of Amish pie. (It was hard to choose just one). We were so uncomfortable from all the eating that we walked around a craft mall and fed some deer and goats at a nearby petting zoo. We hit the local Wal-Mart and were not surprised to see great quantities of Duck Dynasty themed merchandise throughout the store. What is it with that show?

On our last full day, we took to the river for some canoeing. We opted for the shorter 5-mile trip since the canoe rental agent reported it took about an hour per mile to paddle along Logan River. Well, she must have misunderstood or something. We finished in an hour and a half. However, it was just the right amount of time on the river for us to see a soft-shelled turtle, eat our picnic lunch, and paddle through a light sprinkling of rain. The rain picked up a bit more once we arrived back at camp. We sat under the protection of our awning and read the rest of the afternoon. It was perfect.

 

Neither of us had ever been to Athens, Ohio (a.k.a. Hippie town, Ohio). We found a popular spot called Casa Nueva for dinner that caters to patrons who appreciate locally-sourced food. We waited some time for our seats, so we did some people watching. Tattoos were abundant, as were beards, scraggly ponytails, and clothing made of hemp. Our waiter, Tobias Funke’s twin brother, recommended a delicious veggie dish for me and mahi mahi for Rick. We were more than pleased with our meals. Rick was so insistent that I’d like his meal that I tried my first bite of fish in 4 years. I was repulsed, so we can all put that question to rest.

We drove around the campus of Ohio University and searched in vain for a movie theater playing some of the new movies out right now. All they were showing were some indie films we weren’t sure we wanted to take a chance on seeing. Instead we went back to the camper and snuggled up with Aaron Cross on our laptop.

All in all, our getaway was the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation. The only thing we would have changed was our sleeping arrangement. (I suppose we’ve become persnickety in our old age). We are truly grateful that our kids were in the capable hands of Grandma and Grandpa Saunders while were away. Now we have to decide where we’re going next!

Crazy Cat Lady

In August of 2011, the kids and I gave Rick a kitten for his birthday. He named her Chloe O'Kitten after a character on his then favorite TV show, "24". Rick picked Chloe over the other shelter cats because she was so quick to purr. She also loved to snuggle and often fell asleep in his arms.

 

Well, the honeymoon ended all too soon. As Chloe grew into a teenage kitty, she decided that she loved Emma best. She would snub Rick's attempts at affection, crushing his dreams of having a furry BFF. Chloe was deemed the worst birthday gift ever.

Emma and HER CAT Chloe

One day over the radio, the Toledo Area Humane Society put a plea out for foster volunteers to take in litters of kittens until they were old enough to be adopted out. The early summer was causing the area strays to proliferate like crazy and TAHS was out of room. My heart melted.

 

Since Rick was already embittered by the Chloe situation, I worried he would completely shut down the idea of temporarily housing some kittens. I was way off. He supported my crazy idea, so I drove down to the shelter immediately. I offered my services, expecting some kind of screening process and waiting period before I could actually take a litter home. However, TAHS were overrun and needed help right away. Crates of kitty babies were literally stacked on top of each other in the intake area. I went home with a litter of 6, just weaned.

Our sad, scared kittens on the way home from the shelter

I couldn't bring a single kitten into my home without giving it a bath first. These babies came from who knows where and they were dirty. I expected them to put up a fight once they saw the water, but they just went limp in my hands. It was surprisingly easy to get them bathed.  

Meet Sox, named for his white paws

Emma was my helpful assistant in charge of drying and warming the traumatized kittens. They looked so small and pathetic when dripping wet! Jake's job was to set up the kitten room (aka the master bathroom). We always kept the kittens shut in the bathroom away from Chloe and Shelby (the dog).

Wouldn't you feel better wrapped up in Emma's arms? Shaun sure likes it!

Each kitten tolerated its bath quite well, though they shivered themselves dry for a good hour afterwards. 

This kitty we named Gus because we thought he was a boy. She was actually a Gussie

This one we named Pieces (as in Reese's Pieces candy)

This is Reese. She had long hair and a great disposition.

Here they all are: Gussie, Sox, Pieces, Shaun, Reese, and Maddy (the white-faced one)

Yep, that's all 6 kitties snuggled on my lap. This is the moment I officially became the crazy cat lady.

We had that first litter for about 6 weeks. They were so fun AND a lot of work. There was medication to give in addition to the constant feeding and cleaning. We spent a lot of time playing with them and getting them used to people. Just like with human babies, the early stages of kittenhood are crucial the healthy development of a cat. I think our family gave them a loving, secure start. It was hard to give them back though!

After that first batch, we went out of town. We didn't get our second litter until mid July. This time we only had 4 kitties and they were all black and white.

Emma and little Gwendolyn (the runt)

I had a harder time getting to love the second litter because they were so much work. They came to us with digestive health problems (which is the nicest way I could put that). I cleaned A LOT of poo off the tile and off the kittens. Those kitties got baths almost daily! After a week and a half in our care though, they were healthy and ready to be adopted.

Rogue was my favorite kitty of this litter.

Leopold, Cranston, Gwendolyn, and Rogue enjoy an afternoon nap atop their kitty tower

I took the black and white kittens in for their check-up and found that they made weight. I wasn't expecting to give them back that day, so the TAHS workers helped soften the blow by sending me home with 2 new babies. They had no mama and were very little.

Li'l Zeus. He has a white heart shape on his chest - awwwwww!

Li'l Athena

We named this brother/sister pair after the first cats Rick and I rescued from certain death when we first married. We had gone to the Phoenix Humane Society just to "browse". A lady who had tried to surrender an abandoned litter just gave Zeus and Athena to us because they were too little to be adopted out. I guess she had been told by the Humane Society that they would be euthanized. Well, we couldn't walk away from that situation! Zeus and Athena were our first babies.

This litter reminded us so much of the original Zeus and Athena, that we gave them the same names. They turned out to be our biggest challenge yet though! When I started to give them their first baths, I discovered they were covered in fleas. The water was literally rust colored from the blood and flea dirt. After my initial freak out, I rushed them back to TAHS. I was so mad that TAHS would hand over sick, flea-ridden animals like that! (Left untreated, kittens can die from fleas infestation). Fortunately Zeus and Athena were able to be treated. After a 24-hour quarantine, the fleas were gone. (It took me a week to stop having phantom itching spells, however).

It took a long time for Zeus and Athena to come out of their shells. They were very timid and fearful of people. We kept at it though, and they started behaving like typical, healthy kittens. Before long, they too were ready to be adopted.

Zeus got adopted right away. Athena, the shyer one, took a while. I visited her whenever I would go walk the shelter dogs. It pained me to see her in a cage after the freedom and fun she had at our house. After TAHS had their Mega Adoption event though, she was gone too. Whew!

As you can imagine, I was a bit kittened out by the end of the summer. I wanted my bathroom back! Our family also had one last vacation to go on and back-to-school stuff to take care of. We had a couple of weeks with no fosters. It felt a bit empty.

The very day Jake and Emma went back to school, I went down and picked up another litter. I'm glad I did because they are the cutest, sweetest kitties we've fostered yet! They could be Chloe's offspring (had she not been spayed).

From left to right: Jenny, Benny, Penny, and Lenny

Are you convinced? Am I the crazy cat lady, or what? I guess I'm out of the closet now...

Snuggling purring kittens=A great way to spend Sunday afternoon

 

June Potpourri #2

As promised, here are more random bits from June:

 

 

We bid farewell to our beloved clunker, the Santa Fe. She served us well through those years of medical school and residency. I think moving to the snow sped up her decline, however.

 Rick kept her running with his handyman abilities. I'm sure he saved us hundreds, maybe more!

Emma found a new talent. She spent a lot of time watching YouTube tutorials so that she could do her own nail art. Here is a sampling of her work:

I developed (revisited?) some hobbies this summer myself. My dear friend Anita coerced me into running my first 5K. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the experience! Ever since I quit teaching aerobics, running has been my main form of exercise. I usually view it more as a chore. This was different. I found out running could be fun when the music is blaring and the people are cheering!

We didn't beat any speed records, but we stayed consistent and finished at a respectable time. I do believe I'll try that again some time...

Anita also got me out of my comfort zone with theater this summer. She and her daughter Christy both auditioned for our new community theater's production of The Sound of Music. Anita landed the role of Sister Sophia, and Christy was cast as Leisl. (I was too chicken to even try). Fortunately, the powers-that-be discovered a need for more nuns, so Anita recommended me to the directors. Without having to go through the scary audition process, I got to join the nun chorus - YAY! The down side? I had to sing the low Alto part - BOO!

Though the rehearsals ate up a lot of time, I made some wonderful new friends. The other women who played principal nuns were all teachers of some kind or another, so we had A LOT in common. I already knew a lot of the teens in the cast too because they're friends with Jake and Emma. The best part of all though,was hanging backstage with my bestie!

 

In an effort to advertise the week of the show, several of us nuns wore our habits to visit some of the local establishments. We sure turned a lot of heads, especially when we would burst out in song! Anita and I also made it a point to run to Circle K in costume every day for our Diet Cokes.

When I wasn't joining in the backstage shenanigans, I assisted my beautiful and talented friend Betsy who played Maria. She had about a dozen costume changes, so I got to be her little helper off stage. I enjoyed that role as much as being on stage because Betsy was such a hoot to work with and watch from the wings. Truly, we had an AMAZING cast.

Almost as quickly as it began, it ended. I went through withdrawal for a few days. Thank goodness for Facebook so I can keep up with my Sound of Music family! And, thank goodness for a friend who helps me overcome my fears!