Belle of the Ball

[rolanni]

Yesterday, Steve and I took a leisurely drive in really perfect weather, down to New Hampshire, where, in a little town near Center Harbor, we stopped to interview Belle, and to admire the new crop of Kelimcoons kittens, of which there were many, and busy.

Belle, who was presented as "shy" decided rather quickly that we weren't the least bit scary, consented to enter the cat carrier, and accompanied us on our return trip to Maine.  Aside from a complaint or two at the very beginning, as we were negotiating the remove from the rather tricky driveway, and another, as we made the transition from Route 25 to Route 35, she was completely calm, and napped for most of the three-hour return trip.

Once arrived, she confessed that she was not quite up to meeting new subjects cats. Staff therefore prepared the Retiring Room for her use, and she withdrew behind the washing machine to recruit her strength.

Staff visited her several times on the overnight, once for an extended cuddle session -- Belle was also billed as a "big lap cat," and this seems to be so, and this morning, she once more undertook a journey, this to the office of her new physician, who made certain that she had taken no harm from her exertions, and recorded her weight at 15.1 pounds.

That detail taken care of, she returned to the Cat Farm, where she immediately began a systematic and thorough inventory.  Scrabble hissed -- not unexpectedly -- when Bell entered Steve's office.  Belle did not return the favor, but gazed upon her with wide eyes, and an expression that seemed to say, "Why, look; a tiny cat," before she continued with her inventory.

Trooper, I am sorry to say, hissed at Belle when she came into my office.  Belle didn't even seem to hear it.  She jumped into the copilot's chair as if she knew exactly what it was for, and that she had perfect right to use it.  Gave me a couple of head-bumps, showed the belly and went off to count the linens in the bedroom.

Right now, she's resting under the headboard, a time-honored resting place for those who wish to insure their privacy.  Trooper and Sprite are with me -- Trooper on top of the file cabinet, and Sprite in the red basket on the desk.  Scrabble is behind the suitcase under the desk in Steve's office -- another time-honored private place.

And peace reigns over all.

Steve's gone to the grocery store; I've started the laundry, and will be doing some chores around the house.  Possibly reading will happen.  When I finish the current book, it will be time to read Dragon in Exile and Alliance of Equals back-to-back, and so drift back into working mode.

Tomorrow, at the unghodly hour of 8 a.m., we shall have the sheetrock guy, who will contrive a back wall, and put on the first of three coats of paint.  Once he's done, we will, hopefully, be quit of contractors for the foreseeable future.

Which will be nice.

Today's blog title brought to you by Kelimcoons Belle of the Ball, and Leroy Anderson.  Here's your link.

Some photos from earlier, after Belle's triumphant return from the vet's:

Belle exiting the bottom level of the cat tree

Sprite watching Belle exit the cat tree, from a safe distance, naturally.

I've never seen Trooper frown, but he is clearly not pleased.

Scrabble's not delighted, either.

Comments

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

One wonders what Ms. Scrabble thinks of her three outsized housemates. Is she the Liaden among Terrans?

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

She's been fairly consistent in her opinion of Maine coons as having more hair than wit. So long as they don't try to take over Operations, she seems content.

[attilathepbnun.livejournal.com]

Good!
When you mentioned the Possibility of Belle, I worried that Sprite might feel overwhelmed by Giant Hairy Cats --- glad I was foolish!

[gilraen2.livejournal.com]

I suppose my big question would be whether Belle and Sprite recognize each other in any way. Probably not, but I do wonder.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

This was one of my questions, too, and as of now the jury's still out. They haven't been in the same room together long enough to do more than note Strange Cat!

I would say that Sprite recognized Trooper when she came to live with us -- not, I'm guessing, as Dad, but certainly as someone from the same household. Of course, in that case, the separation had only been a couple months -- Trooper came to live with us at the end of June 2013; Sprite at the end of November -- as opposed to years.

[readinggeek451]

Congratulations on the beautiful new addition to the family!

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[margotinez.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the details of the addition process. Thanks for sharing!

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I swear they all blame Mom for every instant of grief in their lives since weaning. My two Gabriella daughters were both unbelievably nasty to their mother when she returned after many years in exile. They're never going to forgive her--older sister for LEAVING HER WHEN SHE WAS A MERE AND SYLPHLIKE YEARLING, and younger sister for NEVER BEING THERE FOR ME AT ALL AFTER I STOPPED WITH THIS MILK THING.

Rather human-like, aren't they?

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

I just lost one of my boys yesterday, so it makes me happy to see the Clan increasing.

[attilathepbnun.livejournal.com]

*offers hug of sympathy*

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. I'm very sorry.

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Sharon. I hope your Clan continues to integrate quickly and happily.

Awwwww

[dragonet2.livejournal.com]

She's a beauty!

Belle's arrival

[margaret thomson (from livejournal.com)]

Welcome to the new member of the household! She is certainly a beauty.

Trooper's expression is one for the books; it is amazing how cats can express the slightest amount of displeasure with just a little change in the positions of the whiskers and ears.

You chose a good day for the trip to ask Belle to join the household, not only in terms of weather but also traffic. Summer weekend traffic on Route 25 from Meredith up to Route 16 is horrid. Our family learned long ago to avoid travel to our summer home in Sandwich on Fridays, and to avoid returning home on Sundays.

Re: Belle's arrival

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Oh, we know 'way better than Meredith in the summer, on any day of the week. We cut the corner rather than go on from Center Harbor -- took 25B over to Plymouth. Except for the inevitable Road Work (is it New England? is it summer?), we had smooth sailing.

Belle continues to handle the situation masterfully: she's in Complete Control of the Situation when she appears, but -- she does take long rests in the Sanctioned Quiet Spots, so I'm guessing this is not as easy as she's making it look.

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

Belle is gorgeous!
She looks a lot like our Molly, with the orange and cream coloring, and sounds like she has the temperament of our Gideon, with that confidence and sweetness. I look forward to many more pictures and stories.

[gerald heaton (from livejournal.com)]

My wife and I are looking for a replacement or two for Samantha and Tuxedo by the way of Maine coons.

We have a 20+lb Bengal (Red orange with stripes) and a couple of rescue cats (brother and sister (1/2 who knows and 1/2 seal point Himalayan)) that we convinced the breeder not to put down.

It's amazing how much space in the bed you have when you lose part of the crew.