Let's start off with the good news: these two guys are being adopted together, which means that all of the kittens went (or are going) in pairs to good homes. You guys, it was a LOT OF WORK, but we won the World Cup of Kittens!
There were some complications along the way. Initially, we had arranged to place "Hodor" (the black bear cub) and "Orestes" (the tiny tuxedo) in separate (multi-cat) homes, but then everyone interested in Orestes ended up passing. One person's daughter turned out to be 'allergic to cats' (saddest of all fates?), one person's boyfriend was resistant to the idea of a two-cat household, one person's husband couldn't deal, etc. We began to freak out worry that lil Orestes (the runt of the litter, but maybe the cutest?) wasn't going to find a home at all :( "Doesn't n e 1 want me?" -- Lil Orestes
To calm our nerves, Stephen and I took walks to the recently refurbished High Bridge, a foot bridge that connects Manhattan to the Bronx. To get there, you have to cut through a forested part of the park that feels like you're ten thousand miles away from the city. The rocks are covered with native sedum and lichen.
The walk is worth it, though, because the views are beautiful.
On the way back, we stopped by the Morris Jumel Mansion, where there are lots of flowers in bloom.
We prayed to the god of kittens and roses to find a home for Orestes.
We remembered when echinacea was 'all the rage' in homeopathic remedies. Drops, pills, teas: it was essential for alleviating symptoms of the common cold. In retrospect, it seemed like we (as a consumer culture) might have gone a bit 'too far' with it, but at least we can still enjoy the flower.
"That's great, but who's going to adopt Orestes?" -- Dante
"Yes, who?" -- Clio
Then a friend of Stephen's wrote and said that he wanted to take BOTH kittens. ZOMG. Thankfully, our potential Hodor adopter (who couldn't take two) agreed that it was better to keep them together and graciously stepped aside. Happy resolution! We joined hands and sang Big Star hymns: "Angels from the realm of glory..." etc.
We delivered the news to the kittens, who were equally euphoric.As was Mom, who can now look forward to joining the rest of the house in another week, after the kittens are picked up.
"Thank you god of kittens and flowers for giving everyone homes and for keeping the siblings together." -- the orchids