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Victor Martinez - 25 Sep 2006 03:21 GMT
Just wondering how you're doing. Hope all is well and Otis and Chester
are back to normal (i.e. Otis being a pain and Chester being a good boy!).

Victor

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Susan M - 25 Sep 2006 18:48 GMT
Awww - thanks for checking up on me Victor!

The boys are good and are switching personalities for the winter.  Otis
seems to be half hibernating with the cold weather - moving slowly as he
goes back upstairs to sleep until the afternoon when its a bit warmer.  He
doesn't get up at night and spends most of the time under the covers.
Chester is rejoicing with the coolness and went on a walk about last night -
showed up at 3 AM, set off the motion light in the back, had to eat
(noisily) for some time, then come to bed and had a raucous grooming
session.  Zzzzzz...  He's sleeping up near my head at least once a week and
Otis pretends to ignore this.  Soon, pigs will fly.

I have posted a few more pictures here:  http://tinyurl.com/qzpsm

My 8 year old announced that I don't "just look fat" anymore and now I look
pregnant.  I didn't know she had that in her vocabularly.  I'm 21 weeks
along and more than half way.  We haven't begun to set up anything for the
baby at all or really grasp what's going to happen.  We are generally
excited but this alternates with moments of feeling completely overwhelmed
with going back to those tough years.  Having two children with such wildly
different personalities and looks, it will be very neat to meet this one
though.  Also exciting is that we are going to Switzerland in 10 days!  Just
Fred and I are going and we'll train it around and do some smaller hikes.
It will be a bonding time for us before we will be more tied to home again.
The boys will stay home and the grandmas will take turns staying at the
house with the children and cats.

How is your mom?

Susan M
Otis and Chester

> Just wondering how you're doing. Hope all is well and Otis and Chester are
> back to normal (i.e. Otis being a pain and Chester being a good boy!).
>
> Victor
Victor Martinez - 26 Sep 2006 00:26 GMT
> Awww - thanks for checking up on me Victor!
>
> The boys are good and are switching personalities for the winter.  Otis
> seems to be half hibernating with the cold weather - moving slowly as he
> goes back upstairs to sleep until the afternoon when its a bit warmer.  He

Winter? We're just starting with a hint of fall, down here in Central
Texas! I can't wait for it to be cold outside so all the cats will mob
us in bed. :)

> though.  Also exciting is that we are going to Switzerland in 10 days!  Just
> Fred and I are going and we'll train it around and do some smaller hikes.

Don't do anything strenous, remember you're a pregnant lady. >:)

> How is your mom?

Mom is doing great! She is finally able to see clearly and she doesn't
need glasses anymore! Her long distance vision is a bit blurry, but
she's good enough to drive so she's happy.

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Susan M - 28 Sep 2006 19:20 GMT
I sent this reponse on Monday but it just got delivered back into my mailbox
today.  I had accidentally replied to you personally at your spam address
rather than the whole group.  Here it is though!

> Winter? We're just starting with a hint of fall, down here in Central
> Texas! I can't wait for it to be cold outside so all the cats will mob us
> in bed. :)

Well, its a lot warmer now
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?ab-52&unit=i but it was
below freezing last week at night and just above freezing all day as the icy
rain came down.  All the leaves are yellow and in a week they'll all be
gone.  In exchange for our early fall and late spring, we get fabulous 5 AM
to 10 PM sunny days all summer ...

> Don't do anything strenous, remember you're a pregnant lady. >:)

Thanks Victor but I have a teeny little bit of a tendency to overdo things
Marina - 26 Sep 2006 05:05 GMT
> Awww - thanks for checking up on me Victor!
>
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
> The boys will stay home and the grandmas will take turns staying at the
> house with the children and cats.

I hope you have a lovely trip. Beautiful pictures, as usual. Chester
certainly is Mr Handsome. Otis seems to be giving the Evil Eye in the
following picture. And nice flowers! I wish I had the time and energy to
tend my little garden, but even if I had, it would be all dry now. We
had such a dry summer, everything just went brown.

I tried planting a couple of hips (is that the correct word?) from
Frank's and Nikki's rose bush in my garden, but will probably not see
any result in a couple of years, at least.

Signature

Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

tension_on_the_wire - 26 Sep 2006 06:28 GMT
> I hope you have a lovely trip. Beautiful pictures, as usual. Chester
> certainly is Mr Handsome. Otis seems to be giving the Evil Eye in the
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Frank's and Nikki's rose bush in my garden, but will probably not see
> any result in a couple of years, at least.

Wow, Marina, you are right:
Susan, your Otis looks like he could be a brother for my Luthien!  Have
a look-see...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tension_at_home/album?.dir=9a0ascd&.src=ph&store=&
prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tension_at_home/my_photos


My daughter (5 yrs) has been insisting that we search for Luthien's
"friends & family"!!

--tension
Susan M - 26 Sep 2006 21:58 GMT
> Wow, Marina, you are right:
> Susan, your Otis looks like he could be a brother for my Luthien!  Have
> a look-see...
>
> http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tension_at_home/album?.dir=9a0ascd&.src=ph&store=&
prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tension_at_home/my_photos

Yikes - they do look similar.  Otis has a bit shorter fur I think but they
have the same fabulous big pointy ears, pink noses, and colouring.  Is
Luthien incorrigible as well?  Otis has been trouble for 10 years.

Wouldn't it be neat to know who the father and mother of our cats were?
Otis has an extremely oriential/siamese body (they called him a Siamese X at
the shelter).  Which parent was Siamese or is it generation removed?  What
colours of cats combined to make Otis?  What kind of crazy ancestor did Otis
have did get his personality???  We'll never know ...

Susan M
Otis and Chester
tension_on_the_wire - 27 Sep 2006 04:22 GMT
> Yikes - they do look similar.  Otis has a bit shorter fur I think but they
> have the same fabulous big pointy ears, pink noses, and colouring.  Is
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> colours of cats combined to make Otis?  What kind of crazy ancestor did Otis
> have did get his personality???  We'll never know ...

Ha ha, I have faced all the same questions.  Luthien's body frame
seems to be long & lean, angular, like an Abyssinian, a bit more
muscular than a Siamese, perhaps.  I have read descriptions of
cats like this with this colouring and they are apparently related
to the eastern cats.

Luthien's fur is quite short, however you will notice a spot on
her back where it seems a bit long...it is an artifact...the skin
is raised there, flipping the hair up, because she has a large
tumor on her back just there.  TED is reasonably confident
that it is only a basal cell tumor, not malignant, though we
keep a close eye on it.  If it keeps growing, we will biopsy it,
after her hyperthyroidism is under control.

They are just the most elegant and royal-looking cats,
these two, are they not?  She looks like part of the missing
family of the last Russian Tsar, heh.  I should have named her
Princess Anastasia, perhaps, haha....keeping her
heritage a secret in fear of her life.8^P

We live in San Francisco Bay Area, but Luthien was
born in Los Angeles.  How about you?  I never saw her
littermates, the girl brought her to me and she was the
last of her litter to go, so I never saw her mother either.

And the answer to your question is...her purrsonality is
unique among cats.  I would not say incorrigible exactly,
but extremely regal & condescending. She *knows* when
she is doing you a big favor just by coming close so you
can look at her beauty and wonder!  Even when I dose her
a pill, she looks like a queen humoring her subject with
long-suffering patience!

--tension
Susan M - 28 Sep 2006 05:19 GMT
> Ha ha, I have faced all the same questions.  Luthien's body frame
> seems to be long & lean, angular, like an Abyssinian, a bit more
> muscular than a Siamese, perhaps.  I have read descriptions of
> cats like this with this colouring and they are apparently related
> to the eastern cats.

Luthien sure is long and tall - I noticed that right away = Otis is like
that too.  They both seem to have the faint stripes in their tails too.
Luthien looks far more elegant than Otis who most people describe as
"unusual" immediately after gushing about how handsome Chester is.  He looks
kind of funny with his long angular body and ridiculous colouring.  He would
be very intimidated by Luthien's grace and elegance.

> Luthien's fur is quite short, however you will notice a spot on
> her back where it seems a bit long...it is an artifact...the skin
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> keep a close eye on it.  If it keeps growing, we will biopsy it,
> after her hyperthyroidism is under control.

Kindred-spirit purrs from Otis to Luthien that her hyperthyroidism gets
under control ASAP and that TED has razor sharp instincts.

> We live in San Francisco Bay Area, but Luthien was
> born in Los Angeles.  How about you?  I never saw her
> littermates, the girl brought her to me and she was the
> last of her litter to go, so I never saw her mother either.

I was born in Palo Alto but am Canadian and live in Calgary.  Otis was a
stray and was found dehydrated at 3 months old in March, when it is still
cold.  Some cute baby pics of him are:
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1008834618026469358OWNtVwYIRb and
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1008835189026469358DyzfITYCOg   I suspect his
previous owners might have thrown him out based on his behaviour ;-)

> And the answer to your question is...her purrsonality is
> unique among cats.  I would not say incorrigible exactly,
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> a pill, she looks like a queen humoring her subject with
> long-suffering patience!

Otis is a dog chasing, stubborn, claustrophobic, iron-willed creature who
will happily look you in the eye and pee on the floor unless you let him
out.  He knocks things off counters and ledges to get your attention and
howls like Pavarotti.  He is a one person cat bonded to me, intensely loyal
and affectionate, and sleeps under the covers with his head on the 350
thread count pillowcase like he owns the place.  He's a very special cat who
has mellowed surprisingly little over the past 10 years.  He also has a
tendency to get lost under unusual circumstances and which the power of purr
from this group has reunited us on four separate occasions.

Another albun you might find funny is the symmetrical cats album at
http://pets.webshots.com/album/272461144thSgkb

Susan M
Otis and Chester
Marina - 28 Sep 2006 06:37 GMT
> I was born in Palo Alto but am Canadian and live in Calgary.  Otis was a
> stray and was found dehydrated at 3 months old in March, when it is still
> cold.  Some cute baby pics of him are:
> http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1008834618026469358OWNtVwYIRb and
> http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1008835189026469358DyzfITYCOg   I suspect his
> previous owners might have thrown him out based on his behaviour ;-)

Awww! I don't think I've seen Otis' baby pics before. He looks so sweet
and innocent....

Signature

Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net - 28 Sep 2006 17:23 GMT
> > I was born in Palo Alto but am Canadian and live in Calgary.  Otis was a
> > stray and was found dehydrated at 3 months old in March, when it is still
> > cold.  Some cute baby pics of him are:
> > http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1008834618026469358OWNtVwYIRb and
> > http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1008835189026469358DyzfITYCOg   I suspect his
> > previous owners might have thrown him out based on his behaviour ;-)

> Awww! I don't think I've seen Otis' baby pics before. He looks so sweet
> and innocent....

Very sweet, but to my eyes, not so innocent. :) Especially the first one,
it looks like he's got a gleam in his eye.

Susan, if you were born in the US, that would give you US citizenship.
Do you have dual citizenship?

Joyce
Susan M - 28 Sep 2006 19:18 GMT
> Susan, if you were born in the US, that would give you US citizenship.
> Do you have dual citizenship?

Yes I do.  I carry a CDN passport though.

SM
sgallagher@rogers.com - 29 Sep 2006 00:25 GMT
> > Susan, if you were born in the US, that would give you US citizenship.
> > Do you have dual citizenship?
>
> Yes I do.  I carry a CDN passport though.

You do realize that you are allowed to carry both passports?
Susan M - 29 Sep 2006 06:53 GMT
>> > Susan, if you were born in the US, that would give you US citizenship.
>> > Do you have dual citizenship?
>>
>> Yes I do.  I carry a CDN passport though.
>
> You do realize that you are allowed to carry both passports?

Yes I realize that.  I have never applied for one.

Susan M
Otis and Chester
Jo Firey - 29 Sep 2006 07:15 GMT
>>> > Susan, if you were born in the US, that would give you US citizenship.
>>> > Do you have dual citizenship?
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Yes I realize that.  I have never applied for one.

I can only think of one or two instances where having a US passport would be
easier than having a Canadian one.  As in when you are dealing directly with
the US military.  Any other time it is safer to have only the Canadian
passport.
sgallagher@rogers.com - 29 Sep 2006 18:31 GMT
> >>> > Susan, if you were born in the US, that would give you US citizenship.
> >>> > Do you have dual citizenship?
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> the US military.  Any other time it is safer to have only the Canadian
> passport.

True.  It's often not necessary to have both.  I am a dual US/Canadian
citizen and do have both myself.  I only mentioned it because some
people believe that it's not permitted to hold both (assuming that the
person does have citzenship in both countries).

But, also keep in mind that US law requires US citizens to enter the US
with documentation that proves their US citizenship.  This can
currently be done at the land borders or by travelling by air from
Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean, using a US birth certificate.  But,
if you were entering the US from further abroad, say Europe, you would
be required to present a US passport not your Canadian passport.
Susan M - 30 Sep 2006 00:06 GMT
> But, also keep in mind that US law requires US citizens to enter the US
> with documentation that proves their US citizenship.  This can
> currently be done at the land borders or by travelling by air from
> Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean, using a US birth certificate.  But,
> if you were entering the US from further abroad, say Europe, you would
> be required to present a US passport not your Canadian passport.

I go to the US relatively frequently using only my CDN passport.  I do not
try to enter as an American and it has been fine so far.  Are you saying
that, if my CDN passport says "Palo Alto, USA" as a birthplace that they
want to see my birth certificate?  I don't think that's what you're saying.

Susan M
Otis and Chester
sgallagher@rogers.com - 01 Oct 2006 00:57 GMT
> I go to the US relatively frequently using only my CDN passport.  I do not
> try to enter as an American and it has been fine so far.  Are you saying
> that, if my CDN passport says "Palo Alto, USA" as a birthplace that they
> want to see my birth certificate?  I don't think that's what you're saying.

Not exactly.  I'm saying is that since you hold US citizenship (despite
the fact that you also hold Canadian citizenship), you shouldn't be
attempting to enter the US as anything other than a US citizen nor
should you present a non-US passport at a US port of entry.  There's
nothing against you also having a Canadian passport or using that
passport outside the US.  The US simply requires all US citizens to
present a US passport when entering the country (or to present other
documentation that proves US citizenship, when a passport is not
absolutely required - like when entering the US from Canada).

Below is a link to where the requirement exists in the US Code.  Check
section B.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode08/usc_sec_08_00001185----000-.html

I hold both US and Canadian passports, and I live in Canada.  When
entering the US, I identify myself as a US citizen and present only my
US passport.  Conversely, when entering Canada I identify myself as a
Canadian citizen and present only my Canadian passport.  I'm not trying
to hide the fact that I hold the other citizenship from either country,
by doing this.  My US citizenship entitles me to enter the US, so I
just present the document the proves it, as required by US law.  US
Immigration has sometimes asked me, what immigration status do I hold
in Canada.  I've always honestly replied that I'm also a Canadian
citizen, and never had any problem with that.  But I don't tell them
that unless they ask me.

It's totally up to you as to whether you want to continue to enter the
US as a Canadian.  I'm simply telling you what the law says.

Here's another website - it's written by a dual US/Canadian and has a
lot of good information if you're interested.

Cheers,

Stephen
Susan M - 01 Oct 2006 16:25 GMT
> Not exactly.  I'm saying is that since you hold US citizenship (despite
> the fact that you also hold Canadian citizenship), you shouldn't be
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
> Here's another website - it's written by a dual US/Canadian and has a
> lot of good information if you're interested.

Wow - thanks!  There's also the sticky issue of filing US tax returns too.

Susan M
Otis and Chester
sgallagher@rogers.com - 01 Oct 2006 21:40 GMT
I never gave you that other website.  It's

http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

Lot's of good information there.

Stephen
jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net - 29 Sep 2006 18:55 GMT
> I can only think of one or two instances where having a US passport would be
> easier than having a Canadian one.  As in when you are dealing directly with
> the US military.  Any other time it is safer to have only the Canadian
> passport.

Safer, how?

Joyce
Victor Martinez - 29 Sep 2006 19:23 GMT
> Safer, how?

Americans are hated around the world. In case of hijacking or anything
like that, you're much more likely to be killed if you're american.

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Victor Martinez - 29 Sep 2006 00:31 GMT
> Yes I do.  I carry a CDN passport though.

Much safer when traveling. :)

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sgallagher@rogers.com - 29 Sep 2006 18:34 GMT
> > Yes I do.  I carry a CDN passport though.
>
> Much safer when traveling. :)

>From the outside, maybe.  For many dual citizens, that passport would
often indicate a US birthplace, unless you specifically requested that
the birthplace not be included.  Canada also warns that if you do
request that your birthplace be excluded from your passport, it may
hamper your entry into some countries.
tension - 28 Sep 2006 06:58 GMT
> I was born in Palo Alto but am Canadian and live in Calgary.  Otis was a
> stray and was found dehydrated at 3 months old in March, when it is still
> cold.  Some cute baby pics of him are:
> http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1008834618026469358OWNtVwYIRb and
> http://pets.webshots.com/photo/1008835189026469358DyzfITYCOg   I suspect
> his previous owners might have thrown him out based on his behaviour ;-)

Darling pics!  Funnily enough, I live near Palo Alto, but am Canadian and
once
almost lost Luthien in a Calgary motel!!  Maybe she knew Otis was nearby,
little indigo child!

>  He also has a tendency to get lost under unusual circumstances and which
> the power of purr from this group has reunited us on four separate
> occasions.

See above about getting lost in weird places!  I mentioned it in some
other recent post about the fact that only signals from the
mothership could have helped me find her, because she would
make no answers to my calls, but eventually I found her
in behind a hot water rad in a stairwell of the motel.

> Another albun you might find funny is the symmetrical cats album at
> http://pets.webshots.com/album/272461144thSgkb

This is one of the most appealing albums I have ever seen.  How
cute that you can get so many pics of them lying in unison!!

--tension

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Susan M - 26 Sep 2006 21:54 GMT
> I hope you have a lovely trip. Beautiful pictures, as usual. Chester
> certainly is Mr Handsome. Otis seems to be giving the Evil Eye in the
> following picture. And nice flowers! I wish I had the time and energy to
> tend my little garden, but even if I had, it would be all dry now. We had
> such a dry summer, everything just went brown.

Thank you!  Chester is a dapper cat with a gentlemanly purrsonality to boot.
We are very lucky to have him to balance our Otis.  Otis has an unfortunate
facial expression much of the time where he looks peeved by something - like
the weather, the quality of the food, the shape of the litterbox, or the
fact that I've moved just when he got comfortable.  Poor tortured cat ;-)

> I tried planting a couple of hips (is that the correct word?) from Frank's
> and Nikki's rose bush in my garden, but will probably not see any result
> in a couple of years, at least.

I hope that your rose bushes come up - that would be lovely!  They are
beautiful hardy bushes that I associate with being North.  I learned
something about the rosehips last weekend!  Each one has more vitamin C in
it than an entire orange.  The early prairie settlers here used them to make
jam in order to stave off scurvy.  The seeds are shaped in such a way that
they easily pass through the digestive systems of the animals that eat
them - deer and bears here - and then get passed out in fertilizer.  The
bushes are often found around trails and hiking trails here since the
animals use the trails too and poop on the side!  Humans, however, should
never eat the seeds, which can cause an uncomfortable conditions known as
"itchy butt syndrome".

Susan M
Otis and Chester
Marina - 27 Sep 2006 05:35 GMT
> Thank you!  Chester is a dapper cat with a gentlemanly purrsonality to boot.
> We are very lucky to have him to balance our Otis.  Otis has an unfortunate
> facial expression much of the time where he looks peeved by something - like
> the weather, the quality of the food, the shape of the litterbox, or the
> fact that I've moved just when he got comfortable.  Poor tortured cat ;-)

LOL! He just knows he is entitled to the best.

>> I tried planting a couple of hips (is that the correct word?) from Frank's
>> and Nikki's rose bush in my garden, but will probably not see any result
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> never eat the seeds, which can cause an uncomfortable conditions known as
> "itchy butt syndrome".

When we were little, we used to tease each other by putting rosehip
seeds on each others' skin - preferably in the other kid's trousers. Oh,
we were bad! That's interesting about the history of the rosebushes.

The roses on the island usually get a lot of hips, and my sister makes
cordial and soup out of them. They have a very nice, mild taste.

Signature

Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

 
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