Late at night, or in the wee hours of the morning, when I can't sleep (like last night), I think of zillions of topics to write about in this journal. {Perhaps I should get up and write instead of lying awake?} Then morning comes, I have a multitude of chores here (take care of cats, clean house, etc.) and I end up never writing about all my thoughts the night before. Oh well, so it goes.

I do have a few ideas to discuss today though, as well as updates on recent activities.

First off, my cat (Buddy, one of the last three remaining kittens) seems to be having a bout of kidney stones or crystals. He's had this before, and got blocked, so I am watching him carefully. I am fairly sure he ate some of the kitten's can food, though I try to keep an eye on him when I feed Kitten. It doesn't take much though to cause him a problem; Hill's Science Diet, adult formula, has thus far kept him stone-free. I did have some steroid pills (from Buddy's last vet visit) and antibiotic (which the vet prescribed for City Kitty, though I could not get it down her), so I am giving those to him and hoping to avoid an expensive vet trip should he become blocked. (As an aside, you know it's bad when you, your spouse AND the cat gets kidney stones. I saw a map one time of the regions prone to having the most people with kidney stones, and the southeast was prime territory. It may be the extreme heat of summer and sweating without enough water intake, or some other reason...not sure.)

Last Friday I ordered some good novels via Amazon.com which I could find nowhere else. At least a few of these anyway. I am crazy about Thomas H. Cook and Ruth Rendell's mystery fiction -- though some of Rendell's fiction borders on the bizarre, with psychopathic personalities that she "gets inside the head of" like NO other fiction author alive. She sets all her stories in England, where she lives, and though I don't care for her Inspecter Wexford series (since I don't like detective series that much), I do enjoy her crime fiction. Some of her early work is out-of-print, but I found several such novels via Amazon.com in the used book catergory. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to order those, for I really enjoy her work.

As for Thomas H. Cook, he is a born-and-bred Southerner, and sets most of his novels in the South. His best work, IMO, centers on a past unsolved murder/crime, which his protagonist finally solves when returning to their "native southern town." In this category, his latest novel, "Into the Web," promises to be a great read. I ordered it as well as several other novels I'd never read, such as "Break Heart Hill." Can't wait for those to arrive!

In the meantime, I went by the library the other day and got a few novels. I'm currently reading, "The Middle Ages" by Jennie Fields. It is good so far: about a woman in her 40s who, now divorced, finds her first true love, a college sweetheart. Lots of that "middle ages" stuff too that I can identify with!

While at the library I also got a regional history book, and plan to copy/print out some of the information about the nearest town from us, as well as local history. I thought this would add a nice touch to the past ownership history of this house, when I get it all organized and framed. If nothing else, it should be interesting to any potential owners of this house in the future. But, like improvements on this place, it's still a "work-in-progress."

On Sunday afternoon DH and I went riding on the Honda Goldwing motorcycle he bought. He got a bargain in the price, since the owner needed cash, and plans to resell it for profit...but we will ride till he sells it. My back and legs are a bit sore, so I don't know how much riding I'll be able to do...and it was very hot Sunday...but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Riding on the winding secondary country roads was nice, but I sure didn't like being on a main highway; too much traffic and scary at faster speed!

Now...regarding adoption "reunions." I have done a ton of research and have concluded that the media is focusing ONLY on the good stories lately. There is an interesting website that has a forum for adoptions, and I've been amazed/shocked at some of the horror stories about reunions of adoptees/bparents posted there. For example, I read of one woman adoptee who found her birth mother, and was told her birth father was in prison. So she proceeds to visit him, and he almost molested her in the visiting room!! Goodness, do adoptees who have great adoptive parents really need to know if they have a rapist birth father? Anyhow, you can read some of those bad reunion stories at the following website:

Disappointing Adoptee/Bparent Reunions

In order NOT to end on such a depressing note, I'll add this last article that I found really uplifting about a stray cat found by U.S. troops in Iraq:

Tabby Gets Military Rank After Iraq Tour

Tue Jul 13, 8:56 AM ET

By The Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Fort Carson Staff Sgt. Rick Bousfield of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team had a mission: Saving Pvt. Hammer.

Pfc. Hammer is an Iraqi tabby cat the unit adopted after he was born last fall at a base in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad.

When Bousfield found out his unit was leaving Iraq (news - web sites) in March, he decided he couldn't leave a member of his team behind.

"He has been through mortar attacks," said Bousfield, a 19-year Army veteran. "He'd jump and get scared liked the rest of us. He is kind of like one of our own."

Pfc. Hammer got his name from the unit that adopted him, Team Hammer. Soldiers would tuck Hammer in their body armor during artillery attacks, and in return, Hammer chased mice in the mess hall.

"He was a stress therapist," Bousfield said. "The guys would come back in tired and stressed. Hammer would come back and bug the heck out of you. He wiped away some worries."

The kitten earned his rank after nabbing five mice.

When Bousfield learned his unit was going, he sent an e-mail to Alley Cat Allies, a national clearinghouse of information on stray cats, asking for help bringing Hammer along.

Alley Cat Allies raised $2,500 for Hammer's shots, sterilization, paperwork and a plane ride to the United States.

Hammer left Iraq with his unit in March, then flew from Kuwait to San Francisco in cargo-class. He traveled first class with an Alley Cat Allies volunteer to Denver.

Bousfield met the kitten at the airport.

Goodness, makes me wonder why people don't just "adopt" a cat instead of a human baby -- who, in all likelihood, will want to "find the bparents" at some point in the future and hurt the adoptive parents! :=)

Otta here for now!