One Cat Down

Saturday night (of course), I heard a scream from outside that sounded like that of a baby. I ran into the garden only to find Fletcher (of course) hanging upside down in our mesh wire fence struggling to free himself. While I was back inside looking for a flashlight and some gloves, he did manage to free himself, but back inside I noticed a limb claw/toe hanging off his back paw. As he did not seem in pain and the actual flesh wound was minimal, I waited until Monday morning to take him to the vet who luckily has his office just across the street. Well, I bet he was happy to see us!

He immediately put him under general anesthesia to examine him and found that the toe had completely dislocated from the little joint. It would be easiest to amputate that part and while Fletcher was snoozing, the vet looked at his mouth only to find two more rotting teeth that needed to be pulled. 

 Fletcher in the PACU after his surgery. ;-)

 Not feeling too hot.

We gave him the nickname Captain Ahab as you can hear him approach from far away with that bandaged foot.

Zombie!

So for the next two weeks we will be back at the vet's for regular dressing changes only to try to avoid the dreaded lamp shade. 

A Cat's Life

Who said there was no sunshine in Germany?

 Do these cats look content or what?

Meet the Pediatrician

Sophie needed a physical exam for her preschool. This exam is not covered by any insurance, so the staff apologized that I would have to pay a whopping €10 for it. ☺ Sophie really enjoyed the waiting room. The examination table was a fire truck! How would you like that, Nico? Maybe Sophie would have preferred a glass carriage.

 We went to the biweekly market in Geldern today. I'm very pleasantly surprised by the prices for groceries and impressed by the size of these cabbages.

 More from cat heaven: Fletcher and Nelson got to take a closer look at Berit's mice. Better than any movie. By now they have become so brave that they are venturing beyond the garden.

The Ladybug Group

So here is our report on Sophie's first day of preschool (or Kindergarten as she calls it now). 

She was assigned to the Ladybug Group, as if they knew that we have a ladybug girl. It's a Catholic Montessori Preschool. We are amazed they accepted her even though we filled out 'Atheist' in the religion column. Pretty much all preschools are sponsored by the Church in Germany (especially in the countryside), unless you go to a Waldorf preschool. I guess we'll deal with the question of who Jesus is, when she asks us. On the other hand, I'm excited with the Montessori part of it. There is so much for her to explore, good discipline, but not too much structure yet. A lot of freedom. 

And thank goodness, they have more than a chest full of dress-up clothes!

 Sophie eating her snack. Fruit is sitting out all morning for the kids to eat, and they can eat their breakfast when they want anytime before ten (with a few gentle reminders by the teachers).
I left her there to play after about an hour. She seemed very excited to come back tomorrow.

 In the afternoon we walked into town. It was a busy day for the munchkin. She was actually dozing off in the stroller on the way home but only after she devoured her spicy ice cream. (Yes, they have peppermint/chocolate flakes ice cream).

 ...as for the boys, still in cat heaven!

On a mission to find more long sleeve/warm dresses for Sophers, as she refuses to wear trousers. She is such a princess.

Safe landing after many sad goodbyes

So here we are in Germany. Having the cats here is the biggest reminder that this is not just another vacation. It definitely feels a bit strange - as did seeing the first proper rain since May. At least the weather gods were kind to us and granted us one day of warm temperatures (about which some Germans still complained) and no precipitation. 

Suitcases are unpacked and stowed away for now and we've had a good night's sleep, so here is a summary in pictures of the past couple of days:

 Sophie's solution to avoiding having to say goodbye - she simply refused to do so. Here with her friend Ciaran.

 Last quick play date in the park with friend Nico. Sophie's beloved babysitter (and my friend) Lalani came as well.

 Our last night in California (at least for a while) - not without a campfire and marshmallows at Nanny's house, oh and one more good bottle of our wine collection of course. We spotted two horned owls that night - a special farewell treat.

 9th September - tearful goodbye to Nanny in the morning. ;-( We made sure that she wasn't crying anymore by skyping with her today.

 Oh, flying has become so much easier with Sophie now - thank you Apple and Dora! And we had a first in that Sophie went to sleep when I told her to and stayed so for four hours - bliss!

 Yes, the cats survived the flight... (Fletcher is not hissing, just couldn't stand the smell he left in his carrier)

 ... and landed in cat heaven! A garden - they haven't ventured beyond it yet, an unlimited supply of grass, lots of attention and pet mice. Here is Nelson busy exploring.

 Bag chaos! It took me a few hours to clear it today.

 First "Kaffee und Kuchen" - tea time in German.

Fletcher couldn't run inside fast enough when it started raining this evening.

Tomorrow is Sophie's first day of preschool in Germany! She was very excited when she went to bed tonight. She's been assigned to the Ladybug Group - how fitting for our ladybug girl.