I have a hard time finding old cupboards, like the one above, that are in good condition. When I go to the flea market, I see a lot of them, but on closer examination, they are often new or cobbled together. Or badly painted and in poor condition. However, one of my favorite ones, my husband found sitting out in someone's trash. It needs a new glass in the door, but it is way cool with lots of stacked/crown molding and original hardware on the door. I'd take a picture of it, but it is in the Rust Palace...which is what I call the storage building because I have so much old iron stuff in there, and I can't get close enough to it to take a picture. Another one I have, I went to an estate auction in Galveston years ago. There was so much cool stuff in that house...but out in the garage was a couple cupboards. One, hanging on the wall, that had an old window for a door. The other one was huge....and extra wide and deep....and very heavy. The owner had stored paint and all kinds of stuff in them. I waited all day to bid on them and passed up a lot of nice things that I would have liked to have. When they finally came up...I got the hanging one for about $35, and I was pleased. But the big one....a dealer was there to buy it and she was determined. I had waited on it all day so I wasn't going to let it go. She kept uping the bids by $50 trying to scare me away. I just stayed with her, and I don't remember how much it cost...maybe $600. She left...mad. I left...happy.

He's doing great. He also has a friend now, named Ralphie, a long haired, orange kitten. Someone called me and said they had a feral kitten and wanted me to take it. You know, you seldom get the real stories on animals that people want you to take. The story was that his mother abandoned him, but he was about the same age as Favio, maybe a week older. I told them, no, animals aren't like people. They don't abandon their babies....at least no mama cat is going to abandon a kitten that big....maybe she was killed. So I went to see the kitten, and he was a cute little thing, but definitely not feral. Feral kittens hiss and spit. The only thing this one did was cry all the time. So, I think the real reason she was getting rid of it, she got the kitten, and it was too young to leave it's mother and so it cried all the time, and she told me "it won't shut up". So, I figured he would be good company for Favio. I named him Ralphie....and no, he doesn't cry any more. It has been a big help to me, to have two kittens. Fav was used to being by himself and didn't cry, but he needed company to play with and Ralphie has worked out perfectly. My daughter had said she was looking for an orange kitten, so I offered Ralphie to her, but I didn't think she would take him because last I heard, they were looking at an older cat at the shelter, and anyway, he is Fav's friend, so he will be staying here with Favio. Favio has done exceptionally well, but I admit to worrying more about him than any baby I have ever raised. He was a little slow to switch over to solid food....Ralphie helped with that. An older cat here comes in and she likes them and bathes them....so they have a "nanny". :D I am going to try and get a better picture of Favio and will post it in a few minutes. I woke Ralpie up to take his picture...so he looks sleepy in the picture. Will try to get a better one of him soon. Anyway, they are both doing great, and Fav is so special to me. He is so cuddly because he is used to being held. He almost never is still....plays all the time. Ralphie isn't quite as affectionate as Favio, but he sleeps next to me and he loves being combed. I use a flea comb on them because their nanny is an outside cat and when she comes in, sometimes she brings a flea or two. I flea comb both of them two or three times a day. When I comb Ralphie, he "fleas" me in return....gently chewing on my arm. They are the sweetest babies and extra special to me. If anyone ever has the chance to raise an orphan, it takes a lot of dedication....they need to be fed every couple of hours starting out, but they are the most affectionate and cuddly cats you will ever have. Here is Ralphie, and I will see if I can get a better pic of Fav.

Oh, no. No bad memories. I dealt with all the bad memories years ago. I have had sort of an interesting life. If you want to read it, send me a friend request on FB, Marilyn Stout Collins, or I guess I could email it to you when I get back on my regular computer. It is kind of long. I don't mean to be so presumptuous that you'd want to read it, as far as that goes. As for the baby's story.....the only thing I have done is meet with my nephew and we talked about it. Right now I don't have any transportation, my husband is using my truck...so I have been home all the time. Was also still thinking about how to go about it. I don't want to cause anyone any pain.... by the same token, I don't know how else to try to contact her without "putting it out there". I was disappointed that I couldn't find the old pictures of my sister that I thought I had. It is probably just a matter of finding them....I am missing an entire album, but it could have gotten put away in an old blanket chest or something. There are four of them in the other house. I need to get back and try to find them because if I make a FB page, I need some pictures.

Jasdip, we would never let the animals go hungry. The shelter in Galveston has continued to donate to me because I took in several of their unadoptable cats, and they have been very good to me. When we don't have food, we buy it. Actually, Mare, she dumped me. I am glad to be rid of her, but was strapped by the food issue. Now though, she has given her "permission" that my wildlife can have food. The donors never realized that 90% of the donated food went to me because my animals are all alive. Dead animals don't eat very much. Actually, she has taken to "farming" out most of the animals brought to her, so they are in better hands because most people who take them to raise, really want to do right by them. Oh, Lord! The pig situation!! I had Pig Sue...spayed, big pet. She was stolen but not before Pig Lee showed up....wild...and later, Pig Newton. Pig Lee was too wild to get spayed and by the time she was tame, too big. She and Newton had many children....I think we have sold about 40 of them so far. Her oldest daughter, Delores, and she had 11 pigs this spring. They are all big enough to go now and as much as I hate to see Pig Lee go, I can't keep having all these baby pigs. Pig Newt weighs about 600 lb. He is wild but he will take food from my hand. I don't try to pet him though, because he could be dangerous, especially if he got scared. The horses and donkeys and mule are fine........however, we may be welcoming a little mule foal in a few months. My donkeys were fighting, so had to separate them until we could get them gelded. Due to having to keep them in pastures that didn't adjoin, Amos went in with the mares. I didn't worry too much about him breeding the mares, until I saw him breed "my mare"....Mariah. I am not 100% sure she settled, but I have been watching her carefully.....and from what I know about such things, I think so. I could have her checked by the vet, but I will know soon enough. I wouldn't care if one of the other mares had a mule foal, but if it happens, it will probably be Mariah. Here is a picture of Pig Newton.