I was born and raised on Long Island, NY in a middle class suburb. I attended your typical “cliquey” highschool and hated almost every minute of it. I couldn’t wait to get away. I went to Canisius College in Buffalo, NY and learned really fast what “lake effect” snow meant. I knew after graduation I didn’t want to live with my parents, and I couldn’t afford to live anywhere in the NYC area. Besides, by that point I had already been dating Tony for a year and didn’t want to leave him. We eventually found jobs and an apartment in a suburb of Rochester, NY. It was hard not living in the fast paced, everything at your fingertips, world of Long Island. It took me a few years to grow accustomed to more of a country lifestyle. I do go back from time to time to visit family but by the end of my visit, I am longing to be back home in my slower-paced life.
In the Fall/Winter we spend Sundays watching football and going to Buffalo Bills games (we are season ticket holders). With that said, we tailgate at the stadium a lot. For 1pm games are in the parking lot by 7am cooking breakfast! As it gets later in the season we have to layer up more and more – the windchill makes it pretty darn cold at New Era Stadium! Speaking of the cold, I suffer from Raynauds so my hands and feet are always cold – even in the summer. We are also huge Buffalo Sabres fans and try to go to the arena as often as we can but it gets pretty expensive so we only go to a few games each year.
About the cats
Due to weight issues, all of our cats are primarily fed wet food. They are all also indoor-only cats.
Harley – We have had him since he was a kitten. He was the runt of the litter and from what we have heard, he grew up to be the tallest, longest, heaviest of the bunch! He is pretty lazy but every once in awhile he goes crazy playing with balls and bigger toys that he can “bunny kick”. At age 14, Harley was diagnosed with early-stage kidney disease. He goes for bloodwork every 6 months to monitor his condition.
Jewel– We adopted her when Harley was about 3. She had been abandoned on the side of the road in a box with another adult cat and a BUNCH of kittens. They were all taken in by a wonderful foster family who got them all healthy, and when the time came, adopted them out. Jewel was a feisty calico who liked to keep the boy kitties in line. Jewel loved playing with furry toy mice. We lost Jewel in 2018 to kidney disease.
Oliver– Fall of 2011 we kept seeing a little kitty outside chasing (and catching) birds. We assumed he was a neighbor’s outdoor kitty and let him be. By December we had talked to everyone around us and they said he was a stray – that they thought was *ours*. He was in our yard every day and the weather was dropping below zero at night. New Year’s Eve we FINALLY coaxed him inside. He had a gnarly gash on his hip and was so cold. We took him to the vet and tried to find an owner but never did. He has been with us ever since. Oliver loves playing with anything and everything.
