Vote for the Cat Network to Win $25,000

As many of you know I joined the Cat Network to help make a difference in my neighborhood by reducing cat population. It is a lot of work but very rewarding. The Cat Network provides low cost spaying/neutering and vaccinations. We pay out of our pockets but the reduced cost is still a savings and benefits the cats and the community!

Well now you can help by Voting for the Cat Network to win a $25,000 donation.

Click below to vote !

Meet Helio George de Tarzan!

Helio George de Tarzan

Named after Helio Castroneves, Curious George and Tarzan

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

He's as fast as the Indy Champion race car driver--Helio Castroneves--zooming from room to room. Can he ballroom dance like Helio? Well in time I'm sure he will!

He's as curious as George--poking, peaking into everything--closets, cabinets, and be sure to lower the toilet bowl lid! Ladies, Helio will train your man!

He's a climber and swinger like Tarzan of the jungle.

And he's a lover.

This little kitten will steal your heart with his animated gestures and mischevious face! Oh and he's still a lover and will curl up on your pillow next to you and outstretch his paw to caress your face! Why can't more men be like Helio--and have that balance between manliness and sensitive side?

Helio (pronounced El-ee-oo) is 5 months old, healthy, and received all vaccinations!!
Adoption fee is usual $65 from the Cat Network. Keep in mind, a visit alone to vet is average $50 plus bloodwork, fecal exam, deworming, and vaccination will run you $120 per kitten! That's why adopting from Cat Network is a win-win-win for the kitten, you and the community--one less kitten to grow up in the streets.

It would be ideal if he were adopted by parent(s) with another cat, kitten or dog so he has a playmate as he has a lot of energy! He's great with other cats and dogs and plays with my Maltese! If you would like to meet Helio, please email me or text at 305-218-9952. Christine Member of Cat Network

Helio listening to Dancing with the Stars "I've got more moves than all those celebrities"

Helio the Celebrity "No more pictures please"



"I just can't escape the paparazzi!"

Hansel and Gretel Update-still waiting adoption

Hansel--isn't he handsome?!!!

As I write this, it's hard not to let the tears well up. Little Gretel is 100% recovered from her leg injury at construction sight. No fracture as the bone has rejoined and her flesh wound has seen new growth of skin and fur. She has such strength and courage. I have learned so much from a three pound kitten. She and her brother are now ready for adoption.

The kittens are little over 3 months old. The pictures hardly do them justice and their personalities will literally make you fall in love.

Hansel (above) is now a little taller than his sister (he's actually smaller than he appears in the picture). What presence--such regal, stately demure! He's a knight in platinum armor and protects his little sister.

Gretel no longer damsel in distress-she's growing up to be quite a lady!

Gretel is the sweetest kitten I have ever cared for. She meows, almost demanding attention and affection just like a dog. She curls up in your lap when seated and faithfully sleeps by your side when it's bedtime. I will cry many tears when giving her up but once the foster parents send me pictures of her new happy home, I will be equally happy!

If you ever wanted a cat who was like a dog without having to take it out for walks and send to groomer, then this is the cat most people dream about. Her brother is her friend, playmate when you're away from home. You'll see why it would be cruel to separate these siblings.

This brother and sister are inseparable. They are deflead, dewormed, negative for any feline diseases and have received two rounds of vaccinations.

Fostering these two kittens is no different than fostering one. Hansel is so easy--no rambunctious behavior, no tearing up the house, no demanding of attention but he can be affectionate. Just food, water, toys and his sister is all he needs.

Unlike most cats, Gretel loves to be held and caressed and baby talked to. Her varying shades of black and gray with speckles of warm caramel and white mittens combined with her personality is deserving of an artist's rendering. She is that special.

Adoption fee is normally $65 for one. You can adopt both kittens for $80.

Please contact me for an application.

christine.michaels@yahoo.com

DIVA Looking for New Digs--kitten for adoption

Despite her angelic looks and name (Abbey), this kitten is truly a DIVA!

Abbey was discovered late one night in someone's driveway--orphaned! No mommy, no siblings, all alone and scared someone or something might hurt her. Thankfully this person knew a volunteer from pet rescue agency who would foster this innocent soul who's had a rough start in life.

After litter training, and getting all her vaccinations (she tested negative for common feline diseases), Abbey is a healthy kitten and ready for adoption!

Her personality--inherent with any DIVA, Abbey is quite independent, feisty if you don't respect her, (what Diva isn't?) and loves to PLAY with her toys. Actually she'll entertain you! So if you're looking for a companion, and to do a little good will by saving one innocent creature from the streets, then please consider adopting Abbey! Currently she resides here in Miami.

So instead of getting a designer dog for hundreds or thousands of dollars, you can have a Diva for a mere adoption fee of $65. This includes medical records as proof of bloodwork, deworming, and vaccinations. (Most vets charge minimum $100 for all this).

Please contact Lisa by texting to 407-406-0676.

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Himmarshee Bar & Grille, Fort Lauderdale

Last night the birthday celebration continued with dinner at the Himmarshee Bar & Grille. This downtown Miami girl headed to downtown Fort Lauderdale for a dinner "out on the town". It's not often that an entire meal from the appetizer to the main course makes an indelible impression.

To read my review, click here for My Fabulous Florida.

It's My Birthday!

Yes today I turned 41 years young. Last night I celebrated with close friends and family and new friends! It was also a dual housewarming soiree. Now my new condo is officially a "home".

Christine with all the guys.

Christine with all the ladies in my living room

Christine with her mother Elizabeth

Christine and Chris co-celebrating their birthdays

"I didn't hear the countdown!"

And Christine opens her eyes

Sparks fly

Cutting the birthday cake

Sandra, Christine and Adrienne on balcony (39 floors high)

Beautiful Miami City Lights as backdrop


Thanks to my friends and family for making my day special.

A Review of Shanghai Girls

Shanghai Girls, written by Lisa See (author of Snowflower and Secret Fan) is another historical fiction about two young women. This time the women are sisters. In the settings, Lisa See once again cleverly focuses on historical issues as the oasis culture of Shanghai surrounded by Communist China, the invasion by the Japanese, and the agonizing discrimination in their new life in the New World of the United States.

THE STORYLINE

In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. The main characters are "beautiful girls" in cosmopolitan Shanghai, models for anything from soap to cigarettes. There's is a care-free life for two working women aged 18 and 21, where work comes easy and free time is spent socializing with artists and friends. Their beautiful world capsizes with shell-shocked news that their father has gambled away their life savings and has sold his daughters into marriage to his debtor. Feigning reluctant acceptance, the girls elude their fate only to literally be shelled with bombs. The Japanese invaded China and didn't stop at the international boundary of Shanghai. Even after escaping near death, they embark on a ship en voyage to San Francisco, where they are to meet their arranged husbands.

The new world only brings new agony. Arriving at Angel Island (the equivalent to the processing center of Ellis Island), the girls are interrogated to verify their legitimacy of their marriages. The girls however, purposely lie to officials to stay on the island. Why would they prolong this imprisonment? Well, you'll have to read the book!

In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.

AUTHOR'S WRITING

From the point of view of the eldest daughter Pearl, we learn that this 21 year-old is rather naive compared to today's young woman in Westernized culture. The consistent use of the term "husband and wife thing" in referencing sexual intercourse, and "woman with three holes" in referencing a whore, immediately tells us Pearl is quite innocent and also allows us extraordinary insight into her indepth pain when she faces the Japanese soldiers in a hut after fleeing Shanghai.

Lisa See astutely blends actual historical events: their attempts at distinguishing themselves as non-Japanese during the war, their reactions from afar as the Red Army pushes across China and the ensuing McCarthy-era bids at labeling them Communists.

While the characters are fictional, their bond and typical petty jealousies as sisters and their outlook on life is real life content. Both girls considered themselves modern and "Westernized" while they lived in Shanghai and poked fun or ignored their mother's ancient traditions. Yet the eldest sister increasingly, as an immigrant in a foreign land and the profound longing of her native land, finds solace in those "silly ancient Chinese" traditions. Her mother-in-law instills “Chinese” into her “as surely as the flavor of ginger seeps into soup.”

MY OVERALL IMPRESSION

I really enjoyed this book. While I may sway preference toward Snowflower & the Secret Fan, it is in deference to an enlightening introduction to the culture and customs of ancient China.

Unable to recall the last book I read about sisterly love, Shanghai Girls was a solemn reminder not to take my family for granted and not to harbor unresolved differences or issues with my younger sister. The book also reminded me of the discrimination faced by immigants during McCarthyism and how the first generation of immigrants toiled for most of their life, in preparing a smoother road for their children.

I did enjoy this book and highly recommend it. ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!