New Blog Address Coming Soon

Starting June 12th, the web address www.redheadruby.com will no longer contain this blog. The new web address will be www.dolledupdesirae.com. I hope that it is a smooth transitions and there will be no hiccups. Please, be sure to update your bookmarks and anything else that contains the old address. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line, or comment below. Thanks.

Adding a New Baby to My Household

When Rhea was alive, I couldn't imagine getting another cat after her. I told everyone that she would be the last cat I would own. She was also the first cat I owned. But, after her passing, I couldn't bare to have an empty home. It only took me hours to realize that I love cats, and I had to have another.  I just didn't realize how hard finding another cat would be.

As a child/teenager, I was constantly bringing cats home. When I was 19, I even kept a kitten in my room for two weeks before my parents found out. My mom doesn't like animals in the house. She likes to keep her place free of fur and smells that animals sometimes brings into a home. So, every time I found a cat, I had to return it, or find it a new home. As mentioned before, Rhea was a stray against her will. She was the last of a long line of cats that I had found. This was the first time I actually went looking for a cat.

I knew I wanted a kitten. I knew what I was looking for in a personality and in color. I also knew that I didn't want two. Most shelters in this area require you to adopt to kittens, though you can adopt one cat. I went to many shelters, but since it was the start of kitten season, there weren't many available. Also, they get adopted quickly.

Since I now live in the city, there aren't many strays running around who get pregnant. So, I spent most of my time looking on Craigslist. It was a frustrating experience. I didn't particularly want a kitten to be pulled away from her mother before she was 8 weeks old. But, most who had kittens, wanted to sell them as soon as they were weaned. Some of the "rehoming fees" were outrageous. They claimed they were so that the kitten would find a good home, but in my opinion some interviewing would assure that they went to a good home. Also, a lot of people wanted kittens. This meant that if I found one, I had to jump on her right away.

I hadn't actually planned to get a kitten before Memorial Day weekend, but couldn't stop myself from looking. Of course, I found the most adorable kitten - really the cutest thing out of all the other kittens I had seen. She was from my home town. My mom went to look at her for me, paid the lady, and brought her to her house. My friend picked her up from my mom's house, and brought her to me (a two hour drive) the same evening.

She is the exact coloring I had hoped for. And, though she was super scared at first, she is now jumping in my lap, and slept next to me this morning. She is still scared of her toys, and would prefer playing with the blankets and the material on my pjs. I can't wait to see how she grows, and how her personality develops. But, first, I have to teach her that hands are for petting, not biting.

Meet Naava.

How do you prepare to say goodbye?

I have had my cat for over thirteen years. She came into my life the same month I was moving out of my parent's house. She had a rough start, though. A young man had taken her away from her mother before she was old enough to be on her own. He brought her over to a buddy's house, who lived across the street from my parent's. That buddy was very neglectful of his pets, to the point that one neighbor had taken in two of his previous cats. This kitten, that became mine, only spent one night in the buddy's house, before he put her out on the street. She found her way into our yard. My father was able to lure her out with food. She has been mine ever since. The first two weeks I had her, I took her to work with me every day. Since then, she has been with me through several moves, boyfriends, and even a divorce. She sleeps with me every night, and waits by the front door when I come home. She has been my companion and my comforter all these years.

The last year has been rough. She has been in an out of the vet more times than my pocketbook enjoyed. I knew that she wouldn't live forever, but I kept hoping that the inevitable time would still be a long way off. Today, my very first furlough day, I spent it taking her to emergency. The previous diagnosis was either inflammatory bowel disease or small cell lymphoma. I kept hoping for the previous as that can be treated well with medication. But, today I got my answer. She has cancer that has spread to her other organs. The hardest part to accept is that she seemed to be doing just fine until Saturday - though she had lost quite a bit of weight. Within the last 24 hours things have dramatically changed.

I have often thought about the fact that this was a decision I was going to have to make - especially this last year. But, how do you prepare to say goodbye - forever - to something that has brought such great joy over so many years? I know that it is the right thing to do. She is in so much pain, that she won't even let me cuddle with her. But, why does it have to hurt so much? I know that many people before me have gone through this and survived. And, it gives me great comfort that others know and understand what I am feeling. 

New Blog Name and Construction

As you may have noticed, I am doing a little construction on the blog. After being Ruby for two and a half years, I've decided to go with my own name. There are several vintage Rubys out there, and felt the need to be unique. Also, since my hair color is ever evolving, I was getting a little tired of having the blog confined to just one color. From now on, the blog will be called Dolled-up Desirae Day. I will be changing things around, including the web address when this domain name expires (not until October). For the time, you will still be able to access this blog under www.redheadruby.com. Please excuse my dust as I will be moving things around a little at a time. 

Clean up!

I've done some clean up on some older posts. I made sure all the video links worked. So, if you are into classic jazz, early rockabilly, blues, and/or early R&B, be sure to click on the "music" label to the left. If you are a movie fan, be sure to click on the "film" label. The same goes for those who are looking for hair setting instructions and ideas. Enjoy!

Follow on Facebook

If you're on Facebook, check out the Red Head Ruby fan page. This is where I post various vintage links I stumble across while surfing. You can also tag a photo of yourself dressed up in vintage with Red Head Ruby. It's fun to see different styles, and get inspiration. So, why not pop on over to the Facebook page, and hit the like button. You'll be glad you did.

Picture from Far Far Hill.

Blog Photos, Sharing, and a Plea

I have recently come across a couple of my photos on Tumblr and Pinterest.  I realize that by putting these photos in public view, they are bound to get snagged or shared with others. Part of me is happy that people enjoy the photos enough to share them. I've done my fair share of saving photos that I enjoy. What I do ask, though, is that credit be given. I am trying my best to increase my readers. If photos are being shown on other sites, without linking back to this blog, my chances of getting more readers lessens. Also, many of the vintage fashions I put on this blog I have scanned from magazines I own.  I have learned a lesson, though. I will start watermarking my images.

Two of the images I have seen recently are:

If you happen to see these images (or any others) floating around in your internet travels, it would be great if you could tag it, write in comments, or email the person to credit this blog.

One thing I don't appreciate, though, is stealing my banners. I just came across another blog that had the picture from my Tumblr banner. Now I am forced to create a new banner. That just isn't cool. If other images on this site want to be used, I give permission to use my images, as long as it is credited to this blog. But, stealing my banners is not accepted. Thank you.

I am now on Tumblr!

I started a tumblr account for all the things I have scanned, but couldn't fit into Ruby's life. There will be loads of vintage photos, magazine articles, and ads.. maybe a video or two. You can also find Ruby on Facebook (though I'm not quite sure what to do with that page yet).

Vintage Ruby on Tumblr

Facebook page

Still here..

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still here. I haven't given up on Ruby yet. I've just been uninspired. Hopefully that will change soon, and I will get back to writing. Thanks for your patience.

Just a little note

Thank you for reading Ruby's adventures over the last few months. I'm going to be taking a little break in writing. I'll be back soon, hopefully with new ideas for adventures! Now's the time to catch up if you haven't done so already. :)

If you have anything you'd like to see in future blog posts, feel free to write a comment, or send me an email. Thanks again.