Thank you all for your replies. I've played guitar, and bass for over thirty years. I make guitars, and also I make furniture, and jewelry too. I can fix anything, and I can do small electrical repairs to simple circuits on guitars, and household appliances. I don't play as much as I used to, and I'm going to school now so it takes a lot of my personal time. However, I just inherited a small kitten last June 8th of last year. He was in the neighbors' yard crying for his mommy when I heard him. I went outside to see where he was after going to the window the first time thinking it was catbird. Anyway, I took him in after going around the yard, then wrapping him in my shirt. I fed him with cows milk at first, at least in a pinch until my mother came home, and I could go to petsmart, and get the correct kitten formula. He grew quickly, in the meantime I saw his mother a few days later in the same spot of the yard which is strange since she wasn't around when I found the baby. It's still a mystery how he got there for sure. She was laying in the sun with the other kittens playing with her. I then saw her beside the shed the next day, and then I saw a couple of kittens coming out of seemingly nowhere. I didn't know it at the time, but there was a hole rotted in the side of the shed (as it's made of wood) just big enough for the cat to get through. We figured that she had the babies in there on the cold, hard concrete floor. To make a long story short - she took off with one of the kittens and never returned. I figured that she was someones' pet because when I put a Tommy Stinkfinger shirt in there for her to lay on she hissed at me, but didn't move a single muscle. She used it because when I went back in to feed them again I looked in the shed she was gone, and the shirt was covered in hair! We tried to get the last two kittens out since I was going back to give them fresh water, and food twice a day.We though that it wasn't a good idea to keep them in there during the hottest part of the year closed in with urine, and feces odors. I was feeding the mommy religiously, but I figured that she would forage, or go back home to where she lived. I would say "Momma Kittty - come get it!" while I shook the bag as I left. The father kitty would come into the yard, and look for things to eat since we have a lot of wild life coming to the yard to feed.
My mother took the white kitty that resembled her mother, but got bitten. I took her to the ASPCA to be adopted out. The lady there took her right out of the cage, and held her, and the kitty didn't resist - at first. But then she squirmed around until it was time for her to go back to the animal carrier. Or at least the ASPCA employee decided that it was. This was a good sign that she would be able to be socialized. I think the girl who does this kept her since I haven't seen her (kitty) at the building, or in the ads normally show in the paper since that day. We kept the second one another girl kitty (calico) that I found between the shingles, and an air conditioner. This was about two inches wide! I wore heavy work gloves, but she bit straight through it into my thumb! I put her into the cat carrier then I took her inside. I put her in front of a fan, and gave her cold water, and cat food. I left her there for an hour while her brother (yellow tiger striped) decided to bat at her through the breathing holes in the side of the carrier. As soon as I let her out she ran under the coffee table. He of course, now knowing that he had a new playpal wasn't going to leave her alone. He chased her from the table to the easy chair, and back again. She would come out at night when it was quiet and I would take to her. She got used to being around me, so I was the first one to actually touch her without having her run away. I would touch her once in a while, and play with her, and feed her by hand so that she would trust me. Now we just had the boy neutered, but too late - he got his sister pregnant! Now we have a miniature version of her (female), and a tiny version of him also female. A gray tiger striped boy, and a very tiny black tiger striped girl which I now call "weepy baby" since she cries for her mother all the time! She's a third the size that the others are, and sleeps a lot to make up for the lack of nutrition from the mother, so we now feed her the milk re-placer. She'll lay on me, and sleep on my arms, between the back of my neck and the chair, or between me, and the chair arm. This takes all my time now, and I was hoping to get some crochet in to finish an afghan for my sister for Christmas this year. It's a kit that has small parts in it, and any type of knitting, or crochet will inevitably attract the attention of the locals.
I'm in the process of making a couple guitars for friends. This is my bread, and butter. In the meantime between all this insanity I'm making models for sale to the public for Star Wars fans on the modeling forums. I wish I could get back into playing with a band again, but our drummer left, and I don't know what happened to our lead singer. We were doing our own original music, but now our guitarist is playing with Green Jello now, or at least he was one of the stage characters while playing guitar with them, and is seeking to become an official band member. From what he said that Green Jello is in the Guiness book of world records for being the biggest band in the world with over 300 members. The lead singer goes from town to town with the local musicians so that he doesn't have to worry about anyone leaving the band, or other usual antics. I'll go see him when he plays with a few other local musicians in the meantime. We both have our own amps, and guitars, and other assorted instruments. I play piano on his keyboard, and bass when we record. He and I take turns playing drums, but I record myself playing them when we cut a track since I'm a lot more advanced that he is. We've had a LOT of time to figure out luthery, and painting, and all associated ins, and outs of musical instrument making, and making our own specialty tools. I adapted what I know about both model making, and musical instruments to get to the point of professional quality. Now when we need something we either build it from manufactured parts, or make it ourselves. If we're allowed maybe I'll post some pictures of what I've made here in this thread. IF anyone else here feels to do the same, please do share with the rest of us. Thank you all for sharing your experiences.
~ Red