Twinky

Well, I have worked out that Tuxy is not fat. She's just a pig. Now that they've been on Go-Cat, she chows it down like there's no tomorrow. Then she gets thirsty. Then she drinks...and drinks...and drinks. And the Go-Cat expands...and expands...and expands. To three or four times its original volume. Her tummy was soooo hard. It must have been quite painful. And what goes in must come out...and out...and out...and out...and out... ... ... Presumably she will empty soon. They are now not getting food down all the time, to help themselves. And they are getting it mixed with an equal quantity of supermarket-own, to make it a little less desirable.

I've often thought this, too, Waysider.

Success? For whom? If you mean for TWI: as has been mentioned above - it was all profit, no expenses. If for the individuals: that has to depend on what the individuals' goals were at the outset and how well they went about what they did. It also depended on the Wow Family Coordinator, and some of you have referred to bossy FCs who made their lives a misery. I mostly enjoyed my WoW year and it was a good fun time, mostly. It was my practicum year assignment so obviously I was coordinating, but all of us were enthusiastic and we had some fun. We also ran several classes, two of our twig went WoW the following year, and other twiggies became deeply committed to God. We had a lot of good times because we all (not just me, but everyone, including the 7 year old) had a voice in planning our day, our week, our goals, our expectations. Right at the beginning of the year, We decided what we wanted to achieve and set what seemed realistic goals. We all decided what we wanted in the house we would find to live in; the work we wanted to do; other things we wanted to do. When I am enthusiastic or passionate for something I really throw myself into it, and I think I made it hard for some in my family to keep up with me. My energy level and expectations were higher than theirs and sometimes I didn't take them into account as much as I should have done. For that, I am deeply sorry. And we did see God move quite spectacularly in some things. We simply taught people to love God and although we were in the program, it never became TWI-worship. I know for several individuals, whether or not they stuck around, we were able to give some considerable heart-healing. I think my experience may well have been much better than others because I was in another country, and it was the pilot program so not too much interference. However, this took place in the early to mid 90s when legalism was significantly increasing. One of the next-year WoWs won by my Family couldn't stand the legalism of the people he was with the following year and ran away in the middle of the night. He had been such a great guy, too; he'd come such a long way with us - you could see his life really opening up and light shining in his heart. For those of you who went out WoW 3 or even more times - hey, it can't have been all that bad. It really can't have been.

Hi Pond. I don't think pregnancy's an issue with the girlies. They weren't strays. Their mother (a pet) was brought in pregnant with the litter - the kits were born just a few days after the mother was brought in. When the Cats Protection League carer realised how heavily pregnant the mother was, she decided to let her have the litter, not have it taken away. The mother was terribly wild and would not allow human contact and defended her kits violently. They could not be handled during the crucial first 6 weeks which accustoms them to human contact, and cats after that period often have very great difficulty in accepting human contact though they can turn into nice cats to have around (I didn't know that till later!). The CPL lady managed to extract the first pair of kittens, then the second pair, but then she really defended very violently the remaining two (mine). She left big bite and deep scratch marks on the CPL carer. My first sight of Tuxy was a terrified cat rushing round a wire cage at head height, and clinging to the wire trying to escape. Both of them like to be near me but they do not like to be touched. So the learned behavior of my kittens (now adults) is that humans are to be fought off. They are not violent cats, just terrified, but getting much better. There are minute signs of progress every day, very minute, but generally going forward and not back. I liken it to perhaps myself being fondled by a huge gorilla. No matter how benevolent the gorilla might be, it's still vastly larger and more powerful, and I still wouldn't trust it not to attack me and would always be on my guard. I very much agree with spaying stray animals. There are too many unwanted animals and not enough homes for other animals. Animals definitely do have emotions about their offspring. I believe they do suffer grief at the loss of their young; also pride and delight in their young. Another little cat we had had a litter of three; one died very young, another was given away, and the third stayed with us. The mother, who had been so very proud of her litter and urged us to handle them right from birth (!) took against the kitten who had stayed with us and made its life a misery: we think she thought the kitten had killed the siblings. The kitten grew to be an adult cat but died at only about 9 years of age, cowed, miserable, and almost broken hearted. The mother cat was always hitting her though our other animals treated her nicely. I should say, my girlies got no opportunity to become pregnant before being spayed. Though they may well have come into season at least once, if I got their age right.

Y'know, we were told right from the beginning that there are no members of The Way. Did it say that in PFAL? I remember VPW saying on film that you couldn't "join" the Way but you were welcome at twigs, meetings, etc. Just the BoD are the "members" - the ones with control. Kinda gives a new meaning to not being a member, really, when you realize how few rights we had and the non-existent voice to speak up for the general direction of the "ministry" and use of the money. (Not that everyone in an organization having at least a 5 figure membership should have an equal voice, down to the newest "twiggie".)

Hmm, Pond, yes, the females are the hunters and catch the prey, etc. Tuxy is definitely the dominant one. What she wants, she gets - food, place to sleep, toy to play with, attention. Crypto is quiet and submissive. But as I posted earlier, seems to yell for food even if she never touches it. Crypto is scared and will run off if anything is unusual, a loud noise, a sudden movement. She seeks approval, in a hesitant sort of way. But she is shocking if she sees a fly or spider, a real terror. When I let them out I think she will be the better hunter. Not that Tuxedo will be any slouch. I understood them to be 15 months old when I got them. They were the last of the litter of 6 and the mother to be rehomed. All the other kittens and the mother have made nice cats and have settled well into their new homes, apparently. Just my two, unhandled till I got them, are difficult. They had just been spayed and their skin was shaved and the stitches still present when they arrived.

I recall one time I took a principle from the Blue Book, thought about it, and "translated" it into terms I myself might use, visual imagery that fit better for me and for people round me. I got the opportunity to teach this principle at a twig. It was met with bemused or blank expressions, raised eyebrows, pained looks, polite smiles... It wasn't that I got the principle wrong, it was that I wasn't using the required language. Although nobody said anything, the message I got quite clearly was: stick to the text of the Blue Book. Don't go putting your own "private interpretation" on what's in it. Speak the same language as the rest of us. Don't go thinking for yourself. As to what principle I was endeavoring to expound - I have no idea now. I just remember the reception. And I wasn't invited to "teach" again.

Can I borrow him for a while, see if he can teach The Girlies a thing or two?

Jeff: I really think "make it your own" meant "make my [VPW's] thinking your own" - learn to think exactly what VPW did. After all, the 1st century church was exhorted to follow (imitate) Paul; and then as the 1st century church in the 20th we were exhorted to follow (bleah) our father in the Word. He was getting us to indoctrinate ourselves. Find scriptures that supported what he had told us the "whole word" said. But you know how promptly any dissention, any individual thinking, any "could you explain how this fits with x, y and z" was met - one wasn't spiritually mature enough to understand. Easiest to say what it didn't mean: don't think for yourself. Don't think anything but what VPW said. Michael: there are several threads here about Way doublespeak. If you use My Assistant above and enter "doublespeak" it should show you a few older threads which you could pick up and add to, if interested. No need to start another thread.

Why??????? :blink: How many songs can you sing about spit, anyway? (LOL) But seriiously though folks: looks like this has gone as far as it can with a date. Possibly mid 70s. And tacitly approved by VPW. I would be so interested to know LCM's take on his catchphrase nowadays, but doubtless we will never know. Being as he himself is a grease spot.

I think Bob was PNG (M&A) by the time I got more deeply involved with TWI. So that would have been a while back.

Michael, I have two doors that need painting. I worry about how to paint without also painting the cats. Here are some pix of them in their new bed. You'll see it's a sort of enclosed thing with removable cushion. Once both parts have their own scents, I will put them together as one unit. Tuxy is Queen of the house in the "bed" (note how possessively she has her paw on the enclosure and her legs sprawled out to maximize the space she needs) and Crypto has the cushion in their box. They really love this cardboard box, which doesn't usually have anything but a cat in it. In true Crypto style, she is licking the fabric trying to suck the catnip spray off.

Wow, Potato, that's a bit of a turn-round. Musta been after they got really scared by LCM's shining example. No, wait, his example was to mate everyone in the household. I have a dim recollection somewhere (CFS??) of VPW saying that some rules applied when we were younger but not necessarily when we were older. You tell a five year old not to do something (for his own good - like not crossing the road alone) but you don't need to tell a 25 year old, who has by now learned how to cross safely. I think the inference (don't think it was explicit) was that sex was out for young kids/ teenagers but for adults it was a normal part of life. Sound familiar, anyone?

Well, dunno, they managed with that Youtube video. Which they quickly got pulled. God: "Just ... stop ... please, just...stop."

While they were singing, of course, George. Anyway, I agree with Bolshevik. 47. Ah, wait, isn't that that answer to the universe or something? I just looked where I keep my pins but there are no angels in there.

A man got blamed for something? :blink: Potato - "All were expressly forbidden" - ????? C'mon, don't make me laugh. Or do you mean, forbidden in the sense of whetting the appetite to do exactly the opposite?

Oh, if only...! They do like to stick their heads and paws down the toilet. And to watch me (fascinating). So far the flushing noise is too scary...

or this: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-Toxh_5aHig&...=1&index=54

Hello, Michael, welcome to Cat Whispering. Nice if you can write the cat lit off against tax. I've tried various catlit types. Some say compostable. However, these two poo such a lot and I think that takes a while to decompose. So I just put it all in the usual rubbish bag and it gets taken away. Tuxy is getting FAT. Now that they are on Go-Cat real stuff not supermarket generic - she never stops eating. She was a lean and bony critter before. She got to be looking a little plump so I managed to catch her to fondle tonight and boy has she got a taut belly. She simply cannot cram any more in there. Crypto meanwhile is hardly eating. She was the runt of the litter and is quite small and dainty. She tends to pick at her food. I like to leave it down so that she has the opportunity to eat as much as she needs. She also is looking rather plumper (no possibility of having a feel) but from today they are going on a diet. Food down for say half an hour while I also eat and wash up. Then I will remove their food till next meal time. Interestingly, Crypto is using her newly-found voice to miaow at me - for food. I got the message yesterday and put food down - Crypto walked off without even looking, and Tuxedo pigged in. Was she asking on Tuxy's behalf, or did Crypto just want a little attention? They have a new bed, very nice and soft. I dribbled a little liquid catnip on it. Heh, heh, it was fun watching them rolling around. A catlit box? :blink: Like this? http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WofFb_eOxxA

Advice? No Interference? YES!!! *** Women are not doormats.

Boy, I'm glad I can't remember much about this class. I do remember one class where there was some dissection of Song of Solomon and the alleged sexual allusions in that - was that CFS? Or maybe New Life (a Corps class)? That's really all I think I remember and sincerely don't want to drag anything else back into mind. Too right, P-Mosh. I've always wondered why Americans are so prissy about a breast or a bare bottom. It doesn't have to be provocative. And bear (bare?) in mind that most movies are Hollywood so shot with US money and manage to have body parts on display. Yet the whole hippy "free love" thing emanated from the US - in other words, the display of body parts didn't have anything to do with loosening sexual boundaries in the US. The violence and wanton destruction in some US movies is horrendous. Gratuitous. And I think that watching too much violence without also showing repercussions does break down mental boundaries. But that's another thread should anyone care to go there.

I like you, Copes, you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders. Treat your wife with loving respect and your marriage will stay intact. Never let ANYONE interfere with your marriage. The marriage is between you and your wife - not you, your wife and your twig leader. Any man who doesn't take his wife's advice, concerns and counsel into account ignores his most valuable supporter. Such a man doesn't deserve a wife.

Wow, Eyes, that's some amazing story! I never heard anything about this before. I have done a lot of hiking and camping in the mountains, and enjoy doing so when it's sub-zero. It can be good fun. But it's not an ideal first trip for city dwellers. I have also instructed on bushcraft courses and mountain safety courses. Any trip leader, in conjunction with the group, has to be prepared to change plans to accommodate the weakest or any injured person or if weather circumstances so dictate. It can be okay going out in the teeth of a gale knowing that good weather will follow; but everyone needs to be prepared. A lot of WC training is putting people in situations outside their comfort zones, one way or another, but this is way beyond that. I've read that Jesus gave his life for us, but I didn't realize that meant that he wanted a few toes back in return. My own LEAD trip was cancelled due to heavy snow. LEAD was offered (?) to the elder Corps when I was in (early 90s) and they had sent the younger Corps out to check out the location. Apparently the younger Corps had to struggle up a hillside and it was often waist deep in snow. So they canceled it for us. No opportunity to re-schedule. It should have taken place in March - but after that everyone was into RoA set-up, or Family Camps at Gunny. I was really disappointed; of all that I believed the Corps offered and the incredible restrictions at HQ, I was looking forward to spending time outdoors. Still, it sounds as though they might have learned a lesson or two.

Groucho, that sounds like the earliest someone has mentioned, and what WG says seems to back it up. He was silly enough to write that in a Waymag? It's a certainty that if LCM said it and VPW was still around, VPW must have endorsed it othewise he would have squelched LCM. Quick, folks, buy your spit protection NOW! Of course, "tithing" was very surreptitiously required of us from PFAL with the handing out of the Christians Should be Prosperous booklet, not actually "taught" as such. The gist of that booklet was that not tithing was robbing God and who'd want to do that? But just disapproval, no threat, if one didn't tithe. Did VPW threaten, or did he just leave that to LCM? Does anyone admit to having the Waymag WG mentioned?

Michael, stick around, you will find much to help you here. We have mostly all been through it; some here have people they care about involved with TWI but they themselves are not. Enjoy life and keep learning. I'm sending you a PM so's not to derail this thread.