The rum is coming in very handy.
The kittens do NOT like my driving and were rather shaken by the time we got to the house. Being removed from a dark box by a strange man in unknown surroundings with a black lab staring them down was obviously not a pleasant experience. Leonel is obviously a racist, as he immediately scratched the black lab on the nose. He did not attack the curious Polar Bear puppy (all white), but the puppy was so terrified that he immediately took cover under the bed and stayed there for the remainder of the afternoon. I'm certain he will make a great guard dog one day, should anyone ever try to steal my bed.
The kittens spent the remainder of the day under the shelves in the front room. At dark, I retrieved them, petted them, and put them in the closet, where it was dark. They slept well.
This morning, they were moved to the bathroom and fed and given water and milk. I presumed that they would cower in fear when the one-eyed giant anaconda appeared, but they were not impressed. The bruise to my ego was eased by the rum.
They are playing with each other now and they are eating. They love to be held and petted.
After a couple of days, they will get to meet the oldest dog, Callista, who is a border collie and has lived with cats and is totally indifferent towards them.
So far, the only regret is that I didn't get to spend any time talking to your husband when we met, but I knew he had to be somewhere and I didn't want the kittens to spend any time in the car unattended.