The Birds and The Bees (Updated)
This is sweet. The other day, this little green finch showed up at our kitchen window, flapping its wings, trying to get inside.
The reason? Because inside, in its cage, was our European Green Finch singing his little heart out. Now, the one outside also appears to be a male, so I don't know why the attraction, but maybe I'm wrong about that. I haven't heard "him" sing. Now, he's returned for the third day in a row! We put Julio (our caged finch) outside to see if the love was real. And it appears to be twoo wuv...
Updated (the real reason for the original post title)...these bumble bees have made the bird house hanging outside our bedroom window a most inhospitable place for the birds, should they decide to marry, to set up housekeeping:
Labels: The Animals
That %#@& Puppy
Okay, okay. Something has to supersede the MJ post. Here we have the destruction caused by a single cute puppy with a death wish (and enough chew toys on the kitchen floor to trip 6 adults at once but apparently not enough to prevent this):
Kitchen chairs
Kitchen Aid Mixer ($300+)
Labels: The Animals
Herding Trials
Our herding champion...he's got one horse mastered, I think. I wish you could hear him talking to the horse in the last photo. ;-)
Labels: The Animals
What Is This?!
What in the world is this thing that the dog has dropped at my door?! It appears to have a foot, and maybe a beak. I'm telling you...6 months! I don't think Blue has but 6 months to live.
Labels: The Absurd, The Animals
Good Boy!
Every morning, he brings us the newspaper. Such a good boy...
Labels: The Animals
Housebroken Much?
When my husband left for church this morning, he told me to leave Blue in his kennel. Me, wanting him to feel loved and appreciated, let him out to enjoy a little freedom (albeit still corraled in the kitchen). Then I went to play with Julian and came back to find this...
I'm lucky that my purse was spared...everything else that was not nailed down and within reach found its way to the floor.
I got hold of this before the situation got any more out of hand...
I couldn't help but laugh. This dog is definitely NOT Smokey's reincarnation!
Now, I better go clean up the mess before the husband gets home. ;-)
Labels: The Animals
And The Rest of the Day?
The day's report would not be complete without a brief wrap-up, following
this morning's rude awakening:
A big tree blew down in the rough winds we had last night (the same tree that a tree trimmer recently offered to take down for us). Fortunately, it didn't take anything else down with it.
My husband got his work van stuck in the yard trying to leave for work this morning. He was turning around and had to back onto the grass, which was laden with water from last night's rains.
Rescued Blue, the 10 week old puppy, from a strange accident involving his leg and a wrought iron candle holder. Much squealing ensued and because this happened on the front porch and blocked the door, pushing the door open to get to him caused much more (and louder) squealing. Finally, we managed to wrestle his leg out of a wrought iron curly-cue and he laid down to lick his wounds (he was fine 5 minutes later, no limping or any sign of injury).
Rescued Blue from another strange accident, this time involving his nose and a kitchen baker's rack/bookshelf. He was chewing on the metal side rail and stuck the top portion of his nose under the next wire, only when he tried to extricate himself, he kept pulling downward and his nose wouldn't budge. Again, much squealing ensued (the highest pitch squeal I've ever heard).
Rescued Blue from yet another, this time potentially fatal, incident involving a broken bottle of Mike's Hard Limeade. I looked out the kitchen window to see him happily trotting up the sidewalk with roughly 1/3 of a broken bottle in his mouth. He laid down on the front stoop and began chewing on it.
It's now 11:00 pm and I've been to the kitchen three times to take additional puppy-proofing measures (so far, he's tried to break into the cabinet underneath the sink, to get to the Drano and other cleaning products; he's chewed through the box of so-called septic cleaning packages consisting of some kind of bacteria and who knows what...I've never been convinced that these things actually do anything in the septic system, but I'm sure it doesn't belong in a puppy' intestines; and he's unscrewed the nuts and bolts off of his kennel and was chewing on those.
Blue may live to see another day, but I'm not giving him a very good 6-month prognosis.*
And finally, there were 5 extremely large (roughly the size of my pinkie) cockroaches at a board meeting I attended this evening in a very posh country club. The group was discussing "no kill" policies in private animal shelters. We killed all 5 cockroaches. (An aside...the board I am on does not profess to be a "No Kill" shelter, in other words, some might call us a "Kill" shelter...and yet we euthanize a much smaller percentage of animals than many that do call themselves "No Kill"...this seems to be a political hot button lately and we take some heat for it...we only euthanize animals that are untreatable or unmanageable...the discussion was whether to join the bandwagon of "No Kill" philosophers in the name of "branding" or maintain our integrity and continue to educate the public on what is humane and what is really going on in the shelter...consider this your public service announcement).**
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My computer has become infected with one of those nasty pop-up viruses that offers me all kinds of sordid stuff and is slowing my machine down to a crawl. What happened to my firewall?!?! Blech.
* Do know that Blue has no less than 6 chew toys on the kitchen floor at all times. It will be a miracle if we don't trip on them and kill ourselves some night.
** See, if the rest of my life was going peachy, these things might have only been minor annoyances/cause for brief concern and life would have gone on, but when coupled with the
Pink Elephant hovering over my shoulder, they feel more like huge, festering boils. In other words, they become blog fodder.
Labels: The Animals
Nervous Breakdown Material
If there is a perfect time NOT to get a new puppy, one that requires potty training and all that, I think it might be at the same time as when your baby is just learning to crawl (and when that also coincides with your wife's busiest month of the year at work, let the buyer beware)! I begged, pleaded with my husband to please wait a month, until I am gainfully unemployed, and then maybe even wait until Julian is walking. I figure that at least gives Julian a fighting chance with the puppy, tiny sharp teeth, messes on the carpet, and all. Which brings up another sore subject with me. I thought we were preparing for a life at sea, not exactly the best housing arrangment for a dog. All that to say, he is kind of cute. And very sweet. And we have missed our two Aussies since they've been gone. And I can tell it was love at first sight for my husband and him. His name is Blue.
Labels: The Animals
All Good Dogs Go to Heaven, Right?
Smokey (April, 1994 - October 22, 2008)
Such a sad day yesterday. It was a decision we hoped we would never have to make, but it seemed that life was being prolonged beyond what was tolerable, if not for Smokey who was stoic to the end, certainly for us. It was so sad to watch him lose his dignity. He could no longer walk, see, or hear. But even to the end, he did his best to control his bowels until he just couldn't anymore. And then he lost his will to eat. He was always such a good boy. We did our best to make sure he knew that he was not a burden.
Smokey was much loved by everyone who met him, but nobody could have loved him more than his best friend, my husband. Smokey went everywhere with his best friend. To work. To church. To the East Coast. To the West Coast. And all points in between. He loved the ocean and chasing birds on the beach. He also loved playing in the snow.
We hoped one day that he might go sailing with us. But more than anything, he loved just being with his best friend. He watched over him while he worked and somehow, I always believed that if my husband was injured on the job, Smokey would have known to get help.
He died peacefully in my husband's lap, on the seat of the work truck where they spent many hours together, under the large oak trees in a beautiful pet cemetery. We will spread his ashes somewhere on the Pacific Ocean.
I can't believe he's gone. My husband has been through a lot in life, but this was absolutely the hardest thing he has ever had to do. A part of him died with Smokey yesterday.
Good-bye, my friend. You will be missed more than you could ever know. Thank you for giving us so many great years. You amazed us with your intelligence and your temperament, your unconditional love and undying loyalty. We will never know another dog like you and you taught us so much.
Rest in Peace, Smokey. We'll meet you and Cocoa at the Rainbow Bridge.
Labels: In Memorium, The Animals
On This and That
On the debates: do we really ever learn anything new about the candidates by watching them "debate" (debate is in quotes because it seems nobody ever really answers/debates the questions, choosing instead to talk from a script they have rehearsed beforehand regardless of the questions)?
On text messaging: when a client arranges a meeting with you and is sitting in your office discussing tax matters, then picks up his crackberry and asks you if he has spelled "squirrell" correctly, is it any of your business to whom or about what they are writing?
On redundancy: I love my new upright bagless self-propelled vacuum cleaner, but when I went to dump the contents of the cannister (which indicated my previous vacuum was alarmingly deficient in the job of sucking up dirt if the volume of dirt, lint, hair and birdseed now in the cannister was any indication at all), dirt and debris fell all over the kitchen floor, requiring that I reassemble the vacuum in order to suck up that which had already been sucked up once. And now, I imagine my stats will increase dramatically based on this paragraph alone.
On death and dying: the goldfish, the one that
almost died on April 15th, is dead. My daughter made me feel especially bad when she told me she bought it as a feeder fish when she was in the 5th grade (I took over care and feeding when she moved out last year). That would make the fish about 9 years old. She never had a name which surely proves that goldfish live longer when you don't name them. My husband, bless his soul, offered to cremate her...on the grill. I'm sure this would be acceptable in some parts of the world, but not in my house. We will conduct a proper memorial service and bury her in the back yard, in this heart shaped casket (it's about 8 inches wide for a little perspective):
Rest in PeaceAnd last (and least), on NASCAR: we're going to the races tomorrow. yippee.
Labels: Flora and fauna, In Memorium, NASCAR, The Absurd, The Animals
Jumping Into The Deep End, An Instruction Manual
Instructions for going off the Deep End, in 8 easy steps:
1) Invest your life savings in a boat (granted, it may not drop in value quite as fast as the stock market but it is not going to appreciate no matter how hard you try)
2) Quit your job at a time of impending economic doom (but then stick around much longer than you planned, feeling more like a prisoner than someone in command of her future)
3) Welcome your pregnant teenage daughter back into the home so that she might get her feet under her (instead of dangling from the moon, if you know what I mean)
4) Welcome new baby into the home while teenage daughter is still struggling to find her place in the world and not at all ready to be a parent (where is the maternity leave policy for grandparents anyway?), spend as much time as possible at the hospital with said baby tending to unknown ailments and trying out various medications for gas, reflux, and constipation (oh, and crying!).
5) Encourage teenage daughter to get a job, for her sanity and yours, even if that means a lot of babysitting
6) Volunteer on several boards that suck any remaining time out of your schedule
7) Care for several sick animals in the home, and then, when one of them dies...the final straw:
8) BRING HOME A PUPPY!!!!! *
* No, I did not bring home the puppy. That would be the teen mother who brought home the puppy, because you know, she felt bad for us losing Cocoa and what better way to soothe us than introduce yet another creature that requires much attention, love and nurturing. Arghhhhhhh! I'm afraid I lost my cool. As much love as may have been intended here, I'm afraid I yelled and screamed about never ever giving someone a pet as a surprise gift, and how this was the equivalent of handing over a baby to someone who isn't ready to take care of it. I was nasty and ugly and I feel badly about that, but eventually, the puppy (a beagle...a very cute little 8-week old beagle, but still...) went back to its original home. Whew. That was a close call.
Labels: Baby Spartacus, Insanity, The Animals
A Visit From Cocoa
Yesterday, we had a surprise visitor that brought a smile to our face. When I left the house to go to the office, I pulled out of the garage and looked across the yard. There was a dog that looked almost exactly like Cocoa, exact same size and color, only with a tail (she was a chocolate lab). And it was a girl. I did a double take and then called her over. I called my husband outside and he also thought it was Cocoa. She was young and playful, so happy to visit us, almost like she was sent by Cocoa to say "Look, I'm happy now!" She didn't have a collar on but we tried feeding her and she turned her nose up at our only offering of dry kibble. I think I've seen her down the road about a mile before, so hopefully she got home okay. She left our yard almost as suddenly as she appeared, but she made us both happy. Funny how those things happen. :-)
Cocoa?
Labels: The Animals
And Then There Was One
Yesterday marked the end of Cocoa's life. He was only 9 years old.
Cocoa was never the favorite, privileged one. He spent many years of his life as an Outside Dog, sleeping in the garage at night with several other dogs we owned at the time (who have all since been farmed out to good homes, except for Smokey, who
has always been the favorite, privileged one). Cocoa was a country bumpkin, not the smartest one in the bunch. We always said that if dogs wore clothes, Cocoa would wear Big Mac overalls, with the sides unbuttoned. Cocoa never went with us on road trips. Instead, while we took Smokey on trips to the East Coast and the West Coast and all points in between, Cocoa preferred to stay home to guard the fort. The car made him nervous. All he knew was the country life. Even the occasional outing to the vet was filled with quivers and heavy panting, as he faced a world he knew very little about. But he was a lovable dog, a good doctor to his brother and a good protector when he needed to be. Or at least he put on a good front. He never bit anyone, but he growled and barked if a stranger dared walk onto our property. But he liked the rural mail carrier. She always had dog treats for him. And Cocoa loved food. He was big for an Aussie, 100 pounds at one point. The doctor said he was the equivalent of a 400 pound man, but we preferred to think of him as big boned. Even on a restricted diet, he was still about 90 pounds. But they make Big Mac overalls in all sizes.
A couple years ago, when we were down to just two dogs, we cleaned him up and brought him into the house to become an Inside Dog. He quickly adapted to the spoiled life, sleeping on the bed and the couch, and making himself at home wherever he pleased. He tore up several doors and some drywall in the garage scratching to get back in if we inadvertently left him out for too long after that, making it clear that he definitely preferred this to his former life. And who can blame him?
The End happened so suddenly and yet, we somehow knew it was coming. We never really learned what was wrong with him, but he was in serious pain and struggling to hang on to life, curling up in the corners of the house, licking his stomach and legs constantly, straining to go to the bathroom but leaking urine and feces to the point where I had to put him outside all night, on what would become his last night alive...I feel so bad about that...if I'd only known, I would have made him a special place to spend his last night. Poor guy. When we took him to the vet again, for the third Friday in a row, they could only tell us (without running many more expensive tests to possibly confirm what we think we knew) that he was in a lot of pain and wasn't going to get better. I called my husband from work and asked him to talk to the doctor and make a decision about what to do. Ultimately, the decision was made to put him out of his misery rather than bring him home to an uncertain but painful future. My husband said that his eyes were gray instead of the nice golden brown you see in the picture. He had seemingly lost his will to live. It was a very tough decision, but in the end we hope it was the right one.
We'll spread his ashes on our property so he can continue to guard and protect us.
Rest in peace, Cocoa. We'll meet you at the
Rainbow Bridge.
Labels: In Memorium, The Animals
Is It Something in The Water?
Ever since Cocoa exhibited signs of blockage (he still does, but the vet can find nothing wrong on the x-rays or blood tests and we haven't yet committed to the expense of an endoscopy, to search for masses, and then biopsies, etc., because, frankly, we're not inclined to treat an older dog for cancer), he's also become crippled like his brother Smokey. Not as bad yet, but he is definitely limping and favoring his back legs. Aussies are known for their hip problems (not as bad as German Shepards though), but Cocoa hadn't exhibited any such discomfort until the baby came home and we accused him of nursing it for all it was worth. Now, I'm not so sure it's not something in the water. Because now? Well, now, the goldfish that "died" and returned to life on April 15th is struggling to stay afloat and even the stray mouse that we've seen scurrying about once in awhile, eating bird seeds off the floor (hey, we live in the country, these things are inevitable and we don't dare put out poison for fear the dogs will eat a poisoned mouse), is crippled. Last night, he was hobbling about near my feet. If he had scurried I would have screamed like a little girl and put my feet up, but as he hobbled about I felt bad for him. I even moved my foot closer to see if he would scurry, hoping he would not. Then I poked him with a stick. But no. He's either become a domesticated pet, or he is too uncomfortable to care. Poor guy.
Then, my husband woke up complaining of back pains this morning, suggesting we need a new mattress (ours is only a few years old).
So far, the horse and the two caged birds are the only ones not exhibiting signs of impending death. Well, okay, my husband is not yet, but still, back pains are never good.
Sheesh, as if taking care of an infant and in immature teenage mother who cry all the time is not enough. This is just a test, right?
Labels: The Animals
What Begging Looks Like
Notice how Cocoa, the younger stronger one, has managed to completely foil any chances Smokey may have had in the begging for scraps competition by laying on top of his crippled legs. Some would call this unsportsmanlike. Others would say it's just survival of the fittest. For the record, I did cave and give them each a bite of chicken out of my cobb pasta salad. I know, I know.
Bad mama! But look how cute they are. ;-)
Labels: The Animals
The Day In Pictures
Breakfast of Champions (PB & Banana & Honey on Tortilla, Blueberries & Yogurt, and Coffee...served in a sheep mug...all I can imagine is that these mugs were free with the purchase of several skeins of yarn because who would BUY these for their boat...I would have thrown them away with the stunt kite, but my replacement mugs are at home)
Morning Traffic
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Beethoven, the Beluga Whale
Puffin
ET, the Walrus (3300 lbs - the size of a small submarine!)
Basilla, ET's girlfriend
It sucks to be a Muskox in the summer
Drive Through Point Defiance Park
Pullout Along 5-Mile Drive (Point Defiance Park)Labels: Sailing, The Animals
Panda Kindergarten
My step mother sent me this today...too cute!
SICHUAN , China -- One zoo in southwest China has its hands full with 16 baby pandas. The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom where 16 pandas have been born. The brood includes five sets of twins. The cubs are weighed and measured every five days (see pics). The heaviest tips the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighs about 11 pounds. The pandas are due to stop suckling soon - just about the time they'll start learning to walk. Once weaned, the panda cubs will attend panda kindergarten. In the m ea ntime, more little ones are expected at the centre since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated.
Click to enlarge the photos.
Labels: The Animals
A Great Day!
It's been awhile since I've enjoyed such a nice day. Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day (79 degrees, sunny, light breeze). While the morning started out with a lot of teen angst drama, it turned into a very lovely day for me and the younger daughter (I've concluded that it is best to spend time with them one on one...man-to-man defense if you will). The father figure left town last Thursday (to Seattle, to meet once again with the engine surveyor) leaving the three of us to our own devices. While killing each other was an option, the younger one and I quickly agreed that it was a perfect day for the zoo (and this drove the older one to seek out her friends instead...she had no interest whatsoever in walking about Australia and Africa). We hadn't been to the zoo in years, but it seemed like a good idea.
How many storks does it take to make a baby?
Can you smell me now?
According to my daughter, kangaroos always appear to be stoned. I asked her why? She said, "because they're always eating, their eyes are all squinty...and...well, just look at them!"
Huh? Wha?
Duuude...
Hey man, I can't get up...can you pass me that joint?(And no, he's not dead...I stuck around long enough to watch him scratch his belly)
After the zoo, we went to the Plaza for an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory...salads for dinner, saving room for a slice of key lime cheesecake (the fact that we both heartily agreed as to the choice of cheesecake was a miracle in itself). Even with the salads, we had leftovers. If you've ever ordered the cobb salad, you'll know that it is roughly the size of a volcano. Then, to Barnes and Noble for some book perusal and a few books. Then to the movies. We went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian...highly recommended (the best movie I've seen since No Country for Old Men)!
All in all, I count the day a success in the teen relations department and it was a nice relaxing way to spend the day.
Labels: Family and friends, The Animals
More With the Dog Poo
Oops, he's got it again! Smokey has once again come down with a case of the stinkiest, runniest poo EVER (nearly exploding out with every breath he takes)! I won't pretend to know now what it's like to work in a nursing home, but I'm thinking it may be similarly unrewarding work, at best. Fortunately, this time, we caught the problem before it hit the carpet and we have managed to confine Smokey to the great outdoors (thankfully, the weather has been pleasant) and the tile floors. We went to the vet again yesterday and they ran more tests to see if his liver has anything to do with this. And while it's not the cause of the immediate (bacterial) infection, it does appear that he has some sort of systemic infection going on that is weakening his system (possibly a condition known as "hepatic lipidosis" which can also cause muscle wasting, so that may also be the underlying cause of his weakened hind quarters). He also has lots of "gunk" (the doctor's term) in his gall bladder. All told, he is now taking 6 assorted medicines and supplements. What is interesting to me about this is that his brother, Cocoa, diagnosed the systemic infection/condition several months ago and the doctors are only now getting around to addressing it. Cocoa is our house doctor. His constant sniffing of the small cyst that has been on Smokey's eyelid for a couple years recently expanded to sniffing of Smokey's entire abdomen area. We've heard of dogs diagnosing cancer in humans, so I've no doubt that Cocoa is capable of diagnosing his canine siblings.
We're hopeful that the recent round of meds will quickly bring the immediate problem of exploding diarrhea under control as well as clean out the excess gunk in his system. Poor boy. He's very embarrassed about all the problems he's causing.
Labels: The Animals
An Update of Sorts, All Sorts
I am finally coming down from the "high" of April 15
th and got a full night's sleep last night. Yesterday was a day of clean-up. I'm hoping today will be a day of recovery. And bill paying. And new glasses. And other errands, like car tag renewal (
yipee, I'll be sure to post about that), that fell to the bottom of the list of priorities for the last few weeks.
The good news is:
The Bug is not dead yet...$7,000 of damage (yipes! I hit the only mailbox in the neighborhood mounted on a freakin' telephone pole, it seems), but at least it's not totaled. I'm relieved about that because I love the car and really didn't want to lose it. It was sad watching them haul it up onto the tow truck bed. My husband, bless his heart, came out to help me clean up the body (and engine) parts strewn all over the neighbor's lawn.
The Goldfish did not die. I've gone to the pet store to get supplies to change out the tank, thinking that a good cleaning is probably in order. Of course, if he survived whatever it was the other night, I'm sure to kill him by cleaning his tank. I'll be sure to preserve some of the dirty water, to mix in with the new, just in case.
The dogs did not die. Cocoa's explosive diarrhea is under control and so is Smokey's. The carpet is still pungent though. I'm calling the carpet cleaner today. But Smokey is back at the vet for an ultrasound of his liver. One of the issues noted the other day when he was in was that his liver is enlarged on one side. We're pretty sure it's not going to be good news, but we're preparing ourselves for that possibility.
And I think, for all the doubts I've had about giving up what some might think is a "good" career, God made his intentions pretty clear with the events of this tax season. I no longer have any doubts that I'm doing the right thing by leaving. I finally hit my breaking point. I still don't know what I will do when I grow up, but I feel good about my decision to leave. That's comforting.
Labels: An Accountant's Life, The Animals
