About Me

My photo
Greetings and Welcome to http://www.crittersgaloreandsomuchmore.blogspot.com/ and also http://www.gardeneroflight.blogspot.com/ From these spaces I want to share my love of animals and Nature and Life in general. So here you will find stories, information, reminiscences, an occasional bit of advice and a recipe or two. Please check them both out!!!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Disturbing Ronan's Nap.


   I've never been able to figure out how cats sleep in some of the positions that they do! This being one of them. I was starting to sort through some of my vintage hats when I looked over and saw Ronan stretched out over the cat blankets... sleeping peacefully and accompanied by his usual snoring.


   He didn't seem at all pleased with me taking photos of him.... once he woke up enough to know that's what I was doing.  Maybe it was my muffled laughter that gave me away!


    Only got a few dirty looks before he got up, shook himself off a bit and headed for the bedroom door. What a grumpy attitude! chuckle

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Chillin' in front of the air conditioner.


   Well, the rain has forsaken us again! Its HOT and HUMID! Blossom and Jacob try so hard everyday to convince me that they just HAVE to go lay on my bed in front of the little air conditioner. And you know what? They know a good thing when they feel it!! hahaha 
   I try to join them whenever possible.


   Jake is a real bed hog! He takes up so much space! And he likes to burrow in the pillows like a baby squirrel.


   Blossom has much better manners! She usually takes a corner and stays there. Unless, of course, Jake is trying to annoy her.... which he does.... A LOT!
   Oh well, its a great way to spend time on a hot afternoon. Whether they're playing or napping, its just a joy to be together!    Remember, always take the time to be with your furbabies... you'll never regret it!

Monday, August 11, 2014

FINALLY! Some rain!


    Well, I've been wanting rain. Have been needing rain! Plants are dying out there! Yesterday it clouded up and spit a tiny bit on my yard.... and that was it. Today its as if the heavens opened up!!! We have a lot of run off, and a lot of spots washed out, but I'm pretty certain that quite a bit soaked into the ground too. I am SO THANKFUL for this!   
   Jacob however, is not nearly as appreciative of all of this. Mainly because it comes with a lot of thunder, lightning and high winds. He gets soooooo afraid! But remember, he has a good reason to be this way.  When he was small and still lived over at that horrible place down the street, he and the others had to live outside.  Then came the day that a Tropical storm came through... and most of the dogs were STILL outside. Jake was one of them! How do I know this? Because whenever the rain would let up a little I could hear several of the dogs screaming in fear. Some sounded awfully young!  Their cries really burned into my brain.... it was so heartrending to listen to them.       Anyway, not long after Jacob came to live with us, there were a couple of instances where he became so terrified that he would start crying and screaming... and YES, I recognized that as one of the ones from the storm.    Thankfully he doesn't do that anymore!! chuckle   Now he just tries to either hide under my legs or get me to let him into my bed. If Blossom and I are there with him... then all the better.  
   Today was one of those days... I was doing some preliminary sketches and the dogs were doing what they do the best.... cuddling up and sleeping. And trying to ignore Coco Kitteh. She wanted them to play! And they were not in the mood for that! hahaha


   Blossom has one certain corner of the mattress that she has staked out as her own. And she likes it all to herself!

Friday, July 11, 2014

Lennox July 11th, 2012

   So much happening in our lives right now, but I can't let this day go by without reminding everyone what a horror that BSL is! Two years have come and gone since the murder of Lennox in Belfast. And while some cities have repealed their ban.... so many others have not. We can't give up the fight... ever!

Monday, June 30, 2014

The Cat Days of Summer are here!

Buckshot Charlie the Broom cat thinks that it is just too damn hot!

Sibyl is sort of glad that she has some fur missing! A little bit cooler that way.


 Purty Thang is simply NOT HAPPY about the heat. It makes her cranky!!!

Mr. Maynard B. Mouth is shocked when we tell him that the "feels like" temperature is 103 degrees F this afternoon!


And another photo of Maynard just because he is so darned handsome!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

REST IN PEACE

    Well, I've put this off long enough. Still don't want to do it... but I should. Maybe in the long run it will help me with the grieving process.  I had posted quite a while ago that Rory had a mass deep in her throat. Her condition went downward pretty fast at the end. I had to make the decision to have her put to sleep on the 21st of March, 2014.  No more pain for my old girl!  (I had rushed my mother to the hospital the day before. Talk about emotional stress!) Anyway, I dug a grave out in the corner lot near the sycamore tree. That's where she used to LOVE to RUN! That gorgeous coat of hers glistening in the sunlight. And when my granddaughter was really little, she used to watch Rory and yell out "Run Ro Ro, Run!"  I think I want to have that put on a marker for her grave. So many good times, running and playing over there.


   You know I usually try to put a positive spin on things, so since I had a bunch of Rory's fur that I'd had to cut off.... I decided to put it out into the vines and bushes where the birds could gather it to weave into their nests. I'm happy to report that many a nestling around here was cushioned by that beautiful Rory fur! The first bird to come and get some.. almost immediately after I put it out.. was a wren. That in itself has special meaning to me. It did my heart good!

   For a while anyway. Then I got it torn out again. And really mangled badly.
   I knew Ahulee was having more problems with his arthritis, but I thought that was all it was. And he had turned 13 years of age in March, so he wasn't a young fellow anymore! Plus I was still reeling from the loss of Rory, along with caring for my mother. I was distracted and busy.... hopefully I've learned my lesson. MAKE plenty of time for hugs and attention!! No matter what.
    I took Ahulee into his doctor so we could explore ways to make him more comfortable with the arthritis. She saw some things that I had overlooked and so they did blood tests. Those were all over the board! So the next step was x-rays. The tech asked me to come into the room while he was still resting on the table. The x-ray showed this "thing" growing in his liver. It had enlarged and was pressing and squeezing the other organs out of position. It was huge. Also we could see just how bad his arthritis was... the whole lower part of his spine looked like it was fused together. He was in so much pain! And he had never complained. He had just kept going.
    I wanted to take him home for a day or two. I know it was selfish, but I didn't get that chance with Rory. So armed with some painkillers we proceeded home. Spent a lot of time just hanging out. The younger dogs and the cats all seemed to know that this was the last time we'd be together as a family  (in this physical world anyway). No squabbles, no fights! No hissing about things! Everyone was really being their very best little Self. Amazing.
    April 16th, 2014: Got up early and dug his grave right beside Rory's. Followed our usual  morning routine and then anointed his chakras and paws with beautiful perfumed and essential oils. At the vet's office, she had a candle lit. That's something that I really like about her. That candle is always there to light their way Home. It all went very smoothly, he was so ready to drop the body and travel free. 
    While I was filling in the grave, the osprey came and landed on the old dead pine tree across the street and watched..... just like it had done when I buried Rory. It felt like the sadness was crushing my heart and lungs, but the sense of Peace was an astounding thing. A soft breeze wrapped itself around me as I labored with the shovel... and I found the strength to continue my task and see it through to its completion.
    A pack of dogs sat and laid in the shade of that sycamore as I worked. A couple of cats watched from the tree branches. They had come to bring me comfort... and I could feel that. But it was really hard to accept that gift from them. Then I caught a glimpse of Jesse. Letting me know that his brother was safe and sound. It was a wonderful moment...... but my heart was breaking... and it still is. 
    My Medicine Dog is gone.
   

Allergies Have Struck!


   Poor Jake! Check out the skin on his neck. He always has an allergy to something, but this time he is just one big hot mess! I think its a combination of things. Grief, worry, food allergies (?), nerves (lots of thunderstorms) and, of course, these damn fleas! I really need to save up some money and have him tested so we can specify this allergy thing! (Kind of like all the other things I need money for around here! hahaha) And Blossom is itching and chewing too.


   With Sybil I'm hoping its JUST the fleas! She is in the upper left hand corner of this photo. My grandson now calls her "naked cat". How undignified!! Both sides of the back of her torso are hairless. There is a strip of fur on her back and her tail is just beautiful! From there on down..... NOTHING!
   What a time we are having around here.   Oh, and lest I forget, the hens have mites too. Sheesh!
   On a positive note I've found some posts on natural insect repellents and the like at one of the chicken raising blogs I follow. Am going to give them a try and see what happens.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Wasn't expecting THIS...... !!!

 
 
  Hermione the hen insisted on going back to the shed to lay an egg early this afternoon. So I opened the gate and off she went! After a couple of hours I decided to go check on her progressImagine my surprise when I found Sibyl sleeping in the nest box! (Yes, I use old pet carriers for this purpose. They are really easy to clean and disinfect.)
 
 

    Imagine my further surprise when I felt around under the cat and found this miniature egg! hahaha  I wonder what Sibyl thought of the little lump in her "bed"?  Perhaps she was trying to hatch a kitten? chuckle


Monday, February 17, 2014

Dog Attack!


    When I came back from my walk late Saturday afternoon, I found a chunk of fat and skin with Orpington feathers attached!!! Lots of other feathers spread all around the yard. I ran to the shed and found all four girls up on the roost.... but Hester was kind of crunched up toward the back. Poor Hester!!! And I had to wait till morning to get a good look at her.  (When I get a hen house built its going to have electric!!!)
     Anyway, in the morning she was alive but had no intention of coming out of the shed! I finally got to examine her and see the extent of the injury. A big gaping hole in her side near and in back of the wing. It was a dog bite!! Seems one of the neighbor's dog came over and went after the girls! I guess Hester either stood her ground or got trapped. Shes used to getting her own way, so I can just imagine her thinking that she could scare off this dog like she does the four she lives with. Sadly that wasn't the case.
     I have put her in semi-isolation in a dog crate inside the chicken pen. I let her out for supervised strolls, then back in she goes.


   The others don't know what to think! They stay close to Hester in her cage for most of the day. The first day they barely left her side. Only when I went out and sat with her would they wander off on their regular bug-patrol routes.
   I realize now how totally unprepared I am for any chicken emergency!!! I'll  have to remedy that in the very near future.  In the meantime, I've cleaned the wound with hydrogen peroxide ( she HATED that) and smothered it with Neosporin w/painkiller ointment.  She isn't fond of that either but she settles down and lets me hold her till it "melts" into that gaping hole! If she can avoid infection then there is a chance it will heal up and she can continue to be the main Diva around here!!!  Please send healing and prayers her way.


  (Jacob knew something was wrong and he tried his best to stay close too. The girls were unimpressed by his devotion. And Hester was just plain put-out by it.  She really isn't fond of any canine right about now! Can't fault her for that!)
  

Friday, January 10, 2014

What a Day! by Jacob


   "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! What a time we've had around here! I'm on the mend, but sometimes I still cry out in pain. That worries Mama. She says my bones and muscles didn't get a chance to grow properly because of poor nutrition and neglect. Boy, does she ever get mad about that!!!  But now she has to worry about Aunt Rory....... we all are.
    You see, Mama came home from work yesterday to find Rory's face and upper neck swollen up REALLY BAD! She called our doctor's office but there was a substitute vet there. (Mama doesn't have a very high opinion about this guy. I won't repeat what she said about his lack of skills.... I'm not supposed to use language like that!) She had to go anyway. Boy, was she ever upset! So out the door they went and before they got to the car Mama tripped and fell. Maynard the cat told me that the full body roll she did was really impressive!! Said it was as good as any cat could have done. Wow! I didn't know Mama had it in her! Good thing she did. Maynard says she got right up and got Rory into the car and off they went!

   
    The doctor's first guess was snake bite, then maybe something else. They did blood work and she had to stay there a few hours. Poor Rory. But the people in the back are really, really nice! I stayed there a long time when I was young!  By the time Mama went to get Rory, they thought it was a tooth abscess. And she had to get two prescriptions. 
   This morning they went back to see our real doctor and she was able to feel a big mass in Rory's neck. So Doc has given Rory another prescription to take and that nasty swelling of her face and jaw needs to go down more. It looked a LOT better this morning than it did! A WHOLE LOT better!    She still looks kinda' funny, but please don't tell her I said that. She is really sweet and we all love her so much.... I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings."