Brief Glimpse

Something about a teensy little bottlefeeder kitty gives the busy-ness of the world a touch of insignificance, especially at this time of the year.

The little critter is trusting that this strange being (to her anyway) is providing the nourishment she needs. When was the last time I ever did that? Hard to say!

The kitten is relying upon another soul to give her the physical support and safety essential to keep her sustained.

This is one of my favorite kitten types - she's striped on the topside and dotted on the underside. Because she was SO full and SO wiggly after eating I call her Squiggy.

PG-13

Santa was holed up at our house for a long time. He came out of the closet this week to spend time building up strength to face the "Night of the Great Challenge". You've read, haven't you, that the fastest a reindeer can travel is about 32 MPH? You do the math about how long it'll take to get to everyone's domain.

So,taking his position on the hearth, near a trusty replica of abovementioned deer, Santa Claus was ruthlessly attacked today. It was the Beagle. I caught her red-coat and fur-trimmed covered, gnawing away at his hand. So much for not biting the hand that feeds you.

If you read yesterday's post you know I pet sit. If you didn't read it, well, now you know but you didn't laugh at the rest of that entry. My own dogs' behaviors leave me questioning my abilities. It's like kids though, I rationalize. Everyone else's seem to be no trouble at all.

I was in the house with this villan when the malicious crime took place. There I was, in the kitchen, making cold pea salad. You know the one: peas, cheese, and mayo. It was deathly quiet, no clatter at all, in the living room. The poor, stalwart fella had no chance. He'd been cornered. I stepped in to see what was the matter. It was already over.

I removed the bodily remains, grimly and silently. OK, that's just for drama. I uttered a sharp and disappointing "OH!"


Trashy Santa now is ready for his next stop, the outside cans. Before the week is out he'll be transported, swept away by unknowing workers, never to see his elves, his workshop, or, sigh, Mrs. Claus, again.




It seems as if it was only yesterday I was taking the Santa's helper hat I had set out away from this same dog. Ah, it was yesterday.

Well, I managed to re-attach that pom-pon so the hat is still a fashion statement. And, I kept the hood from dead Santa to stitch up and make a larger Donation Dog pocket for dog vests when we go a-collecting and a-caroling for APL. Tis the season.










All's well that ends well.
Guinnie is satisfied with a nylabone wishbone. I am hoping tomorrow is a slow news day.

One Full Moon, Eight Dogs, and a Strange Cat

4 a.m. is not a great time to get up. Especially true if there's no sound reason to do so, it tends to make one need more make-up and feel hungry at odd hours. I wish we had a turkey to put in the oven and roast.

Nonetheless, here I am. OK, it's 5 a.m. but I have been awake for an hour, composing this in my mind.

There's a full moon and the dogs know it. All 8 of them (ours plus 3 visitors) and their additional personalities. We know there's a good dog/bad dog for each of them. Who else shows up on these full moon nights? I'll tell you. One new strange, stray, long-haired black cat. Lovely. Just what we need - another reason to be territorial.

And, we all know dogs will go back to sleep instantly, as soon as they get what they want, usually kibble, out, and a little attention. Then they lick themselves inappropriately, drop over on your personal space, and start with what gets us every time, "Oh, look how cute! He's dreaming." or "Aren't her little dream whimpers sweet?" Uh-huh.

But I'm up. I did mention that, didn't I? Short of making coffee or taking a dog for a drive to an all-night store to get the abovementioned turkey, there isn't much else to do other than write in the blog. (Sorry, don't take it personally.)

Actually when you read this you should count your blessings that we haven't crossed paths in some other way. If I go out somewhere today I know at least I, and probably others, will write notes to me and pin them to my shirt so that when I get home I can read them aloud to the four-legged culprits. They all start something like this:
Your person was not in the best of form today. Perhaps a nap, providing a little more sleep, would be beneficial. She seems a bit disturbed and grumpy.

Do yourself a favor. If you see a crazed female who needs a makeover, trolling the grocery store as if she has the blind nibblies, and perhaps even talking to herself and wearing her tee shirt inside out, give plenty of room when nearby.

Beware, one full moon, eight dogs, and a strange cat can play with your mind.

Harmony's Way to Happiness

Pretty "zen" sounding if I do say so myself. The pooch is outside bringing the big stick to the door as a gift, perhaps a peace offering of some sort, or pre-payment for some mischievous deed she'll perform later in the day.

















There are times when she lives up to her full name - Harmony Victoria. She delights us with occasional sweetness shown to her playmates; certainly when she is serving as "Donation Dog" for APL she fools everyone into thinking she's a stellar ambassador, always on her best behavior. The Victoria is because she is part pit bulldog and is my own nose-thumbing gesture towards vicious Michael Vick, whose own experience with the law took place around the time Harmony arrived at our home.





But today, her name takes on new applications! The State of Illinois has a victory in the governmental systems and a new governor because the systems worked. No doubt there is cheering up and down and across the State. Once again there will be an opportunity for harmonious living and working.


And, that's nothing to shake a stick at.

Snowy Day

SNOWY DAY is the title of a children's book - by Ezra somebody...award winner. The title is the only thing the book and the blog post have in common!

But I have stayed inside most of the day, sorting items for the March APL Upscale Sale. It's best to get an early start or I'll miss the event altogether. Sorting includes going through the end of the photo boxes my mother had stored, bless her heart. Where did she keep all this STUFF?

Needless to say, amidst the tossing of her 8th grade spelling bee award, her English themes from high school, the sample of my dad's baby hair, their honeymoon pictures and post cards, I have been down memory lane.

It occurs to me that my parents really are gone. I can't ask any questions again about who is who or where something was taken or what is the story behind this or that thing. Hmmm. It's been a month since my mom died and what is said about losing someone is true - after everything settles down the loss becomes real for those left behind. Ed and I still think we should figure out who is going to visit her on what days!

Just the same it is fun to go through these items one last time. As I sort I am tossing and selecting those which need to be sent to relatives. I thought I'd sent all I had once but alas, such is not the case. So there's a second mailing to go out someday soon. I take a break now and then to pick STUFF that can go into the sale. Some of the old frames, a plate picked up while on vacation. The curling iron that was heated on the gas stove stays. So does the key to the old house. So do some treasured photos. So do the echoing laughs and other memories.




At my grandmother's 80th birthday party - just about the whole family on my dad's side was there. I was almost 8 or 9 I think.




My favorite cousins on my mom's side were these two guys who clearly had some mixed ideas about what we were playing...was it Cowboys and Indians and one thought Cowboys meant football Cowboys? Who knows. I just went along with it...not so much anymore though!

You DO meet the nicest people.

Zeke and I went to the nursing home. He was soooo good. Then we drove all the way back and across the city to a big box pet store to get him some canned food and a large box of large treats for everyone to share. He met lots of people and maybe his future owners. They were the nicest people and seem very interested in him as a buddy for Moses, their dog. I think they would have taken him right then and there. We'll see. He's darned good. I really had thought he could move to the White House. Hello Barack? It's about a dog for the girls...On the other hand, he's made friends with all the dogs here and Ed hasn't met him yet. To the people who met Zeke and Mr. President - just try and get this dog!

Speaking of the nicest people, a real surprise occurred yesterday when I took the greens orders for the library staff over to them, from APL. Since I was out at the shelter I offered to pick up and drop off the wreaths and door swags. Well, blow me away. I got inside the library office and the director presented me with a book, SAVED. It's about rescued animals, and their rescued people. I was taken aback. It was from the Library's Friends board, of which I'd been president and/or secretary for a number of years. This was totally unexpected. And, they selected something that focuses on my other passion - taking care of living creatures who've not had it too good so far.

Well, home with the crew last night I managed to cry my way through some 50 pages. It took a long time because the print is pretty blurry thru tears.

It's an amazing book. The group is amazingly thoughtful. I am amazingly fortunate.

And, we really shouldn't have anymore dogs. We help those who are homeless and then that opens a space for someone else who needs it. Yes, we did have 6 dogs. Yes, we will lose Precious soon. Yes, the dogs we have adopted are the "hard to place" ones so that complicates matters.

I keep telling myself those things.

Unbroken Circle

We know Scout is running free, bursting through clouds and chasing bunnies. She'd approve of us taking in this little girl. The shelter calls her Stardust but to us she is Tater Tot because she's a Spuds Mackenzie (or General Patton) dog. At about 5 weeks she's already had her near-death experience and is making a remarkable recovery. She loves her medication which is a good thing as she takes it twice a day. Playing with the other critters is rare and supervised. There's lots of sleeping to do. She's loving the outdoors, follows me around till she needs a break, and now has her first collar on, with a leash being added later today when we visit the vet. She is hard to resist and even harder to put down. But we have to so she gets her strength developed!

CATS CATS and more CATS - You see 'em here first!

There are cats at APL.
They need homes.
http://www.apl-shelter.org

Here are some which will soon appear on the web site but don't wait.
Go see who is there already and waiting for a home.

Here She Is - Brighton, the Foster Pup

Well, isn't she just a doll? We think she is only 7 weeks old. Yes, she does sleep through the night - at least the first night. We put the old dogs in with her to keep her company! There is a squeal that she lets loose when she's wanting attention. Pretty good about going outside for all the right reasons too.

She was dumped.
Left in the country near a storm drain.
We have had record rains.
People who live nearby heard her exercising her lungs after their own dogs notified them that "something is out there".

She's with us for probably 15-20 days and then I hope she gets a great home.

School Has Started

Our team of volunteers went back to school today to begin the SIT STAY READ program. Each of us takes a dog or puppy from the shelter. Once there we spend an hour having 4th graders read to us. We change readers every 12 minutes.

And, we love it.

The students get to interact with a critter. They work on reading skills; the dogs never critter-cize them! The dogs get some socialization.

Our school has many students who have unfortunate home settings. This is one chance for them to have two breathing souls focus only on them.

I mean in a positive way.

One of my readers today is in a foster home because her biological mother beat the crap out of her. She came to school this year and told her teacher, "This year I'm going to be normal."

Let's hope so.

PARVO

This was my day to have THREE puppies at the dog adoption. I knew they would never last the entire three hours; young pups never do.

Little did I suspect that one would not feel good.

One fella began feeling puny soon after he arrived. He was warm. He was shivering and laying up against the puppy playpen. I picked him up and kept him close to me noting how hot he was growing and that his nose was drying.

Fortunately we were at a place where there was a vet. Oliver went inside to have his temperature taken and it was high.

He, his adopted sister, and I headed back to the shelter during the first hour. While we were gone his other brother was adopted.

But, Oliver has parvo. So now the brother and sister have to be watched closely. If they have it they will be back at the shelter for treatments.

Thank goodness we caught it and can treat him; he WILL make it through and be well.

We've seen so much parvo at the shelter that tomorrow and in Oct and Nov we are holding clinics just to inoculate against it.

Dog owners - Get your dogs examined and be sure they are up to date on their shots. Parvo is indiscriminate. It is a vicious killer. www.workingdogs.com/parvofaq.htm

"Parvo-virus is the number one killer of small puppies. The signs are listlessness, blood in the stool and then the next day bloody stool that looks like someone emptied a bottle of ketchup in the run. By then, it's too late."

Parvovirus is highly contagious, though not to humans. If you have other dogs, separate them from the dog which has parvo.

It gets in their toys, their food, and even on the ground.

Parvovirus is the most contagious killer dog virus in history and the virus can last in and around your house for 6-10 months.

IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR PUP OR DOG HAS PARVO GO RIGH TO THE VET. DO NOT BUY INTO OTHER REMEDIES. IT WILL COST YOU MONEY BUT THE VET CAN TREAT YOUR PET.

Tonight I am grateful I saw what was happening with Oliver, within an hour of his arrival from his foster home AND that we have such a wonderful shelter we can offer special pricing on treatments and can educate pet owners.

Someone's In The Kitchen With Kate

This has not been the smartest ten day span of my life but it is one of the busiest. Some of our foster dogs have come home to roost while families travel. We had one from Friday a.m. till sometime later today. Up until 8:30 today she was fine. Then she weaseled her way under the back deck, which, BTW, is closed in by lattice. I could not find her secret opening and I could not get her out until I pried off some lattice and dug a ditch for her to get out. She's fine. A little dirtier but fine.

The other two, yes, two, arrived at 6:30 this morning and are staying through Friday afternoon. They're puppies, let's see, 5 months old. One of course is the alpha dog so she will butt heads with our alpha, 14 month old Harmony. God willing, they won't meet. The other has the same shrilling whine as Harmony.

What have I done?

I thought Ed would be doing projects this week so pretty much gone and then tired when at home. But he overdid the work earlier this summer and has been told to take it easy for 10 days, 5 of which remain. He's out riding around looking for errands to run now. I suspect he may go to church and try to do something there, or just pray for my soul!

Actually it is quiet. We have doors and baby gates and a selection of crates. If these critters know what is good for them they will stay quiet and settled down in their respective spaces.

Since I'm home with them all today I decided to bake, early. Have done peach muffins and now I'm finishing the chocolate chip cookies. It may be 90 degrees outside but it's 375 degrees in the kitchen and that's where I am. Guess that tells you something.

No disrespect intended

If you've caught up with other postings you know MomEva is in the nursing home. I really do not mean any disrespect by this but there are some pretty weird and funny things going on regarding her stay there.

First of all, she is copying my dad. Well, probably she is copying every old person who ends up in such a place (and this is a good one). But she has chosen to use his words, declaring today, as he often did, that I could take her home and take care of her. ARGH. Not likely. I could not pick her up, move her around, get her fed. Let's skip the personal stuff.

Next, she has decided her top teeth do not fit anymore. Yesterday she was claiming they were not hers so, of course, the staff was panicky and at the same time hopeful that they were/were not missing. The ones she had in her mouth when I arrived today LOOKED like George Washington's choppers. Upon further inspection, facilitated by her dismissing them from her mouth, I could determine they are indeed, hers. These now reside on the nightstand, perhaps as a warning to anyone who dare cross her - she'll knock their teeth out.

Then came the coercing to go to therapy. God help us, she only has a few days left of getting up and walking with all the assistance. Then it is straight chair time. The kind-hearted therapist sent for her today (I know in her pocket there was a 'short straw') generously offered to let her take a nap upon completion of her exercises. If looks could kill, this poor girl would be on a slab and this posting would be entered by yet another corpse for we both we're given the evil, slaying eye.

All this now being exposed I have to add that historically July 9th has been a good day for me. It started in high school when I had my first date. Miniature golf during the day, if you are asking. I made it my day. Years later I learned it was my never-known-outside-photos grandfather's birthday. aHA. Further justification of it being a good day. So I sought out something remarkably good each July 9th. This year I am still waiting and looking for that. Besides my adventures with Eva I drove thru a yellow turn light on a red straight ahead light make sense?), albeit, successfully. As if that was not enough while behind the wheel I killed a cat charging across the country road.

There are those I know who would tell me to stop while I am ahead and to look no further. However, I felt very rotten about the cat, particularly since my front passenger seat hosted a stack of deliverable Adoption Alerts from APL. Should I have left one at the scene of my crime? This humor is too dark for you? Go ahead, make my day.

Before I came to my own blog I stopped by Shawn's (see doodlegirl link) and then went on to her sister's. It is such fun to tour the country daily, going to visit them and then linking into some of the other people they know. They really know these other people so I am a blog-stalker!

Updates: I never found my Tilley, even after getting a new one. Did the dog eat it? I will be writing a letter to Memorial Medical Center's higher-ups regarding my mother's lost lower dentures "the unresolved situation". I had to throw that in as it gives closure to this entry.

ta-DAH

Gratitude Day

How blessed are you? No doubt you have some amazing friends. Be astonished at what they accomplish! It's not the stuff they have or you have. It's not the places any of you have visited. It's what resides in your heart and inspires you and your friends that keep you together, keep you appreciative.
There is much to question these days but stability should be recognized also. We are called upon to combine trips so we spend less on fuel. Going "Green" is getting its long overdue recognition. I'm not talking about extremes but simple, logical and practical measures. Good grief, this is where we live and we should take care of it. I digress.
Today, be grateful for your friends. Need inspiration about how to discover their wonders? Read on.
I've linked up with a previous business acquaintance, thanks to Animal Protective League. We've only done a couple of things that are related and really not worked together. However, in emailing, she has revealed to me a ministry she has created.
Boldly she states she is a Christian first and an animal-lover second. She declares she cares deeply about where people spend eternity. WOW. Now, here it comes - she is not very good talking to people about it. Who among us agrees so far? (me, for sure).
God has given her the grace she needs to bring it all together. She and volunteers are taking pets/animals to lost and lonely people for visits. During the time together they talk about God creating and caring for all critters. The benefits run deep. The animals have an outing that helps socialize them and keep them happy, the visited person has company, gets to cuddle a critter, hears the message, and the volunteer is blessed beyond belief.
You just never know what your friends are up to...and I mean that in terms of what they are doing and what they are capable of doing.
Go find out.

Random Points of Light

My friend Anne has a link on the right here. Go vote for the Easter egg(s) of your choice. What a hoot. She's a true inspiration. I think that at our house I will let the dogs have a contest, most creative "leave behind" in the yard. Obviously I've been spending too much time outside, WAITING for CONTRIBUTIONS. It does give one time to think about stuff.

Whiplash, topically, that is. We had a great sermon @ church again. Don't know about any of you but without worship the week just ain't done.

All right, it's movie recommendation time. This one will be tough to hunt down but do it. "After the Wedding". It's in Danish, and a few other languages, but it is beautifully filmed and the complexities of the plot actually are presented in a straightforward manner. If anyone likes the new James Bond actor one main character in this is cut from the same mold. The 40 something woman is gorgeous. I digress. The story, which is the reason for the film, is strikingly moving, touches your heart and eats at your soul as well as your conscience. The cinematic contribution is extraordinary in places, very intimate at times. It's a long film so make plenty of popcorn.

We had one of our foster dogs for spring break, while her family vacationed. Everyone welcomed her back gleefully. Never think dogs don't remember. It's just selective. She was picked up and taken home this afternoon so now no one is eating. They are bummed.

Speaking of dogs, we've had a run on runaways in this area. Plus, there seems to be more short tempers flaring in multiple dog homes. What's that about? Dogs always seem to know what is going on before we do so I hope this is fluke-ish rather than indicative of our future! Doomsday ready, I am not!!!

Sally is back

The drama is over. Sally Grace, formerly Sally Sue, is back at our house. Her middle name became Grace because it was God's grace that went to work big time on her behalf.
Capturing a loose dog, especially one which has not fully bonded with its new owners and home, is a challenge. Long story short, we all did as much as we could to provide familiar scents for her to track. Clever girl that she is she did get into the live trap 2 times without engaging the door closing device! Clever woman, her new owner, put a piece of cardboard down and Sally had to step on it to get to the food and when she did the pressure set the release off and closed the door.
She's fine, trimmer than before, cleaned up now, and feeling relieved that she's inside. We'll get a couple pounds back on her, work with her more and see what happens. Everyone is grateful. For now who can ask for anything more?

Wanderlust and Ironies

We haven't been on a vacation since our trip to CA over a year ago. I'm getting ants in my pants, cabin fever set in long ago. It's time to hit the road. And, so I shall, but not until June! That will be to the opposite coast and I'll be working with wild horses for two weeks, on an Earthwatch trip. In the meantime I thought I'd share some of the CA photos.
There are always unexplained coincidences in life. As it turns out today I posted these as a draft, to work on the text later, and if you look closely you'll see the first photo is wild turkeys. After shutting down the computer I hopped in the truck to go to APL for a bit. On the way, about 2 miles from our house, was a flock of wild turkeys! The males had their tails spread. They were parading around for the females who were discreetly giving them the once over.
Spring has sprung, no doubt about it!
Oh, the closeup photo is at the botanical gardens we visited in CA. The next one is a far north shoreline. We were driving along shorelines then delving into the woods. What a sense of smallness this gave us!

Size Doesn't Matter - This is Puppy Love

I did it - loaded an image. Turns out that was really easy. And, I have a delightfully thoughtful cousin who told me about Fotosizer so I can re-size images and not wait a day for something to go out over dial up.
And, to celebrate, I have added a photo of Mamie, our foster puppy who was adopted out on Saturday. Isn't she a beauty? Don't write and tell me she's big. We know. She's Lab/Rott and at 5 1/2 months old, well, you see she fills a chair. But, she is gentle and happy and now in her forever home. As a reward, Animal Protective League sent me home with two female black Lab pups, 3 months old. Thelma and Louise!
Our Christmas holiday was loaded with puppy love and NY's promises to be too. There's nothing like it!
Oh, this is way too newsy. I shall be returning to more rants and raves!