Romeo, Teddy, Katie and I at the Union Reservoir a few weekends ago. Romeo is no water dog and mostly just wanted to wade, but after watching Teddy for a while he went swimming! Video is at the end of the post.
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Aug 22, 2012
More Puppy Romps
Romeo, Teddy, Katie and I at the Union Reservoir a few weekends ago. Romeo is no water dog and mostly just wanted to wade, but after watching Teddy for a while he went swimming! Video is at the end of the post.
Jul 20, 2012
Roland "Doobie", 2006-July 18, 2012
"My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopped running today." - Watership Down
We lost Rollie to lung cancer yesterday. You are missed, little friend.
Jun 27, 2012
Baby Bunny Butt Cheeks
We've all had days like this.
More photos to come of the bunny babies born on May 19th!
Sep 11, 2010
Aug 14, 2010
Staying with Sarah
Towards the end of this most recent trip to the east, I spent a couple of days with my little sister, up north. Love that girl, wish I saw more of her.
I finally got to meet my feline "niece"! This is Bronte. She's in that awkward teenage stage and totally lanky, big-eared, and growing. I think when she fills out, she's going to be big and panther shaped. She was friendly but aloof. But she snuggled with Sar on the couch several times. Sar rescued her through a friend at work, who saw Bronte being mistreated by neighbors.
This is Doogie, Sar's "wubby" feline. (Wubby is a word my sister invented. I believe it's supposed to mean a combination of adorable, huggable, with a lil muffin top.) The Doogs has quite the array of nicknames. I started calling him "Didgeridooglas". He's been around the block a few times and is pretty street smart. Sar can let him outside and doesn't have to worry that he's going far. She adopted him from our mom, who rescued him when a college student left him in the dorm. His left ear is pierced; at some point before adopting my family, he wore an earring. He likes his catnip and also drinking out of the upstairs sink. I learned he only likes to drink the water when it's dribbling out of the faucet. He was also a professional beggar and I didn't have a chance; he had a small piece of spinach alfredo pizza for dinner. Off my plate.
I loved the house! It was full of nook type rooms and spaces, with built in shelves with glass doors.
Sar and her housemates have interesting colors and artwork up all over too. I recognized a few pieces that are from our grandparents. Do you see the peacock in this bowl?
That's Dad's work over the fireplace.
It was great to see her and spend a nice, relaxing time. We spent a lot of time watching the first season of Legend of the Seeker, which she introduced me to. I got hooked and earlier today, I discovered the second season is playing on the cable network. Craig Horner can't act, but he's still dreamy!
I finally got to meet my feline "niece"! This is Bronte. She's in that awkward teenage stage and totally lanky, big-eared, and growing. I think when she fills out, she's going to be big and panther shaped. She was friendly but aloof. But she snuggled with Sar on the couch several times. Sar rescued her through a friend at work, who saw Bronte being mistreated by neighbors.
This is Doogie, Sar's "wubby" feline. (Wubby is a word my sister invented. I believe it's supposed to mean a combination of adorable, huggable, with a lil muffin top.) The Doogs has quite the array of nicknames. I started calling him "Didgeridooglas". He's been around the block a few times and is pretty street smart. Sar can let him outside and doesn't have to worry that he's going far. She adopted him from our mom, who rescued him when a college student left him in the dorm. His left ear is pierced; at some point before adopting my family, he wore an earring. He likes his catnip and also drinking out of the upstairs sink. I learned he only likes to drink the water when it's dribbling out of the faucet. He was also a professional beggar and I didn't have a chance; he had a small piece of spinach alfredo pizza for dinner. Off my plate.
I loved the house! It was full of nook type rooms and spaces, with built in shelves with glass doors.
Sar and her housemates have interesting colors and artwork up all over too. I recognized a few pieces that are from our grandparents. Do you see the peacock in this bowl?
That's Dad's work over the fireplace.
It was great to see her and spend a nice, relaxing time. We spent a lot of time watching the first season of Legend of the Seeker, which she introduced me to. I got hooked and earlier today, I discovered the second season is playing on the cable network. Craig Horner can't act, but he's still dreamy!
Jul 10, 2010
Look Around You
"Change your heart. Look around you. Change your heart, it will astound you." Any Beck fans out there?
In the middle of chaos, there are tiny stories being told. There are tiny lives being saved. There are some good human people saving them. Learn about them here.
In the middle of chaos, there are tiny stories being told. There are tiny lives being saved. There are some good human people saving them. Learn about them here.
Jul 3, 2010
The Daily Coyote
I wanted to stop and share one of my favorite blog sites, The Daily Coyote. Shreve seems like a very kindred spirit. So do Charlie and the other critters that live with her. I haven't read her book yet, but it's on my list!
Jun 12, 2010
Barnyard Folk, part 1
Well, the day started out sunny, but the occasional grouchy cloud piddles on us. Not too bad though, we haven't had any bad thunderstorms since last week anyway. It's muggy out, but there's a nice breeze that's helping to dry out the ground. You just can't stand in one place for too long, or the damp starts to cling to you. After morning chores today, I decided now was a good time to bust out my camera. May I introduce you to Eustace the Rooster?
He's a little on the chewed up side, because the real boss of the coop yard is Spur,
named for two obvious reasons. Look at those things, yow!
Yes, two roosters in the henhouse. But most of the time, this is all the competition they get into:
and Eustace knows he's in second place. He doesn't push his luck too far, except when he just can't help himself and tries to steal one of Spur's ladies. Then the feathers fly, mostly Eustace's.
Now, meet the wooly ones! Here is Baa-Baa, a Shetland...
...and Ganoush, also a Shetland...
...and Don Quixote, a.k.a. D.Q., the elderly gentleman Merino...
...and Rita Merino (get it?-after the actress Rita Moreno?) Here she is having a good stretch. Or possibly practicing yoga...
And here is Freya, my mom's bottle baby. She is half Tunis and half Icelandic. Cute? Yes. Brat? YES.
This is handsome Cheddar, one of several barn cats. He was officially banished from the house ages ago; the urge to back up to furniture and mark it as his own is too great a temptation for the Big Cheese, even being 'fixed'. But his good looks still occasionally get him into the house, when a guest doesn't know any better.
Mild Cheddar.
We are invited to dinner at a family friend's farm this evening and there is still sawdust to be unloaded and stalls to clean beforehand, so I'm off to the barn. Next time, you will meet the horses, dogs, and other cats!
He's a little on the chewed up side, because the real boss of the coop yard is Spur,
named for two obvious reasons. Look at those things, yow!
Yes, two roosters in the henhouse. But most of the time, this is all the competition they get into:
and Eustace knows he's in second place. He doesn't push his luck too far, except when he just can't help himself and tries to steal one of Spur's ladies. Then the feathers fly, mostly Eustace's.
Now, meet the wooly ones! Here is Baa-Baa, a Shetland...
...and Ganoush, also a Shetland...
...and Don Quixote, a.k.a. D.Q., the elderly gentleman Merino...
...and Rita Merino (get it?-after the actress Rita Moreno?) Here she is having a good stretch. Or possibly practicing yoga...
And here is Freya, my mom's bottle baby. She is half Tunis and half Icelandic. Cute? Yes. Brat? YES.
This is handsome Cheddar, one of several barn cats. He was officially banished from the house ages ago; the urge to back up to furniture and mark it as his own is too great a temptation for the Big Cheese, even being 'fixed'. But his good looks still occasionally get him into the house, when a guest doesn't know any better.
Mild Cheddar.
We are invited to dinner at a family friend's farm this evening and there is still sawdust to be unloaded and stalls to clean beforehand, so I'm off to the barn. Next time, you will meet the horses, dogs, and other cats!
Jun 4, 2010
My First Coyote
Sweet baby James Taylor! What a busy few days it's been. I had a smooth flight Sunday night and made it safe and sound to the Akron Canton Airport where my sister met me. I spent most of Monday in the hospital with my dad, adjusting myself to the situation and sneaking in edible food for him. He's doing pretty well and is happy to be home now, understandably. Now I'm busy with a huge list of heavy duty farm chores to get done the next few weeks: keeping sawdust and hay well stocked, mucking horse stalls, stripping the sheep pen, whitewashing the chicken coop, keeping up with the lawn mowing, fixing broken fence lines, grooming and riding horses, and it goes on. It's hard work, but damn! It feels good to be out of the city! The summer's in full swing, flowers everywhere, leafy trees full of birds, green and growing things everywhere. Ah, this will always be my home.
Two days ago we had massive storms come through and Columbiana County was under a tornado warning from 6 p.m. until late at night. The barn flooded. The power went out. We ate by lamplight. Podunk (my English Shepherd) was hysterical from the thunder. Mom and I caught a massive raccoon in the chicken coop whose big footprints I've been finding around the barn in the mornings. And at 3:50 a.m. yesterday morning, I ran out to the coop amidst hysterical screaming chickens to see a coyote leap the fence! I really only caught a flash of glowing eyes and big ears, but there was no mistaking its shape. So...I finally catch a glimpse of one of "God's Dogs" and I'm also catching it in the act of killing four of my parents' hens. It was a bittersweet moment and not at all majestic and dignified like I'd daydreamed, especially since I chased it off yelling and calling it names. It must have broken the weak latch off the chicken yard door, so now we close it for the night by leaning a cinder block against it. And we're very careful to make sure we're not closing raccoons in with the chickens! There have been coyotes in the area for years, sometimes you can hear their wild voices in the witching hour, right before dawn. But I'd never managed to see one before now and this first look was unsatisfactory for a lot of reasons. It makes me even more determined to see a wild coyote in a natural setting and a situation where I don't have to scream expletives at it.
I brought my external hard drive, so tonight I'll be sure to clean out my camera and clear the memory card so I can share some images of the old home place with you. Stay tuned!
UPDATE: My da and I put new latches on the coop yard doors. The chickens are safely shut up and snug in the evenings now.
Two days ago we had massive storms come through and Columbiana County was under a tornado warning from 6 p.m. until late at night. The barn flooded. The power went out. We ate by lamplight. Podunk (my English Shepherd) was hysterical from the thunder. Mom and I caught a massive raccoon in the chicken coop whose big footprints I've been finding around the barn in the mornings. And at 3:50 a.m. yesterday morning, I ran out to the coop amidst hysterical screaming chickens to see a coyote leap the fence! I really only caught a flash of glowing eyes and big ears, but there was no mistaking its shape. So...I finally catch a glimpse of one of "God's Dogs" and I'm also catching it in the act of killing four of my parents' hens. It was a bittersweet moment and not at all majestic and dignified like I'd daydreamed, especially since I chased it off yelling and calling it names. It must have broken the weak latch off the chicken yard door, so now we close it for the night by leaning a cinder block against it. And we're very careful to make sure we're not closing raccoons in with the chickens! There have been coyotes in the area for years, sometimes you can hear their wild voices in the witching hour, right before dawn. But I'd never managed to see one before now and this first look was unsatisfactory for a lot of reasons. It makes me even more determined to see a wild coyote in a natural setting and a situation where I don't have to scream expletives at it.
I brought my external hard drive, so tonight I'll be sure to clean out my camera and clear the memory card so I can share some images of the old home place with you. Stay tuned!
UPDATE: My da and I put new latches on the coop yard doors. The chickens are safely shut up and snug in the evenings now.
May 16, 2010
I found spring in the mountains
We went to Golden today.
What a pretty little historic town. It's about a 20 minute drive from us, west on 70. It was also the second day all month that the weather was really nice. (Nice being both sunny AND warm!) My long lost green!
There were lilacs, tulips, and daffodils all over the place! I had to stop and sniff on every street corner.
I have no idea what this next plant is, but I saw it in several front gardens and I loved the spring green color.
We stopped for dinner and drinks here:
and then we headed home. I had an awesome veggie club and my avocado craving from earlier was satisfied. Aaaah! It was a good day. Thanks John G., both for the suggestion and for driving us!
Sidenote: Today is Bradley the Paso Fino's 21st birthday! Hope you had a happy lazy day, old friend.
What a pretty little historic town. It's about a 20 minute drive from us, west on 70. It was also the second day all month that the weather was really nice. (Nice being both sunny AND warm!) My long lost green!
There were lilacs, tulips, and daffodils all over the place! I had to stop and sniff on every street corner.
I have no idea what this next plant is, but I saw it in several front gardens and I loved the spring green color.
We stopped for dinner and drinks here:
and then we headed home. I had an awesome veggie club and my avocado craving from earlier was satisfied. Aaaah! It was a good day. Thanks John G., both for the suggestion and for driving us!
Sidenote: Today is Bradley the Paso Fino's 21st birthday! Hope you had a happy lazy day, old friend.
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