Happiness Is…

Happiness is having all of your kids living a stone’s throw from you!

Unhappiness is one of those kids having to temporarily work out-of-state…

Happiness is going for six whole weeks without seeing any signs of “predators” in the garden!

Unhappiness is discovering “hoof prints” in the soil–the day after bragging about not having any predators…

Happiness is the excitement of rescuing and bringing home a warm and furry new pet!

Unhappiness is having to watch the pet get sick and die a few years later…

Happiness is eating a home-cooked meal of fresh veggies from the garden!

Unhappiness is having to clean up the kitchen afterward…

Happiness is successfully getting the new Magic Jack Plus connected!

Unhappiness is discovering we can’t have our old phone number–or any “local” number, for that matter…

Happiness is having three grandchildren, and having  them over to play together!

Unhappiness is having  grandchildren argue over the same toy, even though there are dozens of toys to choose from…

Happiness is getting a haircut every 5 to 6 weeks!

Unhappiness is seeing all of those new gray hairs every 5 to 6 weeks…

Tell me, what makes you happy/unhappy on this first day of May?

Have a happy May Day, everyone  :)

The New Granddog, “Newbie”

Ethan and Newbie

 It seems that my husband and I have become grandparents again!  We became “instant” grandparents a couple of weeks ago when Jennifer’s dog, “Newbie” moved in at our son, Brad’s house. 

Newbie became the victim of  changing times.  Jennifer is gone from home most of the time, between working twelve hour shifts, doing wedding stuff, and spending time with Brad.  Jennifer’s dad is gone a lot as well.  Newbie was basically spending a great deal of time alone, and Jennifer’s dad got tired of being her caretaker.  In other words, poor Newbie got “the boot”.

On the same day that Newbie moved in at Brad’s, she came to visit her new “grandparents” for the first time. Ed and I are used to “furry grandchildren”. For the longest time, we thought ”furry” was the only kind of “grands” that we were going to have.  Our daughter blessed us with a variety of “granddogs” and “grandcats”, but the actual first grandchild eluded us for over five years.

Our yard is a bit like a “mini zoo”, so one more furry creature is barely noticeable to us.  We are used to our daughter bringing her animals to visit, before she moved next door to us.  What we aren’t used to was– how our old hound dog, Ethan, reacted to Newbie!

Ethan, our hound, is a very fat, somewhat lazy dog. Years ago, he wandered up to the highway in his younger days, and got bumped in the rear end by a car. As a result, he has a bit of arthritis in one hip. He spends most of his days looking for soft, cool, spots to sleep most of the day away. 

Ethan didn’t know quite what to think when Newbie the dog showed up! He began to act like he was a young pup again, trying to establish his territory, and impress his new lady friend all at the same time. He was hilarious, and he put on quite a show!   For a time, Ethan forgot he was old, and a bit crippled!

By the second visit, the two dogs had become pretty good friends. Every two or three days, Brad and Jennifer have been bringing Newbie by for a visit. Newbie gets to run around the yard and play, without being on a leash, while Brad and Jennifer get to spend time with us. Newbie has become so playful with Ethan that sometimes he hides from her–just to get a break!  I think Ethan’s body reminded him that he’s old!  Newbie’s like the little annoying kid at school, she’s always there! 

One morning last week, I received a phone call from a neighbor about eight o’clock in the morning, telling me that “Newbie” had dug out of her kennel! This wouldn’t have been such a big deal, if Brad didn’t live beside a four-lane highway! I quickly hopped into my car, and went to see about the dog, since nobody was home at Brad’s house.

Judging from the size of her hole, Newbie was trying to dig to China! She didn’t succeed, but she managed to squeeze her body under the fence in order to gain her freedom. After several minutes, I finally managed to coax the wet, muddy, hyper, Newbie into the front seat of my car!  Thank goodness for a beach towel on the seat!  Newbie spent the entire day at my house, until Brad could get home from work and fix her pen, late that evening.  I got to babysit our new granddog!

Newbie escaped several more times since that day, resulting in the addition of a wooden floor to her kennel! Brad has yet to take time to actually build the floor, instead he’s improvised by just laying the plywood directly on the ground and putting the kennel on top of it…Something tells me, Brad’s about to learn a difficult lesson about how easily plywood warps whenever it’s not nailed to a frame!  Experience is the best teacher, don’t you think?

Brad is already complaining about his “step daughter dog”! The constant filling in of holes…feeding, playing with, and exercising the dog whenever Jennifer isn’t around…He says the dog doesn’t listen to him… Ha  Ha!  Boy, has he got a lot to learn!  

My daughter once said, “Dogs are great practice for becoming a parent!” You know, she’s right, and they’re pretty good practice for becoming grandparents, too! 

Have a great Tuesday, and while you’re at it, why not take a ride on the Tuesday Train?

Random Things…Photos, Pets, Cuts, Etc.

On Saturday, Brad and Jennifer traveled to Savannah to have some engagement photographs taken.  Historic Savannah has some beautiful outdoor scenery in and around the “squares”.  The photographer is a friend of Jennifer’s, and has shared a few photos with her already.  There will be around 300 photos when all are edited.  I’ve “borrowed” one from Jennifer’s Facebook page to share…

Only seventy-four more days until the wedding.  Time is passing quickly.  A bridal shower is being planned, and Ed’s pool room is strewn with silk flowers, napkins, dinnerware, and candles…I’m already preparing the centerpieces for the rehearsal dinner. I have to get things done when I feel like doing them.  I learned a long time ago, not to put things off because there are good days, and there are bad days.

Speaking of good days, believe it or not, I had another doctor’s appointment yesterday, and it was a good experience for a change!  I met my new primary care physician for the first time.  I’ve been seeing the physician’s assistant, so  I’d never seen the actual doctor before. I was pleasantly surprised!  He was kind, helpful, and caring.  He didn’t make me wait long, and I didn’t feel rushed when it was my turn.  I found it interesting that all of the doctor’s exam rooms are decorated with artwork made by his children, and a weekly bible verse is written on a dry erase board in each room.  A large plaque beside the exam table proclaims “Always Tell The Truth…then you don’t have to remember anything”.  Good advice, don’t you think?  I really think I’m going to like this doctor… 

After a lengthy ordeal of trying to get a kennel,  Jennifer has brought her bulldog over to Brad’s house to live.  She and Brad brought “Newbie” over to see us on Friday. We live in a fairly isolated area, and other dogs don’t ever come around.  It was hilarious to watch our old hound, Ethan, strutting around when he saw another dog!  He hasn’t moved so much in years!!!  I think Ethan could grow to like Newbie, but she wasn’t feeling the love!  The following day, Newbie wasn’t feeling the love again, when a snake crawled into the kennel with her!  She barked and caused a commotion until somebody came to help her!  Unfortunately, the snake got away.

We had some family drama on Sunday night when my son-in-law was taking his daughter to bed.  Nobody realized that a small ceramic shoe had fallen from a shelf on the wall, and broken–until my son-in-law stepped on a piece of it!  He cut a pretty good gash on the instep of his foot, and ended up going to the doctor yesterday.  In fact, he and I were at the doctor at about the same time!  No stitches required, fortunately, since the cut was long, but not very deep.  Thank goodness for that!

That will do it for this edition of randomness…my brain is just not being cooperative today.  Have a great day, and if you feel like having some fun, hop on Tuesday’s Train!



So You Want To Talk About Pets!

I am a lover of animals, keeper of pets, and I take my job VERY SERIOUSLY!  Many people have various things that they are passionate about–my passion is animals!  My family would argue that I am maybe a little too passionate about them… 

a message left for me by my clever youngest son

Six years ago I was working at our local elementary school, and volunteering at our local animal shelter.  As a result of both jobs,  my list of pets became quite long…and it hasn’t changed much today! 

  A pond full of goldfish/koi,  two hermit crabs,  a hamster,  2 rabbits,  a parakeet,   21 cats and kittens of various ages,  and  5 dogs!   Yes, our house is known as a sort of “mini-zoo”! 

The pond and fish was an anniversary gift from my husband, which I wrote about in an earlier post.  We’ve had it for many years, but I still enjoy watching the fish swim around.  We’ve battled birds, snakes, and turtles for the sake of our fish in that little pond! 

The two hermit crabs and  the hamster were classroom pets– kept at school during the week, but brought home on weekends and holidays.  Every Monday and Friday would find me lugging my precious cargo back and forth.  It wasn’t an easy task, but the children loved our classroom pets! 

"Oreo"

  It was no wonder that our classroom quickly became a popular spot for other students to visit.  The sight of little “Oreo”, the hamster, rolling around in his ball brought squeals of joy to the children. 

I rescued our first rabbit, “Sugar Pie”,  from the animal shelter after somebody discarded her after Easter was over.  The second rabbit, “Honey Bun”, was a gift from a co-worker and friend. The rabbits share a large bunny hutch with a partition in the middle of it, so they can be near each other, but not close enough to make baby bunnies! 

My parakeet, “Tweety”,  is a rescued bird.  Another friend and co-worker found him lurking underneath her car port one day.  Her husband was actually able to catch him.  They did not want a bird, and didn’t know who he belonged to…so she thought of me, and asked if I’d take him.  I could tell that he’d been someone’s pet, and he even talks at times–especially when my daughter comes over.  However, his speech is garbled and we can’t quite make out his words.  I’ve had him for five years.  “Tweety” has to live on top of my curio cabinet because “Bobs”, the house cat,  has this strong desire to catch him and have him for a meal… 

Once I began volunteering at the shelter, my outdoor cat “herd” quickly began to grow.  There is always an abundance of cats and kittens at the shelter, and most of them get euthanized.  There was a time when I “tried to save them all”.  My assortment of  cats quickly grew from 4 to 21!  My husband dreaded seeing my car door open on Friday nights, for fear of another hungry mouth exiting the car! 

Outdoor cats live perilous lives, and our numbers have diminished to around 16 or 17.  One died of old age, while some were victims of predators,  lizard poisoning, etc.  Did you know that eagles will kill and eat grown cats?  If the cat is small enough, the eagle will actually carry it away… cats also eat lizards–and some lizards(blue tailed ones) are poisonous to them.   

Please note the “Cat Cafe`” in the picture below.  My loving husband built it for me, so my cats could eat without worrying about the dogs stealing their food.  It’s about four feet off the ground, and has a top on it to protect the cats from the rain.  My sweet husband also built the rabbit’s hutch.  

Although cats are my first love, I am not immune to dogs.  Although we already had one dog, a dalmatian,  within six months I adopted 5 more!  We became the parents of 2 more adult dogs, and 3 puppies during those six months.  Two of the adults have since passed away from old age, as well as one nearly grown dog who eventually had to be euthanized due to incurable red mange.  We desperately tried to save the dog with red mange.  We put him through 3 rounds of treatment, but he grew sicker with each one.  Finally, we decided it would be more humane to end his suffering.  The vet agreed.  He’s the white puppy in the picture below, and his name was Freckles.  What a heart-breaking ending for such a beautiful dog!  Ethan, the hound puppy in the picture, also suffered from the same “red mange” but responded well to the treatment and was cured. 

Me sitting with 3 of my dog babies... in 2004

I suppose I don’t have to tell you that for a good while,  most of my paycheck went toward vet care, and buying food for all of these pets!  Every one of my cats and dogs is spayed or neutered.  Even though our vet gave me a discount, and the county paid half of the cost, it still cost a lot of money.  I don’t regret a penny of it though.  It’s the only way to control the pet population. 

Every two weeks, it takes a shopping cart just to hold the pet foods and supplies for “my zoo”.  I can’t tell you how many conversations have been started by the sight of my cart full of animal supplies!  It’s been especially tough to  make the money stretch now that I’ve retired, and the economy has taken such a downturn.  I try not to let my husband go shopping for supplies with me because he tends to get ” ill”  when he sees the total on the bill! 

The hermit crabs and the hamster have passed away.  I no longer volunteer at the animal shelter.  It’s too hard to go and leave so many “needy” animals behind each time.  I’ve decided that I’ve done all that I can do there.  Even though I don’t go to the shelter these days, sometimes animals still manage to find their way to my door.  Two more cats have joined our family during the past year. 

I’m determined to care for my pet population for as long as they live…or I live–whatever!  By then my husband and I will probably be looking for someone to help take care of us…do you think there might be a place for us at the shelter? 

If you are interested in reading more of my animal adventures– just click on the links “Shelter Tales” or “pets” at the top of this blog…

Thanks so much to Brent Riggs for hosting Tuesday’s themed blog hop.  Just click on the link below to visit more participating blogs.

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Shelter Tales…Gizmo II…One of a Kind

Have you ever met an animal, and formed an “instant bond” with them?  Well, Gizmo II was one of those kinds of animals.  I was volunteering at our local shelter in 2004, and as usual, the place was over-flowing with unwanted puppies.  In the first kennel on the right there were many puppies, but one little “homely” pit bull mix caught my attention.   

The first thing that caught my attention was his name, Gizmo.  Gizmo was the name of my daughter’s chihuahua that had been so special to us before a snake bit him and he died.  The next thing that caught my attention were his sad eyes…his eyes would follow me each time I passed by the kennel.  His eyes looked so sad…I’d always stop and chat with him for a few minutes each time, and I’d promise to try to find him a home.

Several weeks passed, and Gizmo was still stuck at the shelter.  By then, Gizmo was 3 or 4 months old, and had caught  ringworm from being allowed to roam in the front area of the shelter…along with a couple of cats…His age plus the case of ringworm sealed his fate–his name went on the “to be euthanized list”.

  I’d told my daughter all about him, and how special he was.  When Gizmo made “the list”, she decided to visit the shelter with me.  Once she met Gizmo, she sensed that there was something special about him, too.  Brandy’s an animal-lover at heart–just like her mother–suddenly–and just in the nick of time– Gizmo found his new home–with Brandy and her husband.

One trip to the vet cured the ringworm, and Gizmo became a house dog.  A very lucky house dog who loved to sleep in the bed with his new parents!  Life changed quickly for Gizmo…and it was a good change!

Gizmo never had to be “trained”.  Remarkably, he never had an accident in the house.  He was the most well-behaved dog I’ve ever seen.  Brandy or her husband could say “Gizmo, get in your bed”–and he went, immediately!  Ah, if only children would follow directions that well…

Gizmo was quiet, and never bothered anyone.  There was one time–when someone, I think it was our oldest son, was playing around with my husband, and pretended to hurt him.  Gizmo came to my husband’s defense!  He sprang to his feet and growled in a menacing way that got our attention!  We were careful never to play like that in Gizmo’s presence again.

Gizmo was just like a member of the family–a well-behaved member of the family.  Those piercing eyes…I loved his eyes.  They weren’t as sad after he found a home, but they were always watching…Unfortunately, Gizmo’s time with us was brief…less than three years.

We aren’t positive, but we think that Gizmo became a victim of dog food poisoning.  Remember when so many dogs were dying and they discovered it was contaminated dog food?  We believe that is what happened to Gizmo.  He was fine one day, sick the next day, then died during the night.  We had no idea what was going on at the time–except that he acted like he’d been poisoned.

Gizmo left us too soon, but his life was good while he was here.  Thanks to Brandy and her husband, Gizmo had a happy life, and he was loved.  Best of all, Gizmo was a great pet–I’m so glad that we all had the chance to get to know him and have him as a part of our family–even if it was only for a short while…  Rest in peace, Gizmo.

That Crazy Christmas of 2004

My last two posts have been about that crazy Christmas of 2004.  If you remember, I’d had a cervical fusion done just two short weeks before Christmas, so I was getting over surgery–my fresh scar is visible in the picture of me with the toilet seat. 

When I left off with my story, Ed had managed to put the pool table together that we’d ordered off eBay,  just in time for our family to enjoy it at Christmas.  If you haven’t read that story, you should read yesterday’s post.  It’s an unbelievable tale!

Another interesting thing that happened that Christmas was a result of me bidding on eBay.  While Ed was building our game house, I was busy buying Coca Cola stuff off eBay to decorate it with.  We’d found all kinds of interesting things in the Coke theme, but the one that caught my eye was the hand painted toilet seat! 

My hand-painted coca-cola toilet seat

 I didn’t have much bathroom decor and I really wanted that toilet seat.  I got caught up in a bidding frenzy and ended up paying $65.00 for that toilet seat!  I was afraid that Ed was going to kill me, but he didn’t.  Of course, there was no way I was going to actually use that seat on our toilet, after paying such a price for it–so I decided to hang it on the wall.  It still hangs in the bathroom today!

In the days of Christmas of 2004, our only grandchildren were dogs!  Brandy and Clint were parents to several of them.  Two of them were inside dogs–and both of them rescues.  When Brandy and Clint came to visit, their “dog children” came with them.  We dressed the “grandogs” up in hats and took their picture beside my Christmas tree.  Both of these adorable “grandogs” have since  passed away. ”Annie” the black one passed away first, followed by “Precious” a couple of years later.  Both were killed in accidents involving cars.

Precious and Annie--the "grandogs"

We spent a good bit of time playing pool on that brand new pool table that Christmas.  All of the hard work and headaches were soon forgotten.  The newly decorated “Coca Cola” game house became the new family hang out. 

Ed watching as our oldest son makes his shot...

That crazy Christmas of 2004 had gotten off to a rough start, and had a few bumps along the way, but all is well that ends well, and Christmas of 2004 definately ended well.  It was the most memorable Christmas that we’ve ever had, too!  I wish you and your family a very Merry and Memorable Christmas, too.

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Our first “child”

Ed began working at one of the hospitals in the city, while I stayed home and kept the house.  It was quite a change for me–to marry and move to a city where I didn’t know anyone.  Remember, I also didn’t drive at the time, so I was stuck at home all day.  I remember being so happy to see Ed come home every afternoon!

One day,  I saw an ad in the paper for a free kitten.  I asked Ed if we could get a kitten.  His first reply was “no”, but after a while, he gave in.  The kitten was one of those dark, tabby kittens.  Nothing special in the looks department, but oh what a personality that kitten had!  We named her “B. B.” which stood for Baby Bacon.

Life was never boring after we got “B.B.”!  That cat thought she was a person! She learned to scratch at the door to go out or come inside.  She was one of those smart, playful cats that was always into something.  After Ed went to work in the mornings, “B.B.” would stretch out in the bed,  with her head on Ed’s pillow, just like a person.  Unfortunately, she only liked a particular brand of cat food(Cozy Kitten), and it smelled REALLY BAD!!!

Me and "B.B." resting

When Ed and I would go back to our hometown for the weekend, “B.B.” would come with us.  One Christmas she actually climbed Ed’s mother’s Christmas tree and turned it over!  We still laugh about that!  I didn’t think it was very funny at the time…

Of course, after a while, the unthinkable happened and our “cat child” came home pregnant!  She had several little kittens.  While the kittens were still very young, “B.B” went out one evening and apparently got hit by a car.  She came home dragging her hind leg.  I was in a panic and had Ed calling several vets to see what we should do.  Most vets wanted to do surgery to fix the leg, but we found one who was willing to put a cast on. 

"B.B." babies & broken leg

 We didn’t have much money, so we chose to get the cast.  That was a crazy sight–that cat dragging that huge cast behind her.  She’d even walk a chain-link fence with three legs.  Eventually the leg  healed and she didn’t even limp.  The good part about the whole ordeal was that due to her injuries, “B.B.” wasn’t able to have any more babies!

Several years after the broken leg incident, “B.B.” went out for the evening and came home drunk!  She couldn’t even stand up.  Her eyes were all crazy looking and she swayed and fell down when she tried to walk.  She kept meowing and acting crazy.  Again, I got Ed to call the vet.  It turned out that “B.B.” had eaten a blue-tailed lizard which is poisonous to cats.  The vet said most cats die, but a few survive.  Fortunately, “B.B.” beat the odds and survived, although she never did walk quite straight and cocked her head sideways after that.

We had “B.B.” for well over five years.  She survived life in the city, only to disappear a while after we moved back  to our little country hometown.  We don’t know what happened to her, maybe she liked the city life better…