Wow, The End of May Already!

I can't believe it's the end of May already. I'm so far behind on my outdoor work. *sigh* But now that the babies are here and Irenie has settled into being an excellent mother, I can take advantage of the next kitten-care free 10-12 days to get everything squared around. I did manage to get some of my hanging baskets and the hanging tomatoes planted, but I've barely gotten 1/4 of the garden proper cultivated so I can get seedlings into the ground. I need to get that finished as soon as possible, but it's been very hot and very humid and airless here, making it almost impossible to work outside for more than a few minutes at a time. I'm going to try to get at least the front half of it - the area with the longest period of full sun - finished late this evening when it's shaded again and the wind is expected to rise a little ahead of an approaching low-pressure system. If I can do that, and get the 4 remaining tomato plants and maybe the 4 sugar-baby watermelons into the ground, the beans and extra pepper plants can wait until Monday when the temperature is supposed to be 15 degrees cooler and dry. But the tomato plants need to go in the ground today, come hell or high water, and I'd like to get the watermelons in too, so both will get the benefit of the off-and-on rain that's predicted for tomorrow afternoon through Sunday.

I was out on my patio just before lunchtime, switching out a couple of dogs in the yard, and I looked up to see all 4 kingbird babies sitting on the edge of the nest. As I puttered around with some potting stuff out there, they took to the air and zoomed off. So, another successful reproductive cycle for the kingbird pair this year. I'm glad. I hope they all keep coming back to raise their clutches near here, they do a good job of reducing the flying insect population. I wish mom and dad would pick a spot with a little more shade than they do, I thought this clutch got baked to death like the first clutch did last year. At least this clutch had the benefit of shade directly over the nest from that plastic foot-square table top I put on top of my patio roof last year for that purpose. Maybe that helped.

I'm sure one of the reasons they pick that beam under the patio roof is that, in addition to being sheltered, it's warmer than the open air when the weather is still cool. The translucent green corrugated fiberglas roof over the patio allows heat to build up under there and it's almost always 10 degrees warmer on the patio than it is in the open. That's an advantage when the weather is cool because they can leave the nest untended for longer periods of time to search for food. Both mama and daddy can forage at the same time instead of alternating, so their babies get fed very well.

My mom called this morning. My brother and his girlfriend are going up to where my sis and BIL are building their current vacation, and future retirement, home for a few days. (My sis and BIL are on vacation this week.) My brother's girlfriend called mom this morning and asked if she and I would like to come up there for dinner tomorrow, she wants to surprise my brother for his birthday. Maaaaan...... I really don't want to leave for that long. It's a 45-minute drive to mom's, a 2-hour drive from there to my sis's. So I'd be on the road for 6 hours. And probably gone from the house for 9-10 hours. And that doesn't thrill me at all. So my immediate response was "I don't want to be away from home that long." But mom won't go if I don't go along and do the driving and I know she'd really enjoy it. And it's his 50th birthday, so it's a special one. Guilt won out; I called her back and told her I'd go. *sigh*

I'm taking Dudley with me. He doesn't like riding in the car but he loves Daisy and she'll be going along, he loves my mom and he adores my sis, and this will be a good opportunity to continue his socialization. They'll all be willing to do what I ask them to do as far as interacting with him goes, this should be a very successful experience for him. If I can't be doing things here tomorrow, at least I can still get something accomplished.

Babies, At Last!

Irenie finally had her babies late this morning. There were 8 born, but only 7 survived. There was nothing wrong with the one that didn't make it, but he was born in a flurry of 4 births and neither Irenie or I saw him until it was too late to revive him. I had to tear the sack open for 3 of the kittens, but other than that Irenie did the job all by herself.

She's exhausted. I'm pretty tired myself. I think we're both going to have a nice long nap this afternoon!

Here's a link to a video of the newborns and their mama: http://www.noofies-zoo.com/ireniesbabies/irenieandfamily.avi

Cautiously Optomistic

2:30 am. I had a little chat with Irenie about 12:30 am. At 1:30 am she hopped into the nest box and settled down. A few minutes later she was out of the box and on my lap again. BUT........ as of 2:15 am, unless I'm misinterpreting what my fingers are telling me, she's having contractions. Mild, not enough to even interrupt her breathing yet, but contractions. Will update when there's something else to report!

A Walking Spectacle

This weekend is the annual Springfest in my little village. It's a weekend full of activities that started yesterday and ends on Monday afternoon. This afternoon was the antique car show, they close off half a mile of the road through town - which is a major annoyance to those who are using the state highway to travel north or south through town! - and park the cars along the closed road. I took Ten with me last year, he'd been with me a month and I figured he was ready for his big debut. (He'd been timid, never been off the farm, when I got him, but after a month he trusted me enough to believe that I wouldn't take him anywhere he'd be hurt or scared.) He had a blast, and was very well-behaved.

I took him back again today. And I took Lacey Jane with me, too. She's such a polite little girl, walks along nicely and doesn't yaw all over the place, so I put her on a thin braided leash and tied it through my beltloop so I'd have both hands for managing Ten. A baggie of chicken in my pocket, and we were off. OMG, you'd think I never took him anywhere! He was so excited. All the people! All the other dogs! The ponies at the pony ride! The dropped food on the street! All the children! He had a blast. But he was not very well-behaved. He wasn't horrible, he just was too distracted to "listen". And I had the wrong leash; I thought my 1"-wide leather leash was in the car but it wasn't, so I had to take him on a 1/2" leash. Not nearly as easy to control him with the thinner leash, and it hurt my hands. (Now I know never to take him on anything other than the 1" leash. I can easily control anyone else on the thinner lead, but not Ten. Gad, he's strong!)

People got a big kick out of seeing the huge white dog on my left and the tiny black dog on my right, so both of them got all the attention they wanted. They were both in seventh heaven. Lacy is such a social little thing, and she loves people of all ages and sizes. She was just as happy to meet toddlers as she was to meet adults, and she was very patient with their awkward petting. One little boy, maybe 5-6, spent 10 minutes on his knees petting her, stroking her under the chin, and letting her give him kisses on the nose, while his parents did the same with Ten. Lacy was in love with that little boy, she probably would have followed him home if she could have. Ten gave out lots of kisses, too, and got lots of the hearty petting he really enjoys. He enjoyed the attention of one man so much he sat on the guy's foot, leaned against him, and was groaning in almost-orgasmic pleasure at having his head, neck, chest, and shoulders rubbed and thumped. People watching were all laughing at him.

But the outing did me in. My hands ache, my back aches, and I'm worn out with the physical effort of keeping him under control with that thin leash. I'm probably going to be one sore pup tomorrow, but I bet I sleep well tonight!

I really hate to even suggest this, but I think tonight might be the night for Irenie. Her belly is taut and lumpy, the babies are kicking hard, and she's been digging in the nest box quite a bit. And I think she's as tired of waiting for them to be ready to come into the world as I am.

Oh Heck, What's One More?

The tomato snitcher's family moved last weekend. Last night around 9 pm my phone rang, it was the mom. "We moved, and we're not allowed to have dogs here. We took Lily (a treeing walker coonhound mix) to one of John's brothers' houses, and she was growling at them and howling. They took her to one of John's other brothers, but she doesn't get along with his female dog. John's out of town working and won't be home until Sunday morning, and I don't know what he's going to do about her, but she can't stay where she is. Can she come stay with you until John gets back? It would have to be tonight, she's got to go tonight."

*Sigh*. I'll make you a deal, I'll hang onto Lily until John makes other arrangements for her if he'll cut my grass. (I can cut my grass, I just can't pull the starter rope to get the mower started in the first place!) Shelly thought that was a fair trade, so she brought Lily over last night. I expect John to come Sunday afternoon or Monday to cut my grass.

He's probably not going to be able to find a placement for her, I'm probably going to end up trying to place her. Which means one more spay I've got to find funds for. *sigh again* And Lily needs some work before she's placeable, just basic obedience and socializing, but it's going to take a while. So I've got her all set up out in the family room, next to Simon. At least they'll have each other for company, and they're far enough away that any barking/howling during the night won't keep me awake.

Irenie's still pregnant. Still lounging around, grooming herself, napping, asking for belly rubs. She hasn't eaten much in the last 48 hours, only about 1/4 of the dry food she'd have normally eaten in 48 hours, plus some yogurt (twice) and about 1/4 can of wet food. The kittens are either sleeping or jumping around like crazy. They're going to kick their way right out of there if she doesn't go into labor soon!

I had to run out to the store and the lumber yard briefly this morning, on my way back I stopped at a yard sale. Bought a small deco-style glass-shaded lamp ($3), a nice size rectangular tupperware container (25 cents) and - the jackpot - 14 melamine bread plates, the whole lot for a quarter. They're the perfect size for a can of cat food, they're unbreakable, they're dishwasher-safe, they won't blow away easily, and they're disinfect-able (unlike plastic dishes). It's a pretty sad state of affairs when I get such a kick out of acquiring some used melamine plates.

Happy Homeowner Day, Tammy! Congratulations on owning your first home, I wish you many happy years and scads of pleasant memories to come!

Babies, Babies, Everywhere

As I was sitting in the bathroom with Irenie I looked out onto the patio and saw a baby bird doing little hops in place on the dirt right at the edge of the concrete slab of the covered area. It was one of the kingbird babies and he'd fallen out of the nest. I flew through the house and out onto the patio, because I knew Nellie was there, she jumps the fence from the yard into the patio. I don't know how she missed him, except to guess that she was sleeping when he fell out and didn't hear him. As soon as I opened the door she woke up and I barely beat her to him. As I grabbed her he flutter-hopped away. I snatched him up, opened the step stool, climbed up to put him back in the nest. He wouldn't let me put him all the way in, he perched on the edge, but he had a good grip and I figured he'd be OK. His wings are fully feathered, he's just missing the longer feathers at the tip of the wing and on his tail to be able to fly. They'll be ready to leave the nest within a week or so, I think.

Mama kingbird was sitting on the fence, watching the rescue. Apparently she didn't mind that her baby smelled like me; she flew to the nest and fed him, so I guess he's going to be OK. Then she flew over to the phone cable by the kitchen window and 'talked' to me. I don't know whether she was thanking me for saving her baby, or scolding me for touching him. Cheeky little thing.

TG for DWTS

I had a mostly rotten night. I've been uncomfortable about one of the dogs in my class. She's a mutt, no way to know for sure what component breeds might be in her make-up, but I'd bet that one of them is Basenji. Maybe Shepherd/Basenji? Very smart dog, learns very quickly. But if the payoff isn't exciting enough, she just blows people off. Her handler is an 11-year old girl. The mother came to class and observed - and did some practice with the dog, at home - but the handler in class was very young. She, too, is very smart and learns quickly, but she just doesn't have the presence and physical strength to manage this dog. The dog's been learning and doing well on most things but it's all a game to her and when she gets bored, she does whatever she darn well pleases and screw you.

I've been concerned because whenever she doesn't like what she's being asked to do, she gets aggressive. It's a timid aggressiveness, but that's only because she's only 10 months old. As she matures, and gains the confidence of maturity, I think she could be a real threat. A few weeks ago I tried to check her teeth. It's a non-threatening thing, it's not painful, most dogs don't have previous bad experiences with having their mouths touched (they way they can with having their feet touched, nails quicked, etc.). It's OK for a dog to object, it's OK for a dog to pull away, but they shouldn't respond with their mouths. She didn't like it, she let me do it, then snapped at me - and connected, but didn't break skin - as I took my hand away. "I held still and let you do it, but you didn't get away with it." I had been thinking I'd have to have a talk with the mom, tell her I didn't think the dog was a safe dog, especially in a home with children whose friends come to visit. But it's hard to convince someone their dog is dangerous before the dog actually does something to prove it to them.

She got me tonight. We were practicing the grooming/handling section of the CGC test, in which the dog must allow the evaluator to brush/comb them and touch each front foot. She wasn't happy about me touching her feet, she growled and threatened. As I removed my hands from her she snapped at me. I ringed her snout with my thumb and index finger and said "oh no, I don't like that, not one little bit!" I removed my hand and started to stand up and she flew up into my face. Thank heavens she didn't break skin or I'd have lost half my upper lip. As it is, I've got a bruised lip and a bruised cheekbone. I'm probably going to have a shiner tomorrow.

So I had to have a talk with the mother. I told her I was going to say something to her tonight, anyway, but now any doubts I'd had about the need to do so were gone. I told her I didn't think the dog was safe, would not only not get better but only continue to get worse, and that I would euthanize her if she was my dog. I explained that she couldn't re-home the dog herself, that even if she didn't tell rescue groups about the dog's problem they'd discover it during a temperament test and they wouldn't take her. That the only really responsible thing to do would be to euthanize her themselves.

I gave her some reading suggestions (Jean Donaldson's books), and I also suggested she call Chris, and have Chris temperament test the dog. I told her that Chris is a well-respected expert in dog behavior, someone who knows the difference between fixable and non-fixable problems, and would give her an objective opinion, so she'd have as much information as possible in making her decision about what to do with the dog.

I don't know what they'll decide to do. It's a hard decision, especially since the dog belongs to the 11-year old, because everybody loves her. Sadly, sometimes love just isn't enough.

Of course, the rest of the class was shaken by the incident. I explained that if a dog is doing to have a dominance issue, I'm the one they're going to have it with. Same with Chris. A dog that's been able to dominate everyone s/he has ever met takes one look at me and knows right off the bat I'm claiming the pack leader position. That's when they say "oh, no you don't, bitch," and have a go at me.

(The un-rotten part of my night was Raven, my star pupil. Some dogs are fixable, Raven was one of them. He improves by leaps and bounds, the difference from week to week is clear. He flew through my obstacle course tonight, did everything he refused to do last term. Every last one of them. He's confident, poised, relaxed, and an eager worker, a completely different dog than he was just 3.5 months ago. Warms the cockles of my heart to see a basically good dog overcome an early lack of socialization and become the dog nature intended them to be. Makes me proud to have had a part in that.)

I was so grateful to have the tape of tonight's Dancing With The Stars to watch when I got home. All the brilliant performances tonight really lifted my spirits. For the first time, it's hard to pick a favorite to win based on dancing ability. I hate to see any of the remaining four couples lose.

Today, Maybe?

Irenie's got to produce those babies in the next 24-48 hours. I don't know how she could possibly hang onto them any longer than that. The other day her hindquarters were damp and I thought she must have lost the mucus plug, but I guess it must just have been damp from a post-potty cleanup. She's had a lot of gas and diarrhea and there's an odd odor to it, I'm guessing she has giardia. We're both going to have to suffer with it until the kittens are 8 weeks old, she can't be given metronidazole until the kittens are mostly weaned.

But last night she did lose the mucus plug. I'll spare you the details of how I know that for sure, but I do. And she has clearly "dropped", so I think things are moving into place. The babies sure are an active crew. I hate to disappoint any of the pool participants who guessed a low number of kittens, but I've felt at least 5 different kittens moving and I'm guessing there are more than that. There's one little (?) guy (actually, he feels pretty big) just below her last right rib down toward the bottom of her belly who's been very, very active, I can feel the separate movements of all 4 legs. I think he's been practicing his litterbox digging technique. There's another one - a little quieter - right on top of him, but up under the rib a little. I feel that one kicking when I put my hand on Irenie's back from the top. There's another closer to the rear than the first one. That one feels like it has littler feet, and feels more toward the middle than the right side like the others. Probably going to be the first one born. And there are at least 2 on the left side, too. At one point, I felt all of them move within a few seconds of each other, so I was sure nobody had relocated during that brief period.

Irenie likes me to hold her in my arms and support her belly. She puts her front legs across the crook of my elbow and I close my left arm around her putting my palm along her side. I put my right arm through her back legs (which she then relaxes and lets dangle), hold her belly in my palm, and hold her close to my chest/stomach so my body helps support her. I can feel the babies moving not only with the palms and fingers of both hands, I can feel them on my chest/stomach where Irenie's belly is resting on me. It tickles, and it's hard not to giggle.

With my luck, she'll have them while I'm gone to my obedience class tonight (this is the last class of this term) and I'll miss the whole thing. But I know she likes having me with her, so maybe not. Maybe she'll wait for me to get home.

On my way home from class I've got to remember to stop at Meijers. They sell bulk rawhide in chips, rolls, bones, and rings, every day price $4.99/pound (sale price $2.99/pound) and I'm starting to run low on "pacifiers" for the big dogs. (I still have a whole bunch of the little twist sticks for the little guys.) A big bag of Kitten Chow for Irenie, some multi-packs of canned food, too. I also need to pick up a big bag of the Meijer store brand dry cat food, there's been an increase in the amount of food being consumed at the outdoor dish (despite the increased availability of live food outdoors) and I need to stock up on "feral food". (The ingredients are about equivalent to the Friskies or Whiskas dry foods, and it's only $7 for a 20-pound bag. If it's on sale, it's only $5/bag.) I need birdseed for the feeder, too. Yogurt for Irenie, half and half for me.

Now...... who do I take to class with me tonight? Tonight is split into two sections - Fun and Games, and a CGC practice run after the break. In the Fun and Games part, I talk about dog sport, trick training, and then I set up an "obstacle" course. What looks like a fun obstacle course to them is actually a course of traps and triggers, designed to ferret out how each dog will react to the kinds of things they may encounter on walks out in public. At the beginning of the course are two "traffic" cones, the task is to walk the dog in a figure-8 around them. Next comes a low jump. (A broom handle held up at either end by the low railing at the back of a couple of folding chairs, maybe 4" off the ground.) Another cone, where they are to sit, down, and stay. Next is group of 6 cardboard blueprint tubes separated by 3-4", the task is to walk the dog over/through the tubes. (Awareness of foot placement, simulates something like tree branches across a path.) Next, heel past a flock of "ducks". (Some wicker duck and turkey baskets, I want to get some plastic decoys to use instead, but it's surprising how many dogs bark at those baskets!) Another jump. Another down/stay. An 8' length of plastic floor runner to walk across (unusual texture underfoot). A hula hoop on the floor, get the dog inside the hoop and do a sit-to-down. A low plastic storage tub, walk the dog through the box. (This one is really tough for a lot of dogs, even without water in it.) I need a tunnel, and I need it to fit into my little car for transporting, I'm still trying to figure something out.

People are always amazed at their dogs' reaction to the obstacle course, at what the dogs handle with aplomb and what they react unexpectedly to. (I usually know ahead of time which dogs are going to have problems and which aren't, but they catch me off-guard at times, too.) By the time they've been through the course twice, they'll have a good idea what sorts of things their dogs might react to so they can work on those areas.

After that I talk about agility, flyball, formal obedience, therapy dog work, rally obedience, whatever I think might be satisfying to each dog and handler, and give them some suggestions for local trainers/classes for those things. I demonstrate and explain clicker training. Then a short potty break, and the CGC run-throughs.

I've got one student whose sweet chunky little pug/beagle mix is just about ready to take the test; he and his handler have come so far in the last 6 weeks and she's really pleased. Those are the students that make teaching fun. After I run her and Benny through the test and tell her what needs to be polished before he's ready, I'll give her Chris's number and tell her she should call Chris when Benny's ready, and Chris will test him. (I'm not an AKC CGC evaluator, Chris is.)

I've also got the big Malinois boy Raven, who is close to being ready to take the test too. His handler hasn't started moving away from him on a 'stay' yet, but once he's got a good 'stay' he'll be ready. This is Raven's second term with me. His handler is perfectly capable of teaching him the basic obedience stuff (sit, down, stay, come, leave-it, off, etc.), but he was extremely timid and spooky - and highly reactive - when he first came to class. He desperately needed socialization. I'm so pleased with how he's progressed. He's a totally different dog than he was when I met him the beginning of February. I was a little afraid of him then, but I'm very comfortable with him now. When I met him I had to be very careful not to even appear to be leaning over him, now I can bend over him, wrap my arms around him, and hug him. The first time I touched his leg just below his shoulder, he snapped at the air next to my ear. Now I can pick up both front feet and play with them and he doesn't protest. If he were a rescue dog I wouldn't place him with the general public, I couldn't trust that he wouldn't bite if he felt insecure. But his owner is aware of his issues and committed to, and capable of, managing them, and I feel confident she'll be able to handle him so he's safe.

It'll be nice to be able to stay home on Monday nights for the next few weeks.

Still Waiting......

I sat up with Irenie until 4:30 this morning, I was sure she was getting ready to queen. Nothing happening, so I finally went to bed.

She hasn't eaten since late yesterday afternoon. Isn't even interested in the food dish.

It really can't be very long now. I can't stand waiting!

Tonight's the Night?

Well, at least I think it is. Irenie's appetite disappeared this afternoon. This evening she's lying on the cool bathroom floor purring like crazy and grunting softly from time to time. She'd rather be on the floor getting petted than be on my lap getting petted. I checked her bottom, she's swollen and it sure looks like something's going to happen soon.

She's too rotund to reach her bottom, so I'm going to have to keep a close watch on her in case I have to help out with the first few.

If something happens I'll update this post later.

Getting To Know You.....

It's always fun to get to know a new dog, to discover the temperament and personality of the dog behind the initial impression. I'm enjoying my new girl, very much. As I was on my way back to the pound yesterday to get her, the name "Tansy" came into my head. "Eh," I thought, "we'll see." When I discovered she was full of "dreadlocks", Jamaica popped into my head. Then I remembered a friend and co-worker from... gosh, about 20 years ago already. She was Jamaican, and her name was Pansy. Tansy, Pansy, close enough for me! So yesterday I was calling my new girl Pansy. But it just doesn't sit right, and Tansy does. So now she's Tansy. Tansy T. Nannydog.

She's very gentle. And she loves kids. She enjoyed visiting with the tomato-snitcher and her little brother yesterday evening. This morning when I let her out, the tomato-snitcher came flying over to the fence. Tansy's head and tail both came up, her tail started to wag, and she ran right over to the fence and sat down to be petted. I love dogs that love kids! And it's going to be a strong asset in matching her with a good home.

She let me cut out some more mats today, I've gotten all the mats that ringed her neck around her collar. She's lots more comfortable. There are still some mats on her flanks and rear, but she's touchier about me messing with those so I'll just work on them a little bit at a time. I did manage to clip her front feet this afternoon; when I held her foot she yelped and tried to pull away but, when she realized I wasn't going to let go (I was just calmly but firmly holding her foot and waiting for her to settle down) she tucked her head under my arm and let me clip. That's got to feel better, too, I took off at least half an inch of nail and now her feet are flat on the floor, instead of having the toes twisted sideways by the long nails. I'll work on the rear feet tomorrow.

She moves pretty good for a fat girl. She really covers some ground when she trots, and she's graceful despite her bulk. She's very easygoing and inoffensive, and she's very well-behaved in the house. She's been loose in the house since this morning, except for half an hour when I fed her earlier, I think I probably won't even crate her at night after a week or so. (Maybe sooner. Might just move the Springer boy into Tansy's crate when I bring him home on Weds.)

Tonight, I discovered Tansy already knows how to sit when asked. I'll have to see what else she knows. She takes treats very gently, and does not resource guard - I was able to take a rawhide chip out of her mouth without the least sign of protest. I'll wait to place her, and I'll test her in different situations to be sure, but I'm thinking she could go to a home with even young children.

When I woke up this morning, I was lying on my left side and Ivy was tucked into the back of my knees. I just reached down and started petting her, she rolled onto her back and stretched while I skritched her tummy, then she curled back up and nudged my hand with her head, so I rubbed and massaged her head and ears for almost 5 minutes. She's such a funny little thing, most of the time she's really spooky and I have to sneak to pet her, but not this morning! Watch, she'll go back to being aloof now.

Irenie's enormous, and she's eating close to 3 cups of kitten food every day. I'm starting to think she's carrying a litter of Great Dane pups.

I'm a klutz. Thursday, I slipped on a plastic bag on the floor in the garage and ended up doing the splits. Nice to know I'm still flexible enough to do them, but a little stretch and warm-up first would have been nice. I pulled the muscles in my left thigh and my left hamstring, and overstretched the muscle in my right inner thigh. Probably because I was sore and moving a little stiffly yesterday, I tripped over the Springer boy when I was at the pound and went sprawling on the concrete floor. Banged my right knee, pulled my back. By last night I hurt so bad I couldn't sit comfortably, anywhere. I'm still sore today but it's dulled a little from yesterday and at least I'm not as stiff as I was last night. Another good night's sleep and I should be feeling lots better.

Yes, I'm going back to the pound on Wednesday to get Simon. The Springer/BC mix. (I don't know where 'Simon' came from, but that's his name.) When I get him cleaned up, I'll get some good pics of both him and Nellie and get bios of them off to BC rescue, who'll do a courtesy listing for them on their site. I'm also going to contact the local rescue group. I met one of their volunteers at the pound yesterday, same woman I met the day I pulled Nellie. I know she liked Tansy and wished she could have taken her. I'm hoping they'll be willing to do courtesy listings for me, too. I'll do an 8-1/2 X 11 ad with pic and "bio" for Tansy and post it on the tackboard at my mom's grocery store. I think she'll appeal to the population in that area, and I just feel that's where I'm going to find the right home for her.

You know who Tansy would be a really good match for? Bobbie. But I'm not going to ask her, and the logistics of a transport would be tough anyway.

The Hummers are Back!

As I sat here looking out the window and thinking, a little dark blur darted up to the feeder outside the window. First one. Little guy looked thin, I'm glad the feeder was there to refresh him after his long journey. I love these little guys, I'm so glad they're back!

Snickers is getting easier. He let me pet him yesterday afternoon. He saw my hand coming and not only didn't move away but stood still and elevator-butted so I could skritch at the base of his tail. Then he came and curled up on the floor about a foot away from my feet. I think, I hope, he's going to be a big-time cuddler some day.

Ivy let me pet her yesterday, too. That means the only cat I won't be able to Frontline this year is Roo. I'll have to be sneaky with Snickers and Ivy but it's doable. It's not, with Roo.