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Category Archives: Pets
Rocky being Rocky
(Someone was upset because he is not getting enough exposure in these pages. So this post is to satisfy demands of furry creatures and restore peace and tranquility)
In case you were wondering what’s been going on with our Editor – in- Chief, well, I think he’s retired.
Editor in Chief
He seems to find more satisfaction in a basket of clothes fresh from the dryer. Oh yes, they must still be warm…And sports fans will remember “Manny being Manny”… I think we have a case of Rocky being Rocky. 🙂
It’s A Furry, Furry World
It’s been quite awhile since I updated everyone on my 3 cat home life. What brought it to mind was the chaos being reaped this morning. I heard a series of loud bumps and bangs and then a horrible crash. No sleeping in this morning! (For me anyway)
I dashed into the living room to see what had been destroyed this time only to see 3 innocent looking faces staring at me. No one was at war, everyone sitting calmly. Hmmmm maybe a bit toooo calmly.
As I began to get their breakfast together I began to see the signs. My electric  fry pan that lives on my counter when not in use was still on the counter, but it hung precariously.
The small cat tree that arrived with Buddy was tipped over.
OK nothing broken. I fed them breakfast, refreshed the water and headed in to clean the kitty litter. My life revolves around mundane kitty chores before I can take my shower and have my breakfast.
Before I even started the first scoop a cat ran between my legs, nearly tripping me and bolted back toward the living room…Buddy. Right on his heels came an orange streak that nearly bowled me over….Rocky! Up over the back of the couch, a leap past the TV and the 2 raced to the dining room where Rocky bolted to the top of the china cabinet. Buddy wisely refused to try !
A few minutes later Rocky jumped down with a thud and the two crazy cats plopped down in the middle of the floor  to groom.
Back to the chores I went. Then into the shower.
When I stepped out dripping wet there was Buddy making himself at home on my clean towel. Although I got him off the towel he wasn’t leaving. This cat is addicted to the hair dryer. In his little kitty mind he’s figure out that shower = hair dryer. So another ritual has been born. I just can’t take a picture when I have the hair dryer in my hands.
Finally I’m ready to sit down to my breakfast. So that means it’s time for Smokey to get in the act. His “thing” is to sit and stare at me as I try to enjoy breakfast. It’s his hope that I’ll drop something he can grab.
With the hot weather we’ve been having Smokey is a walking fur factory. He leaves a trail of kitty fur where ever he goes. Constant vacuuming (the rug)and brushing (his hair)Â has not seemed to make much of a difference.
Smokey is the referee. Buddy and Rocky get into some major tussles and if they get out of hand the clawless wonder (Smokey) jumps in an breaks it up. Hard to believe but the smallest, oldest and the only declawed cat in the household is the one to break up the fights that get out of hand. Give him a striped shirt!
Most of the fights seem to be play fights but every now and then it gets intense. That’s when Smokey jumps in and hits them with his paw! I try not to laugh. But they both pay attention and “stand down”.
Never a dull moment! But don’t they all look so innocent?
Baby Alpacas
If you have been following my posts for awhile you may remember a post from last November about a “Teeny, Tiny, Farm-ette”. In that post I introduced a friend’s little farm where he tends to Silky Chickens, alpacas, pygmy goats and horses along with dogs, cats and a parrot or two.
About a week ago he called me to ask if I still liked taking pictures of baby “critters”. Of course I said yes. At the time of the call he had a 2 day old Alpaca baby. I couldn’t go visit right away so the baby was about a week old when I got there.
The baby had a friend, another baby Alpaca that was 2 weeks old and an”older” friend that was about a month old.
I was surprised how big they were for so young but as grazing animals they would have to be able to get around quickly if they were in the wild to escape predators. I had a chance to pet one, not just take pictures and I understand why they are so valued for their wool. They are so soft and fluffy. They are softer than they look.
Mama didn’t like too much attention being showered on her young one but she behaved, no spitting but she did stick out her tongue once to show her displeasure.
They had more baby pygmy goats but when I went into the pen they crowded around me so much I couldn’t get any pictures. They were funny as they tried to chew on my jeans and nibble on my sneakers.
As I was preparing to leave I found out that some baby “silkies” had just hatched so a quick stop by the nest box yielded a picture of this tiny chick.
It’s easy to see how Animal Planet can make a series called “Too Cute” about baby animals because they are just that…too cute!
Home Again But Not For Long
The Alaska trip was fun and pretty relaxing. When you put yourself in the hands of the cruise line they handle everything, at least Princess did. It’s not the kind of vacation I’m used to but change is good. 🙂
After we arrived in Albany International Airport We took the park and fly shuttle to Sandy’s car , then drove back to her house for my car…with a stop on the way for breakfast at the Golden Corral. Yummm. I’m afraid I’m spoiled over breakfast between the cruise buffets, the Alaskan Breakfasts at the lodge and now Golden Corral, how will I ever give that up once I’m home?
Speaking of home, as much as I wanted to get back to see my kitties I had to grab a nap before I tackled the drive. It’s about 3 hours but traffic can change that in a minute. I knew I needed to be alert. So I grabbed a couple of hours sleep before I left New York and when I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open , I pulled into one of the rest areas on the turnpike for another 30 minutes of naptime.
Finally home! My 3 fuzzy roommates greeted me at the door and began inspecting my bags enjoying all the strange smells from the trip.
This was Saturday. Sunday I unpacked and made reservations to turn around and head back to Seattle, this time for work. Yup one week home and I’m traveling again.
We’ll see how this back to back travel works out. Thankfully my pet sitter is available again.