Animal News for October 1, 2009

You know you have to go to my new improved wonderful stupendous blog here to read these stories don't you? it's not here, you have to click on the link above to go there. If you don't know it yet I have a bunch of animal stories about a lost dog, a yorkie and a thief, my lab/golden retriever, my bichon frise, my daughters yorkie poo and a cat emancipator. Oh yeah the Gosselins and a woman eating goldfish and the dog flu too.
So go to my new blog PLEEAZE? I mean I've had like 1500 visitors a day here when I blogged about Obama's choice of a Labradoodle or a Portugese Water Dog. So how many do I get on my new blog like 6, a day. I'm not complaining or anything (yes I am WHINE WHINE) but I would really like to make a go of my new blog since I own it? So if you want these stories or are the tiniest bit curious go HERE.
Or if you want to read about my probably wrong opinions or my boring life you can go visit Tresa's Blog.
Right now I have to go pick up my medicine which I ordered @ a pharmacy that didn't take my insurance (duhhh) so I had to have it transferred, grocery shop and fix supper for the guys which I enjoy believe it or not! The cooking thing, not picking up medicine.

The End Of The Mockingbird? And A Photo Of My Leg

When I let Dispatch and Mugsey out this morning (yes Mugsey had been slightly skunked but it wore off thank goodness) I was greeted with a small pile of feathers by the back door, the picture was taken later after the wind had scattered them. They appeared to be, could it be? Mockingbird feathers! If you don't know the tale of the mockingbird you can go here, and here, and here to read about it. BTW the guest in the bedroom in the last post was awake quite early on vacation days because Mr. Mockingbird kept it up. Mr. Mockingbird also had a habit of deciding he needed to sing in a bush by my bedroom window @ 3 am. I wondered why the cats didn't try to catch him.

Every few days I am honored with the cats presents by the back door or between there and the feeding shelf, in the past month the gifts have been feathers probably 4 days, two snakes one of which was brilliant green and large, several mice, and several partial mice. Kitties have been busy, we have lots of toads, evidently toads and frogs can live in the feline kingdom of the yard of Paris Hilton the tomcat and Meany the lovable mama cat among others. You have to remember these cats have food available 24/7, they just like to kill things which is OK, they are supposed to kill mice. We have no mice problem now, they are supposed to kill snakes (or @ least I hoped they would), we've had no live snakes here for more than a month which is some sort of record. The birds? Well evidently kitties aren't as slow as they look. I'm afraid the mockingbird or one mockingbird was among the deceased birds which were sparrows till now I think. Doesn't Dispatch look like "Bird, what bird, I didn't kill any bird, it's HOT out here!" in the second picture?

Now for the leg photo's. First some history, I had lyme four years ago, yeah it's been that long!! And I'm like 95% recovered which is all anyone can ask for. Second bit of history that may or may not be relative. My dad had phlebitis, blood clots, took heparin or whatever they gave him for probably over 30 years. He was hospitalized with them several times. I never took "the pill" because of his blood clots and my supposed predisposition to them.

I sent these photo's to my kids, one is a nurse, one is training to be a vet assistant, and my cousin who has had medical training, so far I've gotten a I don't know from the vet assistant and the nurse who is with her. Background, a month or so ago I noticed my leg was slightly red on the inside of the right one. BTW I don't have FAT FAT legs, it's the pictures, actually my body is fat and my legs are skinny, that said we will continue. I then noticed I had a sore spot (like a deep bruise or small muscle pull) which was getting worse toward the bone right below the knee, no injury, two long car rides but this started before that I think. About a week ago, maybe 4 or 5 days I noticed the red spot on my inner thigh right above my knee, it's worse @ night, not visible in the mornings, till this morning and then it went away after I'd been up a bit. When it turns red it's swollen and warm or hot to the touch but then after I sleep all night it's like it isn't there, it's a little sore below if I poke it but nothing excruciating, I know it's there now but it's just a bit stiff feeling unless I push on it and I don't want to do that? Ideas? I haven't had any ticks on that leg I don't think, actually I haven't had many ticks @ all this year, I do use off, and if it's a blood clot shouldn't it be like PAINFUL??? The red is getting bigger and spreading upwards, @ least tonight. I do have insurance but I'm not one to run to the Dr. obviously, I did go to the dentist today because I'm trying to be like grown up and responsible and my tooth was ugly. Anyway any ideas on the redness and swelling? The small scratch is just that a tiny scratch, don't think it's infection. The spots are grass from mowing. After looking @ these pictures I feel almost obligated to put real pictures of my legs on here but really they aren't fat.

Two Kittens Who Went On a Ride

I got home from work the other day, my daughter and granddaughter were @ my house because I'm watching Opal the English Bulldog for her while they are on a trip. We were sitting there talking in the family room and I park my car on what used to be the driveway for the garage which is now a family room. All of a sudden we hear a bunch of mewing and then the kdddrrrrmm of the mama cat calling kittens. Mama cat was on my tire on my car looking around. I had had a cat go through the engine last summer and thought OH NO!! My daughter volunteered to go look, I'm not squeamish but she was here and she did volunteer. So she did, I stayed inside and she opened the hood as I watched through the window. She's a nurse she can take it, she looked around and there were two kittens @ the top of the fender sort of wedged in behind a support or dividing wall. I went out and it probably took 5 minutes of pushing and pulling gently of course, there was some sort of hot plastic tank close by, my daughter said don't pull the hose off it will scald them, I'm like what about ME, I'm here too and about as stuck. The gray one had it's head stuck and we finally got it out then the reddish one came out easily.

I'd seen the dogs looking under the car when I left for work but thought it was a wild animal like a mouse as the cats avoid the car like the plague when it's running and it had been idling a bit. I never thought about kittens, in fact I didn't know I had kittens, I knew Meanie had a kitten as in one kitten in the log cabin but I'd never seen it except once from about 100 ft and it was on the second story. This is a picture of the mama and the red one after the incident, the gray one was hiding under the red one.

The kittens were not to impressed with humans after that. Evidently they had stayed under the hood all day, I park close to a fairly busy road and the noise kept them under the hood or they were stuck all day. They are now living in the hedges by the cat shelf, sort of under the bar b que grill. They are still not impressed with humans. I can't say as I blame them. I have no idea if there were more than two, I told everyone where I work that if there were kittens in the parking lot they were mine but old enough to go live somewhere else. Not being cold or callus but we have 6 cats and two kittens now. These new kittens have no names other than grey survivor and red survivor. Mama looks like she couldn't kill a mouse but I've seen her take mice to them, she also told Opal the bulldog which end was up when she went toward the kittens hiding place. Opal had never been around cats before so now she's dealing with mean hissing attacking cats and a bichon that really doesn't want to share his mommy. Plus other dogs who really aren't into sharing but Opal is a sweetie. This is a picture of the bichon, bulldog, schnauzer, lab, and the terrier under the chair.

So that is the tale of the kittens ride.

Obsessive Mockingbird

This Mockingbird has been trying to get in the picture window since Saturday (see previous post). He's persistent if nothing else. The cats are all on the other side of the house, in fact they (6 cats) met me @ the door this morning when I let the dogs out to tell me their giant food dish was empty. Not that I'd want the cats to get the mockingbird but the bird has to QUIT @ some point?
Now I'm obsessive about my day off nap even though it's a gorgeous day in the mid 60s. Still nap time!