pupdate now with more socks

update on the pup. she's fitting in beautifully. the crate is still in the living room but only because we need to replace it with an end table next to the couch. need something to put the lamp on dontchaknow.

we had to use the crate for only a very short time. she has adjusted to the cats quite nicely and vice versa. want proof? ok. here's proof.



what? too far apart? hows this, then.



really? still too far apart? jeez. ok you doubters.



see that ferocious little cat face? she's trying to chew on sophie's paw. she is also partial to sophie's ears. sophie, for her part, likes to flea-bite dinky. *sigh* those two.

jenger is still keeping her distance, although she has, at times, actually rubbed up against our little sophie. no pictures of that rare occurrence. we're just grateful sophie isn't inclined to chase her like prey.

now for the sock portion of this post. i'm trying to get my sock mojo back. i've been putting in time on non-sock related knitting and realized my sock situation is getting desparate. time for socks! going for a pretty basic sock just to get going again. trouble is, i think i need to switch out to my metal needles. these wood ones, beautiful though they may be, are just a little to grabby for me. i'm struggling just to do a round at a time. want to see? ok.



yeah. just the toe getting started and it's taking way too long to get to this part. i'm hoping switching out the needles will help. i'm using stroll kettle-dyed sock yarn in "jay" for the toes and heels. (it looks like they're phasing that particular yarn out but the equivalent yarn is the regular stroll sock yarn.) i'm using this particular yarn because it has some nylon in it and i need that to keep the toes and heels from wearing out too fast. for the body of the sock i'll be using a beautiful handpainted yarn in purples. when i get to that part i'll take a picture.

onward and upward!

sophie, world. world, sophie.

who's a pretty girl? who's a pretty girl?


Sophie is a pretty girl!

oh, and that crate in the background? doesn't look like we're going to need it. she is such a sweet tempered little girl and seems to be housebroken. it's only been a day so we'll give it more time before deciding for sure.

and just for fun, here's a pic of her in the magic room (good things find their way to her tummy here)

and one of her having her dinner


good dog!

mother's day - new beginnings

i'm going to have a dog again!

we went to our local shelter (warl) on mother's day and started the search. i didn't know what would happen; would we find a dog right away? how long would the process take?

well, yes, we did find a dog right away. she was in the 3rd section we looked at. such a pretty friendly little girl. she was rooming with another friendly dog, a boy named homer, and we just couldn't quit petting her and looking at her. i meant to make the rounds and check out all the dogs but just couldn't leave her. my husband said "i really like her". so we took her to a little room so we could interact with her without a lot of distractions. so sweet. and SMART. oh yes, i could tell right away that she's a smart girl.

we still have two cats so any dog we bring in will have to be able to co-exist with them. that is a deal breaker. they "cat-tested" her while we were there so we could see how she reacted to a cat.

i always wondered how dogs are "cat-tested". conjures up some interesting imagery to be sure. well, what they do is put a cat in a large cage (or crate) in one of their offices then bring in the dog on a leash. the first thing is to see what the dog does when s/he sees the cat then go from there. our new puppers didn't even notice the cat at first then, when she went over to check the cat out, the cat hissed at her! she ducked her head and kind of backed away. i figure we can work with that.

we pick her up tonight. tonight!

i dreamed about her last night. i dreamed she was sleeping on the bed with us. it was a lovely dream.

tonight!

too painful

it is still too painful to go into detail. suffice it to say our beautiful dog is no longer with us. she was the best and most beautiful dog i have ever known.

i love you rene.

quiet miracles

last monday my husband came home to find our precious dog on the floor unable to get up on her own. it was time for the hard talk. we made the decision and i told him he had to call our daughter who was away at school and tell her. i was unable to at the time for purely emotional reasons. she had to be given the opportunity to come home and be here. we made the decision to have things taken care of by saturday. we are very fortunate to have a wonderful vet who makes house calls and she was set to come by sometime in the early evening on saturday.

tuesday the pup was no better. wednesday pretty much the same...

but...

sometime in the night she had gotten up on her own and got off her bed. i know this because later that night i woke up to hear her getting back on her bed. she sleeps on the floor next to my side of the bed.

thursday she was getting up on her own. she was a little shaky but she was doing it. by thursday evening she was doing so much better.

friday. friday she was looking like her old self. well, the old self that is still a very old dog but, still. friday evening when our daughter got in we had made the decision that we would have the vet still come over, see how the puppers was doing, see if any hard decisions needed to be made at that time.

saturday she was doing so well we decided that when we talked to the vet it would be with the purpose of finding out what we should look for; what we should keep an eye out for; how we could be sure we weren't jumping the gun. late saturday we got a call from our vet that she was running late. she had been out that day with her little family and they had just gotten back. i told her what was going on and we made the decision for her to come by on sunday instead.

when we lost andre we had really let it go far beyond the point we should have. we were all in denial. my husband said he didn't want to let things go so far with rene. we also didn't want to err on the other side and let her go too soon. it was so helpful to talk to our vet and have her tell us what to look for so we could make the right decision at the right time.

she was, quite frankly, amazed that rene is still doing so well considering her advanced age, her failing liver and her loss of muscle mass in her hind-quarters. you just wouldn't know it to look at her. the vet agreed with us that now is not the time. rene is really doing well. she doesn't appear to be in a lot of pain, she still gets excited for her treats, her food and her walkies with her daddy.

our quiet miracle. she is still with us.

it was the best of times it was the worst of times

she came to us around thanksgiving 13 years ago. she was our thanksgiving dog and we truly gave thanks for her. many thanksgivings have come and gone since then. she will be leaving us this weekend.

she has given us so much and has asked so little in return; just to be loved. we have loved her. oh have we loved her. she is the best dog in the world. she is the perfect dog for us. she is loving and sweet. she is beautiful.

she was so cowed when she came to live with us. she had been mistreated. she didn't bark, she was extremely skittish. after a time she became less skittish and learned how to bark all over again. she has made sure everyone who passes in front of our house knows it is being looked after by the best dog in the world. we always thank her for "letting them know".

one of the best things, the most heartwarming, is seeing her asleep on the floor, on her back with her tummy exposed. this shows great comfort with her surroundings; great trust that her people mean her no harm.

her little cat has been staying close, oh so close these past few weeks. we all love her so much.

we figure her age to be around 16. she has lived a good long life; most of it spent with a family who treasures her.

we remember her running in great loops in the back yard head up and tail wagging. so full of life and fun. so graceful and proud. she loves us all and shows it in every fiber of her being. we all love her and praise her for being such a good dog.she loves going for her nightly walk with her daddy. i think her daddy likes it, too.

the house is going to be so empty.

my beautiful boy

we've had andre for quite a while. he is, for all intents and purposes, my husband's cat but he makes sure he gives his love to us all. he is my friend, my buddy.







and he will soon, all too soon, no longer be with us. we love him so.

as any good hand-wash sweater instructions will tell you

not to brag but...

Isn't she pretty?

You first met Jenger here. She is the sweetest little girl. Lately, she's been keeping me company by sitting on the arm of my chair when I'm knitting. She'll stand there and talk to me and butt her head into my hand and lift that little fuzzy paw up almost like she's raising her hand. And purr purr purr.

We love this little girl.

fur(less) baby friday

I'm probably the last to see this but I just had to share in case I'm not.

NAIROBI(AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond wit a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said. The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.

"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows
the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting
its biological mother," Kahumbu added.

"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.


We all want this to be true. Turns out, it is.

fur baby friday

Behold the hulk.

I know he's not green and, all in all, he's always happy, and his name is really Andre but... just look at him! And do you see that bald tummy?

One day, when we were still in Texas, we were living quite happily with a cat, Jenger, and a dog, Rene. We, being good parents, decided they needed some toys. Packing up the kiddo we made a trek down to the local PetsMart. Wouldn't you know it; it was one of those "adopt a pet" weekends.

Of course, the kiddo made a bee-line for the cats and kittens. We found a gorgeous black cat that was just a love. Got to talking to the people there; this cat wasn't so good with dogs. Well, that wouldn't work out for us since we had a dog. Oh well, kiddo. Guess it just wasn't meant to be.

Then.

THEN.

I saw this cat. This pretty cat. This handsome cat. This cat that was sitting in his little cage just purring away with the happiest, most satisfied face I think I have ever seen. I went over to this cat. I started petting this cat. I held this cat. I ... well, I guess you see where this is going.

They warned us "He likes to bite when he's really happy". They were right. One of his many nicknames is "bitey cat". I've learned to present him with a knuckle; that way he can't work it to the back of his teeth and really chomp down.

I don't believe Jenger has ever really forgiven us for changing her status as "only cat" and Rene just takes things as they come. The rest of us are eternally grateful, however, for my new "executive decision". Yes. It was me. My husband just sighed and went along with it. Of course, Andre is a real daddy's boy. Wouldn't you just know it?

Oh, about that bald tummy. We just assumed he had some surgery where they had to shave him and it would grow back. Nope. He licks himself bald.

And, that's my boy.

are we there yet? are we there yet? are we there yet?

I'm going to be on vacation for a week and don't know if I'll be able to get internet access. I'm taking the laptop but I'm staying with my parents and my cell phone doesn't even get coverage there!

So...

Here's some cat candy for your amusement.

digit's story

This is in keeping with fur baby friday. Please click here and read Digit's story. I have added a link on my sidebar to the drawing set up to help defray his vet expenses (which are going to be very high). Please consider donating.

Quite a plucky little cat.

fur baby friday

Behold the Queen. This is Jenger (pronounced Ginger). Today is all about her.

When we were still living in Texas my daughter, a second grader, and I were taking a walk around our neighborhood. As we were walking down the street I heard someone holler at us. We looked up and a friend was waving at us to come on up to her apartment. This was the mother of a friend of my daughter. We went on up and stayed awhile. They had cats. They had a *lot* of cats. So many that she said they had to get rid of one. A kitten. She called her "the baby" because, well, she was. This beautiful little aloof kitten that all the other cats were trying to impress. Even then she had "IT".

Oh, it was so sad she said. They were going to have to take this kitten to the pound. I agreed. That was indeed sad. Why not try a shelter? Surely that would be better. No, no. It was going to be the pound. So sad. Well, we stayed a little longer with my daughter all over this kitten. This aloof (oh so sad) kitten. Before we left, I told my friend to contact me before taking the kitten to the pound. You know, just ... call me. No promises.

My daughter and I walked back slowly to the house and by the time we got home I announced that I was making an executive decision. I informed my husband we were going back for the kitten.

Yeah. "Sucker" was stamped on my forehead. I'm pretty sure of that.

Well, we drove over and on the way back I insisted on holding the kitten even though my daughter begged. I knew this would be the last chance for me to do so. Once we got home I informed my daughter that this was her kitten. All hers. They have been fast friends ever since. She can do things with that cat that no one else can. She announced the name of the kitten was Ginger. Some time later, she wrote on her blackboard "I love Jenger". "So who's Jenger?" I asked, pronouncing it like it looks.

That was how I came to find out that Ginger can be spelled more than one way by a little girl pure of heart and filled with love.



Thus ends this "tail" of Queen Jenger, the Beloved.

fur baby friday

Let's take the other side of this pair now. This is Dinky. Her name used to be Pumpkin but that never seemed to stick. Dinky? Now that works so much better.

We had been living in Maryland for a while with our 1 dog and 2 cats. One evening my husband stuck his head in the front door and said "there's a cat in the tree". My daughter and I immediately accounted for the 2 cats then realized he was talking about another cat.

Well, we rushed outside and looked up in the tree. Sure enough, there was a kitten there. My husband was coming around from the back with a ladder. I warned him before going up there "you know what this means, don't you?". He sighed and said he did. He went up in the tree and plucked this (then) tiny little thing out and she immediately started purring. I swear there's a mark on our house.

"Suckers for animals live here"

She almost immediately fell in love with Rene. Rene adopted her. Dinky thinks she's a dog. She'll run to the front door with Rene when Rene is barking at someone and Dinky will growl at them. She'll come up and nuzzle Rene, lay on the ground and chew on her ears, muzzle whatever. She'll attack Rene's tail. Meanwhile, Rene will just lay there looking up at me with a "what am I gonna do?" expression.

Now no longer dinky in size the name has nevertheless stuck as has she. We love her.

Bunches and bunches.

fur baby friday

This is my dog (Rene) and one of my three cats (Dinky). All of our animals are rescues in one way or another. These two are devoted to each other. Can you tell?

Today is Rene's story.

Rene came to us when we were still living in Texas. One day my daughter ran into the house and said "Mommy! There's a dog outside!" Well, that's all *I* needed. We went outside and coaxed her up onto our porch. She was very shy and skittish. Someone hadn't been very nice to her. She looked to be in good health, clean, not under-nourished but very very skittish. I finally was able to get her relaxed enough to fall asleep in my lap. That was in the evening. When my daughter and I went back in the house I told her if the pup was still there in the morning we were keeping her.

The next morning came and we rushed outside .... and the puppy dog was gone. Well, we started looking for her and, lo and behold, our neighbors thought she *was* our dog and had put her in their back yard! I have no idea why they thought she was ours. They didn't see us with her the evening before. Needless to say, we went right over and claimed her as ours. It took a while but she finally got over the worst of her skittishness. For the first two years we didn't think she could bark. Well, she has disabused us of *that* notion!

Can you imagine having to coax your dog onto the couch? Took us a while to get her comfortable with that idea. When she would come in from the rain and we would get a towel to dry her off, the towel would absolutely freak her out. Sometimes I wonder just what was done to her. As she's gotten older she has started getting more skittish again. She sticks to me like glue when she's feeling that way.

I love this dog. This is the best dog in the world.