Odd Man...In!

Well there I was, back to an even number. What’s a cat lady to do… Oh hello Petfinder, how did you pop up on my screen?
He had the face of an angel! They called him “Garth”. I quickly made arrangements to travel to the big city that night with a friend; we shall call her Jenkins (I hate navigating the big city alone).
Jenkins and I made it there minutes before closing and to my disappointment Garth was nowhere to be found. As a last ditch effort I tried to recruit the help of the employees most of which were only interested in closing and going home for the evening. Thankfully one gentleman was especially helpful and directed me to his special section. Is it even possible to just look at kittens!?!? I was able to sweet talk the gentleman into letting me adopt since I had come sooo far out of my way even though they were technically closed.

Meet: Garth Gunrack Jenkins

Alias;
My Special lil Guy
Buddy
Big Boy
Galloping Garth
Girth
Dork
Garthamundus

Garth; because I feel they should always retain their roots, plus it’s a fun and fitting name.
Gunrack; because the name Garth brings to mind Wayne’s World and my favorite quote from the movie… “A gun rack? A gun rack. Schaaa right! I don’t even own A gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack! What am I gonna do with a gun rack!?”
Jenkins; after the dear friend who helped me navigate my way to my special lil guy.

He is by all means a special cat. He even gets talked to in a special voice.

He sees Karma and her delicate ninja skills and tries to mimic her which more often than not becomes a comedy of errors. He is a rather large and awkward beast, both the vet and I agree he has some Maine Coon in him (and he’s still growing).

I’ve lost track of how many times he has fallen out of the apple trees now.

He has a medium length coat and seems to be oblivious to the “hitchhikers” he picks up along the way. Thank goodness Karma has some strong motherly instincts and helps clean him up.

His favorite pass time is taking dirt baths (collecting hitchhikers)…

He also enjoys throwing his weight around with the other kids…

Karma is about to get it...and she knows it... (she's looking to me for help) Sorry kid, I'm just the photographer!

Who's chasing who?...

From One Cat Lady To Another

My feline herd was complete! at least so I thought…
I was at work minding my own business, but little to my knowledge there was someone plotting against me. We will call her “Sweet Al”. You see Sweet Al’s coworker’s daughter had found a stray kitten on the side of the road a few days prior. Sweet Al’s coworker just so happened to be a fellow Crazy Cat Lady (CCL) and already had eight cats of her own and couldn’t see taking in one more. So…Sweet Al told CCL to bring the kitten to work and I would take it home (she’s so sweet). I of course didn’t learn of this plot until it was way too late.
So there I was busy as a bee at my desk when Sweet Al and CCL approached me with a box. From the box they extracted a very petite and quite frankly goofy looking little black kitten. She had polydactyl front paws and she instantly clasped onto me. I didn’t have a chance in hell. She was coming home with me. Sweet Al knows me all too well.

Meet: Karma Karate Toes

Alias;
Ninja Ninja
Ninja Butt
Karma Karma Chameleon

Just look at that lil gremlin...

She did eventually grow into her ears...

She is the littlest ninja of them all... (that's her on the left next to Didymus)

and the stealthiest.... What she lacks in size she makes up for in wits and agility.

Her paws resemble boxing gloves and it never ceases to make me chuckle.

I have a feeling this little ninja has something to do with the dead mice and birds left as “presents” in the house, particularly my closet.

Her hobbies consist of refining her ninja skills (she can make it up the ladder to the garage roof in one swift maneuver).

Playing with Barbie…


and taking plastic bag inventory-regularly…

The Cat Lady Expands Her Horizons

I am a general lover of animals and I felt it was time to expand my horizons. I was ready for a puppy!

I searched online and found an “Urgent” need adoption listing for a cute lil pup. For two weeks I tried to contact the person in charge of this puppy that so urgently needed a home. I received responses that were very vague and frustratingly far apart, only to learn that the puppy I had my heart set on had found the “appropriate” family. I felt very disappointed as I didn’t even get the chance to prove that I could be that family!
I had nearly given up after being strung along for so long until one day I was perusing Craigs List and came across a rather interesting post. A woman…we will call her Large Marge, had adopted a puppy from a shelter but when she discovered it was not a pure bred lab she had no interest in keeping her. How sad. The post gave no indication that the puppy was up for adoption, she was more just venting her frustration towards the innocent little pup that was not what she had bargained for. On a whim I emailed her offering to take the puppy off of her hands.
Large Marge was an odd one from the get go, asking a rather high price for the supposed unwanted furball (even higher than what she had paid for her). I told her my price range was quite a bit lower and resigned myself to the thought that it wasn’t meant to be.
Not too long after I had started on my way home I received a call saying that my price would suffice and she just wanted the puppy gone.
I quickly made a U turn and headed for puppy!
When I pulled up I could hear a large dog barking endlessly-I got nervous, I know how puppies can pick up bad habits very fast.
I took a deep breath and approached the door…I knocked…
Before I could even introduce myself I had a puppy hastily thrust into my arms and an impatient hand waiting for money swaggering at me.
My mind was racing, something wasn’t quite right here, what was going on? But my instincts told me to just go, and that’s what I did. I handed her the money and I was quickly escorted out.

Meet: Vegas

Alias;
Vega-doo
Puppy Cuteness Butt
Pupper-Doo
Kitty Kitty
Stinky Stinky Poo Poo
Dingo
Naughty Naughty No No

Oh the overwhelming puppy cuteness...

Originally named Vega after Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction. I found Vegas rolled off the tongue better and got a more efficient response.
She has blossomed into an absolutely amazing pup. Gentle, sweet, and mild mannered.

The perfect size, big enough to be a “real” dog, yet small enough to transport and control easily (even pick up if it’s a must).
She loves car rides and thank goodness since she makes the long trek to and from work with me every day. She only whines when I turn the heat up to high for her comfort.

At work she is able to stay on Doggie Row where she gets oodles of exercise and interaction with other dogs. This makes for a nice calm ride home.

She is the perfect mix of energy...

and lazy bum bum...

and sometimes I just wonder if she knows she’s not a cat…

Speaking of mix…
Large Marge had told me that her vet had told her that Vegas was a Schipperke.
As she grew up and matured I had my doubts that she was any one breed. Everyone who looked at her made a different guess at what she was. The curiosity ended up getting the best of me and I ordered her a DNA testing kit…and what any red blooded American would do…took bets!
I received all sorts of wacky and interesting guesses (perhaps I will have to post them one day). But it was hard to say whether there was a winner or not…the results were rather vague to say the least. In fact so inconclusive that a rep had to call me to try and explain it to me. One of her first questions was “What color is your dog?”. When I told her black with a small white blaze I heard an exasperated sigh on the other end and a faint “oh no”.
She proceeded to explain that they affectionately refer to her type as “The Black Dog With White Blaze Breed”. The example she used was if you were to go into a Home Depot and take one drop of every color paint (breed) available and mix it together you would end up with a black dog with a white blaze, a Super Mutt if you will.
The only two breeds that came up on the test were a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Saint Bernard. They were obviously only very small traces waaaaaay back in her lineage with no actual relevance. Mystery solved (kind of). I love my Super Mutt!


Being the cat snob that I am I always told myself the dog would NOT be aloud on the furniture… NEVER on my highly prized $8 couch...

and NEVER on the bed!!! She is actually a really good snuggler.

Her hobbies include stealing firewood and turning it into woodchips...

training to be a cat... (Why can't I fit through here like you do!?!)

and attempting to ambush that damn squirrel that taunts her from the vine maple in the corner of the yard. She also enjoys splashing in her pool when the sun decides to show itself.

Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back

I honestly don’t know where I came up with the feather brained idea that I needed chickens. I don’t even care for eggs, or any breakfast foods for that matter. Or as I am more famously known for my quote of “I’m not a big fan of breakfast.”
I think it came about during my research for a self-sufficient life style which is my ultimate goal. It seemed that chickens were the ultimate starter livestock, and also fitting for a small scale plot such as mine.
There are plenty of local feed and livestock stores round these parts, but none of which had what I was looking for. I needed something special, something…dark. After all I wouldn’t want my flock to feel out of place here.

Meet: The Chickerdoos

The two laying hens/Australorps
Thing One & Thing Two

The Silkie Bantams
The Oompa Loompas

The Silkie Rooster
Cockerdoo

The Runner Duck
Padme
(She doesn't have very good posture for a runner duck...)

Here is Padme in her personal "pond".

She still doesn't understand why she is the only one to go for a swim.

They are a rather entertaining flock. I always joke that the silkies are like insane asylum patients, they never really seem to know what’s going on as they bobble around the yard.

Here they are having a dust bath party in one of my garden beds. Pile o' feathers!

Birthday Kitten

Kitten fever doesn’t go away as easily as you would think. Plus the kicker-I have a thing for “odd” numbers. Three; three is a nice round number. AND-the karate kicker-my birthday was rapidly approaching!
What better gift to give yourself than a kitten!?! I “stumbled” upon a (somewhat) local rescue called Feline Friends. The previous week they had a mama kitty and litter dropped off that were found abandoned by a dumpster behind a post office. All of the kittens had been adopted but one, an all black male. They had given him the name of Sparkle Monkey which immediately caught my attention. With a name and story like that-I knew he was meant to be mine!
I left early on my birthday to get there right as they opened. When I walked through the door and asked to see him they brought him out from the enclosure he shared with his mother and I held on tight. He was not especially friendly, almost feral even. He had already been through a lot in his short life.
I didn’t think twice at that moment, I brought that scared little Sparkle Monkey home!
The next few days were trying and I did question my decision. He would run and hide whenever I entered his room. I could tell he was uncomfortable and frankly terrified when I tried to hold him. I had plenty of moments of “Oh goodness, what have you done?” I feared that if I were to ever give him the opportunity to go outdoors I would never see him again.
Thank goodness I am extremely hard headed and persistent. It took a lot of time and patience to get him to come around to me, but well worth it. Within a month he was the happy well adjusted lovey little man man that I had dreamed of.

Meet: Sir Didymus Sparkle Monkey

Alias:
Man Man
Lover Man
Didder Butt
Monkey Man

See how worried he looks in that picture, that was right as he arrived home, still in his box.

And starting to come around...

And now...

Oh he came around all right, he’s a regular ol momma’s boy now. He loves his lovins! Belly rubs and all. He loves to find me sitting in the yard and jump up on my lap for his session. Sometimes he gets so involved in the lovins he will inadvertently fall off my lap in his state of euphoria. He does not like to be interrupted by anyone when he is with his mommy, it’s the only time I have ever seen him take a swipe at someone other than play time.

Here he is waiting for me to sit down with him...

Okay Man Man...

Now notice the look in his eyes...you know what he sees? The wrist strap to my camera...

And the battle ensues...

His hobbies include begging for nom noms, belly rubs and he enjoys it when I sing “Man, man..man, man, man, man…” to the tune of the Star Wars intro to him.

He gives me dirty looks if I'm not prompt with the noms.