Assorted Photos

Lovey and her weapons

Moose family in Boulder County

Young squirrel

Chincoteague Channel sunset

Clint Watts testifying before Congress

Legacy's ladies (and kids) on Assateague

(Surfer Princess is second butt from left in bottom group.)

Surfin' Chantel and Maverick's filly - I think she'll be a very dark bay

once she sheds out

All The Craziness

I keep getting caught up in the increasingly crazy news stories that seem to be happening every day, and, trying to keep up with the facts, I'm spending more time watching "Breaking News" on the 24-hour news stations than anything else...  Apparently I'm truly addicted to it, as I'm fascinated by the stories, and I want to know more, but I am also bored with them at the same time.  A conundrum.
  Attorney General Jeff Sessions almost had an old fashioned spell of the vapors while being questioned by Senator Kamala Harris during his testimony.  AG Sessions, being a true Southern boy, hesitates between every word, and tries to explain every word he uses.  The Senators were given only 5 minutes in which to ask their questions and receive answers. The AG tried to only answer one question, by spinning out his answer, and then, when the Senator interrupted him, said that she was making him "nervous and unable to think clearly."  Sessions is a well-known bigot and I believe that a great part of his reluctance to answer the Senator's questions had quite a lot to do with the fact that she is (a) African-American, and (b) female.  The man is a squirmy worm that wishes he lived in the 18th century, when he would have been lord and master of all he viewed...
   The very next morning, the shooting attack on the House Republican baseball practice occurred.  I am personally sorry for all the fear and pain caused by the shooter, and I hope all the victims recover and can live full lives.  Seemingly, the shooter hated 45 and felt the Republicans were responsible for the chaos that this administration has caused. I believe that, also, but I don't think taking a rifle and shooting House members was the way to protest.  (The Democrats won the game last night, 11 to 2.)
  I was pretty groggy watching the news about the shooting, as I had been up for several hours in the early morning.  When I'm sleeping at home, and not house-sitting, Lovey sleeps in the bed with me.  Lovey is my 13-pound brown tabby cat, who has razor sharp claws.  If I'm sleeping on my back, she sleeps on either one of my shoulders, effectively "pinning" me down (in her mind).  I was sleeping on my back early that morning, with Lovey asleep on my left shoulder.  She apparently had a nightmare, and launched herself across my face, onto my desk, and then head-first into the closed window.  She then looked wildly around and fled under the bed.  At least one of her feet had landed on my left cheek - and I touched the spot to see if I was bleeding.  It was bleeding, so I sat up for a couple of seconds, then walked the 20 feet into my bathroom and turned on the light.  I certainly wished I hadn't.  Blood was literally pouring down my face, under my chin, down my neck, between my breasts, and down to my navel, where it was then cascading to the floor and leaving a huge puddle.  I wanted to laugh hysterically, but I grabbed a huge wad of toilet paper and applied pressure to my cheek instead.  It took five minutes to get the cut to stop bleeding profusely.  Then I examined myself and found I had one small scratch under my eye socket, the very deep, but only 1/3 inch-long bleeder next to my nose, and a very small puncture two inches left of my mouth.  I had to awaken my roommate for first aid assistance, because when I took my glasses off, I couldn't see my face, and I had to have the glasses off to clean the cuts...  And I applied so much pressure to stop the bleeding that my face is still bruised and swollen around the cut today.  We cleaned it out with alcohol and then hydrogen peroxide; placed antibiotic ointment on it, and then a BandAid.  Took a while to get back to sleep after that.
   And I'm frustrated because I keep missing Clint Watts' appearances on MSNBC...  I'd love to hear his take on all the craziness.

Bits and Pieces

If you want, or need, a good laugh - and can stand to read a lot of incomplete sentences that were uttered by the current President - please read (and guffaw, as I did) the following new article, or interview, from Time magazine:   http://time.com/4710456/donald-trump-time-interview-truth-falsehood/
     There were six late additions to the Triple Crown nominations list, so the current list of contenders now registered is 425.  A horse must have a certain number of qualifying points to run in the Kentucky Derby, which is capped at 20 entries.  Other horses that are nominated, but do not have the points, may race in the Preakness Stakes and/or the Belmont Stakes.  The newest nominees are: Thunder Snow, Hollywood Handsome, More Than Words, Parlor, Rapid Dial, and Stretch's Stone.
   The wind is picking up again, here in Boulder - it's from the west and is expected to bring a rain-snow mix overnight and into Friday morning.  We really need the rain, snow, sleet - whatever precipitation we can get.  I just hope there's no hail - gardens are blooming and trees are budding and putting out fresh delicate leaves right now.  I'll pull our potted plants back in from the balcony this afternoon.
   It has been judged that the Sunshine Canyon fire was started by an illegal campfire by people trespassing on private property.  The fire investigators state that the camp appeared to have been used by "transients."
    And Joe Pelle (our Sheriff) announced that a body has been found on one of the local hiking trails... currently, no further information is available.
    I am still grieving the loss of Rosie, the Irish Setter, whom I cared for over a period of more than ten years.  We lost Remy, her brother four years ago...   And I'm preparing to say good-bye to a beautiful cat who has bone cancer in her jaw. She seems to be in quite a bit of pain and is no longer eating - but she will drink... so I've suggested that her owner give her chicken bone broth for some nutritional value.
   My two kitties are doing well.  Lovey is curled up in her little nest beside my bed, and Nedi has burrowed under the afghan on my reading chair.  Lovey is napping - Nedi is keeping an eye on the birds visiting the feeder and water bowl on the balcony...
   I hope you have a great day, wherever you are - and whenever you read this!

Assorted Photos

First, two In Memoriums:

Wild Bill  (1996 - 2016)   Photo by Deb Iddings Noll

Tidewater Princess (2010 - 2017)    Palomino pinto mare at front right

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snow bunny

Friend looking into the gap of Arapaho Glacier

One of our little nibblers, last spring

Lovey says, "Claws?  What claws?"

Nedi doesn't like to be awakened for photos

Back in Boulder

We've had a couple of mornings in the upper-40s  (F) this past week, and at 6:15 this morning, it was 50 degrees.  I knew I'd be moving about, so I wore shorts and a T-shirt, which got a lot of stares from the locals...  They were wearing sweat suits with hoodies, and huddling into them.  Yesterday, it was 78 degrees, but cloudy, and people were wearing sweat suits...  I guess outside temperature is a based a little on your mind set.  I was never cold this morning, but, then again, I was moving purposefully and doing work with the fish, hens and cats.  Oh, well - I've always known I'm different.
   Nedi is currently sitting in my window and chittering at the raven family visiting Chez Thuy's dumpster.  Lovey is curled up on my bed.  And Bertrando, the squirrel, is up on top of his power pole, soaking up rays.  I've already taken care of the critters at Dellwood, read my mail, and made my usual posts to Facebook.  I need to take out our trash and recyclables as I leave to walk Rosie and Charlie; then I'll head over to the ABCs and go with them to Denver International Airport, before grabbing my overnight gear and heading back to their house.  Two kitties and two dogs - all with very different personalities, and both dogs are rescues...  I need to remember that Lola won't like any eye contact during the first 24 hours I'm there.  Both cats will want to be in my lap, and, if I sit on the sofa, the dogs will want to have their heads in my lap....  Critter love is great.
   I had a fantastic time on my vacation - I got to spend time with friends and family that I hadn't seen in years.  It was a very relaxed and enjoyable time, and I spent time on the beach, out boating, and walking the trails of Assateague (both in Virginia and Maryland).  Karen and I became better acquainted, as adults, and I got to see her brother, Woody, whom I hadn't seen in more than 30 years.  I had wonderful times with Maureen and her daughters, and was thrilled to get to spend time with all of them.  They are a fantastic family.  Of course, Maureen and I talked about Pony Pennings in the 1940s and 1950s, and how things have changed...  some for the good, others, not so much.
    Back here in Colorado, I'm busy as a bee.  I have work to do with all my different critters each day, and I've finally got 10 of my 11 vacation photo albums posted on-line.  All I have to do is caption the last one, and share it...  Then I'll have more free time to read and walk and do genealogy research.  I'm looking forward to that. - And sending a few "best of the best" photo collections to good friends who have expressed an interest.
   Lovey just had her 11th birthday, and she's gotten a little more "clingy" to me.  She runs through the house and howls, and plays with shoe strings, and gets high on catnip.  But my favorite thing to observe is when she chases her tail on the toilet tank reservoir - she really wants to capture that black and grey striped "sea snake," and she sometimes falls off the toilet and into the trash can when things get intense...  I'm so thankful that she's still a playful kitten inside!

At Loose Ends

What do I do with myself? For the first time in seven weeks, I didn't have a dog to walk in the morning, nor a house to visit, nor plants to water.  OK, I admit I'm dog-sitting at this exact moment, but it's only for 90 minutes in the evening.  I was able to stay at home and nap and catch up on projects around the house (apartment, actually) today.  I'm at Rosie's, but she had an acupuncture appointment this morning, so our daily walk was canceled.  I put together a swanky-looking stand with shelves for Beatrice, and I chose eight photos to go into a wall collage, put them in place, and then hung the collage in the hall.  I scrubbed everything in my bathroom, including the kitty litter boxes, and washed the runner-type rug in there.  I colored a little on my agility dogs Celtic knot drawing.  I called and had the apartment handy-man stop by to check on three things - the warp in the floor under the main bathroom's door, the leak from the upstairs neighbor's water tank, and to tighten the nut under the kitchen sink so the faucet base would stop swiveling.  Chris, the handy-man, stopped by, checked and fixed what  he could, and is writing up a ticket for the warrantied objects.  I also took out the trash and recyclables, and made spaghetti and meat sauce for supper, along with garlic-asiago cheese biscuits.  Then I washed the pots and dishes and came over to Rosie's.
  Saint Patrick's Day is tomorrow, and it almost crept up on me with surprise.  I'll have to find a green shirt to wear tomorrow, or I can just wear my green sweater when I go out.  Tomorrow morning I walk Rosie and Tessa, and make a bank deposit, and then I'm back over at Rosie's tomorrow evening. Lovey has not allowed me out of her sight, except when I took the trash and recycling out today.  If she knew how to attach herself to me with Velcro, she'd do it.
   I did get to laugh at Beatrice's face last night.  Usually, whenever I get up from my reading chair in the living room, Lovey is curled up where my bottom has been in less than 30 seconds.  Bea got up from her usual seat to put sheets into the dryer last night, and Lovey jumped off my lap and was curled up in Bea's spot before she was at the edge of the living room.  Bea has laughed frequently at how quickly Lovey gets into my seat - last night, when she turned around, and stepped back into the living room, I got to laugh...  Her expression when she saw Lovey all curled up, and with her eyes tightly closed, was priceless.  Then she thanked lovey for the honor, and very gently tugged the pillow out from under her.  Lovey gave Bea a disgusted look and came back over to my lap.

Snow!

Weather-wise, Boulder has had a great few past weeks.... Highs in the 60s and 70s (F), breezes, no rain.  But that's also a problem because we are an arid area, up against the mountains.  The snow pack, which we depend on for water during the Spring and Summer, has shrunk greatly.  We are getting a respite from the dry weather over this next week.  After a week of warmth causing me to pin my hair up, the snow began falling at six o'clock this morning.  The snow melted as it struck my face on the way to the bakery this morning, and I could see wet spots from flakes on the sidewalk as I walked home.  The grass in the back yard is now covered - and the squirrels are looking wet and raggedy.  I put out extra nuts and dried fruit for the squirrels this morning, as well as seed for the birds - and I will do so again tomorrow.  The weather guys say we'll get between 3 and 17 inches of snow by tomorrow night.  I'd rather just have rain - but we need the moisture, so I'm not complaining.
  I returned the books to the library yesterday, but I didn't have time to pick up any more to read...  I'll make do with old favorites here at home for the rest of he week and weekend.  I closed all the open windows on the chicken coop at Dellwood last night, not knowing whether we'd get rain or snow - or when it would start.  I've let the hens out this morning, and, besides their scratch, gave them broccoli and sweet potatoes.  They have a sheltered area at the front of their coop, and there are several other places they can seek refuge in around the yard, so I'm not worried about them.  (It might be hard to round them up this evening - but that's later...)  I decided to leave Carter and Xuxa in the house today, so they're a little upset with me.
   Lovey and Nedi stepped out onto the patio this morning, then came back inside.  That's normal for Lovey, but odd for Nedi.  The poor little boy has a nasty head and nose cold - he really likes slightly warmed broth, and it helps him get rid of nose congestion, so he's getting the royal treatment.  Since he's not feeling his best, he's been snuggling as much as possible - so I have him on one side of me and Lovey on the other anytime I sit down or lie down...  It's very comforting and nice - except when Nedi begins a sneeze string that lasts for more than three minutes.  Then it's wet and messy; but he's my little boy, and I love him no matter what.

Snow Views and My Kits

Chincoteague pony yesterday on Assateague Island

Snow geese

Aerial view of Tom's Cove, Assateague Island, and Chincoteague above it

Snow this morning at my apartment

Nedi

Lovey

My Photos

Full moon on a windy evening

Imprint of bird in snow

Nedi looking for birds or squirrels to chase

Lovey keeping her toes dry

Icicles on my wind spinners

Boxing Day

I'm having "a cuppa" with Alexy this afternoon, just to catch up on the news and neighborhood.  Spent last night with Charlie and Tinkerbelle, then took care of Sasquatch and Tugger, and then walked Rosie, before coming home to my kits for a couple of hours.  Both Lovey and Nedi went running out, but they both came back in after about 15 minutes.  Their big point of curiosity was a large Schwinn box that has been leaned up against our back privacy fence - they were giving it a good investigation when a visitor from next door walked out and approached the box.  I glad both kits decided to come in, because the female was apparently gifted with a set of throwing knives yesterday, and is using the box as her target.  So far, the best she's done is get 2 out of 5 knives to stick in the box - the others bounce off, or hit the fence.  Oh, well.....
   I had breakfast with Kathy and Jim yesterday morning, and then we had a late afternoon meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, biscuits, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.  Beatrice joined us for the evening meal, and we all laughed quite a bit while at the table.  I made out like a bandit yesterday, getting two new books (one in my stocking), next year's calendar, and a neat cat sweatshirt, plus all the other usual stuffings - chocolate candy, nuts, fruit, and silly toys...
  Lovey seems to have run into a buzz saw on Christmas Eve - she was outside for a few minutes, then came running back inside, and tossed her cookies.  She didn't want me to touch her, and curled up on my old winter coat.  Once she was asleep, I was able to see that her right ear was split in half, and, in running my hand over her scalp, it felt like rough sandpaper - I don't know if she got her head stuck in a trap, or if she ran into a new cat or dog...  All I know is she was very quiet yesterday, and is a little subdued today.  I did clean everything with hydrogen peroxide, and, so far, nothing looks or seems infected.
  In racing news,  Hollywood Park closed it's gates after the last race on Sunday, 22 December, and is already being demolished.   ....   Summer Bird, who won the 2009 Belmont Stakes passed away on 23 December in Japan, from a severe case of colic.  He had retired to stud at WinStar Farms, and had shipped to stud duty in Japan last year.   ....  And 5-year-old Orfevre, so of Stay Gold, grandson of Sunday Silence, won his final race on 22 December by an increasing 8 lengths.  The race was the $4.622 million Arima Kinen, run on the turf over 12 1/2 furlongs.  Orfevre, who won the Japan Triple Crown as a 3-year-old, will be retired to stud, having won over $15 million in purses.  Here's to you, big boy!

Home Photos

Sunrise in my back yard

Fruit and dessert table on Thanksgiving

Lovey, acting shy

The Snow clan: (left to right) Bob, Rich, Kathy (kneeling in red jacket), Erin, Mike, Evie, Sarah, Michael, Jim, Kathy, Olivia, Brian, Tracey (kneeling in dress), Brian, Kent (kneeling), Tim, Andy, Laura (kneeling), Adam, and Jenny.  Not pictured: Jim, Paul, Jaime, and Betty.

My Kits, Lovey and Nedi

Leofgifu Glyndwr

 

Zephraim Cenedi

A Visit to the Vet

I got Lovey to the vet's on time this morning - we were the first patients to arrive.  She and Nedi had not been happy with me because they wanted food at 5 a.m., and, of course, Lovey couldn't have anything because of her surgery.  Once I got her inside the car, I ran back and fed Nedi and gave him a kiss.  Lovey weighed in at 11.2 pounds; the same as when she was checked back in July.  I left Tugger and Sasquatch's phone number as the emergency contact number, and went to spend the day with the boys. 
   I was at the office 15 minutes early to Lovey up - so they gave me her paperwork, and the 4 teeth that had been removed.  I did laugh:  at the bottom of the report was a note that all of her claws had been trimmed while she was under general anesthesia.  Two molars were removed, one on each side, one on the top and one on the bottom.  The big problem had been her upper canines - the roots of both of them had grown up into her sinus cavities, and they were terribly infected.  In any event, they came out, and I was given the choice of a long-acting antibiotic shot, or giving her 10 days of antibiotic pills.  I went with the shot.  Since they had to do extensive suturing where her canines were,and due to the infection, they also gave me 5 days of pain meds to give her.  I have to say that I like these pain meds - it's a gel/fluid in a syringe (without a needle), and you just place the stuff in her cheek, next to the gum.  The mucous membranes absorb the medication.  Three cheers for the advancement of veterinary medicine!!

A woozy Lovey

   Nedi, of course, is not happy with Lovey.  She smells like the vet's office and anesthesia.  He hisses at her all the time.  But he keeps on approaching her...
   I'll see how she is before I allow her outside tomorrow.  Nedi will have to stay inside until then.