Critters

River otters in Oregon

 

A kitty with an interesting marking

 

A pet wolf in Minsk, Belarus

 

Sandpipers at Cardiff, California

Please Do NOT Give A Pet as a Gift...

My cousin Sarah just brought up the fact that she is seeing a lot of advertisements trying to get people to purchase animals for another person as a Holiday gift. Both of us beg you NOT to do so.  A lot of people out there buy gifts for friends and acquaintances, and for those they would like to impress favorably.  The majority of people, and kids, in the world today want to choose their own pet. Kittens, puppies, baby bunnies, etc. all look cute and act cute when they are young, but they also entail a lot of work and money.  If you think someone would like a pet added to the family, first ask.  Second, propose to pay the adoption fee for any critter the giftee would like from any Humane Society, Rescue Group, or any animal aid society.  There are thousands of wonderful animals languishing in shelters around the world, and/or being euthanized on a daily basis because someone could no longer care for the, or no longer wanted them.  Many pets that are given as Holiday gifts - for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa - end up at the animal shelter, on death row, for one reason or another.  And the reasons given are as numerous as the drops of water in all the oceans - someone in the household is allergic; food and/or veterinary care is too expensive; the new pet doesn't get along with older, established pets; the new owner says the new pet "just wasn't what he/she wanted;"  the puppy chews on things; the kitten climbs the curtains;  (I can continue ad infinitum) ....
Brand new pets are cute and cuddly and will usually be greeted with "ooohs" and "aaahs" of immediate appreciation.  Then reality sets in.  There are annual shots, spaying and neutering, training, licensing, food, kitty litter, toys, and all sorts of other expenses that raise their head.  If the new owner is conscientious, there is also the matter of time - one needs to bond with the new pet, and have the attachment grow.  With today's lifestyle, a lot of that is impossible.
Please, whatever you give as a Holiday gift, do NOT give a living creature.  Please ask the recipient prior to giving; and please adopt an animal from a shelter or rescue.  Don't be the cause of more suffering for the pets of our world!

Argentina Scenes

An Argentine gaucho

 

A sheep ranch in Argentina

 

The San Juan Lighthouse Rescue, at the southern tip of Argentina

 

Fitzroy National Park, Argentina

 

Playing With a Puppy; Lincoln

OK, I have climbed down from my maternal pedestal (the last blog) and feel like I'm pretty much back on an even keel. (I love mixing metaphors!) The temperature didn't drop that much last night, so it was above freezing when I wandered over to the local bakery and purchased an apple danish (without any icing). We are totally socked in with clouds, and there are clouds wreathed around the Flatirons and the tops of the Front Range hills and mountains. I just had a squirrel come inside via the patio door, so I went out and replaced the piles of unsalted peanuts and blueberry shredded wheat - and there are a few snowflakes drifting down. Cashew and the older squirrels know that the interior door mat is "neutral" territory -the kits aren't allowed to chase them, and they can eat inside in peace when it's snowing outside... Late yesterday afternoon, Nedi and Lovey were acting a little odder than usual; they'd go outside, run back in, look at one another (as if they were asking, "What was that?"), peek out the window, and run back out. I finally had to see what they were up to. My next door neighbor, Chris, was on the patio with his new lady, Sherri. Sherri had brought her 10-week old miniature Chihuahua with her. Wearing a minuscule red and green knitted sweater, this little dog weighed about 8 ounces. It was so excited to see the cats, and it wanted to play with them - it would bow down as an invitation, and then dart around. My cats wanted to chase her, but weren't quite sure what she was.... With me standing out on the patio, both Lovey and Nedi let the puppy approach them, sniff their noses, and lick their faces. Both kits even played a little bit of chase with the puppy. It was sooo cute!

  Remy has an acupuncture appointment this morning, so I'll be walking the Rs a little later than usual, and then taking miss Lucy out, too. Tomorrow morning, I'm due at the Thore residence between 6:30 and 7; I'll be at that house through the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I'll be coming home for a few hours each day, but will generally be over there. I'm also pulling some extra duty with Rosie and Remy, and I'll also be feeding and medicating Sasquatch, Tugger, and Ooch during that time. I guess that I'll be making a fruit platter, corn pudding, and one small pan of brownies for the family Thanksgiving - this year, we'll be meeting at the Niwot Grange,not at some one's house.... I don't know yet about our Christmas-New Years family get-together. I'll be house-sitting at a large house, but it's Rosie and Remy's - and they are table and counter surfers - stealing and eating anything within reach; plus Remy barks at all strangers.... We'd have plenty of room, but I'd have to place the dogs in the garage, and then deal with their barking, so I can't host this year, as I did last year. (Mainly because it isn't fair to the Rs.)

  I am looking forward to two movies that are to be released between now and Christmas - Lincoln and The Hobbit. One of my friends asked me the other day about the possibility that Lincoln had suffered from Marfan's Disease. I did some research and was amazed when I came upon a web-page that detailed all of Lincoln's medical history. I had no idea that he had been kicked in the head by a mule when he was a child; I had no idea that he had apparently drowned and was left floating face-down in a creek for 15 minutes as a child; I had no idea that Mary Todd Lincoln was a spouse abuser - she gave her husband black eyes and beat him with broomsticks and fire tongs.... It was amazing! I wonder if any of these things will be shown in Spielberg's movie?

  And, finally, the young man who has been arrested and charged with the mass shooting at the Aurora movie theater is definitely disturbed. We know he has been under psychiatric care for some time, and I'm sure his defense team will use an insanity plea. I was surprised to hear the young man had been hospitalized a few days ago, and that a major hearing had been postponed. A rumor was out and about that the young man was suffering from a severe migraine headache - then it became known that he had been ramming his head into the concrete walls of his cell. (Maybe he needs to be kept in a padded cell, or rubber room?) That, to me, seems to be an indication that he is sane and that he is trying to harm himself in order to prove he is insane. I have no idea if this is true, but having read a lot of mystery books, and police procedurals, I just have this sneaking suspicion....

Shame on the NY Jets Locker Room!

I'm a fan of Tim Tebow. I have liked and respected the young man since he first came to my attention when he began to play for the Gators at the University of Florida. I like his work ethic and I like his honesty. I am a little uneasy with his extremely open Christian worship, but he is the son of a missionary, and he does not try to convert one to his viewpoints overtly. He states his beliefs and that's that. A lot of the success of the Gators football team, during Tebow's years, was accorded to him. He has a great sense of team work; has always encouraged and led others to do their best. In all of my reading about him, he has seemed to be motivated by being told he can't do something - and that something was to play the quarterback position on a high school team, on a rated college team, and as a professional football player. Coaches have complained about his throwing mechanics, and he has worked hard on "getting the kinks out of his throwing technique" for years. The coaches have had no need to say a word about his camaraderie, his team spirit, his work ethic, or his drive to succeed.

  From what I understand, he has never done extremely well in team practices - his throws are off, with a tendency to be under- or over-thrown. But once it's a game day, he has always performed at his best. He has always given his best, tried hard to win, and was not ashamed to cry in public when he lost. He has no hidden agenda. He wants to be a good man, a good Christian, and a good football player. Since he has a contract with a professional football team, and has conducted himself with grace and discretion in interviews, I feel that he has succeeded so far. He stepped into a void with the Denver Broncos, and was able to take the team to the AFL Divisional playoffs during the second half of a season. Broncos fans were feeling pretty happy with Tim Tebow as the quarterback. John Elway said that Tebow was the Broncos' quarterback. - Then Peyton Manning became available and Tebow was tossed about like a hot potato. It was a sad and upsetting experience as a fan, and one can only imagine how Tebow felt.

  I was amazed when I read the ESPN and Sports Illustrated web sites today and saw the swipes that were being taken at Tebow by team mates who wanted to remain anonymous. The first phrase to cross my mind was: "Man up!" If one is going to state to the world-wide press that one thinks another player, a team mate, is "terrible" then that one person should allow his name to be used in the quote. That is just plain bad sportsmanship. If I felt that strongly about a team mate, I would allow my name to be used. Rex Ryan, the head coach of the New York Jets, wanted Tebow to use in his Wildcat formation, and any other way he could use him. Tim Tebow has played on the punt return team; he has blocked for ground plays and passes, lining up as a tail back and a wide receiver; he occasionally gets to play the quarterback position. This past Sunday, he completed 3 of 3 passes for positive yards, he handed off the ball for positive yards, and he carried the ball for positive yards. He was usually called in on third down plays, and he converted on each one. Why are the team mates complaining?

  Perhaps because Tim Tebow is one of those polarizing characters that occasionally pop up throughout history - or, recent football history. Steve Spurrier, who also won the Heisman Trophy as a Florida Gator, was and is another such polarizing person. You either love him, or you hate him, period. I have always loved Steve Spurrier, and his zingers against other teams and coaches. I will always like Tim Tebow, unless he suddenly turns into a woman beating, child eating, cold blooded killer. (Somehow, I don't think that will happen.) Because fans like Tim Tebow, and because he has not been allowed to play more than two plays in a row for the Jets, the fans are getting restless. Mark Sanchez, the Jets starting quarterback, has the lowest rating of any quarterback at this time. During last weeks game, Sanchez threw an interception and fumbled and lost the ball - both times the opponents were able to score. The Jets have lost 6 of their 9 games so far this season. Rex Ryan states that Mark Sanchez is the starting quarterback, period. Rex Ryan is the boss, and Tim Tebow is a good soldier.

  What I'm trying to say is that I certainly feel for Tebow. The press in New York likes to stir things up and create drama - it sells their papers. I hope that as Tebow has grown and matured, he has developed the outer skin of a true alligator, like the mascot of his college team. When I read those reports today, I cringed and my stomach churned. I am very disappointed in the "team mates" in the Jets locker room. I thought that once a person was a professionally paid athlete, they were to respect team owners, management, and team mates. Actually, reading that little "expose" made me very angry - and I don't like feeling angry. Since Tim Tebow is willing to work hard, and do whatever the coaches instruct him to do, keep a smile on his face, work as a team member, and be a positive person with the press, shouldn't he receive even a modicum of respect?

  Shame on the New York Jets locker room! Iwill continue to watch the Jets games, but only so I can root for a hard-working young man who is trying his best to live his dream.

Running Free

Chincoteague ponies on Assateague Island

 

A Friesian

 

A remuda in New Mexico

 

Mustangs near Otter, Montana

 

Bits and Pieces

Lots of bits and pieces today... It's 30 degrees and partly sunny out. Lovey and Nedi have been outside playing, but have settled down in bed right now. Remy's hips seem to be OK for a few days and then he has a a few bad days - yesterday I had to help support his hind end all the way home. If I hadn't used the hand grip over his hips, he would have been walking on his hocks... it was sad. But he was back to normal (for him) within an hours time - he took a nap, and then his legs worked pretty well again.

  Frankel is the Cartier Horse of the Year in Europe; the first time a horse has won back-to-back titles in Europe. ... Jockey Frankie Dettori, who has recently ridden exclusively for Godolphin Stables, has been released from his contract. He tested positive for a banned drug at Longchamps in September, and will have a hearing before the French Racing Board (Galop) later this week. ... Summer Bird has been sold and will soon be shipped to Japan to stand at stud there. ... Shackleford will be standing at Darby Dan Farm upon his retirement.

  There was a panic here in Boulder during the weekend: a 17-year-old CU student from Kuwait walked into a movie theatre to see "Sinister" wearing a Joker mask and wig. A lot of people, mostly female, ran out of the theater in terror - dropping their belongings as they ran. The young man said he he been in the US "only about a month" and, when asked if he realized why he frightened people, he said, "Oh. You mean that thing in Aurora?" Police say the young man was extremely flippant in his responses to questions. He has been barred from attending any movie theater in Boulder, and will be charged with "Menacing." .... Then there's the man who was arrested yesterday and is in federal custody - he wants to be remembered as "the guy who killed Obama." He had plans to kill children during a Halloween party in Jessica Ridgeway's neighborhood. And he had applied to attend West Point, saying he wanted "training and a carte blanche to kill anyone." (His application was denied.) This man is mentally ill and has been seeing a therapist for the past 9 years. Thank goodness the therapist contacted the FBI...

  Several weeks ago I posted an article about the BLM and the Adopt-a-Horse Program. It mentioned that the man accused of purchasing mustangs at $10 per head said that he was good friends with Ken Salazar. The reporter who wrote that expose appeared at an Obama campaign office (with a camera crew) on Election Day and started asking questions of Ken Salazar, who was there to boost the vote for Obama. Salazar told the reporter that he was there to show support for Obama, and didn't want to discuss the BLM Adopt-a-Horse article. The reporter insisted,and approached the Secretary of the Interior very closely. So closely, in fact, that the Secretary raised his arm and "pushed" the camera-man away. The reporter kept repeating his questions, and finally, Ken Salazar told him, "... if you do that again, I'm going to punch you out." Once a true cowboy, always a cowboy....