Cat Communication

For the last time, Old Lady, let go of that *@&# treat!

Happy Mother's Day 2013

Although the air is cool and crisp today, the sun is bright. Mother Nature has been working overtime with her paintbox. The sun is dappling through trees, casting a lacework pattern on brilliant green grass. The sky is a cloudless azure blue. Fat buds in our garden are showing the slight pink color that foretells blossoms that will soon burst into being. What a beautiful Mother's Day!

Moms have the hardest, yet most rewarding job on earth. They defend their young like a Viking warrior, heal hurts with a single kiss, and solve problems that would puzzle Einstein. Moms are the heart and soul of home.

I borrowed this picture from my sister. It's my mom, baby sister, and me. I can still feel the love of that moment. Thinking of you today, Mom, and treasuring the memories.

Whether you're Mom to two-leggers, four-leggers or both, we hope your day is spectacular and filled with many beautiful moments.

Teach Our Children Well

May 5 - 11 is Be Kind to Animals Week, sponsored by the American Humane Association. This special week has been recognized since 1915 and commemorates the important part that animals play in our lives. It's a time to encourage other people, especially children, to show kindness and respect for all creatures.

I really believe every child starts out loving animals. Then something happens along the way that impacts how they view them. Perhaps an unsupervised incident caused trauma, fear, or anxiety. Maybe a child grew up in an atmosphere that promoted the belief that animals are merely disposable creatures that do not think, communicate, or feel pain...and therefore are unworthy of compassionate treatment.

Does it matter what children believe? I think so.

If we can nurture in each child a culture that embodies the concept of respect for all living things, benefits will abound. For when children become compassionate adults, the world becomes a happier, healthier, and safer place.

Is there something you can do to show kindness?

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. ~ Helen Keller

We Are Itching for Advice

Visiting grand-dog, Brady is not having fun. I've posted before about this guy's terrible skin allergies. He's highly reactive to grass (among other things) and spring time makes his itchiness flare to an alarming degree.

By the way, lest you think Brady's "parents" have lost their minds, they keep a shirt on him to discourage licking and chewing. He has one side pretty bare and still tries to chew through the shirt to do even more damage. However, nothing can keep socks on his feet. If you look closely you can see that Brady has chewed all the fur off his front paws. His eyes are dull and matted.

Brady and his regular vet have frequent visits. He also sees a doggie dermatologist and takes a plethora of expensive prescription medications to little avail. According to the docs, the allergies are not related to food.

I think we're willing to try about anything, from holistic remedies to anecdotal reports of success. I found a website for a product called Derma-Paws, but know nothing about it other than what the makers claim.

Help! Does ANYBODY know what to do for a dog with constant skin allergies/itches?

Grooving with Dylan

Wednesday night we ventured to the Peabody Opera House to see none other than Bob Dylan in concert. Anticipating the event, my mind was filled with images of the 60's, peace signs, and plenty of groovy tunes. But when Dylan took the stage I realized one thing right away. Just like me, he's getting older. This brought my mind straight back to the present. It's 2013, and baby things have changed.

His voice has become quite gritty, probably through years of hard use and more than a few cigarettes. But when he sang, he owned each and every vocal. Dylan didn't play guitar, but blew on his faithful harmonica and plunked out a few melodies on the keyboard. I must admit that I didn't recognize most songs. He's transformed even his well known pieces through new rhythms and timing.

The concert may not have been the blast from the past that I expected, but that's okay. If Dylan can put aside the decades to keep doing what he loves, maybe the rest of us can, too.

The man is an icon and it's pretty darn groovy that I got the chance to see him.

Adventures in Atlanta

Last week I attended a conference in Atlanta so jam-packed with information there was barely a chance to leave the building. The enormous hotel pictured above served as our mini-world: meeting place, restaurant, and bedroom. I didn't even poke my nose outside until late Wednesday evening.

That night we got a chance to sneak out and see the city. We decided to go to Ted Turner's restaurant when the concierge told us it was a "short walk down to the corner and across the street". He failed to mention, however, just how many corners and street crossings this would actually involve. I believe it must have been at least 21 blocks later before we huffed and puffed our way through the restaurant door. Our walking tour of Atlanta revealed one important fact about the city...it has a lot of steep hills.

Fact #2 about Atlanta. It has an airport the size of Rhode Island. The only swift way to get from one end to the other is via a shuttle that literally whisks passengers from gate to gate. If you don't hang on, prepare to fall down (speaking from experience). 

After a lengthy weather flight delay, I finally got back home late Thursday night. Add in more meetings on Friday and it's been a long, hectic week. Right now Indy is napping in my lap and Bogey is purring like a freight train. What was it Dorothy once said? 

Oh yes...there's no place like home.

I Used to Be...

Yes, the party was fun. Yes, we stayed far later than we should. And yes, today I'm paying for it.

Back in the day I could stay out til the wee hours, bounce out of bed at 6 a.m., and still get enough work done to make a body builder weep. But right now I feel like I'm recovering from a bad case of the flu. I'm pretty sure my single Lime-a-Rita isn't to blame.

As though looking in the mirror isn't enough, staying out late is just another reminder of how everything has changed. I dragged myself from bed this morning to let Indy and visiting dog, Brady out. They were chipper as always.

Hi! Let's go outside! Let's have breakfast! Let's play!

Seriously, everyone, don't you get it? I'm exhausted. My back is sore. My eyes are sticky. My stomach is gurgling in protest. I just want to stay in bed...please?

If you have critters, I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that question.

As you may have surmised, I am no longer horizontal. Outside it's warm and sunny. The birds are tweeting merrily to each other without use of any internet connection. I am determined to move out of this chair and join the land of the living. Can I do it? Should I do it? Will I do it?

Well, maybe a little later...

Geez, I'm sure not as young as I used to be.

Wait a Minute

Holy guacamole! The tornado sirens went off this evening and whup-whup-whupped us straight into the basement. Just me, two dogs, and a cat hanging out while Mother Nature howled all around us. Luckily, it appears no damage was done at our house (Note: might need to amend this statement tomorrow--the light of day could tell another story) although some surrounding communities weren't so lucky. Property destruction and minor injuries.

While we hunkered down I realized we have a serious lack of basement entertainment. Playing poker simply isn't working out. The dogs keep arguing with each other and the cat always cheats at cards.  

However, our weather lately certainly hasn't been boring. Over the past three weeks we've experienced nearly every scenario except an earthquake. Nearly a foot of snow. 80+ degree temperatures. Wind, lightning, thunder, torrential rain, and a tornado or two. It's springtime in Missouri and you never know what you're going to get. Like the old saying goes, if you don't like the weather around here, well, just wait a minute.

Hello Spring...Finally!

Now that's what spring is supposed to look like! Oh, what a difference two weeks can make.
(Note to non-Missourians-see our post of March 23)

Bogey is sitting on the sill of an open window, while Indy watches people fishing at the lake. You just gotta love the first truly beautiful weekend of spring.

Hope you are outside and enjoying the same!

Double Take

Every Easter we visit a major car show held in Forest Park. There's always a plethora of people who bring along their dogs...every breed, size, and shape imaginable are represented.

This gentleman, however, outdid himself. His two beautiful Dobermans are seated in the "bicycle". When he pushes the cart, the legs go around on the pedals while the paws remain firmly attached to the handlebars. It is truly a sight to behold as evidenced by all the picture-taking you see in this photo.

Of course the pups aren't really peddling. The "legs" and front "paws" are made of wood and painted exactly the same shade and markings as the dogs, who are actually sitting politely inside the cart. But the optical illusion of two bicycling Dobermans is hysterical.

 Has anything ever made you stop and look twice?