excuse me ...

I was here first ...

Sigh ...

harry — what we'll miss

The kid was understandably quite upset when I broke the bad news to her about the loss of our beloved Harry. But she, on her own, channeled some of her grief into this lovely little photo illustration.


I thought it might help if we not dwell on the sad last few days and think instead about some of the good times we had with Harry. What we liked about him and what we'll miss.

He loved water. He used to try to get into the shower with me every morning, and then run out and shake water off on whoever had the misfortune to be in his path. 

He was an amazing jumper. 

He had the typical Siamese cat meow, or more correctly, MMMowwwww. He was a talker, and would answer me back if I asked him a question, many times sounding like he was saying, "now" or "wow." 

Like all black cats he had some white in his fur. In his case two vee shapes, one on his chest and one on his belly.

There's lots more, of course. Our pets have individual personalities and quirks, just like we do. RIP Harry. I love you and miss you. ♥

kitty tummy troubles

It never ceases to amaze me that our pets can have just about any ailment that we get, too. My wonderful Harry has been having tummy troubles of late, and I can relate. He doesn't seem able to process hairballs, and then was having trouble using his litter box. After staying overnight at the vet and being pumped up with fluids the good news is that the bathroom troubles were nothing serious. (Whew!) But he is now going to have to eat special food, and will have to have a B12 shot for a few weeks to get his tummy back in shape. Poor baby.

Harry (R) getting some love from his brother Dash

Hopefully this will all do the trick and he will not have to struggle to hawk up a hairball anymore. The last one was so solid it must have been in the poor guy's gut for a while. Happily that's not one of my issues. The big question is will the other two kitties forgive Harry (and me) for them having to eat the special food, too. Sorry guys, that's what's for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

some favorite recent pix

Scary yawner Harry

Sleeping Totoro

Alert dachshund Angel

the cats of palm beach

Every city has stray animals, but this island near the sea seems to have more than its fair share. Every morning as I walk the kid to school I see at least three or four stray cats. They are all breeds, shapes and sizes.

A long-haired ginger bobtail, a black and white shorthair, some gray tabbies, black cats — one who has really lived a street life, as he only has one ear ...

Some are friendly and some are very standoffish. It's hard to tell how many are strays and how many are just outdoor cats, as some always seem to be hanging out around the same houses. This little ginger kitten was very friendly, but I only saw him once this week.

It's so tempting to rescue these critters, especially Ginger Boy. But I'm not sure how our two cats would feel about him, and I don't want to bring any street cat diseases into the mix. I don't want to become a "crazy cat lady," and apparently Palm Beach has already had one of those.

When we adopted our dog from the local shelter it was depressing to see the dogs and cats in pens and cages and know that I couldn't help them all. I know the shelter is doing its best, but wouldn't it be nice to create a space for cats to roam free, but also be fed regularly and get their shots, etc. On the kid's favorite show on Animal Planet, Must Love Cats, they profiled a woman who did just that. Of course she also has a monthly cat food budget of over $20,000.

Even if I could solve my stray cat guilt, what about the gray fox roaming the streets at night ...

the good and bad points of sausage dogs

Having a sausage dog comes with built-in disadvantages and benefits.

The disadvantages are that the dog requires walking, which may not always be what you are in the mood for. Even worse, the dog, as soon as you get its leash, may decide to let loose, for some inexplicable reason, and pee on the rug. This causes a lot of cursing and frustrated stomping around as you still have to take said dog out for a walk — after you clean up the mess.

But, as previously stated, there are a few benefits. On these oh-so-inconvenient walks, which disturb you from early sleep or watching television or cruising the internet, you actually get outside, into the fresh air, and can look around. A certain amount of exercise is also involved. If the walk takes place during the daytime, you may see some interesting flora and fauna. If it takes place in the night time, you can study the heavens.

Tonight, as I was shaking off my bad mood at what had transpired a few minutes earlier on the living room carpet, I happened to look up in the sky and see this:

A moon ring, also known as a winter halo, is a phenomenon that usually appears in conjunction with a full moon ... It is caused by refraction of the light from the full moon in the ice particles floating in the clouds, as opposed to a rainbow, where light refracts in the water vapor that makes up the clouds ... In ancient beliefs it is believed that a moon ring means very warm days before the winter storm.

Sausage dogs may sometimes be a nuisance, but if it wasn't for a certain accident which better not happen again in the near future, I might not have been inspired to take a different route with a more unobstructed view.

With a nod to Alexander McCall Smith

welcome angel

Dachshund: A half-a-dog high and a dog-and-a-half long — H. L. Mencken

Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children, as they are already stretched and pulled to such a length that a child cannot do much harm one way or another. — Robert Benchley

This little dog with ten inch clearance
Presents a ludicrous appearance,
His legs are bowed, his feet turn out,
He gives us much to laugh about. — David Newell

I would rather train a striped zebra to balance an Indian club than induce a dachshund to heed my slightest command. — E.B. White