Tuesday, November 30, 2010

A Man & His Weiner

I can't decide who's cuter in this photo, John or his little weiner, Lionel.

In the final analysis, Lionel wins because of those chubby, kissable paws. I'm not saying that John's paws aren't kissable, but I don't kiss any appendages of other women's husbands.

If dogs love to chew...

I've lived with dogs for 56 years, and I think I know the canine species pretty well by now. I think I can say without fear of successful contradiction that dogs love to chew. They love to chew bones, furniture, shoes, toes, you name it. But not food. They wait all day for a cup of crunchy dog kibble, greet it with joyous enthusiasm, and inhale it all without chewing it once. Then they look up at me with eager, inquiring faces, saying, "Where did all my food go? Can I have more?"

Why? Why do they do that? These aren't wild dogs who don't know where their next meal of dead squirrel is coming from. These are spoiled domesticated dogs who have never known true hunger or need in their entire rotten lives. But they would rather chew the carpet than chew their delicious dog kibble.

I just don't understand it.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Possession is all...

In Jinx's world, POSSESSION means everything. He must possess the bone, or the chair, or the pillow, even if it causes him discomfort. And of course, once he possess whatever it is, he can't relax. Possession requires constant vigilance.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Sad News

Sadly, I must report that 4 of Possum's kittens disappeared and only 2 remain. We suspect that Trudy took them out into the back yard or pasture to play with them and left the poor little things to fend for themselves there, and there they perished.

Possum is extra vigilant about protecting the 2 remaining kittens. Even when Mr. P. or I gently pet or hold them, Possum is close by, watching and waiting. When Trudy gets near one of those kittens, Possum bops the crap out of her. Hell hath no fury like an angry feline mom.

One kitten is black and named Licorice. The other is a grey tiger like Possum and named Spice. Like their mom, they have very long, skinny tails. Unlike their mom, their tails bend at a 90 degree angle at the end.

As soon as I can manage it, I'll post photos of them. But man, do those little guys/girls move fast!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Our new neighbor, the Incredible Mr. Ed


About a month ago, one of our neighbors, a retired farmer, put a horse in the pasture that adjoins ours. I know virtually nothing about horses, but as far as I can tell, this is a brown gelding of unknown heritage. I don't know if horses are social animals, but it seems to me that this guy is lonely. He has a big pasture with trees and plantlife and hills and valleys...but no other critters
(except when our kitties and outdoor dogs venture out there).
Of course, Mr. Parker immediately started a horse friendship campaign, offering Mr. Ed a variety of treats like corn stalks, turnip greens, tomatoes, bell peppers, and other items from our garden. Mr. Ed was not impressed. A week ago, Mr. P.. declared loudly that he was NOT going to give Mr. Ed any apples, but yesterday he gave Mr. Ed a few apples with such great results that we are now feeding Mr. Ed apples several times a day.
After munching his requisite apples, Mr. Ed is willing to let us pet and admire him. He seems like a fine man to me, but Mr. P. says his hooves are split and there are other signs of neglect. Why would a horse owner put Mr. Ed out to pasture like this? Mr. Ed sure seems like a great guy to us. Of course, we can afford to feed another critter about as well as we can afford to re-build the Brooklyn Bridge. But it's pretty nice to pet Mr. Ed's fuzzy muzzle as long as you don't look too closely at the discolored teethb covered with foamy saliva and partially-chewed grass.

Arwen's Halloween

Can you find the kitty in this picture?