What else can I say except I heart Wales!
3.25.2009
3.21.2009
Miss Thing...
Spring 1992 - March 20, 2009
I was going home one day to do laundry and there was a "Free Kittens" sign on the driveway of a house... I stopped, and there she was. And she stayed for the next 17 years. From Missouri to Florida, DC, Seattle, Colorado, New York and back to Seattle.
She lived almost 3.5yrs after my dogs attacked her in December 2005 - resulting in a perforated liver, dislocated jaw and a miriad of other issues [plus the most jumbo vet bill ever]. She collapsed almost 1yr to the day - possibly due to residual nerve damage from that attack, but she recovered again albeit with a few physical changes.
She was there through my divorce last year, and had another collapsing incident in April 2008 that I didn't think she would recover from at all. She did, but there was a marked difference. Her balance was WAY off - kinda like a car driving with a noticably bent frame. She had difficulty walking and jumping, but she scooted along like a trooper the best she could - and she ate like a fiend.
After much thought and tribulation, I made the decision to send her to my parents in Las Vegas in August this past year, along with Molly, my other cat. I was actually hoping to go to Vegas next month for a visit and to see her.
She was a good little cat - and I'll always miss her.
3.20.2009
What's All the Fuss?
Maybe I'm just not cool or hip. Actually, I'm pretty sure I've never been either. But anyway, I don't get it. I don't get twitter, facebook or myspace. What's the purpose? I have my little blog, email [5 different email addresses to be exact and I'm attempting to phase out 2 of them - and 2 are for junk mail only] and a cell phone - with madly insane text messaging attached to it. If you need to get in touch with me, send me an email or text or call. Why do I need to be on all this other stuff? What's the facination? I mean, I was hesitant about having a blog for fear it was too personal & there is a bit of anonymity lost. But with twitter, facebook and myspace, can you really be anonymous on the web? As it is, everything you post is out "there" forever.
Thoughts?
3.04.2009
Jasmine...
BF sent me the following text/story this morning. I'm not sure where it came from, or who wrote it [sorry, but please, if you know, I'm happy to give credit!]. For all the ick in the world, this is certainly uplifting. Enjoy...
In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused. In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need. Geoff Grewcock and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home. The dog had other ideas.
No-one remembers now how it began, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, probably, a rhinoceros, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick. Geoff Grewcock relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them.""But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings."She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."
Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits. And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted in her fur.
"They are inseparable," says Geoff Grewcock. "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse.
From left, Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, an orphaned roe deer; Buster,a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine.
In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused. In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need. Geoff Grewcock and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home. The dog had other ideas.
No-one remembers now how it began, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, probably, a rhinoceros, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick. Geoff Grewcock relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them.""But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings."She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."
Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits. And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted in her fur.
"They are inseparable," says Geoff Grewcock. "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse.
From left, Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, an orphaned roe deer; Buster,a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine.
Doing what she does best, being a mother.
3.03.2009
Help?
I've eluded to it ever so slightly mainly because whatever is posted on the web is forever - and because this is embarassing on so many levels... But I am unemployed. I am a statistic that you read about on the news every night. And it sucks.
If you know anyone hiring, please let me know. Thanks.
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