Kindness Bandit: Animals

I know that this may [not] come as a surprise to you, but I feel very passionately about the plight of animals in our world. I lose a lot of sleep over feeling helpless, like nothing I do will ever be enough. The problems are too big. It is pretty overwhelming at times. I cannot understand why people don't care more about the suffering of others; human and animal. I suppose it is easier, less trouble, to ignore...but I can't. Sometimes I wish that I could. Instead I lie awake at night and worry...not acting, just feeling the great weight pressing upon me.

To combat this feeling of helplessness I try to focus on the little things that I can do to make the world better for a few animals at a time. Of course we have rescued animals, but my house will never be big enough to accommodate the animals I wish I could adopt. Truly I want to rescue animals and give them a forever home. I want land so I can adopt farm animals and let sterilized feral cats run free. But, that is just not my reality now and honestly it may never be so. 

So what can I do? What can you do? Adopt animals when you can! Please! Maybe though, you can't adopt now and you still want to help. 

Yesterday we went to the local shelter and paid for the adoption of a cat. He was a bit older, not a kitten, but so full of love and life. Perhaps that small gesture will push someone to make that choice and bring him into their family. The total cost to our family was a small $35.

Perhaps you cannot spare $35, but you still want to help. What about advocacy? Every Sunday I sign petitions and write letters to my state representatives bout issues they can impact. A good place to start is here: https://www.aspca.org/take-action/advocacy-center

Many times they already have a letter written and you can just read through, making sure you agree. Sign and electronically send.

You can also visit your local shelter, pet cats and walk dogs. It is so fun! You could try eating vegan one day a week (or every single day!!!) and making an impact in that way. Please try out a little Kindness Bandit for the animals this week. 

Aging Animals

We officially have two old and arthritic animals in our home. Ophelia our cat is 16 and Bumblebee is at least 11; she was 1ish when we adopted her a nearly decade ago.

We are learning how to care for and accommodate our aging family members. Ophelia mostly just wants to sleep in comfortable places. She has certainly perked up since Lucy came into our lives, but her old body requires a lot of rest. She has no major health issues at present, beyond arthritis. She is happiest when she is warm and snuggled on our bed.

Bumblebee has been producing tumors  for years. We have been having them removed on a pretty regular basis for the past six years. Now she is old enough that we probably won't be removing them anymore, they are mostly just fatty tumors and pose no real danger. She also has severe arthritis, cataracts, and glaucoma. She visited the vet yesterday and came home with meds...she will be taking medicine for the rest of her life.

While nobody is near death there is certainly a decline in their health and wellness. I mention this now because I know so many of you care deeply for these animals (I have gotten emails from all over the world asking about Bumblebee). I want you to know that these girls are in their twilight years (we hope we still have years with them). We love our animals and care for them as the family members that they are. I am so thankful that we were able to adopt these animals into our lives and share them with you here. We are enjoying our time with these old ladies and keeping them happy and comfortable. 

While Bumblebee may only be able to take her walks for two blocks before exhaustion sets in she will still muster the energy to jump on our guests and chase squirrels. Ophelia is basically just a cranky old gal, but she is content to relax in the sun and enjoys regular pets and even tolerates Lucy pouncing on her from time to time.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

Bumblebee is generally the dominate dog in our house. She is older, she was here first, works just fine---mostly because Betty is a weirdo and has almost no concept of dominance. Betty would rather focus her effort on finding a way to be cozy.

Something weird has happened lately. Generally when I feed the dogs Betty sits in front of her dish while Bumblebee eats. When Bumblebee is done she watches Betty eat. Then they both inspect the other's bowl. Recently though Betty has decided to just sit in front of her full bowl for ages, emitting a low growl (that has no real threat behind it) when Bumblebee goes in for an approach. So the view is Betty sitting in front of her bowl, Bumblebee staring and drooling. Yesterday she did this for three hours. I know this because I put food on the floor, left for three hours, and came back to the exact same scene. Finally  Betty ate her breakfast.

This morning Eric fed the dogs and Bumblebee decided that two could play that game. Eric texted me a photo of this.

Bumblebee on the left, waiting. Betty on the right, did I mention that she is so lazy that she eats laying down? Anyway, it was a standoff. 

I returned home to find them both a few feet back staring at full bowls.

I was about to just take the bowls away and let them try again at dinner, when they switched bowls and each scarfed the other's food.

In a stunning move Betty even ate her food standing up, for at least a minute of her meal.

Meanwhile Lucy took full advantage of empty dog beds.

Lucy Update

I promised you an update on out newly adopted kitten, Lucy. So let's start at the beginning shall we?

Last week we brought her home at kind of a weird time. Our house's normal stasis was a bit disrupted as we were watching my parent's dog for the week. 

So we initially set Lucy up in a kennel in the guest room for the first night. We wanted her to have a safe place while she got used to the scents and sounds of our home. We left her kennel open all day, just keeping her in there overnight. The other animals were not allowed in that room.

Next we introduced both cats to each other's scents and then to each other. Opehlia, our older cat, did some hissing, but with no real conviction. Lucy was too sweet. She was calm and purred and seemed totally at ease with the situation.

Meanwhile we, humans, were all falling in love with her sweet and fun personality. She is always happy to purr and play.

So after the second night we moved the kennel to the studio, our basement. We moved Ophelia there as well. The basement  laundry room is where the cat box and food is kept, behind a doggie gate. Seemed like a good starting point for Lucy to get a lay of the land. For a short while we kept Lucy in the kennel while we got a feel for how Ophelia was doing. We certainly didn't want a cat fight. 

Slowly, as we felt confident that both cats were pretty calm, we let Lucy out. She had her kennel open to retreat to if she felt the need. We also put her in the kennel one last night to ensure that all was safe and harmonious between the cats.

Over the last few days both cats have hung out in the basement. Ophelia seems to have regained her interest in the world. She has been totally entertained by Lucy and they are absolutely forming a positive relationship. Now, they will sleep next to each other! Good stuff is happening!

Finally, my parents returned from their trip yesterday and took their dog back home. We were ready to introduce our dogs Betty and Bumblebee to Lucy. Well, we had let them see and smell her over the course of the week, but now we opened up the basement so cats and dogs could freely roam. We know our dogs well enough to know that they pose little threat to Lucy, but we are still watching closely to ensure that all parties are safe and comfortable.

Lucy is totally bold and calm. She has good sense, but also doesn't let the dogs scare her. The dogs are obnoxious about smelling her and crowding her space for the moment, but soon things will settle in and all will be harmonious I am sure!

Not for the Weak

I went to undergraduate school in Missoula, MT. While there I happened to be in a random history class and we were all asked to tell something about our hometowns as a way to get to know each other ('cuz no bond is more lasting than those formed in forced discussion). Anyway, I made note of a girl from Wyoming. She mentioned that in her town, one known for being windy, that on very gusty days the water in the basement toilet would sway with the winds. I assumed that meant that she had some sort of ramshackle home and that the wind wasn't really that intense.

I assumed wrong.


Photo by my hubby E.K. Wimmer

This morning, over a warm breakfast, my husband and I gazed passively at the curtains blowing in the wind. Let me assure you that our doors and windows were closed. I will admit that we need new sliding glass doors, but I am holding out for french doors (when will my french door genie arrive?!?!), and new windows are needed too, but we definitely do not live in a ramshackle house. The wind is so intense that I am pretty sure that the toilet water in the basement is swaying.

Hold on, let me check....confirmed!

While we are grateful that the temperatures are above 0F, the wind chill still makes it feel -5F, so whatever to that. You know, this weather has been weirdly intense. The poor dogs haven't been on a walk in a week, they give up after five minutes in the backyard and do that thing that lizards do on hot sand.
Imagine this, only swap snow for sand and basset hounds for the lizard.



Photo by my hubby E.K. Wimmer 

There are several bright sides to this situation:
1) The remaning branches (broken in an early storm) are now falling from the trees. Bonus, exercising your cat like reflexes as you dodge them.
2) No body image issues for anyone, thick layers of clothing have leveled the playing field and nobody is even kind of thinking about how they look in a swimsuit.
3)Lots of family time indoors. Hot soy chocolate milk aplenty. Tea too.
4) Free defensive driving practice. Everywhere. All the time.


Photo by my hubby E.K. Wimmer 
I think the temps are supposed to rise to above freezing before the end of the week. WAHOOO! Until then, we are snug and happy, thankful for a roof over our heads and 4wheel drive. Truly, while this weather is cold we are in awe of the beauty that accompanies it. Oh, and Wyoming wildlife is hardcore tough. Seriously, they just go about their business like it ain't no thang!


Photo by my hubby E.K. Wimmer 

Photo by my hubby E.K. Wimmer 

Living With Animals

I have been living with animals for most of my life. I wouldn't feel normal if there weren't animals in my home. Since I was 8 years old I have had at least one animal living in the house with me at all times, generally there have been more than that.

Currently we are living with two rescued cats (Ophelia and Mia) and our rescued basset (Bumblebee). Of course there are some downsides to living with animals....like waking up at 2am to hear a cat puking somewhere in the house. There is the abundance of pet hair. We have lint rollers at several stations throughout the house and I have to sweep the entire house at least 3 times a week to keep the pet hair under control. Then, of course, each animal has their own personal flaws (Bumblebee nasal whines in the car---it is definitely worse than you are thinking) that we have to deal with.




However, all of the inconveniences aside I think that the joys of sharing a space with animals far outweigh the negatives. Negatives come with any relationship, but not all relationships are nearly as fulfilling as those we share with animals. The cats each have different times of day where they check in with us, requesting some attention, but mostly they are independent old ladies. Bumblebee is our constant, and enthusiastic companion. She and I spend most of our days together. She is a friend to Cordelia and nurse to Elise. Our animals have taught us responsibility and have given us unlimited affection and entertainment. I hope they will also teach our daughters that animals truly are sentient beings.

Do you live with animals? Do you have strong feelings about it?

Project: Bird Donuts

I call this project bird donuts, but Cordelia calls it fancy bird feeders---take your pick.

To create bird donuts you will need:

Yarn or string of some sort, scissors, a donut tray (I found mine at a thrift store), some oil spray (I am not really sure if this is helpful or not, your call) and one very adorable helper


You will also need birdseed and water


The steps:

I sprayed the donut pan with oil (again, not really sure if it was necessary). I wrapped my string around the center of each donut, leaving a tail out of the top for hanging later.


Next we scooped in the birdseed, filling the donut holes almost to the top, leaving just a bit of room for water.


We added the water. I say "we" particularly because you should note that a toddler's help might not extend to this part if you don't want some spillage. The seeds were of different weights, some floated while others sunk so the seeds were well distributed.


We popped those bad boys into the freezer for a few hours.


Cordelia inspected to ensure that they were frozen.


I got out a cookie sheet and poured about a 1/4 inch of hot water in and placed the donut tray into it. The donuts popped out easily.


I marched outside and hung the bird donuts from a tree that stands in front of our front window.


Now the real question is will the birds get this or the squirrels? My money is on the squirrels, they are ruthless.

Unexpected Beauty

I am one of those weird people who gives really strange and specific compliments like, "I really love the bump in your nose," or "I think the shape of your neck is beautiful." Sometimes I fear that I freak people out with these types of compliments (so I try to hold myself back from creeping out random strangers), but I really do enjoy finding unanticipated loveliness. The search for unexpected beauty is not limited to giving people weird compliments, but seems to be something of an eternal hunt for me. Perhaps it is a configuration of sticks on the ground, a way that a person has of talking, anything really. Do you do that?

Of course I find normal things beautiful as well, but it seems that I am always on the hunt for things that are beautiful on their own terms. Perhaps it all began during the tender junior high years when I couldn't really look at myself, o0r anyone else, as one completed piece without feeling insecure about everything (ahh 13 was wonderful); so I had to find small bits to appreciate like my hands or my elbows. Maybe it has something to do with interest in wabi sabi. Who knows? I am not feeling particularly introspective at the moment so we shall just let the mysterious origins remain intact today.

Here are some moments of unexpected beauty that I have happened to photograph lately...










Where have you found unexpected beauty lately?

Happy Halloween Monster Blog

OK I am going to lay it out straight for you....I took a lot of photos this weekend. We have had a wonderful Halloween weekend and I promise to show you no more than 10% of the photos I have taken. Regardless, this is still a MONSTER BLOG (please read this dramatically, even in your head...perhaps a booming voice with an echo), and so very fitting considering that it is in fact Halloween! So, loosen your belt because you are about to be served a heaping dish of MONSTER BLOG!

Saturday we got ready for two Halloween parties. A big step up from last year's events of nothing and nothing else. We prepped our costumes, planning to go as a family theme, but when Cordelia requested her pirate dress (again) we relented and let her do her own thing.

Here is a hint....



We went as mimes. The costumes were a cinch, but who knew that white make-up would be such a hassle. We finally figured it out and piled into the car for our parties. I mentioned to Eric that it sounded like the beginning of a bad joke, two mimes and a pirate get into a compact car...


Family miming


Trapped in a box and pull the rope were the only moves in my mime bag.


Eric had a few special mime moves too.


Mimes and pirates living together in harmony

We went to our two parties. Cordelia was frightened by most of the night...she was not a fan of strangers in costume, but she recovered quickly and we spent the rest of our evening miming and playing with gourds (don't ask).

Sunday Cordelia and I attended a hayride. We had a marvelous time! I can't wait for next year.



We drove out of town a bit to a family farm. The day was surprisingly warm, about 60F. There was hay, there were lovely people, there were a few animals (hopefully companion animals...the vegan in me is hopeful).




Cordelia with her Grandpa


Cordelia with her Grandma

The hay ride was wonderful...though we did go through a strangely bright green field, everything else was the natural brown of the season.






While we were forcing Cordelia to pose on hay bales (because we are apparently incapable of just letting a hay bale pass us by) we heard the few cows mooing. She got really excited and thought that they were calling her. She took off running toward them. When she finally arrived she exclaimed, "Hey cows. I made it!" Then she proceeded to moo at them.


I love cows. I really do.


I mean look at those sweet feet (hooves).

Sunday night we were finally able to carve (wink) out time in our schedule to carve (you get it) pumpkins!




Today I am super excited to pass out vegan candy as I am sure that this will be the first year EVER that we have more than a couple of trick-or treaters!!!

Incidentally it also happens to be my 4 year blog anniversary!

Pirates, Green Baby Fingers(or toes), Animals, Flowers

We are off to a slow start to this morning. The last bits of illness are being coughed out in a symphony of hacking between Cordelia and I. We are both feeling fine, but the little bits of cough tend to linger as a phlegmy souvenir of this weekend. I am not really dressed for the day. I am wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt from the Alamarosa truck stop/restaurant. Despite how this may sound I have been super busy this morning and Cordelia has been playing like she's making up for lost time. She only stops briefly to hug or smooch me. Her hugs are always a little overwhelming and I end up with a head butt or a handful of hair missing from my scalp, but who can complain about sweetness at its most intense?

Cordelia wearing a pirate dress and sporting a serious case of bedhead

Elsewhere the house is calm. The sun is streaming in through the open curtains. The cats are lounging downstairs.

Ophelia


Mia

Bumblebee has quietly climbed onto the couch (she knows it is against the rules). I didn't bother to enforce the rules this morning. Bad and inconsistent of me. Shame---or I should feel shame, but generally I feel apathetic. Bum is such a sweet girl that I just don't mind this little indescretion. Ceasar Milan would not approve!

Sneaky Bumblebee

While the animals have been snoozing and Cordelia has been playing I have been crafting tons of flower clips. Why, you may be asking, am I making so many flower clips (see here for the tutorial)? I am so glad you asked. Well, on the 24th of this month my mother and I are going to be participating in our first craft fair with Wyoming Rose goodies. Between the two of us we are crocheting and crafting up a storm!

Pile of flowers

Finally, on a completely unrelated note check out this plant...

This succulent plant is called either baby fingers or baby toes. The translucent tips are where photosynthesis occurs. Cool huh?!

How is your morning going?

Antelope Nursery

Last week I dropped Eric off at work. He curates at a museum which is kind of out of town. Surrounding the museum are several open fields which are frequented by a group of antelope (a type of North American even toed ungulate-- for you biology types, wink). Anyhow I spotted a little baby antelope laying in a field, no mother in sight. The only other antelope was a big male sitting 100+ yards in the distance and keeping a wary eye on us.

My heart jumped out of my chest (not literally) and I was filled to the brim with a maternal instinct, one that knew no species barriers. Eric saw the look, recognizing it instantly, and matched mine with one that said, "NO! No way are we trying to rescue a baby antelope." I barely registered the look as I was already daydreaming of an antelope cuddling up next to Bumblebee on a cold winter night.

OK I would never really do that...probably. I asked Eric to check on the wee babe throughout the day and to call the authorities if things looked bad for our little bay-bay. He agreed, of course.

Later in the morning Eric called me to assure me that the wee babe had been reunited with his mother. Our observation has revealed that often the mother antelope will leave their babies in open fields, attended by a male. I would like to think that all of the mother antelope are off comparing notes and bragging about their babies.

So, while I may not be the adoptive mother of a baby antelope I have had some good views of the antelope nursery. (Today's photos are taken by E.K. Wimmer, my hubby--check out more of his photos here or click on my sidebar link)